#liam x trina

[zaffrenotes]

Sharing the gorgeous artwork @miyeoncey created for me as a prize from @ofpixelsandscribbles amazing anniversary giveaway 😍😍😍

I decided to combine two things I enjoy for my request - Serendipity Trina and Liam getting dressed up for Halloween x getting hyped for The Wheel of Time, so I give you…

HennLiam as Lan Mandragoran, warder/bodyguard to Trina as Aes Sedai Moraine Damodred

😁😁 THANK YOU SO MUCH LIS AND DIANA 😁😁

Please do not repost and/or alter the image above

Tagging my permas with a little author’s note under the cut

I meant to write a cute one shot to go along with this gorgeous artwork where Trina asks Liam to let his hair grow out months before Halloween, and she drops hints that he looks a lot like a certain actor 😉 portraying an uncrowned king in an adaptation of a fantasy series she’s read…

…but October knocked me on my ass more than once. Fanfic writing (and reading) keeps getting pushed aside so I can handle a lot of life things. It’s why I haven’t been around very much. I haven’t even had it in me to open the Choices app in weeks, because it feels like there’s still so much to do. That being said, I’m slowly taking moments from each day for myself again; you might see me liking posts here and there so I can save them to reblog when it doesn’t feel like all the balls are in the air.

I miss you guys.

@ao719 @the-soot-sprite (eeee tumblr works again! I can tag you!) @burnsoslow @gkittylove99 @neotericthemis @rainbowsinthestorm @superharriet @cocomaxley

[jetelaisseraidesmots-toujours]

Masterlist

=*^*=

~Angst

~Fluff

~Unsure about smut

=*^*=

(Character x Character and Character x Reader)

Shows-

•Squid Game

-Seong Gi-Hun

-Cho Sang-Woo

-Ali Abdul

-Hwang Jun-Ho

-Kang Sae-Byeok

-Ji-Yeong

-Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Derry Girls

-Erin Quinn

-James Maguire

-Clare Devlin

-Orla McCool

-Michelle Mallon

-Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Total Drama

-Gwen

-Leshawna

-Chris McLean

-Bridgette

-Courtney

-Alejandro

-Heather

-Cody

-Duncan

-Noah

Etc and Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Outer Banks

-JJ

-John B

-Sarah

-Kiarra

-Pope

-Topper

Open to more~ (I won’t write for Rafe though. Sorry!)

——————————————————————————

•Miraculous Ladybug

-Adrien/Chat Noir

-Marinette/Ladybug

-Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge

-Chloé Bourgeois/Queen Bee

-Nino Lahiffe/Carapace

-Luka Couffaine/Viperion

Etc and Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Stranger Things

-Mike Wheeler

-Will Byers

-Eleven

-Lucas Sinclair

-Dustin Henderson

-Max Mayfield

-Steve Harrington

-Nancy Wheeler

-Eddie Munson

-Jonathan Byers

-Robin Buckley

-Billy Hargrove

Etc and Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Victorious

-Jade West

-Beck Oliver

-Cat Valentine

-Trina Vega

-Andre Harris

-Tori Vega

-Robbie Shapiro

Open to More~

More to come~

Movies-

•Harry Potter

-Harry Potter

-Ron Weasley

-Hermione Granger

-Luna Lovegood

-Neville Longbottom

-George/Fred Weasley

-Bill Weasley

-Percy Weasley

-Charlie Weasley

-Ginny Weasley

-Sirius Black

-James Potter

-Remus Lupin

-Marlene McKinnon

-Nymphadora Tonks

-Regulus Black

Etc and Open to WAY more~

——————————————————————���———

•Marvel

-Tony Stark

-Steve Rogers

-Bruce Banner

-Thor Odinson

-Natasha Romanoff

-Clint Barton

-Loki Friggason

-Peter Parker (Tobey, Andrew, or Tom)

-T'Challa (Black Panther)

-Wanda Maximoff

-Pietro Maximoff

-Stephen Strange

-Carol Danvers

-Vision

-The Guardians

-Brunnhilde (Valkyrie)

-Druig

-Thena

-Sersi

-Makkari

-Gilgamesh

-Kingo

-Ajak

Etc and Open to WAY more~

——————————————————————————

•X-Men

-Charles Xavier

-Erik Lehnsherr

-Alex Summers

-Scott Summers

-Jean Grey

-Peter Maximoff

-Kurt Wagner

-Jubilee

-Logan Howlett

-Mystique/Raven

-Storm

And so many more! Just ask for a character!~

——————————————————————————

•Encanto

-Bruno

-Julieta

-Pepa

-Dolores

-Isabela

-Luisa

-Camilo

-Mirabel

-Antonio (PLATONIC ONLY!)

-Félix

-Agustín

Open to more~

——————————————————————————

•Narnia

-Edmund Pevensie

-Peter Pevensie

-Susan Pevensie

-Lucy Pevensie

-Caspian X

-Eustace Pevensie

Open to more~

More to come~

Celebrities-

•Aaron Taylor-Johnson

•Andrew Garfield

•Angelina Jolie

•Anya Taylor-Joy

•Ben Barnes

•Ben Hardy

•Blake Lively

•Brie Larson

•Chris Hemsworth

•Caleb McLaughlin

•Doja Cat

•Emma Watson

•Finn Wolfhard

•Florence Pugh

•Harry Styles

•James McAvoy

•Joe Keery

•Jung Ho-Yeon (HoYeon Jung)

•Lee Yoo-Mi

•Lee Jung-Jae

•Leonardo DiCaprio

•Liam Payne

•Louis Tomlinson

•Maya Hawke

•Melanie Martinez

•Millie Bobby Brown

•Natalia Dyer

•Niall Horan

•Sadie Sink

•Timothée Chalamet

•Tom Hiddleston

•Tom Holland

•Zendaya

More to come~

I am aware these aren’t much, but just ask for a movie and if I’ve seen it, I can do it. I just can’t think of some tv shows or movies or people to list rn lol

ALSO WHEN REQUESTING, PLEASE STATE SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WANT THE FIC TO ENTAIL. (Ex: Squid Game Angst with a happy ending, Harry Potter fluff with a day out in Hogsmeade, etc)

[angelasscribbles]

Complicated Part 4: Pain and Desire

Series: Complicated

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Liam x Riley, Drake x Riley

Rating: M

Warnings: Language, adult themes

My other stuff: Master List.

Riley had several hours on the ride to Applewood to contemplate things. If Maxwell hadn’t knocked on her door, she and Drake would have consummated this thing between them…whatever it was. Maybe it was for the best. She was confused about her own feelings. She still loved Liam and the thought of him suffused her with guilt.

Riley knew that she came across as self-confident and even a little arrogant at times. Maybe she was both of those things, but only when it came to certain aspects of her life. She felt far less confident when it came to the most important things.

Shortly after puberty she had noticed the effect she had on boys. That, combined with the raging teenage hormones had been a heady combination. She liked the power it gave her. She liked being able to get whatever she wanted from them; she liked the attention. Then she fell in love for the first time.

Bobby Taylor was older than her, popular, good looking and athletic. She had lost her virginity to him one night in the backseat of his vintage Ford Mustang convertible. He had gone off to college with promises to write, summer vacation together and a future. Then he had completely ghosted her. She had been shattered.

Her friend Trina had told her that there’s always one person in a relationship that loves more, and the trick was to not be that person. To always leave first. She had taken that advice and ran with it. Her fractured heart had slowly started to heal, and she had decided that life was too short for that kind of pain. She would, instead, have fun. And have fun she did. Her college roommate had referred to her as the queen of one-night stands. It was satisfying when they tried to get more out of her, but she rarely gave it. When she did, it was always on her terms and her terms alone. There was no compromising, no meeting halfway. Just my way or the highway. And she had chugged along like that quite happily for a while until she realized it was empty.

One day she was talking to guy that had been trying to hook up with her for weeks. She was entertaining the idea of meeting up with him at a party when he informed her that, “every guy I know wants you.” She had been startled by her own reaction. Months, even weeks prior she would have taken that as a high compliment and been proud of it. Instead, she found herself annoyed.

“Oh?” She asked him, “What do they want? What they see? Because they don’t know a damn thing about me.” And just like that, her perspective shifted. She wanted more. The problem was, she had no idea how to go about getting it and was terrified she never would. Maybe her looks and sexual desirability were all there was to her, maybe those things were all that anyone would ever value her for. She wanted more, but she was afraid to admit it to anyone. So she continued to pretend that sex was all she wanted in order to save face when it was all she got.

She knew her fear of abandonment went back to Bobby and to her parents’ deaths before that. She even suspected that her fear of never being good enough stemmed from the how well she did academically and all the attention and accolades she got for it. Far from making her feel proud, she became terrified of failure. What happened if she didn’t bring home straight A’s? What if everyone found out she wasn’t as smart as they thought she was? It became a real problem, culminating in her dropping out of everything when she should have been picking a master’s degree program.

Waitressing was easy and she didn’t have to think about much. That’s why she liked it. When she was some anonymous waitress in a dive bar in New York, no one expected much of anything from her. Then Liam showed up and stirred feelings inside her she hadn’t felt since she was 16 years old. He was so sweet, and he seemed to enjoy her company for that alone, he didn’t try to sleep with her. He didn’t even try to kiss her; she had initiated that. When Maxwell offered her the opportunity to go to Cordonia and see if there was something between her and Liam, she had thought maybe he was her chance to have that something more.

She sighed as she shifted in her seat in the limo. She still wanted something more but now she wasn’t sure if it existed at all.

When they finally arrived at Applewood, she dropped into her bed in exhaustion and drifted off to sleep wondering if she was a fool to think that either Liam or Drake could give her the unconditional love that she so desperately desired.

She was awoken the next morning by a knock too timid to be Maxwell. She opened the door to find Callie standing there. “Callie! I had no idea you were here!”

Callie beamed at her, “Yes, and this job is so much better than the one I had before! My supervisor is strict but fair and really sweet. This job comes with paid time off and everything!”

Riley smiled and opened the door, “Well I’m happy for you, come on in!”

Callie looked around as if worried someone would see her, then stepped into the room and closed the door, “I know I can never repay you for what you did-“

“It was nothing.” Riley interrupted her.

“But….I have some information that might be useful to you.”

“Really?”

Callie nodded.

“Like what?”

“I know I’ve only been here a day, but all the girls are very friendly and pretty chatty. I heard that one of the chamber maids, Sara, was given a month’s pay in cash by some noble woman for helping set you up.”

“What? Who was it? Do you know?”

Callie shook her head sadly, “I don’t and neither does she, the woman wore a big hat and dark sunglasses and well, most of these noble women look pretty much the same.”

“So, what did she have to do, exactly?”

“She had to tell Duke Lambros that you liked him, and also tell him that his room assignment had been changed and…”

“And?”

“And make sure there was no lock on your door.” Callie looked horrified as she relayed the information.

“Wow, that’s-“

“In her defense,” she rushed on, “She was told that you two liked each other and she would be helping two people that were too shy to initiate anything on their own. She really isn’t a bad person, but she has four children, and you have no idea how much that money helped her! She felt terrible when she saw the news and realized what had really happened!”

“It’s ok, Callie, slow down! I do understand that. This information is helpful. I’ll make sure your friend doesn’t get in any trouble. I appreciate it more than you can imagine!”

“Thank you, Lady Riley! I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and let you know if I learn anything else.”

“That would be amazing! And please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

“You’ve already done it! I have to get to work now but thank you again for everything!”

Callie slipped out of the room discreetly and Riley got dressed for the barn raising. What felt like an eternity later, she eased her aching muscles into a hot tub and sighed as the churning water melted away the pain. She and Hana had decided to crash the boy’s side of the spa and they had all discovered Max’s hippo tattoo. Riley had assured him that it was adorable because it was.

Liam sank into the soothing water next to her and turned to her with that smile that still made her heart do flip flops. She had been nervous about coming to the spa with both Liam and Drake, but both had been perfect gentlemen. Drake had been keeping his distance, emotionally at least. They had worked together during the barn raising and she could have sworn he caught her staring at him shirtless at least twice. She flushed at that thought and pushed it away. Glancing over she saw Drake and Maxwell taking turns doing canon balls into the pool.

She looked back at Liam to find him staring at her.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Just taking you in.” He sighed as he reached out and brushed her cheek with his hand.

She leaned into him, “Liam”. Then he was kissing her.

Riley closed her eyes and let the sensation wash over her as he drew in her closer, wrapping his arms around her. She sighed when he pulled away.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized, “I could get carried away.”

“I kinda wish you would.”

“Riley, I-“

“Hey, look everyone!” Max yelled out as he did a double back flip into the deep end.

“Maxwell that was great!” Riley yelled, clapping. She caught Drake watching her and she flushed wondering if he had seen the kiss. She felt guilt then anger slide through her in rapid succession. What did she have to feel guilty about? Last night’s make out session notwithstanding, he had made it clear that he was putting the brakes on whatever was between them before it even began. He was the one that kept pushing her towards Liam, so damned if he got to be jealous about it.

She still felt a bit awkward and shifted away from Liam a little. If he noticed, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he took her hand in his and looked earnestly into her eyes, “Riley. Thank you for coming here with me. I know we still need to talk; I haven’t forgotten. I want to explain things…I mean, better than I did before……I……..” He sighed and looked down, “I’m sorry, I’m messing this up, aren’t I? I don’t seem to know the right thing to say to you. I just….I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and I’m terrified of messing it up.”

Her heart beat faster. He was saying all the right things, all the things she wanted to hear. So had Bobby. How could she be sure this was real? She felt a thrill of electricity from his touch. She wanted to surrender to it so much.

“Liam-“ she was going to ask him why he didn’t invite her into his room that night, but before she could, Hana slipped into the hot tub with them, followed by Maxwell and Drake. She sighed as he dropped her hand and scooted away. Surely he knew he could trust their friends? No way Hana, Max or Drake were going to tell anyone that he was holding her hand. She pushed it away and turned to the others with a smile, “So are we having dinner at Applewood or should we go out?”

Maxwell and Hana started debating the merits of various local restaurants while Drake studied her face. He had noticed the flash of pain in her eyes when Liam had moved away from her. He could tell her smile wasn’t real, knew she didn’t care where they ate. His eyes flicked over to Liam. Why did he move away? Drake glanced around the spa, there was no one else around to see. He looked back to find Liam gazing at her with pain and desire written all over his face. He recognized it because he was painfully familiar with it himself. The irony, he thought, both of them in love with the same woman, and neither one of them able to do a damn thing about it.

[recentanimenews]

Date A Live IV English Dub Reveals Cast & Crew, Release Date

  Date A Live's English dub is going strong after nearly a decade in the making, and we're excited to say that the hot streak is going to continue on Crunchyroll with Date A Live IV, starting from April 22 at 2 p.m. PT!

  First up, let's welcome the latest big addition to Shido's harem:

  Mallorie Rodak (High Elf Archer in GOBLIN SLAYER) as Nia

  And then the many returning favorites:

  Josh Grelle (Armin in Attack on Titan) as Shido

Michelle Rojas (Roxy in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) as Tohka

Michelle Lee (Rosemary in SHADOWS HOUSE) as Origami

Bryn Apprill (Ai in ZOMBIE LAND SAGA) as Kotori

Katelyn Barr (Rim in The Dungeon of Black Company) as Natsumi

Alexis Tipton (Miko in Mieruko-chan) as Kurumi

Tia Ballard (Mizuho in Sonny Boy) as Yoshino and Yoshinon

Brittney Karbowski (Saori in Tribe Nine) as Kaguya

Megan Shipman (Anya in SPY x FAMILY) as Yuzuru

  Trina Nishimura (Mikasa in Attack on Titan) as Ellen

* J. Michael Tatum (Iida in My Hero Academia) as Kannazuki

Christopher R. Sabat (Despa in Ranking of Kings) as Kawagoe

Felecia Angelle (Kohaku in Dr. STONE) as Mana

Bradley Campbell (Heinkel in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) as Mikimoto

Jad Saxton (Shinju in My Dress-Up Darling) as Miku

Sara Ragsdale (Riko in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid) as MInowa

Matt Thurston (Shiryu in One Piece) as Nakatsugawa

* Barrett Nash (Misuzu in A Certain Scientific Railgun) as Reine

Cynthia Cranz (Chieko in Princess Jellyfish) as Shizaki

Christopher Wehkamp (Ruijerd in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) as Westcott

Alex Moore (Mitsuba in Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign) as Narrator

  * For Episode 1, Aaron Roberts and Emily Ernst will temporarily replace J. Michael Tatum as Kannazuki and Barrett Nash as Reine, respectively.

  Crew

ADR Director: Aaron Roberts

ADR Script Supervisor: Emily Neves

ADR Script Writer: Jessica Cavanagh

ADR Prep: Benjamin Tehrani

ADR Engineer: Izzy Castillo

      RELATED: Crunchyroll Reveals SimulDub Lineup for Spring 2022, First SPY x FAMILY Cast Details

    Based on the light novels by Koshi Tachibana, the fourth season of Date A Live is directed by Jun Nakagawa (High School Fleet movie) at studio GEEKTOYS, with series composition by Fumihiko Shimo (Clannad) and character designs by Naoto Nakamura (High School Fleet).

  If you're a fan of battle harem anime, don't miss Episode 1 of Date A Live IV's English dub when it drops on April 22 at 2 p.m. PT , right here on Crunchyroll!

      Der shy man behind @Shymander, Liam is a timezone-fluid Aussie with a distinct fondness for anime, Eurovision and creating odd stats projects despite hating math.

By: Liam Dempsey

[brightpinkpeppercorn]

Lil Tag Game

Tagged by @littlecrookedheart and @queen-among-writers (thank you, lovelies!)

Relationship Status: Married (to a saint who puts up with me)

Favourite colour: Rose gold!!

Top three ships:

Choices (mine): Jake x Mille, Parker x Rachael, Beckett x Artemis

Choices (not mine): Tom x Clove ( @littlecrookedheart ), Beckett x Clarette ( @scgdoeswhat ), Jake x Logan ( @mysteli ), Jake x Kara ( @likethetailofacomet ), Liam x Trina ( @zaffrenotes ), Lena x Lucilla ( @queerchoicesblog ), Damien x Kai 🥜 ( @indescribablechoices ), Beckett x Devina ( @queen-among-writers ), potential Jake x Dan ( @choiceslife ) - okay that was way more than three!

Not Choices: Mulder x Scully, Monica x Chandler, Leslie x Ben

Lipstick or chapstick: Lip gloss! Otherwise I use chapstick sometimes

Last song: “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake

Last movie: Mother! but I fell asleep before it was over and I had my husband/sister fill me in

Currently reading: All these amazing fanfics! “Yes Please” by Amy Poehler. Just downloaded “Sin and Syntax” to hopefully help me with this writing

Tagging: @mind-reader1 @bbaba-yagaa @roonarific @dumbbrowngirl @littlecrookedheart @zaffrenotes @pixieferry @choiceslife @nikkisha16 @feartheendlesssummer @why-do-i-love-it-so-much @walkerisbae @pbmychoices @queerchoicesblog @kinda-iconic @lady-kato @akrenich @marmolady @acidsugar0 @zuaovca @esteladannishreyakamilah (sorry if there are double tags, you’ve done this before, or don’t want to do it!)

[likethetailofacomet]

1, 4, 5, 9, 10! ✨

Hi @ifyouseekheart !! Thank you for the asks lovely! 

1. Do you remember what was the first fanfic you’ve read in this fandom?

I do! It was one of @mrswalkerwritesagain Drake and Louisa one shots...I don’t remember exactly which one it was, but she was definitely the first author I read here, and Drake and Louisa will forever hold a piece of my heart. 

4. Have you ever seen a character in a different light because of fanfic or fanart I’ve seen?

YES. I have said this before and I will continue to say it forever because that’s how long it will be true: I never cared a single lick about Liam before I read @zaffrenotes version of him. I didn’t like him in the game, I never sought out Liam x MC fics...I am a Drake girl through and through. But Donna’s Liam and Trina fics (she has several, an AU where they meet in college, an AU where Trina finishes school before they get married, and a series called You are the Reason that stays pretty close to cannon but ventures out into some other topics. They’re all fantastic. The sojourn series-Trina finishes school- is one of my favorite fanfic series out there.) This Liam continues to be the only Liam that holds my heart! 

5. Recommend five fanfics from different writers that you’ve read lately.

Oh boy! There are so many great ones! But here are 5 of the most recent ones that blew my socks off: 

Own Personal Superman- @the-everlasting-dream

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler - @ooo-barff-ooo

Baby Let’s go to... - @brightpinkpeppercorn

The Tarp and Redecorating - @darley1101

Born Into Darkness- @speedyoperarascalparty

9. Do you create fanart/fanfics/edits/etc. yourself? Which one of your works is your favorite?

I do! I write fanfic like it’s going out of style! It’s tough to pick a favorite because I have a love/hate relationship with my work…but if I had to pick, it would be my Cross Space and Time series- a crossover between Endless Summer and Hero where both MCs try to make it back home. Honorable mention goes to The Broken Bits- a Bastien x OC series, and Scattershield, my first Ride or Die fic featuring Logan. They can all be found on my masterlist

10. Fluff or angst?

To write or to read? Honestly, either. I can appreciate a good ball of fluff, but I know that life isn’t all rainbows and that there is plenty of room for angst. I like when a story reads like reality- even if it involves fantasy elements- I like genuine interactions and feelings. If the story calls for a happy ending? Love it. If the story calls for tears? Love it. This wasn’t really an answer. Sorry. 

Thank you for the asks darling! 

[theroyalweisme]

Duties of a Prince - Chapter 10 - Leo x Liam x MC

A little AU of what would have happened at Leo’s fling before the social season to determine his bride kicks off.

Rating: For mature audiences… language and themes as the story continues.

A/N - I surprised even myself... I’m hoping to continue posting Wednesday AND Saturday. Chapter 11 will post on Saturday.

(A RoE and TRR Crossover)

Summary:

Two brothers who couldn’t be more different if they tried. One out to be the life of the party. The other understanding both of they’re roles and determined to fulfill them all. But what happens when they fall for the same girl?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Tagging: @youwontlikewherewewillgo @captainkingliam @chrstbll @pens-girl-87 @mfackenthal @xxrainbowprincessxx @queencatherynerhys @syltti78 @boneandfur @ranishajay @decisso @blackcatkita @trianiasti @bobasheebaby @pbchoicesobsessed @madaraism @umccall71

“Sab,” Daniel’s voice called over the din of the bar as she loaded up her tray, nodding at Trina behind it. “Table 16 wants the bill. And table 28 specifically requested you.”

Sighing gently she paused to print the requested bill before lifting the tray onto her shoulder.

Table 16 was full of college-aged girls taking advantage of cheap drink specials on their way to their next dance stop.

“Thanks, ladies,” she smiled widely, dropping the bill on the table. One of the women quickly placed a card on the table next to the bill. “No worries, I’ll bring the machine by.”

She smiled, placing drinks in front of their owners before heading to the table that requested her. Her stomach dropped slightly as she neared the corner booth. Her sigh reverberated to her toes before she stepped up to the booth, green and blue eyes resting easily on her as she plastered a smile on her lips.

“Hey, welcome to Lucky Strike!” She started, waving a hand at their surroundings. “I’m Sabrina and I’ll be helping you out tonight. Can I start you both out with something to drink?”

“Sabrina…” the brows over the deep blue eyes furrowed at her speech. “We need to talk.”

“And I need to work. Undisturbed.” She shook her head, turning towards the brother with the piercing green gaze. “What about you, Pretty Boy?”

“Gin and tonic, Beautiful,” Leo winked at her. Her gaze moved back over to his younger brother, who waved her off dismissively. She bit back the roll her eyes desperately wanted to send his way before stomping back to the bar. “Jesus, Liam… Not once did I think that I would be the reasonable one here…”

Liam watched the beautiful blond walk away from him, trying to figure out his next move.

“Liam, you’re being a royal ass,” Leo’s words brought the younger’s gaze back to him. “Why on earth would she leave her home for someone waving her away?”

Leo waved his hands around in front of his brother, whose sigh nearly shook the table. The younger man pulled his hands through his thick locks before looking up despairingly.

“What am I going to do, Leo?” His voice catching with emotion. “I can’t leave her here.”

The older brother sighed softly at the younger man in front of him. He gave his brother’s arm a gentle pat.

“First… you’re going to stop being the world’s largest ass,” he grinned at his brother’s groan. “And then… you’re going to apologize to the pretty girl and talk to her like a human being. Fuck, Liam. You’re better than this. Show her.”

“You’re right...” he nodded. “I can do this. I’m better than this... I just need to talk to her. Show her how much she means to me.”

His eyes tracked her as she moved effortlessly through the bar. A full tray resting on the bare shoulder peeking out of her oversized t-shirt emblazoned with the same emblem on the front of the bar, pausing at the table filled with a group of men around her age. Leo’s hand gripping his forearm was the only thing keeping him at the table as one of the men grabbed her around the waist. She smiled at the man before authoritatively pulling his arm from around her and playfully wagging her finger in admonishment.

Liam released the tense breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as the table laughed with her and she continued on her way. She paused briefly at their own table, placing the drink Leo had ordered in front of him and pointedly ignoring Liam.

“Yikes...” Leo grimaced, sipping his drink as the pretty blond left their table. “You really did it now, brother.”

Liam sighed deeply resting his head heavily in his hands.

Now want I am going to do?

—

The night passed quicker than Sabrina had expected it to. Winding down her shift as she wiped down another empty table, only 3 tables left in the place. She sensed his presence behind her before turning around to see him, his blue eyes pleading. Her sigh was deep as she leaned against the now clean table.

“Can we start tonight over?” His voice was soft as he stepped closer to her. Not saying a word she tilted her head towards him. “Sabrina, the thought of leaving you behind in New York makes my stomach tie into a million knots and my heart ache. I can’t go back to Cordonia knowing you’re still here.”

“What about what I need, Liam?” Her question brought a flash of defensiveness through his eyes. “What about my life? Killer needs me, and I can’t uproot her for a summer fling. What about my friends here? You’re asking me to leave a lot, for what?”

“For me...” his voice was soft, pleading as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “For us...”

Her eyes softened as he brushed a curl off of her forehead.

“Look...” he sighed. “I have no idea how the next few months will go. But I do know that I need to give this a try. Killer is more than welcome to come with us. And besides, we may need her to keep Leo in line over the social season.”

Her laugh squeezed his heart tightly.

“She does make a good babysitter...” she mused. He stepped closer to her still his hand resting lightly on her hip. “What about my job? What am I going to do over there?”

Her eyebrows knit together with concern.

“Whatever you want to... if you want to work, we’ll make that happen... you want to live in the lap of luxury, it’s yours,” his smile grew as her determination slipped a little further. “And before you ask, your friends would always be welcome. We could arrange to fly them out whenever they want to come out.”

“Okay, my Mickey Blue Eyes... you win.” She squealed as he wrapped her tightly in his arms, lifting her up off the ground he spun them both in a tight circle. “But I have conditions.”

“Anything. Whatever you want,” his eyes were ablaze with joy knowing she was giving in. He pushed the hair surrounding her face out of her eyes.  She pushed her fingers, counting off her conditions.

“One… Killer is coming. She’s my best friend and I won’t leave her here. Two... if I decide to work, I get zero complaints. Zero, Liam.” He nodded emphatically as she held up three fingers to him. “Lastly… I won’t be abandoned. I’m leaving my home, my family, for you. I won’t go there to be left alone.”

“I promise to be the most attentive person on the face of the earth,” she chuckled as he tilted her chin to look into her eyes. “You’ll be sending me away.”

“We’ll see, Blue Eyes,” she smiled, pulling his face to hers for a quick kiss. “Now let me finish my last shift here.”

He pulled her tighter to him, stealing another quick kiss.

“You could always come back to the hotel…” he suggested, nuzzling the sensitive skin just below her ear.

“No way, your highness,” she laughed, pushing him away. “I have too much to do now. Go.”

“I’ll be by to pick you up tomorrow, afternoon.” His grin was infectious as he rubbed his thumb against her cheek. “I can’t wait to show you my home.”

“I can’t wait to see it,’ she shooed him out the door, where his brother was waiting.

“So… You’re leaving.” A voice behind her startled her back to the task at hand. “For a guy you just met.”

“Dan, please don’t,” she sighed before turning to her friend. “I’m leaving for me. Because I feel I need to do this for me. And I need my friend to understand, give me a hug and say bon voyage.”

His shoulders slumped before pulling her in for a tight embrace.

“Bon voyage, Sab,” he whispered and she squeezed him back. “Promise to call?”

“Every day,” she sniffled against him, squeezing a little tighter. “And twice on Sundays.”

The pair laughed together before pulling apart. Daniel chucked her chin softly.

“I’m gonna miss you kid,” his eyes were sad as he turned to head back to the bar.

“You’re not that much older than me, Daniel,” she grinned, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “Besides… You’ll just have to come and visit me.”

“Yup with my millions of dollars I have stashed away for European vacations,” her eyes rolled at his sarcasm. “Don’t worry, Sab. We’ll figure it out.”

“A girl couldn’t ask for a better friend than you, Daniel.” She squeezed his shoulders in a half hug. “I’m gonna miss you too.”

The pair smiled sadly at each other before she ran out the door to pack.

[zaffrenotes]

[TRR] A Tot Debate

Pairing(s): Liam x Katrina, Drake x Alyssa Stiles Rating: G Author’s Note: Here’s my belated birthday fic for @cocomaxley based on a conversation we had with @ao719 and @the-soot-sprite with oddly impeccable timing 🙃 * Happy Birthday to my fellow stubborn ram baby, Gen! I am so happy to be friends with your sarcastic ass, lol and I hope we spend more years coming up with random inside jokes about rice and half a dozen other things 💙 Author’s Note 2: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Katrina Bailey is my MC, Alyssa Stiles is one of my OCs * Many, many, MANY moons ago I wrote a fic where Katrina is pregnant again, expecting twins after she and Liam already have four little princes * Creative liberties were used for canon character birthdates for the sake of this one shot * This is a bit of silliness and my submission for @wackydrabbles​​ Prompt 87: No offense, but I’m not interested. * Word Count: 1099

It was a rare Saturday afternoon in the Cordonian palace, where King Liam and Queen Katrina were gathered in a sitting room with their friends, free of appointments and scheduled appearances. Katrina’s feet were perched upon a plush footstool while she rubbed the small swell of her belly, and she grinned when she felt a flutter from one of the twins.

Liam and Maxwell were in the middle of a discussion over what to watch next, while Drake and Alyssa replenished their drinks and assembled a small plate of snacks. Katrina opened Pictagram on her phone and scrolled through the latest posts, tapping on images she liked, when she paused on a comic. “Huh,” she murmured, looking over the image.

“What’s that?” Drake asked, peering over her shoulder before returning to his seat.

“Comic strip about what kind of potato you are, based on your horoscope.” Katrina scoffed at the screen. “I am not a plate of curly fries!”

“What am I?” Maxwell craned his neck, curious to their conversation.

Katrina looked at the screen again. “Potato chips,” she giggled. “Lyssa's sweet potato fries, Liam’s sweet potato mash, and you,” she paused, pointing at Drake, “are a big bowl of mashed potatoes.” Katrina pulled up a web browser and typed away at her screen, quickly reading through the lines of text. “It’s okay, with the new star signs I’m now a Pisces, and I accept my new fate as a bowl of ube ice cream.” She grinned brightly at her friends.

Everyone’s brows furrowed at Katrina. “The what now?” Drake inquired.

“According to the new dates with the thirteenth astrological sign, I’m a Pisces,” she repeated. “You haven’t heard about it? It was a whole thing last year.”

“Wait. What? Why would they need to add a whole new sign to the zodiac?” Maxwell pulled his phone out of his pocket in search of answering his own question.

“It’s always been there,” Katrina replied. “NASA looked into it, and I guess the ancient astrologers omitted…” — she looked down at her phone screen — “off…offy…?”

Drake held his phone in his hands, having pulled up a similar article about the 13th sign, and glared at the name. “This is crap,” Drake added. “There’s no room for it because I can’t even spell it, let alone pronounce it.”

Liam leaned over to look at Maxwell’s screen, peering down at the name in Greek. “Ophiuchus,” he repeated, stressing the last syllable. “Or perhaps off-ee-yoo-kus?”

“That sounds like a weird cross between Ryu’s dragon punch and mucus,” Maxwell chuckled. “Why would they leave out an entire constellation?”

“It’s easier to split up three hundred and sixty degrees into twelve even pieces and match up with calendar months,” Alyssa answered.

Katrina looked down at the article. “With the new signs, Max would be a potato salad Capricorn, Lyssa’s an oven roasted potato Virgo, Drake gets to be twice baked potatoes as a Gemini, and Liam…” Katrina stopped reading and glanced up at her husband, smiling awkwardly as she bared her teeth. “You’re the new sign, and have no potato representation.”

“Pardon?”

Alyssa stifled a laugh as Katrina held out her phone to Liam so he could read the screen. “Looks like your birthday falls in between Scorpio and the new sign, so you could go with either.”

“But neither of those are the sign I’ve grown up as!”

“None of us fall under the signs we’ve grown up with,” Alyssa replied. “I am not a Virgo.”

“I don’t like this new zodiac. I refuse to acknowledge it,” Liam said, shaking his head.

“Li, it’s okay, you can be any kind of potato you want to be this way!” Katrina bit back her smile as she spoke.

“Don’t patronize me, Trina,” Liam quipped. He glanced back at Maxwell’s screen. “Why does Scorpio only get a week to make room for this…this…what is that symbol even supposed to be?”

Alyssa squinted at Katrina’s screen. “A man wrestling with a snake, apparently.”

“Cordonia won’t acknowledge this information, even if the rest of the world decides to. I won’t allow it.”

“Don’t you want to be a modern leader? Someone the people can look up to and admire for taking steps towards becoming an innovative country?” Katrina tucked her lips between her teeth, but the corners of her eyes crinkled as she restrained her amusement.

“No offense, but I’m not interested.” Liam rose from his seat and pulled his phone out from his pants pocket. “I need to speak with the head of our space agency as soon as possible…today, if need be,” he spoke into the phone. “It’s important.”

—

Half an hour later, Liam paced back an forth in front of one of the large palace windows, running a hand through his dark hair while the other pinned his phone to his ear as he engaged in a heated discussion with the head of the Cordonian space agency, with a look of utter disbelief across his face.

Drake and Maxwell had gone back to scrolling through movie options on the screen, having lost interest in the constellation conversation. They were more interested in debating over whether the group could handle the four hour Snyder version of Justice League.

Alyssa smirked when she turned her head to look at Katrina, who was holding a bowl of the purple tuber ice cream between her hands. “Y’know,” she began, leaning over to nudge her friend’s shoulder, “would’ve been easier to just ask for the ice cream if you had a craving. You didn’t have to make your poor husband’s brain implode.”

Katrina shrugged, pleasant smile on her lips as she withdrew the spoon from her mouth, savoring the cold, creamy dessert as it melted down her throat. She felt another flutter from one of the babies. “I take joy in knowing I've blown your minds about astrological signs solely because I don't wanna be a curly fry. Ooh!” She sat up a bit. “Fries would be great with ice cream!”

The ladies looked over at Liam, who continued to pace in front of the window and spoke rapidly in Cordonian. “Should you tell him now, or after his phone call, that NASA eventually debunked the whole thirteenth sign thing?” Alyssa cast a wary look to Katrina.

Katrina pushed herself up off the sofa. “You call down to the kitchen and ask for extra crispy fries and whatever snacks you and the guys want, I’ll make sure Liam doesn’t fire the poor guy on the other end of his phone call,” she giggled. “I’ll blame it on the babies.”

[brightpinkpeppercorn]

3, 4, 7, 10! ✨

Hi @ifyouseekheart ! Thank you for the ask!

3. Which pairing would you like to see more around here? Do you know anyone who makes content about it already?

Previously I’ve answered this with Parker x MC and Logan x MC and I’m going to keep this answer!

But can we have more Hamid x MC? (check out @pixieferry and her unique, wonderful Hamid content)

4. Have you ever seen a character in a different light because of fanfic or fanart I’ve seen?

Bastien and Noah so far.

I’m going to add King Liam as well. I ditched him for Drake after he broke my damn heart by choosing Madeleine.

But thank you to the valiant work by @zaffrenotes by the way of her fantastic fanfic (Liam and Trina for the win) and sharing all the Henney, I’ve come back to Liam.

7. What edits/aesthetics have you seen lately that you’d like to recommend?

@pbmychoices has the coolest and most unique edits! Check them out here. She made me one for a fanfic of mine that I’m SO excited to share (still need to make the post)

@rwanchoices makes some really fantastic edits. I love this one of Desire and Decorum but check out her blog

@samirayazdii has some of the best aesthetics/mood boards around! They are stunning! They’re here

@wolfmckenzie made great aesthetics for the Choices 30 day challenge (check the tag #30 days of choices challenge)

10. Fluff or angst?

Good angst is SO good but I’m a fluffaluffagus

[likethetailofacomet]

For the ask game, any numbers you haven’t answered yet x

Hey girl, hey!! @glorious-fandoms thanks for the plethora of asks! 

2. Do you have a favorite pairing that you love to see fanart/fanfics with?

I am a sucker for any Drake x MC art or fics, as well as anything Jake x MC. They are my two favorite pairings in the whole fandom, but I am open to any and all! Great writing/ artwork speaks for itself regardless of who the pairing is!  

3. Which pairing would you like to see more around here? Do you know anyone who makes content about it already?

I wanna see more Rafael x MC stuff!! (AHEM, GET TO WRITING, ELLE.) 

I also recently started playing ILB at @brightpinkpeppercorn ‘s urging, and I am IN LOVE with Tom and Parker. So while I know there is already a lot of content for those two, I am always down for more. 

8. Do you try to reblog works that you enjoy? Why/why not?

ALWAYS. I always try to reblog anything that I read, especially if it’s something that I really enjoyed. I want to do my part to make sure that the work i read is visible and available for others to read, too. I know how much hard work goes into writing or creating art, and I want to make sure that the writer/ artist feels appreciated. As a writer, I personally don’t write things for the feedback- i write things because I have a story to tell. But I would be straight lying if I said that the feedback isn’t wonderful or that I don’t love to see a reblog of my work. I want to know what people like (and even don’t like) about what I’ve written, because it helps me improve as a writer. So i try to do the same for others whenever possible! 

12. Have you ever enjoyed fanfic or fanart with a pairing that you’re not a fan of?

I have!! In fact, I spoke about this a bit in another ask, but @zaffrenotes writes the only Liam that holds real estate in my heart. Her Liam x Trina fics are the only Liam x MC fics that feel right to me…I am so freaking wrapped around Drake’s pinky. 

13. One-shots or series?

To read or to write? I enjoy reading both! I also enjoy writing both, however I prefer to write a series, or a group of one shots that all exist in the same universe. For example, I wrote an Endless Summer x Hero series called Cross Space and Time, and now any ES or Hero one shot that I write is basically a follow up of the events in that AU. Once I start telling a character’s story I don’t want to stop. My writing is very driven by flashbacks, memories and character development- I love giving characters back stories- so I find that the best way for me to do all of that is through a series. 

OKAY, I HAVE OFFICIALLY ANSWERED ALL THE QS! thanks for the asks doll! 

[zaffrenotes]

writing requests are very much open for a prompt from any of these lists!

pairings include

TRR/TRH Liam x Trina, Drake x (bee keeper) Lyssa

RoD Logan x Jin, Colt x Ellie

MOTY Thomas x Charlie

🦗 ES Jake x Laurel ?

and/or group settings for any of the series mentioned, plus maaaaybe Blades? ���🏻‍♀️

Prompts List

[[Friends]]

Chandler Bing

Rachel Green

Joey Tribbiani

Phoebe Buffay

Ross Geller 

Monica Geller

[zaffrenotes]

[TRR x ES] Viewing Party

Book: The Royal Romance & Endless Summer Pairings: Liam x MC (Katrina Bailey), Drake x OC (Alyssa Devereaux), Jake x MC (Laurel) Rating/Warnings: G; mild innuendo Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Katrina Bailey & Laurel are the MCs I use when writing fanfic for TRR and ES, respectively; Alyssa Devereaux belongs to birthday girl @burnsoslow​ * This is my submission for @wackydrabbles​​ Prompt 80: Stop looking at me like that. * Author’s Note 2: * This is a birthday gift for my cheesy, potato loving homegirl Burnsie, who requested her very first Endless Summer/Jake fic, despite having never read any ES fic until now 🙈 for the sole reason being that she and Jake McKenzie are almost birthday twins, and my favorite pilot turns 30 this year. If you’re unfamiliar with canon ES trivia, Jake can hold his breath for 9 minutes, and Estela can hold her breath for an astonishing 14. This isn’t entirely what I had in mind when I set out to write an ES/Jake birthday fic, but I wasn’t about to miss your day because I’ve hit a whole ass writer’s wall, Burnsie! I hope you have an AMAZING day and I’m sending you so many hugs! You’re one of the sweetest ladies here, and I am so very thankful that I can call you a friend 🥰 also my real, real gift to you is coming at a later date, as I still have to work on it 😬 * and yes, that’s DDT in the moodboard - just for Burnsie, again - since I use Barnes as Drake’s FC in my TRR fics, lol * Word Count: 2000 on the dot!

It was nearly 10:00 PM on Friday evening, when Burns arranged things around the comfiest chair in her living room. The rest of her family already retired for the evening, after a small but wonderful birthday celebration in her honor at home. Within easy reach, she’d arranged drinks and snacks next to her laptop - a glass of water, a hot mug of tea, a slice of homemade birthday cake to take care of any sugar cravings, and a small platter of cheese and crackers for something more savory. She grinned softly at the newest addition to her mug collection, watching the steam rise from the contents within. 

The lavender mug arrived in the mail earlier that day from one of her friends, emblazoned with a quote from David Rose. Burns took a sip of the warm beverage before setting it down on the small side table and situated herself in the chair. She flipped open the laptop and pulled up a browser window, smiling at a gift from another friend - there was a sticker next to the trackpad with a drawing of a wedge of Swiss, quoting another memorable line from Schitt’s Creek, reminding her to “fold in the cheese.” Burns glanced to the time on the screen and logged in to her Netflix account, clicking until she arrived at the viewing party, and began typing to join the group chat. 

She was greeted with jubilant messages from Donna, Ella, Brandy, Anitah, and half a dozen other friends, wishing her a happy birthday before the show started. They’d formed an ever-growing viewing party for a new series titled Stranded in the Orchard, which was an odd amalgamation of Survivor and Gilligan’s Island. Taking a cue from reality tv competitions, there were hidden cameras all over the island to monitor everyone and reduce production crew intervention, and in a nod to Hunger Games, there was an omnipresent host that would drop messages to signal when challenges were about to take place. After four episodes, the ladies in the watching party started picking their favorites from the two teams. 

Team Ruby consisted of a group that appeared to have been shipwrecked onto the island. Leo was dubbed The Rogue; his brother Liam was The CEO; Katrina was The Attorney; Alyssa was The Teacher; Drake was The Cowboy; Olivia was The Weapons Expert; Bertrand was The Grump; Madeleine was The Whiner; Maxwell was Bertrand’s brother and The Jester; Hana was The Jill of All Trades. Bertrand and Madeleine had already been voted off when Ruby lost two events. 

Team Catalyst consisted of a group of mostly college students. Jake was The Pilot; Laurel was The Mystery Girl; Sean was The Coach; Michelle was The Doctor, even though she was only pre-med; Craig was The Muscle; Zahra was The Engineer; Aleister was The Slick One; Grace was The Brain; Diego was The Entertainer; Estela was The Huntress. Catalyst lost the last two events, which sent Aleister and Grace packing. 

Everyone settled in to watch the opening credits as they recapped last week’s episode, where Ruby won the immunity challenge and fishing gear by building a makeshift stretcher to rescue and carry Katrina from a jungle crash site to a first aid station on the beach; Catalyst voted Grace out. Burns popped a cheese cube into her mouth as she and her friends watched the two groups deal with day-to-day chores in their respective camps on Day 14 of the show. They chatted about the team members and how much Burns wanted to see Drake take off his shirt to go in the water, despite the knowledge that there were clips of him cuddling with Alyssa; Donna, Ella, and Anitah would keysmash in the group chat any time Liam appeared on the screen, even though he and Katrina were clearly sweet on each other, while Brandy and Alyssa Lauren would ask what was happening or who someone was from the Catalyst team.

—

“Pillows and blankets are nice, but what we could really use is food,” Maxwell said, drawing an octopus in the sand with a piece of driftwood. “I don’t know how much longer I can last on coconuts and rice.” 

“Liam and Drake took the raft out this morning to try fishing with the gear, maybe they’ll get lucky,” Katrina suggested, stirring the pot of rice in the fire. She set the lid on top and stood up from her kimchi squat position, dusting some errant sand off her leg. They both looked out towards the water, as dawn stretched out across the ocean, making out shadowy forms of their friends as they bobbed in the water, just before one of them went under the surface. Behind them, the rest of their friends began to stir awake from the scent of rice cooking. 

Back at the Catalyst camp, Jake sat by the campfire with Estela; they were working on making their own fishing gear from bamboo and camp supplies after losing the previous challenge. Jake fed a length of twine through a handmade fishing pole while Estela sharpened tips on one end of a pile of branches she’d gathered. “Whatcha whittlin’, Katniss?” 

Estela glanced at Jake sideways. “Stakes. Hand over some of that twine, I need it to bind these to make spears.” With a begrudging huff, Jake unfurled the twine and ran it against the edge of the makeshift bench he was sitting on to cut it, before tossing the rest at Estela. 

“How fast can you tie those off? We’re losin’ daylight for a morning catch, if you wanna ride on the raft with me.” 

“Five minutes,” she answered, already working nimbly around a branch to secure the whittled spikes. 

The screen cut back to Ruby’s camp, where Liam and Drake stepped ashore, smiles brighter than the sunrise as Drake held up a fish trap with small rays flapping against one another. 

—

“kjsdhfksjhfksjhfks,” Burns smashed into her keyboard. “Look at my man! With the sea bounty!” 

“mevmnbvmnxb,” Ella smashed back.

“How do you know Drake did all the work? Liam’s just as wet, hahaha,” Donna chortled in response.

—

After killing their catch as humanely as possible - with Alyssa turning her face to Drake’s chest to avoid witnessing it - Leo and Olivia gutted and cleaned the rays before setting them on top of their makeshift grill to cook. Liam and Drake regaled the group with their morning under the water, as they took turns fishing. 

While Team Ruby enjoyed some protein with their rice that morning, members of the Catalyst team glumly spooned rice into their mouths as they sat around the campfire while Jake and Estela dried off; their morning fishing trip had been unsuccessful. 

Later that day, both teams received messages from the host to gather for a reward challenge. Each team made their way to a small lagoon, where they saw a structure floating in the water. A booming voice overhead instructed them to swim out to the structure and await further instructions. Once everyone from both teams had done so, a blue holographic image of the host appeared in the center to explain the rules. “The challenge is simple,” she narrated. “We want to see who can hold their breath the longest. There’s a bar you can use to keep yourself from floating up if you need it. Last one standing earns the prize for the whole team — an overnight trip at the Celestial Hotel, where our rotating film crew goes to rest. You’ll be treated to clean sheets and towels, hot showers, along with a decadent dinner and breakfast menu the next morning, before having to return to your camp.” 

Everyone’s eyes lit up at the incentive of a night away from sleeping on the beach, away from mosquitos, rodents, and the threat of being waterlogged by passing storms. Stomachs gurgled at the thought of hot meals that didn’t consist of rice, and the possibility of cocktails or wine. “Oh, we got this,” Jake murmured quietly to Laurel. “Bet I can hold my breath longer’n any of those Ruby kids.” 

“Is that so?” Leo taunted, overhearing Jake’s comment.

“Just call me Poseidon,” Jake smirked. 

“We’ll see about that,” Leo replied. “You know most of us are from an island, right? We’re basically merpeople.” 

—

“Bets! Bets on who wins this!” Brandy typed into the chat window.

“Sticking with Drake,” Burns typed. “Maybe Hana. She could have another random talent up her sleeve.” 

“My money’s on Liam. Look how broad his chest is,” Anya replied. “He’s got to have massive lungs to match.”

“That makes no sense,” Ella typed, adding a laughing emoji. “But I’m Team Liam anyway.”

“Don’t hate me,” Donna began. “Something tells me Jake isn’t boasting right now.” 

From her screen at home, Alyssa Lauren used Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe to choose Zahra. The rest of the group picked their favorites as the castaways donned goggles and got into the water. 

—

“Ready? Set! Go!” 

Sixteen heads dipped under the water’s surface, with contestants pinching their noses and puffing out their cheeks as an underwater camera filmed them. A handful of them - Olivia, Alyssa, Maxwell, Diego, and Michelle - tapped out under a minute. As the sand settled, thirty seconds passed before Katrina, Laurel, Sean, and Drake headed to the surface. Just after the two minute mark, Hana, Craig, and Zahra gave up, leaving Jake, Liam, Estela, and Leo under the water. 

Jake looked positively peaceful, sandy brown hair swaying with ease in the water. Estela tapped her fingers lightly across the bamboo rod, counting each second as it passed. Liam glanced over to his brother, who’d begun to turn pink. Half a minute later, Leo popped up to the surface, muttering to himself out of frustration. 

Three minutes in, Liam surfaced, gasping for air, leaving Jake and Estela to battle it out between themselves. Even though the hologram host blasted a horn to signal the end of the challenge, neither Catalyst member surfaced. Liam ducked down to check on them, and Jake and Estela both signaled that they were fine. Everyone continued to wait as the pair spent minute after minute under the water.

—

“Seriously? They’re on the same team!” Anitah typed. “They won already!” 

“They’ve been underwater for a scary length of time,” Brandy added. “What are they, Navy SEALs or something?” 

“I think Jake mentioned he was actually in the Navy before,” Alyssa Lauren replied. 

—

A digital clock appeared in the corner of the screen as the two Catalyst members continued to hold their breath underwater. With each passing minute, members from both groups began to worry. After eight minutes passed, the host’s voice rang out, advising them to pull Jake and Estela up from the water to end the challenge. Laurel and Craig ducked down, eventually pulling their teammates up. “Congratulations to The Catalysts!” the host exclaimed. “A boat will be waiting at your camp to take you to the hotel.” 

Laurel swatted Jake’s arm as they made their way to the shore. “What’s wrong with you!? You were underwater for nearly ten minutes! Who does that!?” 

Jake looked over his shoulder to her with a grin, mischievous sparkle in his bright blue eyes. “Ten would be a new record, my best is nine.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Imagine nine uninterrupted minutes of me holding my breath, Princess. My birthday is tomorrow, and I know exactly how I wanna celebrate,” he winked.  

Laurel’s cheeks flushed at the suggestion. “Stop looking at me like that, Top Gun.”

—

That evening at the hotel, after a sumptuous feast of lobster, crab, and an endless supply of beer and wine, the Catalyst members eventually went to bed. Much later into the night, Jake was seen sneaking into Laurel’s room. 

—

“I KNEW IT!” Burns typed. She laughed as her friends typed in responses full of lemon, fire, pepper, and eggplant emojis. She popped another cheese cube into her mouth and smiled, watching the rest of the episode play out.

[zaffrenotes]

[TRR] Gimme A Break

Pairing: Serendipity Liam x Trina Rating/Warnings: PG (language/swearing) Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * Using prompt 7 from the Lorelai Gilmore prompt list, requested by @callmeellabella – prompt will be highlighted in bold text * I forgot I drafted this a while back, and never got around to posting it - so bonus ficlet from me while I update my word count for 2020! * This is another glimpse at Liam and Trina’s life, post-Serendipity series (which I’ll work on finishing in 2021) * Word Count: +/- 1100

Taglist: @ao719 @callmeellabella @aestheticartsx @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @choiceskatie @dcbbw @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @liamxs-world @rainbowsinthestorm @riseandshinelittleblossom @superharriet @texaskitten30 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @the-soot-sprite @alyssalauren

“T, are you home?” Liam jiggled his keys from the doorknob and stepped into the apartment, hanging the keys on the hook by the door. Two other sets hung on the hooks next to his, indicating that Katrina and Josie were somewhere inside. He pressed his toes against the heel of one sneaker, slipping his foot out, and repeated the action with this other foot, nudging the shoes near the small rack by the door. He was about to call out to Trina and her sister, when he heard their shrieks.

“Get it! It just looked at me!”

“Throw your book, moron!” There was a loud thud as what Liam hoped was a textbook slamming against a wall. “How could you fucking miss it, Jos?!” More high-pitched screaming followed, along with Katrina yelling at her sister to get tape. Liam sighed and bit back a grin as he tossed his bookbag onto the couch. He grabbed an empty Mason jar from the kitchen counter, heading in the direction of the commotion.

He coughed back a laugh, bracing his arms across his chest and tried not to let his shoulders shake too much at the sight of Katrina and her sister Josie standing on Josie’s bed, wide-eyed panic across both their faces, staring at a corner of the room. “Ladies?” he questioned, his eyebrows rising up as he looked at them.

“Liam!” Katrina exclaimed, a brief moment of relief flashing across her eyes, acknowledging him in the doorway. “You’ve gotta help! Aragog tried to attack us!”

“All this noise for a house spider?”

“You don’t understand,” Katrina warned. “Don’t let his family see you. Spiders are vindictive. And this was a really big spider. I think it had a gun.”

“Assault rifle,” Josie added, her eyes wide with fear.

Liam bit back the grin on his face. “So where’s this monster bug that needs catching?”

The sisters pointed at the corner of the wall they’d been staring at earlier, next to a small bookshelf, and Liam tucked his lips behind his teeth to keep from laughing. A red Solo cup was hastily taped to the wall with strips of masking tape. Liam set the jar in his hand on Josie’s desk, swapping it for a thin stack of stapled papers covered in ink from Katrina’s edits. “D’you still need this?” he asked, waving the paper in Josie’s direction.

“No, it’s an old version,” Josie replied.

Liam walked over to their cup trap, bending down to look at what he had to work with, and carefully lifted a piece of tape from the bottom, sliding the papers between the cup and the wall. He wiggled the papers up until it surrounded the lip of the cup, then beckoned at them with his free hand. His other hand pressed the bottom of the cup against the papers into the wall to keep the seal in place. “I need one of you to help me, come lift the tape off the wall while I hold this stuff in place.”

“Nuh uh,” Katrina answered, vehemently shaking her head from side to side. “Aragog’s ready to fight,” she warned again.

“Come help me, or I’m going to call you Ronald Bilius Weasley for a month,” he chuckled. “Full name, every single time I see you.”

“I accept those terms, I’m not getting anywhere near that eight-legged demon,” Katrina answered.

Liam let out an exasperated sigh, smiling at Katrina before returning to his task. “You’re lucky I like you so much,” he muttered under his breath. Still keeping pressure on the cup, he slowly peeled back the pieces of tape from the wall, sticking them in place against the outside of the vessel, and quickly tipped the cup to hold it upright. He slapped his hand on top of the papers as a precaution, holding everything tightly in front of him. “T, can you at least help me open the door to the terrace to let this guy go?”

Katrina finally released her grip from her sister’s hands and hopped down from the bed, whirling past Liam. He followed her down the hall and back to the main living area, and Katrina opened the sliding glass door to the private terrace. She stepped back as Liam approached, and he stepped outside, his skin warming from the late afternoon sun. He smirked to himself as he heard the door slide shut, walking to one of the far corners of the terrace, where they’d set up some potted plants.

He tipped the cup open, bunching the papers in one hand and tucked them into the rear pocket of his jeans; his eyes widened at the sight of the creature when it scurried out and landed on the soil. The spider’s body was slightly larger than his thumbnail, so it was no Aragog, but definitely larger than any spiders they’d encountered before.

Liam walked back to the glass door and Katrina slid it open, grinning softly at him as he tossed the cup in the trash and stood in front of the sink to rinse off his hands. It was only then that Katrina wrapped her arms around his waist and he felt her press her lips against his spine. “My hero,” she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt, warming a spot with her breath. She released her grip around his waist as he turned to face her, gently squeezing her shoulders as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Happy to be of service, ma’am,” he teased, lowering his head to kiss her softly on the lips. She stood on her toes to meet him halfway, tugging on the sides of his shirt for leverage. With a happy sigh, they pulled apart from their kiss and walked back to Josie’s room. Liam had just pulled the papers from his pocket to leave them on the desk when his hand flew up in front of him to catch something Josie had thrown in his direction. Liam caught the item against his chest, staring quizzically at the box in his hand.

“Your bug removal fee,” Josie stated matter-of-factly, before flipping open her laptop.

Liam nodded and touched two fingers to his brow in mock salute, before pressing his fingertips against the seam of the box to open it. He pulled out a packet from his reward and tucked the box into his shirt pocket, flashing the pink foil packet at Katrina.

Katrina frowned upon realizing what he’d been given. “Jos parted with her sakura Kit Kats because you caught the demon spider? What the hell? I didn’t even get one for helping her ace her Spanish test last week!”

Liam smiled proudly at Katrina, opening the foil packet slowly, and split the bars. “I guess we know who’s the favorite,” he teased, offering her half of his treat.

[zaffrenotes]

thanks for the tag @lovemychoices @client-327 ​ and @brightpinkpeppercorn ​ - you ladies know me well, this is right up my alley 😂😉

Since I haven’t been able to write, here’s hoping these mini playlists will help; I’m listing a different playlist for each time I got tagged, heh.

Pair 1 - Serendipity Liam x Trina

Let Me Love You, Mario

Beyond, Leon Bridges

I Could Fall In Love, Selena

Here Comes Your Man, The Pixies

Ain’t Necessary (The Prince), The Dip

Pair 2 - Jake x MC, Endless Summer

Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton

Burning Bridge, Michael Flynn

The Golden Floor, Snow Patrol

Dive, Ed Sheeran

Anywhere for You, MacKenzie Porter

Pair 3 - Logan x MC, Ride or Die

The Distance, Cake

Troublemaker, Grizfolk

Getaway Car, Taylor Swift

Driving, Ville

Burning Desire, Lana Del Ray

Tagging - @debramcg1106 ​ @aworldoffandoms ​ @riseandshinelittleblossom ​ @ao719 ​ @universallypizzataco ​

Favourite choices pairing mixtape challenge.

Rules are simple.

Step #1 Pick your number one pairing in the choices fandom. Either from your current WIP, Pending WIP or just from the Choices book in general.

Step#2 Top 5 Songs you would add to their mixtape.

Favourite pairing : Colt x MC - Ride or Die.

1. Boys like Girls - Be your everything

2. Rachel Taylor - Eternity

3. 5sos - Ghost of You

4. Skylar Grey - I will return

5. The chainsmokers fr Bebe Rexha - Call you mine.

Tagging a few and anyone who wants to play along. Go on I’m curious to know 😊

@thecordoniandiaries @leelee10898 @ao719 @annekebbphotography @desiree-0816 @rainbowsinthestorm @emceesynonymroll @the-soot-sprite @carabeth @cora-nova @charliejane-blog @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @cmestrella @jlpplays1 @pixieferry @jessiembruno @romanticatheart-posts @gnatbrain @lodberg @traeumerinwitzhelden @liamzigmichael4ever @client-327 @darley1101 @zaffrenotes @kinda-iconic

[zaffrenotes]

[TRR] Morpheus Dreams

Book: The Royal Romance Pairing: Liam x MC Rating/Warnings: T; references to violence/death Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * I don’t know. I DON’T KNOOOOOW. I saw a prompt list ( @omgjasminesimone Soulmate AU Scenarios #21 - no one dreams until they sleep in their soulmate’s arms), I got an idea that refused to let me think about anything else, and THIS happened. So here’s my favorite pairing in a non-canon compliant, weird, apocalyptic dystopian future AU…* No beta or proofreader aside from myself, so I apologize in advance for typos * Word Count: +/- 2450

Reader Taglist: @ao719 @blackcatkita @debramcg1106 @everythingchoices @gibbles82 @hustacks @loveellamae @ofpixelsandscribbles @smalltalk88 @aestheticartsx @aworldoffandoms @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @choiceskatie @darley1101 @dcbbw @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @jovialyouthmusic @leelee10898 @liamxs-world @rainbowsinthestorm @riseandshinelittleblossom @superharriet @texaskitten30 @theroyalheirshadowhunter​ @the-soot-sprite​

Twelve years ago, the world changed irreparably when creatures were disturbed from their slumber. All of humankind has spent over a decade of trying to outrun the new – or perhaps very, very old – species that was intent on wiping out the human race over anything else. Year after year passed as society adjusted to a nomadic life, trekking across the country and taking to the trees or buildings at least two stories tall for temporary safety; skyscrapers and office buildings in cities were reduced to rubble when bombs were dropped to destroy the first wave of creatures. As intelligent as the creatures were, they weren’t adept climbers. They were, however, annoyingly good at remembering where their prey attempted to hide, which is why Katrina was constantly on the move, just like everyone else.

Katrina was alone when the world changed; she’d been away at college, hundreds of miles away from her sister, with no way of getting in touch after communication towers were destroyed. Even though she managed to walk all the way back home, Josie was nowhere to be found, so Katrina gathered what she thought would be most useful and left her house in search of a new group to call her family.

Her whole world had to fit on her back, and that often meant leaving something behind to make room for a new makeshift weapon, or trading a piece of her past for something to ensure her future for another day. Bandages were swapped for arrows. A bag of dry beans that could have fed her for a week was exchanged for the luxury of a bar of soap. One of the few things she refused to part with was a journal – over the years it turned into her own token of hope, containing stories of Morpheus Dreams – the initial, shared dream between two people when they encountered their soulmate.

The collection of dream memories ranged from mundane scenes of walking down streets together or sharing a meal, to fantastic tales battling dragons, swimming in clear blue oceans with mermaids, to mimicked scenes from favorite sitcoms, and everything in between. Not all the dreams were romantic in nature – some of the soulmate pairings she crossed paths with were between friends. Katrina wondered what her Morpheus Dream would look like, if she was lucky enough to find her soulmate in her new reality.

Second to the journal, she coveted anything that might help her sleep for more than an hour or two without feeling worse upon waking – the noises of others being hunted at night kept everyone awake. Earplugs could only be used during the day, while the creatures slept, but sleeping during the day meant being within their reach if one traveled on foot, which was the easiest and quietest method to move around.

Her group changed as the years went on, as travelers joined and departed in an effort to get from one place to another to find their own friends and families.

The newest members to the group were a pair of men they picked up two weeks ago on their way to Mississippi, after leaving Shreveport; one was friendlier than the other, though they kept to themselves for the most part. They were both tall, and if they were well-fed, she imagined they’d both be handsome. Scavenging for supplies and hunting small game left everyone feeling hungry and appearing skinnier than they ever wanted to be. The group nicknamed them Castor and Pollux, having found them just a few miles outside of Castor. Castor was the broody one, permanent scowl etched across his face; Pollux was the quiet one, but Katrina could see a hint of kindness in his brown eyes now and then, especially when he was tasked with looking after the younger members of the group.

Everyone had a role to play, and they all contributed to looking for food, supplies, and safe spots to hide. They rotated guard duty at night, and Pollux had decent aim with a bow and arrow, so Katrina spent time training with him. Castor was better with a blade, and sparred with a fiery redhead named Olivia. Even after weeks of company, Castor and Pollux were mysterious men to most of the group. The only thing Katrina knew about them was they weren’t American; they both spoke with a slight accent, and when they spoke to each other, they often used a language that sounded like Greek.

The group stopped by a pond to try their hand at fishing, to add to the dwindling supply of food amongst them for dinner. While Castor stood by the edge of the water to fish, Katrina took Pollux into the woods to show him how to look for signs of the creatures in the area. She pointed out the fresh scratches in the tree trunks, and the odd green sap trails that appeared to be scent markers. They picked up discarded feathers to use for making more arrows, and a few edible greens in the brush. Dinner was cooked near the water, before heading towards the side of the woods without any markers to make camp for the night.

Everyone climbed into the sturdiest tree they could find, climbing up as high as they dared, before strapping themselves to the limbs or fashioning hammock-like cocoons between boughs. Katrina and Pollux climbed a tree together, tasked with guard duty that night; he watched as she tied knots to secure her position against the tree, and pulled seatbelt webbing with loops on either end from her pack. She laid the webbing out in front of her and slipped her feet in the loops, creating a makeshift set of stirrups, and handed him a longer piece of webbing. A whispered “thank you” and a hint of a smile played across his face as the sun set, and they prepared for a long night ahead of them.

When the remnants of daylight disappeared beyond the horizon, their eyes looked towards the tree line across the pond. An eerie silence followed, and their bodies tensed with each passing hour, darkness surrounding them. Katrina’s eyes burned from staring out into the black abyss, watching for any sign of movement amongst the trees. Her lids grew heavy with sleep, and she felt herself sway as her body fought off the perpetual exhaustion with the need to stay awake to protect the others. She sniffed loudly and jerked her head from side to side when she felt the feathery end of an arrow brush against her cheek; in the dim moonlight, she could see Pollux grinning at her as he pulled the arrow away from her face.

They continued their silent game to keep each other awake through the night, until the sounds in the woods made their blood run cold. The heavy footfalls and branches snapping alerted them first, and Katrina and Pollux both reached back to their quivers, fingers trembling to grasp at arrows. They were forced to listen to animals crying out in alarm, the rapid clicking of the creatures as they moved through the trees, transfixed on their odd, shadowy figures as they moved out of the woods and through the clearing. Katrina held her breath the entire time, waiting for the figures to leave before daring to breathe again.  

She was beyond fatigued when the first pink rays of dawn appeared; everyone waited until the sky was full of watercolor cherry and tangerine hues before untying knots and descending from the trees. Olivia gathered wood for a small fire to make breakfast, and others worked on packing up the ropes and gear. Katrina and Pollux settled down at the base of their tree; he tried to return the stirrups to her, but she nudged his elbow with hers and gave him a tired half-grin. He smiled softly at her and bowed his head, tucking the gift into his pack before stretching his legs out before him. She yawned and looped the scarf around her neck for a tighter fit, shivering in the chilly morning air. She tilted her head to one side, then the other, hearing a satisfying pop when she stretched her neck, and yawned again; a full night’s sleep was a thing of the past.

No one could ever sleep through the noises the creatures made when they were hunting.

Castor walked towards them with new bottles of water, saying something in the not-quite-Greek to Pollux, before tossing a flannel sheet at Katrina. “It’ll keep the chill off you while you nap,” he said. “I’ll wake you when breakfast is ready.”

Katrina opened up the sheet, holding part of it at Pollux. “Cold? I know we’re not besties or anything, but I’ll share a blanket with you for a powernap.” Pollux looked at her questioningly, and she shrugged her shoulders. “You’re no good to anyone if you catch a cold.”

He chuckled softly and shifted a few inches closer towards her, raising one arm over her head as she spread the flannel over both of them. “I probably smell like campfire and fish, but I’d wager my side is more comfortable than a bark pillow. Is this okay?” His hand hovered over her shoulder, awaiting her response.

Katrina let out a dry laugh, leaned into his side, and pulled the sheet up to cover part of her face, smelling faintly of pine. “It’s fine, let’s just keep warm and sleep a bit.” She blinked slowly, the early morning light warm against her face, and felt her relax against his chest. Pollux leaned his head back against the tree, letting his hand rest comfortably on her shoulder. They both closed their eyes, pleading with the universe for a sliver of respite.

Katrina sighed, trying to ignore all the sounds around her. She tried to focus on breathing steadily, but her eyes fluttered open when she thought she heard someone playing violins nearby. Her mouth dropped open when she blinked and looked around to see herself standing in an ornate ballroom, where a string quartet was performing in a corner of the room. Her eyes went wide when she looked down to see that she was in a shimmering ballgown.

“May I have this dance, my queen?”

The honeyed voice in Katrina’s ear made her heart skip a beat, jumping to a rapid pace when a familiar tall figure appeared next to her. Pollux turned and stood before her, looking positively regal in a tailored tuxedo. His formerly gaunt frame filled the suit to perfection, and there was a healthy glow to his skin as he smiled at her, drawing her manicured hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. His usually somber eyes were a lively shade of caramel, and almost seemed to sparkle. He twirled her in place before gently placing her hand on his bicep, and took her other hand in his.

Pollux guided her around the dance floor as if he’d trained for years how to waltz; she felt light as a feather in his arms, and couldn’t help but smile as everything around them turned into a happy blur of gold and white. “Enjoying the ball, my darling Trina?”

“I’d enjoy it more if you kissed me, Liam,” she grinned, looking up at him through her lashes.

“As the lady wishes.” He lowered his head to hers, their lips a whisper apart.

Katrina jerked her head up and opened her eyes to the sound of gibberish, squinting her eyes shut at the bright morning sun. She moved to sit up but found herself looking at the ground sideways, unable to move, when she realized she was laying down on the ground. When she craned her neck to see what was keeping her down, she gasped in surprise; Pollux was spooning her, and his arm was wrapped around her waist, pinning her to him. There was more gibberish, and Pollux’s eyes opened. He stared at her blankly for a moment, just as surprised as she was, then turned to see Castor walking towards them with bowls of oatmeal in his hands. “You both look like you’ve seen a ghost, what’s up?”

Katrina and Pollux sat up and pushed apart from one another, completely dumbfounded, as Castor crouched down and offered each of them their breakfast. She covered her mouth with her hand, unsure of what to make of what happened. She remembered the Morpheus Dreams in her journal. Dreams were possible, but only in the arms of your soulmate; otherwise sleep was just sleep, a basic function necessary for survival. “How long were we asleep?” Her brows pinched together and she looked to Castor for an answer.

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes? You’re getting the first batch of breakfast.” He set the bowls on the ground near them and stood up, dusting off his thighs. “Eat up, Ryan says we’ll need to walk most of the day to get to town before dusk.” Castor and Pollux exchanged some other conversation in their language again, and he walked off to help Olivia with the fire.

Katrina looked at Pollux again, waiting until they were alone. She leaned towards him, and he mirrored her action; in a hushed voice, she spit out a question. “Is…is your name Liam?”

He stared at Katrina, blinking several times. “H-…how do you know that?”

“Is it?”

He looked around to see if anyone else was listening or looking at them. “Yes.” Liam’s gaze flicked down to the ground and hovered on her lips, before looking up to meet her gaze. “Do people call you Trina?”

Katrina’s mouth opened to respond, but no sound came out. No one had called her by that name in years. “A long time ago,” she uttered. “Before.”

“Is this possible? Did you…did we?” Liam motioned at the space between them.

“Tell me what you saw.”

“Tell me what you saw.”

Katrina shook her head. “Ballroom.”

“You were in a poofy ballgown.”

“You were in a tux.”

“We were dancing…waltzing.” Liam’s eyes lit up.

“There was a string quartet.” Katrina felt tears well up in her eyes.

Liam’s gaze flicked to her mouth again, and color warmed his cheeks. “I didn’t think the stories were really true, but…”

“Has that ever happened to you before?”

Liam chuckled. “What, have I ever had a dream before?” Katrina nodded. “No…when my mother was still alive, she told me what they were like, and if I was lucky enough to dream, the person I was with was supposed to be my… soulmate.”

Katrina swallowed the small lump in her throat. “So…does this mean I can call you Liam from now on, or do you want to stick with Pollux?”

Liam barked out a laugh. “Liam is fine.”

[zaffrenotes]

[TRR] Tempt-est

Book: The Royal Romance  Pairing: Serendipity Liam x Trina Rating/Warnings: 18+ NS*W 🍋LEMON ALERT 🍋 smut + fluff = SMUFF Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * 31 days of ficlets and one shots using Jasmine’s Situational Summer Prompts – Thunderstorm * This wraps up my Summer writing challenge and occurs post-Serendipity series (which I know I still have to finish 😬) * thank you Sooty for pre-reading and helping me through a bit of writer’s block * Word Count: +/- 3600

Taglist: @ao719​ @blackcatkita​ @debramcg1106​ @loveellamae​ @smalltalk88​ @thecordoniandiaries​ // @aestheticartsx​ @aworldoffandoms​ @bbrandy2002​ @burnsoslow​ @choiceskatie​ @darley1101​ @dcbbw​ @gardeningourmet​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @isporticus1234​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @leelee10898​ @liamxs-world​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @riseandshinelittleblossom​ @superharriet​ @texaskitten30​ @theroyalheirshadowhunter​ @the-soot-sprite​

The morning blurred by, much like the scenic drive north to the lake house. Azure skies stretched far into the horizon, marred only by the occasional puff of cloud. Eyes trained on the road, Liam smiled softly when he felt Katrina’s hand atop his, hearing her hum along to a song on the radio as she sat beside him.

Six weeks of summer were quickly coming to an end, and in just a few days they would have to go back to New York for the fall semester. Liam wanted nothing more than to spend an infinite number of weeks by the lake with Katrina. He’d never really planned a future with someone before – certainly not when he was with Madeleine, nor with anyone from his previous relationships; but he could see something with Katrina. It was still hazy in his mind, unfocused, but bright – like the good part of a dream that makes you smile in your sleep.

It gave him an overwhelming sense of calm.

Maybe it was young love. Maybe he was falling in love, for the first time in his life. Right now, Liam didn’t care either way; he just knew that the happy days since meeting Katrina far outweighed the unhappy days. He wanted to do the same for her.

They arrived at his family’s lake house just before lunch. The plan was to drop off their things and take the boat out on the lake for a picnic on the water, but Leo had managed to put a wrench in their plans without even being present. After several text messages, Leo confessed that he’d taken the boat across the lake to pick up his date, rather than taking the long way around by car or bike.

Katrina suggested setting up a table by the water would be just as nice, but Liam was determined to make their last weekend there extra special. He packed up their lunch and asked her to get back in the truck, and they were on the road again, to an undisclosed location.

“Li, where are you taking us?” Katrina scanned the road ahead of them, though it was pointless; trees flanked either side of them, and there were barely any road signs.

“Somewhere special,” Liam answered. “A place I used to go to on my own, whenever Leo was too much of a handful, and I just wanted a place to sit and think.”

“So, all the time then?”

Liam chuckled. “A few times a week. Sometimes twice a day if no one else was around while we were up here.”

Eventually Liam veered off the main road, onto a single lane path through the trees. He rolled to a stop when they came to a clearing by the water. A nervous smile made the edges of his mouth twitch, and he looked over to see Katrina’s reaction.

Her eyes widened with awe, and there was a warm grin on her lips. “Liam, this is beautiful,” she marveled, turning her head to the left and right to take in the view of the lake.

“Not as beautiful as my view right now.”

Katrina’s cheeks warmed and she tipped her head down in amusement, before casting a look to him. “You’re so cheesy sometimes,” she giggled. “It’s cute.”

Liam grinned shyly at her. “I couldn’t help myself.” He reached over the console and laced his fingers with hers. Katrina turned in her seat, gently stroked the side of his face, and leaned in to kiss him. She made a choking noise instead, pulled back by the locking mechanism on the seatbelt, and Liam laughed as she struggled to hit the button to disengage the clip, choosing instead to slip her arm over the belt to free herself. “My beautiful, adorable klutz.” He smiled at her as she shook her head in silent embarrassment.

“Just kiss me,” she giggled.

“As you wish.” Liam leaned over, gently wrapping his hand around the back of Katrina’s neck, and pressed his lips to hers. He felt a current in his chest surge through his body as so many of their kisses had done to him before, full of excitement, wanting, desire, and love. The tip of his nose brushed against hers as their heads tilted to new angles, playful nips shifting to long and tender kisses until they needed to come up for air. He pressed his forehead to hers as they caught their breath, noticing that Katrina trembled ever so slightly. “Hey,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”

Katrina nodded silently, shy grin painted across her now swollen lips. “Yeah,” she whispered back. “Sometimes kissing you makes my head spin.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should. You definitely should.” She pulled back and tucked her hair behind an ear. “Should we eat?”

“Have a look around, I’ll go set up lunch,” Liam replied.

They exited the truck and he gathered up their food and drinks. While Katrina walked to the edge of the water, Liam unpacked their lunch on one of the tables under the covered picnic area. He grinned, watching her slip her shoes off and gather up the hem of her long sundress in her arms to wade into the water.

They took their time having lunch together, with Liam telling stories about venturing to this spot as a child to clear his head as a young boy. He pointed out the tree he used to climb so he could sit over the water, and the spots where he’d wade in and skip stones. After a walk along the shoreline, they found themselves laying in the bed of the truck, staring up at the sky and talking about everything and nothing in particular.

“That one looks like Pooh bear’s pot of honey,” Katrina said, pointing to a cloud over her shoulder.

“I wish summer could last a little longer, or we could forget about the world for just a few more weeks.” Liam sighed and rested one hand over his stomach.

“That’d be nice. I wouldn’t mind being here for the Fall…with endless pots of tea and crackling fires, staying warm with you on a couch while the trees changed color.” Katrina inched her hand over the truck bed until she found Liam’s hand, and their fingers weaved together.

“That’s the dream,” Liam replied.  

The warmth of the summer sun, coupled with full stomachs and the sound of the water lapping against the shore, lulled the pair into an unplanned nap, their hands still entwined as they slept. It was only when the air cooled around them that Katrina woke up, goosebumps trailing across her bare arms. She rolled her neck gently to either side, peeking at Liam with one eye as he slept, before she noticed the ominous grey clouds above them, followed by a rumble of thunder. “Liam…Liam,” she repeated, pulling her hand apart from his to shake his arm. “It looks like it’s gonna storm soon.”

Liam’s eyes shot open and he inhaled deeply, propping his elbows against the truck bed to sit up. Rubbing away the sleep from his eyes, he cast them skyward. “Yup, time to go, don’t want to get caught in that.” They cleaned up any remnants from lunch and hurried back into the truck, noticing how fast the storm clouds were rolling in as Liam sped back towards the house. The distant thunder shook something within them, each rumble and clap nipping at their heels.

Less than a mile from the house, the unmistakable sound of rain hitting steel snuck up from behind them, before a deluge surrounded the car and surged ahead of them. Liam pressed his foot on the brakes to slow down. They bobbed in their seats as he drove down the now mud-slicked path to the house, tires gripping for any semblance of dry earth underneath them. Liam’s arms tensed as he steered, tendons twitching to keep the car steady. He pulled to a stop as close as he could to the house, noticing Leo’s motorcycle nearby; the dock was empty and he hoped Leo would wait out the storm before returning on the boat. “Stay here, I’ll run in and get an umbrella for you.”

“It’s just rain, it won’t kill me,” Katrina teased. She unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the truck, shutting the door with a yelp before disappearing from view.

“Trina!” Liam exited the truck and ran around the front, rain pelting him from all directions. He found Katrina on the ground, laughing at herself as she sat in a massive mud puddle. “Don’t you dare!” he warned, noticing the mound of mud already in her hand.

“Try and stop me!” Katrina did her best to fling the mud at him, grazing the side of his shirt as he dodged out of the way. She held her arm up to let the rain wash the dirt away, and Liam pulled her up.

“What are you, five?” He pushed a few wet strands of hair off her forehead.

“Almost five and a half,” she smirked back. “You got a little something on your face.”

“What? Where?”

“Right…here!” Katrina dragged her other hand down Liam’s face, streaking it with mud. She backed away from him and took a few steps towards the house.

Liam tilted his head up, letting the rain wash off her handiwork, before scrubbing a hand down his face. He looked over to her and saw a spark of mischief in her eyes. “Now you’re gonna get it!” he yelled playfully, pouncing after her. Katrina yelped again and took off towards the house, but her speed was no match for his long strides; she shrieked with glee when his arm hooked around her waist, both of them toppling to the ground from the momentum. Katrina rolled over onto her back, arms pointed to the sky, with a huge smile on her face as it rained down on them. Liam simply grinned at her.

After a moment, he sat up and got to his feet, offering a hand to Katrina to pull her up. He pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her; softly at first, growing with need as the kiss deepened and he felt her hands bunch the fabric of his shirt on either side of his waist. They broke apart, Liam grasping her shoulders, when a thunderclap sounded off nearby. “We should probably get inside.”

Katrina startled again when another clap of thunder occurred, and she nodded emphatically. “Yup, yup, fun time’s over!”

“I think it’s just beginning,” Liam smirked. The pair of them ran towards the porch, slightly winded from their sprint for cover, and he tugged gently on her hand. With a small twirl and a nudge, Katrina sat on the small wicker settee, giggling up at Liam. He knelt down before her, dripping wet, telltale ember of heat smoldering in his eyes.

Katrina felt his hands on her ankles, nimble fingers moving up her calves, and her knees parted as he leaned closer, as his hands continued their northward journey. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation as Liam kissed one knee, then the other, pushing up her waterlogged skirt up her thighs, his lips warm against her chilled skin…when Liam pulled away and began to laugh softly. “I…” She stopped to scrutinize the look of amusement on Liam’s face. “You better have a good reason for laughing at me right now, Liam.”

Liam held up one of his hands defensively, the other clutched around his ribs as he laughed harder. He shook his head and tried to control what was now turning into a fit of giggles. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he wheezed between laughs. “You’re just…dirty.”

“What?”

Liam swiped two fingers against her inner thigh, holding them up to show Katrina. She gasped at the mud on his fingers, laughter bubbling up from her throat as she looked down at the stain on her dress from her fall into the mud puddle earlier. Liam wiped his hand clean on his equally stained pants and stood up, prying his shoes off in front of her, and started unbuttoning his jeans. Katrina’s eyes widened as he peeled the soaked denim from his legs, fishing his keys out of a pocket. He pulled his shirt over his head, wringing it in front of her as he stood there in just his underwear. “Strip,” he grinned, collecting his clothing.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just getting started with you, but we’re muddy and soaked,” he explained, helping her up. “I’m going to put our clothes in the washer,” he leaned down and kissed her temple, “and then you and I…” He paused to kiss her cheek, and the shell of her ear, “will clean up in the shower, so we can have sex until you can’t stand it anymore.”

“I…umm…” Katrina stammered, eyes fluttering closed as Liam continued to kiss his way down her neck. She slipped out of her sandals and moved to stand on the cushions to get closer to Liam’s height, her arms wrapping around his neck. Her fingers combed through Liam’s hair, grabbing fistfuls of it when his thumb began to rub circles over her breast, the sensation causing her sensitive skin to pebble and harden with arousal.

“Do you like my plan?” he hummed against her neck. Katrina nodded her head in response, arching her body so she pressed up against his chest. Liam pulled away, taking a small step back. “Arms,” he urged, tipping his chin at her. She raised her arms up, and Liam pulled the dress over her head, devilish grin on his face as he took in the sight of her in blue lace. He bent down and picked up his clothes and keys, turning back to kiss Katrina again, one hand moving to cradle her jaw. Katrina hopped down and picked up their shoes as Liam hurried to the front door and unlocked it, swinging it open. “Get inside and hop in the shower, I’ll join you in a minute.”

-

“Liam…Liam, wait,” Katrina panted, her hand splaying against the tiled wall. “We should…we should…get…” she panted again, hooking her leg around Liam’s thigh. “Ohmygod,” she moaned, and the leg she was standing on wobbled.

“Yes?” Liam hummed. His fingers dipped between Katrina’s folds as he held her upright.

“We can’t have shower sex,” she sighed against his face, nipping at his earlobe.

“Why not? We’re halfway there.”

“There’s a foot of difference between us, it’ll never work.”

Liam pulled away from Katrina’s neck and quirked his brow at her. “Hook your legs around me, I can use the wall for leverage.”

Katrina giggled through her sighs of pleasure. “We’re gonna fall,” she warned. “The soap, the water…I…ohhh,” she moaned into his ear. “You’re so good at that.”

“Hook your other leg, Love.” Liam’s voice was hoarse against her skin. “I can manage.”

Her resolve weakened by Liam’s actions, Katrina hopped and hooked her legs around his waist. He pressed her back into the tiling to steady himself, pulling his fingers from her, and lined the tip of himself against her warm folds, teasing her entrance as he balanced her weight on his hips. She hissed gently as she relaxed and lowered herself onto him, her own arms straining to keep herself up while they were wrapped around his neck and shoulders, and Liam’s mouth dropped open.

Then his foot slipped.

Liam widened his stance for balance, but Katrina unlatched her legs and set her feet down, pulling themselves apart. “See?” She ran her hands down the length of his torso, fingers trailing over hardened abs. Liam moaned softly when she wrapped her hand around him and slowly started to stroke his shaft. “I don’t want to stop, but I don’t want us to slip and fall, or worse,” she breathed, stroking him faster. “I don’t want to break anything and explain what happened to your parents. Or Leo, for that matter.”

-

The storm raged on outside, thunder roaring and rainfall so thick the world was just a blur of shapes and colors. The sounds of the storm muffled the moans coming from Liam’s bedroom. He watched as Katrina rode him, their bodies still damp from showering, wet tendrils of her hair clinging to her skin every time she tipped her head back or let it drop forward. His fingers dug deep into the smooth skin of her thighs, her hips grinding against his with every thrust, trying in vain to merge themselves together beyond physical limitations.

“You’re magnificent,” he breathed, gripping onto her hips. He pressed his thumbs against her hip bones and Katrina bit one side of her lip. The pace at which she moved was dizzying, and she arched her back, arms moving behind her so she could hold onto his thighs for balance. Spread out before him, he could only look on with quiet reverence at the sight of her naked form. “Fuck, Trina,” he uttered, eyes shifting to where their bodies were joined. He watched himself disappear inside her over and over again, feeling the contrast of her immense warmth and the coolness in the air each time she pulled away. “You’re soaking wet.”

Liam thrust his hips up as she ground herself down, and Katrina bucked forward. She steadied herself again, pressing her palms onto his chest, grinding against him harder and faster. He tucked her hair behind her ear, cupping her face for a moment, before he quivered at her efforts. She was practically bouncing on top of him, the length of him sliding in and out repeatedly. It was ecstatic agony as he tried not to find release from her actions. Liam slid a hand between her legs, his thumb rubbing circles against her clit, and she shuddered above him, quickening her pace. “Yes, Liam, yes,” she hissed between breaths. “I’m close, so close.”

“God, I love watching you,” he groaned softly. “You’re exquisite.”

“Kiss me, please,” she begged. “I’m nearly there.”

Liam sat up, digging his heels into the mattress for any form of leverage, and wrapped his arms around Katrina’s waist, pulling himself up. Her breasts bounced against his skin, and he tore himself away from them to gaze into Katrina’s eyes, wild and dark as the storm outside. He cradled the back of her head with one hand, fingers tangling in her raven locks, and he tugged on a handful of hair. She gasped in response, lips curling into a pleasant grin. “Come for me,” he whispered. “I love to hear you…fuck, I love you.” He crashed his lips into hers, putting all his love and passion into the movement, trying to express how much he loved her in the space between them. He pressed her body to his and kissed her again, nipping at her bottom lip, and Katrina pulled away, pressing her cheek to his as he felt her inner walls grip the entirety of himself. His jaw ticked at the sensation, once again trying not to come before she did.

“Liam… LIAM!” She moaned into his ear as she came undone, hips moving against him like a woman possessed, walls pulsing as she saw heaven flash before her eyes. Her body stilled in the wake of her orgasm, breathing hard as everything came back into focus. She could hear the rain pouring down, and Liam’s labored breaths beneath her. Hips rocking back and forth again, a wicked grin flashed across her face and she dragged her nails down Liam’s back, earning a sharp hiss from him. Her body ached as she moved against him, and a pleasant throbbing began to build between her legs once more. She sucked on his earlobe and whispered in his ear. “Your turn now.”

With a tiny growl, Liam grabbed hold of Trina’s waist and rolled on top of her, driving himself as deep as he could inside the divine space between her legs. Her back arched off the mattress in response, and she dragged her nails up and down his arms, leaving tiny, ragged trails with each pass. The only conversation between them was the sound of sharp panting and rapid breathing, eyes on the other full of love and lust.

He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you,” he huffed. The grin on his face was nearly bashful.

“I love you too,” she murmured. Katrina folded her leg up and Liam hiked her ankle over his shoulder. She exhaled sharply before whimpering at the new, tighter feel of him, nodding her head silently to let Liam know he should keep going. Noticing the small grin on his face, and the way his brow wrinkled, she gripped him with all her might as he continued to sheathe and unsheathe himself.

With a shaky breath, Liam looked into her eyes once more and nodded his head, leaning down to kiss her. “Can I?”

“Come for me, Love,” she whispered back.

Liam slammed his hips into Katrina, trembling above her; she felt him throb against her walls before he dropped down onto his forearms to either side of her. He planted a weary kiss to her lips and rolled to one side, keeping one hand on himself to keep the condom from falling off, and collapsed onto the mattress. They both laid on their backs, chests rising and falling as they caught their breath.

Katrina eventually rolled onto her side, grinning at him. “You look like you need another shower,” she teased, drawing an invisible line across his chest, now covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Liam sighed and turned his head to her. “Care to join me? Again?”