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brittle-doughie · 2 days ago

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This Year and You! (Various Fics)

Just a look back at certain stories throughout the months! Can you imagine it’s been another with you and Cookies!

———————————————————————

January - Final Days

“What are you looking at, Y/N Cookie?”

“Hm, oh hey, Pure Vanilla. It’s just..a photo. I took….of me and my friends…”

“Oh? Can I perhaps take a look?”

“N-No, I’m..not ready to share this with others yet. It’s..a sensitive story for me…”

“O-oh, it’s okay! Please, take all the time you need. I’ll be there whenever you’re ready…”

“Yeah…”

You looked at the photo. You and your…former close friends. Smiling, enjoying yourselves.

“Thank you…”

You missed those times together. You had missed your friends. Them. Not what they had become…

———————————————————————

February - Storm Warning

“Where’s Y/N Cookie? Did they skip out on fishing with us today?”

“Yeah, I’d reckon they won’t be fishin’ with us for a while! Something about the ocean havin’ scaring them.”

“They’re afraid of the ocean? I’ve seen them fish in dangerous waters before. You telling me a little storm is scaring them?”

“I tried telling ‘em that. It felt..off when they looked at me in the eyes and whispered somethin’ to me.”

“What was it?”

“That this was no ordinary storm…”

Lightning crashes and thunder booms as the two fishermen cookies jump. They’d normally tried to sweep it under the rug as the storm just picking up.

If not for the sound of crying far off in the distant sea…

———————————————————————

March - Ingrained

You couldn’t move…

Seeing through the vines that shielded you from the outside world, not sure if passing by cookies observing and marveling at you…or the plant that Herb Cookie had become feeding off your life powder…

Vines were pierced into your dough, so you couldn’t even pull them off if you wanted to. You barely had the strength….

Herb Cookie…he said…you wouldn’t die. A part of you actually wished you could…

Or at least wish he was here right now, anything to break the monotony of vines settling and moving around you…

His empty, smiling husk right next to you didn’t exactly look like the type to have conversation with…

———————————————————————

April - The Dessert Report

You had carefully placed the ancient desserts into your office fridge before closing it, locking it by typing in a numbered keypad that was hooked to the fridge on the wall.

“The shift is over, manager. Where is our just dues..?”

You quickly turned around to see Redcap Mushroom and Demoncake Kitsune Cookie hidden in the shadows of your moonlit office.

“Right, right. I know, just let me head to the break room and get them-“

“We saw you place desserts in that fridge just now. We’ll take that…”

“What? I’m sorry, you two. These particular desserts aren’t for anyone to consume.”

Demoncake Kitsune floated fast towards you, leaning down her tall figure to stare directly at you with her glowing red eyes and black slit pupils.

“….”

“Come on, Demoncake. You’re well aware of what I told you both about desserts made from the Ancient Heroes.”

“Then we’ll need double of today’s worth in…pay. We don’t like being held out on, manager~”

“Plenty of Cookies came in today with gifts, that works for me.”

You escorted the two out of your office towards the front of the store.

You take a second to glance back at the locked fridge…

Once you’ve tasted something so s..w..e..e..t, nothing else would ever satisfy…

———————————————————————

May - The Lone Giant

Earthbread officials have declared the Lone Giant a passive hazard that’s meant to stay out of the way of. Attempts to approach the Giant has been met with hostile resistance from a group wearing white masks.

Towns in the path of the Giant are strongly advised to remain indoors until it has passed. Do not attempt to provide aid to Cookies that are outside during these curfews, they are beyond saving.

Do not try to apprehend or go to the Giant as it is considered extremely dangerous, whether the Giant itself or by the hostile group of Cookies spotted close by it.

Many Cookies continue to go missing in the Giant’s path to this day.

———————————————————————

June - Yin and Yang

“I’m sorry, but Y/N Cookie is not in at the moment. Please feel free to leave any message or gift with me.”

“…I see. But do please tell them that I wish to..spend the afternoon with them? Is that right?”

“Right, I’ll go ahead and pencil that in for you, your Majesty-“

“KEEP THE DOOR OPEN! KEEP THE DOOR OPEN!”

Dumpling Cookie and Dark Cacao Cookie turned to see you frantically running towards the castle door, your face completely covered in pink and purple kiss marks! Your culprits in high pursuit behind you, Affogato and Peach Blossom Cookie.

“Oh, why did you have to pull away so soon~ I wasn’t done with our little get-together~”

“Is everything alright, Y/N Cookie~? I had just prepare a special peach bao I prepared just for you.”

“I needed room to breathe!”

You dart in through the gap in the castle door and Dumpling Cookie quickly closes it, turning back to Dark Cacao Cookie.

“Should I tell them of your message?”

———————————————————————

July - Volition’s End

Dark Cacao Cookie climbed up the steps, having to stop to catch his breath when he noticed the statue of Mystic Flour Cookie…along with another Cookie beside her, one he didn’t recognize.

“That Cookie…who..?”

“That would be Captain Y/N Cookie, a guard of Mystic Flour Cookie, my Lord.”

Cloud Haetae was oddly more..quiet when bringing up this Cookie, something Dark Cacao Cookie noticed.

“Their sole duty was to protect Mystic Flour Cookie at any cost, even the cost of their own live itself. And that’s exactly what they did, defending her from Cookies that burned with hatred.”

“I..had never seen Mystic Flour Cookie act the way she did ever since that day. Kind of like you, my Lord. She cherished Y/N Cookie more than anything, holding onto their crumbled body as she returned to her cocoon. Because all she needed was them..”

“Have you ever experienced the feeling of emptiness for so long, my Lord?”

———————————————————————

August - Feathered Envy

“Tell me, truly! Who’s the most beautiful of us two? It’s very clear that it’s me, right?”

“Well…”

“Please, allow my precious to answer for themselves. Their answer must come from the bottom of their heart..”

“What? Are you afraid that my darling little Cookie may prefer the more beautiful one between us, Sugar Swan Cookie?”

“Let them answer for themself.”

“It’s clear who they’ll pick anyway. You might as well fly off already. The season is waiting for you-“

“The season can wait. Let them answer truthfully.”

———————————————————————

September - Tale of the Forced Hand

“Will you be alright, Y/N Cookie?”

You gave Pure Vanilla Cookie a reassuring nod, but you kept clutching your head.

“Yeah…yeah, I’ll be okay. I-I don’t know what happened back there. I just saw you all in danger and something in me just..wanted to do something to help.”

“That power you displayed, it was something Shadow Milk Cookie didn’t expect, yet relished in.”

“That smile of his, he knew something..but what was it…”

“Regardless, it’s possible he’s alerted the other Beasts about you. If what he had done was anything, he may not be willing to let you go a second time.”

“Something’s going on here, Pure Vanilla Cookie. It’s like I…remembered Shadow Milk Cookie, but..I didn’t know him at the same time either…”

“Y/N Cookie, could it be that..”

“No. There’s no way. I’ve lived an ordinary life since the beginning! I remember traveling and staying at the Cookie Kingdom when it used to be rubble.”

“Shadow Milk Cookie’s word cannot help trusted…”

“..yet his words always carry a speck of truth. No, I..couldn’t be this Compassion, right?”

———————————————————————

October - Five Nights with Dragons

“Is everything alright with the Great Dragon recently?

“I don’t know, they’ve been acting different since the sacrifice a while ago…”

“Did they..actually get the sacrifice..?”

“They did, I was there to check out the aftermath, the whole place was a mess. Yet, not a crumb was in sight on the floor.”

“Then what happened to the sacrifice?”

“No one knows. The cameras only caught the Great Dragons dragging them out of the home.”

“Then why…why is the Great Dragon angrier then they’ve ever been before?”

———————————————————————

November - Cookie to the Rescue

“So, you really endangered yourself to rescue Golden Osmanthus Cookie is what I’m hearing.”

“Pretty much. I wasn’t going to just leave her, Dumpling Cookie. I didn’t care if I crumbled off an arm to do so!”

“That’s quite the strong feeling towards a Cookie you’ve only met for a little while..”

“So what? Are you going to be like Crowned about this?”

“I was only asking, ‘kay? Remember that this kingdom needs you, Y/N Cookie. You can’t always throw yourself into danger and come out of it all right.”

“I know…”

“But seeing you go out of your way to help others, it’s one of the many things I like you about, Y/N.”

“O-Oh! Thank you, Dumpling Cookie.”

“So..what’s your relationship with Golden Osmanthus?”

“So nosy!”

———————————————————————

December - Destructive Influence

You hurried into a quiet part of the arena locker rooms, quickly pulling the small bit of incense you had stashed away. Taking a deep breath of its fragrance, you felt his influence slip away bit by bit as your mind calms down.

“And just what are you doing?”

“Keeping you from going out of control. What was that back there?! I-I thought you were just going to rough them up a little, not completely tear those three apart!”

“Hahaha! Why would I hold back against pathetic worms who crumble at the first sign of strength such as mine! I helped you and your bunch of friends, you OWE me.”

“I owe you nothing. You could’ve crumbled them! They may be..not the best sort of Cookies, but-“

“But WHAT?! Will you allow these weak, so weak Cookies to push you around?! Or will you allow me to show you the type of power you can have? Where no Cookie in your way will be able to stop you!”

“I…”

“Or will you end up as dust on like any other Cookie before you…?”

You looked at your right hand, it was trembling as it clenched into a fist. You felt a burning sensation coursing through your very dough, as if he was manifesting his power through it.

“Your enemy will not show mercy. Are you not going to give them the same or are you going to them every ounce of power that COURSES THROUGH YOUR DOUGH?!”

“ENOUGH!”’

You punched the wall in front of you, making the room tremble as you make a large dent in the wall. The burning faded as did Burning Spice’s influence..

Thank Swan for Golden Osmanthus Cookie’s incense. You only hope it can remain effective for as long as you needed it…

———————————————————————

It’s been a great year with you all! Here’s to another!

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irrealisms · 1 day ago

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hi! yr probably not lookin for asks anymore, but. what's your lifesteal elevator pitch? i know absolutely nothing abt it or any of the folks on the server except the vague things i've absorbed frm reading yr analysis as it crosses my dash, but it compels me, etc.+ also merry christmas! <33 🎄🌟

good news: i am always looking for asks

bad news: my parents DID go to sleep and i was able to wrap presents and put them beneath the tree and so on, so i wasn't going to do more asks tonight

good news again: i actually already have a lifesteal pitch. in a google doc. bc i'm normal

the pitch does assume you're basically already into mcrp and just curious about lifesteal in specific BUT we went to dsmp together so this works out

I really love shitty little tryhards causing problems via impressive feats of minecraft, and lifesteal is full of those. if you like people being good at minecraft, I really recommend lifesteal--in s2, clownpierce was top 50 worldwide at crystal pvp, and now he's washed and in s6 there are 2-3 (depending on who you ask) lifestealers who are better than him at pvp (admittedly maybe not at crystal); in s4, there's some stuff that's impressive in ~vanilla (eg parrot wins a 1v1 while on one heart) and some stuff that's impressive through exploits/social stuff (eg a group of people use a glitch + social engineering to get /op and prove to mojang that the glitch is a security issue that needs patched). every season is like this! lifestealers have backdoored the server 3 seasons in a row (s3-5). for a more recent weird Lifestealer Behavior, rekrap and jumper filled in every end portal room and built new fake ones to make it look like the world glitched and generated without them. lifesteal is weird and constantly coming up with new weird yet impressive things to do. a lot of stuff that's currently banned on lifesteal (F3+A, pie ray) are things i only learned were possible from lifesteal. (on the flip side i'd say: if you are not into shitty little tryhards making weird impressive clickbait, you probably won't like lifesteal, although you may still like hearing about it from time to time.)

related to them being shitty little tryhards causing problems: the rules are...more of a suggestion. getting around the rules, and hiding from the server owner and/or other players that you're doing so, is often part of the fun of lifesteal! (see also the thing where i mentioned that it's been backdoored three seasons in a row.) if that's intriguing: check it out. if not: once again, you have been warned.

lifesteal absolutely has lore and some people roleplay on it, there is nonzero c/cc divide, but it's more like traffic life than, say, late dsmp--it's fully improv, not scripted, and even more than traffic life it is genuinely adversarial. you can sometimes be confident that someone is in character but you can never be sure if someone is out of character, on lifesteal-- things like "going to someone's house irl to turn off their computer" or "lying about your homework/school/sleep schedule" or "changing your entire discord layout so that when you DM someone they think you're someone else" or "claiming you need their footage of an event for your video when actually you just want to see where their spawn point is" are all things that have been done on lifesteal that are considered fair game! everything on lifesteal is real; sometimes this goes well, sometimes it doesn't, but both are interesting to see imo because they are real

partially for this reason and partially for other reasons, lifesteal is fascinating to me as a piece of unique storytelling? a lot of mcyt is doing interesting things with its medium and being improv, lifesteal's not fully unique in that, but definitely if you like that you might like lifesteal. along with the improv, there's the fact that many lifestealers lie about what actually happened in their videos (comparing different videos with the vods, or in some cases with "what people say in various vods" when events weren't streamed, gives some fascinating insights imo--how do people frame their stories? how honest are they? what do they blatantly lie about, what do they gloss over or omit, what do they include in full? who, if anyone, do they see as the heroes or villains? whose videos agree with each other, and whose present a totally different story?), and the fact that conflict about "where do we want the story to go next, what do we think would be an interesting video/the best ending" is often the driving motive for in-character wars and conflicts! if you're interested at all in lifesteal and storytelling, check out barrier blocks part 2 by @mering/@myrmica, which is a deep dive on eclipse federation and the end of lifesteal s4 (those are my special guys); it dips into some academic game studies and it's really, really good. i genuinely cannot recommend it highly enough. (part one is also real good for non-lifesteal-specific discussion of mcrp!)

if you want a more specific plot summary (esp of s4) and/or "how do i actually, like, watch this" (of any seasons): hmu! but that's my pitch. also, read barrier blocks

#therapists dni #any british ants in the chat?#lifesteal #this might be too long to qualify as an elevator pitch. sorry. had a lot to say #EDIT: ty also!!! merry Christmas to you as well if applicable & if not then i hope you have a nice day <3

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bulletfrootboyzz · 2 days ago

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Honestly I think they’re both still young and they haven’t realized yet that everyone that they are admiring who is at the top of their field, EVERYONE, is just a normal Joe, just like they are. Some people may fake it in public, put on an invincible celebrity persona, but people are just normal people no matter how high up you go in the hierarchy of achievement.

When you are below looking up, or outside looking in, you think the people on the pedestal have something extra special and KNOW they are special, but when you get to the pedestal yourself and look around, they’re normal people just like you. So I think right now he’s not feeling what he thinks he should be feeling if he were on the level of Elvis or John Lennon or Michael Jackson, but the truth is, he probably IS. They were normal guys too, loving their fans and doing their best. They probably wondered every day why people liked them so much and worried about when their fans would leave. It’s human nature.

I do wish though they could see if only for a second how deeply they are loved and see exactly why. So they can just relax when it comes to ARMY!

I'm rewatching Jungkook's Wlive but with ‘official subtitles’ this time, and I've realised he struggles with imposter syndrome. I had noticed it before, but I often saw it more as him being humble about his achievements, impact, and talent rather than a feeling of self-doubt. It really stands out how much he downplays himself, even when he’s done something incredible. It’s almost like he doesn’t fully believe he deserves the recognition he gets.

Both he and Jimin seem to ‘suffer’ from this the most within the group, in my opinion, and it’s interesting—and honestly a bit sad—to witness. They’ve achieved so much as solo artists and as members of BTS, and yet they seem to constantly question whether it’s enough or if they’re truly worthy of the love and admiration they receive. It’s sad that they think this way because it’s clear to anyone watching how extraordinary and talented they are, but at the same time, it also feels like this mindset is part of what makes them who they are.

That desire to always do better, to never settle, seems rooted in their constant questioning of themselves in many ways. It pushes them to improve every day, striving to achieve this personal ideal of perfection they’ve built in their minds and while it’s inspiring to see their work ethic and dedication to be and do better as artists, I can’t help but wonder if it’s exhausting for them to carry that pressure all the time. Is it healthy? Probably not, but it’s definitely a huge part of what keeps them moving forward and reaching new heights.

Having said all that, it's bittersweet, really. Their self-doubt may fuel their greatness, but I can't help but wish they could see themselves the way the rest of us do—flawed, perhaps, but already perfect in so many ways.

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ellenchain · 3 days ago

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Forgive me if you've already answered this somewhere else but is Jayce's leg still super fucked up in his new remade body? I know you mentioned that his wrist is scared from where the runestone was ripped out, but is his leg and back also scared over or are they still arcane-y from the contamination/infection of the future world?

Anyway love love love all your jayvik work, and i think your finalized explanation of post-canon viktor retaining the machine herald look while still being able to look human is so far my favorite of the genre :D

Ohh no no, I didn't answer that anywhere (and even if I did, I'd be happy to answer it again)!

In my head (and thus in my comic), Jayce will get a normal back scar, since it was a chainsaw that injured him before his journey, and an arcane scar on his leg.

The back injury was certainly still open when he landed in the other universe, yet I don't think the anomaly had much effect on that wound - we see his lip burst open and other minor injuries that didn't end up being contaminated. That's why I don't think his back has been infected (but of course it's possible)

The leg is another thing. It broke and healed while he was in the other dimension. It healed badly, which is why he will probably have problems walking or even running for the rest of his life (modern medicine as we know it to perform bone correction seems unlikely). So it makes sense that he continues to wear a brace.

After s2 now hard to say...

The rune had an effect and I strongly suspect that both were cured of their hexcorisation. The magic has presumably not only healed Viktor, but also Jayce. The question is how much they were healed.

Because there's still a knot in my head: Viktor was terminally ill, the hexcore healed him, but also modified his body. The Arcane could have replaced the hexcore and therefore changed his body. We can see from Viktor's legendary skin that he has a normal body with arcane markings. Mage Viktor also has normal hands again, from what we've seen; guess he has mastered to handle the Arcane to transform his body back - maybe the rest looks similar to his legendary skin with arcane scars.

So it stands to reason that our Viktor now also has a human body again, possibly with the scars of the Arcane running through it.

Long story short, but if the arcane could heal Viktor completely (body and illness), it would also heal his leg injury. Same with Jayce's.

But to be honest, that would be an erasure of the things that make them who they are. That's why I've decided for myself that Jayce and Viktor will keep their injuries (voluntary or involuntary; I haven't decided yet). As a sign of their journey together, their connection and of course to continue to give weight to Jayce's words that beauty lies in imperfections.

That's why they still wear braces. When naked, the scars are probably clearly distinguishable from the other leg. As a sign that the arcane was there.

At the end of the day, it's just my theories and I'm not that familiar with the original lore, so it may well be that Viktor ends up keeping his machine body and Jayce is spit back out of the rune unchanged as a human 🙃

BUT thank you so much for your lovely words, I'm really happy to hear that you like my work 🥺❤️

#arcane asks #sorry for the long answer!#thinking about situations in which they need mobility...#i think viktor is not a 'hectic' fighter anyway #he prob stands still and would use magic to fight #jayce on the other hand i can imagine would suffer more from not being able to walk properly during a fight #but honestly it would be cool if jayce had some magic as well #not in the sense of a mage like viktor and a second body form #but maybe a little bit of magic

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fandomgirlz01 · 1 day ago

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The Most Perfect Christmas Ever

JJ Maybank X Routledge Reader

Imagine on fandom instagram?: No

Prompt or Request or Requested Prompt?: Yes: (1) "Cute Christmas socks." (2) "Are you going to stay out there in the cold all night?" (3) "Come here. I bet you can fit in my coat with me and it’ll warm you up." (4) "Is that my scarf?" (5) "Be careful you’re clumsy and it’s really slippery out here." (6) "Ah. The ground is so slippy.!” (7) "Call me elf one more time!" (8) "Chaos has come again." (9) "Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone." (10) "Come here. I bet you can fit in my coat with me and it’ll warm you up." (11) "Everything I want I can’t have." (12) "Here. Let me pick you up so you can reach the top of the Christmas tree." (13) "How long ago did (Character) fall asleep?" (14) "I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real. I think there may be something in that." (15) "I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold."

Style of Writing: Single Fic

Rating: PG ~ For all the fluff and cuteness, but a few adult comments…

Edited: Not edited so it may change around later guys.

Word count: 6,717

Post Date & Time: December 25th 2024 at 1:45 AM

Ko-fi

Masterlist

Warnings Here

Listen to the story be read out loud here {coming soon}.

Summary: You, your brother John B and JJ (Jackson Jessy "Maybank" Groff) spend another Christmas together, your first Christmas without your father after he’d gone missing. This Christmas however is different than all the others that the three of you have spent together.

Authors Note: I got these amazing prompts from a fellow writers page @bonniebird Bonnie is an inspiration to me as well as an amazing writer and artist. I did change some of them up so they fit the story better, but I did try to keep them pretty close to the original prompts. Anyway, Bonnie’s work never fails to make me smile and feel all the feelings that I should when reading. I WISH I could write as amazingly as she does, but I’m nowhere near her level yet, I hope and pray that one day I will be. Ladies and gentlemen please go give her love and support because she really deserves it. She’s one of my many inspirations and I’m so so happy to use her prompts because they really pushed me to write this fic even though I was blocked for all of my other works. I feel like it helped me break out of it, so THANK YOU Bonnie for everything 🩵🩵🩵

Also this is our first JJ Maybank fic. We have so much coming out for JJ he will eventually be added into our main people we write for so be on the look out for when we add that in. We both hope you guys enjoy this one. 🩵

You hum softly to yourself along with the Christmas music you have playing as you lay out the decorations. Every Christmas, you, John B, your dad, and JJ would enjoy Christmas together. When you were growing up and found out what JJ’s dad did to him (you didn’t tell them of course, because that’s JJ’s place to tell people about it), you begged for JJ to start spending the holidays with you. Ever since that very first time they agreed, he’s always come over. It’s always been your absolute favorite time of year. How could it not be? When you have JJ and John B around you, your two favorite people? This year is different though, because it’s the first Christmas without your father since he had disappeared only a few months ago now.

“Hey. Wow. You’ve really got everything ready,” John B comments in shock as he looks at everything you’ve laid out so far.

“It’s Christmas, JB, of course I’ve got everything ready. Don’t I always?” You ask, raising an eyebrow at him and shrugging.

“I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve and we’re only now decorating…” you shake your head and he chuckles.

“I know normally you have it all started the last week of November,” he comments, amusement clear in his tone.

“I know right! I’m so behind. This year has been a lot… it’s been one stressful year…” you mutter out with a roll of your eyes and he again hums in amusement as you bite your lip.

“Hey. I get it. It definitely has been wild,” John B agrees and you sigh.

“It’s just… it’s the first one without dad. We should still celebrate, be happy to still all be together right?” You ask, unsure of your own words.

“Of course, bug. I’m sure we’ll enjoy it,” he tells you as he stops you for a moment to pull you into a hug.

“Plus, I’ll have my two favorite guys with me. I’m happy and I refuse to not be happy during my favorite time of year,” you push away from the hug as you ramble while continuing to lay stuff out, not bothering to spare a look at your brother.

“Hey. I get it. I do. No need to preach it to me, bug,” he reverently tells you, giving you a small shrug.

You continue to lay ornaments and many other decorations out on the table. You step back to look at your handiwork, proud of how it looks. You get pulled out of your thoughts when your brother laughs, making you look at him instead.

“What?” You ask him, eyebrow propped and he points down at your feet.

"Cute Christmas socks," he tells you though chuckles and you look down at them, pushing up onto your toes.

“Oh, really? Good, I got both you and JJ a pair of your own,” you inform him with a giant grin and his face falls.

“There’s no way JJ will be wearing those…” he tells you and you giggle.

“Who says! They’re cute!” You cry out and he chuckles, shaking his head.

“Sorry to tell ya, bee, JJ doesn’t do cute,” he tells you with humor lacing his tone.

“Fine. You’ll wear them though, right?” You ask, giving him puppy dog eyes.

“Not a chance. Puppy eyes don’t work on me anymore, bee,” he tells you and you smirk even though he’s not looking at you.

“Really? Then why won’t you look at me, huh?” You teasingly ask and he huffs.

“No reason. No reason at all. Speaking of your two favorite people, where's the other?” John B asks with a hint of humor, changing the subject as he picks up an ornament to look at before carefully setting it back down.

“Actually, he was supposed to be here about thirty minutes ago…” you comment as you finally look up at the clock.

“Don’t worry, bug. It’s JJ, I’m sure he’s just running late,” John B tries to comfort you, but you shake your head, rushing over to start putting your jacket on.

“Exactly. It’s JJ. He’s never late this time of year. He loves having Christmas with us,” you comment as you shove your feet into your shoes.

“Bug? What are you doing?” John B rushes over to you and you shrug as you stand while zipping up your jacket.

“I’m going to look for him. What if he needs us?” You counter as you wrap a scarf around your neck and John B sighs.

“I’m coming with you then,” he informs you as he grabs his own jacket.

You give him a look of exasperation before shaking your head once more. You pull the door open before starting down the porch, but John B pulls you to a stop. You go to yell at him, but he raises his hands in surrender before pointing over at something and you turn to look where he's pointing. You see JJ sitting curled up on the dock and you sigh in relief.

“You go talk to him. I’ll finish setting up, okay?” John B offers and you smile softly at him.

“Don’t you wanna go over?” You ask, popping an eyebrow at him and he pauses with lips pursed in thought.

“No. It looks more like a you and him moment,” John B answers with a small soft smile.

“Okay. If you’re sure, birdy,” you tell him, giving a side eye to see if he changes his mind.

When he doesn’t show any signs of changing his mind, you firmly nod at him before starting to walk over to JJ as John B heads back inside. It’s a cold night so you bring your cupped hands up to your mouth and breathe into them, hoping to warm yourself up a little. Once your hands have warmed up, you move them under your armpits, trying to keep them that way as you move closer and closer to JJ.

“Jayj…” you call out softly and you can see your breath in the air.

“Hi, cupcake…” he mutters, not looking at you which makes you frown.

“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” You ask as you sit next to him, your feet dangling over the side of the dock.

“JJ, talk to me…” you mutter out when he doesn’t answer and you move to cuddle into his side, but he uses his shoulder to shove you off, still keeping his face out of view.

“JJ. Seriously, what is wrong?” You ask as you grab his shoulder, trying to pull him to look at you even though you have an opinion on what’s going on.

“Just leave me alone cupcake. Please?” He practically begs, still turned away from you and you frown even harder.

“Jayj, please…” you whisper out to him once again and he sighs, finally turning to you not liking the hurt sound of your voice.

“Oh, JJ…” you gasp when you see his face full of black and blue bruises, you had a thought that’s it be about his dad, but you had no clue it’d be this bad.

“See, that’s why…” he mutters, looking away from you once more.

“I don’t want you pitying me again… you do it far too often,” he mutters after you haven’t said anything.

“I don’t pity you, JJ. If anything I think it makes you incredibly strong…” you tell him with a firmness to your tone and he feels himself getting choked up.

“Yeah… whatever…” he responds, not believing you as he shoves you off again.

“I’m really sorry, JJ…” you mutter softly, not knowing what else to say to get him to believe you. You frown with a shake of your head as tears well up in your eyes.

“What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t do this…” JJ asks as he still refuses to look at you and you reach out for him again.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry you got dealt such a bad hand in life. I wish… I wish I could force Luke to see you. To actually see you,” you explain as you're finally able to pull him to look at you. He wishes he could wipe your frown off but only smiles softly at you.

“It’s not so bad. I’ve got you and John B. It could be worse I guess,” he tells you with a shrug as he looks away again and out to the water.

“I mean, you are right. Having us is pretty awesome,” you agree playfully, bouncing your eyebrows and he chuckles to himself, shaking his head. You smile, seeing his tough exterior finally starting to break down.

“It really is,” he softly agrees as he still looks out over the water and you hold back a sigh.

“Well, are you going to stay out here in the cold all night and stew in what happened? Or are you going to come in and have fun with your favorite person?” You goad him while nudging him with your shoulder.

“Oh, John B’s my favorite person now, huh?” he playfully asks, his own lips forming a bit bigger of a smirk now and you gasp.

“Umm, no. I was actually talking about myself,” you respond with a deadpan look that makes him smile even more as he laughs, shaking his head.

“What makes you think you’re my favorite person?” he asks you, all smiles now and you can’t help but smile alongside him.

“It made you smile, didn’t it?” You answer him with a shrug and he’s shaking his head in disbelief again.

“Yeah… yeah. It did,” he chuckles, continuing to smile softly at you.

"Well come on, then, let's get inside. We have a tree to decorate still and many other Christmas festivities,” you tell him with a beaming smile as you go to get up, but he reaches out and stops you.

“Can we maybe just stay here for a moment more?” he mutters out and you blink at him for a moment.

“Yeah, of course, Jayj…” you softly tell him and he smiles a small smile at you.

The two of you sit in silence for a little while before JJ, who's not wearing a coat, starts to shake a little bit."Come here. I bet you can fit in my coat with me and it’ll warm you up," You tell him as you hold your coat open to him.

“Thanks, cupcake,” he mutters as he slides in under your arm and you smile warmly at him.

“Of course, Jayj. It’s us against the world,” you whisper to him as you bring your pinky up and he smiles again before bringing his up as well, wrapping it around yours.

“Us against the world, cupcake,” he agrees and you sigh, laying your head against his that now lays on your shoulder.

“Hey, is this my scarf?” he asks after a while of silence as he lifts one of the sides of the scarf up.

“Umm. Yeah, I think it’s the one you left here last year. I found it in my winter clothes. You can have it back if you want,” you answer with your cheeks burning hot and you try to hide your face.

“Nah. Keep it. It’s a better fit on you than me,” he tells you softly and again you can’t help but blush.

He says nothing else after that, just cuddles back into your shoulder and you squeeze his shoulder. The two of you stay sitting there, cuddling while looking out over the water in silence and just enjoying each other’s presence.

“Hey, tweedledee and tweedledum, are you two going to stay out there all night and make me decorate alone? Or are you going to come be of some help?”John B calls out for the two of you from the edge of the dock and you both roll your eyes.

“Well, you ready to go in?” You ask him and he smiles at you before nodding.

“Yeah, let’s go,” he agrees before pulling away and the two of you start to stand.

"Be careful cupcake, you’re clumsy and it’s really slippery out here,” JJ tells you as he stands up and you cross your arms.

“I’m not that clumsy!” You fight back and he hums in amusement.

“Okay. I’ll believe that when you're not tripping over thin air,” he jokes back with a smirk and you scowl at him.

“Whatever…” you tell him as you roll your eyes before turning and taking a step to head back to the house.

You let out a small gasp as you start to fall back, but JJ, knowing you well, was already reacting and quickly pulling you back up. You stare at him in shock for a moment before you slowly start to smile, making him smile too.

"You were right. The ground really is so slippery,” You joke, eyes wide in shock and he playfully rolls his eyes at you.

“Never change, cupcake. You’re truly one of a kind,” JJ tells you with a grin that’s utterly infectious.

“Only if you promise never to change yourself, Jayj. You’re one of a kind too,” you request and he nods in agreement.

You both stare at one another for a moment, your eyes staring into the blue pools that are his eyes that you’ve come to love so much over the years and you have a burning need to kiss him. You can feel his heart going what seems to be a mile a minute as he watches your eyes flicker down to his lips and back up to his eyes, his eyes doing the same. He squeezes your waist gently with a million thoughts of how your lips might taste flying though his mind and he wishes he could just kiss the adorable frown off your face, but he knows he can’t, making him frown too. You frown even deeper before opening your mouth to ask him why he’s frowning, but before you get the chance, you get cut off.

“Hey! Would you two stop making eyes at each other and come help me decorate!” John B calls out again, interrupting the moment and you almost groan.

“Thanks for catching me, Jayj,” you whisper out and something flashes through his eyes for a moment, an emotion you can’t quite decipher before he grins again letting you go.

“I’ll always catch you, cupcake,” he promises with a light smile before the two of you start to walk over to John B.

You slip a little bit once more, but you reach out and grab onto JJ’s arm. He looks down at you and chuckles as you cling to him like a koala bear, making him chuckle.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you to the end of the dock safely,” he promises with a laugh as he laces his fingers through yours and continues to walk over to John B.

"Chaos has come again, man!” JJ announces as you and he walk into the château before he’s letting go of you to walk over to John B.

“Don’t think that’s a good thing man,” John B deadpans and you fight to hold back a giggle as JJ pulls back from the guy hug the share looking offended.

“Fine then, I take it back. You’re definitely not my favorite person. It’s cupcake,” JJ says as he pulls you into him from behind.

“Oh so now I’m your favorite,” you ask, crossing your arms and giving a faux annoyed look.

“Let’s be completely honest bee, I think you always have been even when he lies outta his butt and says you aren't,” John B comments with a roll of his eyes as he picks up an ornament and hangs it on the tree.

“It’s disgusting sometimes really,” John B continues with a fake gag as he hangs the ornament up on the tree.

“Ohh. I wanna do the Angel!” You happily call out clapping your hands and John B chuckles.

“Don’t you always do it? This year’s no different, Bee. It’s your one job,” John B comments in amusement making you pout.

“It’s not my only job! I have others,” you fight back and JJ chuckles, slinging his arm around your shoulder.

“Yeah, JB her other jobs lookin pretty,” JJ comments as he hugs you into his side and you fight a blush as you groan pushing him away.

“I extremely dislike both of you,” you comment, crossing your arms with a look of dismay falling on your face and they both grin.

“That’s not true. You LOVE us,” both of them singsong to you and you uncross your arms shaking your head.

“Okay maybe I do, but let’s get this show on the road,” you finally cave and agree with them before walking over to start decorating the tree some more.

“Okay miss head elf,” JJ jokes with a roll of his eyes and John B laughs.

“Oh that’s a good one Jayj. She really is a snappy head elf this time of year isn’t she?” John B agrees before pushing the joke a little further and you pause crossing your arms.

"Call me elf one more time!" You seeth out through clenched teeth and they share a look.

“Awe come on elffie. It’s a cute Christmas nickname that’s all. Plus you're the perfect height for it,” JJ tells you again, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as he squeezes you affectionately and you huff, shaking your head.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, let’s get decorating already…” you tell them in annoyance and JJ snickers along with John B.

Together you, JJ and John B all dance around and decorate making you completely forget about everything that’s been going on the past few months. For a moment it’s just you and your two favorite people living happily with nothing and nobody to take it away from you. You’d give anything to live every single day like this. You walk away still laughing at something JJ had said and walk back in with the scissors. You stop and fondly watch as John B and JJ fight over who gets to put an ornament on a certain branch. Blue Christmas by Elvis starts to play and without realizing it you start to cry.

“You okay there cupcake?” JJ asks as he turns around to see you crying and worry flows through him.

“I’m okay Jayj…” you tell him softly with a gentle smile on your face as you set the scissors on the table.

“Then why the tears?” John B asks and you giggle wiping at your eyes.

“I just wish we could all live like this everyday. Just us three having the times of our lives with nothing to worry about,” you start pausing to catch your breath a little bit and to sniffle.

“Both Kie and Pope have their parents. I’m happy to just have you two,” you explain more tears welling up in your eyes and JJ clicks his tongue coming over to give you a hug.

“I’m happy we have each other too, Bee, but unfortunately we can’t have it everyday. There’s always going to be good and bad days,” John B agrees with you as he to comes over to hug you.

“I know, I just wish it could be that way,” you sigh out and JJ squeezes you once more.

“I think we all do, cupcake. Let’s just try to live in this moment then yeah? Enjoy the time we have?” He asks and you grin up at him.

“Yeah, okay,” you agree and he smiles happy to see you back to your happy go lucky self.

You gasp as the song’s lyrics perfectly fit the moment. “But I’ll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas without you,” you sing along to Elvis as you sway and JJ shakes his head, but smiles as he watches you enjoy the music.

“Perfect timing, much?” He jokes propping an eyebrow making both you and John B burst out laughing.

“Yeah… definitely don’t quit your day job bug,” John B jokes and you shrug seemingly unfazed by his playful insult.

“And what day job would that be birdy? Hunting for gold?” You playfully ask back, sticking your tongue out at him.

“Okay. Okay… you win,” he chuckles, holding his hands up in surrender.

“I always win,” you say in a devious tone with an equally devious look.

“Don’t I always win, Jay?” You ask, turning to JJ who looks between you and John B in a panic for a moment.

“Sorry JB. I have to say she is definitely a winner in my book,” JJ tells both of you and you let out a cheer pumping your fist in the air.

“Eat it birdy!” You cheer out as you do a little dance.

“So not fair! JJ’s only on your side because he’s crushing hard. Let’s bring Sarah in as a tie breaker,” John B complains and you pause your dance crossing your arms as you prop an eyebrow at him.

“How would that break the tie? One. Sarah, so would choose me too and second that’d only make it tied even more even if she did choose you,” you comment very pointedly and he shrugs sticking his tongue out.

“At least it’d be more fair. Again, JJ only chose you because he’s crushing on you,” John B again points out and you shake your head.

“And Sarah is so crushing on you,” you point out and JJ lets out an “ooooohhh” making you laugh.

“She got you there JB,” JJ comments with a smirk that’s infectiously making you smirk too.

“Okay birdy, you win. I take it as a compliment that my favorite person is crushing on me though,” you happily reply, leaving a kiss on JJ’s cheek and he blushes before awkwardly clearing his throat.

“Okay. Okay. Enough fighting you two. I think it’s time to put the angel up right?” JJ cuts in only wanting to change the whole subject as he holds the Angel up for you to take from him.

“Yeah, okay.” You agree as you take the Angel from him.

You look down at the Angel in your hands, the angel you and your mom had picked out together when you were five. You don’t remember much of her, John B does because he’d been a little older (he’d been seven) when she left, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt when you think about how she’d just left the three of you behind. John B and your dad had told you so much about her that sometimes she felt like a phantom to you, like someone that was there for a second, someone you knew so well, then gone the very next. Tears well up in your eyes and you look up at John B. He immediately knows what you’re thinking and lets out a sigh, sad for you as always, he always felt sad you couldn’t fully remember her like he could.

“I know, bug. I miss mom too,” John B sympathizes with you and you wipe under your eyes as JJ squeezes your shoulder.

“I just wish I’d gotten to actually know her a little more,” you mutter and JJ pulls you into a hug knowing that’s the only sure way to comfort you.

“Here, cupcake. Let me pick you up so you can reach the top of the Christmas tree.” JJ tells you after pulling away from the hug and he bends down before slipping his head between your legs lifting you as he stands.

“You better not drop me Jayj!” You squeak out before giggling hysterically as you’re now sitting on his shoulders one hand in his hair the other holding the angel and he stands straight.

“I would NEVER dream of it cupcake,” he sweetly tells you as he holds you a little tighter to make it known he definitely won’t drop you.

You grin as you put the Angel on the tree before looking down to see JJ looking up at you. You then nod at him and he bends to let you down slowly. Once you have both feet on the ground he stands up straight next to you. You smile at him before suddenly you're letting out a gasp pushing JJ away just the slightest but in your excitement.

“What? What’s wrong?” JJ asks immediate worry, taking over as he looks at John B for help, but John B just shrugs just as confused.

“It’s If Everyday Was Like Christmas my favorite Elvis Christmas song,” you happily explain and JJ lets out a sigh of relief shaking his head.

“We should have known,” John B playfully rolls his eyes

“Oh we really should have dude. She is an old soul,” JJ agrees and he chuckles as you start to sway again just as you had with Blue Christmas and JJ shakes his head again too as you hold a hand out for him.

“What?” JJ asks with an arched eyebrow and you grin making his heart melt at seeing you so happy.

"I want to dance with you. Come on. Dance with me Jayj,” you beg, holding your hand out to him more insistently.

“Okay, but you should know I’m not a good slow dancer sweetheart,” he informs you as he takes your hand in his and you smile as you help him get into position.

“It’s okay J. Just sway with me. We don’t have to be all that fancy, we’re Pogues, remember? Not kooks,” you remind and he throws his head back laughing before calming as he sways with you.

“P4L. Never a kook,” JJ happily agrees, proud that you feel the same way he does.

You lay your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes and his leans against yours. He looks at John B for a moment over your shoulder who seems to be watching the two of you fondly. John B then surprises him by putting his hands up in surrender before leaving the room and JJ melts against you a little more.

When If Everyday Was Like Christmas ends both of you slowly come to a stop and you lift your head from his shoulder to look at him. You smile softly at him and again there’s a moment where you lock eyes. His bright brilliant blue eyes shining with happiness and another emotion that makes you think you might just kiss, but just like all the other moments over the years where you’d been close John B walks back into the room.

“And what’s going on here?” John B asks ever the overprotective brother that he is and you roll your eyes.

“Nothing birdy. Are we watching die hard or not?” You ask changing the subject as you push away from JJ and he fights not to frown at the missing feeling of your body heat.

“Not. I thought we could open a gift or two,” John B tells you and you arch an eyebrow at him.

“I thought we all agreed on no gifts this year?” You ask and John B shrugs.

"I’d be down. I know we said no presents this year but I wanted to get you both something special to show you how much I appreciate you, so I uhh did…" JJ admits with a shrug in agreement and John B grins shrugging along with JJ.

“My gifts really aren't much. Just one to open tonight and tomorrow for each of us. All have super special meaning that’s all,” John B informs you and you grin shaking your head.

“Well I really can’t say much. I did the same thing,” you admit with a giggle when they both give you a shocked look.

“Bee! It was your idea!” John B cries out and you smile sheepishly.

“Oppps,” you shrug feigning innocence, shrugging "Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone else right?” You ask with a lopsided grin and John B lets out a chortle shaking his head almost in disbelief.

“I mean she’s not wrong dude,” JJ happily chirps out and you smirk, bouncing your eyebrows.

“I’m never wrong Jayj,” you joke with him poking his side and he playfully scoffs.

“Okay. Yeah, whatever you want to believe cupcake,” he humors you as he rubs at the spot you’d poked him in.

After opening gifts you’d all decided to watch the movie so you cuddle up next to JJ and John B decides to sit in the chair off to the side. As the movie plays JJ lays behind you his strong arm wrapped around your waist like normal and anytime he laughs you feel the warm air from his mouth over your neck making goosebumps rise on your arms. You fight the whole movie not to fall even more in love with him and the way he holds you, but just like any other time the two of you cuddle you do.

“Well, I’m beat. I’m going to bed,” John B announces as he slaps his hands down on the arms of the chair and pushes himself up.

“Goodnight JB,” you call out as he walks toward his room and he turns around.

“Goodnight bumblebee. Sleep tight,” he replies with a soft smile your way.

“So cupcake, you heading to bed too?” JJ asks and you look up at him.

“I’m not really tired. I might go lay in the hammock for a little while,” you inform him and he nods letting go of your waist.

“You could come join me if you want, but you definitely don’t have to,” you tell him biting at your lip, nervous he might say no and he chuckles.

“And skip out on our special hammock time?” He asks like he is offended and he smiles when you perk up.

“Really?” You ask in excitement and he smiles even more.

“Really cupcake. I love our hammock time. Let’s go,” he promises softly as he pushes up off the couch and grabs the blanket the two of you always use.

He then turns to you and looks down at you sitting up before reaching a hand out to you. You smile almost shyly as you slip your hand into his and he pulls you up from the couch. He wraps his arm around your shoulders and together you walk out of the château. You both walk down the stairs and over to the hammocks.

“After you princess,” JJ tells you as he bows like a butler would and you giggle shaking your head.

“Why thank you. You're a very kind Prince, you know that?” You ask him as he lays down with you now and he holds his arm up for you to cuddle up to his side.

“Well it’s easy to be kind to a princess like you,” he tells you and you roll your eyes at his flirty ness as he uses his other hand to put the blanket over the two of you.

You giggle as he struggles to lay the blanket out evenly over the two of you and you reach out to grab the other side, pulling it over yourself. He chuckles softly, shaking his head before finally relaxing and he squeezes you softly as the two of you look up to watch the very prominent stars in the sky.

“Can I tell you a secret cupcake?” He whispers out to you after a few minutes as he uses his fingers to rub your arm.

“Of course Jayj… you can tell me anything. You know that,” you promise as you cuddle into his side even more.

"I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real... I think there may be something in that." He whispers and you slowly grin, turning to smile up at him.

“You might actually be right… I mean who’s to say he’s not real?” You ask and he chuckles, shaking his head loving the fact that you just agree with him.

“I think I may have everything I want right here right now,” you whisper out as you cuddle back down into him with a hum of contentment.

"Everything I want I can’t have." He admits and you frown pushing up to look at him again.

“What do you mean? You don’t have everything you want? What else could you want?” You ask with a frown, sad that he could possibly not be as happy as you thought he was.

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before letting them open once more. His blue eyes stare into yours and you almost lose yourself in them.

“You,” he whispers almost nervously and you’ve never seen JJ at his nervous before as you raise an eyebrow at him.

“Jayj. You have me. I’m not sure why you think you don’t,” you tell him in confusion and he huffs in anger, but not in anger at you, no he’d never be angry at you, but he is angry you're not getting it.

“No princess. You don’t get it… I want us to be… uggh,” he groans out reaching up to rub at his chest and your eyebrow furrows even more as you reach up moving his hand before rubbing his chest for him.

“Jay. Just calm down and tell me. It’s okay… you want us to be…” you prompt him to continue on as he seems to calm a little more.

“Okay… uhh… I want us to be more than friends and I know Pogues don’t Mack on Pogues, but I’ve wanted to be so much more with you for years…” he admits hesitation clear as he once again for the second time in the night refuses to look at you and you smile.

“Jayj… look at me please…” you whisper out and hit takes him a moment, but soon he’s doing it.

"It was always you, through everything it was always you Jayj. Nobody else,” you whisper again with a grin growing on your face as you watch him slowly realize exactly what you’d said.

“Wait… really? But wait… what?” He asks in confusion and you giggle.

"I'd always choose you Jayj.” You softly promise and nuzzle into his chest bashfully and he chuckles bringing his hand up to your head to massage at your scalp.

“I’d always choose you too Princess,” JJ promises just as softly as he leaves a kiss to your forehead.

“You missed…” you tell him with a confident grin as you sit up to look at him and he chuckles again shaking his head.

“Oh my bad. Let’s see if I can fix my mistake then,” he jokes right back with his own smile growing.

Before you know it his hand trails from your hair and to your neck, lightly pulling you to him while tilting your head ever so slightly. He moves slowly and treats you so gently making the butterflies erupt even more in your stomach. There’s a thick anticipation that falls over you with how slowly you move closer together, but it’s the kind of anticipation you really don’t want to end. Finally his lips meet yours in a firm yet delicate and maybe a little desperate kiss. You are a little surprised thinking it would have been a little more heated with knowing how JJ is, but the delicacy of which he kisses you proves to you just how much he’s wanted this.

He worries if he makes it anymore heated like he normally does with other girls he’d ruin this whole moment and he really doesn’t want to lose you. You're the most important girl outta all the ones he’s ever been with so if he messes it up he’s scared he might lose you all together. You take a leap and kiss him a little harder, surprising him for the smallest of moments, but he smirks into the kiss before reciprocating it even more. You smile into the now heated kiss as you reach up and wrap your arms around his neck and play with the hair at the nip of his neck making him groan. You then maneuver a little more so now instead of laying side by side you lay on top of him and he squeezes your waist after his hands move from your neck.

Slowly you pull away breaking the kiss almost unwillingly and he chases your lips giving them another peck making you giggle. He then leans his forehead against yours and you grin wide as both of your heavy breaths mingle together.

“Wow…” you whisper, biting your lip and he grins at you.

“Definitely wow. I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” he admits and you grin as you use your thumb to trace his lips.

“I know it may be early, but I love you Jayj. You’re my favorite Christmas gift,” you tell him as you scoot down and lay your head on his chest.

“It’s not early at all, princess. I think we’ve loved each other for a while now. We’ve just been too scared to tell each other,” he tells you as he kisses your head and pulls you even closer then before.

“Oh and you're my favorite gift too sweet girl. I love you,” JJ adds on and you sigh happily.

“Merry Christmas Jayj…” you mutter out as tiredness takes over your body.

“Merry Christmas cupcake,” JJ parrots you again, squeezing you a little closer.

It’s a little while later and JJ smiles when he realizes you’re breathing has evened out meaning you’re happily asleep in his arms. He yawns, but refuses to fall asleep quite yet, just wanting to enjoy having what he thought he never could.

"How long ago did, bug fall asleep?" He hears a whisper making him look up at John B.

“Only a little while ago. She’ll probably sleep in a lot more than the last few years. I thought you went to bed?” JJ whispers not wanting to wake you as you sleep soundly on his chest.

“I did, but I knew you two would come out here and I wanted to check up on the two of you to make sure you're all good before I actually fall asleep,” John B whispers back and JJ smiles a thankful smile at him.

“Thanks man. We’re good,” JJ tells him and John B nods pausing to watch your sleeping face.

“You take care of her, you hear me JJ. You break her and best friends or not I will break you,” John B says in a serious whisper and JJ’s eyes widen for a moment.

“Don’t worry dude. I don’t plan to and if it ever does happen I’d break myself before you even hit the chance,” JJ whispers honestly and John B smiles at his best friend.

“I know, but now that the two of you got wise and got together I still need to make it known. I’m her big brother first and foremost,” John B informs him with a shrug and a happy smile at seeing his sister happy as well as safe and sound in his best friend's arms.

“Goodnight JJ. Sleep well buddy,” John B tells him before turning and starting back to the château.

“Night man. You sleep well too,” JJ tells him in a happy whisper as he nuzzled into your hair.

John B knows without a doubt that JJ is good for his little sister and you are for JJ too. He’s so happy the two of you have finally confessed and made it official. He’s had to watch the two of you pine for one another for years and it was painful sometimes because he cares for both of you so much. First and foremost though as he’d told JJ you are and will always be his first thought. It’s just a big brother thing to protect his little sister.

JJ watches until John B makes it into the château before deciding to hold you close for a little while longer. Before he knows it though your soft, even breathing lulls him into his own slumber and his eyes close, but even in his sleep he holds you close never ever wanting this Christmas to end; the most perfect Christmas ever for the both of you.

The End…

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brox-not-a-badger · 22 hours ago

Text

Cut your teeth on me

A little NSFW reader x Perturabo for you, think of it as a holiday gift from your favorite, frankly stupid author

Tw; breeding kink, implied pregnancy, bruises, fingering, Perturabo being a petulant and horny whore of a man

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Perturabo is not the most skilled in the art of flirting or lovemaking. Not to mention the fact that he’s barely in touch with his emotions, so when a pretty little serf catches his eye, he figures it’s not his fault, and evidently blames you for his odd attractions.

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You served the primarch of the IVth legion, Perturabo. By far, the most petulant and irritable primarch, and he was looming over you, an unfortunate serf who ended up on the wrong end of a brief conflict. At your feet stood the shattered remains of a vase, evidence of your brief scare due to the run-in with the primarch. You were attending to your usual duties, cleaning his study and not bothering him as per usual. Normally, he’d sit in the corner, working on a model or some plans or another.

Normally, his business was not yours, but right now he was making his business yours. “Throne damnit, woman- pick this mess up. I’ll see to it you tend to something-… less fragile. You’re dismissed.” He snarled. You found your hands trembling as you bent down to pick up the remains of the now shattered vase, quickly shuffling off to discard of the broken parts. For a brief moment, you swear you could hear mumbling coming from the mountain of a man, however, you quickly dismiss it, seeing that Perturabo was already in a bad mood.

Perturabo was hardly furious about the vase. It was the way you looked at him so gently yet so frightfully. How you moved with so much grace, despite your evident clumsiness in dropping the vase. It was infuriating how tempting you were to the eyes, so much so he hated just seeing you.

You made him feel things he thought shouldn’t have been possible. And now that your presence was no longer in the room, it felt strangely empty. Perturabo hated the emptiness of the room more than he hated your presence. Perhaps it wasn’t even hate at all, either. That was a possibility. A foolish one, but a possibility nonetheless.

Before you could leave down the hall upon disposing what was left of that vase, you heard the door slowly creak open. Perturabo poked his head out, looking around before spotting you very abruptly. “Come back, please. I may have dismissed you too quickly, I’d like to speak with you for a moment.” That was quick considering how suddenly he’d already dismissed you.

For a split second, you could see a light pink coloring in his cheeks, across his stern features. Was that blush? You quickly reentered the room as Perturabo was returning to his seat. “Do you need something, my lord?” You asked. For a moment he just stared at you, almost completely distracted by you, before quickly snapping out of it. He scolded himself internally as his features quickly grew stern and uncaring once more. He nodded.

“Yes, yes I need you to finish… reordering the books, on that shelf. I prefer they stay in alphabetical order, unless it’s a triology, or a set of chronicles. Then I expect you to order them accordingly.” He said sharply, staring at you with a concerning glare. Perturabo was renowned for snapping on a whim, so you took no time to begin preforming the task he ordered of you. You stood up on the ladder, starting by taking each of the heavy books off, starting with A’s, B’s, and so on and so forth.

Perturabo found his gaze wandering from his models over to where you stood on the ladder. He only intended for a quick glance, but found himself staring for much longer. His eyes drifted over your robes, how they hugged your curves in all of the right places, how you delicately moved. It was all enticing, and tempting. Tempting enough that Perturabo found himself feeling heat pooling in the pit of his stomach. The moment he’d caught himself staring, he’d abruptly turned away, back to what he was doing, muttering something under his breath. “Damn temptress.” He snarled scornfully.

You paused for a moment, eyes wide as you caught what he’d said. Your mind was screaming at you to stick to what you were doing, but unfortunately, your heart was louder than your head that day. Pathos overcame ethos, as you slowly turned to look at him, surprised at what he’d called you. A temptress? What on Terra did that insinuate? “Sir. What-… what do you mean by ‘temptress’?” You looked so innocent in your confusion at his description of you.

The primarch quickly snapped his attention to you, briefly stumbling over his words. In a moment of sudden panic, he blurted the first words that came to mind. “I’m calling you a whore.” There was a feral growl to his voice that only a man like him could convey. He tried to play it off, even as you stood there, staring and looking stunned at the primarch.

“M- my lord I don’t mean to pry but where did that come from?!” You sounded somewhat distressed and confused, which caused the Lord of Iron to give a blank stare, as though it had just now occurred to him the magnitude of what he just called you, very quickly he switched to an accusatory tone. Though, of course, instead of apologizing, Perturabo took the stubborn route and doubled down on his harsh words.

“I called you a whore. A harlot. Or did you mishear me? Get over here.” He snarled, watching as you did as commanded of you. You scrambled off your ladder, wandering over to the towering astartes with a startled look in your eyes. Perturabo hated your timid mannerisms, but he could never hate you directly. It was strange to him.

“Did I do something wrong, sir?” Were the first words out of your mouth. Of course, you didn’t. He knew you didn’t, but to him those feelings were conflicting, leaving you confused and a little afraid due to his unpredictable behavior with his legion. Approaching him the way you had been was like approaching a wild animal, you never knew what he would say or do next, whether it was him making a passing comment, an annoyed gesture or something more direct, he always kept you guessing. However it never truly felt like you were walking on eggshells around him, he simply felt unpredictable. He was never outright violent, nor has he ever made any violent threats towards you.

The way he kept staring at you made you a little concerned. He just stared, before speaking slowly, in a tone that was a little hard to recognize. “You-… damned whore. What is it with you? You’re just a serf. Why is it so hard to talk to you specifically?” He growled, though it sounded more like a question than scornful words. You were at a loss for words, the fact that he was towering above you made the situation even worse than originally thought possible. There was a low growl in his voice, the way he stared at you like a piece of meat could almost be described as alluring if it wasn’t a little intimidating.

You could feel your face heat up in embarrassment, which was made all the worse by the fact that he could clearly tell what was going on, seeing how fast his expression changed from a hardened look of disdain to very sudden surprise. “S- sir, I mean no disrespect, however that seems like an issue that’s your fault?” You tried to pipe up, only being met with a stare.

Perturabo found he was realizing a lot of things about himself at once as his eyes traced over your form as you spoke. He huffed and licked his lips, trying to mask something you couldn’t quite figure out. “I don’t recall giving you permission to speak, serf.” He borderline snarled in a rather animalistic display. He reached out to you, grabbing you by the face, his rough fingers digging into your cheek. It was a easy to reach you, seeing you stood to the side of his desk, right beside him so you were within reach.

He examined you for a long while, eyes locked on your delicate frame. Perturabo looked, for the most part, largely unimpressed, were it not for the light pink blush that had subtly spread across his face. After what felt like an eternity, you were let go. “Come here. In front of the desk.” He commanded of you harshly. Of course, you obliged to his commands.

You stood before him, specifically in the space between him and the desk, looking intimidated by the fact that he was looming over you. “Up, on the desk. I feel as though there is a lesson to be taught here that words cannot convey properly.” He growled, watching you scoot up on the desk, sheepishly moving things around, you looked behind you momentarily to straighten yourself out, only to be met with the primarch baring down on you, his palms on the sides of the desk.

Emotions were running very hot, so much so you could physically feel the heat coming off of Perturabo’s massive body. By the holy throne on Terra, you drove him to the brink of insanity. He’d always assumed the flowery language that Fulgrim had used to describe his vices with women back on Chemos was just talk, but now that he had such a woman in his office, propped up on his desk like a decorative piece, he understood just what Fulgrim meant.

“My lord, are you-… asking something of me?” You questioned. It was a bold thing to ask him, especially seeing how stiff and hesitant, yet extremely desperate and starved he seemed. Without words he answered your question when he slid whatever project he was working on aside and grabbed you, not by the wrists but by the hand and pinned you down to the desk. His grip was strong on you, not enough to hurt or bruise but it was enough to keep you in place so you didn’t get away.

__________________NSFW BELOW HERE ________________________

A yelp escaped your lips, it was a noise that made heat begin to pool in Perturabo’s belly. By the holy throne, everything about you made him want to just devour you more. “Ask less questions. They annoy me.” He said simply, his eyes locked on you like a wolf to a hare. You swallowed your initial tough realization, allowing your thighs to slide open in the heat of the moment.

You could see what appeared to be the faint shape of his hardened cock beneath his robes, a sight that had made your face flush even worse than it had been before. He must have taken notice of this, seeing how he’d distracted you next.

Perturabo growled like an animal as he leaned over you. Taking two fingers and abruptly and unceremoniously shoving them into your mouth. It was slightly hard to take at first, seeing just how large his fingers were, but gradually you got used to the feeling, your tongue working around his hand and covering them in saliva. “You know just what I’m going to do with these, don’t you?” A sly grin played on his lips as he reached up to push your own clothing up.

He’d then take his fingers from your mouth, making you feel a bit out of breath. He momentarily looked down at his now saliva-soaked hand, fingers spreading apart before he looked back at you. This entire encounter was leaving you at a loss for words, even more so when he praised you for how well you were doing so far. “Good, that’s a good little serf. I bet you were just begging for that to be over with, hm?” He sounded like he was taunting you, which wasn’t a tone you were used to, especially not from him.

Perturabo then slid his still-slick hand under your robes, eliciting a soft whine from your lips that drove him mad. You whimpered as he gently drove his fingers into your hot cunt. The sounds you made as you wriggled on his fingers made him want you all the more, but he persisted in his patience. Perturabo spread you open with his slicked fingers, wet sounds coming from the space between your pretty thighs.

He slid deeper in to you, until he was at least up to his knuckles. He’d begun to make swirling motions, using the pads of his hand to massage the clit. His breathing got more ragged as he gently gripped your side, hoisting himself over you. “Look at you, how pathetic. I seem to have been right to call you a harlot.” Perturabo was rather hypocritical as he spoke, seeing it was him lusting after you so intensely, however, you didn’t seem to mind his harsh words.

Perturabo wasn’t as experienced as Fulgrim or Horus when it came to pleasing women, but he was still decent, and at least knew what he was doing. His motions were slow and delicate, knowing he could probably force you down and take you however he’d liked, but he chose not to. Despite his initial hunger and annoyance at being so easily tempted, he was still soft on you. Parts of him could have even said he was in love with you, but that was preposterous. This was just some simple ‘discipline’, at least, he assumed it was.

When Perturabo finally pulled his slick fingers out, you’d felt empty, and a little disappointed, finding yourself yearning for a little bit more of that sweet, sweet stimulation. What was even worse was that you were getting surprisingly close to climax off of just his work with his hands alone. Just as you assumed Perturabo was about to let you leave, he didn’t.

As you went to sit up on his desk to get up and leave, he set you right back down. He licked his middle and index fingers, lapping your juices off of his hand, then grabbed you by your hips and lining you up with his. “Mh~ you’re not going anywhere just yet. I’m not done with you.” Perturabo grunted. He was hard as a rock, and you could feel it between your thighs, through the silky fabric of his traditional robes.

Perturabo was absolutely throbbing. The way you laid there and stared at him with those eyes he hated seeing, the way you sprawled out, willingly giving yourself to him in every sense, he hated it. But he couldn’t bring himself to hate you. He hated everything about you because you were alluring and tempting, like a siren that leads sailors astray. He needed you.

And, evidently, he was going to have you. Perturabo pulled away slightly, brushing his robes out of the way as he had done yours. Perturabo reached up and gripped the fabric in his teeth to keep it out of his way, revealing his somewhat soft abs and just under his chest. It was quite a view to have, seeing just how strong he was under there.

Then there was his cock. Perturabo was huge in every aspect. Every, aspect. Parts of you were worried he wouldn’t fit, and you were almost correct. It explained why he had to be so thorough with his foreplay. He squeezed his cock into you just narrowly, feeling you just writhe made his sensitive body react. You could see the faint outline and bulge from his member in your lower belly. It was a feeling that sent you spiraling.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he began. At first, moving his hips deliberate and slow as to not injure you, which was a shockingly considerate move on his part, considering how much he was going to wreck you. Slowly, he sped up until he was at a steady rhythm. His hips pumped, leaving you a moaning, whining mess. The sounds coming from you were like a personal orchestra to Perturabo. He clenched the cloth of his robes in his teeth harder and started going down on you like there was no tomorrow.

Part of him wanted to keep going until he got you pregnant, but he tried to stifle that part of him deep down. Perturabo then bent over the desk, letting his own robes fall from his teeth as he wrapped his arms around you, grunting and growling like a wild animal as he kept thrusting in and out of you. You felt good, absolutely divine, even. The way your walls hugged his cock, how your moans sounded in his ear. Even the way your nails dug into his back made him want to fuck you like it was your wedding night.

Perturabo’s hips did all his talking for him, while your cries of pleasure certainly fueled him to keep going. He was so wrapped up in fucking you that he drowned out the sounds of the desk creaking beneath you. He placed his full weight down on the desk, but being careful not to apply too much pressure to your body. Perturabo reached one hand out to grab the edge of the desk, keeping it in place even as it creaked.

His iron grip had even caused the hardwood of the desk to crack. It wasn’t long before he was laying into you with considerable force. You, on the receiving end, were struggling. It was beginning to hurt your lower back, and your insides, seeing just how big and robust he was in every way possible. It was too much for you to handle, which very quickly brought you to climaxing before him.

Pure ecstasy riddled through your entire body as you stiffened with a loud moan. You were feeling very swiftly overstimulated due to his onslaught. Though, luckily for you, not long after you’d climaxed, so did he. Perturabo gripped your hips with bruising strength, staying inside you as he rode his pleasure filled climax to its peak.

You could feel the hot, sticky liquid pouring into you in large amount. His seed was hot, but not hot enough to burn. Perturabo remained with his body on top of yours, having to lift you off the desk and sit back in his chair. The two of you just sat there for a moment, breathing heavily and listening to one another’s heartbeats thundering. “Th- throne on Terra, I need to make you my wife as soon as possible.”

He leaned back. You were far too spent to comment, so you decided to simply nod and groan. You looked down at your lower stomach, wondering if there would be consequences to your master’s actions, however, the chances of that were unlikely. But not zero. “Sir-.. P- Perturabo, we should probably clean up, yes?” You asked, panting between breathes.

Perturabo had nodded in agreement. “Yes, cleaning up is a good idea… lets-… lets just stay here, for a little while.” He said to you, his tone much gentler compared to when you started off. Perhaps, he could even go for a round two in the shower. He’d decide that later though. For now, the pair of you needed to rest.

___________________________________________________

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while!!! I got hit by a car, BUT I AM OKAY! There were some superficial wounds but I’ll live. A broken wrist + some snapped ribs never killed anyone (at least I don’t think). I hope I portrayed the silly little guy correctly, Perty is kind of hard to nail down in writing! I also may have gotten a little too wrapped up writing the smut portion

#warhammer 40k #wh40k #fic writing #warhammer 40000 #perturabo #primarch x reader #primarch #iron warriors #fanfic #fanfiction

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dcggersedge · 3 days ago

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"what delight! welcome to the Black Eagles, Instructor Yunaka!" he flourished, combing back his hair with a confidence so-very becoming of him. "if I may reintroduce myself... I am Ferdinand Von Aegir, eldest son of the premier house of the Adrestian Empire! I cannot express just how fortunate we are to have you."

"...or! that's what I would say, if I hadn't prepared a little gift for you!" in his palm was a fabric four o'clock flower, that seemed to call out to him when he went out to the market the other day. "I intend to be the house leader! I hope you'll be witness to my success, Instructor!"

"Oh, hello!" Yunaka hasn't had the chance to put names to all the faces of her new gaggle of students just yet, but it's clear by the eagerness to greet her that this is one of her new ones.

Lucky her that he's so quick to introduce himself to her. Yunaka nods along, making a little note to herself as he talks. "Right, the Empire. Premier House. Gotcha!"

More noble bullshit that she will be doing her best to ignore as much as she can, for her own sanity.

"Oh, man, are you giving out gifts too?" Dorothea was bad enough but now she had two students she already had to make up to on her first day here. She should have thought to prepare gifts for the students when she was planning this swap. Then again, she might've looked like a kiss ass if she brought them all presents...

"Cute!" The little flower is nice. She reaches to inspect one of the petals, only to pause and look up at him. "...wait, isn't Edelgard the house leader? Does she know you're taking over?"

Did that mean...was he part of Edelgard planning a war? Or maybe he was going to take over while she did all that to make things seem normal? Hmm...

"Well...nice to meet ya, Ferdinand."

#ic #noblisseoblige #((yunaka vc: how many of these kids are part of the war))#((Thank you for the ask! <3))

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aikoiya · 1 day ago

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Nah, it's chill.

Merry Christmas, BTW! I hope your years' been a good'n!

Anyway, this is gonna mostly be based on my hc of what happens to Dash after high school.

Dash After High School - If ya wanna take a look-see.

But the overall idea is that Dash's parents were abusive, but in polar opposite ways.

Whereas his mom, Freida, was negligent & a bit of a wino, his dad, Harvey, was a lot like how Dash is at school: loud, confrontational, & just an outright a-hole.

(Looking at the brief picture we see of the 2, I sort of see Freida as the one with money & Harvey as a bad decision she made. They have cash, but the guy was wearing a white sleeveless shirt &, I think, jeans. My guess is, he was a jock in school, but either his family was poor, he was disowned, or he burned all his family's money by making terrible business decisions. Either way, when I look at him, I see either a bum or a skinflint.)

Anyway, he didn't normally get physical with his abuse, but he definitely got verbal... & loud. But he would also push Dash to "be the best" & was never completely satisfied with anything Dash accomplished, who despite resenting him, also wanted to make his dad proud.

Thing is, dude is also stupid macho in the really bad way, as well as low-key misogynistic & homophobic.

Like, there's not agreeing with a person's lifestyle, but supporting their decision to live their lives & make their own decisions regarding said lives... & then there's the assholes who legitimately hate those who prefer their own sex to the opposite.

Harvey is the latter... Adores his baby daughter, though. (But then again, everyone loves Sarah. Including Dash. If that curly-haired little angel were put in danger, then even the strangely cowardly Dash would throw down with a ghost. Seriously, that little girl is the sunny spot in Dash, Harvey, & Freida's lives & woe be anyone who dare harm a hair on her adorable little head. She's like Shirley Temple meets Annie & I love her.)

The problem comes in that Dash is bi. (Technically, I hc him as bisexual, heteroromantic, but Harvey would exactly hear that last part before exploding.)

Basically, this, plus all the expectations & pressure put on him from not only his dad, but also the school, his mom's emotional manipulations & gaslighting, the fact that Dash really isn't doing all that great academically, the clock is ticking, & this little line from the literal first episode of Danny Phantom:

"These are the best years of my life. After High School its all downhill for me. How am I suppose to enjoy my glory days eating mud?!" Which, woof!

And, he was bound to only react in one of a few ways. It's just that the reaction he chose was to be a dick.

However, I think the reason that he targets Danny is partly the fact that despite how... peculiar the Fentons are in-general. Yet, despite that, Jack & Maddie are very obviously caring & love their kids to pieces. Sure, they're not perfect, but they love & support their kids & would do anything for them.

So... I think that at least part of it is that Dash is jealous of Danny. (Though, I don't think that's all there is to it.)

Also, Danny's just too much of a little snarkmouth, so I doubt that he only started cracking wise at Dash after he died & came back. Which, if so, then that most likely adds a bit to it.

But... & this part I'm not totally sure about, but it's possible... either Dash is p.o.-ed at Danny for trying to keep him away from his sister or...

He may have... a teeny-tiny bit of a crush... Possibly a hate-crush that shows itself in the form of "pigtail pulling." Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Now, this is honestly just based on what all we know of him in canon, so I very well could've misinterpreted things.

Sorry if any of this sounds bad, I like to get a bit experimental with my hcs.

I’d like to take a quick minute to talk about Danny and Groose interacting.

At the very first glance, Danny was instantly reminded of Dash. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t intimidate him, but when he stayed longer and saw how he actually acted, he realized quickly how friendly he really was. Groose was much friendlier and pretty clever. He’s watching his strength when interacting with others, and apologizes when he slips up.

If someone outshines him in some way, he doesn’t get upset and try to bully them, but instead he compliments them and often tries to learn from them.

From Groose’s perspective, Sky had warned him that the new member was a little freaked out since he’s never been to Skyloft, so he expected Danny to be pretty nervous. He didn’t fail to notice the fact that he was intimidated by him, though. It hurt a little, but Groose also understood that a height difference like this often startled people a little.

Then he started getting a little interested in stars. He told Danny about it, and it slowly turned into Groose learning a lot about the night sky from Danny. Next thing they knew, they’re friends!

#legend of zelda #loz #danny phantom #dp #tears of the kingdom #ganondorf #mallowresponse #twilight princess #ganon #ocarina of time

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sjsmith56 · 3 days ago

Text

Snowfall, Part 4 - Encounter

Summary: Over the next 10 days Bucky and Leia develop a routine that allows them to live normally. A fire alarm at the apartment building sets the stage for a showdown.

Length: 4.2 K

Characters: Bucky, Leia, Burnham, purse snatcher, stalker.

Warnings: Emotional turmoil, realization that the stalker is determined.

Author notes: FBI profiles are rarely static as new evidence can cause the authorities to redo them several times. Even then, too much emphasis may be placed on certain facets of the profile sending them looking in the wrong places.

<<Part 3

In the 10 days since the last letter was received and Leia revealed her little brother's tragic death, the FBI team redid the profile of the suspected stalker. With the new information about the other half-siblings, at first expected to identify the stalker, it now pointed towards someone who knew Leia's real identity, someone with a clear sense of superiority, and was possibly related, but unconfirmed at this time. It sent the investigation in a different direction that felt like a waiting game to Bucky and Leia.

The three known half-siblings, one older brother, one younger brother and one younger sister were under surveillance as their backgrounds were being checked but so far there was no indication they were involved. All were married, with children, were gainfully employed, and well regarded in their communities. None of them seemed to know about the others or about Leia; none of them belonged to an ancestry website or had registered with an agency that found birth parents. Although their original birth registrations listed Leia's father as their biological father, two of the three were legally adopted at a young age by their mother's eventual husband and their official birth records changed to reflect that. The third, whose mother was with Leia's father at the time of her brother's death, had initially drawn the most suspicion but a sample of his handwriting didn't match the stalker's handwriting at all.

That left the possibility that the stalker was an as yet undiscovered half-sibling, his or her birth father either unspecified or named as someone else on the birth registration. A DNA sample from Leia was prepared for comparison with ancestry websites that used such evidence to determine familial relationships, but that process took time. It was frustrating but there was little recourse.

With an early winter fully ensconced in the Tri-state area, Bucky and Leia were committed to their burgeoning love affair. Living together in the apartment was still in its honeymoon phase for the couple. Their daily routine involved breakfast together, often cooked by Bucky, then Leia would write for a few hours, using the notes she placed in her phone app during the day. Bucky would read, or lay on the couch with wireless headphones on, listening to 30s and 40s music; Alpine often curled up on his chest. Lunch was usually undertaken at a small cozy bistro with windows steamy from the interior warmth colliding against the cold panes of glass that looked out on the wintry street. They spent one afternoon shopping; with Bucky trying to get some Christmas presents for Sam and his family. He even managed to get Leia a present by convincing Pepper Stark to pick up a necklace that she admired, relaying the amount to her via a money app. The other afternoons were spent seeing several attractions that New York had to offer: the Empire State Building, the Museum of Modern Art, and the main branch of the New York Public Library. It was all new to Leia, and Bucky loved seeing the city through her eyes.

Dinner was something they worked on together, or had takeout food delivered to them, courtesy of the food delivery service that had been previously vetted. So far, their handful of evenings together had been quiet, watching a movie on TV, or listening to music together, sometimes dancing in the living room with the coffee table pushed out of the way. That activity had led to early evenings in bed, exploring the physical relationship that had developed quickly between them and showed no signs of burning out.

When they were out, they were always aware of one or more of the FBI agents tailing them, without them being intrusive. With Bucky wearing an earpiece that kept him in constant communication with the team, it helped to quickly identify and discount various individuals who seemed to give Leia too much attention. It also proved invaluable on the day that someone snatched Leia's purse. As they were on a crowded street, a person jostled her, causing her to be pushed away from Bucky. He saw a flash of a box cutter, pulled her towards him and away from the potential weapon, then watched with disbelief as a man slashed through the shoulder strap of her purse, sliding it off and running through the crowds back in the direction they came, straight towards two of the FBI agents.

"Purse snatcher," he signalled to the other three, unwilling to leave her alone. "Grey hoodie, black jeans, 6 feet tall, 180 lbs."

"Got him," replied Burnham. "Not today buddy."

Seconds later the guy was down on the pavement, flat on his back, as pedestrians stepped around him while Burnham and DaSilva held their guns on him. Bucky and Leia joined them moments later, and waited for the police, already called by Schultz. As they waited, Bucky scanned the crowded sidewalk, ever vigilant, sensing something that didn't seem right about this crime of opportunity. A man, wearing a navy-blue winter coat and a black beanie deliberately turned away from the scene, then looked back and smirked at the super soldier before turning away again. It was a very deliberate movement from a bystander, and he couldn't ignore it.

"Stay here," he ordered Leia. "I'll be right back."

Burnham immediately stood next to her, nodding at Bucky that he had her. Wading through the mass of people on the crowded sidewalk, Bucky kept the person in sight, as he was led away from the scene. Approaching a stairwell down into the subway, the person dropped out of sight and Bucky hurried towards the stairs, running down them. With people streaming past him, he climbed on top of the gate to look at those already inside the paid area. Just as he spotted the man, a transit officer challenged Bucky to get down.

"I'm on a case," he answered, keeping his eyes on the suspect.

"Don't care, get off the gate."

With a huff, Bucky jumped down and went back up the stairs. He stopped at the top and looked around again as that sense came back to him. Scanning the busy intersection carefully, he noticed something at the other entrance to the subway station, set diagonally across the large crossing space. The man was at the top of the stairs, watching Bucky intently. He must have jumped across the tracks below and gone up the stairs that led from the other platform. For a moment, the super soldier considered running across, but it would have caused a disruption in traffic that could have led to an accident. It occurred immediately to him that the man wanted just that, creating a diversion that would keep Bucky occupied. Without taking his eyes off of him, he pulled his phone out, then held it up as if he was going to take a picture. The man disappeared down the stairs, suddenly camera shy. It didn't matter. Bucky saw enough of him to commit his appearance to memory. As he made his way back to the others, he wondered if the man was testing their response to any physical action taken against Leia. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was right.

"Damn, it was a setup," he thought, straining to see them as he got closer to the scene.

When he did finally get them in view, with Leia seeming to be lit by the sun’s reflection from a pane of glass, the would-be purse snatcher was leaning sullenly against a building. Without hesitation, Bucky picked him up by the neck raising him above their heads, his intent clearly evident.

"Who paid you to steal her purse?"

"Can't breathe," stammered the man, his hands on Bucky's hand, frantically trying to pry it off. "Stop, please."

"Bucky," said Burnham, quietly, leaning in close. "You're attracting attention. Put him down."

Breathing heavily, he loosened his grip, lowering his hand so the man was standing on the sidewalk but still kept his hand resting on the thief's throat. Then he leaned forward, until his mouth was at the man's ear.

"I could snap your neck and walk away with a clear conscience." He could feel the fear his words brought out of the man. "Answer yes or no." The man nodded. "You were paid to steal her purse." Yes. "It was a man in a navy-blue coat and black beanie." Yes. "Have you ever seen him before today?" No. "Now you're going to answer with words. How did he know you were a thief?"

The purse thief turned his head to look at Bucky, who had pulled back slightly. What the man saw must have frightened him even more because he nodded his head.

"I picked his pocket a couple of hours ago. Just as I was opening his wallet, he put something in my back and said to keep walking until we made it to an alleyway. He said not to look at him while he took his wallet back. I thought he was going to kill me. Instead, he offered me a grand to steal her purse; gave me the money right there and showed me a picture of her on his phone. That red coat stands out so she would be an easy mark, and he said she often walks with a big guy, you. He had a picture of you, too. That's all I know, mister. It's the honest truth. Please don't kill me."

"You still have the money?"

"Yeah, yeah, in my wallet," said the guy, reaching towards his pocket but stopped by Burnham who patted him down from the side and took the wallet himself, putting a glove on first.

"Fingerprints," said Burnham, holding the wallet up. Bucky nodded. "Good thinking."

At the police station a short time later, while the thief was being processed, they were in an office with the station's captain, who was made aware of the stalker.

"It was a setup," scowled Bucky. "He was testing us, led me to the subway trying to get me onto the platform. I didn't take the bait and came up the stairs. He was across the intersection at the top of the other entrance, watching me, almost daring me to come get him. Tall, pale skin, blue eyes. No hair visible as he wore a beanie. He knows Leia has a security detail, and his next move will likely be to separate her from us."

"Did you see enough of him to talk to a sketch artist?" asked the station captain. Bucky nodded. "Okay, get that done and we'll put out a notice on him. Let us take it from here." Bucky glared at him. "Look, I have no doubt that you can handle it. Hell, I know what you and Captain America did for the city with the Flag Smashers, but you have no authority here."

"Actually, he does," said Burnham. "He's on secondment with the FBI. Since the stalker originally sent letters to Ms. Dunn in another state, that makes it federal jurisdiction. I'm not trying to overstep any boundaries, Captain. We did call you in to take the thief into custody, but Sergeant Barnes is more than capable of handling himself in this case. We cooperate and maybe together we can get this guy."

Reluctantly, he agreed, and the sketch artist came in to get Bucky's description of the man in the beanie. Leia sat next to him, knowing her presence helped him, and hoping that what they produced would show her a face she knew. When the artist applied the finishing touches he showed the picture to her, but she shook her head.

"No, there's no resemblance to my dad and I don't recognize him. If he's from my original hometown, I wouldn't have known him as an adult and I saw so many people at the farmer's market where I lived when I was trying to sell the book myself, that they all just blurred together after a while. I mean I didn't even recognize that Edward guy and I posed for a picture with him."

She was disappointed and sat back in the chair, feeling like they had wasted everyone's time. The artist excused herself, while Bucky took Leia's hand.

"It's alright," he smiled. "It's been a tough day but at least I know the face now." She smiled, then leaned towards him for a kiss. Just as they touched lips, he pulled back. "You wouldn't have known him as an adult because you left your hometown when you were 12 years old. What if you only knew him as a kid, maybe a friend or a classmate, of either yourself or your brother?" He stood up, pulling her up with him. "They can make someone in a picture look younger using a computer program now, can't they?"

"Yeah." She realized what he was implying. "They can make that sketch look like a kid. There must be yearbooks from when I was in school. We can compare the de-aged sketch to the yearbooks, so we get a name, right?"

With a smile, Bucky placed both hands on her cheeks, and kissed her intensely before looking at her with admiration.

"Right."

Sharing their insight with Burnham and the police captain produced a flurry of activity as the school district in Leia's hometown was contacted. They did have a selection of yearbooks from the various schools and would make them available by the following day. As the sketch was scanned and fed into the computer program that could render it at different ages, Bucky and Leia waited.

"Do you really think he's going to try again?" she asked. "He must know that with you seeing him, you'll find out who he is."

"Yeah, but maybe that's what he wants. I think this started out as a way to threaten you. Since this most recent incident I get the feeling that he's playing with us. He didn't seem afraid of me, that's for sure."

Burnham came in then, carrying several sheets of paper.

"Here they are," he said. "The suspect as he might have looked at 6 years of age, 10 years of age and 15 years of age."

Leia took them and looked at the top image, the teenage one. She shook her head, then looked at the 10-year-old and 6-year-old side by side. She could feel her heart in her throat as she saw the face of a boy she hadn't seen since Mikey died.

"He lived next door to us," she said, recalling her neighbour. "Mitchell Morrison. Everyone called him Itchy because he had eczema and was always scratching his skin. The really mean kids would say it was cooties or lice. I didn't like him because he was always staring at me through the fence. It gave me the creeps. He liked Mikey, even though he was younger. They played with Lego a lot. He can't be my brother. My dad didn't pay attention to him at all."

She dropped the sheets and sobbed. Bucky looked up at Burnham, who picked up the sheets and left, leaving him to comfort her. Taking her hands in his, he kissed them, then pulled her up to stand as he hugged her.

"Do you want to go?" he asked. "I don't think they need us any longer."

She nodded and stayed in the room as Bucky stepped out to tell the three agents he was taking Leia home. When he returned, he helped her on with her coat, making sure her scarf covered her throat, then helping her button it up and doing up the belt. He frowned at the plastic bag they gave her to transfer her belongings into instead of her purse as it was now evidence.

"I'll get you a new one," he said, as he opened the door for her.

"You don't have to," she answered. "I have others at home."

Burnham was waiting for them in the hallway.

"I was going to hail a taxi," said Bucky.

"Nope, not after what happened today," said the FBI agent. "I'm driving you, as usual."

He was emphatic on the need for them to keep to the protocol, and Bucky wasn't inclined to argue with him. If Morrison was the stalker, he got too close today. If he wasn't the stalker, then they needed to know why he targeted Leia and Bucky. The FBI agents would do their part now, using the resources of the agency in cooperation with the local police to find the man. Bucky's job hadn't changed; to be Leia's personal bodyguard.

"We're going to find him," said Burnham, once they were on their way. "Once we confirm his identity and get it out to all law enforcement agencies, he won't be able to hide anymore."

"I still don't think I'm related to him."

He looked at Leia through the rear-view mirror.

"Profiles are at most 80% accurate, so we may have got that wrong, but it was based on that most recent letter when he referred to your brothers. You just provided more information that added to the profile of the suspect Morrison. It's a process and I think there's much more to explore there."

She squeezed Bucky's hand as she kept looking out the window, still bothered that the man who wrote those filthy letters to her was someone she had known as a child. Mikey's death changed her by exposing her to deep emotions that found their way into her writing. It had changed Morrison into someone dangerous. The same incident created two different outcomes.

By the time they got to the building, it was dark, and Leia had a headache. She waited for Bucky at the security door, as he unlocked it with his set of keys. When they got to the apartment door, he suggested ordering a pizza for dinner.

"I'm not really hungry," she answered. "I've got a headache and just want to have a bath and go to bed."

He rubbed her back, smiling grimly at her, wishing he could do more to soothe her on this roller coaster day. Taking her coat, he hung it up, then listened as she went into the bedroom, coming out moments later in her robe. As the water started running, he poured some cool water for her and got her some painkillers. Knocking on the door, he entered on her say so, handing her the pills and water, while she sat on the toilet seat, waiting for the tub to fill.

"I'm going to eat some of the leftovers," he said quietly. "Let you have some quiet time."

"You can join me after." She looked up smiling but without any warmth behind her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm so quiet. They seem so sure they're going to find him, but I think he's smarter than they know, and it has me worried."

He bent down on one knee, taking her hands in his and kissing them.

"No matter what, he has to go through me," he murmured. "I'll admit that even with my skills, there's a chance that he could take you. If that happens, I won't let you go without a fight. Believe that and believe that I will find you if I have to tear the city apart to do it."

She caressed his face. "How would you find me?"

He took her hand and flattened it on his chest. "By what I feel for you here. Everything about you is deep in my heart and my head. I know the scent of your hair and body, I can recognize the beating of your heart in a room full of others, and that connection we have is something I can't even begin to explain. I think you were right that we are kindred souls. We were meant to find each other and be together. I believe that with all my heart."

After a soft kiss to her lips he stood up, stopping at the door to look back at her. When he returned in 10 minutes, he was only in his briefs, pulling them down quickly and entering the bathtub behind Leia. She turned the hot water on to warm up the water, then leaned back against him. It felt good to feel him gently massage her shoulders, and she rolled her head to give him more access to her neck.

"That’s good," she murmured. "You know just where to apply the right pressure."

"Beginners luck," he answered. "It will be alright, Leia."

She felt his kiss on her head and closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax. When the water became too cold to stay in, Bucky dried her off first, then himself, and followed her into the bedroom. As she sat on the bed, yawning with how tired she was, he helped her on with some flannel pyjamas, then spooned behind her after turning out the lights. Alpine joined them and within moments he could hear the rhythmic breathing indicating she was asleep. More than anything, Leia needed that.

The sound of the building's fire alarm jolted Bucky awake, and he sat up, listening for a second, before going to the door of the apartment. He couldn't smell any smoke but when he looked out the peephole, he could see their neighbours filing towards the stairwell. One of them was knocking on everyone's door to make sure they were awake, confirming the fire department were on their way. With a sigh, he opened the door and announced they were getting ready. Leia had the bedroom light on, stuffing her purse contents that she brought from the police station into another purse.

"There was a fire alarm the day after I moved in," she said. "It was a false alarm, but you never know in these taller buildings, right?"

Pulling sweatpants on over her pyjama bottoms, and an oversized sweatshirt over the top, she quickly put some socks on and went out to the entryway to put her boots on. Bucky put his jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt on then his jacket and boots. He helped Leia on with her red coat, making sure it was buttoned up properly, with the scarf protecting her neck.

"Alpine," he remembered. "I better take her in the cat carrier."

That took another few minutes to get her into it and they were among the last to leave their floor, although there was a steady stream of people in the stairwells from the floors above them. On the way down they came across an elderly woman who was having trouble with the stairs. Handing Alpine to Leia, Bucky stopped and offered to carry her. She was quite impressed at how easily he lifted her into his arms, complimenting him often on his gallantry. A city bus was already outside the building when they got down there, for the elderly and those with kids to sit in. With the light snow that was falling it was appreciated to have someplace to shelter. Bucky deposited her inside then came back out to where Leia waited with the cat carrier. Someone else yelled that they needed help with an elderly resident and Bucky rushed over to help. He placed them inside the bus, then came out to Alpine, still in her cat carrier, and Leia's purse on top, sitting on the snowy ground. Leia was no where to be seen.

"Excuse me," he said to a man standing nearby. "Do you know where the woman who was holding the cat went? I left her here just a moment ago."

He looked at the cat carrier then looked around. "There was a guy talking to her," he said, "but I don't see him either. I think he needed help."

A cold feeling of dread settled in Bucky's belly. "Could you just watch the cat while I look for her?"

The man agreed and Bucky started to explore the scene, making his way past several fire trucks that responded to the alarm. As he searched, all sorts of dark thoughts filled his mind. It can't be him. How would he know where we lived? I promised to protect her. Half a block away he saw something dark on the ground and approached it, gingerly picking it up with his left hand. The black beanie was proof that it was Morrison. Kneeling down to catch his breath, he noticed dark spots on the snow. Taking his phone out, he turned on his flashlight and shone it on the spots, revealing them to be blood. Sitting down hard on the cold wet snowy road, he couldn't breathe for a moment then he looked at the phone and called Burnham.

"He has her. Fire alarm at the apartment building. I was helping someone, just for a moment, and when I came back, she was gone. I found his beanie and there's blood nearby."

Dropping the phone, he sat there devastated at having failed at the one thing he promised to do. He almost lost it to the despair he was feeling, then something in him hardened and he knew what had to be done next. He promised Leia he would tear apart the city to find her. When a police vehicle left the fire scene and came closer then pulled up near him, he handed the beanie to the officer. They could investigate the scene. Time was wasting. He had to find Leia.

Part 5>>

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