#maybe for that upcoming week ;3 in my birth month too!!!

[sunnymainecoonx]

This is kind of what I'd like to call a scribble drawing

I just mess around bc I'm lazy ;3 best way to finish drawings tbh

I hate backgrounds with all my life I hope they die

[taexual]

sleepwalking ● 3 | jjk

pairing: jungkook x fem!reader

summary: due to unfortunate circumstances, you ended up managing your ex-boyfriend’s band. you thought you’ve both made peace with it, but suddenly he’s very eager to prove to you that first love never dies.

genre: rockstar!jungkook / exes to lovers

warnings: explicit language, suggestive themes, SLOW BURN

words: 6.6k

read from the beginning ○ masterlist

chapter 3 ► guess my fairytale has a few plot holes

It was eight in the morning when the tour bus arrived in Krakow, and everyone was in a good mood.

The day was beautiful and the excitement of starting the tour was still very prominent, so even the heavy sleepers, who could have slept through a hurricane and merely flinched during an earthquake – that is, Yoongi and Jungkook – both went out to stretch their legs and get coffee when the bus stopped at a gas station.

You observed everyone with Namjoon and Hoseok, until the two of them got too engrossed in a conversation about Rated Riot’s upcoming album—especially the demo song that Hoseok had sent Namjoon just before leaving for tour, even though the label wasn’t expecting a new record for, at least, eight more months.

“I brought most of my equipment,” Namjoon was saying. “So, if you want to see how the song might sound, we could get together and work on it.”

“Yes,” Hoseok agreed right away, then turned to you. “How many days until our first hotel stay?”

“About a week,” you said, looking back at the bus behind you. “Do you want me to check specifically? My phone is insid—”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. A week’s—a bit long,” Hoseok turned back to Namjoon. “You think we could record on the bus?”

“If it was empty, maybe,” Namjoon said, bringing his index finger to his chin. You lifted your eyebrows as you listened to him. “Should we stop somewhere and have everyone get out, so we could record? Could we even do that?”

You were mildly surprised by their determination, considering that the tour bus had terrible acoustics. Not to mention, even empty, it was a whirlpool of various noises: the rattling of the window shades, the whirring of the mini-fridge, the clattering of the mugs by the sink.

“How about you set up a recording studio at the next gas station we stop at instead?” you joked, but the two of them exchanged looks as if they were genuinely considering this. Quickly, you clarified, “guys, no. Could you wait just a little bit? Concentrate your creative energy into writing for now, or… maybe find a studio to rent for a few hours?”

“Ah, that might work,” Hoseok said thoughtfully. But just as he was about to add something, Namjoon nodded his head at the scene in front of you three: Jungkook and Taehyung were running away from Yoongi after having, evidently, just stolen his last cigarette.

Yoongi was yelling incoherent curses at the two as he chased them to the corner of the gas station and then paused to catch his breath. While Jungkook took a drag behind Taehyung’s back, Taehyung offered Yoongi his own pack of cigarettes and sprinted away as soon as the older member took it from him—because the pack was empty.

With another tirade of curses at the ready, Yoongi immediately broke into a run after them again. You could still hear the younger members laughing as they rounded the corner.

“Idiots,” Namjoon commented warmly.

You watched the chase in front of you with a small, wistful smile—this felt a bit like you were on a school trip. And this feeling was amplified when the school bully prototype in the form of a twenty-six-year-old man, Sid, stopped in front of you. He was, actually, called Isidore—for his grandfather—and you wondered if calling him by his birth name would make him disappear, like an exorcism of sorts.

“Hey,” Sid said. Then, he glanced—somewhat awkwardly—at Hoseok and Namjoon, and nodded curtly at them, before looking back at you again. “Could I speak to you?”

You’d have rather jumped in front of an oncoming truck that was driving past you on the highway.

You looked at the two boys next to you for help, but they both lowered their eyes, suddenly very entertained by the pavement under their boots.

“Sure,” you were forced to say, but tried not to make your irritation too obvious on your face. You prided yourself on being diplomatic. And, in any case, Sid hadn’t technically done anything obnoxious yet—but you knew him well enough to expect it.

The two of you walked further away from everyone else together—three other people could have fit between you as you walked—and Sid stuffed his hands in his pockets, seemingly looking for a way to start the conversation.

“How was the show last night?” he chose to ask.

“Great,” you replied, although it probably made no difference to him. “How’s Minjun’s jetlag?”

“Great, great,” Sid repeated, likely not even paying attention to your follow-up question. That was all the better for you; you didn’t really care about his answer, either.

Another few meters later, he stopped walking and looked over his shoulder to make sure that no one else was close enough to overhear—no one was. You and Sid were partially hidden by one of the buses.

“So…” he started. “Did you notice anything weird about Jungkook lately?”

Now you started to care.

You turned your whole body to face him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know.” He shrugged. “Irrational behaviour? Maybe moodiness? I don’t know.”

Your frown deepened, yet you hesitated with your question. “What… are you talking about?”

Sid’s smile spread—it was your surprised pause that gave you away. “You did notice!”

You’d already suspected that Sid would know something about Jungkook’s weird behaviour; now his grinning mug seemed to confirm it.

“Well, he’s on tour,” you tried to rationalize. “Of course, he’d act differently.”

“I mean, of course.” Sid nodded with exaggerated sympathy like he was just trying to be nice, but he knew that your reasoning was completely wrong. “But it’s probably even harder for him now that he’s single again.”

He was nearly soaring when he saw the surprise on your face.

“What do you mean, ‘again’?” you asked. The last formal relationship, to your knowledge, that Jungkook had had was a while ago—and, conveniently, you happened to be the one he had dated. He didn’t have time for relationships now. At least, that was what you’d assumed.

“Ah, see, I told him that he should talk to you about this, but I knew he wouldn’t. That’s why I’m doing this,” Sid said, finding himself very noble. He made an effort to look hesitant, even uncomfortable. But you saw the twitch of his lips when he spoke, “Jungkook was dumped four days before the flight to Prague.”

The engine of the bus behind Sid started as soon as he said this, so you weren’t sure if you flinched because of the unexpected noise, or because of the unexpected news.

“Someone,” you said, “broke up with him?”

“Yeah,” Sid confirmed, his face contorting into a pitiful grimace that looked about as fake as everything else about him. “They were together for a few months, which isn’t much, but he said the relationship meant a lot to him. He said it was something different, you know? So, I’m really surprised he didn’t tell you.”

Again, he mentioned the fact that Jungkook kept this from you—really rubbing it in your face—and you clenched your jaw, forcing yourself to keep your eyes on his.

“Mmhm. Right,” you said. “And that’s why he’s—?”

“Yeah.” Sid was nodding before you finished the question. “I’m only telling you about it because I’m worried.”

“You’re worried,” you said, finding this even harder to believe than the fact that Jungkook was in a serious relationship with someone and didn’t think it was important to inform his manager. “Why?”

“Because of what he might do,” he explained. “You know how obsessed he gets when he’s in love with someone.”

This was an obvious allusion to your own relationship with Jungkook, and you finally looked away to process this. You missed the smirk that appeared on Sid’s face when he noticed your rapid blinking, but you didn’t need to see his arrogance to know that it was there; you could already hear it every time he opened his mouth.

There seemed to be another reason for his spiteful satisfaction: he wasn’t just boasting about knowing more about Jungkook than you did. He was, as it seemed, also boasting about Jungkook being in love with someone else—so much so, that he’d prioritise this person over everything else, apparently.

“What are you implying, exactly?” you spoke up after a minute. “You think he’ll leave the tour?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I hope not. I know how much this means to him,” Sid said and you tried to look past his saccharine words, tried to discern if he was just trying to bite you, or if this was something you should have been seriously concerned about. “But with Kihyun’s wedding in a few days…”

Here, you needed another minute to connect the dots.

You knew that your old friends, Kihyun and Chloé, were getting married soon—they’d invited you and Jungkook to the wedding. But you both already informed them that you couldn’t make it to the ceremony somewhere in Western Europe. It was so long ago, you could no longer remember the precise location. You’d even sent them a gift already.

Naturally, you were doubtful. “Why would he care? He said he’s not going to the wedding.”

“Well, yeah, but easy for him to say when he’s a continent away, you know?” Sid replied. “Now that he’s in Europe, it’s different.”

“How is it different?” you asked. “The band’s got back-to-back shows. We’ll be in Poland, and the wedding’s—in Italy?”

“Paris.”

“Right,” you said. Of course, Sid would know this. He’d come to talk to you fully prepared.

“Well, he will have a free day, you know,” he continued and you frowned. You hadn’t memorized the band’s full schedule, but you didn’t like the possibility that Sid was right. “So, I’m just worried he might end up going there, after all. He knows his ex will be there, so, you know… Maybe he thinks they can get back together, I don’t know.”

All the “you know” and “I don’t know”’s in his speech did not make it easy for you to tell how much truth there was to his words: how much did Jungkook really care about this? How much should you have cared?

There was another thing too – if this ex was invited to the wedding of your old friends, then, chances were, you would know this person, too. So, wouldn’t that mean that Jungkook would have even more reasons to tell you about his relationship?

And, to make this even more difficult, Sid looked very pleased—like he was showing off. But there could have been countless reasons for that, too: because he was proud that he knew more than you, because he was lying, because he caught you off-guard… Then again, you didn’t exactly look at him much. Maybe he always looked like that.

Unsettled, you only nodded. “Hmm.”

“I mean,” Sid snickered, “the last thing he needs on this tour is a toxic relationship, am I right?”

You thought Sid was the toxic relationship that Jungkook had on this tour, but you only hummed again, saying, “you probably are.”

“Yeah,” he said with a compassionate sigh that sounded like plastic fruit did when you bit into it. His eyes were full of pity, too, but there was not one ounce of honesty in them—he didn’t feel bad about any of this. “I’m just letting you know, so you’re not left in the dark. Sorry he didn’t tell you.”

“You don’t need to apologise on his behalf,” you said, your tone surprisingly strict. You hadn’t meant to let your feelings show—childishly, you thought that if he could see how flustered you were, he’d win. You didn’t realise how much you resembled Jungkook in this regard.

“No, I know. I just feel bad,” Sid lied further. You clenched your fists. “You guys seem close. Guess he didn’t think it was important enough to tell you.”

You almost scoffed at this—close? You were his manager. This had nothing to do with you being close. But, of course, Sid needed another reason to feel superior.

“Right. Guess so,” you said and, with a sharp inhale, decided to end this conversation. “I have to go check something, but, uh, thanks for the heads up.”

“Oh, no problem!” he called out as you began to walk back towards the tour bus without waiting for his response.

Sid knew he got you. Taking you to the wedding had to be the easiest way for Jungkook to win this bet. He was confident that he’d just made sure that wouldn’t happen.

Namjoon and Hoseok both immediately noticed the distress on your face when you walked past them, but you ignored their concerned questions, assuring them both that there was nothing you couldn’t handle.

You entered the bus to find your phone. You wouldn’t confront Jungkook now, but you needed to see how big the gap in the band’s schedule was, to conclude if he could, realistically, make it to this wedding.

Most unfortunately, you calculated that he could. As soon as this show was over, Rated Riot would go to Warsaw, and then they had a free day before the concert in Berlin. If he travelled overnight, he could go to Paris and back in this time.

Unless Sid lied.

You couldn’t see the point, but it wasn’t above him to lie about things for no reason. You found yourself hoping that this was one of those times. Because drifting off-schedule so early in the tour was far from ideal, of course.

And not because you weren’t sure—and this uncertainty was unexpected—how the thought of Jungkook being in a serious relationship with someone made you feel.

Jungkook had, truthfully, forgotten to worry about the bet when he woke up this morning. And then right before the soundcheck in Krakow, Sid and Minjun showed up to the band’s changing room, with a reluctant Jude in tow.

His friends must have known that he was the only one still here (although Jungkook could see that Hoseok had left his phone, so he expected him to come back), and they felt comfortable to immediately settle in the otherwise empty room.

“What’s up?” Jungkook nodded at Jude. “You look hungover.”

“He’s allergic to Europe,” Minjun replied—he’d only landed here last night, but he already looked tired and about ready to go home. “Been sneezing since last night. Even the airport security got worried when they picked me up.”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Jude said, plopping down on the settee by the wall. “My head feels so full. My eyes hurt. I’m definitely allergic to something.”

“Maybe it’s you,” Sid pointed at Minjun with a grin. “You’re the one who flew in yesterday, and he started to sneeze right after.”

“Or maybe it’s your bullshit,” Minjun countered—he was one of the few people who could keep Sid on his toes without using violence. “Or your cologne. You know you’re only supposed to spray it once, maybe twice, right? No need to bathe in it.”

Even Jungkook snorted. A powerful whiff of some exaggerated woody scent—the sort that came in a black bottle with large golden lettering—had filled the room as soon as Sid entered.

“What are you doing here?” Jungkook asked. “I thought you were going sightseeing.”

“We are—” Minjun started to say, but then paused when he tried to sit down next to Jude, and he sneezed again. “Seriously, man. Go to urgent care.”

“I’m fine,” Jude waved his hands around, while Sid laughed—the more chaotic the atmosphere in the room seemed to get, the more amusing he found it.

“We’re here to cheer you on. Why else?” Sid said, throwing a fist in the air. There was a perpetual shit-eating grin on his face. “There’s already a line of people outside. Those VIPs?”

“Yeah, probably,” Jungkook said and then realised the implication. He warned, “leave them alone. Or my management won’t let me live.”

Sid’s grin widened—clearly, he took that as a compliment—and he sat down next to Jude, leaving Minjun standing awkwardly by the settee.

“Speaking of,” Sid said, “did you already ask said management out on a date?”

“Not yet,” Jungkook said. He didn’t suspect anything from Sid’s question alone—and he didn’t catch the glimmering excitement in his eyes. “But don’t worry about it.”

Sid was not at all worried. He never was.

“See?” he said. Jungkook lifted his head to see Sid looking at Minjun. “Told you he agreed.”

Jungkook’s gaze shifted to Minjun in confusion.

“He didn’t believe me when we told him you agreed to the bet,” Sid explained. “He said this wasn’t something he’d expect from you.”

Jungkook frowned. He liked to think that he didn’t care about the opinion of his friends that much, but he wouldn’t have agreed to the bet if he really didn’t. Now he found himself irritated that Minjun, seemingly, disagreed with this decision.

“What do you mean?” Jungkook asked him, but Minjun only shrugged.

“It’s going to get messy,” he said. “I figured you’d be able to see that.”

“It’s not going to get messy,” Jungkook replied with a pretentious roll of his eyes. Of course, on some half-conscious level, he knew that it could get messy. But he trusted his ability to control this, so it wouldn’t get out of hand. “It’s just a date, it’s no big deal.”

“You—” Jude started to say and then sneezed, continuing in agitation, “fuck me. You dated for three years.”

“Yeah.” Jungkook grabbed a tissue from a box on the table by the mirror and walked over to Jude. “And we’re broken up for four. This means nothing, and you’ll see that I’m right when I win this bet.”

Sid shook his head as he sang, “she’s not going to agree…”

“She will,” Jungkook insisted. His agitation was growing, because no one in this room knew you, not like he did—so, what right did they have to make assumptions? He said, “I’ve known her for years. She won’t think much of this, either.”

Minjun looked deeply uncomfortable. He didn’t say anything else, but every time Jungkook glanced at him, he could see the way his friend cringed into himself, sliding his hands into his front pockets and pacing awkwardly around the clothes rack.

It was the first reality check for Jungkook—one of many, but he naively did not foresee that.

If Minjun—who, despite being smarter than everyone else in this room—was still Sid’s friend, yet seemed disturbed by this bet, then Jungkook wasn’t sure if he was ready for what you’d think—what you’d do—if you found out about this.

Maybe he was too prideful when he asserted that he knew you the best. Maybe he only liked to think that he did, but all that he anticipated from you was hopeful more than it was certain. He hoped you wouldn’t think of this as a big deal. But, he realised now by watching Minjun, that your reaction might not be so casual, after all.

“Yeah?” Sid challenged, breaking Jungkook out of his head. “Well, let’s see, then. You’ve got plans for how you’re asking her out?”

Jungkook turned away to grab a water bottle from the table that he’d been leaning against. “Maybe.”

Sid was a very good actor as he jumped on the couch, feigning excitement.

“Well, shit. Spill!” he encouraged. His leap had caused a flurry of dust to go up into the air and Jude managed to groan before he started to sneeze again. Sid added irritably, “if Jude would shut the fuck up, we could give you feedback.”

“Get fucked,” Jude mumbled, blowing his nose into the tissue Jungkook had given him.

“Dream on,” Jungkook replied with a sneer in Sid’s direction. “I’m not asking you out, not even as practice.”

“You piece of shit,” Sid said, his tone boisterous. “I’m just trying to help.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Alright then,” Sid went on grinning, not the slightest bit unphased by this. Jungkook, clearly, didn’t know the lengths Sid was going to take—and had already taken—to make sure he won the bet. “When should we expect the keys to the Katana?”

“Oh, did you mean the money you’ll be paying me?” Jungkook deflected. This bickering drove him further from his previous concerns about Minjun’s reaction and more towards the thrill of it all—taking you out on a date and winning against Sid. “Have it by the end of tonight. I’ll talk to her before the show.”

“We’re only paying if she actually goes with you on a date,” Sid reminded him. “Just agreeing to it means nothing.”

“I know. And I’m saying, have it ready.”

“Have what ready?” Hoseok asked, entering the changing room so unexpectedly that all four boys inside it flinched. Neither of them had heard the door open.

“Nothing,” Jungkook replied before one of his friends could. “Discussing our plans for after the show. What’s up?”

“Jin says we’re good to go in five,” Hoseok said. “And I left my phone here.”

“Oh, right.” The younger member reached for the device on the far corner of the table. “Here.”

Then, Jungkook looked back at the rest of his friends – all of them looked like schoolchildren after the teacher returned to the classroom. He felt glad, he realised, that they were staying quiet.

He didn’t want Hoseok or the others to know about this, but not because the bet was an exceptionally bad thing. He thought this was like anything else that he did with his friends. And, usually, no one approved of his other after-work activities—not even him, sometimes—either.

But, just like everything other thing that he did with Sid, this was a distraction more than it was anything else.

“Don’t be late,” Hoseok warned, not saying a word to the other people in the room before he left.

“We’re going to head out, too,” Minjun was the first who spoke up – but only after the door was closed. He seemed to make the decision for all of them, because Sid looked comfortable enough to stay longer, but he rolled his eyes and stood up after meeting Minjun’s glare. “Good luck at the soundcheck.”

“Yeah, and don’t worry,” Sid added, winking, “I’ll take good care of the bike.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes and slapped Sid on the shoulder with his palm when he walked past him.

Jude stopped in front of Jungkook. He looked ready to say something, but then he inhaled deeply, as if preparing for a sneeze, and chose to just quietly leave instead.

“Seriously, go see a doctor if this persists,” Jungkook called after him before the door of the changing room closed.

Left alone, he shook his head and looked over his reflection in the mirror.

The bet was just a bet. He wasn’t doing anything significant anyway. Surely, if you knew, you’d think the same. You’d find it stupid, but he’s done worse things. This didn’t mean anything; it wouldn’t ruin your relationship.

It would be fine.

As soon as the soundcheck and the VIP Meet & Greet came to an end, you disappeared like you had last night in Prague, so Jungkook’s plan of getting this bet over with before the show tonight, backfired.

A part of him expected this, however, so he made sure to avoid his friends until he saw you after the show. He hoped that convincing you to go out with him (perhaps by appealing to your sentiments of seeing old friends? Or out of pity? He wasn’t sure which route he’d take yet) wouldn’t take long. Especially if he stressed how little this would mean—just a silly, friendly date.

Sid didn’t have to know about the “friendly” part of the whole deal.

Slowly, Jungkook allowed himself to think what he’d do with the $4000 that Sid and Jude would pay him—perhaps he’d tune the Katana—even though this wasn’t even about the money for him. Of course, the satisfaction of actually winning a bet against Sid would be worth five times the money that his friends would have to pay. But Jungkook was convinced that, more than anything, he just wanted to prove a point.

His friends had insisted he followed you like a lovesick puppy while you didn’t care. He wanted to show them that neither of you cared—in fact, you cared so little, that you could go on a date, and it wouldn’t have to mean anything.

Now, whether that was true, was a different thing, but he chose not to think of your touch—and his body reflexively responding to it—in his bunk the other night. He didn’t need to focus on that right now.

The performance in Krakow threw Jungkook completely off, however. This was Rated Riot’s first time in Poland, and the reception was unforgettable: all the faces of the people who sang along, who jumped when the band jumped, who reacted to every single note, every single lyric at the appropriate times and with overwhelming energy – Jungkook was positive his chest was going to burst by the time he got off the stage.

Even an hour later, after Rated Riot finished the show and met their fans, he returned backstage, where everyone hung out and did shots, and he could still feel the adrenaline in his blood.

That was how you found him – smiling to himself as he scrolled down Rated Riot’s Instagram page, checking all the posts that tagged the band tonight.

“You’re happy,” you pointed out, aware of the smile on your own face as you watched him.

Jungkook lifted his head and his smile widened at the sight of yours. He was practically radiating excitement. Chances were, if someone dimmed the lights in the room, he would have been glowing.

“Crazy,” he said. His voice was a little hoarse, but exhilarated nonetheless. “Feels like there are fireworks inside of me.”

You chuckled and took a seat on the settee next to him. You handed him a package of honey & lemon lozenges and a chocolate cupcake—the lozenges were for his throat, to make sure he was able to perform night after night, and the cupcake was to make sure he survived at all. He never ate anything before the shows, and the take-out you’d ordered was taking a while. It was likely you’d have to eat properly on the bus.

He took everything from you and put his phone down.

“It seems that the show tonight was even better than last night,” he said, peeling off the wrapper of the cupcake first. “I don’t know how that’s possible.”

“Imagine if that keeps happening after every show,” you said. “You might really catch fire by the last one.”

He snickered. Taking a mouthful of the cupcake, he hummed, “Can’ wai’ to find out.”

“Forty shows to go,” you said, patting the package of medicine. He nodded in acknowledgement. “Don’t forget to take it after you eat. I’m going to see how long it’ll be before we can go. And maybe call the restaurant. Perhaps our order didn’t go through.”

“Perhaps,” Jungkook mumbled half-heartedly, too busy chewing. Then, as he was watching you stand up, he suddenly remembered what he had to do. Swallowing so abruptly that the cupcake nearly got stuck in his throat, he jumped to his feet. “Actually, wait a second. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

You turned around. “Yeah?”

He put the remaining half of his cupcake down and wiped his hands against each other to get rid of the crumbs.

“So, uh,” he began, wiping his mouth, too—more because of a nervous tick than any other reason. “Kihyun and Chloé’s wedding is the day after tomorrow.”

Your earlier conversation with Sid flashed through your mind and you felt dread gather on the floor of your stomach.

“I know,” you said slowly. “In Paris.”

“Yeah. I was—I mean, I know we both already said we wouldn’t go,” Jungkook continued. Unconsciously, you reached for the ring on your index finger and spun it around several times. “But I actually called Kihyun yesterday, and he said he’d love it if we came.”

You didn’t even notice the implication that he wouldn’t go to the wedding alone, that the two of you would go together. You were too focused on the fact that this was exactly what you were afraid of: not only did Jungkook plan this exactly like Sid had said he would, but he was, clearly, already taking action to make this plan come true.

“And, uh, Chloé didn’t mind?” you asked.

“No, they’re both very cool about it,” he said, proud—you weren’t sure of what: of his last-minute change of plans, or of your friends, who tolerated these changes. “So, anyway, I was thinking, why don’t you and I take a de-tour to Paris after our show in Warsaw? We’ll catch up again with everyone else in Berlin, and go back on the road.”

Now you noticed.

You cleared your throat, then repeated, “you and I?”

He nodded his head once, less certain. “Yeah.”

“Well...” You tucked your lips in and lifted your eyebrows. Your eyes concentrated on the loose tile on the floor by your feet. “I can’t believe Sid warned me about this, and I thought he was just being annoying on purpose.”

You’d mumbled this in a way that probably wasn’t meant for him to hear, yet Jungkook had never heard anything clearer.

Completely stunned, he tried, “Sid—he, uh… he warned you about this?”

“Yeah.” You sighed, unsure if you should have felt grateful to Sid for letting you know of this in advance—it was hard to imagine him ever doing anything that wasn’t for his own benefit. “Why didn’t you tell me you broke up with someone?”

Jungkook was fairly certain he gasped and not at all certain if the buzzing in his ear was tinnitus or if someone was really screaming in the distance.

“I didn’t tell—um,” he paused, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. You watched this obvious display of his dislike for the turn of conversation.

After a heavy minute—that the two of you stayed frozen as if someone had paused the scene, he asked, “what exactly did Sid say to you?”

“That you were in a relationship with someone, and they broke up with you before the tour started,” you recapped patiently. It was just the two of you in this corner of the room, so no one could have overheard, but you still lowered your voice just in case.

“Okay,” Jungkook said, his eyes still closed.

“And that you only want to go to the wedding because your ex might be there,” you added.

“Mmhmm,” he half-hummed, half-squealed. “I see.”

Hopeful that Sid had, at least, exaggerated, or, perhaps, you misunderstood something, you asked, “any truth to that?”

Aware that there was virtually no right response here, because you’d think he was lying or hiding the truth from you again, Jungkook sighed. There had never been any relationship, of course. You were the only girlfriend he’d had.

Fucking Sid. The cheating bastard was trying to sabotage him.

“I—” he started to say, and then stopped. There might be a way out of this, after all.

Maybe he could use Sid’s lies and make them work. Instead of convincing you to catch up with old friends at the wedding—which could take a while, considering how set you tended to be when you made a decision; and the decision here was, obviously, declining the formal invitation to the wedding—he could convince you to help him with his love life. Either way, you’d come to Paris with him, and Sid wouldn’t have to know why.

“Okay, fine,” he said. “Yeah. It’s true.”

All the hopes you’d had deflated in bitter disappointment. You couldn’t tell if there was more to it, a different reason, perhaps, why this felt so disheartening to you, because you instinctively focused on what mattered more at the moment.

“Jungkook,” you said with a groan. “What the fuck? This is the stuff you tell me.”

Once again, he was doing something that he did not bother to inform you about—how many more times were you going to have to learn about his misadventures from social media?

“Yeah, but, you know,” he spoke even though he didn’t know what he was talking about, “we broke up, so I didn’t think it was important to tell you.”

“It is important if it’s going to interfere with the tour schedule,” you replied, and your frustration worried him.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have said this. Perhaps he should have been honest – surely, you’d believe him if he told you Sid had lied.

Oh, but then he’d have to explain why Sid felt the need to lie to you. That fucking snake—

“It’s not going to interfere,” Jungkook tried again. “The wedding’s on my day off. That’s why I want to go.”

“And then what?” you asked, smacking your palms against your thighs – this got some looks from nearby crew members, but they were used to you arguing with Jungkook. Their interest in your conversation faded as soon as they saw that it was you two making noise. You continued hypothesizing, “let’s say you get back together. Are we bringing another person on tour? Or if you don’t get back together, then what?”

“Then,” he swallowed, “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

You knew he’d say that, but you were still annoyed that he did.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” you admitted. You didn’t like how personal this was starting to get. Your role as his manager was somewhere in the distance now, yet you thought you had to say this, “I’ve never asked any of you guys to put your personal lives on hold for the sake of the band, but I’m giving you my honest opinion. I don’t think you should go to this wedding.”

“But that’s why I’m asking you to come with me,” Jungkook argued, his voice eager. It all made sense in his head – you’d have to agree to come now, you couldn’t have him go off by himself.

You sighed, then gave him the benefit of the doubt, “why? What difference would my being there make?”

“Well, for one, you’d warn me if I was about to make a mistake,” he said, finding himself very smart and quick on his feet.

“I’m warning you now,” you countered easily, and his face fell a little.

“Right,” he said, momentarily hesitating, but trying not to panic yet. “But I don’t think that’s a mistake. Not if there’s a chance I might—well, you know. Get back together with the love of my life.”

He felt the cringing somewhere deep in his own chest and he hoped it didn’t show on his face. It definitely showed on yours.

“Is that…” you faltered, closing your eyes. “Is that really going to happen?”

He watched the deliberate way you chose not to look at him as you asked this, and he wondered—very briefly, even reluctantly—if there was a different reason why this relationship that he was, allegedly, in, disturbed you.

It could just be wishful thinking on his part, he supposed. And it likely was.

“I-I mean, we will be at a wedding,” he said after a moment. “Romantic. So, why not?”

You could see his point—and, most horribly, reuniting with someone at a wedding seemed to make sense—but you had to make him reconsider this. He’d always been spontaneous. You had to get him to think with his head, not his instincts.

“Don’t you think,” you tried, “that people break up for a reason? Because I do.”

He took this personally, but he hoped it wasn’t obvious. At least, not in a way where you’d realise that he wasn’t at all concerned about his non-existent relationship with someone else. Because, of course, he was really concerned about his non-existent relationship with you.

“You… don’t believe in second chances?” he asked.

“Not really,” you said. Contrary to him, you didn’t need to think too much about this. “They’re only an opening for third and fourth chances.”

Swallowing, Jungkook tried to disagree, “well, not necessarily…”

“I don’t know about your situation,” you said bitterly, “because you’ve literally never mentioned this until now. So, I’m just saying what I think. And if you’re still going to do something stupid, then do you really need me there?”

“I do,” he said straight away.

“No—” you huffed, then tried again, putting it straight this time, “Jungkook, I’m not going there as your babysitter.”

“You’re not,” he agreed. “You’re going as my date.”

He had hoped he’d really done something by saying this – perhaps made your heart flutter? He even smiled as he said it, so sure that this would be what makes you change your mind.

But your face remained stoic as you shot back, “right. Because bringing a date would make it much easier for you to get back with your ex.”

Taking a moment to recuperate, Jungkook brought a hand over his hair, his fingers lingering at the ends of his wolf cut. Nothing was going well for him, it seemed, and he couldn’t help but remember Minjun’s earlier discomfort again.

He knew now that his arrogance of knowing you for so long had blinded him, and the reactions that he expected from you were merely reflections of his own. Of course, you wouldn’t go to Paris with him. He hadn’t given you a single good reason to go.

Nearing desperation, he said, “look, just… trust me? Let’s go there and see. Maybe it’ll be enough for me to see all these people that I used to know—that we both used to know—and I’ll change my mind.”

You were half-scoffing, half-yelling at this point, “you went from getting back together with the love of your life, to changing your mind in the span of two minutes! Don’t you think it’s a sign that you shouldn’t be even considering this?”

He exhaled sharply, frustrated.

Nothing. There was nothing else that he could say now.

He fired the last shot—the one he didn’t want to use, because he thought he was better than that. He knew now that he wasn’t, as he said, “I could go with Sid, Jude, and Minjun.”

This brought you two to a standstill: either you convinced him to forget about this and just stay on tour, even though you hadn’t been successful at that so far, or he got you to come to Paris with him, instead of his friends.

And he could see that you’d give in before you even said anything.

You knew he’d never come back in one piece if he left the tour right now for a one-day trip to Paris with his friends—if he’d come back at all.

Jungkook didn’t like how cunning he felt, though, as he watched you cross your arms and bite your lip, clearly disapproving of your impending defeat.

He wondered if it’d be any consolation if he admitted that this didn’t really feel like a win for him, either, even though just the fact that you’d come would mean he won the bet. He had still hoped you’d be more excited to do this with him.

Finally, after what felt like five whole minutes of silent battle as neither of you moved or looked at each other for longer than two consecutive seconds, you exhaled. It was a sigh of defeat, but not resignation.

“Fine,” you said. “If you must go, I’ll come with you. But you’re telling me everything about this relationship and why you think getting back together with this person is a good idea.”

“Sure,” he said, because he had to. He would come up with an excuse or a plausible enough story at his favourite time—later. “I’ll even book the train tickets to Paris myself.”

You didn’t think that was smart—the last time the two of you were planning a vacation together, he’d bought the tickets to and from Hawaii for the same night by accident—and you lifted your hand in immediate protest.

“Maybe I’ll—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he cut you off, grabbing his cupcake and his lozenges from the settee—to show you how responsible he was. Not enough to go to Paris with his friends, of course, but just enough for you to trust him. “I’ll take care of everything. You’ve done enough for me.”

chapter title credits: bring me the horizon, “in the dark”

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[teenmomcentral]

Kayla Sessler revealed this week that she is expecting her third child– her first with boyfriend Ryan Leigh— and received plenty of congratulatory messages, as well as criticism over the announcement. 

The former Teen Mom: Young & Pregnant star– who is set to appear on the upcoming season of Teen Mom Family Reunion– shared the news on social media by posting a photo debuting her growing baby bump. 

“Made with love,” her caption read. 

Kayla is reportedly due next month, meaning she was pregnant while filming Teen Mom Family Reunion in Colombia back in September. (The Ashley’s sources tell her that the producers knew about the pregnancy during the trip, and Kayla’s activities were restricted somewhat because of it. The pregnancy will likely be “revealed” during ‘Family Reunion’ Season 3.)

As fans know, Kayla is already a mom to two kids– daughter Ariah and son Izaiah with former fiancé Luke Davis. (Luke is not Izaiah’s biological father, but Kayla confirmed in 2022 that Luke continues to spend time with Izaiah, as “that’s his son.”) Ryan also has a son of his own from a previous relationship.

While Kayla’s pregnancy announcement was met with quite a few negative comments, she also received a handful of positive ones, including those left by her former ‘Young and Pregnant’ cast mates Kiaya Elliott, Rachel Beaver and Brianna Jaramillo. 

“FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY😍😍😍😍 ” Kiaya commented on the announcement. 

“Yaaaaay!!!” Brianna added. “I can’t wait to meet the baby… you’re so beautiful love you! ”

Kayla also received some love in the comment section from other parents within the ‘Teen Mom’ franchise, including ‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter’ stars Cheyenne Floyd, Cory Wharton, Briana DeJesus and former Teen Mom 2 star Kail Lowry. 

Kayla’s mom, Jaime Szot, reposted Kayla’s pregnancy announcement on her own page, adding a “congrats” to Kayla and Ryan. Jaime went on to respond to a number of the comments Kayla’s post received, including one criticizing her as a parent. 

“Maybe teach her about birth control and condoms,” the comment read. “3 kids with 3 different baby daddies isn’t a good look. Plus she had an abortion so that could have been baby daddy #4. Geez what a great mother you are. She’s probably already scoping out the next baby daddy.” 

Jaime replied to the individual and encouraged them to “stfu and get off my page.” 

“Such a shame that this is the type of role modeling you are teaching your daughters,” she wrote. “Women should lift each other up, or keep their mouths shut. I was taught if you have nothing nice to say to say, don’t say anything. Too bad you weren’t taught manners, just how to be a bully behind a keyboard. You have a blessed day now.” 

Jaime also revealed in the comment section that she already knows the sex of her grandchild, but is keeping it under wraps.

Kayla told followers on Wednesday that she will be uploading “all baby content”– including the gender reveal– to her YouTube channel. 

[phoenixphireinc]

With more reading, I’m learning that I have a gifted child.

Whoa. What a responsibility. I had no clue he was “gifted”. I just figured he wanted to know what’s relevant to him at this stage and the most upcoming.

Maybe it’s me pushing him. ..no, it can’t be.

If Cato didn’t want to learn ASL, he wouldn’t have. If he didn’t want to know his colors and shapes, he wouldn’t have. If Casimir Dominous didn’t want to ditch the diaper, he wouldn’t have.

Idk. This is a lot to take in! My micropreemie at 2lbs 2oz, 3 months early, with my Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome impacting his umbilical cord and rotting his placenta, determined to come out at 3:33p/c..

..is “gifted”???

Y’know, some parts of this journey haven’t been totally by surprise. Like him coming early. Having EDS and losing many pregnancies, I knew there was a high chance for complications. I was on bed rest for two and a half months. I kept having visions of and inklings to do research on preemies and how early they can be delivered. My Son was delivered four weeks older than the youngest baby to be birthed. I consumed turkey tail and lion’s mane mushroom pills when pregnant with him. I took two every other day, once a day. I was just trying to supplement what my EDS could possibly damage/ warp. Dominous’s Curriculum has been planned out long before I knew he’d be in my womb.

So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. What’s next? He’s got a great anointing and favor over his life, too?! 😂

Well, bring it on, Lord! My heart is shaking because I don’t want to share my precious little Meepy with the world but.. ..if these are the facts like I’ve witnessed them to be, then I ain’t got time to be nervous or leery. You trusted me with this boy for a reason and I am at Your service, Father God.

Like, my Son communicates like a 3yr old that’s on target, developmentally. Most children don’t want to use the potty on their own, I’m realizing, until after 2 years old! That’s outrageous, to me.. ..I potty trained myself by that age. And ridiculous. I didn’t go to daycare until I could speak, which was a safe and smart decision on part of my Parents. My guy can really comprehend and execute two- and three-part instructions. That is mindblowing!!! ..now that I think about it…

His being “gifted” seems “normal” to me. As if it’s what I anticipated, inside of myself somewhere. We even astral project into each other’s dreams cognizantly. Whhhhiiiilllld!

It.. ..happened last night, again, actually.

But we’ve been doing that since the womb, always accurately communicating telepathically. I miss that. I always miss that. Feeling your fetus smell through your nose, taste with your tongue, hear with your ears.. ..see with y o u r eyes. It’s a trippy ass feeling, for sure! But when you get used to it, it’s very saddening to have to detach from.

I miss being one person with my Son.

Thinking about today: Daddy and I were in the kitchen while Cato was upstairs. He got so pissed!

Meep said: C’mon man! Y’all go’n stop leaving me up here!

Then he started spitting like he was cussin us out 😭😭😭😭🤣

Well-audible sentences, too! 🤣

I set up a play area for him but he’s not that interested yet. So instead I ordered his play tent and his urinal, cause I’m raising an 11 Month Old - 8 Months Adjusted - grown man.

Secretly, he’s very disappointed I didn’t get his wooden work bench. My Virgo Moon is ready to work, honey! I can see him now: som’n piss him off and he go’n go pretend to saw some wood to build him a tree house so he doesn’t have to “live under my roof”. 😂

I just love him! I’m blessed. My Son is a ginormous gift I’m still processing; because, well, I didn’t get the entire 9 Months gestation with him. Tbch, I was glad everything happened the way it had, bc I was over being pregnant by the sixth month. I wasn’t pressed for him to be a preemie, I was just anxious to interact with my flower.

This guy used to tickle me, on purpose, from inside my body! And would just be so happy to feel me giggling. 🤭 I was trying to go to sleep and he just tickled and tickled until I was in uproarious laughter!

Last week, he tickled me several times in our sleep. 🤣 (I just snorted, trying not to laugh.) Cause he tickled my tummy thrice, then tickled my arm, neck, and ear.

..I am crying laughing rn.

But that wasn’t the only night. He did it three nights in a row! 😭😭😭😭 I love having such a fun, hard working man for a Son. His character and constitution are protruding, and I really love the kind of man he is. My Son is the kind of guy who doesn’t need anyone or anything but the people he loves and the tools he needs to be his most successful Self. He’s whole. He’s complete. He’s resilient. He has good strong character. He’s noble and wise.

Yes. I can tell all of this at 11 Months!

Like, thank You Lord, my favor and anointing hasn’t run out with You!

[jointimeandspace]

Headcannon: What if Alcina and her darling had a baby? Warning: Fluff, fluff, fluff! Mentions of Postpartum.

I Love Your Body, Even If You Don't (SFW)

While growing up you had always wanted children. Despite them being messy, you absolutely adored them and would do anything to see them smile and giggling. You were the oldest out of four children-living conditions weren't easy, but you and your family were happy. Being the oldest sibling sometimes feels like being a second, and/or third parent...just ask Bela; you on the other hand were happy to help your mother and father and were thrilled when they announced your siblings over the years. The love you had for your family only increased, which caused you to want to start one of your own.

After yours and Alcina's union, you discussed it with her. At first Alcina was apprehensive (considering certain things that have happened), but she felt a change was needed to the castle. She wanted to know what it would be like having a baby around since her three oldest ones didn't have much of a childhood, nor did she as a matter of fact. After a few months of planning and discussions with the girls, the decision was final: they would arrange a plan with Mother Miranda.

It took over another year to test out all the necessary medicines and procedures, and there were many failed results. It seemed all hope was lost and you nearly gave up. After about the 100th procedure, a "positive" finally showed itself. You and Alcina were ecstatic and couldn't wait to make the announcement.

"Please do not celebrate so soon," Miranda said. "We still have to monitor you for at least another month so that we may be absolutely sure."

"Of course, Mother, we understand. However, I have a good feeling about this one," Alcina said.

One month turned into three, three turned into five, and your belly was practically about to burst at the end of the eighth month mark. You were overjoyed and a little nervous, but you remembered the love that your parents showered on you and your siblings and it helped eased your mind immensely-only a few weeks left--or a few minutes; the baby was early and ready to go. You were not prepared at all!

Time Skip- Four months later

"Aw, Mama! Annette is so big already. She's probably going to be as tall as mother," Daniela cooed at her baby sister.

"Dear heavens, I hope not! I refuse to be the shortest in the family," you rolled your eyes as you faked annoyance.

Daniela stroked the baby's face, lost in her pretty eyes. "Mama, I really don't think you have a choice. She's already wearing nine month sizes at 4 months, but it will be cute to be able to pick you up," Daniela grinned. "You could be our own little baby."

You laughed. "No, ma'am! As long as I'm the parent, the only babies will be you and your sisters. Now you go and have fun on the hunt. Bela and Cass have been expecting you for some time, I'm sure."

You kissed Daniela on the forehead as you bid her goodnight. She smiled and blew a kiss to the baby, leaving you and baby Annette alone. After feeding her and putting her into bed, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, and any small glimmer of joy you had had gone out the window. You were always a curvy woman, but after giving birth you gained a bit more weight than you intended. Post-partum hit you like a brick that first week and it was hell. Constant crying, anxiety and depression, thoughts of self harm, maybe two hours of sleep a night, you really went through it all. The birth wasn't traumatic in any sense, but no one prepared you for the emotions and weight fluctuations that followed soon after- on top of that, Alcina unfortunately had meetings out the roof and was hardly home to help. Luckily the girls stepped in this past week for a day or two to help you catch up, but it wasn't enough.

"How are you feeling, draga?"

Alcina came up behind you and gave you a soft kiss on the lips. She looked concerned and wanted to comfort you.

" I'm conflicted, Alci. On one hand I'm so happy to have Annette with us, on the other..." you sighed. "Her birth wasn't traumatic, it was quite peaceful, so why do I feel so helpless, so worn out?"

Alcina kissed you again and led you to bed, wrapping you in her arms.

"I've gained so much weight, Alci. I feel ill and I can't stand to look at myself. When you tried to be romantic with me after Miranda gave us the ok, I thought I was ready, but I couldn't...I just felt...unattractive. I'm so sorry! I was tired and still feel that way. I know it feels like I was rejecting you and it probably made you angry..maybe that's why all those meetings."

"My love, birth is a wonderful and stressful process. I will admit, that it was rather selfish of me to assume that you would be ready to resume the sexual side of our relationship, but I received a reality check: I've never gone through a birthing process. I don't know what it's like to push pounds of a human out of my body, or go through feeling undesirable because my body isn't the same as it used to be. However, please know this: I'm very happy to have had a baby with you. I'd go through it all over again. And I could never be upset with you, especially if you aren't feeling well. As for the meetings, they unfortunately always show up at the worst possible time."

She tilted your chin up to make you look at her.

"You are so strong, so brave to have done this. You are a wonderful lover and a wonderful mother to our girls. That in my eyes makes you very attractive. And although you may not love your body as it is now, I do. It birthed our baby girl and carried her for months. You took your time making her so perfect for us, even though she decided that time was taking too long."

You both laughed. Annette was a stubborn one, but she reminded you of Alcina. She was absolutely perfect!

"Your body is beautiful to me, draga. Those beautiful curves, the roundness of your tummy, those warm, delicious thighs-your breasts are swollen and full with milk that I know you use to satiate our child's hunger. It's beautiful to see you bond with her that way. She adores you as I do. I know you want to get your body back in shape, but for now it must rest. If you decide to wait 3 weeks, 3 months, or 3 years, I will love you all the same. Mental health is just as equally important as body health and I want you to remember that. There is no need to stress your pretty self into a frenzy."

She gave you another kiss to your forehead. For the first time in two months, you actually felt happy. You were grateful to have your family, and you intended to shower them with affection as your parents had done to yours.

"Alci?"

"Yes, pet?"

"I'm so glad you still think I'm hot."

Alcina snorted with laughter, "Yes, yes I do."

"Good!" You kissed her lips and her hands. After settling under the covers and turning out the lights, your turned to her.

"Alcina? You are so warm and such a comfort. This is going to be a long journey for me since motherhood is relatively new, but with you and our girls by my side, I can achieve anything. I'm so ready for the long road ahead, no matter what happens!"

Alcina smiled. "Thank you, iubirea mea! Good night, and may sweet dreams find their way to you."

One final kiss, and the two of you drifted off happily and sleepily under the moonlight, dreaming of your upcoming adventures.

[threadofdestiny]

Magnolia Chapter 9 (Bakugou x f!reader

Feudal Japan AU

Shogun!Bakugou x Midoriya’s sister!reader

Summery: Her mother, lady Midoriya Inko, had once told her that the gods had predestined a path for every single person. All she had to do was follow the path and trust that it would lead her to happiness. But how could (Y/N) find happiness in a political formed marriage with her brother’s rival, a man known for being brutal and cold hearted?

Wattpad

AO3

If someone wants to be tagged, just let me know :)

Taglist: @bakugous-mamas​, @bnhastories​, @brittkimm​, @ ellieitstimetosleep, @belladonna-the-aphrodisiac @samkysnks, @saintsukiyomi​

Chapter 1, Chapter 8, Chapter 10 (Coming soon)

Author´s Note: 

Finally! After so many months of silence, I finally finished the chapter. I am so sorry that you had to wait so long. I had to restart the chapter 3 times because I simply didn't like it. My husband even had to help me out a bit with tactical maneuvers, as I was getting so muddled myself that it was starting to become unbelievable in my eyes. On top of that, I just couldn't get into the writing flow because of the pregnancy. Hormones are a funny thing. I even wasnt able to take the rest to read a good book. Everything in my head was just about our upcoming life change. I also found out a few weeks into my pregnancy that I was expecting twins and that threw me completely off track. I was so afraid for a long time whether I would be good enough for two little, helpless humans. Gosh, I was so down most of the time, doupting myself. On top of that all of a sudden our apartment was also too small for another unplanned creature. So we had to move to a larger apartment at short notice. The pregnancy was very exhausting, full of hurdles and incredibly nerve-wracking, but now I'm about to give birth in a few days and I finally feel ready to welcome my two little girls into this world, while i will be trying to be the best version of myself for the both of them. Maybe I am not going to be perfect. I certainly will be doing quite the few mistakes, but i will love them with all my heart and going to do my best.

With the new life change, of course I don't know how fast I'll get on with the chapters, but I'll definitely keep on writing. Especially the first weeks will surely be a double challenge for my husband and me, which is why there isn't much time to spare, but I hope you'll still keep waiting for my updates and rejoice with me as we reach one more milestone after another in this story.

Thank you for your support! I appricate it!

Chapter 9

Aftermath

"Where is Kaminari and Shinsou? I want to know how such chaos could break out under our control!", snarled Bakugou angrily after lowering his injured wife into Kirishima's arms, before getting off his horse himself with clenched teeth. Like an angry bull, he stampeded toward the two samurai, who were already hurrying to meet them, before rearing up in front of them with a dangerously tense posture. "Kirishima told me that he had sent a relief for you, Shinsou! Where is he?" Both samurai looked stiffly to the ground as they bowed deeply to their master with apologetic gestures. There was nothing left of the relaxed, almost friendly atmosphere between them and their shogun. At that moment, Bakugou’s body language conveyed that the hierarchy between them was to be clearly observed. At that very moment, he radiated the powerful aura of the bloodthirsty samurai who was feared throughout the land for his mercilessness.

Shinsou cleared his throat briefly before he began to explain the situation in his typical monotone voice: "The samurai who was supposed to relieve me for the moment cannot be found. However, traces of blood have been discovered where the carriage was previously standing. Shoji-san and Koda-san are already searching the area." Cursing, Bakugou clenched his hands into fists as he turned meaningfully to Kirishima. He, too, appraised him with a concerned expression as he carefully lowered his ladyship onto her own legs, then propped her up with a proffered arm. Shortly thereafter, the Shogun lowered his attention to his wife, who nervously held onto the red-haired man's shoulder to relieve the pressure on her injured ankle. (Y/N)'s fingers clawed quaveringly at the red-haired warrior's armor as she returned her husband's gaze, searching for answers. The young woman did not dare to speak. Too much tension was in the air, while all eyes were on Bakugou, waiting for the instruction on how to deal with this situation. For a moment they looked at each other in silence before the Shogun looked back up at his closest confidant. "Double the number of guards until we know how to proceed! Have Kaminari and Shinsou stay with her. At least one of them is always near her. Without exception! Choose the most loyal people to assist you with the guard. No one else is to even approach her without my permission." "Understood!" both samurai replied as if from the same mouth. "As we had already guessed, the last-minute changes in travel arrangements have left security gaps. I want them closed as soon as possible. Kirishima, double-check every person accompanying us. We do not trust anyone who has not proven their loyalty to us or who can be identified by someone they know as a member of this convoy. Also, bring me the coachman. The horses could not have broken away so easily, and the formation of the carriages should have made such a maneuver difficult as well," Bakugou continued analyzing the situation at hand, while (Y/N) listened anxiously to her husband's words. The young shogun looked like a person who would normally leave nothing to chance. The way he clenched his jaw suggested how unacceptable he found this chaos right under his watch. Guilty of having put him in this position, the young lady tried to take a step toward her husband. She was aware that the changes in travel arrangements had taken place because of her. Her careless action at the feast a few days earlier had led to these late consequences and had only caused her newlywed husband more inconvenience than she had already been aware of. Worse yet...she had put them all in danger. Again.

As she tried to put weight on her injured ankle, (Y/N) buckled to the side, gasping in pain, which is why she began to lose her balance. Immediately, Kirishima's grip on her upper arm tightened to stabilize her.

Bakugou's arm also shot out to reach for her as he gloomily watched her facial expressions. Guiltily, she looked up at her husband as she tried to stand up straight again. She wanted to apologize to him. To ask for forgiveness. But when she had regained her composure and carefully tried to start a sentence, not a single word escaped from her quivering lips. Bakugou, also silent, took in the pained expression on his wife's face and then tightened his grip on her upper arm for a brief moment. Beneath the grim facade of his stony countenance, the expression of concern flashed in his eyes for a few seconds, but it was gone as quickly as it had emerged. It had seemed as if he too had wanted to say something to her before turning away after a moment of hesitation to gesture Kaminari to take care of his wife, while he kept his silence towards her. He watched as the latter dutifully stepped closer and offered his wife an arm, which she accepted, disappointed in herself, while carefully letting go of Kirishima so as not to lose her balance again. Only when she had shifted her weight to the other man did the Shogun finally let go of (Y/N) as well, turning to her guards one last time: "Send for her personal maid and have her injuries treated as best you can. Have her do this as quickly as possible so that we can make further arrangements on short notice if necessary," Bakugou ordered curtly before turning away from them to be followed by Kirishima to take control of the situation.

Nervously, (Y/N) bit her lower lip as she looked anxiously after her husband. It was hard for her to comprehend how routinely he could act in spite of such chaos, while she had difficulty even thinking clearly. She followed him with her gaze until he disappeared behind a wall of soldiers running around, busying themselves  cleaning up the mess of the escaping horses. Only when Kaminari tried to lead her gently in the opposite direction, she finally turned away with her head down in shame to follow him slowly.

In a society like theirs, a young lady was considered an adult as soon as one had married a man. In the eyes of her fellow men, she was now a part of a completely different world than she was used to. But basically she still felt like a little girl, dressed up in her mother's clothes, trying to mime a person she was supposed to be, but wasn't really yet. As if she was just playing pretend. She was afraid that Bakugou saw exactly the same in her. A young girl who was nothing more than a burden to him. Not fit to fill the role of the new lady of his household. A burden that had been imposed on him by his emperor, much to his disgust. Perhaps this also explained why he avoided her so much. She was probably just another helpless stupid sheep in his unloved flock of needy people that he had to take care of. Not only had she apparently disappointed Bakugou in their marriage bed. Her husband had now had to rescue her several times from various situations, as if she were just a careless child who kept going astray. How many times would she maneuver him into awkward situations? Never before had she felt so foolish and simple-minded as in the past days. It seemed to her as if she was committing one mistake after another and at the same time not even being able to identify many of these mistakes, even though she herself had always striven so hard for perfection and was always praised by her mother for her self-reflection. She knew the etiquette and behaviors of the society in the capital. She had been taught to fulfill her role as a young well-mannered lady satisfactorily. But now she felt like she had unlearned everything, or at least that none of it seemed applicable in the presence of her newlywed husband. (Y/N) felt lost and scared. Unprepared and overwhelmed. This was no place for someone like her and yet she was bothered by being so dependent on the people around her. To be so disoriented in the flow of events. Feeling like she was drowning.

But she didn't want to feel that way. She wanted to be more of value. She wanted to be a person who had earned the respect and trust of her husband. Just like the men who just led her from the chaotic clearing, but on a completely different level of course. She was no worrior, nor does she want to be one. But she was his wife but only in title it seemed.

Thoughtfully, she wondered if she could have contributed something helpful to the situation if she hadn't been hurt or simply knew better what to do. How was a young lady to behave in such a situation? How could she support her husband in such times without burdening him even more? Should she stand quietly on the sidelines and wait for others to take care of the mess? Was there nothing she could do?

Sensing his lady's discomfort, Kaminari patted her arm reassuringly with an encouraging smile on his lips. He slowed his gait a bit while leaning down to discreetly address her: "Don't worry. We have everything under control. Nothing will happen to you!", he misinterpreted her mood confidently, while Shinsou spoke to two more samurai a few meters in front of them, who started to follow him instantly. Immediately, (Y/N) gave her companion a faint smile while she nodded her thanks. She had almost forgotten in her self-pity that they were in an avoidably dangerous situation, but she covered her surprise as best she could before replying: "I have full confidence in all of your abilities, Kaminari-san." she replied placatingly to keep up her facade as they flanked her on all sides and safely led her to a more secluded but manageable spot.

.

.

.

Breathing in sharply the fresh spring air, (Y/N) placed her trembling hand on her cramping thigh while trying to keep her leg as still as possible. Her long-time maid wrapped clean strips of cloth around her injured ankle as carefully as she could after rubbing it with a cooling ointment, but she couldn't quite prevent the pain her lady felt in the process. Just like the rest of the servants and soldiers, Mina had assumed a tense posture since the incident with the carriage. No one could explain how such a situation could have evolved. But all of them secretly feared the worst. Contrary to her usual disposition, Mina had been gloomily silent since arriving at her lady's side, having convinced herself that she had suffered only scratches and bruises besides her injured ankle before treating her with gentle care.

In such a situation, what did one say to each other to lighten the atmosphere a bit?

Just the idea that someone might have tried to make an attempt on her mistress triggered an uneasy feeling in the young girl. Her attention kept wandering over the numerous trees that circled the clearing like lurking shadows, while she tried to suppress the trembling in her lower lip. "How could such a terrible thing happen?" the usually bright maid murmured dejectedly, finally making her concern known, but (Y/N) shook her head directly, waving it off, not wanting to show how worried she was as well now that she had been able to collect herself. "Bakugou-sama is about to find out what had caused all of this. We should just stay calm and wait. He will know what to do," (Y/N) replied hesitantly after she had weighed her thoughts internally. Nodding, the young maid agreed with her mistress before sighing softly. "Who would have thought a few weeks ago that we would soon find ourselves in such a situation?" she then whispered softly while shaking her head in disbelief.

With her travel fan flipped open, the young lady covered her pained expression as she patted Mina's arm guiltily. "I'm sorry for tearing you away from your life in the capital," (Y/N) apologized dejectedly, but Mina only shook her head vehemently in response. "I don't regret my decision to follow you, milady! I won't be deterred that quickly. If any hoodlum even gets too close to me or you, they're going to get the shock of their lives. Nobody messes with us!", protested Mina with newfound self-confidence. As a demonstration, she clenched her hands into fists and threw them into the air with momentum, as if she wanted to punch an opponent under the chin. Immediately, her mistress' shoulders slumped a bit as she visibly relaxed, according to her companion. Suppressing a soft giggle, (Y/N) nodded in agreement before turning to look at the four guards who surrounded her on all sides. All of them stood with their backs to the two ladies in order to keep a close eye on their surroundings and at the same time to give their lady a certain amount of privacy as long as a part of her skin was uncovered. But (Y/N) thought she could recognize how Kaminari's shoulders started to tremble slightly after her maid's statement, as if he would have to suppress a laugh despite the atmosphere. Since she couldn't look at his averted face, she turned back to her maid to confirm her statement: "When one has you as a guard, one doesn't need to be afraid anymore," the young lady confirmed mildly joking, while Mina, with a small smile on her lips, finally fastened the bandage to her mistress' foot and reached for a clean stocking to carefully slip it over her leg.

It didn't take long for the mood to fade again, however, after silence returned between them. Both women were hung up on their own thoughts, and yet they were going in the same direction. Who would have thought that just a few days after leaving the capital, something like this could have happened? And how many times would they be exposed to such a situation? Was this now a danger they could expect at any time?

It felt completely surreal. Not even a week ago, the young lady had lived sheltered in a handsome mansion in the center of the capital, while now she was sitting surrounded by countless strange men in a forest unknown to her. She had not been prepared for something like this. How could she have prepared herself for something like this?

The warm spring air and the lush green of the leaves in the treetops made her situation seem deceptively idyllic, but secretly she was aware that, according to her husband's statements, the accident with her carriage probably could not have been caused by a series of coincidences. Concerned, (Y/N) raised her fan a little higher in front of her face, so that only her eyes flashed out over the rim decorated with gold thread. Attentively, she looked at her surroundings with a critical gaze, as if she would be able to recognize a potential enemy purely from the body language of the people, if she would only look attentively enough. But what should she pay attention to? Except for a handful of people, all these people were unknown to her. Even her guards were strangers. Only Kaminari had been a person she had barely known from her past in the capital, before she had met Bakugou. So how was she supposed to interpret the body language of the people around her?

Shrouded in silence, (Y/N) watched as a few meters away from them, the shogun followed by Kirishima paced furiously up and down past his warriors while keeping a close eye on his men. However, it was not long before one of his samurai, followed by another person, stepped out of the crowd to approach Bakugou. Stumbling, the second man, who turned out to be the coachman, stepped in front of his master before he threw himself to the ground at his feet and pressed his forehead against the floor. Darkly Bakugou stared down at him while silently listening to the words of the samurai who had accompanied the scared coachman. The latter pointed to the part of the woods that had been behind (Y/N)'s carriage, while the kneeling man remained trembling on the ground.

She would have liked to know what they were talking about, but the young lady was too far away to understand what the men were saying. Only the sheer panic written on the old coachman's face when he briefly looked up to clearly answer a question her husband must have asked him, told (Y/N) from her position that it must have been very bad news.  

.

.

.

"Explain to me why some of the horses were able to escape and why my wife's carriage was apparently not properly secured!" the Shogun ordered somberly, after having had it explained to him why he had had to wait so long for his men to find the coachman in the forest with some of the runaway horses. "I-I cannot explain it, master. We went through the steps as usual. One of my assistants had fastened the horses as usual, while I had secured the carriage with wedges under the wheels as usual. I then went to the soldiers to take a break. Normally, the assistant should have been on hand to check the carriage's axles, as my legs are not taking the long kneeling on the ground very well anymore. Before I could return, however, the horses had already bolted," the older man explained tremulously, before pressing his forehead anxiously against the stony ground once again.

 Snorting with rage, Bakugou glanced over his shoulder to have Kirishima confirm the coachman's statement. The latter nodded after a moment as he recalled the arrival at the rest stop in his memories. "That's right. I can confirm that the carriage had been secured by the gentleman before I joined you."

"What about the assistant?" continued Bakugou, after turning back to the old man. The latter thought for a moment before quivering his voice in reply, "I haven't seen him again after the incident. I was busy securing the captured horses. Actually, it would be his job to help me with that." Bakugou and Kirishima then fell silent for a moment as they processed what had been said. "Describe the boy to us so we can have someone look for him!" the red-haired samurai echoed in a calm voice as he took a step closer to his master.

"H-he is quite a small fellow, almost petite, and doesn't stand out much because of it. However, he is quick and skilled, which is why I hired him on short notice after you quickly ordered more people to join the convoy. At first I thought he was a girl because of his soft features and big eyes. He always wears a cap, so I don't know what color his hair is, but his irises are the color of honey," the coachman described gesturing before continuing timidly, "I-I just pulled this out of the hind leg of one of the horses, though, which had dragged its leg a bit behind it," the kneeling man stammered before pulling an object out of his pocket and holding it up with trembling hands. Silence spread among those present as they looked at a small distinctive throwing knife. Blood had dried on the tip, which probably came from the injured horse. With a serious expression, the Shogun took the small weapon from his subordinate's hand and examined it insistently before giving him an appraising look, "Did you observe anything else?" The coachman then shook his head vehemently before replying, "No, Your Grace. Forgive me!"

Vigilantly, Bakugou watched his counterpart's every emotion before finally turning away from the older man, "You may go. See that the horses are supervised throughout. If something like this happens again on your watch, you will have operated a carriage for the last time," Bakugou threatened dangerously calm as he finally dismissed him. The shogun waited as his subordinate gratefully departed before giving Kirishima a meaningful look. "The samurai who was supposed to guard the carriage was found dead a little deeper in the forest. He was found with a stab wound just above the throat. Normally we probably would have had trouble finding the body, but one of the escaped horses was found there and happened to blow the cover. For one thing, to kill a samurai in this manner, the person would have had to have been somewhat smaller and quite agile to be able to stab upward so precisely past the throat guard. Also, the person would have had to get close enough to him first without arousing direct suspicion. The assistant is small and inconspicuous and, moreover, can no longer be found. We should keep this in mind. Judging from the forging of the knife, one of Shigaraki's assassins has sneaked in among the servants and is trying to make the attack look like an accident for the time being so that he can disappear into the chaos afterwards. I will have the servant searched to verify this assumption," the red-haired samurai concluded quietly as he let his gaze roam over the soldiers and servants. "We must still assume that the assassin remains in the vicinity to make sure that his mission has been accomplished. There may be others lurking among us as well. On the other hand, the assassination attempt was quite messy. Shigaraki seemed to have wanted us to know he is behind all of this. Otherwise there would be no evidence like the knife that was found, but that doesn’t mean that there would be no other attempt. We need to get my wife out of here as quickly as possible and then figure out how to proceed," Bakugou decided grimly as he looked thoughtfully over at (Y/N), who was guarded away from the convoy by four of his samurai. "The carts are slowing us down too much and making sure she'll be an easy target now after the cover that her carriage had provided is gone..." he muttered more to himself before turning back to Kirishima. "Get the fastest horses ready! You will take her with Kaminari, Shinsou, Koda, and Shoji to the next town. There, you are to rent smallest inn as possible that can be easily supervised and wait for us. From there we will discuss our further procedure!", the Shogun ordered after a short moment. Kirishima nodded resolutely and beat his fists demonstratively against each other in front of his chest. "You can count on me! I'll make sure nothing happens to her!", the red-haired samurai confidently proclaimed before turning to get the horses ready.

The shogun strode purposefully towards the group guarding his wife. Once there, he turned to Kaminari and pointed to Kirishima who was hurrying in the opposite direction. "Follow him and help him get the horses ready! You, Shinsou, Koda, and Shoji will ride ahead with him to get my wife away from here," Bakugou ordered before walking past him. Without asking further, the straw-blond young man nodded before going on his way. Surprised, (Y/N) stared up at her husband as the shogun walked up to her without further ado and leaned down to her. "Come, Kirishima will take you away from here!" repeated Bakugou curtly before lifting his wife, without hesitation in his arms to move her away faster. Inhaling sharply, the young woman sought a hold on her husband's shoulders as she looked up into his face in alarm. "W-what about you?" she asked quietly, while she cast a quick glance over his shoulder to glance uncertainly at the rest of the guards, who followed them silently.

"I'll take control of the convoy here with the rest of my men and catch up with you later," he replied after lowering his gaze to her for a moment. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders as she blinked at him from under her lashes. For a brief moment, she was silent as she weighed whether to speak her thoughts freely. "... Isn't that dangerous? What if you're attacked?", she finally asked with concern, but Bakugou only snorted derisively in response before shifting her weight in his arms. "Shouldn't you be more worried that you'll be attacked?", he growled resolutely before pausing briefly and clearing his throat: " Which you don't have to. Your guards are capable of protecting you!", he added harshly, as if he awkwardly tried calm her after his statement. Before (Y/N) could say anything in reply, the clacking of hooves sounded behind them. The young shogun turned to the small group of samurai, who approached them with brisk steps before nodding to Kirishima. When the young lady caught sight of the horses, she turned again to her husband in alarm. She faltered briefly as she realized what she was about to reveal, but she shook her head in embarrassment as her husband lowered her to the ground, before attempting to lift her onto one of the horses a moment later. She gently tapped her fingers against Bakugou's upper arm to get his attention before quietly clearing her throat, "I'm sorry, but I never learned to ride," she murmured softly. The Shogun rolled his chimney red eyes before pressing his heavy hands to her waist right under her ribs. "You're riding with Kirishima!" he countered as said man stepped closer towards the couple, giving his ladyship an encouraging smile.

Before (Y/N) knew it, she was jerkily put on astride the huge warhorse on which Kirishima usually sat alone. When the mighty beast beneath her began to shift its weight, the young woman clung awkwardly to the animal's neck, which pawed unimpressed with one of its hooves. Only when she felt Kirishima sit down behind her and grab the reins around her body, she began to had the feeling not to fall down at any moment. Only then did she dare to take her attention off the huge colossus and look over to Bakugou one last time. The latter returned her gaze grimly before tapping Kirishima's forearm dismissively and stepping back. "See you later!" the redhead announced with a confident smile on his lips before putting his spurs to his horse. Immediately, his companions did the same, each covering one unprotected flank of Kirishima to offer them as much protection as possible through this formation. (Y/N) had no time to turn around to the clearing. She was too busy wishing she would not fall down breaking her neck at the speed. With cramping fingers, she held onto the saddle while pressing her thighs against the horse's rump. "Don't worry, milady! Just try to match the horse's movement. Otherwise, your legs will cramp after a short while!", shouted Kirishima past the whirring wind after interpreting her stiff posture. “You are going to be safe, promise!”, he added before he whistled to spurr his horse even faster after that, while leaning forward a bit to defy the wind. The cool metal and leather of his armor pressed against (Y/N)'s back as she tried to match him. It was strange not to be near her own husband and be in the presence of another, but the thought fled right back out of her mind as she anxiously began to ponder what lay ahead of them, as well as behind of them.

Again, she asked herself how she could steel herself against all that was to come? But she was certain that no matter what would happen, she had to keep trying not to float uncontrollably in the air like a feather in the storm.  She was aware that her journey only had begun, but she didn't want to lose hope even if doubts will plague her constantly. (Y/N) was going to grow into her role, to gain Bakugous respect and trust. At this point, she didn't know if love wasn't too ambitious a goal, but this... this she wanted to achieve by all means and for that she had to stop playing pretend and needed to begin to grow.

[fandomscombine]

Make The First Move

George Weasley x Reader

BG: The Yule Ball is only a month away, but the boy you were hoping to ask you out still hasn’t make a move. So you decided to take matters into your own hands.

(With guess appearances of Fred and Cedric)

This is an entry for @heloisedaphnebrightmore​ ’s 1k Followers Writing Challenge

Fluff prompt #1 “Do you find it sexy when girls make the first move, or should I wait for you to do it yourself?”

Fluff prompt #6 “If you want to make a move, today would be the perfect time to go for it.”

Trope #8 Friends to lovers

WC: 2623

>>>MASTERLIST<<<

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

y/n l/n is not a girly girl. You would categorize your fashion mentality to value comfort and functionality more than style.

Yes, during the weekends, you do tend to rock a graphic tee, jeans, soft sneakers and a outwear of choice, depending on what you’re feeling that day- be it a leather jacket, causal blazer to a denim jacket.

Hey in your defence, the Scottish Highlands where Hogwarts is located isn’t exactly the warmest place, besides students are only allowed to wear casual clothes during the weekends.

But every now and then you do wanna pop on a skirt or a dress, especially when its warm outside.

This upcoming event though…. you, like everyone else is oh so very much do want to feel like a star! To feel elegant! Luxurious!

That’s right the Yule Ball is only a month away. It is all that is in every single student’s mind ever since it was announced. Who would their date to the ball be? What outfit would they wear?

A number of students had already picked their respective dates and dresses. However, a remaining select few have not done either- Like yourself. Time is running out and the pool of available potential partners is decreasing day by day.

You didn’t mind going alone, as long as you have a great time with friends, going alone it isn’t really a big deal. But there is a small childlike wishful thinking that wants to have a fairy tale experience.

It also isn’t helpful that you had started to develop feelings for a certain redheaded twin over the summer. You swear that he too felt the dynamic changed between the two of you- who knew that 3 weeks tinkering with joke shop ideas and fixing out the burrow’s garage could be so impactful.

Though now coming to think of it, could you have just read the signs all wrong? The lingering stares, the tighter and longer hugs… Could this be signs that he planning of ways to murder you? Because if this were all romantic signs, wouldn’t he have had asked you out to the ball by now? It was no secret that you hadn’t said yes to anyone yet.

So, what’s taking so long? George Weasley is one of the most confident and popular guys on campus. Surely, he wouldn’t chicken out or get nervous to ask you.

Right??

Pushing boy trouble aside, you focus back on the dress catalogue your mum had sent you earlier today.

Flipping through the pages, 2 dresses caught you eye. One was a short tule the other had a long side leg slit.

You were in the process of bookmarking the page when you felt the catalogue being pulled out of your grasp.

‘Hey!’ You instinctively shouted to the culprit.

‘What’s this?’ George said, turning to the front cover. ‘“Madam Bella’s Evening Gowns, Autumn/Winter 1994”’

‘Give it back George!’ You tried to take it from him, but he quickly held it above his head.  

You stood on the bench in hopes to extend your reach. You could almost take hold-

‘Catch Freddie!’ Shouted George and threw it across the table.

Fred flipped to the dogeared pages. ‘Ahh..’ He was scanning through the choices you had circled. ‘Great choices indeed, my dear y/n!’

At first you weren’t sure if he was teasing you or being sincere.

That must had shown on your face as Fred continued, ‘I’m serious y/n/n!’ He placed his left hand on his heart and raise his right. ‘I swear! But you would look good in any dress anyway.’

You blushed at his compliment. ‘Thanks for the confidence boost Freddie.’

He hands back the catalogue to you, and as you took it, he whispered in your ear. ‘A little hint though,’ He shifts back a bit- now being face to face. ‘My vote is on the slit dress...’

Your brows scrunched together- was this boy seriously giving you fashion advice?

‘….I know George would like that..’ He steals a quick glance towards his twin, who has now turn bright red, both from being embarrassed and furious at him. ‘… I-I mean, it would match George’s dress robes.’

Fred sends you a final wink and bids you both goodbye.

You watch Fred exit the Great Hall, never letting him out of sight until he turns the corner. Which George to grateful for, as that had bought him time to calm his face down.

That was the one of the weirdest exchanges you’ve ever had yet, but you also couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth to it.

George cleared his throat ‘So…y/n...Have you got a date yet?’

‘No why?’ You look over at him and you thought that you might give your hypothesis a try. Smirking hopefully, you asked ‘Are you gonna ask me?’

If you only knew what was going on inside of George’s head, the boy was panicking.

It was as if time slowed. Or it was because George’s thoughts are going a thousand miles a second.

Of course, he wanted to ask you to go with him!

But his brain was feeding him of insecurities. What if you didn’t want to go with him? What if you did say yes but only as a friend?

Plus, he didn’t want to ask you in front of all these people, thinking that you might be pressured by the crowd to agree.

No, he wanted to do it in a private, more intimate setting. Deserving of your beauty and grand place to confess his feelings.

He’d dream that in return you would say ‘Yes, I loved to go to the ball with you, George!’ and perhaps even say those 3 words he’s been dying to hear-more in the romantic nature than of friendship- and if he was lucky, maybe even share a kiss, that would be the best case scenario.

The worst-case scenario would be you rejecting him, possibly forever ruining the relationship with his best friend and having his heart broken- at least that case, nobody else would witness that.

‘Eh George?? Georgie?? Hello??’ You frantically wake a hand in front of him. ‘Earth to George Weasley!!!’

Great, when you finally had the courage to ask him to be your date-albeit indirectly- You broke him.

‘uuh.. I… I have to go...’ George looked like a deer caught in headlights

‘What?’

His eyes, dart upwards, thinking of an excuse. ‘Yes, I have to go… GO CLEAN MY SOCKS!’ Unfortunately, for him, in an uncharacteristic manner, he failed to think of a believable lie. ‘I’ll see you later!’

And with that he rushed out the Great Hall, leaving you once again gawking with a confused face at another Weasley twin.

~

You had your back against one of the rock formations near the Black lake, deciding which of the 2 dresses you would be wearing to the ball.

You were enjoying the last good sunny autumn days, taking in the sights of other students having a picnic on this beautiful Saturday. When suddenly a figure had landed right in front of you.

‘Ahhh!’ You had jumped in fright, causing you to slip a bit.

‘I got you, I got you!’ You felt arms holding you tight, preventing you from falling off the rocks.

Once you had regained your balance you check to see the perpetrator that had gave you a heart attack.

‘CEDRIC DIGGORY!!!!!!!! I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT!!’

The boy chuckled. ‘I know y/n/n, but I just couldn’t help it!’

You narrowed your eyes at him. Which made him laugh even more.

‘You know you love me.’ He gushed, bring you into a hug.

‘And that is my weakness’ Your reply being muffled by his shoulder. You Cedric were as close as brother and sister, having basically grew up together as both your families super close. Your father is best friends with his father and so are your mothers ever since their Hogwarts days. Therefore, naturally you and Cedric have a close bond too, being joined at the hip since birth-the only time part was the 3 months that you are older by.

It has been a while since you two had caught up with each other, him being busy with the Triwizard Tournament ofcourse.

‘Have you got any idea about the second task?’

‘Yeahh’ Cedric gulped.

You crocked a brow. Not buying his bullshit.

Cedric scratched the back of his neck. ‘Fine, I haven’t….’ Gazing towards the lake, he continued. ‘But I think it’s got something to do about the water.’

You take hold of his hand. ‘Hey, it’s alright. You’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out.’

‘Thanks y/n. I thought initially you wouldn’t be against me joining.’ He confessed.

‘You know I would support you no matter what. But don’t get me wrong, I’m worried for you Ced, always am. The tournament just upped it to level 1000! But I know that you have it in you to win this, to be the Triwizard Champion!’ You beamed. ‘Imagine that Ced, a Triwizard Champion in the family!’

‘It would be great, would it?’

‘Now to the matter at hand, The Yule Ball.’

‘What about it?’

‘Have you asked someone yet? You enquired.

‘Well there is this gorgeous lady that I’ve been meaning to ask…’ He hinted. ‘Though I am waiting for the right opportunity to ask her, you see everything has to be perfect!’

‘Awww, what an absolute sweetheart!’ You swooned.

Behind Cedric, you could have sworn that you saw someone in the trees. However, in your eagerness to know more of Cedric’s possible date, you brushed it off as the swaying of the branches and falling autumn leaves.

‘How about you? Has Mr. Beater asked you yet?’

You sighed. ‘Not exactly…’

Cedric leaned forward with hands on his chin, interested to hear more.

‘He asked if I had got a date yet, to which I said no. Then teased if he was gonna ask me.’ You recalled. ‘Then he froze. I guess I broke him, cause the next thing he said was that he’s got to go clean his socks.’

That had Cedric doubling over. ‘George really said that?!?!!?’ He had his arms wrapped around his stomach. ‘Clean his socks?!!??’

‘Yeah yeah yeah, laugh all you want Diggory. But you still hadn’t asked Cho out yet.’

‘Heyy! I told you I am waiting for the right moment!’

‘C’mon Ced, Sweet intentions aside. Cho has been declining offers to the ball, time is running out and I bet she is getting tired waiting for you to make a move, especially this close to the ball.’ You know how much Cedric likes Cho and hate to see him sad if and when Cho doesn’t get tired of waiting for him. ‘Sooner or later she might just say yes to some other guy, cause you’re talking so long!’

‘I’m sorry Cedric.’ You had realized that you projected your own frustrations on him. ‘I didn’t mean to go off on you like that.’

‘I know y/n, it’s alright really.’ He smiled, having come up with an idea ‘How about this, the next time you see George, YOU ask him out?’ He suggested.

‘ME?!?’

‘Yes.’ He insisted. ‘That why we would get a definite answer. And this time not more asking in an indirectly direct way. - We don’t want another system error in that head of his. Deal?’

‘Deal’

Picking up the discarded catalogue, he remarked. ‘Hmmm, I think that the long one would suit the occasion better, don’t you think? Being it a formal event and all.’

You agreed. ‘and you‘re not the first one to say that too.’ You muttered-more to yourself.

‘Huh?’

‘Nothing!’

‘So what color are you thinking? Blue or…’

‘Oh I got that all figured out! I was thinking that since the point of the Triwizard Tournament is school unity, I want the grown to be featuring my house colours.’

~

Fred had ran back to the Gryffindor dormitories as fast as he could. Glad to spot that his twin brother laying down on the bed.

As much as he enjoys teasing his siblings. He could no longer endure the obliviousness of his brother and y/n. He can no longer take the constant nonessential pining, especially when they obviously like each other.

Fred had been trying to get them together for the past month, but it seems that subtly pushing them to the right direction isn’t working. Which leaves him with no choice.

‘If you want to make a move, today would be the perfect time to go for it’ Stated Fred.

‘What?’

‘I can’t take it anymore Georgie!’ He grabs his brother by the collar. ‘I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I KNOW YOU LIKE Y/N AND BELIEVE ME GEOGRE WHEN I SAY THAT SHE LIKES YOU BACK OKAY.’ Fred pleads, shaking George with each word. ‘AND YOU HAVE GOT TO MAKE A MOVE TODAY! NOW! ASK HER TO THE BALL BEFORE CEDRIC DOES.’

George now dizzy, mumbled. ‘What? How?.....How do you know this?’

‘I saw them together at the lake and me being the best brother that you have decided to eavesdrop.’ Fred admitted. ‘And guess what, Cedric plans to ask a gorgeous lady- y/n- to the yule ball but is just finding the perfect opportunity.’

‘Therefore, brother dearest, it’s only a matter of time til that happens. And I your very supportive wingman urge you to freaking ask y/n out RIGHT NOW before it’s too late.’

That news that Cedric might ask y/n to the ball before he does, had put George back into his senses.

In record time, George had tidy up his clothes and fixed his hair. ‘Right.’ He turned to Fred who was looking smug leaning on the door frame. ‘How do I look?’

‘Smashing.’

‘Great, Now get out of the way you prick.’

~

George was busy thinking on how to ask y/n out to the yule ball and possibly even side in the chance to ask to go on a date with him, when he accidentally bumped into someone.

‘Wooooahh careful George!’

Damnit! he thought, out of all the people in this huge school, he just had to bump into the one person he doesn’t want to see.

‘Diggory.’ George growled.

‘You two alright?’ Said a voice beside them.

In his annoyance towards Cedric, George hadn’t noticed that you were close by. ‘Yeah, I’m good.’

‘Heyy’ Cedric interrupted. George had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. ‘I’ll see you later okay?’

Cedric kissed your forehead and whispered. ‘Good luck.’

This was is. George interpreted that sibling affection as you going out with Cedric to the ball.

Accepting defeat, he cleared his throat. ‘I guess imma go too-‘

‘Wait George!’ You held onto his arm to prevent him from leaving. ‘I wanted to ask you something.’

‘Go ahead.’ Replied George, curious onto what it is that is so important to ask him.

‘Do you find it sexy when girls make the first move, or should I wait for you to do it yourself?’

‘Hmm?’ George once again confused.

‘Gosh you are slow sometimes aren’t you.’ You chuckled. You take a step closer to him, coming up face to face. ‘George Weasley will you go to the ball with me?’

It took a second for George to believe what he was hearing. ‘YES!!’ He exclaimed then recomposed himself. ‘Yes, I would love to go to the ball with you.’

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he decided to take it one step further- cause what else has he got to lose? ‘Will you y/n l/n go on a date with me?’

You bring your arms to his neck, his him close. ‘I’d love nothing more.’ You grinned, pulling him into a long awaited kiss.

 Taglist [All/General]: @gruffle1​

[jihyuncompass]

V Flower Shop AU Headcanons

The second half of this request from @otherlandshark​ ! My goodness I’ve missed my dear Mint man <3. I tried to keep it mostly fluffy, but there’s a little bit of angst in there. Since I can’t help myself. I hope you enjoy this Shark! Love you lots!

Warnings: Mentions of Suicide (Relating to Rika)

Jihyun/V

The first time you saw him had been in early spring. 

The weather was starting to get warmer, flower blossoms starting to grow on the ground and on the trees. 

On that warm spring day the sound of the bell by the door ringing grabbed your attention. 

You’d been working on  your newest flower arrangement. Bunches of flowers scattered around your table. The fragrant scent overwhelming your senses. 

Tearing your gaze from your work your eyes met the Mint eyed stranger in the doorway. 

You shouted out a greeting to him, your usual “Welcome in!” that you told every customer when they came in. 

The man had smiled and greeted you back. His voice was warm and gentle, a voice that just radiated comfort. 

You did return to your work, but your eyes kept wandering towards the man. Watching him as he admired the arrangements you’d put together earlier in the day. 

Keeping your gaze careful you made sure he didn’t notice how you were watching him. 

After looking around for a while he eventually came to the counter with a bouquet in hand. 

“Is this all for you?” You asked. He nodded. “Are these for anyone special?” You asked. 

“Yes.” The man said with a warm smile. “They’re for my fiance. Rika.” 

You finished wrapping the bouquet and taking the money from him. “Well this is a perfect choice for a romantic partner. I’m sure your Rika is a lucky woman.” 

He’d lifted the bouquet to rest in the crook of his arm and thanked you. You’d watched him as he left, the warmth in his voice lingered in your mind. 

You’d returned to your arrangement in progress. Lifting the yellow daffodils to add in for the next one. 

The mint haired man returned again a few weeks later. This time he was followed by someone, a bright eyed blonde woman. 

You tried not to eavesdrop on them. Still, you couldn’t help but look at them, and listen to the way they spoke. 

“What do you think of these, beloved?” The man asked.

“They’re beautiful V.” She said, her voice like the man, V’s, was gentle. “I think they’d look beautiful on the kitchen table.”  

“I agree.” He said. He looked up towards your work table briefly meeting your eyes. You smiled politely and returned to your work. Forcing your eyes to stay attentive to your work. Greeting them both with a smile when they did approach your table to check out. 

He returned many times. Sometimes with his beloved Rika, sometimes alone. At one point he was coming in almost once a week to pick up a new bouquet. 

 You made small talk with him, each time learning a little more about him. His name was V, though that wasn’t his birth name. He was a photographer, he and his fiance had a charity group they ran together. 

He talked passionately about the RFA, Rika’s Fundraising Association. Named for his fiance. He often talked about the members, and their upcoming events. 

His love for the organization was shown when he’d asked if you’d be willing to provide flowers as decorations for their upcoming party. You’d agreed in a heartbeat, spending long nights arranging carefully constructed bouquets. 

The first time you saw V away from the flower shop was at this party. You arrived at the party venue an hour before the event’s start time, wearing your work apron and your car full of flower arrangements. 

You’d were briefly questioned by a brown haired woman with a clipboard and RFA badge. Asking if you were the florist, if you had identification. You explained that V had paid upfront for these, and asked where they should go. 

V was in the main hall, dressed in a tailor made suit, beside him was Rika, wearing a dress clearly designed to match her fiance’s. They were speaking with a tall dark haired man with a serious expression, the serious looking man looked familiar somehow. Maybe you’d seen him somewhere. 

Like you did at the shop, you did your best to not eavesdrop. You were here for a job after all, and one that did pay very well. 

“I didn’t see you come in.” V’s voice pulled you from your mind. He was standing in front of you, his eyes looking right into yours, his eyes moved to the arrangements. “These are wonderful. I knew you would make something perfect.” V said. 

“I’m glad you like them!” You said, your cheeks red from his compliment. “This is quite the event you have here.” 

V’s smile grew. “Yes, we’re hosting many important people tonight. We’re hoping we’ll be able to raise money for a good cause.” 

“What are you raising money for?” You asked out of curiosity. 

“This time we’re raising money for children in orphanages. The money will go to finding good homes, and giving them a brighter future.” He admired the bouquets again. “Your choices of flowers always amaze me. They’re always so perfectly chosen.” 

Your face burned more. “You’re extremely kind V. I always want to make the best arrangements I can. I’m glad you appreciate them.” 

“I do, and I’m sure our party guests will too.”

“Well.” You said clearing your throat. “Next time you host a charity party, I’ll do the arrangements for free.” 

V’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t ask that of you. You deserve to be paid for your work.”

You shook your head. “The work you do is important, I want to do my part.” 

V’s surprised face shifted to a warm one. “Well then. I may take you up on that offer.” You still felt the warmth in your cheeks, still you smiled at him. 

He continued to shop at your store nearly every week. Yet you started to notice some changes over time. 

At first it was small, he looked more tired. Then Rika stopped coming in with him as much, and when they did come in they didn’t look like their normally blissful selves. 

Then you brought flowers to the next party, and as you set the bouquets up you heard the sound of the couple arguing behind a closed door. You didn’t hear their words, still, you heard the harsh tones. 

Then, a few weeks after that party. V stopped coming all together. 

A few days after you realized, you saw an article in the paper. 

RFA founder and Photographer’s Fiance Rika Kim dies of Suicide. 

You stared at the photo of V’s beloved Rika printed in black and white. Apparently she’d thrown herself off a cliff and into the ocean. Reading it your heart ached for V. You wanted to reach out to him, make sure he was okay, but you had no real way to contact him. 

You made a special flower arrangement. And sent it to the funeral home listed to be handling her celebration of life. In it, a note to V expressing your condolences. 

Weeks, months passed without seeing V again. He was like a ghost, one moment he’d been a part of your weekly routine and then he was gone. 

Seasons changed, the trees growing and losing their leaves. All the while, you thought about the gentle mint eyed V. How kind he was, how thoughtfully he chose bouquets. How he always knew every flower's meaning. His love of daffodils. 

A year and a half passed. You struggled to remember V’s face now, his voice only existing in your memory, yet every time you added a daffodil to an arrangement. The memories of him would come rushing back. 

The warmth of the late summer forced you to wipe away sweat from your brow. You made sure your fan was on while you watered the potted plants on one end of the store. You gently poured the water from your watering can, making sure not to overwater the vibrant green plants. 

The ringing of the bell up made you stand up straight. You turned towards the door to greet the customer before your words got caught in your throat. 

V was standing in the doorway. However, now he wore a pair of dark sunglasses and a white cane held in his hand. Still, it was V. The V you had missed so much. 

“V?” You asked. The man’s head turned toward the sound of your voice. “It’s been so long.” You said. 

V looked sheepish. “Yes, it has been a long time.” 

You set down your watering can. “I heard about Rika. I’m so sorry for your loss.” 

He sighed. “Yes, I got your bouquet too. It was very beautiful.” 

Your smile was tense. “Thank you.” You looked him up and down, your eyes getting stuck on the cane. “Is there something I can help you find, V?” 

He took a shaky breath in. “Yes actually. I’m looking for an arrangement but-” He sighed. “My eyesight, it’s pretty much entirely gone now. So I wouldn’t know where to start looking.” 

You looked at your work table then back at V. 

“I’ll make you one.” You said. “I’ll make sure it smells good, for you.” You walked towards V, carefully taking the man’s arm. 

V smiled, his ears tinted pink “I’d hate for you to go to so much work for me.”

You smiled. “Never too much. Especially not for my favorite customer.” You led him to the chair by your work table so you could start his arrangement. “Now, would you like daffodils? I know they’re your favorite.”

V pressed his lips together. “Actually, do you have the Lily of the Valley?” 

You smiled. “I do. Why that flower if I may ask?” 

Behind his glasses you saw his glassy eyes close. “I like their significance.” 

“The Return to Happiness” You said quietly. V nodded. “Well, I’ll make sure there’s plenty of them for you.” 

V left the shop holding his bouquet. A small smile still on his face, and a large one on yours. 

He returned the next week, and you had already prepared a new arrangement for him. One where the fragrance of the flowers was most important. 

The two of you continued that, every week. Each week with a new bouquet made only for him. And each time, you added flowers to express your feelings for him. Wishes of happiness, of healing. 

Of friendship. 

Of love. 

V came in at his usual time, while you finished up his order for the week. You called out a greeting to him, making sure he safely made it to the counter. 

“This one has the season’s newest blooms” You said, holding it close so he could smell. “I think the smell is really nice, it’s not too strong but it’s still very present.”

V took the wrapped bouquet. But he seemed quieter than usual, and you noticed the pink tinge in his ears. 

“V?” You asked. “Everything okay?” 

“I don’t want to be too forward but.” V started. 

“Yes?”

“There’s an event being held at the nearby gardens. To celebrate the new season. I was wondering, if you would like to go with me?” 

You smiled and reached out to gently touch his hand. 

“I would love to.” 

[quietmyfearswith]

to build a home {dark!bucky barnes x fem!reader}

to build a home {dark!bucky barnes x fem!reader}

status — ongoing (?) idk i had a second part in mind but we’ll see

warnings —  somnophilia (so non-con), male mastubration, unprotected penetrative sex (in my head the reader has birth control), rough sex, hints at breeding kink, slight praise kink, degradation, attempt at fluff, i think thats all but let me know if i miss something

word count — 9,351 words

a/n — i had this idea for an airbnb thing where the host was into the guest and perfect timing that @imanuglywombat​ was having a challenge, congratulations by the way on your achievement! and one of the moodboards was a mountain-themed one (the one at the left) and the prompt that i chose was  By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top/I climbed the tree to see the world/When the gusts came around to blow me down/I held on as tightly as you held onto me which is an excerpt from the song to build a home by the cinematic orchestra. i tried not to directly quote the lyrics but instead imply it as best as i can. had fun writing this and was the longest fic i’ve ever written. feedback would be very much appreciated,, have a great day and stay safe guys!

masterlist

 Bucky Barnes needed a vacation.

Needed, not wanted or desired, for it was what he required in order to function like a proper human being. Considering every bullshit he’s been through — the world war, the brainwashing, fighting for his life, dying and then being brought back to life — he was definitely entitled to a break.

After bringing everyone back, the team now strives to bring back order and peace. Bucky agreed to be part of the Avengers and SHIELD, but with a unique position. He’d train and prepare their recruits by whipping them into shape and go on missions only if he was deemed as an essential asset. The only reason he took that position because that was what Steve did as he passed down the title of Captain America to Sam. Stark too just became one of the representatives of the organization in order to focus on his family.

It was tricky at first — looking for food and water, source of electricity, gathering supplies, and having the money to do so. That’s when Tony suggested he put his a-framed house on an application called Airbnb. He was confused at first but his simple understanding was that someone would pay him if he agreed to share his house for a given number of days.

It was tricky at first — looking for food and water, source of electricity, gathering supplies, and having the money to do so. That’s when Tony suggested he put his a-framed house on an application called Airbnb. He was confused at first but his simple understanding was that someone would pay him if he agreed to share his house for a given number of days.

The suggestion worked well. Most of those who booked stayed one day and one night, the longest someone stayed was two days and a night. And it wasn’t because he used to be the Winter Soldier and they feared him, but simply because they needed a place to stay before heading up further into the mountains.

Despite the house having three bedrooms, Bucky only posted one being available. The other two bedrooms he prohibited the guests to stay on, even to enter, since those were reserved for him and Steve. Vacationers who stayed in here were very much respectful of his wishes and didn’t pry further more.

As he was watering the selection of plants, vegetables, and fruits that he has, he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Setting the watering can down, he pulled out his phone and noticed how there was notification saying that someone booked the available bedroom he had.

“Booked for 2 weeks?” He read out loud the details of how long the stay of his upcoming visitor would last. It was odd to say the least, but who was he to judge someone for their stay? Tucking the phone back to his pants, he noticed how Alpine was drinking from the watering can he put down, he stroked her fur and smiled when he purred and nuzzled her face further into his palm, “Looks like we’ll have someone staying with us for quite a while, Al,” the 3 month old kitten simply looked up at him and purred once more, “Be a good girl for me alright?”

Following the notice that someone was gonna stay in his house for two weeks, Bucky busied himself in preparing the house — which took only two days for him to do so. He made sure that the rented bedroom was cleaned and that the bed sheets were changed and cleaned. Cleaning up Alpine’s hairballs and fallen furs was something he also did in preparation.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning and he was sitting down on one of the patio chairs, reading a book with Alpine on his lap, when he heard a car pulling up. Setting the book down on the small patio table, he took in the Jeep Wrangler that was parking, but what really caught his attention was who stepped out of the car.

“Hi, I’m Y/N! Are you Bucky? The one who owns the place I’ll be renting for the next two weeks?” Her tone was gentle and friendly, but it was her smile that really captured Bucky’s attention even more. Shakily, he replied, “Yeah, it’s me. Nice to meet you,” he held out his right hand — his other hand had a glove to conceal the metal — for her to shake, to which she shook his hand. 

“Oh there’s the cat you mentioned,” she unclasped her hand with his and took note of the fur ball that was standing beside Bucky — it was just really her way of getting his attention and wanting more rubs. “Oh yeah, this is Alpine, hope you’re not allergic or anything?” he wondered as he picked Alpine up and massaged her face a bit, to which she purred loudly. 

Y/N chuckled at the scene in front of her, “Not allergic, just wasn’t around cats a lot so I’m not used to them.” Bucky admired her honesty and assured her, “Well don’t worry about her, she’s extremely well-behaved.”

Usually, the guests had no problem bringing in their things from their respective cars and into their room. But there was something about her aura and personality that made him want to stay close to her as much as he could. So he suggested that he help her in bringing in her items. “Did you run away or something? Because I’m telling you now, near the mountains might not be the ideal place to do so,” he joked as he carried two of her duffel bags. As he opened the door to where she’d be sleeping for almost half a month, he put down her bags on top of the dresser.

Y/N set down the backpack and messenger bag she had near the night side table, “Well if the mountains aren’t ideal, then why are you here then?” she retorted back as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Bucky leaned on the dresser and crossed his arms and looked at her with wonder, “So you’re gonna turn this back on me huh?” he teased her.

To which she giggled at, “I’ll tell you my reason for staying here for two weeks if you tell me how you ended up here,” she persuaded him. He sighed dramatically and smiled right after hearing her laugh again at his antics, “The simple answer? I’m here for a vacation. A much needed and a long overdue one at that. How about you?”

She pursed her lips and nodded, she felt that maybe there was more to that but didn’t want to seem nosy so she explained her stay, “Well I’m here to test out some mountain and hiking equipment. It’s my work actually we’re this company that advertises and reaches out to endorsers and tells them about certain products like that one,” she pointed to the duffel bags behind him, “I get to test them, give them an honest review of the products and then let them know.”

“Huh, that’s a unique job,” he said as he ran his hand on his stubbled chin, “Well, I’m gonna let you settle down for now. Feel free to roam around the house, the other two bedrooms are the only ones off-limits,” he informed her and started to make his way out of the bedroom when he heard her call out, “Thanks, Bucky! You’re a great host, so far. Just let me know when I annoy you too much!”

Though it was meant to be a joke, the super soldier thought to himself, Don’t think you will ever annoy me, baby girl.

Before it was even noon, Bucky found himself preparing pasta. What was unusual, is that he was making food enough for the both of them. Usually, he wouldn’t go out of his way to prepare meals for his guests; but he would allow them to use the kitchen as they please as long given that they clean it up after and place things back as they were. But there was something about Y/N that inspired him to make an effort. 

Just as he turned the stove off and closed the lid with his left hand that had an oven mitt, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs, and he looked up to see her descending form and smiled warmly at her, “I cooked some pasta, just if you wanna eat or something,” he nervously mumbled as she finally stopped on the opposite side of where he was and sat down on one of the bar stools. “Smells good, I’d love to have a bite if you will too.” 

Bucky then brought out two bowls and as he filled them with pasta, Alpine was clawing at his feet and her paws felt a bit warm to his legs that were exposed since he was wearing basketball shorts. As he handed her one of the bowls, he bent down and tucked his beloved kitten onto the sweater he wore, so her head was the only thing seen as it dangled from the neckline of his sweater. “That’s adorable! She just really loves you doesn’t she?” Y/N cooed watching how the kitten peacefully closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Bucky even though he walked around before sitting down beside her, she noticed as well how he didn’t care to remove the mitt on his left hand.

“I was surprised as well with how she loved human touch, which made me think that she isn't a cat but instead a dog, actually,” he shared as she looked at Y/N and smiled as she laughed as she ate. “Though I am curious as to why you’re wearing a sweater when it’s one of the hottest days of July?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she felt how there had been a shift in the atmosphere. How the fun and breezy energy they both were radiating earlier had been converted into something that was stiff and somber.

“I mean, you don’t really need to tell me,” she assured him right away, her right hand reaching for his left forearm and she gently caressed it even though she found it odd how his arm seemed to be more rigid than it looked like, “I was just worried that you might get too hot to the point of dehydration or heat stroke or something like that.” Bucky nodded and went back to ingesting the meal he cooked.

“You’re already hot, but I don’t want you to be too hot to the point you combust,” that comment of hers was something she muttered lowly. But it wasn’t soft enough to get past his super soldier hearing, “Did you say something?” Bucky asked and he tried his best for his facial features to not give away the fact that he heard her clearly. With wide eyes, she just shook her head and quickly filled her mouth with pasta to avoid explaining what it was she said.

Deciding to spare her from shame and embarrassment, he decided to change the topic by asking, “Do you have an itinerary for today?” He looked at her and saw how she had already finished her pasta and was making a move to wash her bowl and utensils, “I’m planning to go for a bit of hike — to test out some items like trekking poles, water jug, backpack, and this windbreaker they made me try out.”

“That sounds fun,” Bucky commented as he placed the fork on his bowl, waiting for her to finish cleaning up, “Would you wanna tag along with me?” as she looked up to ask him, she looked nervous. Perhaps she was filled with doubts and hesitation that she might seem invasive of his privacy, and indeed, that was what she was thinking about.

Smiling warmly at her, Bucky expressed his desire to join her in the hike, “I’d love to join you, doll.”

45 minutes had already passed since they started their hike and there was probably a few more minutes before they would finally reach the higher portion of the mountain. “I think it’s great you agreed to come along with me, Bucky,” the super soldier heard her mention behind him. He was taking the lead and guiding her as she followed him and held on to her trekking poles to stabilize her. “Why’d you think that, doll?” He looked back to her and held his right hand for her to take, to which she did and helped her go higher than to where she was currently.

She let out a breath, which made him chuckle at her antics, “Well for one, I wouldn’t have an amazing tour guide,” she teased him as she jokingly nudged his abdomen with her finger. Normally, Bucky would flinch or turn away when someone he doesn’t really know or is not completely familiar with touches him, especially when it was the metal arm. But this was already the third time she’d touch her and in those three times he did once did not find it uncomfortable. 

“And second, I’d get lonely during this trip,” she concluded as she smiled brightly at him. “I’m glad to have joined you as well, doll.” The nickname he gave her made her blush to which he thought that the rose color looked good on her. “And I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s an amazing view behind me. So enjoy the view, doll.” When Bucky moved to the side, that was when Y/N had a chance to fully see the view, and it was unlike anything she has ever seen. The clear lake was breathtaking & the clouds were scattered in the sky though it did not shelter the sunlight. “Wow,” she breathed out and turned to her host and tilted her head when he saw his gloved hands reaching for his backpack and getting a blanket and laid it on the ground. As he sat on it, he patted the spot beside him, a cue for her to take the spot.

Putting her backpack down, she placed the trekking poles beside it before settling on the spot the man beside her patted. “You come here often?” she inquired, she was pretty sure he did since he knew how to get there quickly and safely. “Not everyday, just when I’m bored with housework,” he said as he took off the glove in his right hand.

She nodded and went to get the thermos from her backpack, as well as some chips and chocolates that she offered him, to which the super soldier opted for the chocolate. “So it means you are always here then huh?” she joked to which he laughed loudly, and she thought how adorable it was to see him crinkle the side of his eyes as he carelessly threw his head back in laughter. “I’m serious! You can only do so much housework before you get bored in your house!” she argued.

“Honestly, I’d rather be bored,” Bucky started as he munched on the chocolate she’d given, “For the longest time I was always busy, to put it nicely. And it’s a relief to be ridden of exhausting responsibilities.” Her heart ached at what he said, she might have not fully known what his work was but she could feel the exasperation in his voice. “Sorry for what I said, I was just teasing you,” she offered him a small smile.

Tickling her sides, he relished in the giggles she released, “I know, we don’t need to bring the mood down,” he assured her, “So, what is your review so far of the items you have?” His mention of it did remind her how she needed to take note of how she was satisfied or dissatisfied with the products, shuffling through the things in her backpack, she reached for the notebook which housed the feedback she had for different products.

Writing down her remarks, she also voiced it out for Bucky to hear, “The water jug did keep my water cold. Backpack’s material was not too heavy but it was able to fit all of my items. And this windbreaker,” she struck a pose which once again made Bucky laugh and it made her feel good to know that she can get him to laugh, “Did make me sweat but it’s too thin it’s making me chilly.”

Just as she mentioned how the windbreaker failed to prevent her from feeling cold, there was a gust of cool wind that when she felt it graze her skin, made her visibly shiver. Bucky didn’t like how she frowned on the sensation of being hit with the frosty breeze and wrapped her arms around herself; despite only wearing his sweater and a jacket, he didn’t have to react the same way thanks to the serum. He moved behind her and pressed his chest against her back, wrapping both his arms around her; his right hand wrapped around her stomach while the left hand rested on her thigh.

A sharp intake of breath signified how she was taken aback, but she didn’t find it awkward and instead she found herself instinctively leaning against his chest until the top of her head was just right under his chin. “Is this alright?” she wondered to him, and when she sounded so small, so vulnerable. As he smiled, he comforted her, “Wouldn’t have come close to you if it wasn’t alright, now would I?”

To hide the blush starting to form, she turned away from him and began to write on her notebook about her observations. They sat comfortably in silence; Bucky’s eyes wandered around the scenery, while Y/N was heavily focused on writing the feedback for the different products she got to try so far. The hand on her thigh that was gently caressing her and the steady yet strong heartbeat of the man behind her provided her with a sense of tranquility unlike anything she ever felt. 

Leaving the pen on the inside of the notebook, she closed it and placed it beside her backpack. While still looking at the lake she shared with him, “I’ve always wanted to live by the lake.” Not having enough of her warmth and wanting to be close to her, he pushed himself even closer to her, to the point their thighs were now touching each other. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back so the back of her head touched his right shoulder, “Always loved being in the water — whether I’m swimming or rowing a boat. Doesn’t matter what as long as I’m near the water I’m the happiest there.” As she said that he couldn’t help as his mind was filled with the images of the two of them living together and going for daily trips to the lake. And how they’d probably end up fucking or making love by the lake. 

Managing to bring himself back to the present, Bucky suggested, “Why not live with me then? That way you’ll always be a few minutes away from the lake.” Her laugh was so loud that he felt the vibrations of it through his chest with how close they were. “Don’t wanna burden you forever, you know? But maybe when I’ve saved enough and I don’t know, have the ability to work from home, I might just move near a lake.” 

He frowned at her thought that she considered himself a burden. They’ve spent almost a day and yet he knew in himself how he wanted to spend every day of his life with her. It might seem too soon for that, but he argued that he felt safe with her. That she made him happy. But there was this thought that lingered on his mind; that he was just deprived of affection for the longest time and now that someone���s been showering him with it, he doesn’t want to go a day without experiencing it ever again.

“Well, you’re always welcome in my house, it’s not really much of a home to me anyway,” the optimism in the first part was overshadowed by the sadness in the latter part of his statement. She looked over at Bucky and was saddened to see how his shoulders dropped and there was a sad smile on his lips, “What?” Because what else could she really say?

His eyes refused to meet her concerned orbs, and instead looked at anything but her. “With everything I’ve been through and done, it would be difficult for me to find someone to settle down with.” Upon hearing this, Y/N felt glum with Bucky's response and with how he looked as he said it. She held his right hand and squeezed it reassuringly, “Whatever it is you’ve done and been through is in the past. I’m sure that you’ve changed and grown from who you once were. You deserve to be happy, Bucky.”

What if I wanna be happy with you, baby? He thought to himself for a few seconds, and in a split second decision, he unclasped their hands and reached to where his left hand was still wrapped with a glove. “I’m going to be showing you something, and before you can ask me anything, I’d rather get everything off my chest first, alright?” Y/N looked uneasy yet at the same time curious with what he was going to open up to her. 

Untangling his arms from her warmth, he first took care of removing the jacket he wore. She turned to face him and was eager to ask questions but chose to remain silent. As he placed the jacket on top of his bag, he removed the glove that shielded her from fully seeing the lack of flesh on his left hand and instead was greeted with metal.

Y/N lets out a loud gasp as she looks down on the prosthetic arm Bucky had. As her gaze shifted from his hand to his eyes, the super soldier could see how her face wrinkled not in pity, but in worry and concern. What happened? Who did this to you? Did it hurt? Are you still in pain? Those were the four questions that were loitering her mind and Bucky somehow had the idea that those were the things that she had in mind.

“I don’t know if you know, but I was the Winter Soldier. HYDRA, an evil organization, brainwashed me and made me do their dirty work. When they found me, I had fallen off a ravine which made me lose my arm. They gave me a metal one, to make me stronger and more invincible I guess.” Even though he only provided her a summary of what he’s been through, he failed to realize how a few stray tears escaped his eyes. Dainty and delicate fingers wiped his tears away and he smiled at the action. 

They both were silent for a few moments, the hundred year old man was bracing himself for the moment Y/N was going to bid him adieu, and he wouldn’t blame her for who would want someone with so much baggage? “You said it yourself, Bucky, you were brainwashed,” she soothed him as her hands settled on his stubbled cheeks and her touch was feather-like and was giving him comfort unlike any other, “That wasn’t what you wanted to do. They forced you to do it. I’m sorry that that happened to you, but you don’t need to let your past define how your future will turn out to be. You’re free now, you take control of your fate.”

She ended her statement by placing a warm kiss on his forehead; the action had Bucky smiling and looking at her sheepishly with crimson in his cheeks. “You’re too kind, doll,” he shyly responded to her assurance. “I meant every word, Bucky. You deserve to be happy,” she then hugged him tight, her smaller frame snuggling into his larger one. With the side of her face resting on his chest and his chin resting on the top of her head, she failed to see how Bucky was smiling widely as a thought and plan came into his mind. I will be happy, baby. Soon, with you.

Following their small heart-to-heart talk, they both went home just as the sun set — not before taking a few pictures of course, mostly of Y/N because Bucky loved how the combination of pink and yellow complimented her skin — so he wanted to take photographs to remind him of this lovely memory. And as they both went home, they bonded even more as they ate dinner. 

The following day, however, they both didn’t get to spend as much time as Bucky would have wanted. She told him during breakfast how today she’ll try the pocket WiFi that was given to her. And in the process of doing so she would be having meetings with some of her co-workers. Instead of sulking around, the war veteran tended to his garden, harvesting the vegetables and plants that he deemed were already ready to be eaten, he also washed and dried his laundry, and cleaned Alpine’s litter box. 

By the time he had done all his chores, it was already quarter to 5 pm when he settled on continuing to read the book on the porch with Alpine once again laying on his lap. Today’s heat had been more cruel than it was yesterday and with his lovely guest not knowing about the truth of his left arm, he traded the long sleeves for a tank top paired with basketball shorts. Just as he was reading about the climax of the novel, he heard the front door opening and footsteps approaching him, “Hey Bucky, how you doing?” 

The mentioned man placed his book down on the table and turned to her with a smile, “Busied myself with housework. Are you done with your test and meetings?” He hoped that she was done with her work, he already missed spending time with her and he wondered that maybe this was what Alpine felt like whenever she wanted to be snuggling next to Bucky. “Yeah I’m done for today! And I was thinking that maybe I can cook something? Was there something you’d like to have for dinner?”

The cheeky part of him thought of telling her how he’d love to have her for dinner but decided he did not want to creep her out. “Surprise me with you culinary skills, doll,” he challenged her and he chuckled with how she responded, “You bet! I’ll make a meal that will make you forget your name with how good it is!”

Throughout the entire time that she made the meal, he kept her company and the conversation between the two flowed effortlessly. Every possible topic that they could talk about, you can bet that they talked about it. And even as they were both eating supper, they both shared more about their personal life. Bucky shared about how things were back in the 40’s and how he missed dancing.; while she shared more about her family and the different jobs she had.

One thing that Bucky was more than pleased to find out was that she was single and had not been dating anyone for a while. After dinner, Y/N found herself wanting to sleep right away due to exhaustion of her work-filled day. But before she did, she asked Bucky if it was alright for them to go back to the lake since she wanted to go for a swim, to which he replied with, “If it’ll make you happy, doll, then I’ll do it.” She masked the giddiness she felt by telling him goodnight and how she couldn’t wait to go.

As the super soldier laid down on his bed, he couldn’t prevent the goofy grin forming on his lips as he recalled how close he got with one of his guests. He never imagined how she could have made this impact on him in a short amount of time. Though he failed to bond with her for the majority of the day, he reassured himself that tomorrow — and possibly the next few days — they’d both get to make up for it. But there was something inside him that seemed too impatient to wait, and instead was extremely eager to start compensating for the time they failed to spend with each other.

Which led him to where he was right now; walking out of his bedroom as he strides with purpose and like a possessed man making his way to where the girl who plagued his mind currently was peacefully sleeping. Quietly, he opened the door just enough for him to take a peek to see if she was startled by the action even though Bucky did so with caution. Not noticing any movement or reaction, he opened the door wide enough to allow himself to enter and closed it as he welcomed himself in her room. Standing at the foot of the bed, he couldn’t help but admire her sleeping form; she was laying on her right side with her right hand pressed to her cheek and her left arm propped down on her waist. He noticed how the end of the blanket that was draped over was along the middle region of her thighs, exposing her lower legs.

He stood there, marveling at how peaceful and how pure she looked. He imagined himself snuggling her frame and providing her with warmth whenever the night got too chilly. Or how he wouldn’t mind her using his metal arm as her pillow as long as he got to run his fingers through her skin in an attempt to lull her to sleep. Or how he would whisper sweet nothings and words of assurance to her should she awake due to a nightmare.

The wholesome and loving thoughts he had took a different turn when her left hand unconsciously  bunched up the sheets and moved it away from her body, which exposed her unclothed body to the hungry eyes of Bucky. She laid there with no clothing of any kind and the blanket — which was now pooling between her under boob and just below her navel — now barely concealed her body. His gaze was now roaming around her body and hungirly took in the view; her breasts looking as if it was the most delectable thing he’d ever seen with her gum drop nipples all stiff due to the wind, her luscious legs were just begging to be touched and worshiped, and her cunt, that though he couldn’t properly get an entire view of due to how she was facing the wall but from from where he stood he can see how pretty and enticing it was with how she chose to groom it. 

One thing that he was more than grateful for is that her ass was fully exposed and should he choose to sit on the chair that was right across where she laid, he would have gotten a great view of it; and so he did. Sitting down on the chair, he found himself lowering the boxer shorts he wore that suddenly became too tight for his cock that hardened. “Fuck,” he hissed as he began to slowly stroke himself, teasing himself and wanting to savor the view that he had.

From slowly running his hand up and down his shaft, those strokes became fast as his mind was filled with images and scenarios of him taking Y/N in various ways.

“Fuck Bucky, harder,” she moaned as she felt Bucky’s grips on her hips tighten before he controlled her body to match his thrusts, moving her along as he slid in and out of her as a response to her plea. Wanting to feel more of her, one of his hands left her hips to grip her shoulder and pull her to him so her back was pressed against his sweaty chest; to keep her steady and against his chest, the hand on her shoulder detached from her shoulder and moved to hold on to her breast, pulling and tugging on the swollen nipple.

“That what you want, baby girl? Need me to fuck you hard?” He teased her as her whines increased at the assault he was doing to her. She just nodded her head rapidly, but that wasn’t enough for Bucky, he let go of her breast and slapped both of them hard enough to elicit a reaction out of her, “I wanna hear you say it! Say you like getting fucked hard like a slut!” 

“I love it! I love how you’re fucking me like a slut, Bucky!” she moaned out loud and found herself hooking her hand to his hand that wasn’t on her hip. The man simply smirked at how much of a wreck she was and he loved it.  She guided his hand to her neck and his smirk became even more sinister and he let her know his appreciation, “Yeah you’re just a filthy girl aren’t you,” his grip on her neck tightened and he felt her tighten and got the hint that she was close,  “And since I love my filthy girl, why don’t you come for me?”

Bucky knew he was nearing his climax, but he decided that the visual wasn’t enough for him; he needed the actual thing. Completely undressing himself, he walked towards where she was laying and turned her gently so she now laid on her back. “Goddamn you’re beautiful, baby,” he whispered as he kneeled on the bed and his knees were on the sides of her body. He stretched her left leg to the outside of his right knee, her inner thigh grazing his knee. While he lifted her right leg and let it rest on his shoulder.

Rubbing his right hand on her clit, he felt how wet she already was and slid a finger in, moving his finger around, he took note of how she was completely drenched. “I guess you pleasured yourself before sleeping huh?” Pulling his finger out and bringing it to his lips, his suspicion was confirmed as he tasted her sweet juices.

“This’ll be easier then,” he sighed as he pushed his cock in and slid in one swift motion thanks to her juices. He stared off with slow and long thrusts, checking to see if she’ll wake up — thankfully she didn’t. He then took this as his queue to give her harder thrusts, pulling out until his tip lightly brushes the opening of her tight canal and pushing all the way in with force until his balls were pressed tightly against her ass.

“Can’t wait for you to enjoy this when you’re awake doll,” Bucky rasped out in between his thrusts, which were now slowly becoming faster. The speed of his hips were causing the bed to shake and he feared that if it weren’t for his actions, then maybe the sound of the bed hitting the wall would cause her to regain consciousness. But she was so deep in her slumber that she didn’t.

“Gonna cum, gonna cum inside of you. Will mix my juices with yours,” Bucky moaned lowly. And he felt his climax nearing that his judgement was clouded and his sole focus was to let himself go. So he moved around in the bed until his feet hit the floor and spread her both legs wide open to the sides, all without pulling himself out.

Placing his hands on both her inner thighs, he pressed them down and didn’t hold back as he slammed his cock in and out of her pussy. His pelvis met her thighs with each thrust, his hands tightly holding on to her thighs which somehow made her clench down on him even more, his eyes hungrily taking in the sight of her breasts bouncing along with the power of his hips, and the tip of the iceberg was when she began letting out small and quiet whimpers. 

“Shit, you’re squeezing me so well baby,” he breathed out as he slammed himself inside her and stayed planted in here as he felt himself release his load. Head thrown back and panting loudly, she whimpered a little and was clenching her pussy which milked even more of Bucky’s seed. She must be dreaming of someone fucking her, God I hope it’s me she’s thinking about, Bucky thought as he pulled his cock out until only the tip was inside her; he stroked the part of his cock that wasn’t inside her, making sure that every last drop of his seed didn’t drip into the bed and was instead all inside her.

After taking a few minutes to recover, he pulled out completely and positioned her in the bed prior to how she was before he came in. He grabbed his discarded boxers and put them on him. Before walking out of the room he went back to the bed, leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “Can’t wait to swim with you baby girl.”

Arising from her sleep, Y/N stretched her body and rubbed the sleepiness off her eyes. She couldn’t help but grin at the memories of how she pleasured herself before she drifted off to dreamland and when she did, her subconscious was somehow able to project a scenario wherein she was getting railed by Bucky. The mention of his name in her mind had her blushing; she brought her fingers down to her pussy to inspect the aftermath of her masturbation and was surprised to see how wet she was and how much she orgasmed.

Before making her way down to greet her host, she first dressed up in her bikini, however she didn’t want to walk down right away only with the flimsy pair, so she wore a tank top and a pair of shorts on top of the swimwear. Making her way down the stairs, she saw Bucky relaxing on the couch and was on his phone, “Good morning, Bucky. Did you sleep well?” 

She plopped herself down at the armchair opposite where Bucky was sitting, and the metal-armed man fumbled to pocket his phone and turn his attention to the girl who warmly greeted him. “I slept peacefully, doll. Where are you headed all dressed up like that?”

“I was hoping we could have brunch by the lake? And then swim afterwards?” She shyly suggested and it was adorable for the veteran to see her all shy and flustered, he didn’t have it in him to reject her idea. “That’s a great idea, doll! I’ve already prepared some food that I can just pack up in tupperwares,” just as he was about to head to the kitchen to do so she stood quickly and told him, “I can do it! My bag’s all ready and I’m dressed up so I can do all those while you get ready.”

He smiled and thanked her for volunteering, he let her know where the tupperwares and picnic baskets were before heading up to change. As he was changing in his room into a navy tank top along with a pair of shorts, he decided that today was the day. He was gonna make his move and let him know that he wants her here with him. 

The drive to the lake had been peaceful; Bucky offered to drive and she accepted so she was left to admire the scenery as they both traveled to their destination. Once Y/N caught a glimpse of the lake, she had already been fumbling to unbuckle her seatbelt and before Bucky had fully parked the car, the front passenger door was already being opened and the woman beside him carried her bag as she excitedly ran towards the dock.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself, doll! Be careful!” He called out to her as he switched off the engine and moved to grab the picnic basket at the backseat. Catching up to where she was standing near the edge of the dock, she turned to him and smiled, “I’m sorry, I just get really excited when I see the water. Plus, it’s been forever since I got to swim,” her exaggeration in the apology had him chuckling and he simply put the basket down and took out the blanket he had and laid it out.

Kneeling down, Bucky then rummaged through the items on the basket, “What do you wanna eat, doll? Want to have some muffins? I also have some bacon if you want,” he looked up to see that his lovely doll was stripping off her top and bottoms, with her back facing him. She folded her clothes and placed it on top of her bag, she turned to him and smiled, “I don’t wanna eat, I want to swim first.” 

The super soldier barely got to process the words that left her mouth as he was admiring the swimsuit she was wearing, “That’s a pretty bikini you have there, doll,” he mindlessly blurted out. She blushed at the praise and he noticed as well how she rubbed her luscious thighs and it got him thinking that maybe she had a praise kink. “It’s one of the eight swimsuits they sent me,” was all she said before she waived and ran towards the end of the dock and jumped as she splashed down on the lake.

Fuck, one of eight swimsuits? She’s trying to kill me. He thought to himself as he felt his cock start to harden at the thought of seeing her in her swimwear and possibly railing her as she wears it. But first, he thought he had to eat up before making those plans and desires come true. 

Y/N was having fun just swimming around. The lake had clear and clean water. She was able to see her feet and the sandy floor through the water. The lack of seaweeds and other aquatic plants on the lake was something she was thankful for since she loathed swimming around and feeling something grazing her leg. 

Quite some time had already passed since Y/N began swimming and Bucky was just sitting there as he ate and was staring at her every movement. “Come join me, Bucky! The water’s not too cold, it’s perfect!” he smiled and put the muffin he was munching on down and moved to take his shirt off.

Her mouth hung agape and a little bit of drool came out of her mouth as she gazed on the man’s body. He was toned and defined; her fingers ached to run it through his wide chest and shoulders and she would have also loved to feel his bulging arms wrapped around her. She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a big splash and felt the water moving against her.

“Hi there, beautiful,” having this Adonis of a man face her and greet her sweetly had her giggling. “Good for you to join me; was starting to think you didn’t know how to swim that’s why you didn’t wanna join me,” her accusation had him gasping and feigning hurt. “You really think that lowly of me, doll?”

Y/N swam away from Bucky, creating some distance between them; this had the man tilting his head to the side in curiosity. “Don’t tell me you’re easily hurt by that! I wonder what happens if I challenge you to a splash fight?” Just as she said that she began to flick her wrists to splash some water in Bucky’s direction.

They both were giggling as they both began to soak each other with water. After a while they both stopped and Y/N let her arms float on the water as she stared at the man adoringly; while he thought that it was finally time to speed things up. Swimming towards her, he erased the distance between them and held both her hands against his chest. He felt her breath quicken and she was staring at him with wide and inquisitive eyes.

Lifting both her wrists, he placed a long and sensual kiss on the insides of her wrists. A sharp intake of breath was heard from her lips and he rested her forearms on his shoulders as his flesh hand pulled her closer to him by the hips while his metal hand gently caressed her cheek, “Had your fun already, baby girl?”

With a flushed face she nodded and pursed her lips together, “Don’t do that princess, that’s my job,” Bucky reprimanded her as he brushed his metal thumb in her lips but quickly moved the hand towards the nape of her neck and pulled her close for their lips to collide. He swallowed her whimper of shock and took the opportunity to let his tongue inside her mouth.

Slanting his head, he deepened the kiss as his flesh hand moved to wrap her thigh around his hips in order to get their bodies as close as possible and to feel every inch of her. Bucky smirked as he felt her tongue dancing along with the direction of his tongue and when he felt her hands cup his cheeks he couldn’t hold himself back from placing both his hands to grab her bikini-covered bum and grind her core to his.

“Oh God,” she whimpered against his lips, as if she was starting to pull away; but Bucky didn’t want her to do so, so he chased her lips with his and planted it firmly against her, leaving her no room but to comply with what he wanted.

Her hands traveled down from his cheeks to his neck and down to his shoulders, where she anchored herself to separate her tongue from roaming around his mouth. Her chest was heaving up and down as she stared down at Bucky who was loving this out of breath and dazed state she was in, “What was that?”

Her question made him chuckle darkly before teasing her, “That was just a preview of what’s to come, baby,” this just confused her even more and she tilted her head but he simply removed his hands from her body and she whined at the loss of contact — which Bucky thought as completely adorable — but he kissed her forehead, “Enjoy your swim doll, a few more minutes then we go home, got it?” She nodded and watched as he swam his way to the docks and busied himself with drying himself up and packing up their picnic.

She shrugged off the million thoughts racing through her head and decided that swimming would probably help her clear her head.

Something in the air shifted as they both were driving home after spending nearly two hours by the lake. While keeping his eyes on the road, Bucky’s metal hand was on the steering wheel while his flesh hand was gripping and caressing Y/N’s thighs. He loved how she didn’t flinch when he did so and instead she enveloped his hand with both her thighs.

Upon arriving back at the home, Bucky opened the car door for her and she smiled and thanked him. As he went to retrieve the picnic basket, his doll went ahead to get inside the house and it was finally time for him to make his move.

Placing the basket down on the floor without a care, he grabbed her hand as she was headed for the stairs; her bag falling off her shoulders as a result. “Bucky,” she was cut off as Bucky planted his lips against her and pulled her by the hips to feel her skin against his. She moaned out loud and he smirked as he once again let his tongue inside her and began to roam her insides and massaged her tongue with his.

“I fucking need you, baby,” he rasped out without fully disconnecting his lips from hers, “You gonna let me have you?” she whimpered and simply nodded. This made Bucky happy, and to show his appreciation, he kissed her neck and her collarbones as his hands quickly ripped the material of her shirt against her. A loud gasp was let out, and it informed the man who was vigorously kissing her that she was turned on with what he did.

Placing his hands behind her hips, he guided her walk with him to the couch with his lips still attached to her hot skin. They both worked to remove her of her shorts before Bucky was pushing her to sit down on the couch. “Don’t take your bra off, remove those panties, I wanna see your ass,” he commanded as his eyes roamed around her body as he took his shirt and shorts off, revealing that he didn’t have any underwear on. 

“Press your cheek against the sofa and put your ass up in the air for me, princess,” he groaned upon seeing her full ass on display. He smacked both her cheeks at the same time and chuckled as she shook her ass in response. One hand had a firm grip on her hip while the other stroked his cock and teased the tip on her clit. “You ready, baby? Want to feel my cock inside you?”

She nodded, “Yes please, Bucky, I need to feel you push your cock inside me,” by the end of her whining he had already slid inside her and pushed it all the way until she felt his balls slap against her ass. She let out a dragged moan as he let out profanities and praises about how she enveloped him well.

Pulling his hips back, he thrust right back in which made her moan once again. His other hand was now teasing her clit by rubbing it and he felt her coat his cock with more of her juices. “God, you feel like heaven, princess. Wrapping your tight pussy around me so good,” he threw his head back but his hips were doing the opposite. His pelvis was slamming deep and fast against her that her ass was feeling the friction of his trimmed pubic hair.

“It’s so good, Bucky. Love how you’re pounding me,” the praise and small amount of dirty talk was enough for Bucky to groan and drive his hips even deeper and stronger, if that was even possible. “Fuck you’re so dirty, doll. My dirty doll, right?” he asked as he wrapped a handful of her hair against him and pulled her against him; her back against his chest and he could her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath.

Untying her bra, he tossed it on the floor and both his hands began to twist, pinch, pull, and flick on her nipples. Palming her breasts, he continued to spur him on with his words, “Who knew how much of a filthy princess you were huh? That you were really a slut wanting to get fucked?” she whined out loud and this prompted Bucky to sit down on the couch and drag her with him; ending up in a position that would allow her to ride him. “Ride me, bitch. Ride  me ‘til we both cum,” he was surprised with how she eagerly responded to his command.

She leaned back and planted her hands on his abs and began to lift her body up and down, moving her pussy in and out of his cock. With one hand resting at the back of his head, the other was slapping her ass that was bouncing up and down on him. “Only a slut like yourself knows how to ride a cock this good, baby,” his statement ended with a groan as she stopped her bouncing and was instead sitting with his cock fully inside her, and she began to move in slow and hard circles. As if she was grinding on his dick.

“God, I’m so close, you got me near my edge, slut,” Bucky groaned and slapped both her ass cheeks at the same time, “Face me, baby. Turn around and face me, without leaving my cock.” He grinned as she halted her movements and twisted her body so she was greeted with the sight of Bucky’s chest sweaty and a smirk planted on his lips.

He sat up from his lying position and sat up so their chest were pressed firmly against each other, “Are you close, baby?” She threw her head back and nodded as Bucky began to move his hips so he could match the way she was sliding up and down his cock. Slapping her cheek, not too hard but enough to get her to look at him, he growled, “Tell me, princess. Tell me you’re close and that you wanna cum.”

Her mouth opened but a moan came out of her, he gave her a particularly harsh thrust and she finally gave in, “I wanna cum, Bucky, I need to. Please let me cum on your cock.” He smirked, satisfied with her answer and took control of the tempo of the way she was riding him. Holding on hard enough on her hips, enough to leave marks, he began to lift her up and down on him; he was lifting her up so fast that she barely had time to breathe and the way he slammed her was so hard he could hear their skin slapping against each other.

“You’re squeezing my cock so good, baby” Bucky groaned and he felt how close she was but needed added stimulation to let herself go. He lowered his mouth to cover her nipple with his lips; the sensation of licking and sucking hard on her nipple coupled with the cruel hip thrusts he was giving into her was enough for Y/N to grip on his shoulders and plant her lips on the top of his head, “Bucky, fuck,” was all she was able to let out as a warning for the orgasm that washed over her.

After feeling her juices drip down, there was something primal in him that made him more determined than ever to blow his load; so he removed his mouth from her nipple and laid her down on her back and moved to lift her legs, phishing them to her chest. “You gonna take my cum, baby? Gonna let me put it all in you?” He was thrusting violently, there was no rhythm but just him ruthlessly sliding his cock in and out of her tight canal, his mind was filled with images of her staying here with him, building a life together.

“Bucky, I’m so sensitive,” she squealed, and the man just smirked and to her surprise she just slammed his hips faster. He looks beautiful like this, she thought, but there was a part of her that thought she might explode if he continued his brutal assault on her body; and she was starting to get sleepy. Bucky slammed his cock all the way in until his balls were against her ass and stayed there, “Fuck, you’re such a good girl,” he moaned as he emptied his balls and shoved all his cream inside her.

He looked down on his precious angel and smiled at the sight of her with her eyes closed, running a finger to her face, just admiring her post-sex glow and the way she was all sweaty. He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, “You did so well for me, baby.”

Without removing his cock from her, he moved to carry her, with ease he then brought both of them upstairs and into his room. Upon entering, he saw that Alpine was still lazily sleeping on the bed he got her and smiled, “I got you a mommy already, Al,” he whispered and felt himself harden again at the nickname he’d given the lovely girl in his arms.

Laying the both down, he wrapped both his arms around the sleeping beauty beside him and kissed her lips once more, “Welcome home, doll.”

[redphlox]

Do you think that Touya being premature has like anything to do with the upcoming plot or was it just a little titbit to explain his size? I'm a preemie too and I think it's cool that my favourite character is similar to me in some way!

Hey there! Thanks for the ask <3 (cw: premature babies) From what I have read, it seems like the translation was wrong about Touya being a preemie baby. Apparently the word used to describe Touya was “hayaumare” (早生まれ) which is used to describe someone who was born during the earlier months of the year. @todomitoukei mentions it here in her 302 translation meta post. Also check out this website for a more in-depth explanation of this aspect of Japanese culture because it explains how the time of the year of birth affects when a child begins school.

In regards to the question of Touya being a premature baby even with this aspect of hayaumare taken into account, I’ll say that if Touya was born premature, I don’t think he was so early that it continues affecting his health into his 20′s. The WHO and my child development textbooks report that there are 3 different subcategories of prematurity: extremely (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28-32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32-37 weeks). 

According to this website and also what I have been learning about child development in my studies for my career, most premie babies catch up in growth around 2 to 3 years of age. Touya would have to have been EXTREMELY premature for his height to still be affected, as in born at 25 weeks - halfway through the pregnancy. Sometimes when a baby is born that early, there are other complications or long term affects such as developmental delays, dental issues, vision issues, intestinal issues, lung/respiration issues, and higher risks for neurological disorders. 

So, I feel like Touya being this premature would have been delved into significantly. It would have been a major plot point and wouldn’t have just been chalked up to or summed up to “he was born premature” because that population is so diverse and encompasses a wide variety of needs. A baby born at 35 weeks has a higher chance of survival and catching up to their peers within months versus a baby born at 25 weeks. And, Touya being born extremely premature would have made his dad’s decision to train him that much more problematic and terrible.  

TLDR; Based on everything we’ve been told from the manga, I think Touya was a scrawny kid and then underwent a growth spurt at 13 when he hit puberty. Touya looks even smaller when compared to Natsuo, but it’s not fair to compare him to Natsuo because Natsuo is an outlier - he’s so tall, he’s basically a ladder...lmao. Touya isn’t short either, his height is pretty average compared to the rest of the male population of Japan in 2018. I think if he were severely premature, he would be experiencing issues besides his height, such as lung issues. 

BUT I will say that every baby is different! Basically, medicine is so advanced nowadays and just keeps getting better. No two premature babies are alike! Maybe your experiences are/would be the same as Touya’s or different. If you have any preemie!Touya headcanons I would love to hear them!

(And, in case it comes up, this isn’t to discount or invalidate the struggles of anyone who was born premature. I’m stating what I’ve learned in my program. Also, it’s difficult to assess a fictional person’s health...Dabi continues to be an enigma.)

ALSO I doubt Hori spends hours researching things on the internet or reading textbooks and research studies when writing out his story. I will say a lot of our knowledge of medicine and anatomy can’t be directly applied to BNHA. Like, how many times have our faves been injured or almost died? Lol. 

[mochikeiji]

Rockabye, My Love

↠ Pairing: Akaashi Keiji x Reader

↠ Warning: slight fluff, soft father/daughter moments, angst. Trigger Warning: mentions of death, depression.

↬ Word Count: 2.3k

Summary: Every lyrics had a deeper meaning in them than just words that'll fit a song. Yours was heavier than anyone could think of, and Akaashi was singing it to his beloved baby girl.

↣ a/n: ohayo world! I'm sorry for late posts, expect the upcoming ones soon. School was giving too much works again. Thank you all for loving my Day 2 fic in Akaashi Week!! Also, the lullaby in this lyrics is the same tune as Isabella's Lullaby from The Promised Neverland.

⇢ Day 3: Single Parent AU

"Love, don't you worry too much,

You're doing fine.

You are the most precious thing I have loved.

I will never allow the cruel world to take you— away nor hurt you any more.

I will sing you this song when the world, caves on.

You'll be fine, I will never leave you.

You are the most beautiful thing that has came.

I will protect you forever, my love."

Life is difficult in many ways. It's either we were born different, have lost someone dear or have lost ourselves. It's no wonder how millions of people from all around the world, evert second, minute, hour— someone gives up on everything. It was cruel, disturbing, most of all heart breaking.

Akaashi never understood your true intentions. He was one hundred percent sure he had kept an eye on you at all cost. He's made you smile brighter, he's understood you more than anyone. He made you feel alive.

Yet now you ended up being dead to your own inner demons.

He remembers coming home after receiving good news from his company. He had received a promotion and a week off just for you. That was when the hospital had contacted him. He can recall his ragged breathing when he was allowed to place a foot in your room. Your monitor beating in an ever agonizingly slow rhythm, he knew it wasn't normal and immediately ran to your side.

He wanted to yell, scream, ask you why, why did you do this to yourself but he couldn't, not when you looked at him so scared and weak. The doctors had told him that he had only a few minutes with his wife, the drugs you've intake was too much, not everything was removed nor pumped out of your system. Akaashi never felt so depressed in all his life after that situation as he buried himself into your chest, listening to your lullabies that soon died down along with the light in your eyes.

That was the only reminisces he's had with you,the lullaby you would sing to yourself as a teen who strived to survive the world, a lullaby for his anxieties and own demons to be tamed, and the last thing you ever said. He was happy that over the years before your death, you had given him a customized music box that had the right notes of your song, only this time no one was singing it.

Fingers tapping anxiously on his work table, Akaashi started to fiddle with his thumb and then his index, losing his focus despite looking at the same drafted page lit up on his computer screen. He kept eyeing the pack of cigarettes that was just on the edge of his window— he needed one right now. Cigarettes were the last options he has for when he couldn't calm his beating heart or let his emotions out. But he knows how wrong it was to be damaging his health, and he knows he's going to get an earful from Bokuto since he visits his apartment every weekend. Even if Akaashi tries to hide his dirty deeds, Bokuto wasn't stupid to read through his eyes like before.

Foot was starting to bounce, his eyebrows were beginning to furrow, as if he was irritated, in trouble, or something. It wss getting harder for him, who wouldn't after losing their wife? The person he's loved since his teen years, the one he's vowed to never make her feel like how she did in the past. He failed you. He blames himself for all that matter, if he's added more precautions, maybe you'd still be here.

He bites his lips and whimpers, hands ruffling through his tossled hair and holding his head as his elbows were supporting him on the table. Everything was closing in once more, the walls to his workspace became suffocating, how he wishes one of his friends or yours would come knocking at his door even though it was already 2:30 am knowing how reckless he's getting. He swore he wasn't going to die sooner as you did. He promised to himself to let you and his memories live on, because once he dies, no one will ever remember the battles you've fought for, the good things you've done to many, and the love you've shared with him throughout the years.

"It's so hard without you, love.."

Eyes finally cracking with tears behind his glasses, he lets them stream down his face with his body shaking on his chair. Soon enough he was bound to get another headache from extreme emotion and will probably lay the whole day about it. But none of that mattered to him anymore.

He just wanted you back.

But his cries weren't the only ones that can be heard in his apartment.

Jolting up to realization, he carelessly wipes away his tears with his sleeves and tumbles our of his chair straight to his room. His heart was beating fast in worry and adrenaline, he thought the source of the crying in his room had been taken away or worse.

But it turns out, it was just his little baby girl crying in lonliness.

As he got closer, her cries were getting deafening, but he didn't mind. Not when his heart was swooning with guilt when he thought of giving up and caving to his own needs when he's forgotten he has a reason to continue on.

With the night lamp on at the side of her crib and his bed, he cooes at the sobbing baby with sweet nothings to catch her attention. Th cries immediately died down and replaced with sniffles and the baby looking up hazily at the dark figure above her.

Smiling, Akaashi carefully picks her up from the crib to cradle her on his chest. Giving her small pats on her back with hush whispers when he feels her stretch on his body.

"Shhh, I'm sorry, were you lonely?"

Grabbing on the string of his lamp shade on the nightstand, he pulls the string, allowing more light to glow in his room, and for his little girl to finally see that she wasn't alone anymore. Akaashi swayed gently as he remained in eye contact with the baby, smiling ever so slightly at the unreadable expression his daughter was possessing and played with her fingers.

"Maybe I should work with you around, you never really like it in the dark, do you, baby?"

His little girl cooes at him, curious of what language he was speaking to her and hopes he understood what she was saying as well. Akaashi's heart swelled at the adorable sound and nuzzled his face softly on her stomach, the baby still confused as ever but just clenches her hands in wonder.

His anxieties and thoughts disappearing in the air whilst he sat down on his bed and held his baby near to where his hesrt was beating. The same day you died, was the same day you had given birth. It was a miracle for the baby to be healthy despite what you had intake. He remembers after your announced death, the nurses had to usher him out, but only to drag him into another room where lies a bassinet and a couple of IV's attached and treatments.

When he got closer, his world was shaken that day. The sight of you and his baby alive and now existing after 9 months of waiting was there right before his eyes. But his heart broke at the thought of him being the only one to raise her, and her not having to meet her beloved mother. He was so emotional that day that he almost lost it when he realizes why she was kept in there and why there were so much stuff in this room. He didn't want to think thag he was losing another one when he had just met her.

The nurses explained that there was nothing wrong with the baby, just taking further check ups and to ensure she was absolutely healthy. He was already been forced outside your room that no longer held light, he wasn't going to leave the room where his daughter was until he holds her in his arms where he knows she'll be at the safest.

As time went by to now, Akaashi feared her growing up in the future. She resembled mostly to you. She was a dead carbon copy of you and he was terrified she'd experience what you have as history might repeat itself. The very thought of his daughter having something inside her little head without telling him scares him, Akaashi knew how cruel the world can be and hoe each second in life matters because we are unaware of the deaths happening at those time.

He prayed his baby girl wouldn't go through what you did as a child and carry it until she grows up. He hopes and believed in his own strength that he wasn't going to fail her this time— that there will be no person by her side and will lovd and protect her other than her daddy.

His tears blocking his vision of her as he held her tightly. He whimpers at remembering his thoughts earlier. He wanted to curse himself from thinking of leaving his daughter to fend for herself in this world and to find a way to be back to you. But he knows he was still with you, your daughter was the last love you could ever give him and he was going to love her more than anything.

The trembling of his body stops when his baby started to cry and squirm in his hold. Her whimpers breaking his heart when he couldn't solve her distress, it seemed like she was in pain and he knew this situation like in the past.

"Shh, shh, I'm here. I'm always here. I'm sorry."

Reciting out the same line he's used when he held you against his body that night. You cried and held a hand to your heart that day as he hugged you tighter. The demons inside you he had curse to go away and leave you alone. But they didn't.

An idea popped in his head and reached out inside his nightstand drawer. The little music box you have crafted for him still looked the same as it was before since it was taken with good care. He proceeded to wind it gently to let the soft tune play as he stood up once more to cradle his crying baby.

"Love, don't you worry too much,

You're doing fine."

He sings the first verse of the long memorized lullaby you sang for him. Using his thumb to wipe away the little tears that had escaped his daughters eyes. Her cries were stopped momentarily and were replaced by sniffles. Her dazed eyes making eye contact with her father's.

"You are the most precious thing I have loved."

Akaashi would be cringing thinking his voice was terrible, but the little girl in his arms seemed to be intrigued and loving the harmonized voice of her daddy and an unknown tune from the background.

His voice was smooth and soft. Completely out of character from his monotone one, but enough to capture the attention of someone.

"I will never allow the cruel world to take you— away nor hurt you any more."

He couldn't tell if he was singing the lullaby to her or he was making a silent vow to her. The lullaby you sang to him for the first time he tried searching for in the internet what the lyrics meant and who wrote it. Sadly, there were no results that came up that day.

And you never really told him how you got that song and who it was referring to in the lyrics.

But nevertheless, the lyrics could never be at the right time as it was now. It felt like he was reminding himself of what his role was from now on and what his daughter should always remember as she grows up.

No one was going to hurt her on her watch.

"I will sing you this song when the world, caves on.

You'll be fine, I will never leave you."

At the end of that line his voice cracks as he held back his own tears. He can hear only now your voice and hoe you would thread his hair during nights of distress. How he missed so many cracks of your voice from being too intrigued with the song. How he missed the fact that you needed him the most those nights of terror, yet you chose to make him feel secure and loved without leaving anything for yourself.

Slowly, his mind was connecting all the lyrics and your actions in his head. You were a self reliant person.

You sang this song in reminder that you were loved, beautiful and was protected by the few people that truly loved you. This song was meant to keep you alive.

To keep him going.

And now

It was a vow from him to his daughter.

"You are the most beautiful thing that has came."

Smiling sadly down to his baby now calmed down and listening intently to her daddy, Akaashi leans down to press kisses on her face with his tears sliding down.

He should've sang this to you when you needed it the most. A reminder of what you truly were to him. He hopes deep inside, somewhere up there or in his room you were listening. Listening to him remind you and his daughter— his world and universe, that he was going to be stronger and fulfill his own promises.

One day he was going to meet you in another life he believed, where he'd make you stay, where you and him will raise your little girl once again and he'll wake up next to you. Where he'll be the one singing this lullaby tune as he hold you both in his arms.

But for now, it was just going to be him and his baby girl.

"I will, protect you. Forever, my love."

[wann-der-lusst]

Dream

by Marinel Agcaoli

There are two people who love each other purely it is Christian and Marga. Because of their love it also caused a lot of pain in their lives especially Christian.

Christian and Marga live next door in a place called Emerald Street. Christian has an admiration for his neighbor Marga she is smart, hardworking, beautiful, kind especially to her family, so that many man wants to court him. Christian always goes to Marga's house to ask for fruit and for Marga to notice him. Christian doesn't know that Marga also likes him for being a very kind person, hardworking, also loving to his family that they both share. Many months have passed many have also changed in their place as well as their feelings towards each other.

"Maybe this is the right time for me to take a step Christian said."

One day Christian saw Marga shopping at a store near them and Christian approached her to ask her a question and to ask for Marga's cellphone number so that they could talk wherever they were. Christian soon admitted that they were looking at the girl, Marga was so shocked that she suddenly cried and run away to go home. Christian did not understand why Marga suddenly left. Christian didn't know that the girl was also looking at him. A few days later the two decided to meet so that they could talk properly, so that it would be clear to them how they felt about each other. Christian didn't stop to say in front of marga that he loves it and at the same time Marga said "I love you too Christian!” From that moment they confessed and they became really overjoyed that the two felt because of their love. This lasted for two years and their tenderness never faded especially for Christian.

Until one day, Marga suddenly became ill for almost two weeks and Christian missed Marga so much that he could hardly see her. She can't go to Marga's house because Marga's parents don't know that she already has a boyfriend and especially because they don't have the same religion and Marga's father will be very angry when they find out. For almost two weeks of Marga's illness, you can see the collapse of her body. Until Marga's parents decided to take her to the doctor. They went to a private hospital near their place. A doctor immediately saw Marga and the doctor requested that Marga be given a laboratory test to diagnose her illness. After that, the doctor was seriously surprised by the results of Marga's check -up. "I'm sorry to announce that your daughter Marga has stage 3 cancer says the doctor". Marga's parents were shocked and Marga herself collapsed when she heard what the doctor said to them. "It's not true! I can't have this disease! No! Papa, mama ask us for a second test to be sure ..." Marga said.

The day came when Marga's parents were waiting to know the finals as a result of their second opinion in their second check-up for her illness. The Doctor came in and holding the result."I'm sorry to let you know that the final result was correct when you first visited the previous hospital." The doctor said.

"No! Why?! I don't want to die yet! I still have many dreams in life, they can't take them from me right away, no.!!! "Marga said. Marga's parents are crying a lot because Marga is their only child like Marga, her parents also have many dreams with her. On the day that Marga found out the final result of her illness, Marga decided to see Christian, after all, she had somewhat recovered from her illness and she was also quite strong. Marga called Christian, Christian immediately contacted him because he was so excited to see Marga. The next day they met in a park and when Christian saw Marga he immediately run towards him and he hugged her tightly because he missed Marga so much.

"How are you? Your body is too thin, what happened to you my love?" said Christian.

"It's nothing, my love, I got sick, so this is the result of my body collapsing suddenly. But now I'm regaining my strength because is healed for you, my love." Marga said. Marga decided to have a vacation in a cold place like Baguio and also to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. It was here that Marga decided to give Marga's beautiful gift to Christian, the most careful of the women, her virginity. The day came for the two of them on their anniversary, they toured and toured various tourist spots in Baguio, in the evening they went to a hotel where they stayed to rest. Marga prepared special candles and roses around and when Christian entered he was surprised to see Marga lying on the bed and naked. After that happy event especially for Christian because Christian knows how important a woman's virginity is so he was happy that his beloved Marga gave it to him even though he didn't ask for it.

Then that happy event happened especially to Christian because Christian knew how important a woman's virginity was so he was happy that his beloved Marga gave it to him even though he didn't ask for it. The sun came up when Christian woke up and Marga was not beside him and he saw a letter on the side of the bed and he read it.

"My dear Christian. Forgive me but I can't last this relationship. Forgive me. I don't want to hurt you but I have to do it so that you won't be hurt more when the time comes." After praying and reading Marga's letter to Christian, Christian's world suddenly collapsed with what was happening.

A month later, Marga noticed that she didn’t had yet a period after Christian had something with them, so Marga was scared and immediately bought a pregnancy test to make sure. It was immediately used to know the result and here it is a positive test. Marga was surprised when she saw the result and immediately went to her doctor. When she consulted her doctor she became angry and told Marga how she would be treated for her illness if she was carrying a child in her womb. Marga informed her parents and her own parents were shocked and angry as well. First of all Marga's parents did not know that she had a boyfriend. But Marga's parents did nothing because Marga was already pregnant with her child and would be their Grandson. Marga decided not to treat and take care of and make the child in her womb healthy even if it would cost her life. Because she wants to grow up and give birth to Christian's child even though her boyfriend doesn't know what's going on with Marga. Because Marga doesn't want to hurt Christian so much! Because it will break his heart to see the person you love so much than your life.

The month has passed since Marga will soon give birth to her son Christian. Marga is very weak because of her illness and it is also difficult for her to carry the child in her womb. The day came when the child was born and this is a very strong child he named it heaven because his face was an angel who descended from heaven. A few days later Christian was walking in a mall and he saw a friend of his and Marga, it was Dave. "How are you Christian? Dave said." I'm okay Christian said. "When Dave saw Christian he greeted him about Marga and him and here Christian found out that Marga had given birth which Christian was immediately surprised. Christian was surprised and thought that maybe when they separated, she immediately had a new boyfriend because he had a baby right away. Christain was angry when she heard about Marga she was very hurt. He went to Marga's house furious because of what he found out. But he didn't see Marga because it was still in the hospital the only one he caught there was his sister Rose. Here he learned the truth so much that he almost burst into tears at what he had learned. Here he finds out why Marga left him because he has cancer and he also finds out that Marga’s born child is their child. "Why didn't he say I shouldn't be with him and I take good care of him" Christian said while he was crying. '' The next day Christian immediately went to Marga to talk properly because they didn't meet after their anniversary in Baguio. In a room where Marga was confined, he entered and saw his beloved Marga. Christian was very saddened by what he saw because Marga had changed so much in his body and in his appearance.He approached her and greeted Marga. christain said "Love .. ?? How are you? why did you let fight alone ?. Marga cried and was very excited to see Christian." Love ... Forgive me if I didn't tell you everything. I don't want to hurt you because it will break my heart more my dear Christian "said Marga. After Marga and Christian were able to talk. Marga showed their beautiful baby Heaven. Christian was very happy to see their daughter and Christian promised that he would take care of them both so that he would wake up and he would make up for the months and hours he had not been with Marga. a few days later Christian kat Marga's recovery was so overwhelming that she really cared and took care of it as well as baby heaven who was a super sane child. The day came when Marga requested to buy her favorite stitch qwek qwek and she immediately bought it outside. When Christian went up to Marga's room, there were doctors running to Marga's room, Christian immediately ran to see what had happened. Marga's parents immediately heard screams and cries. Christian who seemed to be crying inside the room. he saw Marga covered with a white blanket and Christian cried and hugged Marga. "Love !!!! this is what you bought huhuhuhu !!! I just bought it for a while why did you leave me right away my love ..... !!!!!! said christian. After Christian cried it promised Heaven will be taken care of as well as he loves Marga and he will fill her with love.After they woke up Christian woke up to the fact that it was just a dream and he seemed stunned because it seemed to be true but on the other hand It was just a dream. A few days later, Christian decided to wander outside and get some fresh air. While Christian was driving, a woman suddenly appeared on the road and hit him. He immediately get out of the car to find out the condition of a woman and it is surprised because on the other hand the woman he dreamed of is facing him now and that is where my story about Christian and Marga ends.

[afaimsarrowverse]

Arrowverse Season 2021/22 Overview:

„Supergirl“‘s and „Stargirl“‘s 2020/21-Seasons are still running, which is very strange, but I wanted to make on of those anyways before the new Seasons are starting to air, so I will just include „Supergirl“ in it for one last time, I guess. But with the upcoming Five Episode Event I felt like I had to do one.

 Supergirl:

„Supergirl“ Season 6 is still airing, and even though the season does actually belong to the 2020/21-Season while the 2021/22 Season is about to start, the show will be around for two more months. The Finale will air on November 9th, it will be a two hour event, so to speak, however it is currently unknown if the last two episodes are an actual two-parter or if they are just airing on the same day for scheduling reasons.

We have reached the second half of the season, which will include the guest appearances of well known faces, starting with Mxyzptlk and John Diggle in the current episodes. Mxy will of course return in later episodes to wrap up his storyline. Lex and Lillian will also make their return. Odette Annable was supposed to return somewhen this season, but since we have not heard anything about that anymore, it might have fallen through. However we will see Eliza Danvers and our boys again. Eliza as well als James, Winn and Mon-El will be in the Series Finale and some of them might drop in sometime before that. Nyxly and her hunt for totems will be the main story arc in the upcoming episodes, with each episode focusing on one totem and its trait and a Superfriend, who does represent that trait. Also, both Kelly and Lena will embrace their newfound destinies, while William will be tasked with Andrea’s Superfriends focused news stories.

Hopefully we will get so see M’gann somewhen before the show wraps again and get an explanation for her absence since Kara has returned, but this is not confirmed. Also John Diggle might be the only guest appearance from other Arrowverse Shows for the Final Season. In theory Clark, Lois and Barry could show up, however only if they would have filmed those scenes around the time their respective Seasons wrapped and before they went on leave. It does however seem that we will see the return of Overgirl in the Finale. There is going to be an epic battle (or a couple of battles) that will involve pretty much everyone (including James, Winn and Mon-El) and there will be a funeral. But don’t worry, oddly enough pretty much everyone will be attending this funeral, so … could it be Supergirl’s funeral and the way to end the show, with Kara either power-less or leaving for another place? Also, we might get a wedding in the Finale as well.

With the end of „Supergirl“ Melissa will be done with the Arrowverse for a while, however Chyler will be back in the weeks after on „The Flash“, and we might get to see Kelly and Nia as well the other shows after the Finale has aired.

 Batwoman:

Season 3 of „Batwoman“ will start airing on October 13th on The CW, so yes, the show will move to Wednesdays at 9:00 pm.

Ryan, Alice, Luke, Mary and Sophie are all back. The first trailer already dropped and does explain how and why Alice is still on the show. Meanwhile there is no word on Jacob. However Season 3 will add Robin Givens as Jada Jet, Nick Creegan as Marquis Jet and finally (sadly two seasons too late) Renee Montoya played by Victoria Cartagena to the Main Cast. Montoya will be a former Police Officer in this version, continuing the Police and Armed Forces Corruption Trend into Season 3, as she did quit for ehtical reasons. She will now run a „Freak Divsion“ for the Mayor’s Office, and we might even get the Question already. Maybe.

The Jets on the other hand are a rich and powerful family, with mother Jada running Jets Industries. Son Marquis on the other hand will be the typical good-for-nothing playboy at constant war with his mother. Now I will just have to admit that I have stopped watching „Batwoman“ and don’t intend to return to watch it ever again outside of Future Crossover Episodes (maybe), but it looks like the Jada is maybe Ryan‘s birth-mother and that this is the connection of those characters to Ryan. If that isn’t the case … well, then there is another first-born child Jada had to give up and is guilting on about, so … yeah, make of this what you will.

Bigger news are the villains. Every one and their mother did hear about Poisin Ivy showing up this year. Bridget Regan will play her, and she has history with Batman, so she will be Poison Ivy already. Also Mad Hatter will appear this season, and so will Killer Croc it seems. The show may also feature Penguine, but don’t hold your breath for that.

Now, production-wise Season 2 lost it’s final episode. It is unknown if 3.01 will just be that one, or if they like after Season 1 just put it in the trash and completley re-wrote it. Also according the the Director’s Guild Season 3 will wrap in December, which means The CW probably only ordered 13 episodes. Now, they may extend that order to something between 15 and 18 Episodes, but it does seems likely that they are planning to replace „Batwoman“ with either „Superman & Lois“ or „Naomi“ in early 2022, so it might really be a 13 Episodes Season.

However, we will see Ryan Wilder interact with someone else from the Arrowverse this year, but not on „Batwoman“. She will guest star on Season 8 of „The Flash“, meaning that there will probably be a Ryan-less or Ryan-light episode somewhere in the middle of this 13 episodes, so be ready for that.

 Legends of Tomorrow:

Legends of Tomorrow will return from their shortest break in-between seasons ever on October 13th and will air on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm.

The first trailer dropped already and confirms what we have been told at ComicCon and seen in the Season 6 Finale:  Yes, the Legends (minus Mick and Kayla) are stranded in 1920s with a broken or destroyed Waverider. They have to deal with this, when Season 7 begins.

John Constantine has left the show, but Matt Ryan hasn’t. He will play a new character this season. A scientist called Gwyn Davies, who is probably related to John Constantine and might have something to do with the key John gave to Zari. He will be the only hope for the Legends to ever get out oft he 1920s it seems. The other new-old addition to the main cast will be fleshy Gideon, we learned. Given what happened to the Waverider, it will be interesting to see how this comes about, however the 100th Episode is a good guess to when it will happen.

Now, given that Season 6 just finished airing a few weeks ago, we don’t know much about Season 7. We have the titles of the first six episodes, Episode 3 is the 100th and will be directed by Caity Lotz (funnily enough it’s her third episode as well!), Episode 5 will probably focus on Gwyn Davies, and according to the Director’s Guild „Legends“ is supposed to wrap in December, which means it finally happened - we will get only 13 Episodes this year. However, The CW may extend this order, they have done so several times in the past, and if we are lucky and keep our fingers crossed they may extend their oder to 15 or maybe even 16 episodes again. However just like in the case of „Batwoman“ the show is probably supposed to be replaced by either „Naomi“ or „Superman & Lois“ at the Mid-Season, so it really depends on the 2022 schedule and on how fast the production goes on and on well … the question if this will be the show‘s last season.

But before we deal with that one, let’s deal with the other open questions. We are supposed to see Dom again in Season 7, he and Phil made a handshake deal on that. But will it really happen? I have no idea, because like everyone else, I have no idea what the falling out was actually about (my best guess is that they wanted him for half a season and he was not to pleased with that idea in the middle of a pandemic), but the travelling restrictions are lifted for vaccinated people at least, so if we are lucky this might just work out. However I have no idea when, how often, and in what order his appearances or his appearance will happen. And yes, traditionally it should be the 100th Episode, but I have no idea if there are special guest stars in there. If there are, other than Mick, the best guess to who it might be would be Ray Palmer and John Constantine. Brandon Routh will appear as Ray Palmer in Season 8 of „The Flash“, meaning that he went to Vancouver to shoot stuff, so he could have been there longer already and shot something for the 100th Episode, but the timing does not seem right, we might get to see him in another episode of Season 7 instead or we might not see him at all. As for John, Matt Ryan is still on the show, and yes, the did say time and time again that Constantine’s story on the show is done, but his last scene was very strange and left many unanswered questions, he cleary was from a point in the future and knew about the cliffhangar, plus we never saw him get out of the Fountain, which was kind of strange, so maybe they will actually wrap up his story in Season 7. Now, Matt Ryan did post a picture of Constantine walking away some days after the Finale of Season 6 had aired, but he could have posted this after he had just shot his last appearance as John Constantine. But even if they wrap up these open questions or reveal that the person in that last scene was not John at all and he is actually still dead or something like that, they might not do in the 100th Episode but at a later point. Or they might not do it all. They had two seasons to make Charlie and Amaya meet and did not do it, it is very possible that we actually did saw the last of John in Season 6.

So now to the question we don’t want to think about: Will Season 7 be the final Season? I have said time and time again, that „Legends“ is the one Arrowverse-Show that could go on forever, if they wanted to. The ever-changing cast would make it possible. Even if Caity Lotz were to leave, they could just make another character the new Team Leader, they could even go as far as to make it Nia Nal or Nora West-Allen. However I don’t really think The CW thinks like that. Now, the show is still around because the producers are doing what they can to reduce the cost of it. „Superman & Lois“ is the Arrowverse-Show with the biggest budget, but it get’s money from HBOmax, as does „Batwoman“ or so they say, however „Legends“ does not, and it is show that costs the network the most. The have to recreate several different time periods on a weekly basis and are an ensemble show, do the maths. Also this season will include the 100th episode, and while streaming changed the television landscape up quite a lot in the last couple of years, old pratices are still a factor in the mind of Network Executives, meaning they want 100 Episodes but often don’t really care about the seasons after this point.

However, The CW and Mark Pedowitz really want to do another Crossover, if they can get one. And the Five Episode Event on „The Flash“ won’t really be that. And after „Supergirl“ is finished, „Legends“ and „The Flash“ will be the only Arrowverse-Shows from good old times, whose characters do know and like each other. While everyone knows Superman, they are still keeping this show apart from the rest of the Arrowverse, so I do think that if „The Flash“ gets a 9th Season, they are probably going to give „Legends“ an 8th Season, if Caity Lotz stays on the show and ratings are at the usual level. However I might be wrong there.

But if they are axing the show or ending it, we will probably be informed about it before Season 7 starts airing. If Season 7 is the last one, the writers should know that by now. And I also think that if Season 7 is the last one, they might just add a couple of episodes to it in order to make a Finale.

So yeah, I don’t know, we really have to wait and see, but the show will in any case get a proper ending, that much is for sure.

 The Flash:

Covid delays lead to a later than usual start for the shooting of Season 8. So while „Batwoman“ and „Legends of Tomorrow“ have already done around 7 episodes each, „The Flash“ is still on Episode 3, which is why the season will only start airing on November 16th.

The season will start of with „Armageddon“ – a Five Part Special Event, that will involve various guest stars and might or might not be based on the Comic-Event with the same name. „Armageddon“ will feature Ray Palmer (the Atom), Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning), Alex Danvers (Sentinel), Mia Queen (Green Arrow), Eobard Thawne (Reverse-Flash), Damien Darhk, Ryan Choi and Ryan Wilder (Batwoman). Yes, most of those characters are from former shows (even though „Supergirl“ will just end the week before this event starts airing), but the new Batwoman is in it, so it is an actual Crossover with an on-going show. It will be the first time Ryan Wilder gets to interact with any Arrowverse-Characters outside of „Batwoman“. The villain of the piece will be Despero. Tony Curran will play the villain in probably both alien and human form. He might or might not team up with Eobard and Damien Darhk, who by the way was dead and in hell the last time we saw him, which combinded with Mia Smoak here leads into the idea that time travel might play into „Armageddon“, which will feature an Alien Invasion too big for Team Flash to handle alone, which is where all those guest stars come in. „Armageddon“ will also feature Deon Owen, Sue Dearborn and Jay Garrick. And Kristen Kramer, if Eric Wallace is to be believed, because the first few episoded of this season are supposed to explore her powers.

Now, there might be even more guest stars in „Armageddon“, but we can expect those who were announced to be the big ones. Everyone else is probably only doing a couple of scenes or a cameo. However let’s go through a list of likely suspects, who might also show up:

Kelly Olsen is of course the first, who comes to mind, she is only just becoming Guardian on „Supergirl“ now, the actress did stick around in Vancouver, and it would be weird if Alex was in those episodes but Kelly wasn’t. However, given that she was not announced, they either did not do that because they did not want to spoil her Guardian-Storyline (which just started a while after the guest stars were announced) or because she plays only a very small part in the storyline. Or she really is for whatever reason not in it. Next on the list would be Nora Darhk; with both her husband and her father showing up, it would be weird for her not to appear, but other than with Kelly there could be pratical reasons for that, namely Courtney‘s and Brandon’s son Leo. However with no Quarantine for vaccinated travelers from the US anymore, the whole family could have gone to Vancouver for a couple of days or weeks, so maybe she will show up. Then there is John Diggle. David Ramsey is directing Episode 2 of Season 2 of „Superman & Lois“, meaning he is in Vancouver, so in theory he could appear. I am compileing this before his last guest appreance on „Supergirl“ airs, when  the whole Green Lantern thing is still up in the air, so maybe we will get Green Lantern-Diggle in „Armageddon“ after all. And then there is of course Superman. „Superman & Lois“ did just start filming Season 2, so the main reason Tyler is not among these guest stars is probably scheduling. However he might be able to film a cameo or even a couple of scenes, so there is hope, just remember that they would have announced it, if he would play a big part in it.

Now Bart and Nora West-Allen are confirmed to be in this season, however it is unknown if they are in „Armageddon“. Scheduling is a conflict there for Jordan Fisher, who has a Broadway Show upcoming soon, so I am not sure when Impulse and XS will show up, however it would be more logical for them to be around at the beginning of the season rather than in the middle or at the end. Also Iris‘ Time-Sickness is not cured and will factor into the season, however Eric Wallace stated this would come into play after „Armageddon“, so maybe her kids will factor into that storyline.

After „Armageddon“ we will return to the Horror-Gerne it seems, with a villain that will make Barrys and Iris‘ life into a living nightmare. Whatever that is supposed to mean. There are guesses around who this villain is, but no one really knows. It also is a problem that Eric Wallace tends to talk very much without saying anything and often misleads people with his discription of up-coming storylines so … I would say think about the Bloodwork-Arc, it might just be something along these lines, or maybe it just is the person, who causes Iris to be time-sick (whatever that actually means) and Westallen will spend most of Season 8 apart again, because this is just the way Wallace writes them in order to keep their relationship interesting.

There will also be a storyline for Frost and Caitlin, that was supposed to be in Season 7, and maybe if we are very lucky that will finally be the one about their Mother and her Ice Powers. Joe will also get a storyline, which … I have no idea … might continue his strange Season 7 Storyline about being or not being a cop. Or he might just marry Cecile and that’s it, like I said Wallace ha a strange way of teasing upcoming storylines.

As for the Ralph-Question, no news there, as for the „Will we see Cisco this season?“-Question, also no news. Now, Rick Cosnett said something about returning to „The Flash“, however he might not have meant Season 8, if the season is not the last one, he might have referred to the same storyline Tom Cavanagh talked about a while back - the Final Storyline. And yes, there was talk about the return of Zoom, but this was more an actor wanting to return to a show than anything planned, so don’t expect him to show up anytime soon either. As for Bloodwork and Goodspeed, I have no idea if and when their storylines are going to be resolved, but the chances for Goodspeed are slighty better, I think.

Now, finally: Will Season 8 be the Last Season of „The Flash“? That really is up to Grant Gustin and what he signed on for when he signed up for Season 8. Despite Season 7 The CW still wants the show as long as possible around. If Grant sigend up for Season 8 and 9, there will be a Season 9. If he only signed up for Season 8, it depends on a decision he should be making soon. In any case, if Season 8 is the last Season, we will learn that before it starts airing aka in the next couple of months. And they will know long enough beforehand to do their planned Final Storyline.

Given they only began filming in late August and that they are taking their time with the Event, Season 8 will be shorter again. It will probably be around 18 Episodes, maybe if we are lucky, they will get to do 20, but a full 22 Episode Season is rather unlikely to happen.

 Superman & Lois:

„Superman & Lois“ will return in 2022. The Second Season will feature Natalie Irons played by Taylor Buck as a member of the Main Cast. Sofia Hasmik was also promoted to the Main Cast. Tal-Rho will still be part of the show, however I am not too sure about him still being part of the Main Cast in Season 2. However both he and Leslie Larr will figure into the season.

The main villain won’t be Kryptonian this year. We will learn Tegan Wickhem’s backround (and which Flash Villain she is related to, I hope), Jordan will have to decide if he tells Sarah about his secret or not, and might not agree with his parent on that matter. John Henry will get to parent again, while Intergang and Killgrave will get new allies.

David Ramsey will be directing Episode 2 of this season, but this does not mean that John Diggle will return to the show. Given that this is „Superman & Lois“, even if he is going to guest-star this season, he won’t do that in Episode 2, but rather a couple of episodes later, when he is finished with the directorial stuff.

The Director’s Guilt Date does indicated that Season 2 is aiming for 13-16 Episode Season again. The only just started filming and plan to wrap in April, and there will be a Christmas Break, and thanks to Covid most seasons will be shorter this year again anyways. The CW might of course extend their Episode Order again, but keep in mind that if they do that, they have the problem of having to start shooting Season 3 later again, so the show might settle for 15 Episode Seasons as their normal lenght in the end.

And while it is not confirmed that there will be a third season, it is very likely that the network will order one.

They are probably planning to have „Superman & Lois“ replace „Batwoman“ or „Legends“ in early 2022, but it will be months before we will know the exact start-date.

There will be a panel at DC-Fandome, hopefully we will get some sort of trailer with footage from the first couple of episodes and some information what the season is actually going to be about then, but for now this is sadly all we know about Season 2.

 I am still not covering „Stargirl“ as it hasn’t crossed over with the Arrowverse yet and I am alos not doing „Naomi“ because it won’t be an Arrowverse-Show. So that was it for this one.

[seriouslyhooked]

Feels Like This (Part 3)

Emma Swan is a once lost girl who is now making good. She has made a way in the world for her and her young son, Henry, and after years of hard work, Emma is in her last stretch of schooling for the career she’s always wanted. Unexpectedly, she finds herself in a tiny nation no one’s ever heard of for her last year of study. She knows nothing about the place except that it’s beautiful, has a world-renowned child life program, and is filled with possibility. Meanwhile, Prince Killian is hardly happy with the title he received at birth. As the second in line for the crown, Killian has long tried shaking his royal duties. He built a career in the royal navy, and has stayed out of the limelight, but his ship has been called to port indefinitely at the request of his brother, the King. Fate (in her many forms) brings Emma and Killian together and the resulting fic is a cute, fluffy, trope filled romp featuring heart felt moments, a healthy dose of insta-love and an assured happily ever after. Story rated M and will have 12 parts. Part 1 Here, Part 2 Here. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! So thank you so much first and foremost for the love you guys have shown this fic. I have been so excited to write this and have been waiting ages to share it all with you. This is the kind of fluff and cuteness I personally need in my life right now, and I know a lot of you probably feel the same. Strap in for my usual dose of CS feels, and yes, for those of you asking, this is the moment CS will meet. Hope you all enjoy and thank you all so much for reading!

“And you’re sure you’ve got everything?” Emma asked, looking at Henry and knowing that he was ready to head into camp. They’d been over this numerous times, and at this point they were already out of the house and in front of the hall where campers congregated every morning. Still, Emma couldn’t help trying to soak up the moment with her kid just a little bit longer, and if that meant running through their list once more, so be it. “You have your lunch?”

“They give us lunch there, Mom.”

“Oh right,” she said, still shocked at how much was provided seeing as this program was free through the University. The children of all faculty and students were allowed to come, and it completely eradicated a need for her to find alternative childcare. Back in the States they had nothing like this built in anywhere. Getting Henry to camp previously either took a funding miracle, an insane amount of luck, or extra shifts at a second job. Usually he stayed with Mrs. H and Emma tried desperately to make it up to their neighbor. But now community sponsored help was becoming a given way of life, and every kid in Montenarro, no matter their background, seemed to have at least one path to a bright and happy summer.

“You’ve got your bag? How about water?”

“Yes and yes. We ran through this already, remember? I told you everything I had while you made breakfast.”

Emma smiled, knowing he was right, as crazy as it sounded. It was wild to her that on a weekday she would have the time, the patience, and the extra bit of cash to afford the spread they ate together today.  They had eggs, fruit, bacon, oatmeal and there were fresh pastries if they wanted. It was like their special holiday brunch, which happened on Christmas or on one of their birthdays, but they’d had this or something similar every day for nearly two weeks. It might seem over the top, but between the later starting hours here in Montenarro, her reduced work schedule with a generous stipend, and the fairer prices at the markets, Emma finally felt like she could give her son what he deserved. For years they’d chowed down on discount cereal, and now, in an attempt to enjoy themselves and resemble their new neighbors, they were taking a slower, and far and away more luxurious approach.

“I remember, kid. So I’ll be back here at four, and if I’m a little late -,”

“I just hang out a while longer, I know,” Henry said, looking to the doorway. A grin appeared at his face as he spotted one of his new friends. The other young boy waved in their direction and Henry waved back, causing Emma’s heart to melt. Her son not only had friends here, he was thriving. He was so happy, and seeing him this way made her happy too. “You don’t have to rush, Mom. I know your work ends early now, but maybe you could do something just for yourself.”

“Are you trying to tell me you’d rather stay later?” Emma asked, and Henry looked embarrassed for a moment before nodding.

“Not too much later, but Michael and Talia stay until five, and we’ve got this cool game going that we made up yesterday. It’s kind of hard to explain. But I can come home at four still. It’s okay, I’ll just -,”

“No, no, Henry, I am thrilled that you’re having a good time. I’ll be here at five.”

“Cool! Thanks, Mom!” Henry exclaimed, giving her a quick hug before heading for the door. “See you at five!”

She watched him get in safely, and the director of the camp who she’d met last week wished her a fond hello as she checked in Henry. Her greeting was pleasant and polite, and Emma knew if she had time the woman would talk her ear off about what it was like to be from America or the upcoming summer festivals. As it was though, Emma had to get going. She wasn’t late for work or anything, but she was eager to get there. Her work at the JR foundation was shaping up to be amazing. She was learning a lot, but she already felt like one of the team. Everyone who was there appreciated her, not just for working and helping out, but for her ideas. They were so responsive to suggestions, and always willing to try out any new concepts Emma had only really read about in books.

Their director, Marco, wasn’t like a normal boss. He didn’t hover or micromanage or come across as inaccessible. In fact, despite all the other calls on his time, Marco was with them all helping the kids and participating in their activities as much as he could. That leadership was so amazing in a space like this, and from everything Emma had experienced, the precedent he set was entirely reflective of the culture at large. Every person at the institute was determined to do right by these kids, and the children, despite the sad circumstances surrounding most of their lives, were doing so well and seemed so happy despite it all.

It was only a few city blocks from Henry’s camp to the center, but Emma let herself linger in the walk. She moved more slowly, matching the pace of the people around her, who never seemed to rush, and instead just enjoyed each day as it came. People were always smiling and laughing, and even the fighting was good natured. The streets were bustling but not full. They were cleaned regularly, maintaining the gorgeous cobblestone walks and the beautiful vintage architecture. It was warm here – a quintessential coastal retreat in the Mediterranean that she’d only ever imagined in her dreams or seen on travel TV. Everything considered, it was the opposite of New York, and despite having lived in the city she and Henry called home for more than ten years, Emma had to admit she didn’t miss it… at least not as much as she thought she would.

Don’t get too attached, Emma. This is temporary. Enjoy it while you can, but your real life is nothing like this.

The voice in her head was negative, but had a point, and Emma had no choice but to heed the advice. She would enjoy every bit of this she could, but she couldn’t get too comfortable, otherwise she’d miss this when they left. Even thinking of the heartbreak that may come if Henry continued to love it here so much left her reeling, but Emma carried on, pushing down that worry as she made her way past the institute’s front gates. It was important that she be in the right headspace when walking through these doors. The kids deserved her at 100%, and that was what she planned to be for them. Shaking off the worry from moments ago she moved inside, and as soon as she arrived, she was greeted by the sound of children running and laughing.

Some people might look at this place right now, apparently filled to the brim with kids who were wired and excitable now that it was officially summer and the school term was over, and think that this was chaos, but Emma knew better by now. Every child here ranging in age from six months to sixteen was attended to and accounted for. They had a large brood of kids, with sixty-seven at last count, and this was the biggest home under the JR foundation, though there were half a dozen more around the small country. Many children who were here would eventually be adopted, or would merge into part of a nationally funded fostering program, known for being one of the best systems in the world. In their last two years of school, older children went to special homes or foster placements designed just for them, to give them the attention and time they needed (instead of leaving them to the wayside for the sake of younger, needier children), and to prepare them for life outside of the system. Emma would eventually shadow a center that worked with those young adults, but for now, she was enjoying the hustle and bustle of the general group.

“Look, Char, it’s Emma!” one young boy named Thomas proclaimed to his little sister Charlotte from across the room, and in seconds every child had turned and was excitedly greeting her. Some of them came right up to hug her or give her a high five, but at the very least they all nodded in her direction and chirped out a fond hello.

“Good morning everyone,” Emma said, noticing the bags along the doorway and how the older kids were dressed in a uniform of navy colored shorts and florescent green shirts. “Did I miss something?” Emma asked aloud, not really to anyone in particular, but an answer came from one of the institute’s most trusted sources.

“Flora is taking the older children to the seaside today for a science lesson.”

The woman who filled Emma in was named Elsa, and despite the humidity in the air and the exuberance of the children all around them, she was totally put together and looked completely unstressed. Her hair was tied back in her usual braid, and her turquoise colored summer dress flowed in a way that looked poised for a summer catalogue. Elsa was effortless in an enviable way, but she was so kind and eager to be of help that Emma couldn’t begin to muster jealousy. In a short time Emma had begun to consider Elsa a friend, but though the two of them were roughly the same age, Emma was still a student and Elsa was a fully-fledged child psychologist who lived at the institute full time. She, and her sister Anna, who also worked at the institute, but as an activity’s coordinator, were two peas in a pod, but they’d done everything they could to include Emma and help her get her bearings in this new world.

“Lessons? In the summer?” Emma asked, not surprised that the institute was providing supplementary schooling year-round. She’d seen as much since starting here, but she was more taken aback at how excited these kids looked. Every child aged ten and older was gathered down here, no doubt waiting to fill the two institute vans out back. Still, how fun could a science lesson be?

“We use the term lessons lightly. For the rest of the morning the children will explore the tide pools at the national endowment’s shoreline about an hour north. There are some very unique ecosystems there, and so there is a whole lot to learn. But Flora will have them break for lunch and Anna takes over in the afternoon.”

“What’s she got in store for them?” Emma asked and Elsa shook her head.

“Well I can’t exactly say, as I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” Her smile grew at how silly that sounded, and she looked over her shoulder to check for Anna, but gave a little more when she saw that the coast was clear. “Let’s just say it’s going to be a jam-packed day that will go out with a blaze of glory.”

The emphasis Elsa used on the word ‘blaze’ made Emma think that there would likely be a beachside bonfire included, but before she could get confirmation, things started moving quickly. The older kids were summoned to the shuttles to go out for their day, and Emma meanwhile saw the clock and realized it was time for her to report to Marco’s office to get her assignment for the day. Moving through the playroom and the sunroom, which had the younger children and the babies respectively, she finally found her way and after knocking she walked into the brightly lit hub of all things here at the institute.

“Ah, good morning, Emma,” Marco said with a big smile, waving her in and gesturing that she should take a seat beside one of the other workers at the institute, Marie. Marie was Marco’s second in command, and though she never used the phase herself, the children had taken to calling her Nana. She had a maternal way about her, and every child seemed to love her as they might a favorite grandmother. “You’re here just in time. I’ve been talking with Marie and we think that today would be a perfect opportunity to try one of your intervention measures.”

“Really?” Emma asked, surprised, but excited at the thought. This would be the third that they had tried, and the last two had gone off without a hitch. “Which one?”

“The ‘Music Makes Me…’ one seems like a good choice. We have a few children who, to now, have been less responsive to our normal socializing measures. Their either shy or hurting, and we’re hoping to help them open up. Elsa’s our counselor on shift today and she’s eager to help oversee this. You’ll take the lead, but she’ll be there for any help you might need. We realize it’s a long-term project,” Marco said, looking down at a piece of paper to check his facts. “You wrote here three times a week for eight weeks. Is that right?”

“Yes, sir. Ideally. Positive identity work can start yielding results as soon as three weeks, but the Princeton Psychology Review did a study this winter that showed children’s habit forming reaches its peak effectiveness after the eight-week mark.”

“And this is one of the projects you modeled off of your own parenting experience, correct?” Marco asked as Emma nodded. Her throat grew tight at the genuine emotion behind this tactic, but this was a place with people she trusted not to judge her. As such, she shared what sparked the idea.

“When Henry first started school, he was one of the only kids that wasn’t in a two-parent household. Even the other single parents had some sort of family behind them, like grandparents, aunts and uncles, or other kids. I’m not exactly sure how long he struggled with being different in that way, he’s an independent kid and he kept his pain over that closed in, probably to spare me from being worried. But when his teachers gave me their assessment and told me what they thought was happening, I set something not dissimilar to this up. We tried painting and crafting to express his emotions, but the music seemed to help so much more.”

“It’s really remarkable, the way you’ve melded your experience with your son and your own past in with all of this cutting-edge research. It’s one of the many reasons we’re so thrilled you’re with us this year,” Marie said cheerfully and Emma warmed at the comment. Telling the story of her son’s pain at not having a father, however vague she had kept it, was hard, especially because Emma lay awake many nights wondering if he was missing something fundamental by not having a father. She wondered if it may hurt him in the long run. But she was reassured by the fact that she always did her best for Henry, and that her experience could help not just her son, but the children here who had no present parents at all.  

“Given that it’s rather late notice, do you think you can manage? We’ve got a window right now for a few hours. Elsa’s already selected the children who may need the intervention most. She kept it in the 5-8 age range as you suggested.”

Emma immediately assured them that she could pull this together, as the concept was not hard. Basically what this practice/exercise included was playing music that was grounded in emotion. Some that were happy, some more subdued, some fast, and some slow, and encouraging kids to do what they wanted when they heard that. For Henry he’d always loved to run around and dance at the fast-paced songs. Then the slower ones were always more interesting. Sometimes he picked up a favorite toy, drew a picture on the supplies she left out, or created his own little imaginary game. All the while, however, Emma’s job was to engage, support, and ask questions.

The questions always started mildly. What’s your favorite color today? (she’d learned early not to box her son into ultimate favorites). If you could have any snack in the world what would you choose? What animal makes the funniest sound? Then the questions would evolve. Her son, like many kids, was a vivid dreamer and Emma often asked about those night time visions. Sometimes they meant nothing but sometimes they told her a lot. She wanted to include that with these kids, but also include more focused questions to them about how they felt here at the institute, what they felt like when they told people from the outside about living here, and what they dreamed of for the future. She’d always ended each session with Henry in two parts. The first was to ask Henry what his biggest wish was for someone else, and the second was to ask his biggest wish for himself. Kids at his age were filled with wishes and wants, but Emma knew from personal experience, that that may already be flickering away in kids without parents. She’d been seven years old when her hope truly started to fade away, and she believed if she’d had these kind of positive affirmations and people who were working to see her happy and well situated, her relationship with the world and herself would have been much easier.

In the end, Marco, Marie, and Elsa decided that there were five best candidates for today’s intervention. Stella and Timothy were a biological brother and sister who had been at the institute for about a year. They were eight and six, and both of them were doing pretty well despite their parents losing custody of them from continued problems with substance abuse. They were likely moving into a fostering situation by the end of the summer, but they had been here a bit longer than normal because they were bonded together and making that accommodation took patience and the right placement. According to Elsa, Stella’s teachers a few times had mentioned her shyness, especially when people brought up her home life. Malek was a seven-year-old boy from a similar situation, though his father was in the process of getting clean for his son. The institute was always cautious for replacement with parents who struggled, but if his father could demonstrate stability and stay clean a full year, the legal system would grant him custody again. Malek, understandably, had mixed feelings about going back, and Emma wanted to try and help him with those through this process. Carlos, meanwhile, was a rambunctious six-year-old who had been given up at birth. He was shaped by his status as an orphan, and had a few close adoption calls that ultimately fell through. Luckily, though, a new family with sincere interest and the means to take care of him was stepping up, and they had exactly eight weeks before the system would process their filing for adoption, a perfect amount of time to help Carlos with some of these image issues before he settled into his new home.

The final child in Emma’s care today, however, was Cecilia, or as the other children called her, ‘CeeCee.’ Cecelia was a newcomer to the institute, and at just barely five years old, she was the youngest in Emma’s group today. She was quiet and withdrawn, but given her background that was all to be expected. At such a young age Cecelia had already been through so much. When she was two her parents had tragically passed in a car accident, and she’d moved in with her grandmother. Her grandmother was loving and did everything she could for her, but she was in poor health, and was now in need of care herself. Emma wasn’t here on the day that Cecelia came to the foundation, but Elsa had mentioned it with tears in her eyes a few days prior.

“I’ve seen so much heartbreak in this job, but watching that little girl realize she was being left behind… It was awful. She cried so quietly and for so long. It took us weeks to get her to say anything at all.”

Even now Cecelia was always quiet. She’d blended in a bit more with the other children, but she wasn’t particularly bonded to any of them. She had grown to be more trusting of the adults, but not in a really promising way. With Emma she’d always been sweet and well-tempered, but Emma hoped that this process might help her, and might get her to a place where she could be better socialized and cared for.  The next few hours proved to be even more promising than Emma dared to hope. All five children not only had fun, but made good steps towards progress. They all confided a little bit in Emma and Elsa, and they all responded well to the method. When Emma asked them if they’d like to do this again in a few days, all five of them were thrilled, and little Cecelia, who was normally so shy, was the biggest shock of all. Over the course of the few hours she’d opened up so much to Emma, and by the end of the session she was holding Emma’s hand tightly, intent on going with her through her day. Emma was so happy to see this little girl doing so much better, and she had to admit she was invested in this child, perhaps more than any other she’d met so far at the institute.

“Do you think it’s all right?” Emma asked, motioning downwards, but not saying everything aloud. The last thing she wanted was for Cecelia to not feel wanted when she’d made such tremendous progress, but she was worried about what might happen if she grew too attached.

“This happens sometimes. Kids have a sense for safe spaces. She was already responding really well to you before,” Elsa said, crouching down and waving at Cecelia, sharing a soft compliment for the toy rabbit she was carrying with her today, which made the little girl smile and chirp out a gentle ‘Thank You.’ Even that little show of gratitude and the genuine smile was an improvement, and Emma felt a burst of pride seeing this young girl come out of her shell. “We’ll keep an eye on it, but I think it’s best to see where it goes. She’s showing no signs of dependency, and hopefully you’ll be the perfect gateway for her to let the rest of us in.”

Emma hoped that Elsa was right, and as everyone in the center gathered for lunch, Cecelia stayed close by. Emma did her best to stay attentive to all of the kids who choose to eat with her today, but she also wanted to lead this lost little girl towards others who may be her friends. She was making good progress with another five-year-old named Ava, who was eager to be friendlier with Cecelia, when Marie approached, appearing frazzled and a little shaken.

“Is everything all right?” Emma asked, careful to keep her words calm and her tone even so as not to scare the kids. Her instincts were that something bad must be happening, but Marie shook her head, quickly dispelling her of that notion.

“Everything is wonderful, dear. We just have an unexpected visitor – actually I guess visitor is the wrong word. He’ll be staying on here for a while to work with us all. It’s a bit unexpected, but I dare say it’ll prove a delight in the end, for us and for the children.”

“Who is it that’s coming?” Emma asked, and Marie looked poised to blurt something out, but then caught herself and weighed her words carefully.

“One of the members of the family who run the foundation.”

Emma now began to understand the sudden rise in stress. Whatever JR stood for, and whichever family it was that could afford to spend so much on these resources, they must be both terribly rich and powerful. Being so new here, Emma didn’t know any background about the endowment, but she hoped that whoever was coming would be a help and not a hindrance. Surely they’d come here and see how much good work was being accomplished. She hated to think they’d be coming to make cuts or roll back funding.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Emma asked and Marie shook her head.

“Oh no dear. You’re doing a wonderful job. This isn’t an assessment of any kind. I believe it’s a genuine act of charity. You see he’s been in the military, and now he’s come home. His family’s no doubt pushing him towards some kind of occupation, and he’s chosen this as his pursuit.”

Emma wanted to ask more, about if this mystery man had any experience with kids or why, even if he was so very rich, Marie displayed school-girlish enthusiasm at his coming, but the older woman moved on to handle something else. Instead Emma waved Elsa over and asked her if she knew the man who was coming.

“Of course I do, everyone knows him,” Elsa said, thoroughly adamant that this stranger was of some notoriety. Then her features softened and she took on a thoughtful expression. “Well I suppose we know of him. We’ve never met, you see. But it’s impossible not to know him.”

Emma nodded, but she was still somewhat surprised. To this point she hadn’t gathered a sense that the family who ran the endowment was exceedingly involved in the day to day of the center. But then again, Elsa had been here far longer than her, and so she probably needed to keep track of the important players who were their most generous donors. Emma could have remained hung up on the strangeness of it all, but instead her mind wandered to the few details she did know. He was a military man, newly home, and he was coming here to make a difference. She thought about that and what that meant, and she found that she already liked him, or at least his attitude. Serving in the armed forces meant a life of service – to come home from that and still want to help others was admirable, and she hoped it would provide a good role model for the children, no matter what his actual child life background might be.

From the window in the great hall where all of the children and staff took their meals, they could all see down the back drive where a second entrance to the center was located. At that moment three black SUVs began their ascent, and the children’s attention immediately perked up as they ran to the windows. Emma felt the growing anticipation at the new arrival, and she wondered why there would need to be three SUVs. It reminded her of the protective details that sometimes came in the city, when big time politicians made their way to city hall where she worked for some sort of meeting or photo op. But what would be the reason for such a display today? Why would anyone need one of those when coming to a children’s center? It was hard to grasp, but then she questioned her instinct. The men who exited from the vehicles weren’t in high profile suits. They were more casually dressed, just like any workers here at the center. She wasn’t able to see all of them, but soon enough there were voices in the hall. Marco and Marie greeted the newcomer, and Emma only caught a snippet of the conversation.

“We’re thrilled to have you here, Sir.”

“Killian, please.”

“Killian. Right, sorry. That may take getting used to.”

“Not a problem. We have time.”

Emma was caught up in the sound of the new voice. It was distant, but even from here she felt an impact at the gravel in the tone and the lilt of the accent. It washed over her, sparking a sizzling sensation that was foreign to her, and after weeks in this country she’d always found the accent pleasing, but never responded like this. She found herself wanting to know what this man looked like, to see what kind of appearance could go with a voice that enticing, but she was getting ahead of herself. What did it matter what he looked like? He was going to be a coworker, right? This was hardly the time or place to be interested in someone. Still her stomach swooped with the tell-tale flutter of butterflies and she shifted in her seat. The action, along with the new voice in the hall, sparked something in Cecelia to change from comfortable to tense. The young girl grabbed at Emma’s shirt, latching on for a sense of perceived safety. Emma’s heart reached out to this poor, sweet girl, and she took her hand gently, trying to assure her as swiftly as she could.

“It’s all right, honey. You’re safe here. I promise.”

“I don’t like strangers,” Cecelia said and Emma tried not to get misty eyed at the sense of uncertainty this little girl held so tight.

“I was a stranger once, wasn’t I?” Emma asked and Cecelia considered that before nodding. 

“But you’re nice to me. You read us stories and play us music. You’re my most favorite friend.”

“And you are my friend too, honey. So let’s wait and see what kind of person he is before we decide if we like him, okay? You never know – he could be your favorite too.”

Cecelia looked skeptical but ultimately agreed, and Emma was glad to have that sorted. She had been so focused on curtailing Cecelia’s worry that she forgot where they were. Now she noticed everyone else was standing, children and staff alike, so she helped Cecelia down from her seat and stood up herself. The sounds of people walking in played out around her, but Emma took a moment to make sure her young charge was settled before looking back up. She patted Cecelia’s hair and brushed her full brown curls from her face, with care. Only then did she look up. But when she did, she never could have expected what would happen. 

As her eyes took in the stranger, their gazes met, and she was struck by a sense of recognition and realization that she’d never felt before. Something clicked for her in that moment, in the first few seconds of their seeing each other, and her awareness grew stronger and stronger. So much bubbled up to the surface, emotions and feelings and desire and interest. It was like something was opened within her, and she felt drawn into this man and unable to resist. This stranger had blue eyes, intense but warm all at once, piercing in a way that they seemed like she knew them and they knew her. Instinctively she looked to the rest of him - Killian he said his name was - but it didn’t help her sense of disorientation. His face was remarkable, strong and sure. His hair was dark, and his figure was no doubt honed for the expectations of his years of military service. She felt herself taking him all in, and then caught herself and thought about what a scene she was making. This wasn’t appropriate. Oggling this man just because he was hot – okay more than hot, he was… god was it lame to say perfect – oh Christ she was doing it again. She needed to stop, but when she looked up at him, she caught him doing the same thing to her. It was incredible to feel his interest, and for a moment it was like the world stopped spinning so the two of them could find each other. 

Find each other? Jesus, Emma, get a grip. The thought ran through her head as Marco began to address them all.

“Everyone, this is our newest friend here at the institute, Killian.”

“You’re big,” a boy named Seamus called out, unceremoniously and for a beat Marco and Marie looked concerned, but Killian only laughed.

“You should see my brother.”

“Is he coming too?” Marie asked, looking like she might actually be done in by the news.

“No, ma’am,” Killian said with a small smile and Marie let out a sigh of relief. What was that about?

“Why do you stand so straight?” another boy asked and Killian explained.

“I was in the royal navy.” This was met by a chorus of oohs and aahs, from the girls and boys alike.

“Are you a good person?” someone asked, and only after a moment did Emma realize it was Cecelia. She was shocked at the display of bravery from her little companion, but then that was compounded by Killian’s movement towards them. He split his looks between Cecelia and her, but when he approached he crouched down so as to be eye level with the little girl.

“What’s your name, little one?”

“Cecelia.”

“Cecelia. That’s a beautiful name,” he said honestly and Cecelia swayed side to side a bit with the compliment. “Now as for your question, I certainly try to be good.”

“But you’re a stranger,” Cecelia said, looking at him with a furrowed brow, as if this was some kind of simple math he should understand.

“For now I am. But not forever, I hope.”

“My Emma was a stranger too. She’s a good person. Are you like my Emma?”

Now Killian rose to full height and he addressed Emma as much as he did Cecelia. “I do like her.” Emma’s heart skipped and then she watched his face shift in embarrassment as he realized what he said. “I mean I hope I’m like her, lass. But only time will tell.”

“Miss Emma, does time talk?” Cecelia asked and Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing as her eyes caught Killian’s again.

“No, honey. It’s an expression. It means that with a little bit of time you will know if he’s a good person. You just have to be patient.”

The look Killian gave her in that moment was packed with so much. Gratitude, interest, and something more. There was a charge between them that she just couldn’t deny, and she could tell he felt it too. But before he could say anymore, Marco called everyone’s attention again.

“Anyone have any ideas as to how we should welcome Killian?” he asked and a chorus of answers came flooding in.

“I know! I know! We should show him our giving tree.”

“No! We should show him our playground!”

“I want to show him my pirate ship!”

“We should feed him the turnovers Cook makes. She hides them in a secret spot but I know where they are!”

“Well that all sounds brilliant, especially the turnovers. Why don’t we do all of it?” Killian asked, before looking to Marco who nodded readily. The kids looked excited, and were eager to go, but before things got too crazy, Killian looked back at Emma and grinned.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Emma.”

And with that, and with so much swag and sexiness it made her a little dizzy, this mysterious new man set off, throwing himself into the deep end with these kids, and showing them all that he could hold as own, just as surely as he could hold her attention.

Post-Note: So there we have it! I know, I know, you’re probably mad I kept their meeting so short and waited until the very end, but next chapter I am planning to include this first meeting from Killian’s POV. This story, as much as any of my stories can, has a bit of a slower build, because there are a lot of elements I really want to include, but I promise there’s plenty of fluff in store and a lot of cuteness that yet to come. Thank you all so much for reading, and I really hope you’ll leave a comment or a review. I’d love to see what you all think and what you’d like to see going forward in this new fic. Anyway, I will do my best to update soon (probably next weekend), but in the meantime I hope you’re all well, safe, and happy in this uncertain time!

[cal-puddies]

meet fletch || pt. 8 || ashton irwin

meet fletch || pt 1 || pt 2 || pt 3 || pt 4 || pt 5 || pt 6 || pt 7

“You three look so handsome.” You say, admiring Cal, Ash and Fletch in their suits for Ashton’s upcoming wedding. 

It’s been a busy two years. Ash and Kay Kay broke up pretty soon after you and Fletch moved to LA. Ashton met Emma on a soul searching trip to Nashville and he instantly liked her. 

He talked her into moving to LA after 6 months and then proposed a year later. She was a great partner for you and Ash to have with Fletch and she was great with him, she also became one of your best friends. 

“We clean up.” Cal laughs.

“Alright. I’ve gotta get to the dress fitting. Fletch are you staying at Dad’s tonight or with Cal and I?” You ask, fixing his tie. 10 year old Fletcher was the spitting image of his father at that age, except he wore his natural curls instead of spiking it straight like Ash had done. 

“I’m gonna stay with dad, if that’s ok?” He checks. 

“Fine by me.” You look to Ash and he nods. “Let me know if we need to pack anything for you.” 

You were leaving for Nashville for the week the next morning. Emma was insistent she get married in her hometown and Ashton was gonna give her anything she wanted. 

You and Cal had bought a house after about a year and a half together, putting the two of you at about 3 years now. 

His ‘I love you’ slipped out while you were visiting them on their writing trip and you guys got drunk together. You knew Cal uttering those words was important. And you said it back. 

“I will.” Fletch smiles, “love you mom.” 

“Love you too bub, be good for Cal and Dad.” You warn and kiss his head. You lean over and kiss Ash on the cheek and Cal pulls you into a full on kiss and murmurs “love you” before letting you go for your own fitting. 

You head for the door and Cal turns to Ash and Fletch. “I have to talk to you guys about something and Ash I’m sorry I don’t want it to take away from you and your day.” He sighs, “but I wanna do it soon. I promise it won’t affect your wedding. I want to propose. Fletch you are an awesome kid and I love your mom so much, it’d mean the world if you were cool with it.” Cal appeals to Fletch. 

“Of course Cal; id love for you to be my pops.” Fletch hugs him. 

“Don’t call him Pops, it’s disrespectful.” Ashton rolls his eyes. 

“If he wants to call me pops, let him.” Cal laughs. “Ash?” 

“Of course, couldn’t think of anyone better to have be apart of this,” Ash hugs him next, “you’re incredible Cal, you know I think that of you. And you make her happy and you’re good to Fletch. I love this.” 

And that was that. 

Fletch thrived with two men of influence in his life, and it was a lot easier to be partners than enemies when it came to being a parent so having Ash and Emma on board with all decisions made it that much easier to co-parent. 

Cal comes home to you at the kitchen island with a glass of wine. “Whatcha got there?” He asks, filling the glass you’d left out for him. 

“Ash’s wedding gift.” You say, holding it up to show him the amended birth certificate with Ashton Irwin listed as the father, and the legal documents to officially change Fletch’s last name to his. 

Not a single soul questioned whether or not fletch was Ashton’s when he’d finally gotten to tell about 6 months before he met Emma. He was right and it had completely rocked you and Fletcher’s worlds to now have that much attention when you did anything normal, but you worked through it. 

“He’s gonna love that.” Cal says, wrapping an arm around the front of your shoulders and pushing his lips to your head. 

“Well, it’s about time,” you murmur. “Did y’all have a nice afternoon?” You ask. 

“Oh no! Emma is getting to you! ‘Y’all’,” he mocks. “Yes we did.” 

You chuckle and kiss his forearm. “What do you think, trash tv and packing?” You ask, turning to him. 

“I was hoping to get you naked.” He pouts. 

“Maybe after we pack?” You kiss his stuck out lip, “or, no fletch so we can just see what happens.” You shrug, grabbing the bottle and heading toward the bedroom. 

But Cal’s better than that and you’re naked with your fingers in his hair before the suitcases even came out. 

Emma grins wide when you and Cal meet the three of them at the airport. You were flying private, so it was a little easier than normal to fly. She gives you a big hug and then steals Cal away. 

“Um, the boys told me you were gonna propose and you thought you could keep it from me?!” She asks him, making sure you were out of ear shot. 

“I wasn’t trying to keep it from you, I needed to make sure that Fletch was on board and Ash too, and then I didn’t want it to be over your wedding either…” he explains, shrugging. 

“Hood, are you kidding me! This is incredible news! I want to hear all about what you have planned.” 

“Nothing yet. I’ll know the time is right.” He admits. “I don’t think she needs the grand gesture.” 

“More than that, she wouldn’t want it.” Emma smiles at him, “it warms my heart that you know her so well.” 

He rolls his eyes and feels your arm slip around his waist. “Hey my love.” He murmurs. 

It was just the five of you, Mike and Crystal coming a couple days later and Luke and Sierra were already there. 

“Emma! Do you think Mason will be there?” Fletch asks, referring to her nephew who was the same age. 

“He will be!” She confirms, “which reminds me, my sister offered to watch Fletch for the week, so he can stay with Mason if we’re all ok with that.”

“Liz is crazy if she wants both of them.” You laugh. 

“You and Cal handled it when they came to visit.” Emma points out. 

“I still don’t know how.” You laugh. 

You and Cal get dropped at your Air bnb, which is on the same block as the house Ashton and Emma bought in Nashville. They take Fletch since Mason and Liz are picking him up from their place. “I like the idea of us being alone all week.” You smirk. 

“You ever get enough of me?” Cal smirks. 

“No, thank god for it too.” You laugh. 

“Yeah… I like you naked and begging for me.” He admits. 

“Usually the other way around, isn’t it?” You laugh. 

“In your dreams bubba.” He chuckles, pulling your in for a kiss. 

You tangle your fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and murmur “only in my best, dirtiest dreams.” You chuckle. 

“I’m willing to dedicate time to explorin’ those.” He murmurs back, pulling your hips against his and leaning you back. Your arms wrap around his neck. 

“I let you... when you bring them up.” You bite his plump bottom lip and pull it between your teeth. 

“I’ll never understand how you absolutely trust me with the living human that’s the most important to you in the entire world, but you won’t trust me with a little wet dream.” He pecks your lips and lets you go, sitting on the bed. 

“Well when you put it that way.” You laugh, closing the space between you two to straddle him. 

Cal grins at you, his hands slowly move up your thighs, and then they are on your ass. He squeezes. He’s found out, on no admission of your own, that squeezing, spanking or rubbing on your ass were always a definite yes for you. You loved it. You rest your head on his shoulder and nuzzle your nose against his neck. 

His lips trail up your neck to just beside your ear. “I wanna taste you, and then I wanna rail you.” He admits, nibbling your earlobe. You let out a little whimper and it’s all the assurance Cal needs that you want it too. 

The next thing you know, you’re sprawled on the bed Cal’s strong arms are wrapped around your thighs and you are moaning obscenely with fingers curled into his hair, heals pressed to his back. 

“Love when you’re loud,” he murmurs. “Know you’re close… let it go.” He coaxes. 

“Cal!” You whine, as his tongue teases your clit a little. “Holy fuck… want you to fuck me from behind.” 

“I will. I want to so bad baby… but you gotta cum.” He demands. His thumbs pull your lips apart and his tongue lightly teases your clit until you give him what he wants. Pulling his hair and moaning out his name. “There it is. Thank you,” He grins, releasing your thighs and kissing up your belly to your mouth. Your hands push into his boxer briefs and slowly start to jerk him. “My favorite girl.” He grins into another kiss. “You work me so well.” 

“Better be your only girl at this point Hood.” You chuckle, giving his cock an extra tight squeeze, then pushing his underwear off his hips. 

“When would I have time for another girl?” He chuckles, kissing you again quick before grabbing your hips and flipping you over. 

“Valid point. I do keep you pretty busy.” You wink over your shoulder at him. 

“And so very satisfied.” He confirms, kissing your shoulder. You push your hips up, getting your ass in the air and Cal settles on his knees behind you, he runs his hands over your ass and the back of your thighs before lining up. “Ready?” He asks. 

“Very.” You nod. Cal pushes in and is met with a moan from you. “fuck… I love you.” You look over your shoulder at him. 

Cal chuckles, “I love you too… but hopefully that’s not just for my cock.” 

“I’ll admit, it’s a nice, big, added bonus.” You smirk and it’s met with another chuckle. He smacks your ass and it’s met with whimpers. 

In the thick of it, Cal’s phone rings and he loses his rhythm a bit.. “wait babe…” he says. 

“Calum… you are literally balls deep with two fingers in my ass… if you go answer that phone you will regret it.” You warn. 

“Fair enough. I can call back.” He admits. His final few thrusts a few minutes later are hard and push you forward, pushing your face into the pillows as you moan for him and squeeze around his cock. He holds your hips and pushes his hard against yours. He collapses on top of you and presses kisses all over your shoulders and neck while you both catch your breath. “I love how hard you cum when you let me finger you ass.” 

“I love that you didn’t get freaked out when I said I wanted to try it.” You admit, laughing. You reach back and splay your fingers in his hair. “Also love you on top of me when we finish. It feels so personal.” You whisper. 

“It’s very personal.” He agrees. “I just need to be close to you.” He sighs, “but I’m open to anything baby, so you ever have one of those fantasies you wanna try. Just let me know.” He kisses your cheek and rolls off of you onto his back beside you, pulling you in close, smoothing your hair on your head. 

Your phone buzzes on the bedside table and Cal grabs both, holding yours up first. “What is it?” You ask. 

“Ash and Em wanna take us to dinner tonight.” 

“Why?” You whine. “Fine… s’pose we gotta eat sometime.” 

“We don’t have to babe. We can order in or go out and grab something ourselves.” He laughs. 

“It’s fine. Let’s just do it.” You groan. 

“Mmkay… he said they’d be here at 530. We should shower.” Cal says softly. 

There wasn’t an inch of your body you didn’t want Calum to know or touch, so he was comfortable helping you clean out any lingering cum, and making sure he got the lube cleaned from your ass. 

And then you were half dressed and putting on makeup, Cal’s next to you trying to do something with his hair. “Would you have wanted to meet me earlier, before ash?” You ask, blending out some eye shadow. 

“I never would have been ready for you earlier than when I met you. Not mature enough to understand Fletch’s role in your life, or the One Ash would come to have. Even if it was before Ash, I never would have been able to keep you.” He admits. 

You stop what you're doing a minute and look over at him, smiling. “I love you. I don’t know what I expected you to say to that, but that wasn’t it and it was perfect.” 

He stops fussing with his hair and grabs your hips to turn you to face him. “Here’s what I do know: if everything stopped tomorrow… if I couldn’t do music, if I had you and fletch, that’d be enough. It’d be more than enough.”

You make a big pouty face at him and he kisses your bottom lip, “we have 15 minutes, I’m gonna need you to find a shirt.” 

“Let’s stay in and go round two.” You quirk an eyebrow. 

“No… we already said we’d go… I’d love nothing more than to give you hours and hours exploring our dirty minds. But it’s important for us to celebrate them this week.” Cal insists. 

“I know.” You push against him and cal kisses your head. 

He gently drums on your butt, “let’s move it little lady.” You quickly finish your makeup and pull a shirt on, and a pair of heels. Cal grabs your leather jacket as you put things in your bag. “You ready baby cakes?” 

“Yeah. You look handsome.” You say, giving him a once over. 

“Gotta look my best to stand next to you.” He chuckles, holding your jacket out for you to put on. You slip it on and lean up to kiss him, and then Ash and Emma are there. 

Dinner is uneventful. But Cal buys a round of shots. And then Ash does, and then you’re moving onto another bar, and Luke and Sierra join you. And before you know it, you’re tipsy, but so is everyone else. You’re sipping your drink and you look at Ashton who’s seated next to you. “I wanna tell you something.” 

“What is it?” He asks, his tipsy energy matches yours. 

“I wanna marry Cal.” You giggle. 

“Wait!” Luke turns to you, “did you just say?” 

“Luke stop eavesdropping!” You hit his shoulder. “It’s a secret.” 

“I won’t say a word.” He promises. 

But ash is staring at you with a big grin on his face, and he pulls you into a hug. “Yes I love this. I support it… I honestly thought you’d never get there.” 

“We’ll revisit, but I’m happy you’re into it.” You smile. Ash kisses your forehead and then Cal’s back. 

“Baby cakes, how ya feelin?” He checks. 

“I love you. I’m very happy right now.” You say, smiling at him. 

“I love you too. You wanna go home with me?” He asks. 

“Yeah.” You nod. Cal holds out his hands and pulls you to your feet. 

“Boo! The party is leaving!” Luke calls. 

“Guys we have the bachelor and bachelorette parties tomorrow. No one needs to get smashed tonight.” Cal reminds the group. 

“Fuck. You’re right.” Ash groans.”ok ok… let’s get an uber. We can come back for the car tomorrow.”

And then you’re home but you’re still in a Cal bliss you can’t quite describe. You’re in his shirt and you’re both having another drink and your hands are always on him, he’s noticed. 

“What’s up?” He asks. 

“What do you mean?” You ask, knotting your fingers into his shirt as you sit on the couch, the tv on. 

“You just… I’m not mad… but you’ve been attached to me all night.” 

You think about it a minute. “I dunno Cal… I just feel really in love with you and I feel like I need to be close and touching you.” Your eyebrows knit together. “I dunno why.” 

“That’s ok. Be as close as you want.” He nods, kissing the top of your head. “What do you want for your future?” He asks. 

“You.” It’s the only answer you have for him. 

Cal looks at you and blinks. “Grab this blanket. Go out back. I’ll be there in a minute.” He says. You do as he asks, but you don’t like it. 

He’s quick and he’s out back with you. He grabs the blanket and holds it around the both of you. “I’ve kinda had this thing on my mind lately… and I wanted to wait… but I already talked to Fletch and Ash about it…” 

“I want to get married.” You blurt out. “To you.” You make it clear. 

“I’m literally proposing to you right now!” Cal says, exasperated. 

“I know, I’m sorry. I wanted to say it. I wanted you to know that I feel it too. And that you’re what I look for in my future.” You shrug. 

“Baby.” He coos. “Me and you and fletch. Forever. That’s what you want?” 

“Yeah… yes.” You nod. “Wait! Do you want more kids?” You ask. 

“With you, yes.” He nods. 

“Ok yes!” You’re bouncing on the balls of your feet and trying not to cry. Cal slips the ring on your finger, he knows you didn’t care about the ring. It was the gesture. You didn’t bother looking at it and immediately press yourself into him. 

The next few days are a blur, half from alcohol and half from all the goings on of the wedding. It was hard, you wanted to be exclusively intertwined with Calum, but you both had wedding duties to attend to that took you to opposite schedules. Only passing when you collapsed together on the couch after a long day. 

“I miss Fletch.” You admit. 

“Has he called you?” Calum asks. 

“Yeah… I still just miss him. He’s my baby.” You shrug. 

“I know. I was just making sure because he’s called me a couple times.” Cal admits. 

“We should call him and tell him about the engagement?” You ask. 

“Yes. I haven’t told him. Didn’t want to take that away from you. And I haven’t mentioned it to Ash 

either.” 

“It’s your news to share too.” You shrug. 

“Not to them. My family yes… but not those two people. Emma is gonna be so stoked too.” He chuckles. 

“I don’t wanna take away from their day.” You admit. 

“Speaking of, were gonna have long days with the wedding tomorrow.” He mentions. 

You let out a sigh and grab your phone, FaceTiming Fletch. He answers quickly, “did you say yes?” He asks. 

You chuckle and hold up your hand, showing the ring, Cal beaming in the background. “She did.” 

“Wanted you to hear it from both of us.” You smile. 

“Good. Thank you. I’m so excited.” Fletch grins and you again see so much of Ash in him. 

“I got lucky with you, kid.” You admit. 

“Love you mom, Cal.” He grins. 

“Love you.” You both say, “goodnight.” 

The next day is stressful, but you forget about it as Emma hands you a mimosa and a breakfast sandwich as someone twists your hair up the way she wanted it. “You have news for me.” She says, not asking. 

“Cal proposed.” You say quietly, so none of the other bridesmaids you didn’t know that well could hear. She holds her hand out and you quickly twist the ring. “I’ll take it off for the wedding.” You promise. 

“You won’t!” She insists. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you two. How did he do it?” 

“I cut him off and did it first…” you admit, scrunching your nose. “I’ve just been really feeling it this week. So so in love and being around all the wedding stuff and seeing you and ash.” You explain. “We were just on the deck after we went out the other night.” 

“It’s perfect for you guys. So natural.” She grins. 

And then it’s late in the afternoon, everyone is dressed and you slip out with the papers for Ash. You find the room the guys are in, and Luke opens the door, he grins wide and pulls you into a hug, whispering a ‘congrats’. 

“Hey.” Ash says, looking at you, “what are you doing here?” 

“Uhm. Fletch and I have something for you and we wanted to give it to you early, so it didn’t get lost in the shuffle.” You explain, stopping in front of him. Fletch comes to stand next to you and Cal walks back in at that moment.

You hand the Manila envelope to Ash and he pulls it open. On top is the birth certificate. “You didn’t…?” He asks in shock. 

“It was time.” you nod.

And he flips to the next page and you and fletch watch him read it. “Wait, fletch is taking my last name?” He asks. 

“Yeah, it was his idea.” You nod. 

Ash covers his eyes with his free hand. “I wasn’t planning on crying yet.” He admits. “Thank you guys.” He pulls you and fletch into him. “I love you both so much.” He admits. “This… I couldn’t have asked for anything better.” He admits. 

“Glad you like it.” You grin, pulling back and letting Ash hug his son. 

Cal rests his hand on your back and you look at him, “you look gorgeous.” He whispers. 

“Thank you.” You grin. 

“Let me see.” Ash says, pulling your attention from Cal. You look at him, confused a moment and then he insists “the ring.” You pass over your hand, “incredible job Cal. It’s perfect.” He admits. 

“Thank you.” Cal grins.

“I love this. This day is perfect. My son has my last name, my name is on his birth certificate, my best friend has proposed to a wonderful woman, I’m marrying the woman of my dreams with all of the amazing people I love.” Ash sighs. 

“Ok. I’ve gotta get back. I just wanted you to have this before all the madness.” 

Ash and Emma both make sure there are plenty of pictures of the 5 of you and then you and fletch with ash and also Calum while you’re getting the pictures. 

And then, the party starts. And while you’re trying to stay present in the celebration, you’re living in your love for Cal, your appreciation for the man he’s always been to you, for his never ending patience while you figure things out with Ash, and him being included in fletch decisions. None of it was easy, but he handled it all so well. 

“Come dance with me.” Cal says, approaching you. He holds his hand out and you grab it, and he pulls you and spins you into him, a thing he’s always kind of done for you. 

He keeps you close, he can tell you’re in your head. “Love you.” You murmur. 

“I know.” He kisses your forehead. “I didn’t expect you to have this kind of reaction to Ash getting married.” 

“What reaction is that?” You question. 

“In your head and so totally in love like you are.” 

“I dunno Cal. I dunno what it is. But everything right now…” 

“You don’t need to say it, my love. I know.” He nods. 

The song switches and it’s slower, cal pulls you closer, but Fletch taps on his shoulder. “Hey cal, can I dance with my mom?”

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HUMILIATED & UNHAPPY

July 16, 1960

TV Guide ~ July 16-22, 1960 (Vol.8, No.29 & Issue #381) Cover photo by Sherm Weisberg, Fashions by Sacks Fifth Avenue

This was Lucille Ball’s tenth (of 39) TV Guide covers. 

“A VISIT WITH LUCILLE BALL” by Dan Jenkins

On January 19, 1953, Desi Arnaz rushed exultantly into the Hollywood Brown Derby, grinning that wide, idiotic grin common to new fathers for the past several eons. Striding down a side isle, he threw his arms excitedly in the air and shouted, "Now we got everythin'!" By "everythin'," Arnaz was encompassing quite a bit of territory - an eight-pound son born that morning, the birth of the Ricardo son on ‘I Love Lucy’ that same night and a gold-plated peak of popularity for a television series which, in all probability, will never again be approached. On May 4, 1960, just seven years later, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, quite possibly the most widely known couple in show-business history, were divorced. She had sued for divorce once before (she didn't complete the proceedings), but that was back in 1944 when Desi was a corporal in the Army, Lucy was a star at MGM and World War II was getting all the headlines. By 1960, the Lucy-Desi combine had made so many headlines that no one even bothered to look at the press-clipping scrapbooks any more, or the countless awards that had rolled in on them from all over the country. On an overcast spring afternoon, just 10 days after the divorce, Lucille Ball was sitting in her small but tastefully decorated dressing room on the Desilu lot. That morning, during a short drive over to the neighboring Paramount lot to confer with the producers of her upcoming picture with Bob Hope, she had stuck her head out the window of her chauffeur-driven car and shouted to a friend, "Hi! Remember me? I used to work at Desilu." The remark was not only typical of Lucy Ball but an unwitting reflection of her character and a classic off-the-cuff example of the laugh-clown-laugh tradition. Like most true clowns, Lucy is not a jovial, outgoing person. Her devastating sense of humor, often with a cutting edge, is reserved for her friends. In her dealings with the press she is precise, truthful - and sparing with words. A newsman asked her recently if she had plans to marry again. Lucy stared at him for a few seconds and said simply, "No." (1) The newsman felt that Lucy had missed her calling and should be rushed into the negotiations with Khrushchev forthwith. Relaxing (which is to say, at least sitting down for a few minutes) with an old friend in her dressing room that spring afternoon, Lucy alternated between abrupt sentences and spilled-over paragraphs. On the subject of her immediate plans, she talked almost as though by rote. "I start rehearsals this week for a picture with Bob Hope. It's called 'The Facts of Life.' [She did not wince at the title.] I liked it the minute I read the script and said I'd do it if Bob would. It's written and produced by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. We have a 10-week shooting schedule. "Then I go to New York with the two children, my mother and two maids. We have a seven-room apartment on 69th Street at Lexington. I'll start rehearsals right away for a Broadway show, 'Wildcat.' It's a comedy with music, not a musical comedy, but the music is important. I play a girl wildcatter in the Southwestern oil fields around the turn of the century. It was written by N. Richard Nash, who wrote 'The Rainmaker.' He is co-producer with Michael Kidd, the director. We're still looking for a leading man. I want an unknown. He has to be big, husky, around 40. He has to be able to throw me around, and I'm a pretty big girl. He has to be able to sing, at least a little. (2) I have to sing, too. It's pretty bad. When I practice, I hold my hands over my ears. We open out of town - I don't know where - and come to New York in December. [Ed. Note: ‘Wildcat’ is now scheduled to make its debut in Philadelphia in November.] (3) "I'm terrified. I've never been on the stage before, except in 'Dream Girl' years ago. But we always filmed ‘I Love Lucy’ before a live audience. I knew a long time ago that I was eventually going to go to Broadway and that's one reason why we shot Lucy that way. But I'm still terrified. The contract for the play runs 18 months. Maybe it will last that long. Maybe longer. And maybe it will last three days." (4) The phone rang. A man's voice, the resonant kind which a telephone seems to make louder, wanted to know if Lucy would like to go out that night. Lucy's expression indicated that the whole idea was a bore but the man prattled on. He apparently had a commitment to attend a young night-club singer's act. "I've seen him twice already," Lucy said into the phone, "and his press agent is now saying I've been there eight times. If I go again the kid will be saying I'm in love with him. He's 2-feet-6 and nine years old. I don't want any part of it." The voice on the phone turned to a tone of urgent pleading. Lucy held the phone away from her at arms length and looked to the ceiling for advice and guidance. She finally hung up. "I go out because people ask me to," she said. "I have no love for night clubs, unless there's an act I especially want to see. And I don't especially want to see this kid's again." She lit another cigarette. "Nervous habit," she said. "I don't inhale, never did. Just nerves.” "I get tired too easily. The reaction is beginning to set in. I've had pneumonia twice in a year. That's not good." There was a long silence. Even for old friends, Lucy is not an easy person to talk to. "I filed for the divorce the day after I finished my last piece of film under the Westinghouse contract," she said suddenly. "I should have done it long ago." Would there ever be any more Lucy-Desi specials like those Westinghouse had sponsored? (5) She stared. "No," she said abruptly. She paused. "Even if everything were alright, we'd never work together again. We had six years of a pretty successful series and two years of specials. Why try to top it? That would be foolish. We always knew that when the time came to quit, we'd quit. We were lucky. We quit while we were still ahead." Was she happy?

Another stare. "Am I happy? No. Not yet. I will be. I've been humiliated. That's not easy for a woman." She started to talk about the recent years with Desi. She talked in a quiet, factual monotone, a voice that had been all through bitterness and was now beyond it. She talked with an implicit faith that what she was saying was off the record. It was. Some day, it was suggested to her, somebody was going to write the story. She stared. "Who would want to?" (6) She looked over at the framed picture of Desi that stood on a small table. "Look at him," she said. "That's the way he looked 10 years ago. He doesn't look like that now. He'll never look like that again." The door was opened and a spring breeze began drawing some of the heavy cigarette smoke out of the room. Lucy smiled a little and turned to her desk. "Try to write," she said finally, "more than I said but not as much as I said." 

FOOTNOTES

(1) Lucille Ball did indeed marry again - to Gary Morton (born Morton Goldaper) on November 21, 1961.  They remained married until her death. 

(2) Gordon MacRae, Jock Mahoney, and Gene Barry were considered before Lucille selected Keith Andes to play the role of Joe Dynamite. He was indeed 40 years old at the time of casting. He committed suicide in 2005. 

(3) 'Wildcat’s’ Philadelphia tryout opened on October 29, 1960. The Broadway opening had to be postponed when trucks hauling the sets and costumes to New York were stranded on the New Jersey Turnpike by a major blizzard. After two previews, the show opened on December 16th at Broadway’s Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre.

(4) ‘Wildcat’ ran for 171 regular performances. The show was on hiatus from February 5, 1961 through February 9, 1961 during Lucille Ball's illness. The production was to take a 9-week hiatus after June 3rd, 1961 and re-open August 7, 1961, to complete Ball’s contract, but the show closed and did not return due to Ball’s physical exhaustion. 

(5) Jenkins is referring to the 13 “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours” which were part of the “Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” which continued the adventures of the Ricardos and the Mertzes, including guest stars, musical numbers, and travel-themed episodes. 

(6) Lucy and Desi’s tempestuous marriage has been the subject of several books, two television movies, an award-winning documentary, and at least one stage musical! 

TV Guide columnist Dan Jenkins had his name used by “I Love Lucy” in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) in 1952 for the used furniture salesman played by Hans Conried.  His name was also mentioned in “Lucy and Ethel Buy The Same Dress” (S3;E3) as a possible emcee for their television show.  His qualifications? He plays tissue paper and comb! 

In 1953, when Lucille Ball was accused of being a Communist, the real Dan Jenkins stood up at a press conference and said “Well, I think we all owe Lucy a vote of thanks, and I think a lot of us owe her an apology.” Lucy and Desi walked over to where Jenkins was standing and gave him a huge hug. Jenkins later said, “From that time on, we were very good friends.”  His last interview with Lucy was in 1986 during “Life with Lucy.” 

OTHER ARTICLES

“Shari Lewis and her Puppets” - Lewis was a ventriloquist who’s main character was the sock puppet Lambchop.  In 1960, after years of guest-starring on television, Lewis got her own show, which lasted three years on NBC. 

“Ty Hardin’s Whirlwind Career” - Ty Hardin and his western show “Bronco” (1958-63) was ABC TV’s answer to Clint Walker’s “Cheyenne”.  

“From the Mouth’s of Babes Comes Happy’s Gimmick” - “Happy” (1960-61) was the nickname of a baby, who’s thoughts could be heard by the viewers in this one-season sitcom.  It was filmed at Desilu Studios. 

“The Untouchables - Fact and Fiction: Part 2″ - “The Untouchables” (1959-63) was a series that began on “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” and turned into a hit weekly show by Desilu. 

PHOTO FEATURES

“Linkletter’s Packing Tips” - Art Linkletter was one of television’s most popular hosts and presenters. Lucille Ball appeared on his show “House Party” in 1965 as well as a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show” and a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” both times playing himself. 

“Connie Stevens’ Calorie Counter” - Connie Stevens was a singer and actress then playing Cricket Blake on “Hawaiian Eye” (1959-63). 

REVIEW

“Mystery Show” - was a mystery anthology series broadcast on NBC from May 1960 to September 1960 as a summer replacement for “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” with Walter Slezak as host, except for the last three episodes, which had Vincent Price as host.

At the time Evelyn Bigsby was the Associate Managing Editor for Women’s Features at TV Guide’s Hollywood Bureau. Her name was given to the new mother (played by Mary Jane Croft) who sits next to Lucy on the plane in “Return Home From Europe” (ILL S5;E26) in 1956. 

Depending on the time zone, “I Love Lucy” was re-run every morning at 10 or 11am. Here it competed with “The Price Is Right” which was broadcast in color!  NBC (RCA) was the leader in color television and staked its claim far soon than CBS. “The Lucy Show” didn’t air in color until the fall of 1965. 

In another market, “I Love Lucy” ran weekdays at 10am. This edition (same cover and feature articles, different listings) included “Lucy” episode descriptions, while others did not. Notice that an hour earlier the same channel re-ran Desilu’s series “December Bride”. On Monday, July 18, 1960, the re-run was “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14).  From this we can logically assume that this week, in this particular TV market, channel 2 and 8 presented:

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1960 - “Lucy Meets the Queen (ILL S5;E15)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1960 - “The Fox Hunt” (ILL S5;E16)

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1960 -  “Lucy Goes To Scotland” (ILL S5;E17)

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 1960 - “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18)

On Tuesday, July 19, 1960, at 8:30pm, CBS aired the unsold pilot for "Head of the Family". The pilot had Carl Reiner as TV writer Rob Petrie, Barbara Britton as Rob's wife Laura, Sylvia Miles as Sally Rogers, and Morty Gunty as Buddy Sorrell. In 1961, CBS would score a hit with a new name and a new cast of Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Morey Amsterdam, filmed at Desilu Studios. 

For American TV viewers, this was the week between the Democratic National Convention (July 11-15) and the Republican National Convention (July 25-28).  Both parties affirmed their November presidential candidates: John F. Kennedy (D) and Richard M. Nixon (R). Kennedy would prove the victor on Election Day. 

Eight years earlier, in July 1952, an estimated 70 million voters watched the broadcasts, which ended with the nominations of Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Although the conventions were also televised in 1948, few Americans owned a TV set to watch them. There was a popular myth that Stevenson lost the election because of backlash from interrupting airings of “I Love Lucy” with hour-long campaign ads. Another story has Stevenson receiving a telegram from a Lucy fan that read: “I love Lucy, but I hate you.”  The situation was paralleled on “I Love Lucy” in “The Club Election” (ILL S2;E19).  By 1956, the conventions were less a novelty on television, and drew smaller ratings and less attention. In the summer of 1956, Lucy and Desi were preparing their sixth and final season of “I Love Lucy” and storylines had to revolve around big name guest stars (Orson Welles and Bob Hope) and the move to Connecticut. 

Lucille Ball’s last appearance as Lucy Ricardo was on April 1, 1960, just four and a half months before this issue of TV Guide hit the stands. She wouldn’t return to series television until September 1962, by which time Lucille will be back on the cover of TV Guide once again.  She remained a yearly fixture on the Guide cover until 1974 and then made only one more original appearance to mark her return with “Life With Lucy.” 

After this article comes out, the next time TV viewers see Lucille Ball on their home screens is to promote her film with Bob Hope, The Facts of Life, on “The Garry Moore Show” on September 27, 1960. The film opened in November 1960. 

For more about TV Guide and “I Love Lucy” click here!