#no thank you i will just stick to going to a small lake with my dad...

[whateverloomis]

Hi! Can i ask for a billy loomis x reader where she gets a tattoo of his name either in the side of her breast or in her hip and she shows him and they fuck (if you decide to put the tattoo in her ass he would def drill into reader doggystyle 💀)

This was incredibly fun to write. Thanks for your request anon 💋

🔞 Warnings: AFAB reader (she/her,) cheating, shower sex, fingering, roughness, reader has pre-determined interests, reader has tattoos, implied size difference, unedited

Word count: 2.6k

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"That's ridiculous Stu!" - "A dare is a dare Tatum, she has to do it!" Stu countered while laughing. The couple, Randy and you decided it was a great idea to play truth or dare while drunk. Sidney and Billy had to leave early and the four of you got bored. Stu was obviously the one who suggested the game.

"I mean, he does have a point." Randy said and Tatum gasped in disbelief; "Wh- Are you seriously siding with Stu on this?! YN! Are you even okay with this?" Tatum asked and you sighed, closing your eyes in defeat. "Look, I appreciate your concern Tate, but I mean... I already have tattoos, another small one isn't going to hur-" - "This is Billy's name we're talking about here, YN. What if Sidney sees it? Or even worse, what if Billy sees it? These two idiots aren't going to keep their mouths shut." The girl has a point, but you honestly didn't care. It could easily get covered up with something else in the future.

"You're right on that one." You said and glared at Randy and Stu before continuing; "But I can get it covered up once it heals, plus it's going to be hidden-" - "What about when we go to the lake next weekend, hm? It wont be hidden there, your hip is going to be exposed." Tatum interrupted.

You didn't know why she was so concerned. Maybe it was because of the whole "tattoos are permanent" or "don't get anyone's name tattooed" mentality.

You smiled at Tatum softly and placed your hand on hers reassuringly; "I'll be fine, okay? We're all friends and it's not going to be an issue. It'll just be for some laughs and then I'll get it covered up, okay?"

Tatum sighed, visibly calming down and glaring at Stu and Randy; "You guys are paying for the cover up too." - "What?! That's not part of the dare!" Randy complained and Tatum rolled her eyes; "It is now, dumb ass." - "That's enough guuyyss, who's up next?!" Stu finished the argument.

•

As promised, you went to the local tattoo shop and got "Billy Loomis" tattooed on your right hip.

"Hooh, that looks hot not gonna lie." Stu said while sticking his tongue out. Tatum rolled her eyes playfully and blew a bubble with her chewing gum; "I gotta say, it is a hot placement."

You smirked at your friends and stood up straight so the tattoo artist could put protective film over the ink.

"If Sidney wasn't with Billy he'd 100% be into this." Randy said and you gasped, smirking at him; "Randy shut up! Oh my God..." - 'Who said he wouldn't like it now?" Stu said and smirked at you. You bit your lip in response and rolled you eyes playfully. You knew they were just teasing and joking around, but having your crush's name tattooed on you was a total turn on, and you felt like a little slut with your dirty little secret.

•

When you arrived at your house that night, you couldn't stop staring at his name engraved with ink on your skin.

You modeled in front of the mirror with the bikini you were planning to wear next weekend and imagined how Billy would react to you looking as hot as you did with his name on you. You wondered if he'd actually like it, like Randy and Stu said. If he'd get turned on by it. Hell, if he'd fuck you because of it. Your imagination ran wild with all the possibilities.

Billy had always been low-key flirty with you, and you had to admit that it confused you considering that he has a girlfriend, but you figured that he's comfortable being around you and maybe follows your lead just for fun. I mean, friends casually flirt sometimes jokingly so you guessed it was normal between you guys.

•

It was finally the end of the week and you were leaving to the cabin that Stu's parents own. There's apparently a huge lake that's perfect for the hot summer sun.

Your bag was made and you were once again admiring Billy's name on your skin. The tattoo was small enough to peel and heal just enough to get in the water during the week.

You were putting sun block on your skin and the tattoo looked vivid with the moisture of the cream. You couldn't wait for Billy to see it.

Stu pulled up to your driveway and honked the horn of his parents van. You jumped in excitement and ran down the stairs, bag in hand. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself down, you opened the door and walked towards the car.

Everyone was already seated and there was a space reserved for you at the very back with Randy.

"You ready to show Billy your new tatt- Ow!" you hit Randy on his bicep and Billy looked back from his seat. "Show me what?" He asked, confusion written all over his face.

Stu let out a breathy laugh and Tatum thumped him. Billy looked at the couple suspiciously and bit his inner cheek in annoyance. Luckily he didn't question you again, but he definitely knew something was going on with how obvious everyone was being.

•

After a three hour drive, you guys finally arrived at Stu's cabin and settled in before heading outside and picking a spot to set up a picnic in front of the lake.

The sun was shining bright and the water looked a nice teal color. It was still and quiet.

You could hear the birds and the wind swishing the trees. You helped Tatum and Sidney set up everything before sitting down on the blanket to bathe under the sun.

Taking your short flowy black sun dress off, you revealed your indigo blue bikini. It hugged your body perfectly and exposed just the right amount of skin and curves.

You sat down on the picnic blanket next to the girls and made eye contact with Billy who was taking his shirt off next to you. He raked his eyes up and down your body before giving you a subtle smirk. You bit your lip and looked away only to find Stu giving you a knowing look followed by a breathy laugh. You flipped him off and he shrugged, laughing before running into the water with Randy like a maniac.

Tatum gave you a knowing look as well and you nodded at her before looking at Sidney. "Hey uh, Sid..." You started; "I have something to show you, but I'm giving you context first because it's a little weird."

Sidney looked at you, a subtle smile on her face mixed with confusion; "Yes?" - "Last week when you and Billy left Stu's house early, the rest of us playd truth or dare an-" - "Oh my God, did you kiss Randy?" She asked jokingly and you placed your hand over your mouth to suppress a loud laugh; "What?! No! No... Ugh okay, I got dared by Stu to get Billy's name tattooed on my hip and I did it." You finished quickly and showed the girl your new ink.

Sidney gasped and laughed at the sight. "Oh my Gosh, you're crazy!" - "You see Tatum?! I told you she wouldn't get mad." You said, rolling your eyes at the blonde and she gasped; "Hey! I'm just trynna look out for my girlies, God."

All three of you laughed and looked ahead at the lake. "I wonder what Billy will say." Sidney wondered and you looked at her; "Do you think he'll get mad or something?" - "Nah, I don't think so. Well, maybe at Stu for being an ass and making you do it." Sid replied and you nodded in response, sudden nervousness taking over.

•

After a while, you and the girls decided to get in the water and enjoy the cool temperature after sun bathing.

You approached the shore and Stu swam towards you like a shark waiting to attack.

Before you could dip your whole body in, Stu gasped dramatically. "Oh myyy, YN? Is that a new tattoo?"

You looked at him in disbelief and thumped him; "Shut up, Stu" - "Damn would you look at that! It is a new tattoo" Randy said and looked at Billy. Subtlety wasn't part of both your friends at that moment.

Billy glared at both of them and then stared at you and the girls.

"What the hell is going on with you guys? You've been acting weird since we picked up YN." - "Ugh, Stu dared me to get your name tattooed on my hip and I did, okay?" You answered quickly, annoyance written on your face.

Billy raised an eyebrow and smirked, followed by a laugh. "You actually did it?" He asked while walking towards you.

Stu was trying to hold his laughter in but could barely do it. Tatum smacked his bicep and glared at him. "Don't be an ass." She whispered, the situation clearly being awkward for you.

Billy crouched down in front of you and you showed him the ink, trying to maintain distance, but he was making it impossible.

Billy ran his thumb over the tattoo and let out a breathy laugh. "You're insane." he said and looked up at you. He was amused and his touch made goosbumps arise on your body. It didn't go unnoticed by him and he smirked.

The boy stood up and towered over you, looking straight into your eyes. You blushed at his close proximity. "I like it, it looks hot on you," he said, loud enough for only you to hear before swimming away.

The rest of the group joined him and started playing with water guns and other toys, however you stood in the same spot a few seconds longer, but Randy snapped you out of your daze.

"You coming?" He asked, and you swam towards him. "Didn't know you have a little crush on Billy boy." he said, and you looked at him, faking confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about." - "Oh c'mon, you were tense as a rock." - "Shut up Randy. Even if I did, he's dating Sidney so I'd have to get over it." You countered and he lifted his hands in defeat. "Chill, I'm just messing with you." He laughed softly before swimming along with you.

•

After being in the lake nearly all day you decided to take a shower before joining the group. Little did you know, Billy was also in the cabin waiting to get you alone.

Walking into the bathroom, as you were closing the door something stopped it from moving. You opened it to check what was blocking it and saw it was Billy.

You gasped in surprise and looked up at him. "You can use it first, I can wait a few more minutes to shower." You said and Billy walked a bit closer to you. "Mm no, you go ahead. I don't mind waiting here." He said and stepped in with you, locking the door behind him.

"What um... Are you doi-" - Before you could finish your sentence, Billy pushed you against the wall and kissed you. You yelped against his lips but returned the kiss without thinking about it a few seconds later.

Billy pulled back and looked away, biting his lower lip. "Fuck... Sorry, I've been wanting to do that all day... For so long, at this point." He whispered.

You were at a loss of words and in disbelief. He actually wanted to kiss you? Wanted to feel your soft lips against his?

"Billy I... Why? You're with Sidn-" - "Fuck Sidney... God, that tattoo... My name on your skin? I wanted to fuck you right then and there when you showed me." He admitted, running his hand over your hip.

You couldn't believe what was happening. Billy Loomis wants you just as much as you want him. All this time you could've had him.

The feeling of want consumed your body. You didn't care about Sidney. Selfishness took over you and God did the thrill feel good.

You didn't waste anymore time and kissed him again, quickly reaching for his hair and pulling at the strands.

He moaned as quietly as he could and pulled you against him by your hips.

Billy squeezed the flesh and moved his hands up your back, untying your bikini straps followed by the ones over your neck.

The piece of fabric fell on the floor and he grabbed your tits in his large hands, squeezing them softly while pinching and playing with your nipples. The little moans you released made his cock twitch, it begging to be set free.

"Fuck... You're so hot." Billy whispered while snaking one hand down your body and untying your bikini bottoms.

He ran two fingers between your folds and felt the wetness coat them. He brought his hand up to his mouth and tasted you, moaning as a response.

"You taste so fucking good." He said and you whined at the sight. Billy gestured to the shower with his head and looked into your eyes; "Let's get in there."

You widened your eyes in surprise and bit your bottom lip; "Are you crazy?" - "Maybe, I mean... You wanted to take a shower, right?" He replied, smirking.

•

In the shower, the water ran hot over you. Billy had you against one of the cold walls, your tits pressing against his chest while he finger fucked you and rubbed your clit with his thumb.

"Fuck... Fuck, Billy please." You begged him to move his hand faster, but he was torturing you with his slow movements.

You squeezed his fingers with your cunt and it only made his cock harder against you.

"You feel so good around my fingers baby." He whispered in your ear and your breathing picked up. You were trying to be quiet but fuck he was making you feel so good that you wanted to scream.

You grabbed his cock and started to stroke it just as slow as he was fucking you with his fingers. He cursed under his breath and kissed you impossibly slow. You guys were driving each other crazy, and Billy didn't want to wait any longer to fuck that sweet cunt of yours.

Pulling his fingers out of you, the emptiness made you moan quietly against his shoulder.

Billy moved you towards the see through panel of the shower and pressed you facing forward. Your tits were squished against the glass and you could see the reflection in the mirror above the sink. You looked impossibly hot, and when you felt Billy lift one of your legs to the side, slipping inside your sopping cunt? It was over.

You let out a moan that was too loud for your liking and Billy covered your mouth with one of his hands while the other held your hip to keep you pressed against the glass.

He snapped his hips against your ass and filled you up deliciously with his cock.

You craned your head to the side and grabbed a fist full of his hair, pulling his head towards you and kissing him.

You breathed heavily into each other's mouths as Billy pounded into you.

Thanks to him working you up with his fingers you were incredibly sensitive, so when he reached between your legs and rubbed your clit in circles it was over for you.

You moaned against his palm and came around his cock, squirting in the process. Billy looked down between your bodies and the sight of his cock pumping inside of you while you squeezed your walls around him was enough for him to reach his own high.

Billy pulled out and jerked himself, cumming over your ass.

The water slowly washed everything off your body and you turned around to face him.

"This will be our little secret, hm?" Billy whispered and you bit your lower lip, nodding in response before initiating another make out session.

[yuh13lo]

⚝ Crayon pact M.S.

The warm hum of Matt’s room was all too familiar — the soft thrum of a fan, the glow of LED lights strung lazily above the headboard, and the way his bed always seemed to dip just a little on the side he always laid on. His girl best friend was curled beside him, their shoulders touching slightly, limbs tangled in the most casual, unspoken comfort. A playlist was playing softly in the background, a mix of songs they always ended up coming back to.

Matt stared at the ceiling, arms behind his head, voice soft. “If you could live anywhere in the world, no limits, where would you go?”

She paused, chewing on her answer before whispering, “Somewhere warm. But not too warm. Like…a little house with a big backyard. Maybe a lake nearby. And, like, ten dogs.”

Matt laughed under his breath. “Ten? That’s aggressive.”

“Fine, eight. Two cats. And maybe a raccoon if we can train it.”

“You can’t train a raccoon.”

“You don’t know that,” she grinned, nudging him. “You just don’t believe in love.”

“I believe in dogs. And maybe cats. And I definitely believe in pizza at midnight.”

Before she could answer, there was a soft knock on the door, then it cracked open. His mom peeked her head in, holding a small stack of crinkled paper.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt,” she said, stepping fully in. “I was cleaning out some stuff in the basement and…found these.” She placed the stack on the bed between them. “Thought you two might want to see.”

Matt squinted, sitting up a little. His best friend blinked at the papers, reaching for the top one.

And then — they both froze.

It was a drawing. Two stick figures, one with what looked like brown hair (definitely Matt), and one with two giant pink bows (her). Underneath, in shaky crayon handwriting:

“Matt and Y/n’s Wedding. We will live in a castle with 15 dogs, 7 cats, and 1 tiger. I will wear a sparkly dress. Matt will wear a suit with rocket shoes. There will be ice cream cake and a petting zoo.”

“Oh. My. God,” she whispered, turning red.

Matt started laughing, full chest laugh, the kind he didn’t even try to hold back. “No way,” he choked out. “We were unhinged.”

“Why a tiger?! Why did we think we could own a tiger?”

“You had standards,” he smirked. “I respect it.”

She grinned, flipping through more pages — more dreams scrawled in colorful markers: wedding guests listed as their favorite classmates, an RSVP card made from notebook paper, and a detailed diagram of “our future house” with an entire wing dedicated to “just naps.”

His mom was smiling fondly in the doorway. “You two were inseparable even then.”

“Still are,” Matt mumbled without thinking, glancing sideways at her.

And for a second, the energy shifted — just a little. Like a thread pulling tight between them. She looked up at him, soft smile playing on her lips, like the kind only Matt got to see.

“Thanks, Mom,” he said quickly, voice a bit tighter now.

His mom winked at them. “Of course. I’ll let you get back to…whatever this is.” And with that, the door clicked shut behind her.

They sat in silence for a beat.

Finally, she nudged him. “So…you still think you can rock rocket shoes at our wedding?”

Matt smirked. “Only if there’s still a petting zoo.”

She laughed, falling back against the pillow. “Deal.”

And beneath the covers, their pinkies brushed — lingering. Not quite holding. But almost.

Like they knew…some childhood plans might’ve been written in crayon.

But some parts? Some parts still felt a little real.

[deerdoegone]

2009 AND WHY I AM IN LOVE.

EAST COAST BY ALEX G.

where have i been? i got two asks that noticed i seemed to dip, always in and out—touch and go. may took a nosedive for me, and i wanted an escape. no fireworks, no cool powers, nothing special that i could brag about once i got back, just the feeling of rain soaking into my clothes without the thunder. okay, maybe a lie—this is my contemporary version of the thriller that is westport.

YOU REMEMBER WESTPORT, RIGHT? good. which means you remember me! still the same girl as i would be here and in "original" westport. sweetly awkward, nauseously forgiving. girly geek, the same pink braces i have in this reality. deer in the headlights. chronic lover of all things that are adorable. tweemo meets princess prep. blackberry curve with a quiet ringtone. best friends with so-hee, always with so-hee. emotional twin to mabel pines. the human to nathaniel hare’s vampire, princess to his knight in shining fangs. diner dates. long drives around town in his busted 2001 toyota he bought off the local mechanic who had plans to scrap it. movie nights. sleeping on crumbled sheets in his small apartment on the outskirts of downtown, near the shore but still miles away from his hometown and quiet childhood.

WHAT DID YOU DO WHILE THERE? studied, for starters. i love to study and it's a beautiful art to me, in a very nerdy, shoved in the locker way. it also helps when my classes are all in things i already study here. except math. god, i hate this math class. i ate breakfast with my sister and had a rather boring morning, sitting around and watching reruns of supernatural. i have a chronic attachment to early seasons of that show, kisses to dvd for making me realize netflix cut scenes and changed them. cleaned my room, made coffee and talked with so-hee for an hour on the house phone, because i will be beating a dead horse in every reality. went walking around town, finding myself in every downtown crevice i could, dragging a stick across the chainlink fence of a construction area and getting as close to the beach as i could, staring down at it from the downtown clifftop railing. sat with nisa at her mother's salon as she got her roots touched up by her cousin; she went bronze brunette in june 2005 and never went back to black. got dinner at a local italian spot, run by a loud man who moved his family to westport from new jersey, said our town had no culture before he opened. kinda true? he gave me advice most small town shop owners give you as they hand off your plastic bag. studied more. did my usual jennifer check lying in bed routine while writing movie script ideas. the next day, i went to the lake near my house with my sister, then to work, and that was my weekend.

i've been here a month total, so far. i didn't script a time exchange, i kinda just don't believe in them because they aren't something you have to script i feel like? there are a thousand realities and a million doors to them, open the one where you last left off. or don't. open the one where a month has also gone by and your awareness jumps to you getting on the train to go clock in at your shift at bath and body works. do whatever works for you. speaking of.... bath and body works. you don't really forget you have a job or other priorities but i nearly missed a 2 to 6 on sunday because i wanted to sit by the rosewood lake all day. "don't you have work in an hour?" so thanks, mariah, for snapping me out of my trance over the sound of running water, but not the smooth running, the kind where it has to skip over rocks, so there's a hiccup or echo. it's weird, i know, but if you were there, you'd get it. everyone shift to westport and go to river/lake rosewood. my job is fun. i had ten minutes to get ready so i went to work in low rise jeans and a bare face. took the bus there and occasionally sidestepped my way through the crowd. my boss is a fifty-four year old woman who has platinum blonde streaks in honey blonde hair and chunky french tips, the ones carmela soprano has. she looks a bit like edie falco, too. adores me and gave me a cupcake from her daughter's birthday party the night before. we’re kinda understaffed, but the understaffed where it’s never a problem until we have big deals or holidays. for lunch, i had a texting session with nathan and a coca-cola slushie from the food court on the side. wasn't really hungry? i bought perfumes with my employee discount and nearly popped a blood vessel because i couldn't remember my employee number. bought vs pink clothes with that same employee number. ended my shift smelling like in-season autumn scents in a nauseating mix. don't ask how much i spent. it's embarrassing.

AFTER WORK, NATHAN PICKED ME UP. my parents came home from visiting my grandparents, who live in delaware. i fell asleep in mariah's bed after we watched always sunny in philadelphia in her room. smoked a cigarette before class with ava, gossiping about her maternal side of the family. went to class. made a fortune teller out of graded homework. turned in early work. turned in late work. stretched my legs because it's pushing to the last minute of class, and i wanna go home. went home. played the sims 3 for the rest of the day. had dinner with my family. got my nails done with so-hee and my mom. went shopping at hollister. finally went to the beach. had brunch at the local diner with nathan. lounged around with my mom's black cat, morticia. i don't know what to say. there's a lot to say and nothing at all because i feel like this might be boring? like oh, cool, my boyfriend is a vampire, but also it's nothing more than that. no mystery to his new identity, no 5AM by ex:re—the bystander anthem, no messy and action-packed life. the thing i feel like i'm supposed to say is that this reality is super cool and i'm living the supernatural dream, but it's really not like that. don't get me wrong: i love it. i'm having fun. i'm happy, most importantly, but whenever I shift, i get this wave of memories, thoughts, and opinions that remind me this is still just another life i live. i always feel self-conscious sharing because why does it always feel like that is what it's supposed to be? there's supposed to be a million stories of how i spend all day with my boyfriend, but i spend more time texting and calling him than i do seeing him twice a day because we are still just college kids with part-time jobs. there's supposed to be the coolest stories of how my vampire boyfriend turned me, and now we're living out our twilight fantasy, but i'm happy with where i'm at in my mortal body. there's no rush to bury myself in nathan's cold body, no rush to do a gazillion things i wanted to do before shifting, no rush for anything at all. it's the look of love i stare at him with, sewing with nisa and so-hee in optional home economics, and resting my forehead against cold tables when i get a 89% on my test because thank god. there aren't any fireworks like i said. it's just me. the same me who stays up watching tv, the same me who didn't learn to tie her laces until high school because she's autistic, the same me who goes "where's the rest of you?" when she sees people with the name aliyah because she's so accustomed to the double a. i script out the things i don't like about myself but it's still always me. i like this reality a lot better, and being me is never the problem.

THANKS FOR READING THIS MESSY WORD VOMIT!

[blessedbyahuntress]

Hello! I've recently become interested in your work and would like to experiment with your wonderful performance!

If to Percy Jackson and the reader|Hecate's daughter? The girl is constantly immersed in rituals and exploration of her capabilities. And the case is based on the fact that the reader has learned to take on a male form and flaunts this ability to her boyfriend. Like, she becomes just a guy and leaves all her features and appearance.

It would be interesting to use any explanations like: «well, I'm a witch» or «you're asking the daughter of the goddess of magic…»

I apologize if any of this is not clear. English is not my native language, so I relied on a translator....🦝

Boyfriend or Girlfriend?

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Daughter!of!Hecate!Reader

Warnings: A teeny bit of cursing

Word count: 575

“Ah, ha!” 

You were stooped over a cauldron in your cabin, bottling what was possibly the hardest potion you’d ever made. The blue-green liquid sloshing around inside reminded you of your boyfriend’s, Percy Jackson’s, eyes. Oh, how little patience you had; you could hardly contain your nervous energy as you continued pouring in the potion, a small smile playing across your lips.

You licked your lips, trying to prepare yourself for downing the liquid. You put down the ladle you’d been holding and took a deep breath. 

Just as you trickled about half of the potion down your throat, the door burst open.

“Y/N!” Your sister, Lou Ellen, called as she walked into the Hecate cabin. Then she froze, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Who are you?” She asked, eyes flickering from you, to the potion in your hand, and back to you.

“Y/N,” you answered. You frowned. Your voice was different- deeper, louder. 

Lou raised her eyebrows. “Nice try,” she scoffed. “Who do you think you're playing at? You’re literally a male.”

You gasped softly, holding your hands out in front of you- large hands, probably large enough to fit around a volleyball. “It worked,” you murmured. 

“Yes!” You shouted after the shock wore off. “I did it! After several days, I did it!”

Lou pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, gods,” she muttered. “It really is you.”

You narrowed your eyes at her, sticking your tongue out. Once you were done with your antics, you straightened. “Would you, by any chance, know where Percy is?”

~

Lou did know, but it took you two more hours to arrive at the lake; you had to get help from your siblings to make another potion that would turn you back into a girl. 

Percy was sitting on the shore, legs crossed as he studied the water with his sea-green eyes. He turned his head slightly as he heard your approach. 

“Hey, Seaweed brain,” you said, sitting down beside him.

Percy smiled at the use of your favorite nickname for him. “How’s it going, Princess?” He greeted.

You shrugged casually, even though pulling this stunt on your boyfriend had your nerves on end. “Nothing much. You?”

Percy picked up a stone, twirling it in between his fingers. “Jason beat me at sparring again,” he sighed. 

His gaze was pulled away from you, back onto the rocking waves of the lake. You smirked, uncorking the potion. The smell that hit you was unexpected, but it traveled on the wind quickly; you had to do this fast. 

You chugged about a quarter of it down, holding back a wince as the horrible taste caught up with you.

Percy looked over, his eyes widening. “Holy fuck!” He yelped, leaping away from you. “Where did you come from?”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “My mother,” you answered. “Where else?”

Percy opened and closed his mouth for what seemed like forever. “Uh… bring my girlfriend back, please.”

You snorted. “Gladly.”

Exchanging another vile for the one in your hand, you brought it up to your lips, giving Percy teasing salute with it. You gulped it down, thanking the gods above that this one tasted sweet instead of bitter. 

Percy raised his eyebrows at you. “That was not funny. How did you even do that?”

“Well, my beloved Seaweed Brain, I’m a witch.” You started giggling. “And c’mon! It was at least a little bit funny.”

[oneforthemunny]

stop, in the name of love |cop!eddie munson x reader|

prompt: based off my birth week writing challenge lol. I was just going to leave it for other authors, but I'm feeling self indulgent for now :)

requested: #20!!! With cop!eddie he’s trying to stop teens from hooking up but reader comes to the woods just for that reason!! please make him feel like a teen again 😭❤️❤️

thank you @ali-r3n for rbing my works so i could find this lol. you are an angel on this earth i love you <3

contains: 18+ MINORS DNI. cop!eddie, p in v sex, voyeurism, hopper catches them lol. fluff and good times with cop!eddie and his lil trouble maker.

Eddie huffed, arms crossed in the uncomfortable uniform, radar gun in his clenched fist. Hopper had stuck him out here- a punishment, no doubt, for the flop that was the D.A.R.E program he conducted at the middle school- leaving Eddie in the backwoods near Lover's Lake. After an influx of complaint calls about teenagers speeding through the area, and hooking up or drinking down by the waters or in the woods, Hopper decided to stick his best guy on the situation.

Eddie was furious.

Not only was it a slap in the face to be put on patrol of that area, usually only given to rookies, it was so fucking boring. He couldn't leave the area, contained to that spot for most of his shift, unless backup called. He couldn't drive around the city, taking all the nuisance calls, or even stopping by to see his friends and chat- stop by to see you. Oh no, here, he was quarantined to this small space.

The crunch of the gravel beside him had his ears perking, lifting the gun and sitting up in his seat, ready to bust a frisky teen. Instead, he saw the familiar, powder blue car pull up beside him- your car.

"Hi, there, Officer." You grinned, shutting the door to your car.

"Evenin' there, little lady." Eddie gave you a toothy grin, tone adapting to Wayne's southern-esqu drawl that always left you a little weak in the knees. He liked playing up the stereotypical cop, like Rosco in Dukes of Hazard, teasing and fun.

"Are you out here all alone tonight?" You asked tilting your head to the side. Eddie snorted, watching you push your upper body through his open window, upper half dangling inside the car. "No backup?"

"Not tonight." Eddie shook his head, giving you an exaggerated pout. "Just me out here by myself."

"Oh?" You quipped brow raising in surprise. "So no one out here to do this," You lunged at his utility belt, reaching for his baton, while Eddie's scrambled to halt your movements. Damn, you were quick.

"Easy, easy!" Eddie snapped, prying your hand off his baton. "What did I tell you about messing with my things, baby? Hopper's gonna kill me if he has to replace something else we've broken."

You giggled, folding your arms over the window. "'M just kidding." You hummed, batting your eyes up at him. "Just worried about you. Missed you."

"Missed you too, honey." Eddie's smile had you melting, an ooey-gooey feeling of warmth that was thick in your veins, leaving your head spinning. "I get off at eight."

"Yeah, but I got off at six." You pouted. "And that's so long to wait for you."

Eddie snorted, grinning and shaking his head. The curly tendrils, slipping out from his bun, sprung free, hitting his cheeks. Eddie reached for his aviators, revealing his brown eyes to you. "What're you up to, trouble?"

"Trouble?" You feigned hurt, an exaggerated gasp leaving your lungs. "I would never, Officer, I'm a well behaved, law abiding citizen."

Eddie laughed, loudly, making you smile. "Yeah, right." He scoffed at you. "What'd you come here for? To show your appreciation for all my hard work?"

Your lips twisted in thought. "Yeah, kinda." You nodded. "Came here to fuck you."

Eddie snorted, shaking his head at your bluntness. "I'm on the clock, baby."

"That's never stopped you, baby." You mocked him with a slight glare. "Please? You've been working the second shift all week. I barely get to see you."

Eddie pressed his lips together in thought, eyes flickering from the road back to you. You pressed your bottom lip out further. "Please? Just quick, I promise."

Eddie huffed, moving to pull the keys from the patrol car, that was the last thing he needed stolen. "Fine, but just really quick, alright." He pointed a finger at you. "I don't have long. Go around back."

You practically skipped to the back of the cop car, hidden behind the tall lights and the trees, nestled away from the road.

"Place your hands on the hood of the car." Eddie boomed, loud and authoritative, a tone he only used when arresting someone. You knew he was teasing, but fuck, did it make you throb.

You laid your hands flat over the trunk of the car, pressing your upper half forward. Eddie drooled, eyes trained on the little sundress you had on, catching in your cheeks as you moved. God, how he wanted to drop to his knees and devour you. He missed your taste so much, but not now wasn't the time. No, he'd contain himself for now and indulge later tonight.

Eddie bunched the material of your dress in his hands, shimmying it up your frame. He grinned wolfishly down at you, white knuckled grip on the material. "No panties?" He asked, tone lilting in teasing surprise.

"No, sir." You hummed, craning your neck so you could look over your shoulder at him. "I knew you'd want them off anyways." Your eyes batted at him.

"Bad girl." Eddie smirked, tongue rolling across his bottom lip. "Very, bad." He rasped to himself, eyes glued on your puffy lips, slick and peeking out from between your thighs.

Eddie gripped your cheeks, lifting them so he could reveal your pussy to him, the wet click! sound that your lips made when he pulled them apart made his abs clench, knees shaking.

"Spread 'em, baby." Eddie barked, a little raspier than he would someone he was really arresting, but he settled his black boots between your feet, pushing them so they slid open wider.

You whined, shuffling your feet apart with his, pressing yourself further into the hood of the car. Your ass was out, presented to him, drooling pussy and bare skin all for his taking. Eddie swallowed hard.

"You gotta be quiet, alright?" Eddie smirked, unzipping himself. He'd have to make this work, needed to be able to respond quickly if need be. "Can't get me caught when I'm supposed to be catching teenagers hooking up out here. How bad would that be?" Eddie chuckled, freeing his cock and pulling it through his zipper.

You giggled, airy and light, eyes already glossed with lust. Your hips wiggled in anticipation. "'M ready, Mr. Officer." You purred, feeling the tip of his fat head rub through your folds.

Eddie pushed into you, tight from the lack of foreplay. Normally, he'd work you open with his fingers, get you relaxed with a couple of orgasms before trying to fit himself in.

You groaned at the stretch, burning but your velvety walls clamped down on him, nonetheless. You groaned, low in your chest, vibrations rattling through you and onto the cop car. Eddie let out a straggled breath, hips flush to your ass, grinding into the fatty flesh there the way you liked.

Eddie pulled back, thrusting into you, deep and filling, leaving your eyes rolling back. "Oh!" You cried out, a straggled gasp leaving your lips.

Eddie started to move, long and slow thrusts that had you crying out. He pulled you up, hand cupping your jaw and moving you so your back was to his chest, his big hand covering your mouth. "Shh, baby, gotta-fuck- be quiet." Eddie hissed in your ear.

Your eyes rolled back, his head jabbing a spot deep inside of you at the new angle, a spot that was making you drench with every stroke, knees shaking. You moaned and whimpered against his hand, feeling his hot breath ghosting over your jaw and cheek, tiny grunts and huffs in your ear. You loved it when he'd moan so you could hear. You'd record it and play it on a loop if you could, hearing his tiny whines when he was close, breath hitching and catching, and his pitch rising.

"Fuck, baby, I-I'm close." Eddie grunted, jaw clenched as he tried to control himself. He was a little embarrassed to admit how easily he was coming undone, but fuck, it had been a while. And your pussy was enticing, felt like heaven with every clench of your wet walls strangling his cock.

You moaned against his hands, Eddie feeling you get a little heavier against him, slipping down him. He knew you were close. Using his free hand, Eddie slid his hand down your hip, snaking down between your legs, using two fingers to rub at your clit.

You cried out, still loud even with his hand muffling the sound, knees wobbling and locking a little, before you came, hard and unforgiving over Eddie's cock. You felt yourself fall against the truck of the car, the cool metal exterior pressing to your cheek, while Eddie jackhammered into you from behind chasing out his own high.

Eddie was so close, he could taste it. Abs clenched, toes curling, eyes rolling back, his cock punching your womb deeply, cock twitching deep inside you; so close.

The wail of a siren had him stopping, eyes snapping open and blurred vision clearing. He looked around seeing the familiar lights shine red and blue, jarring and unmistakable, while Hopper's car slowly crunched over the gravel.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Eddie was out of you in a second, scrambling to shove his cock back in his pants, turning away so he could try and pull himself together, with fumbling shaking hands.

You had pulled down your dress, hand smoothing over the mussed back of your head, while you stood rigidly to face Hopper.

"Well," Hopper sighed heavily, slamming the door to his car. "Guess I know why there's still a problem out here." He frowned at Eddie.

Eddie swallowed hard, brown eyes wide and alert, a deer caught in headlights. "Turns out my officer I sent to patrol is the horny bastard who keeps hooking up out here."

"Hop, I-"

"Save it, Munson." Hopper held up his hand, shaking his head. "I got a call about a disturbance down by Skull Rock, dispatch tried to get you and no response. Thought something had happened, so I came to check it out, and..." Hopper's eyes flashed from you to Eddie, before frowning deeply in disapproval. "I see now that you were busy."

You cringed, looking at Hopper with a round eyed, pleading look. "It really was my fault. I-I came here and-"

"I really don't need the details of that, thank you." Hopper said sarcastically, cutting you off with an eye roll.

"Munson, finish out your shift, then tomorrow, my office. First thing." Hopper barked, glaring at him.

"Alright, Hopper." Eddie grumbled, shoulders deflating at the threat.

Hopper scoffed, pulling his door open. "And you two stop fucking outdoors, alright? That's still against the law, and you should know better." He pointed at Eddie, thick brows furrowed and mean.

You watched Hopper drive away, nervously turning to Eddie. "Well, this is fucking great." Eddie scoffed. "I'm going to get written up and have to do fuckin' cross walk duty for a week, and I have blue balls still." He growled, hands motioning down towards his crotch.

You bit back a giggle, tucking your chin to hide your smile. Eddie's eyes flashed at your dangerously, dark and playful. "You think this is funny, huh? This is your fault, you little minx." He growled, teeth barring at you.

"I'm sorry, really." You smirked at him. "I was just trying to help you out."

"Yeah? Well, just you wait baby." Eddie pointed a finger at you, stepping closer to close in the space between the two of you. His eyes were dark, still lust blown from earlier, a little meaning when they peered at you down the slop of his nose. "You're in for it when I get home."

You giggled with excitement, his arms wrapping around you, teeth nipping at your bottom lip in a playful bite that had you squealing. A car whizzed by, blaring loud music and heading towards the lake. The teenagers from the complaint, no doubt.

Eddie sighed, resting his forehead against yours for a moment. "Duty calls, Officer." You grinned cheekily.

"Yeah, can't wait." Eddie huffed, heavy boots stomping towards the car. "See you when I get home?"

You nodded. "I'll be waiting on you." You batted your eyes up at him.

Eddie grinned. "Good. Get ready for me. Wear that little lacy thing I like, alright?" He winked at you, ducking back into the patrol car. "Stay outta trouble until then, you hear?" He threw out at you playfully.

You laughed, opening your own car door. "I'll try. No promises." You jested, shrugging with a wide grin.

Eddie smirked, flicking on his lights and peeling out towards the lake. You watched him drive away, legs still a little shaky from before, pressing together at the thought of what awaited when he got home.

[chelseaknoo]

25 days with Eminem

Eminem x reader

Day 5

Marshall was lying on his back, propped up by one elbow, his phone in his hand as he scrolled through messages and emails. I snuggled closer to him, resting my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. The house felt so peaceful this morning, and I couldn’t help but smile, appreciating the calm after the flurry of yesterday’s festivities.

"Hey," I murmured, breaking the comfortable silence between us. "What do you think about taking Jackie out for a walk today? Maybe a little stroll in the park?"

Marshall didn't immediately respond, his attention still focused on his phone, but I could feel him glance down at me, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You wanna go outside in this weather?" He lifted an eyebrow, playfully teasing. "You sure you're not just trying to get out of doing chores today?"

I chuckled, looking up at him. "Okay, maybe I am trying to avoid the chores," I admitted, "but I also think Jackie could use a little fresh air. Plus, you’ve been cooped up with your phone all morning."

Marshall rolled his eyes, though I could see the smile on his lips. "Alright, alright. I’m down for it. I could use a break from work, too. And Jackie looks like he’s about to bounce off the walls." He glanced at our son, who was now drawing furiously on his paper, his tongue sticking out in concentration.

"I swear, this kid’s got more energy than we know what to do with," Marshall added with a laugh, sitting up slightly to reposition Jackie, who had started crawling across the bed in search of a new canvas to cover with crayon marks. "You ready to go outside, buddy?"

Jackie looked up at him with those wide, innocent eyes, giggling before reaching for his crayon again. His laugh filled the room with warmth. Marshall’s gaze softened, and he leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "I think he’s saying ‘yes,’ huh?"

I smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "I think he is," I agreed. "So, park it is. We can walk over by the lake. It’ll be nice."

Marshall stood up and stretched, giving me a playful look. "Alright, I guess I can’t argue with that. Let’s get this kid into his stroller, and we’ll head out. You’re lucky I love you." His grin was teasing, but I knew he meant it.

I grinned back, watching him as he made his way to the dresser, pulling on a hoodie and a pair of jeans. "I know you do. And you love Jackie, too." I stood up from the bed and moved to the closet, grabbing my coat. It was chilly outside, but the sun was shining, promising a crisp, beautiful winter day.

We worked together to get Jackie bundled up in his little winter coat, his chubby hands sticking out of the sleeves as he tried to wriggle free. Marshall chuckled as he tried to buckle Jackie into the stroller. "Man, I think he’s trying to start a protest about the cold. Can’t blame him, though—who wants to be all bundled up like that?"

"Hey, he’s going to be thankful once we’re outside, I promise," I said with a laugh, pulling my own coat on and adjusting my scarf.

Marshall glanced over at me, his lips curling into that smile that always made my heart skip a beat. "I think you just like the idea of getting him all cozy. Makes him look like a little bundle of joy ready to take on the world."

"Well, he is a little bundle of joy," I replied, zipping up my coat and making sure everything was in place. "And I’m definitely ready to take him on his first winter stroll."

We made our way downstairs, careful not to wake the girls. They were still sleeping in their rooms, likely recovering from all the excitement of the night before. The house felt quieter this morning, like we were in our own little world.

Once we were outside, the crisp air hit us, and Jackie let out a small squeal of excitement as he looked around, his eyes wide. The park wasn’t too far from the house, just a short walk down the street. Marshall took the stroller’s handle, pushing it gently as we walked side by side.

The park was nearly empty, save for a couple of other families enjoying the peaceful morning. The grass was still green despite the chill in the air, and the trees stood bare, their branches stretching up toward the sky. It was one of those days where the world felt still, as if everything was holding its breath.

"See, I told you," I said, glancing at Marshall. "Perfect day for a walk."

He smiled at me, his eyes soft. "Yeah, you were right. Good idea." He paused, looking at Jackie, who was staring at the world around him, utterly fascinated by everything. "You think he’s gonna remember this, like, when he’s older?"

I looked down at our son, his little face lit up with wonder. "I don’t think so. But I hope he’ll remember how we felt—how much we loved these moments with him." I smiled, reaching out to gently touch Jackie’s hand. "These are the memories we’ll hold onto, even if he doesn’t. You know?"

Marshall nodded, pushing the stroller a little faster. "Yeah... I get it. He won’t remember the walk, but we will. And that’s enough."

We walked together, enjoying the quiet of the morning, the soft chatter between us, and the joy of being a family. Jackie let out a giggle, and Marshall reached down to tickle him gently, causing him to burst into laughter. The sound of our son’s happiness filled the air, making everything feel right.

"Good call on the walk," Marshall said, giving me a side glance. "It’s nice to slow down sometimes."

"Yeah," I agreed, my heart full. "It is."

We continued our stroll through the park, the crisp air nipping at our cheeks, but it wasn’t enough to deter us. Jackie, still fascinated by everything around him, was happily babbling in his stroller, his hands reaching out as if trying to grab at the world. Marshall and I exchanged a smile, watching our son take it all in with such wide-eyed wonder.

As we walked past a playground, Jackie’s gaze locked onto the swings, and he let out a small noise, his arms moving excitedly. Marshall laughed, slowing the stroller down as he looked at me. "I think he wants to swing."

I grinned, feeling that familiar excitement in my chest. "Well, why don’t we give him a chance?" I reached out and helped Marshall lift Jackie from his stroller, his little legs kicking in the air. Jackie let out a delighted giggle as Marshall cradled him in his arms.

"You think he’s too little for the swings?" I asked, looking at Marshall, my voice full of curiosity.

"Nah, let’s see if he likes it." Marshall carefully lowered Jackie into the small seat on one of the swings, his hands holding onto him to make sure he was secure. Jackie’s face lit up as soon as the swing began to move. The wind gently brushed against his cheeks as the motion rocked him back and forth, and I could hear the sound of his laughter ringing through the air.

"Oh my gosh, he’s loving it!" I exclaimed, my heart swelling as I watched Marshall gently push the swing. Jackie’s giggles were contagious, and Marshall couldn’t help but smile at how happy their little one looked.

"Yeah, he’s a natural," Marshall said, his voice full of pride. "I think he’s gonna be swinging on his own before we know it."

I stood beside them, resting my hands on Marshall’s arm as we both watched Jackie’s pure joy. It was moments like these—simple, beautiful moments—that made all the stresses of life fade away. Our son, the tiny little person who had brought so much light into our world, was here, enjoying a perfect morning with us.

I glanced up at Marshall, catching the look in his eyes—the same look of love and appreciation he’d given me countless times before. "He’s growing up so fast," I said quietly, my voice a little softer now.

Marshall nodded, his eyes still on Jackie. "Yeah, he is. But that’s what happens, right? They just... grow. It’s crazy how much happens in such a short time." He gently gave the swing another push, and Jackie let out another happy squeal, his face lighting up like the sun.

"You think he’ll like the park when he gets older?" I asked, trying to imagine a future where Jackie was running around, laughing, and playing with other kids.

"I hope so," Marshall replied, his voice thoughtful. "I want him to have all the good things we had growing up—fun, freedom, and lots of laughs." He looked at me with a smirk. "Though, we might have to teach him how to keep up with us."

I laughed, imagining Jackie running circles around us. "Definitely. But he’s got good genes," I said, my voice playful. "He’s got you in him. He’ll be running marathons by the time he’s five."

Marshall chuckled, his hands still holding onto the swing. "Well, if he’s anything like me, he’ll probably want to be the fastest. And then I’ll have to teach him how to win with style."

We shared a laugh, the sound of our love for each other blending seamlessly with the happiness Jackie was radiating.

Eventually, Marshall slowed the swing to a gentle stop, and I leaned down to scoop Jackie up from the seat. His cheeks were flushed from the breeze, and his little arms reached out for me, his smile wide as ever.

"Looks like someone had a good time," I said, kissing the top of his head as I held him against me.

"He definitely did." Marshall smiled at the sight of Jackie’s joy, his own heart obviously full. "You’re a natural dad, you know that?"

I grinned at him. "I think it’s just because he’s such an easy kid to love."

Marshall chuckled softly and pulled me close, wrapping an arm around my waist. "He really is. We’re lucky."

"I couldn’t agree more," I said, resting my head against his shoulder for a moment as we stood there, our little family together, enjoying the peace of the morning. Jackie had calmed down now, but he was still happily clinging to me, his tiny fingers grasping at my shirt.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, we walked through the park, Jackie content in my arms, and Marshall at my side. There was no rush—no need to be anywhere. We simply existed in that moment, fully aware of how precious this time was.

Marshall broke the silence, his voice low and affectionate. "So, you think we’re ready to take on the rest of the day?"

I smiled up at him. "I think we are. But for now, I’m happy just being here with you guys."

He gave me a soft, loving kiss on the top of my head before we continued walking.

As we slowly made our way down the park path, the cool breeze still gently brushing against our skin, I turned to Marshall with a thoughtful smile. Jackie, now fully calm after his swing adventure, was quietly nestled in my arms, his little hands gripping onto me.

"Hey, what do you think about grabbing a coffee?" I asked, my voice light and casual, as I began to carefully strap Jackie back into his stroller, making sure he was comfortable. "There’s that new café that just opened up downtown. We could head there after this."

Marshall raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "A new café, huh? Sounds good. You’ve got my attention. When did this place open? I didn't even know there was a new spot in town."

I chuckled, giving Jackie a quick, playful tickle before finishing up with the stroller straps. "I heard about it last week—just a cute little place. They’re supposed to have really good coffee and pastries. And I thought it might be nice to try something different. Plus, it'll give us a chance to sit and relax for a bit."

Marshall leaned down to give Jackie a quick kiss on the cheek before straightening up. "You know, a coffee sounds perfect right now. I can’t even remember the last time I had something besides the stuff we brew at home. And getting out of the house sounds pretty good."

I beamed at his response, feeling that familiar excitement of doing something new together. "Yeah, exactly. A little break from the usual routine. And I think Jackie will like it, too. He’s at that age where he loves being out and about."

Marshall nodded in agreement, pushing the stroller a little further as we began walking toward the park exit. "Alright, let’s do it. A nice, quiet café sounds like the perfect way to end the morning. And I’ll admit, I’m curious to see what this new place has to offer."

"Great!" I smiled, wrapping my arm around his as we strolled side by side. "It’ll be nice to have a change of scenery. Maybe we can even get a little treat for ourselves."

Marshall shot me a sideways grin. "So, you’re saying we might get a pastry, too?" He raised an eyebrow playfully. "Now you’ve got me even more sold on the idea."

"Well, of course," I said with a laugh. "What’s a café without a pastry, right?"

We continued walking toward the café, our pace relaxed, enjoying the calmness of the moment. Jackie seemed content in his stroller, watching the world go by with those big, curious eyes. The thought of grabbing a warm drink and spending some time just enjoying each other’s company felt perfect.

"I think Jackie’s going to love the café, too," I said, glancing down at him. "Maybe we can let him have a little taste of something sweet. Just a tiny bit."

Marshall smiled, clearly entertained by the idea. "I’m sure he’ll love it. Though, I have a feeling that he’ll probably be more interested in the place itself than the pastry. I’m sure he’s got his sights set on the cups and napkins or something."

I laughed, nodding. "Yeah, he’s at that age where everything is fascinating. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to grab the menu or knock over a sugar packet."

We both chuckled at the thought, and as we neared the café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pastries filled the air. It was a small, cozy spot with large windows, a few outdoor tables, and a welcoming, rustic vibe. It was the kind of place you could spend hours in, enjoying the warmth of a good drink and the simple pleasure of being together.

"This place looks perfect," I said, glancing at Marshall. "It’s got that cozy vibe, you know?"

"Definitely," he agreed, pushing the stroller up to the door. "And it’s got that feel like it’s got character, like it’s been here for ages. You can tell they’ve put a lot of care into it."

I smiled as we stepped inside, the sound of soft music playing in the background. It was busy but not overly crowded—just the right amount of hustle and bustle to give it energy without feeling overwhelming. We found a table by the window, giving us a great view of the street outside.

As we settled in, I glanced at Marshall, who had already started scanning the menu. "What are you thinking? They have a bunch of different brews, but I’m kind of in the mood for something sweet."

Marshall looked up at me with a smile. "Sweet, huh? I think I can get on board with that. Maybe something like a mocha or a caramel latte? And I’m definitely getting one of those pastries." He gave Jackie a playful look. "What do you think, buddy? You want to try some cinnamon rolls?"

I laughed, reaching over to gently ruffle Jackie’s hair. "I think he’d probably prefer to eat the napkins, but sure, let’s get the cinnamon rolls. It’s a treat day."

The warmth of the café surrounded us as we continued to talk about what we wanted to try. There was something about being here, in this little space with Marshall and Jackie, that made everything feel so perfectly simple. We were creating memories, one small moment at a time, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

After placing our orders, I sat back in my chair, watching Marshall interact with Jackie, his face full of that familiar adoration. As much as we had our busy days and responsibilities, moments like this made it all worth it—the quiet times, the laughter, and the feeling of being together.

"So," Marshall said as he caught my eye, his voice light, "this was a good idea. Glad you brought it up."

"Me too," I agreed, feeling content in the present moment. "This is nice. Just... us. And Jackie."

As we settled into our seats, the sound of soft chatter and the faint clinking of cups and plates filled the air around us. Jackie was happily babbling away, kicking his little legs in excitement as we set up his high chair at the table. Marshall and I shared a knowing smile, both of us recognizing how much these little moments meant. We’d always found joy in the simplest things, and today was no different.

The waitress arrived shortly with our order, setting down steaming cups of coffee in front of us. Marshall’s mocha was exactly how he liked it—rich and creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness. Mine was a warm caramel latte, the sweetness of the caramel perfectly complementing the smooth coffee. We both took a sip, savoring the warmth.

"This is good," Marshall said, taking another long sip, his eyes closing for a second as he enjoyed the flavor. "You made a good choice."

I smiled, reaching over to steal a small sip from his cup. "I know, I have good taste," I teased, winking at him.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. You always have to make sure I’m taken care of, huh?"

I shrugged playfully, giving him a look. "Well, it’s my job to keep you on your toes."

We both turned our attention to Jackie, who was now chewing on a teething toy he’d managed to pull from his diaper bag. His little eyes were wide with curiosity as he watched the world around him, fascinated by the new environment. He babbled in that cute way babies do, cooing at the noises and people in the café.

"I swear, he’s already trying to make friends," I said, laughing softly as Jackie smiled up at the person sitting at the table next to us. "He’s got that charm, you know?"

Marshall smiled warmly, his eyes full of pride as he watched our son interact with the world. "He does. He’s got that vibe, that ‘I’m gonna take over the world’ energy."

I nodded, my gaze softening as I looked at Jackie. "And we’re just here to watch him do it."

Marshall reached over to tickle Jackie’s little belly, making him giggle. The sound was so pure, so innocent, and it filled the space with happiness. I couldn’t help but smile, feeling a surge of love for both of them. "He’s really growing up fast. I can’t believe how much he’s changed in just eight months."

"I know," I agreed, my voice a little quieter now. "It feels like yesterday when we brought him home from the hospital. And now he’s already exploring the world." I looked at Marshall, my heart full. "It’s crazy how fast time goes."

Marshall’s expression softened, and he gave me a gentle smile. "Yeah, it really is. But you know, it feels good knowing that we’re getting to experience it all together. It’s like we’re building something here—something that’s just ours."

I nodded, feeling my chest tighten with emotion. "Exactly. It’s not just about the big moments—it’s the small ones, too. The ones that happen in places like this, when it’s just us, enjoying the day."

Marshall leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. "I couldn’t agree more."

We spent the next few moments savoring our coffee, nibbling on the cinnamon rolls, and just enjoying the quiet hum of the café around us. Jackie, meanwhile, seemed to be in his own little world, fascinated by the noise of the coffee machine and the people chatting around us.

At one point, Marshall stood up and gently took Jackie from his high chair, holding him in his arms. "You wanna walk around a little, buddy?" he asked, looking down at our son with a smile.

Jackie made a small, excited noise, his tiny hands reaching for Marshall’s face as if to say, "Yes, please!" He was so full of energy, it seemed like he’d never stop moving.

I watched them, my heart swelling with love as Marshall carefully walked around the café with Jackie in his arms. It was such a simple thing, but seeing them together like that made everything feel perfect.

"You’ve got a good little buddy there," I said, my voice soft, as I watched them interact.

Marshall looked back at me, his expression tender. "Yeah, I do. We both do. He’s our little guy."

I smiled, the warmth of the moment enveloping me. "He really is."

After a few more minutes of walking around and making small talk with the friendly baristas, Marshall came back to the table, gently settling Jackie back into his high chair. "He’s good for now. Just had to let him stretch his legs a little."

"Yeah, I think he liked the walk," I said with a smile, watching Jackie reach out for his cup, trying to mimic what we were doing. "He’s definitely taking in everything."

Marshall laughed, shaking his head. "He’s gonna be one of those kids who asks a million questions, I can already tell."

I grinned, feeling that same excitement about the future. "And we’ll be there to answer every single one of them. One day at a time."

We spent the rest of the morning at the café, chatting, enjoying our drinks, and watching Jackie as he explored his new surroundings. It was one of those perfect mornings that felt simple yet meaningful—a reminder of what really mattered.

As we packed up to leave, Marshall took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "That was nice," he said with a contented sigh.

I nodded, smiling as we made our way to the door. "It really was. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the best memories."

"Agreed," Marshall replied, his eyes full of love as he looked at me. "I’m glad we’re making memories like this."

"Me too," I said softly, squeezing his hand in return. "Me too."

As we pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, the air had turned a little chillier, the sun now sitting lower in the sky. Jackie was starting to get fussy, his little eyelids fluttering as he yawned, signaling that he was ready for his afternoon nap. Marshall and I exchanged glances, both of us already knowing what needed to be done.

"I’ll take him upstairs," I said softly, my hands already reaching for Jackie, who was squirming in his stroller, rubbing his tired eyes.

Marshall nodded, stepping closer to me and placing a gentle kiss on the top of Jackie’s head. "Alright, I’ll get the bags and meet you up there." His voice was low and affectionate, the warmth in it making me smile as I cradled our son in my arms.

Walking inside, I could hear the quiet hum of the house. It was peaceful, but there was a sense of anticipation in the air as I made my way upstairs. Jackie’s fussing had settled into soft whimpers as he nuzzled into me, clearly ready to rest. I carefully opened the door to the nursery and gently laid him down in his crib, making sure he was comfortable before giving him a soft kiss on his forehead.

I turned back toward the door, quietly stepping out into the hallway when something caught my attention—a soft noise from down the hall. I glanced at the girls’ rooms, surprised to see the door to each of their rooms still closed. I could tell from the sound of their deep, rhythmic breathing that they were still asleep. It wasn’t a shock; the late-night Christmas preparations and festivities always left them tired.

Marshall had followed me upstairs and paused behind me, his eyes glancing at the girls’ rooms before his gaze turned back to me. He smiled, that playful glint in his eyes lighting up. "Well," he said, his voice dropping in tone, "since they’re still out cold, guess that means we have a little privacy, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow, feeling a flutter of excitement in my stomach. "Oh, really?" I asked, turning to face him, trying to hide the playful smirk on my lips. "And what do you suggest we do with all that privacy?"

Marshall stepped closer to me, his hand brushing lightly against my arm. "I think we could take full advantage of it," he said, his voice low and flirty. He placed his hands on my waist, pulling me a little closer, his lips hovering just above mine. "You’ve had a long day, babe. Maybe we should... unwind."

I felt the heat in my cheeks as his words sank in. The energy between us shifted, and I could feel the electric connection sparking with each small movement. "Unwind?" I asked, my voice teasing, knowing exactly what he was suggesting. "And how do you think we should unwind?"

Marshall’s lips curled into a smirk, and I could see the mischief dancing in his eyes. "Well, for starters, how about we go to our room and just... forget about everything for a while?"

I felt a shiver run down my spine as he pulled me into his chest, the warmth of his body against mine making my heart beat a little faster. "Sounds tempting," I said, my voice low, a little breathy now. "But you’re going to have to convince me."

He grinned and kissed me, the kiss slow and deliberate, his lips moving against mine with a familiar tenderness, but there was an underlying heat that quickly intensified. I responded instinctively, my hands moving to the back of his neck as the kiss deepened. We were both craving this—this moment of closeness, of intimacy.

Marshall pulled away slightly, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, "I think we deserve some alone time, don’t you? Just us. No distractions. No kids. Just you and me."

I shivered again, the combination of his words and the soft touch of his lips against my skin making my breath catch in my throat. "I like the sound of that," I murmured, my fingers threading through his hair as I pressed closer to him, the space between us vanishing.

Marshall’s hands slid down to my hips, his grip firm but gentle. "Good," he said with a grin. "Because I’ve been thinking about this all day."

I bit my lip, smiling up at him. "Oh really? All day?" I teased, stepping closer, closing the gap even more. "What exactly have you been thinking about?"

He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he kissed me again, more urgently this time, as though he couldn’t wait any longer. I responded eagerly, my hands sliding over his chest, feeling the warmth of his body through the fabric of his shirt. His hands moved to my back, pulling me even closer, as if he couldn’t get enough of the feeling of having me near.

We broke the kiss again, both of us breathing a little heavier now. Marshall’s eyes were dark with desire as he looked at me, his voice a little hoarse. "I’ve been thinking about how perfect this moment is—how it feels to have you all to myself. I want to make the most of it, you know?"

I swallowed, my pulse quickening as his words hit me like a wave. I leaned in, my lips brushing against his once more. "Well, then let’s make it count," I said, my voice husky with excitement.

Marshall’s lips quirked into a smile, but there was a challenge in his eyes. "Oh, we will," he said, and before I could react, he took my hand and gently tugged me toward our bedroom. There was no rush in his movements, but I could tell by the way his eyes were locked on me, by the slight tension in his body, that he was just as eager as I was for the quiet moment we were about to share.

Once we reached the bedroom, Marshall turned to face me, his hands gently running up my arms, sending shivers through my body. "You’re so beautiful," he murmured, his voice thick with admiration as his eyes traced the outline of my figure. "I swear, every time I look at you, I fall for you all over again."

I smiled, my heart swelling with warmth at his words. "You always know how to make me feel special."

He leaned in, brushing his lips against my cheek. "Because you are, babe," he said softly, his breath warm against my skin. "You always will be."

With that, the moment between us became more than just a flirtatious exchange—it was a connection, a reminder of why we loved each other, why we chose each other every single day. As we moved toward the bed, the weight of the world seemed to fall away. There was no pressure, no distractions—just the two of us, together, in a quiet moment that we both desperately needed.

Marshall’s hands moved to the hem of my shirt, lifting it slowly, his eyes never leaving mine as he did. I felt a rush of anticipation, the heat between us rising. "You sure you’re ready?" he asked, his voice soft but teasing.

"Absolutely," I whispered back, my heart racing as he undressed me slowly, savoring each second of the moment. "Let’s make the most of it."

Marshall's eyes darkened as he stepped back to appreciate the view. He took his time, his gaze lingering on my exposed skin, and I felt a thrill of desire rush through me. He reached for the button of his own jeans, the sound of the zipper echoing in the stillness of the room as he slid them down.

We stepped closer together, our bodies meeting in the middle of the room. His bare chest pressed against mine, and I could feel the warmth of his arousal. My breath hitched as he reached around, cupping my butt with both hands and pulling me against him, the bulge in his boxers teasing my core.

Marshall’s mouth found mine again, our kisses growing more urgent, more demanding. His hands roamed my body, caressing every inch of me as if he were memorizing my shape, my taste. His fingertips traced a path down my spine, sending a shiver down to my toes, and I moaned into his mouth, the anticipation of what was to come making my legs feel wobbly.

He led me to the bed, his hands guiding me to sit on the edge as he dropped to his knees. His eyes met mine, filled with a mix of love and lust that made my stomach flip. He kissed my neck, his tongue tracing the delicate line of my collarbone before moving lower, his mouth closing around one of my nipples.

The sensation was exquisite, making me arch my back and gasp. His other hand slid down to my waistband, and I lifted my hips, helping him to remove my pants and underwear.

Marshall kissed a trail down my stomach, his tongue swirling around my belly button before dipping lower. He spread my legs apart, his gaze lingering on the apex of my thighs. His eyes met mine again, asking for permission without words, and I nodded, my breath hitching in anticipation. He kissed my inner thighs, his beard tickling my skin, and I felt his warm breath against my folds.

As his mouth found me, I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped my lips. His tongue danced over my clit, teasing and stroking in a rhythm that had me gripping the bedsheets tightly. I watched as he grew more and more focused, his eyes closed in pleasure, and I knew he enjoyed this as much as I did.

Marshall’s touch grew more deliberate, and I felt his thumb gently press against my anus, sending a jolt of excitement through me. We’d been exploring each other’s bodies for years, but there was something about this moment that made it feel new, like we were discovering each other all over again.

"Ready?" he murmured, his eyes looking up at me, filled with love and anticipation.

I nodded, my breathing shallow as he slid his thumb in just a little, preparing me for what was to come. He was always so tender, so caring, making sure I was comfortable with every step. The sensation was foreign yet thrilling, the slight pressure building a delicious tension inside me.

Marshall stood, his eyes never leaving mine as he grabbed the lube from the bedside drawer. He coated his fingers, and then, with the utmost care, he slid one inside me, moving it in and out slowly, stretching me. The feeling was strange at first, but as my body began to relax, the pleasure grew.

"Breathe," he whispered, his voice soothing and reassuring, and I took a deep breath, letting it out in a shaky sigh as he added another finger. He continued to kiss and suckle my breasts as he worked his digits in and out of me, the sensation becoming more intense with each movement.

When I was fully relaxed, he slid his fingers out and positioned himself behind me. He kissed the base of my neck, his breath hot against my skin, as he lined himself up with my entrance. With one hand on my hip, he pushed in, inch by inch, giving me time to adjust.

The feeling was overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and pain that had me gripping the bedsheets even tighter. I took another deep breath, focusing on the sensation, letting my body get used to the unfamiliar fullness.

Marshall paused, his hand moving to my clit, his thumb circling it as he began to move his hips, pushing in a little deeper with each stroke. I felt my body tense, and then, as if on cue, I relaxed, letting him in further.

He picked up the pace, his movements steady and rhythmic. I moaned, my eyes closing as the pleasure began to build, the sensation in my ass mixing with the pleasure from my clit to create a crescendo that had me on the edge of climax.

"Open your eyes," he said, his voice strained. "Look at me."

I obeyed, my eyes fluttering open to meet his gaze. The sight of him, his face a mask of concentration and desire, was almost too much to bear. Our eyes locked, and in that moment, I knew this was more than just a physical release—it was an emotional one too.

As the pleasure grew, so did our connection, and I felt my orgasm begin to build, my muscles tightening around him. "Marshall," I gasped, my voice barely above a whisper.

He groaned in response, his thrusts becoming more urgent as he felt me getting closer. "Come for me, baby," he said, his voice thick with passion. "Come on my cock."

The words sent me over the edge, and I shattered around him, my body convulsing with the force of my climax. Marshall followed closely behind, his own release filling me up as he collapsed against my back, his arms wrapping around my waist to hold me tight.

We lay there for a moment, panting, our hearts racing as we caught our breath. The room was silent except for the sound of our heavy breathing, the intensity of the moment still palpable in the air.

Finally, he pulled out and turned me to face him, his eyes searching mine for any sign of discomfort. I gave him a soft smile, my eyes filled with love and satisfaction. "That was amazing," I murmured, my voice still shaky from the aftershocks of pleasure.

Marshall’s smile grew wider, his eyes still dark with passion. "You’re amazing," he said, his voice tender as he kissed me, a gentle reminder of the love that was always at the center of our passion.

We lay there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the warmth of our bodies creating a cocoon of intimacy. For a moment, it was just us, lost in the aftermath of our shared pleasure, the world outside the bedroom walls forgotten.

-

Hailie woke up to soft sounds coming from down the hall, faint but unmistakable. At first, she wasn't sure what it was—some muffled noises, the creak of the bed, a low hum that made her cheeks flush a little. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, realizing that it was already past noon. She stretched out in bed, rubbing her eyes, but the sounds continued. Her curiosity piqued, she got up and tiptoed toward the hallway, wondering what was going on.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she heard it more clearly—low groans, muffled by the walls but still audible enough to make her pause. She shook her head, trying to ignore the heat creeping up her neck as she glanced toward your bedroom door. She knew what was going on, but it still felt strange. They were probably just... having some time alone. Her parents had a way of doing that, especially when they thought no one was around.

Not wanting to stay in the uncomfortable silence, Hailie decided to go downstairs to see if Stevie and Alaina were awake, hoping it might distract her from the awkward sounds upstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found them both sitting at the kitchen table, sipping on juice and scrolling through their phones.

"Morning," she said, trying to act casual, though her voice was a little higher than usual.

"Morning," Stevie responded, looking up briefly before going back to her phone. Alaina didn't acknowledge her right away, but Hailie could tell she was wide awake, as usual.

"What's up with you two?" Hailie asked, taking a seat at the table and avoiding looking at them for a moment. She kept her gaze down at the table, still trying to push out the thoughts of what was going on upstairs.

Stevie looked at her with a knowing smile. "Oh, you heard them, huh?"

Hailie blinked and looked up, a bit startled. "What do you mean?"

Alaina chuckled from the other side of the table, her eyes dancing with amusement. "We all know what’s happening in that room. They’re doing their thing."

Hailie felt her face turn bright red, but she didn't know how to respond. She hesitated, trying to make sense of what was happening. "Wait, you guys—" she started, her voice trailing off, unsure how to ask the question.

Stevie shrugged, clearly not phased by the situation. "They've been at it for a while. I don't know how you didn’t know, honestly."

Hailie groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Ugh, I can't even."

Alaina giggled, leaning back in her chair. "It’s fine. Happens all the time. You get used to it."

"Can we just... not talk about it?" Hailie said, feeling the awkwardness settle deeper in her stomach. "Like, I don’t need to know about their... private time."

Stevie raised an eyebrow, her grin widening. "Oh, come on. You’ve gotta admit, it’s a little funny."

"I swear to God, I’m gonna go back upstairs and put my headphones in," Hailie said, shaking her head. She quickly stood up, trying to block out the noise and the image of what she’d heard. "I don’t need to know any more details."

The three of them laughed as she quickly made her way back upstairs, her cheeks still flushed. She didn’t know how to process what had just happened, but one thing was certain—she was definitely going to need a little more time to get used to her parents' “alone time” after today.

[lilmissdarlee]

"Ice thaws, but with you.. I melt." (OLBA)

PAIRING: Cove Holden (STEP 4) x Reader

WORD COUNT: 1901

SUMMARY: The infamous couple moved to Maine and it's their first Winter with proper snow (and married!!), and when you two go to the ice rink for inspiration, Cove struggles with the change of weather.

TAGS/NOTES: Hurt/Comfort, Reader uses they/them, Reader is also a writer, Cove and reader are married, vv minor angst, no use of Y/N

A/N: This was my entry for the Winter Community Contest and was originally written for my MC, but I decided to adapt it to be an x reader. Enjoyy!

Growing up with the sounds of the ocean crashing against the tides and instead relying on a white noise machine for relaxation was a huge shift. This was and still is hard on Cove, no matter how much he changed and grew. Some scars are still healing.

"Wow, I haven't seen icy lakes like this since... Well, last winter," You call out, your gaze captivated by the still ice rink that was left isolated, save for the couple. "No matter how many times we come here, I can never get used to this."

California was much too warm to see a glimpse of snow, but Maine was able to experience both the highs and lows of the chilly season, which you fell in love with, while Cove held his breath for the warmer seasons.

"Yeah... me neither," Cove chimes in, his response less enthusiastic. The pants he had to wear to not become a Cove-cycle were uncomfortably restricting his movement, hockey stick clutched in hand.

Cove, the ever-committed water-related athlete, was trying his hand at hockey. He never got much of a chance to play it while the two of you were young, and well, this is the closest he’ll get to the water at the moment.

"Thank you for coming out here with me, Cove," you turn to clasp his much bigger hands, blatant affection in your pretty eyes, a look Cove could never say no to. "I have been in a writing block as of late and well... This helps."

You were a small author, having a few books released and a sizable but dedicated following for your work online. You have come so far, from being so embarrassed about sharing your work with him during late nights to now being someone others looked up to for your creativity. He knew you could do it, and pride and love always flared like a fire inside him whenever you mentioned your work.

So, biting back the complaints on his tongue, Cove grins as he clenches your gloved hands, a contrast to the usually cool skin. Cove missed it but knew he was being silly.

After one last tender look, you let go to return to skating, focus going unfocused with ideas and thoughts. Cove wishes he was left alone with a hockey stick and cold feet. His gaze drops to the lone hockey puck on the ice, and he sighs, the hot air floating in the air before disappearing.

Cove didn't hate Maine, no, he loved it. He loved the friends they made there, the job he got within the ORCA branch that kept him close to where his heart beckoned for him - the sea. He especially loved the life he grew with you there, and their beloved dog and fish.

It's just... different.

He misses only having to wear a jacket or a long-sleeve to combat the cold, still being able to smell the salty air, walk on those sandy beaches, and not risk frostbite just to go outside. Cove and winter were never the right mix, and he dislikes how pouty he can become at odd moments like this.

So, when he went to take that shot, to take his inner turmoil out on something physical, it was oddly ironic how he missed, and that miss caused him to stumble, and as his arms tried to stabilize himself, he ended up looking wackier than he wants to.

Cove stumbles with a crash that resounds out on that quiet lake, and as he lands on his ass, Cove mutters out a quiet "Darn it", embarrassed that a small puck was able to take down the fumbling giant, and how worried his partner looked as they dashed over.

"Cove! Sweetheart, are you okay?" You call out, concern evident on their features as you skid to your knees, hands on his burning cheeks to assess his injuries. "That sounded like a nasty fall!"

Cove laughs weakly as he tries to find your eyes, only to realize how blurry they are. He squints, and with an embarrassed grin, he puts a hand on their wrist, leaning into your touch.

"I'm okay," he laughs, the sound awkward even to his ears. "Just... Where are my glasses?"

You dramatically gasp and dives for the offending red frames which slid to his left. Cove stops himself from smiling when you almost slip, and then goes back to him, looking like a clumsy deer. You hand him his glasses quickly, and Cove carefully takes them, taking the chance to fix his hair as well.

Silence comes, chilly and oddly awkward for the two, as Lumi crouches near him, trying to help, while Cove forces his eyes away, that bad nervous habit from when he was 18 coming back full swing.

Sadly, from knowing each other since they were 8, you clock the habit, and they frown, sitting on the cool ice slowly, ready for the long haul. Cove feels both relieved and frustrated, mostly at himself for making this about him.

"Sweetheart, is everything okay?" you ask slowly, keeping your eyes on the ice, knowing Cove needs a bit of time. "You have been off this entire afternoon. I let it go before, but I want to talk now... If you want to, of course."

Cove bites his lip, and runs a gloved hand through his tousled sea-foam green hair, shivering as the ice is chilly against the jeans of his pants. After a long moment, Cove cracks, like a fresh layer of frost against the slightest pressure.

"It's not you or anything like that," he says, quick to reassure you, "I just... Everything is different compared to California."

You stay silent, and Cove peeks at them through his lashes, seeing you look confused. His eyes return to the frozen lake, looking deeper into the frozen aquatic sea life below, how everything was just stuck... Like him.

"I am used to the warm weather, and sunny skies, and not having to wear thick coats and well... The concept of natural ice ponds is like this," Cove knocks against the thick ice, expression sombre. "I know it's a bit silly, but at times like this, I miss Sunset Bird, and the beach and well... The hill we met on, the warmth."

He takes a deep breath, a habit burned into his memory from all those times he made you do it yourself when you got upset and noticed how you followed his habit, causing a small smile.

"I love Maine, I do, and I don't want to up and move or something," he mutters, feeling his cheeks redden in slight shame. "But winter sucks, and well... Yeah."

It's quiet, as quiet as the first snowfall they witnessed just earlier this season. It was your first time seeing authentic snowfall, and you were so excited, acting like a small kid despite being an adult, even if he was 24. Cove returned that excitement, catching snowflakes on their tongues and running around as if they were catching fireflies.

Memories like that made him feel so warm, and happy, and he knew it didn't matter where they were, but the change still was fresh. It sucked, to be frank.

Finally, he feels a familiar headrest against his shoulder and a small sigh. He risks looking over, noting how pretty you looked with fresh snowflakes in your hair.  You think, expression thoughtful as you cuddle against him, and he pulled you in easily, the movement familiar.

"I know how you feel," you admit softly, which made Cove a little surprised. "I sort of miss not having to spend 10 minutes every morning dressing up to go outside, or the icy roads, or well... Frostbite."

You nuzzle closer to Cove, eyes falling closed as you enjoy his constant stream of warmth. Something else which was the same, no matter how many layers he was forced to bear.

"However, it's okay to feel upset about the change," you hums. "It's okay to not like it right away, Cove. It's so different than our normal, and well... I think that's the most exciting part."

"... Continue," Cove prompts them after a beat, and you giggle, making Cove's storm of emotion cool for a moment.

"I think it's... Wonderful we get to experience different things together," you explain, tone affectionate as you grasp his hand. "Like, we used to have to go and pay to go on fake ice, but now we have the real thing right here. We get to cuddle for warmth, and well... I get to have my pretty husband hold my hand as the snow falls."

Cove can't help as his cheeks warm and a dopey smile takes over his face. You catch it, and you return the smile, your eyes softening with fondness.

"It doesn't matter where we are, you are my muse," you remind him, getting on your knees to cup his face, gaze trying to find his teal ones. "You are the constant I will always have with me, no matter if it's the warm beaches or chilly ice rinks of Maine... You are what keeps me feeling warm, Cove."

Cove's cheeks were burning red now, and you laugh fully now, leaning forward to kiss his nose. Cove squeaked, but stopped them with a gentle hand to the back of their head. You look confused before he gives you a proper kiss on the lips, slow and sweet.

Now it's your turn to be embarrassed, gestures of affection always easily make you turn warm, no matter how many times it happens. Cove smiled fully now, the sweet words from earlier on repeated in his head as his lips still tingled.

"I can see why so many people love your writing, Lulu," he teases gently, knocking his forehead into yours softly. "You are too good with your words."

"... t-thanks..." you mutter out, and Cove's smile broadens further, now a grin.

If Cove was the summer, then you were like the winter, with cool, icey skin, and patience as thick as the deepest pine woods. You were kind and gentle, but if you took the chance to explore those wintery woods, your footprints would be left behind, leaving a fond memory in its wake. 

He was warm, and you were frosty to new people, but you balanced each other out. Maybe he liked winter a bit more now.

"You know I feel the same way," he says, with affection. "I love you, and Maine, and I am happy I can be here with you."

He kisses your forehead one last time before freeing you, allowing you to burrow into his chest instead. The ice was still cold, and his behind was freezing, but he ignored it for now to hold you close, happy to be cold later.

"Thanks for being patient with me," he finishes gently, and you laugh, the sound muffled by his coat.

"It comes with experience, space cadet," you return, making Cove chuckle as he held them.

Even as the scarf felt stuffy, or how his rear end hurt, or if the shine of their united wedding bands were hidden by the mitts, he still felt so warm. 

It was their first year in Maine, and it was different-- in both the good and the bad. But one thing would always remain a constant, no matter where they end up.

How much he needed you by his side.

[aiiria17]

I (re)read The Sight: Warriors, Power of Three

Using the new covers for the image now cause the paintings in the center are circles. No thank you.

I'm finally here. Power of Three is why I started rereading the books. As a kid, it was my favorite arc, Jayfeather was my favorite cat, I probably read The Sight specifically like a ton because every time I'd get a new book you gotta refresh by rereading the prior ones. So this isn't my second read of The Sight but more likely my like 10th.

And you know what, it's actually pretty good. And you know what, Jaypaw is the best. So now I'm going to take you on a journey to show why I really liked the book. And Jaypaw (mostly Jaypaw).

Also I'm going to talk about the big reveal later so spoiler warning but like... if you're reading this you've probably read PoT

Jaykit's Introduction

Unlike previous arcs, Power of Three actually introduces the three as kits, not apprentices. It's an interesting shift that, to me, indicates that the arc is more so meant to focus on the growth of the three characters alongside each other. By showing them as kits we are given a kind of blank slate. The cats are not yet effected by their world and conditions; they are pretty generic at the start. The only exception is Jaykit, due to reasons that aren't immediately obvious.

The first three chapters all follow Jaykit as he navigates the small world he currently inhabits and gets into some classic kit mischief. He helps the reader to catch up with Thunderclan after the estimated half a year Sunset. Everyone is much more ingrained in their lives, with Daisy fitting in much better than before. Their "mother," Squirrelflight, is already back to warrior duties because the kits are old enough and Ferncloud and Daisy can look after them. Not suspicious at all. We see that Sorreltail and Daisy's kits both have been made into apprentices, Daisy's for some time now, even. The first chapters are effectively just adjusting the reader to the Thunderclan that is now just comfortably existing in the lake territory, as opposed to the still-adapting clan that we left off with in The New Prophecy.

There's some subtle little writing quirks though about the first three chapters. Jaykit describes a lot of his environment by smell and sound, as opposed to sight. There's no attention called to it at first, but as a reader, the subtle changes indicate that there is something slightly different about Jaykit as opposed to the previous povs we've gotten. Then, in chapter 3, he drops the exposition equivalent of a bomb on the reader "I hate being blind, I wish I had never been born."

That one line fully changes the tone of Jaykit's character, showing a very unique and different character than all of the previous povs. Jaykit's blindness is immediately interesting because it's an issue that hasn't yet been seen in Warriors. It also establishes the first major trait for his character which is his heavy insecurity surrounding his blindness.

Other than that, the three also try to take out a couple fox cubs and fail, with Jaykit getting injured. Admittedly, it isn't super important in the grand scheme of things but highlights the important aspect of their characters that, early on, they all stick together a lot. While it's pretty typical for kits to do that in Warriors, and cats clearly remain close with their siblings over time, as is shown by Ashfur and Ferncloud still caring for each other in chapter 21, it's important to establish the basis for the three's relationship so that we can see how they all develop separately as they encounter different situations throughout their lives.

Even throughout their kithood they already grow to be rather distinct from where they started. Hollykit wants to become a medicine cat so she can be important to the clan, Lionkit just wants to be a normal warrior and protect his clan and loved ones, and Jaykit wants to become a warrior in spite of how little everyone believes in him to do it.

Hollypaw the Medicine Cat

Hollykit convinces Leafpool to let her become a medicine cat apprentice, though she technically never officially becomes one because she never goes to the moonpool. At least I think that's how that works. Anyways Hollypaw is, undoubtedly, a medicine cat apprentice.

Hollypaw's story is a mixture of her misapplying herself in pursuing her goals and struggling with the expectations she places on herself. Explicitly, Hollypaw becomes a medicine cat so that she can feel important to the clan. This isn't even analysis, in chapter 4, the first thought she has that makes her lean towards being a medicine cat is "Imagine being that important to the clan." Funnily enough, Leafpool absolutely does not care and just wants Jaykit to be a medicine cat. There's even a line where Leafpool uses male pronouns when talking about a possible medicine cat apprentice and Hollykit's like "wow that's weird." Even weirder given that Thunderclan hasn't had a male medicine cat in the entire series so far (by release, not chronologically). Boy I wonder who's going to be a medicine cat.

When she becomes an apprentice, it's kind of obvious that Hollypaw's heart isn't in the actual medicine cat duties but more so the allure of the archetype of the medicine cat; of someone who is central to and influential in clan life. However, she doesn't actually want to do the work of the role: it's explicitly stated that she hates dealing with wounds and blood and stuff, just finding it really icky. Honestly, Hollypaw's situation is very realistic and I'm surprised it isn't more common. I mentioned it with Leafpool's character, but the main conflict medicine cats have is that they choose their roles from a very young age. Leafpool, in The New Prophecy, was clearly not fully prepared, as Leafkit, for the isolation she would feel in her role, especially after Cinderpelt dies. Hollypaw kind of shows the cause to the result. From the perspective of a kit, a medicine cat is going to be viewed very 1-dimensionally. Hollykit sees what she wants to see in the role of a medicine cat as part of a subconscious desire to find a role in the clan where she can stand out; her desire for social standing is arguably one of the most important parts of her character.

So Hollypaw becomes a medicine cat apprentice, and a new dimension is added to her perspective that makes her shy away from it pretty quickly. There's no real subtle buildup to her becoming a warrior apprentice, she's explicitly just interested in fighting, notably enjoying fighting training way more than that icky plant stuff. The last piece of the puzzle is the conversation she has with Brook, who's in Thunderclan now by the way. Brook immediately calls that Hollypaw is seeking a role where she can be important and points out that the social structure of the clans does not really require a cat to have a fancy role for them to gain importance. Take, of all characters, Tigerclaw in The Prophecies Begin. In spite of the, you know, evil, Tigerclaw is a well respected member of the Thunderclan (again, before the whole murdering stuff) even before being appointed deputy. Afterwards, cats like Brambleclaw gain influence without the title and, while they both become deputy later, and are both evil and terrible examples to follow after, it shows how title is not actually super important to the clans. I'm going to try to think of a non evil example, but the best I can do is Dustpelt, who's respected a lot despite being just some dude. But I also don't like Dustpelt cause he's still kinda gross. Uhh... Cloudtail? Sandstorm? Do those count? Sure.

Tangent aside, Brook basically just tells Hollypaw to play to her strengths to gain reputation instead of pursuing a job she'd hate. So she becomes a warrior apprentice instead, going to Brackenfur. Let's go Brackenfur.

Hollypaw's character arc is relatively one of a kind (ignoring the literal parallel arc Jaypaw has in The Sight). She is a cat who actually struggles with not really knowing what she wants to be and actually finds a relatively solid outcome. Her arc establishes a solid foundation for her goals and interests as a character: she wants to be a good fighter, respected and trusted in the clan, and probably wants to be deputy, if I had to guess. Her other interest is in the warrior code, which she at one point just randomly starts obsessing over, I think partially to give just another sign that she could not care less about that whole being a doctor thing. I know how Hollyleaf ends up, but don't remember the road that leads from point A to point B, and you know the saying: it's about the character arc, not the going missing for like half of Omen of the Stars. That's the saying, right?

Jaypaw & Brightheart

It's time for me to fulfill my role as supreme leader of the Jaypaw defense squad. Jaypaw and Brightheart do not get along well at all throughout Jaypaw's brief warrior apprenticeship, and he's a jerk about it. There's no denying that Jaypaw is unnecessarily difficult to deal with, and I'm not going to justify his behavior, he's not supposed to be defended, but instead explain it.

Obviously, as I mentioned earlier, Jaypaw's very insecure about his blindness and specifically hates when cats assume he can do less. A key point is that it is extremely rare for characters to just ask Jaypaw about anything but is very common for characters to act in protecting him without asking if he needs or wants it. Brightheart is appointed to be his mentor because she is half blind and he is full blind, which, to Firestar, is close enough. Immediately, there's an issue in logic, as Jaypaw is correct to identify, Brightheart's half blindness is not really comparable to Jaypaw's blindness. They are two different conditions and their mistaken similarity is just another example of Jaypaw being a victim of the incorrect assumptions of clanmates who refuse to just ask him. Not even to say Brightheart's a bad choice for a mentor (she'd be a good mentor to anyone, probably), but their relationship starts off on the wrong foot because the reasoning given to Jaypaw is just another example of the pattern of behavior that frustrates him constantly.

I also just think Brightheart doesn't really treat Jaypaw well. As his mentor, she's extremely ignorant of his feelings and desires, even when he does kind of just directly express them. Obviously it is her job to guide Jaypaw's mentorship but, really, she doesn't seem to listen to him at all. I think Brightheart wants Jaypaw to succeed so that she can prove herself to the clan. Part of her character is how she still has insecurities lingering under the surface, even years after TPB, and Jaypaw's treatment results from those insecurities. I don't want to read too hard into Brightheart beyond that because we're already on the border of just making stuff up, and I don't want to cross that line, but my main point is just that she isn't good at handling Jaypaw. He needs a mentor who actually cares about and respects him and Brightheart doesn't do that. There's never a moment where she actually has a conversation with him, there's never a moment where Brightheart actually tries to connect with Jaypaw as a clanmate, she just keeps on assuming how he needs to be treated, just like almost every other cat. It's why I actually like Leafpool as his mentor because, while she gets frustrated at him for good reason, you can tell she genuinely does care about him beyond just trying to churn out a fully trained cat.

The best show of how Jaypaw never actually gets spoken to at all throughout his warrior apprenticeship is when he runs off to Windclan. The uncharitable interpretation of author intent is that the scene shows that Jaypaw may actually not be able to function as a warrior. And there's admittedly a degree of truth to it. I've had a blind dog in the past, but not cat, so I don't know how accurate everything I say will be but I think there's a degree of similarity so I'm just gonna roll with it. While Jaypaw can definitely operate on Thunderclan territory just fine (blind animals tend to end up great at navigating their homes), the issue is if he ever had to fight elsewhere. Jaypaw would definitely not be familiar with the territory of the other clans, at least not enough to fight on them with cats who are native to the area. But I also just like, don't think that being a warrior is or really ever has been defined by fighting other clans. Even in battles, they leave warriors behind to defend, which Jaypaw would be capable at. Back to Jaypaw running off. The other purpose is to introduce a couple characters but who cares about that. The other purpose of the scene, the pretty obvious purpose, is that Jaypaw is just really mad about not getting to explore the territory and taking matters into his own hands. Paws. Whatever.

So I think there's enough in The Sight to paint a full picture of why Jaypaw being a warrior apprentice didn't work out. It's not his blindness- it's the clan deciding that he's incapable for him. It's not his attitude- the attitude is directly derived from the way he is treated and how little his clanmates care to try and reach out to him. It's not his lack of belief in himself- he'd probably have more apprentice skills if his mentor would train him like ever. The big battle which the next section is about is what kills his self esteem, as Lionpaw has to guide him to say where his opponent is. Jaypaw takes it as if he'd never be able to fight on his own, but the actual issue he ran into was Brightheart literally never training him, despite fighting without full use of vision being, like, the one special skill she has (other than being a sometimes medicine helper).

It's weird to say that Brightheart does influence Jaypaw way more than she's given credit for. Her mishandling of Jaypaw deeply effects him and makes him more closed off and results in him giving up on being a warrior, which was his dream. Jaypaw's a young cat and desperately needed a mentor who would respect and support him, but got one that seemingly only wanted to help him insofar as it made her look more reliable to the clan at large and dismisses his emotional trouble as just a bad attitude.

I like (liked? not sure anymore) Brightheart but wow The Sight is her at her absolute worst.

Lionpaw Aura Farming (or, the fight scenes have noticeably improved)

There isn't much to say about Lionpaw in The Sight. He doesn't do much and doesn't have a lot of chapters to himself. His only notable traits are being competitive, being protective of Jaypaw to an extent, and fighting. But I wanna take a second to talk about the way Power of Three does fights.

In previous arcs, I was really underwhelmed by all of the fight scenes. Scourge vs. Firestar is kind of underwhelming, Brambleclaw vs. Hawkfrost isn't particularly interesting, and even the fights with the badgers are pretty bland. The problem is just that they aren't very long or dynamic. The best example is Scourge vs. Firestar, specifically after the second time after Firestar comes back with his awesome leader powers. It's the last fight of the entire arc, between the (kind of) main villain and the hero, it should be very interesting and a climax point of the whole arc. Instead, it is three pages where they kind of swat at each other until Firestar gets a kill on Scourge. And the language used to depict the fights feels very objective.

Here's an excerpt of the fight. See how the language doesn't really depict Firestar's thoughts throughout the fight and instead just feels kind of bland.

To contrast, chapter 15 of Power of Three depicts a very long and descriptive fight that's much more engaging, much more emotional, than what the previous arcs offered.

To compare, here's an excerpt from Chapter 15. We see Lionpaw's individual motivation in the battle, how he has a personal interest in what he's doing compared to just blankly describing how a fight goes. Additionally, the language is much more violent. Compare the phrase "He managed to grip the BloodClan leader near the base of his tail" to "Lionpaw threw himself at Oakfur, clamping his jaws around the ShadowClan warrior's tail." Despite depicting almost identical actions, the description in The Sight has much more weight to it because the language is just better fit for the situation. Honestly it was the most refreshing surprise about reading Power of Three. I expected to just be let down more with the fights scenes but was pleasantly surprised by just how much they improved, even just from Sunset.

Anyways, to make the title not clickbait, the reason Lionpaw actually comes out seeming super cool is because the fight scenes, which are his domain, are so good. It truly is Lionpaw hype moments and aura.

Jaypaw becomes a medicine cat

Back to the real main character (Lionpaw has like 3 chapters compared to Jaypaw's majority of the book lmao). Jaypaw is convinced (coerced) by Starclan to become Thunderclan's new healer in training. He doesn't want to, but the cat gods don't care about the emotions of the actual child. Or the emotions of anyone. So Jaypaw officially becomes Leafpool's apprentice.

He hates it a lot at first. A lot of Jaypaw's job early on is literally just checking in on Mousefur and Longtail, despite them both being totally fine. And by totally fine, I mean that Mousefur has greencough. It's the first actual challenge to Jaypaw's attitude, as he no longer is just a harmless victim to the world around him but has actually directly caused harm via his neglect. Mousefur has had greencough for a little bit by the time Jaypaw notices, but he refuses to put in the effort to help her. The greencough in Thunderclan sets off the first major shift to Jaypaw's character in the positive as he begins to acknowledge the weight of his duty to the clan. Negligence for him doesn't just cause a slightly emptier fresh kill pile, it causes cats to die. He's put into a situation where "apathetic jerk Jaypaw" can't work. He has to care, and that brings out the fact that he always truly has.

Why was Jaypaw so committed to being a warrior at first? Obviously, proving himself and just conforming to social norms are both a part of it, but why is he so dedicated to that specific path. He knows that being a medicine cat is respectable, but seems set to become a warrior anyways. I'd argue that his dedication to warrior comes from him wanting to help the clan. Jaypaw never seems to hunger after the title of "warrior" more so than the actions associated with it. While this is a very arguable point that seems somewhat contradictory, I do have some reasonings. If Jaypaw just wanted to be a warrior, there's no reason that he would ever really care about being able to fight super well or whatever. At the end of the day, he's almost guaranteed to get his name eventually, especially having grandpappy Firestar as leader (it's just now hitting me that Firestar and Sandstorm are grandparents in this arc which is wild). Jaypaw specifically wants to hunt and fight and do everything and, while yes, he does want to prove his equality to the clanmates who don't believe in him, I do think he wants to also provide and care for his clan, just as other warriors do.

Greencough in Thunderclan awakens that desire to care for the clan within Jaypaw, who no longer is being lazy and careless towards his duties. He works himself beyond what he can handle, with Leafpool not even being able to convince him to sleep throughout the worst part of the epidemic. All of the changes to Jaypaw's character come to a point when he literally revives Poppypaw from the dead. Jaypaw walks into Poppypaw's dream/walk to Starclan and just... convinces her to not die. Two things: 1. crazy power implications for the Jaypaw powerscalers (I got curious - only two cats on the vs wiki are Scourge, 9C, and Firestar, 9C OR 8C with whatever is meant by "environmental destruction. Therefore, Firestar with environmental destruction is even with Sly Cooper), 2. Jaypaw's actions show the culmination of the care he has for his clanmates when he will literally bring them back from the dead personally while working himself to the bone to help them.

Now you may argue that guilt is a factor in how Jaypaw acts, and you're not wrong. Jaypaw's negligence worsens the greencough epidemic early on as he basically ignored Mousefur's case, and he directly blames himself for everything, which is why he wants to save people. Their deaths would be on his hands. But guilt doesn't work in a vacuum; if he didn't care he wouldn't care, simple as that. Jaypaw's guilt is something born from his love of his clan. Jaypaw shifts from a medicine cat out of obligation to a medicine cat who truly wants to help his clan, even if he'd rather die than earnestly show it.

There's two other main events with Jaypaw in The Sight to talk about real quick: his moonpool trip and the daylight gathering. I'm giving the Cat Olympics its own section because... come on I gotta it's the CAT OLYMPICS. So instead let's watch Jaypaw fail at making friends and learn to hate atheism. He's talking to Willowpaw, when she just randomly grabs him and pulls him away from a rabbit hole. Now, I will say. In the reddit aita way of viewing the scene, Jaypaw is the asshole. He attacks Willowpaw for trying to help him, which is taking it way too far. But again it's more interesting to ask the question of "why?" and the answer is because Willowpaw, someone who Jaypaw was supposed to be an equal to, acted as though she was having to watch after him like he was a child. Before, the figures who were treating Jaypaw as though he couldn't care for himself were at least literally a step (or more) up on the social hierarchy, but Willowpaw's action, which Jaypaw interprets as her seeing him as lesser, provokes him because, to him, she's treating him like he's incapable. Also: Jaypaw knew about the hole Willowpaw took him out of the way of. That part is very important, as it means that Willowpaw was, looking objectively, incorrect; Jaypaw didn't need her and, as a cat in that instance, they were equals. To reiterate though, Jaypaw is still an aggressive jerk and Willowpaw didn't deserved a unsheathed claw attack for just being a tad bit rude on accident.

More importantly, Jaypaw asks "hey how come Mothwing doesn't care about Starclan?" Leafpool says "hey how come you won't shut up." Yeah that's really all there is to say about that.

Warrior cat Olympics??? HUHHHH?

I somehow completely forgot that this even happened. It's such a funny part of the plot.

For those who don't remember, the clans are mad about how winter was really mean to them. They are doubting the still new territory. Many of the cats are also blaming Thunderclan, saying Starclan is smiting them for taking in outsiders. Or something. So, to ease the tension, Squirrelflight proposes a fun competition between the apprentices in the clan during the day so that they can not be sad any more. All the leaders love the idea, except Blackstar, who only loves being vaguely mad at Thunderclan. But nobody asked him so the plan goes on anyways, and Shadowclan is involved in spite of their leader's pro tier hating.

The two main events that the reader sees are Heatherpaw and Hollypaw's fight and Lionpaw and Breezepaw's hunting competition. It's a really cute way to let the cats scuffle and show off some things without the weight of battles to the death. Hollypaw gets to show off her skills in battle to indicate that she made the right choice, Lionpaw gets to show off that he's way cooler than Breezepaw, and Jaypaw gets to show off that he's really, really sad.

Hollypaw and Heatherpaw's for funsies fight is still more dynamic than the actual fight to the death between Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost. The main plot event is when Jaypaw gets a weird prophetic vision of Lionpaw dying in a hole. What could it mean?

It means that Lionpaw nearly dies in a hole, obviously, so Jaypaw sets off immediately to go help him (and Breezepaw, but the only thing he does is stir up more romantic tension between Leafpool and Crowfeather). He succeeds and gets recognized as a hero by all of the clans. It's a moment that should be a highlight for Jaypaw- he is finally being recognized for what he does, blindness set aside- but the key thing is that Jaypaw doesn't seem interested. It seems contradictory for a character driven entirely by external validation to reject it, but he's not logical. He's young and not emotionally healthy, no single action is going to be able to fully help him see the world brighter. It's a really sad resolution, showing that Jaypaw is a character who will never be satisfied despite his eternal craving for satisfaction. In a series fully built around characters seeking being seen as powerful, see Brambleclaw shooting to be deputy, Leafpool's dedication to be a medicine cat, even abandoning Crowfeather for it, Firestar ending up as a leader through his intense dedication, Jaypaw stands out quite a bit. He doesn't feel comfortable within any title, he always wants more. At the very end of the book, he's given it. Jaypaw learns from Starclan that he is powerful and unique, and, for the first time, he is satisfied with himself.

The Sight and The Spoiler

Fellas, foreshadowing is so cool.

There's a lot of things mentioned that seem like obvious indicators for Squirrelflight not being the mother that are funny in retrospect. Like her leaving the nursery early? Yeah that's normal and only entirely unprecedented. I mean generally speaking Squirrelflight is not really involved with the three beyond like Firestar calling her in to tell them off with the fox. She's kind of an absent mother for them. Almost as if...

The other big spoiler is that Ashfur is evil. He's abnormally present in a lot of random conversations, even taking a random jab at Brambleclaw that he (is too stupid to) doesn't pick up on, seemingly (though he still doesn't trust Ashfur). The line in question is "...Ashfur growled. 'Some cats will always try to take what another cat has.'" I wonder what he could mean by that. Overall, his villainy, for now, peaks at making Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw uncomfortable, but the set up is there. Ashfur is obviously not quite over what happened in Sunset (to be fair, I'm also still mad about Sunset, though for different reasons) and, despite how normally he comes across, there's that looming backdrop of jealousy that sets up... nothing in particular I'm sure.

Conclusion!!

I didn't wanna mention it when I originally brought it up because I do try to at least mostly keep on topic (to varying degrees of success) but small lore question, if it's ever answered or even hinted at: how come Poppypaw can literally just be told "yeah you can live." Like she is explicitly dead and walking to Starclan, but Jaypaw says "please don't" and Spottedleaf just... turns her away? I think you can tell the question I have: why can they just do that? Why do any cats die if Starclan is able to just let them not die? Like imagine Nightstar. He died of sickness and, no disrespect to Poppypaw, but was extremely important to the clan. If Starclan had just let Nightstar go home, Tigerstar would not have even happened. So why don't they let cats who die just simply not die? The narrative reason is that it would be dumb but is there a lore reason? I am actually just asking (unless it's a spoiler)

Okay now for the proper conclusion. The Sight is the Jaypaw book. He takes up the most "screen" time of the three, slightly beating out Hollypaw and eclipsing Lionpaw. I actually got bored and control-f'd the names "Jaypaw" and "Lionpaw" and Jaypaw shows up literally twice as often as Lionpaw (701 vs. 350). Luckily, Jaypaw is also the most compelling character the series has to offer right now. I see why he was my favorite. Everything about him is so distinct and interesting in contrast to other pov characters seen so far.

I'm excited to read Dark River. I decided to not start the next book until I finish the post, at least for Power of Three. The reason I chose that is because I tend to actually think through my thoughts a lot while writing. It's why a lot of the posts tend to lean on the rambly side (though hilariously enough, the most rambly post is the Sunset post, which is the one where I came in knowing exactly what I wanted to write).

While writing this post, I started reading, and got about halfway through, The Book of Eels. Very interesting book so far, would recommend. It is, contrary to the title, not entirely about eel facts. Don't worry, it still has a heaping tablespoon of cool eel facts.

Okay well if you disagree with anything or just have an opinion you wanna throw at me do it I throw one back like opinion frisbee.

bye bye

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Depths 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, stalking and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: fisherman!Geralt of Rivia x artist!reader

Summary: your sleepy existence is thrown into chaos by a mysterious man.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

It's too rainy to paint but you hate to stay pent up. You pull on a coat and boots and head out with an umbrella. You might not get any work done but the lake will help soothe your nerves.

You come down the ragged path towards the dock and stop at the threshold of dirt and wood. You squint out at the dark shape bobbing on the water. The ship is whipped around in the wind, rocking dangerously on the foam. Still, it makes no advance towards shore.

The rain darts down like pellets. Small droplets that bounce off your coat but don't soak through. A spray speckles over your face as the fog rises across the lake. The boat's light turns on and glows in the distance.

Only then does the vessel redirect. You can hardly tell from your vantage. You shield your eyes from the rain as you try to zero in.

The rain lets up but the fog thickens around you. You stop just beyond the lap of the risen waves. Pebbles roll in the dirt and sticks float out with the tide.

The boat looms closer as it cuts a slow trawl through the water. You climb up on the dock and watch. You can only see the floating orb of light in the wall of mist.

You turn back and tramp down into the mud. It'll slow your return and the sooner your out of the musty air the better. You look back as the boat knocks against the dock, just as you reach the crest of the valley. 

The man with the white hair ties off on the post and throws out his ramp. His figure is obscured and he appears like a ghost in the fog. You're too far to see more than his faint silhouette. You set off and leave him behind with the churning waters.

The house is grim as you enter. You forgo the electric bulbs for a glass lantern. The ambiance flickers as a new spatter of rain begins. You steep a cup of tea and settle in with a book.

The lull coaxes you to sleep. You only wake as a sudden clatter comes from the rear of the house. You nearly roll of the sofa as you give a start. The novel falls to the floor as you sit up in the dark.

The wick's burnt itself out and the night has deepened outside. You get up and go to look out on the wooden deck. It could just be the wind. You don't see more than shadows. The only thing that hangs around are bears and deer. You'll leave them be.

You retreat and go to tidy up your cup and the book. You drag yourself a bed, dozy with the dampness thick around you.

The next morning is brighter but you have things to do. You load several paintings into your wooden wagon and head out for the main fare. It's a good trek away but you don't mind. The market stalls more than make up for the effort.

You stop at the post office first and send off the paintings to their buyers. Sales are enough to get by. Decent for the work done. Then you take your wagon off to the market for your usual haul.

You stop at the produce stand and pick out some healthy potatoes and onions, some berries too. You add some oats and flour to the wagon along the way, needing only some meat to get you by. 

You're drawn off course on your way to the butcher's stall. The shining scales lure you in and you browse the selection of trout. The man behind the stall frightens you as he growls in greeting.

"We don't have shrimp," the white-haired fisher states.

You didn't know he sold here but you suppose he has to offload the fish somehow.

"Oh, I wasn't... can I have two, please? They're pretty big." You smile. He narrows his eyes and unhooks two fish, wrapping them in paper and twine.

You ask how much and pay. You watch him as his golden eyes guide his hands. He accepts the money. 

"Quite the rain yesterday." You say.

He looks at you and returns your change.

"The waters must have been rough," you add. He shrugs. "Alright, well have a good day. See ya around."

You put the fish in the wagon and he clears his throat. "What are you painting?" He asks. You stop and face him again.

"Sorry?"

"You've got that easel. What do you paint?"

You smile again, "the water. The sun. It's beautiful out there, isn't it?"

He nods and grunts. "Dunno, I just look for the fish.”

You stand in silence. Unsure what else to do or say. You thank him again and drag your wagon onward. You stop at the butcher a few stands down. 

You glance back. The white-haired man stares after you for a moment then turns his back to you. He picks up a book and plops down on his stool. He's not much of a salesman but those fish will make a good filet.

[calware]

You might've answered something like this before but how do you pick colours for your art? Your choices are always so striking, visually interesting and delightful. I would love to learn your ways. (also hi)

WAAHHHH THANK YOU <3 <3 (also hi!!) first of all i do have a post from quite a while back with some general tips that you can check out, but my process has changed a bit since then so i can definitely elaborate a little bit more!

observation

this first tip is not very straightforward (sorry) but something i try to do is pay attention to the colors and lighting in the real world and try to remember what moments really stick with me. like when you're watching the sunset and the light from the sky washes everything in pink and tints the buildings orange, or when it's dusk and the light blue of the sky contrasts with the dark blues of everything that's in shadow, or looking in a lake and all the greens, browns, and blues mix together in rich jewel tones

i try to keep track of these things & the emotions they make me feel (almost like taking notes in a mental journal) so i can try referencing them when i want a certain drawing to feel a certain way. AGAIN this is really not straightforward and i don't really know how helpful it actually is...? but i find that observation can be a really helpful tool and i find myself doing it a lot

references

sort of the same as the last point BUT using preexisting photos and artwork instead! this one is more straightforward because you can actually reference them as you are drawing. i said this in the other post i made but i think that looking at other images and asking yourself "how is the artist/photographer using the colors to make it look this way? how do i recreate that?" and using that as a way to study their use of colors can be really helpful. if you find a drawing that has cool colors, try using those colors in your own drawings and see how they look!

that said, i would try to avoid color-picking things directly because i find that if you try choosing them on your own you 1) gain a better understanding of what you're doing 2) have more control over what you're doing and 3) you can "push" your colors in ways you might not if you color-pick directly

play with contrasting hues

i think this might just be a personal preference, but i find that i'm not as big of a fan of monochromatic images, and i prefer it when drawings utilize a wide variety of hues. this goes especially for ones that implement more contrast in the hues (not necessarily where the colors have more contrast in value, but rather contrast as in they're further apart on the color wheel)

for example, in this drawing, everything is washed in green light except for rose's skin, which is a very saturated reddish-brown. this is sort of what i mean by "pushing" the colors because, in a realistic setting, a person sitting in green lighting is going to have a more greenish-looking skin tone (like in this drawing). you can see this in how the whites of the drawing—her hair and eyes—are greenish, but i made the stylistic choice to not do the same with her skin to create contrast between the two hues

i edited the one on the bottom to match the green-ness of the rest of the image, and the effect is pretty noticeable! green light makes people look less lively, almost sickly (which is good to use if that's the feeling you want to show, of course)

another small example of this is in this drawing where i use a couple of different hues in davesprite's body. overall, it registers as orange, but i like to ever-so-slightly introduce a bit of green to contrast with the orange, letting the lightest values tip into the greens instead of stopping at yellow to contrast with the muted red in the wings. the darkest values are purple, which also contrasts with the yellow parts. the only hue missing from this image is blue! the colors are all still analogous, and the greens and purples are a lot less saturated than the oranges and yellows, so nothing clashes and overall leads to a more subtle contrast

the colors on the top are the ones from the image, while the ones on the bottom i see used a lot more commonly—which isn't a bad thing! i just think it looks nice to use a wide range of hues because of the way they complement each other :)

other than these strategies, my process varies greatly depending on what i'm working on, so it's difficult to get any more specific than this (unless you'd like to ask about the process of a specific drawing!) there isn't really any step-by-step method i use for every drawing i make, usually i am doing something different each time based on the goals i have for the project

[prettypup188]

“Smoke walk” Donnie x fem reader(fluff, joints mentioned, smoking,secret relationship, black fem reader, pet names like, bunny used and use if y/n. Not proofread, rushed)

Donnie hated living in this screwed world but you were the only thing that could soothe him and his… thoughts. Especially, when you brought a joint or two to help with his sickness. Your parents hated Donnie, they saw him as a ‘mental case’, but that didn’t stop you two from seeing each other so on a fateful Thursday night Donnie called you to hang out.

“Can you come over, please bunny?”,

Donnie whined, as he held the house phone against his ear leaned against his wall looking out into the evening sky. Y/n sighed over the receiver looking at her watch, “Maybe, when I go on my ‘walk’ you can meet me by the lake.”, Donnie smiled as he hung up the phone.

Y/n put her phone back on the receiver going over to her jewelry box, opening a small drawer pulling out a a skinny brown and greed stick and placing it in her pocket as she grabbed her coat. Walking downstairs, her dad watching a game and hooting and hollering, she slid past closing the front door behind her.

She quickly ran down the front steps crossing the street, heading towards the woods.

The streetlights buzzed above like sleepy fireflies, casting golden halos over the cracked sidewalk. It was too late for anyone decent to be out, which is exactly why you were. You walked into the deep thick woods heading to your meet up spot, the dark blue sky loomed over the dark blue lake.

“Where is he?”, she breathed looking around sitting down on the large rock giving a beautiful shot of the lake, that’s when she heard crackling from behind—

It was Donnie. He smiled at her with that lazy smile he always had.

“I was afraid you got lost ,” she said, as he sat next to her. “You brought it?”, she nodded pulling out the long joint. She lit it taking a long drag as she laid her head on his shoulder, locking hands with her free hand.

Donnie kissed her forehead looking out into the calm lake. She passed the blunt looking up at him, his eyes slowly closed breathing in the smoke, some escaping from his nose as he breathed out looking down at his girl, “I didn’t realize how much I needed this—thank you,” he said gently. Y/n smiled kissing him deeply, “Of course.”,

The two say there watching the lake as smoke loomed from above them, y/n checked her watch suddenly noticing how late it had gotten.

“Shit! I gotta go.”, Donnie groaned a bit annoyed as he stood up grabbing her waist, “Just a lil longer.”, y/n giggled giving him a long kiss, “Sorry, hun but I gotta go. I love you, Don.”, Donnie nodded letting her go. “Bye y/n.”

As y/n rushed back she checked her watch cursing at herself for letting time slip away. She made it to her doorstep taking in a deep breath before she stepped inside, she could still hear the game playing in the back, she sighed relieved until she heard her name called, “y/n. Where have you been?”, she looked into the living room to find her dad sitting on the couch, “On a walk.”, her dad narrowed his eyes, “It’s 7pm, past your curfew.”, y/n sighed apologizing as she kept her head down, “Just don’t let it happen again.”,

She nodded quickly heading upstairs going into her room, flopping on the bed.

“I miss Donnie already.”

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Today I Do: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.1k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Summary: Emily's past is coming at her like a freight train with no signs of slowing down, and it's getting harder to keep it from the team. You're getting suspicious not only for her but about your own troubles. Someone is trying to make it known that they're watching you.

Season Six Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If any warnings exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

"It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head." - Sally Kempton

When you and Spencer walk into the briefing room, you notice Emily in there alone and on the phone. She only manages to get out a single name before noticing you and Spencer walk in.

"Lauren Reynolds is dead." She turns away from you and Spencer. "Just be careful and send Jeremy my love. Bye."

"Who's Lauren Reynolds?" Spencer asks.

"She was a friend of mine."

You frown and notice the way she tenses slightly at the name. Even if you didn't have your abilities, you can tell she's lying. You don't want to upset her and call her out in front of an audience so you keep your mouth shut, and she seems grateful for that.

"How did she die?" Spencer asks.

"Car accident."

"I'm really sorry."

Just then, the rest of the team files in.

"Good morning. Let's get started," Hotch says.

"Thank you all for coming," Penelope says, "and time is of the essence. Molly Grandin, twenty-five years old, has been missing for approximately twenty-four hours. Her car was found abandoned in a strip mall parking lot."

"Syracuse police chief just called me to tell me that four months ago, another woman named Gail Langston, also twenty-five, went missing," Hotch says.

"Yes. Gail's body washed up three days later in Onondaga Lake. She'd been held captive, her hands and feet smashed, and then she was stabbed to death. Her car was found in the same parking lot as Molly's."

"Other than abandoned cars, what makes them think it's the same offender?" Emily asks.

"Both women packed a bag with enough clothes and toiletries to last them for the weekend, and in both cases, the bags were found in the car along with their purses and cell phones."

"If the unsub is sticking to the same MO, then Molly only has thirty-six hours left."

"Let's go," Derek says.

"The plane awaits."

You want to ask Emily about Lauren but she's the first one out of the room. You have a feeling she did that to get away from you, and you sigh.

"Garcia still hasn't found any overlap between Molly and Gail's lives," Derek said once in the air.

"For two girls that didn't know each other, they had a lot in common," Ashley says.

"What's the first thing that jumps out at you?" Emily asks her.

"Their body types are both small, but it's not just physical. They both shy away from the camera and clearly don't enjoy being photographed. It seems like both are easily overpowered and controlled. At twenty-five, they'd be much older than most undergrads at Syracuse University."

"You know, their college transcripts are littered with incompletes and missed semesters," Spencer says as he reads into their backgrounds. "Both are from blue-collar backgrounds with no scholarship. It must be hard to keep up while working a full-time job."

"So, going to a private school could have been worth it for appearances' sake. If the unsub met them on campus, he could be another student."

"He may not be a student. He might be an employee like from the janitorial staff or security."

"Well, they both packed bags to go away with him for the weekend. That trip's romantic."

"Yeah, he's not just getting to know them, he's dating them," Derek says.

"Prentiss and Morgan, go to Molly's apartment. If she knew the abductor, there might be evidence there. Reid and Y/N, go to the dump site," Hotch says.

"Gail's body was found almost four months ago. Won't all the evidence be gone by now?" Ashley wonders.

"You can actually find out a lot about an unsub by where they choose to leave their victims."

"Plus, spiritual energies rarely ever go away. The dead leave behind so much, it's overwhelming at times," you say. The plane's phone rings and you answer Penelope's call. "What's up, Pen?"

"Syracuse Police Chief Barrows brought a suspect in for questioning five minutes ago. His name is Lyle Donaldson. Molly's ex-boyfriend."

Lyle owns a boat and fishes twice a month in the same area where Gail was found. He's also a student with her at SU, and he's known for his anger problems. He has three arrests for assault with two of them being that he beat Molly up.

It's unusual for serial killers to go after someone with such a strong connection to them, but the profile will be able to eliminate him if he's not the unsub.

You get to the place where Molly was dumped which is by a bridge overlooking a very small lake. You park off to the side and exit the car with Spencer who is holding Molly's file. You walk to the thick concrete railing of the bridge and stare at the place where Molly's body was found. She stands at the edge of the water just watching you. She walks into the water slowly until she disappears below the water's surface.

She doesn't come back up.

"You know, a body would be found here rather quickly, especially if it wasn't weighed down," Spencer says. "There was no postmortem damage from being tied to the weights. Everything else about Gail's capture was carefully planned. It seems unlikely this guy would just suddenly panic and lose control. He prioritizes control. I mean, Gail's body was beaten in a very specific way--a mallet to the hands and feet. Look at this. The stab wounds are parallel to each other."

Spencer shows you the wounds from the pictures in the file.

"They look more like puncture wounds," you say.

"The ME thinks it's a Phillips head screwdriver. Which means he uses tools instead of traditional weapons. The wounds definitely have a purpose."

"I don't think we're dealing with a man. I think the unsub is a woman."

"How do you know?"

"You mean besides the fact that it's a water burial and men don't do that? Apart from yours, I don't see a shred of male energy. Right where Molly was found, it's all blue which means it's a female."

"I agree. I mean, with the water burial."

You chuckle and take out your phone to call Emily. "Hey, Spence and I think we might be looking for a female offender."

"That explains why there was no sign of sexual assault. With an unsub this obsessed with control and power, it's usually part of the territory. It looks like there was a female living in the other bedroom of Molly's apartment."

"We'd have been told if she had a roommate."

"Yeah, so Molly must have wanted to keep it a secret for a reason. Whoever she was, she left recently and in a hurry. I'll put a canvas out now. Thanks, Y/N."

You and Spencer leave the bridge and head back to the police station at the same time Emily and Derek get back from Molly's apartment.

"So, neighbors did see a woman coming and going from Molly's apartment over the last few months, but nobody saw her close enough to get a sketch."

"No one met her?" Rossi asks.

"No. The best description we got was a white female, in her mid-twenties with light-brown hair, and plain."

"Molly never mentioned a roommate to her father or her coworkers. Lyle didn't know, either."

"Is he still here?"

"No. We couldn't charge him, so his lawyer walked him out."

"Alright, we need to start over and go back over both Gail and Molly's cases and look at everything from the perspective of a female unsub," you say.

"I'll bring in Gail's family and ask about the women in her life," Rossi says.

"Prentiss, you and Y/N go back over to Molly's apartment. Find out what else she's hiding."

You and Emily leave together and get to Molly's apartment within ten minutes. Her bedroom is pretty normal except for a bunch of different colored sticky notes with short quotes on them posted nearly everywhere.

"Looks like she was overdosing on daily affirmations."

"Yeah, saying you're happy isn't the same as being happy." Emily gets on her knees to look under the bed, and she produces a small white box. Inside is a book and lots of pills. "Oh. I think I found her dark secret." She stands and reads through the book. "This is a diet journal. Check with Garcia and see if her spending reflects a disorder."

You take out your phone and call Penelope, putting her on speakerphone so Emily can hear.

"Hey, how much money did Molly spend on food every week?"

"Let's see here. It looks like she spent thirty bucks a week at the grocery store. Thai food every Friday. Yikes, she is worse than me. $8.00 a day for coffee."

"What about a couple of months ago?"

"Oh, my. Back then the spending tells an entirely different story of the unhealthy sort. Lots of drugstore purchases and fast food places. Only a few dollars a week at the grocery then seventeen dollars at McDonald's."

"Binge night. Anything in the journal?"

"It's intense. She recorded not only what she put into her body but what came out. Calories expended during exercise, and she weighed her bowel movements."

"Anorexia and bulimia."

"The last entry is ten weeks before she disappeared. When did her spending change?" Emily asks.

"About three months ago. She got a membership at a yoga studio and stated paying for cooking classes."

"We need to find out if Gail had a similar pattern before she was killed."

"Rossi is speaking with her family right now." You hang up with Penelope and text Rossi one of the more famous affirmations in Molly's room: Today I do, tomorrow I will. You look at Emily and get flashes of her when you think of Lauren Reynolds. You know you shouldn't but you can't help but push this. "Look, Em, I know I said I wouldn't bring it up unless you did, but who is Lauren Reynolds?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business. I told you, a friend."

You chuckle but there is no humor behind it. "My best friend in high school called me the human lie detector. Can you guess why?"

"Look, I'm not doing this right now. I really do like you which is why I'm asking you to drop this. Please."

"Em, who are you afraid of?"

She doesn't answer. She just walks away from you. She doesn't say a word the entire ride back to the police station. Spencer is writing the affirmation on the whiteboard since Gail's family confirmed she used to say this all the time, too.

"You know, this phrase doesn't seem to have a particular source or author. It's found in pretty much every self-help book--I read twenty-two of them today--all touting the same basic three-part plan.

"Let me guess, phase one is positive thinking and visualizing goals?" you ask.

"That's to work up the courage to get to phase two which is taking real steps to achieve said goal. Gail committed to school and got grades like never before. Molly gave up her obsessive food journal and started eating better."

"It's hard to believe motivational sayings alone would allow them to make these types of strides."

"Maybe that's why the unsub moved in with them. She could offer support and encouragement day and night," you suggest. "She'd be around to watch Molly's diet or Gail's study habits. At first, her methods worked. She gets to be the hero, the savior."

"She's a pure narcissist, so helping her victims is only about gaining their appreciation and dependence. The more her victims gain confidence, the less they need a full-time cheerleader. That's when her motivational plan goes completely off the rails. Phase three is normally about maintaining the tenets of the program independently, but her program doesn't end. She holds them captive and destroys them physically."

"She's the motivational speaker from hell," Emily scoffs.

Since you know what type of person you're dealing with, Hotch calls for a profile with the Syracuse police department and Chief Barrows.

"We're looking for a white woman in her mid-twenties, most likely blue-collar and local to the Syracuse area. She probably has a job that puts her in the role of caretaker, such as a masseuse, a nail or hair stylist, or a personal trainer. Women feel comfortable opening up to her about their personal lives, revealing details about their insecurities that she later uses to manipulate them."

"Do you think she tries to pass herself off as a therapist or a counselor of some sort?" Chief Barrows asks.

"That's doubtful. Her narcissistic personality wouldn't allow her to listen to anything that didn't revolve around her for more than a few minutes at a time. It's hard to learn anything when you always need to be the expert. We don't think she's capable of getting a degree of any kind."

"Wouldn't she need some kind of certification for the jobs you're talking about?"

"She would, but she's a master manipulator. She probably talked her way into many jobs before they realized her credentials were fake, so check gyms, spas, salons, and yoga studios for employees fired in the last two years."

"We need to ID this woman as fast as possible if we want any chance of finding Molly alive."

x

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[hockeygirl101]

The Lake House

Part four:Friday night lights

My body is frozen, I can't move. Ours eyes are locked in each other. He doesn't smile like his brothers did. He doesn't look angry, or mad. His face is null of emotions, I hate it. I hate when he looks at me like that. I feel myself reach for Theos hand, he grabs mine and squeezes. I start to walk over to the seat beside Luke. He puts his hand on my legs gently under the table.

"You okay?" He mumbles in my ear. I nod at him, not saying anything. I can't even breathe, I have so many thoughts darling inside my head. Will he talk to me? I thought I was ready but I'm not-

My eternal freak out gets cut off, "So Bear, how's Yale?" My heart stops, his voice, it sticks in my ears like honey. I feel like it's the first time I'm hearing it, causing a shiver to run down my back. I turn and look, he had spoken. To me, he had said words to me. His tone cuts through me, it's warm. I clear my throat looking him in the eye.

"Oh um good Quinn, how's Vancouver?" I ask quietly, shrinking in my seat slightly.

He raises his eyebrow at me, "Vans good. Nothing I can complain about. How's hockey?" I flinch at the question. I look over at Theo, he nods.

"She's going to be Captain this year actually. She just found out before coming up. Pretty exciting stuff Bug." Theo says to me and the rest of the table. Everyone nods and starts congratulating me. Some of Luke friends ask me some questions, I answer the best I can. Not knowing  whole lot about it yet.

"Yea thanks guys, I'm excited" I say looking down at my plate. I feel Luke lean into my ear again.

"I'm proud of you Bear." He nods at me and winks. I feel myself cheeks flush slightly, I look back to Quinn. His eyebrow s furrowed, a small grimace on his lips.

The kitchen door opens and my parents walk in with the food, Jim and Ellen follow with wine and beer. Ellen places a bottle of wine and leans down to my ear, her lips almost brushing it.

"We thought he was coming tomorrow, sorry hun. We would have told you." she whispers so gently I can barely hear her. But I do, and I know what she's saying. I nod and smile at her quickly.

"So what were we talking about?" My dad says as he sits down, he sighs and smiles at me. "What you got for us this time Bear?"

Mom laughs, "Oh yes you always have such good stuff to tell us about school." She nods and starts eating, as does everyone else.

"Oh well I was just saying that I'm going to be captian next year" I say, looking up at my dad. He knew I didn't want to talk about the elephant in the room. He sends me a quick wink.

"Yea, I'm proud of you Bear" Jack says, breaking the silence from the far end of the table. He smiles at me from his seat, "let me know when they post your announcement on instagram" he laughs, knowing I posted his on mine when he was drafted. I giggle and nod,

"Sounds good Jacky" I giggle looking back across from me at my mom. She smiles at me but doesn't say anything, which is weird for her. Normally she jumps on me, telling me how perfect Jack is for me. But she just sits there and smiles.

"So, Averie, what are you studying at Yale" Nico asks me, taking a sip of his wine. He smiles at me, giving me his full attention.

"Journalism, planning on being a sports journalist, hopefully for the New York Times, or at least some major paper." I say looking at him, he sits on Quinn's immediate left, across from jack who's in his right. Quinn glares at Nico.

"I'm sure you'll be great kid" Quinn says to me, smiling gently. "I know you will be in fact"

My heart squeezes, and for a split second I think I might be having a heart attack. Kid. That stupid nickname, he only ever uses when he's reminding me he's older. Wiser some would say, but not me. He's trying to get under my skin, I shake my head. I know Quinn better than that, he's still a kid too. He's only 25 for crying out loud.

"Of course I will be, by then Luke and Jack will be at the height of their careers, the last name will be a house hold one thanks to Jack and Luke. Plus I'll be able to get the best interviews." I look away from Quinn and up at Luke, I smirk. "Right Lu?" I bat my eyes at him gently.

"Absolutely, anything for our girl" he says nodding then going back to eating. The thing about Luke, as charming as he is, he's my best friend. Although, I'm sure if I asked, he would, but Luke will never cross the line of friendship and something more. He's always been good like that, he knows I don't need that kind of support, I just need my best friend.

"Absolutely" Jack says from beside Luke, giving me a small grin. I grin back at him, sending him a wink. I feel Theo kick me under the table gently, I look across to him, he's got a smirk on his face.

We finish up the dinner with light conversation, I get to know Luke's collage buddies a bit better. Quinn keeps a glare on Nico whenever he talks to me.

Once the dinner is over, I help my mom and Ellen clear the table as my dad takes all the guys outside to start the fire. Every year, once the whole family is together we have a small gathering with other people on the lake. It's a small thing we do to keep the community strong.

"So Averie, are you excited to be at your first lake house bonfire again?" Ellen asks as she starts washing the dishes. My mom behind her putting away the left over food.

"I guess so, I'm not not excited" I look at her, grabbing the plate to start drying it, "Just haven't seen everyone in a while, a little nervous I guess." Shrugging, I place the plate onto the drying rack.

"I understand, it's nerve racking to see so many people who used to know you. You've changed, all for the better of course." Ellen smiles, she keeps washing the dishes.

I think about what Ellen said, had I really changed that much? And for the better? What does that mean? Were people going to notice? What exactly about me had changed? We finish the dishes while talking about classes, my mom tells me to go change into something nicer then sweats. I nod and go through the house to the stairs.

I turn to go up them, Quinn, Jack and Nico are staring at the top talking in hushed tones.

"You guys need something?" I ask as I walk up the stairs, still keeping a distance. I won't look at Quinn, keeping my eyes locked on Jack.

"No bear sorry, your dad told us to grab some blankets from your room that's all." Jack nods his head to my room door.

"Oh yea go ahead, you know where they are" I say slipping between Nico and Quinn. "You didn't have to ask Jack, I trust you." I open the door to my room, the guys follow.

"In the closet up top" I point to the closet as I go over to my dresser, I pull out shorts and a pink lace top. I feel Quinn behind me.

"Need something Quinn?" I turn to face him, shit, he's closer then I though.

"Nah, just looking kid." He says looking down at me, a small smirk covers his lips. My heart jumps a little, I move past him, walking over to my bathroom. I look I see Nico looking at my pictures.

"This you guys at Yale?" He asks, looking at the very bottom picture.

"Oh um yea, Ellen made them help move me in freshmen year." I say looking down at my shoes, not wanting Quinn to hear.

"I remember that day, you looked good" Quinn says from across the room, before I can respond, jack comes out holding 8 blankets.

"Got em lets go, thanks Bear" jack says leading Nico out of the room, back down stairs.

Quinn stands at the door looking at me, leaving on the frame. "You know, Luke always said you weren't gonna be the same after you started at Yale." He says moving closer to me, I stand frozen in place. "Guess he was wrong uh Bear?" He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I don't flinch, I don't react, I stand completely still.

"No, Luke's never wrong about me Quinn. Even your mom knows I've changed, you just can't let go of the past." I finally say, moving back and walking through the bathroom door, slamming it and locking it. I slide down the back of it, my head falling into my hands. I hate him. I hate the way he gets to me, he always has the upper hand.

"Averie! Sweetie let's go!" I hear my mom yell through the open window that looks onto the main patio. I sigh and stand, I guess it's now or never. I get changed and walk down the stairs, Luke's standing at the bottom.

"Was waiting on you, you okay?" He says when looks up from his phone. Giving me a concerned look.

"Mhm, yea just, just Quinn was bugging me earlier" I say now standing beside him, he wraps his arm around my shoulders, steering me to the kitchen. I can hear people outside already. "You'll be fine Bear. No one hates you like you think they do. And ignore Quinn, he's been pissy the past month, nothing to do with you, or anything." Luke leans down to whisper in my ear.

"Ok" I say opening the back door, me and Luke step through. Jack and Quinn are immediately beside us.

"Hey bear, want a drink?" Jack asks, holding his own beer. Quinn moves to stand in-front of me, looking down at me slightly.

"I'll go get it for you" Luke says leaving me with Jack and Quinn. Quinn is just staring at me, he looks me up and down. He moves closer to me.

"A little short don't you think?" He motions to my shorts.

I let out a chuckle, "That's not really your problem is it?" I say moving away from him, closer to Jack. "Come on, I think I see my parents" I take Jacks hand, leading him towards my dad.

"What about Luke?" Quinn shouts behind me.

"He'll find me, he always does" I throw back at him over my shoulder. Jack lets out a small laugh before covering it with a cough.

[starry-hughes]

christmas wrapping (quinn hughes)

day 25 of star’s ficmas

quinn hughes x reader

note: merry christmas! after posting fics for 25 days straight, i’m extremely proud of myself. i had a lot going on during these 25 days and i was convinced that i was going to give up but it made me have a goal for every day.

with that being said, welcome to the final fic. if you don’t understand the title, please refer to my FAVORITE christmas song by the waitresses christmas wrapping, in which this entire fic is based off of. i’ve been working on this for a while.

thank you for sticking around for 25 days!

It didn’t feel like Christmas. You were in a humbug spirit all month long, despite it being your absolute favorite holiday. Typically, by the month of December, you had presents bought and wrapped before the first week of the month ended.

You didn’t have somewhere to be on the holiday. Last year at Christmas, you were in a ski shop. Your friends had planned a whole ski trip which is where you met Quinn Hughes. Quinn had struck up the conversation and you both discovered you were living in Vancouver. At the end of the conversation, Quinn was giving you his phone number.

You fully intended on calling Quinn. But there was never the time. Between your work and own things, and his busy schedule, it was never lining up. When the season in the spring was picking up for Quinn, it was the time that you just so happened to reach out to him. You asked if lunch was something possible.

Quinn was all for lunch. He wanted to see you. The alluring individual he met in a ski shop when avoiding his brothers’ antics out in the snow. You suggested the first date, he was in Carolina that day. The date he suggested, you were on a work trip in Montreal. After the back and forth and exchange of at least ten different days in the spring, nothing was working out. Both of you laughed it off, promising to keep in touch for when schedules got light and times would match up better.

The next time you would hear from Quinn would be the summertime. You were returning from a weekend trip with some friends to the beach, but on your trip, you had forgotten an important item. Sunscreen. You had horrible sun blisters and it hurt to even lay in bed. Quinn normally didn’t spend the summer in Vancouver but he was there briefly for a little, visiting some friends, when he invited you to a boat day on the lake. You wanted to attend so bad, you were still wanting to meet with Quinn again, see if the spark was still there from December of last year. Sadly, you had to decline, sending him a picture of you with aloe slathered on your face, telling him it was sunburn in the third degree keeping you from joining him.

Quinn understood, no one would ever want to sit under the scorching sun after getting severe sunburn. There were no hard feelings but he was wishing he could see you.

You finally took the time to call all your friends who had invited you over for Christmas. Declining all the invites, making phone calls to all the parties you were asked to RSVP to. It had been a crazy year and you had decided it would be your first Christmas alone. It was a hard decision but it was needed.

You thought back to Halloween. Quinn had invited you to the Canucks Halloween party at Brock Boeser’s house. He was supposed to pick you up. You were sitting in your apartment for a while, costume on, handing out candy to the few kids who knocked on your door. Quinn was exasperated when he called. Of course this would be the night his car battery died. His friends were already all at the party and there was no one to help him. He promised he wasn’t bailing on purpose and you told him it was okay and believed his word. Guess another time would have to do.

You had grocery shopped for your small Christmas dinner days in advance. The moment you decided to eat and celebrate alone, you picked up everything. A small turkey was in the oven, resting, while you put together other items. You cursed to yourself, of course you’d forget cranberry sauce. And it was Christmas Eve, meaning all the last minute shoppers would be at the store. It was windy and rainy in Vancouver, a gloomy Christmas. Slipping on your rain boots and coat, you made it down to the nearest store.

Quinn wasn’t used to spending the holidays alone. But one mistake in his family and their booking of flights and he was alone. Honestly, he preferred it. He needed the time to recharge. After being named captain of his hockey team and his team doing pretty well, he deserved time to himself. He didn’t have a big dinner planned, declining all invites from his teammates.

He had waited until the last minute to buy most things and fought through the last minute crowds to get everything in the morning to make dinner for himself tomorrow on Christmas Day. But while emptying his grocery bags, he realized he forgot cranberry sauce. He trudged through to the store down the street from his apartment.

You couldn’t exactly put your finger on where you knew him from when you first saw him. You were standing in line, cranberry sauce in hand when Quinn joined the line right next to yours. You smiled at him and he immediately knew it was you. He joined in you line.

“Spending this Christmas alone?” you questioned. “Yeah it’s been crazy,” he responded.

“Yeah me too, but why are you at the store..” your voice trailed off, “you forgot cranberry too!”

Quinn and you both laughed and then at the same time, it clicked. Christmas magic from the movies. “My dinner is almost done, if you want to come over,” you suggested. “I’d love that,” he paid for both cans of cranberry sauce. “Tomorrow, you can eat dinner at my place if you want,” he said.

You nodded and the two of you made the way out of the grocery store together and down to your apartment. “I feel bad, we don’t have gifts to unwrap,” you said. “I guess cranberries work. Or maybe a toothbrush depending if I stay the night.”

[joelswritingmistress]

Camp Crystal Lake: Chapter 10

Requested by @yellowjacketsbuzzbuzz

Joel Miller x f!reader (romance/horror)

Setting: Camp Crystal Lake

The reader is taking on the position of a camp counselor at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake. While she begins to enjoy her summer, even crushing on the camp director Joel, a killer lurks in the woods unbeknownst to anyone.

Hiking was liberating that morning. Everyone was together talking and laughing under the cover of the trees, and it was a great start to the day.

Joel turned and motioned to a tree with a small, blue streak on it. “This is the blue trail,” he explained, “It's the easiest one and goes right around the lake in a circle.”

“Are there any other trails?” Vicky asked.

“White and Red,” Joel replied, “White is a little off the beaten path, and Red is the toughest. Don't take the red with the kids because you don't want to end up lost.. or in a bed of poison ivy.”

“Are we going to check those out today?” Sandra asked him.

“If there's time maybe we’ll check out the white trail.”

I glanced out toward the lake as we hiked adjacent to it. The blue trail never lost sight of the water, so it truly was the safest bet. The last thing I wanted was to get lost in the endless collection of trees - so I figured going forward I'd just stick to the beginner paths.

“Hey look!” Scott motioned through the trees and all of us stopped to see what had caught his attention.

“Tell me it's not a bear,” Teri groaned.

“No, look.” Scott continued to point, “The old cabins.”

“Camp Blood,” Mark spoke, glancing over his shoulder at Joel as he helped to wheel him over the uneven landscape.

“We're all going to get hauled in by the local police,” Ted joked.

“Just keep moving,” Joel urged. “I understand the urge to go over there but it's off limits for a reason.”

“You don't really believe in those Jason stories do you?” Jeff asked him.

“I don't believe Jason is alive, no,” Joel said, “But those cabins are decades old and haven't been maintained. The last thing you want is to be inside and the roof caves in.”

“What about outside,” Sandra asked, to which he just gave her a look of disapproval. “Okay, okay. We understand. Off limits.”

“Thank you,” Joel continued to lead the way and when he huffed a breath, Vicky offered to jump in and help Mark.

“I can take over,” she offered.

“You sure?” Joel asked.

She nodded and shared a smile with Mark. The red football jersey he wore sparked her interest and they began talking about his college football career he’d had prior to a motorcycle accident that left him in the wheelchair.

I eavesdropped a bit, feeling a bit melancholy for the way things had panned out for Mark; though his optimism regarding the situation almost immediately made me feel better. When he and Vicky shared a little hand squeeze I turned my attention elsewhere.

“Hey.” Joel slunk in beside me and we dropped to the back of the pack.

“Hey.” I smiled at him.

“You, uh.. you okay with everything that happened?” He asked quietly.

“I'm so okay with it that I wouldn't mind doing it again.”

Joel laughed quietly and eyed another blue streak on a tree as we continued to walk. “I think I can arrange something for when we get back.”

“Oh yeah?” He had my full attention now.

“Yeah.” His hand discreetly rested on my lower back and I felt a rush of adrenaline.

I bit my bottom lip and leaned into him for a moment, smirking when his hand gave my butt a squeeze and he kissed my temple. We parted from one another immediately after. From that small interaction, my world suddenly got a little brighter - and I was already in a great mood. The whole ordeal was so out of character for me but I was loving every minute of it.

On the walk back, Joel led us through a shortcut that led up to the mess hall.

“I wonder if Annie’s back yet,” he said aloud, wiggling the door handles that led inside. When he saw they were secured and nothing looked out of place, we continued on our walk back to the main cabin.

My eyes landed on a sheet of white paper by the edge of the woods and I saw a list of different foods printed inside of a spreadsheet. I was tempted to retrieve it but as the group kept pace, I chose not to stop.

“Okay,” Joel said, putting his hands together. He turned to face us when we were nearly back, “Get yourself something to drink or a little snack and I’ll get us down to the camper cabins with some paint. I’m putting two per cabin for now and we’ll see how it goes.”

“Yes, boss,” Ted said for all of us and led the way into the main cabin to retrieve some water. After a few short minutes we made the short trek through a path in the woods that led to a collection of cabins that were centered by a pair of sand volleyball courts. Joel’s pickup truck was already parked nearby and he was lugging ladders and paint cans to each of them.

“Chipmunk Bunk,” Scott read aloud as he placed a hand on the chipped, green siding.

“You and Mark can have the Chipmunks,” Joel said to him with a nod as he heaved a ladder against the side of the house.

“Chipmunks!” Mark pumped his fist.

Jeff draped an arm around Sandra's shoulders. “We can take the, uh..” he squinted his eyes until he could make out the next cabin’s wooden label. “.. The Bear Cave.”

Joel nodded. “You can work together if you promise not to wander off to Camp Blood.”

Jeff crossed his heart and Sandra put up her hand with a nod. “Promise,” they said at the same time.

“Okay.” Joel nodded and I smiled to myself when he assigned Teri and Vicky to The Fox Hole.

And then there was me.. and him.

Joel held out a hand and maintained eye contact. “Would you accompany me to The Wolf Den?”

I looked around the immediate area and smiled back at him. I placed my hand into his. “I'd be honored.”

Joel didn't waste time playfully towing me in through the cabin’s screen door. Our lips were locked the second the door slammed behind us and my shirt was thrust up over my head a second later.

“Mmm..” I moaned into his mouth when my back hit the linens of a twin bed.

“I just can't get enough of you.” Joel breathed out the words as he took a break from kissing me to take a breath.

“And the summer has barely even started,” I whispered back, accepting another intense kiss as his hand sank below the waistline of my shorts. I took a deep breath, but my lip and closed my eyes.

“Go!” I heard the word from a vaguely familiar voice outside, followed by another very familiar voice shouting, “Joeeeel.” It didn't seem overly urgent but urgent enough.

Joel stopped and pushed up onto his hands as he hovered above me. His expression was instantly bothered and as he shook his head, his eyes closed.

“What is it?” I asked quietly with a hand still snaked around his shoulders. I heard Jeff’s voice summoning Joel a second time and then a series of endless babbling from the other voice.

“It's fucking Ralph.” He climbed off of me and got himself together. “I'll be right back.”

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[marcellasdiary]

hi hi lovely !!! it’s @lolashifts !! sorry for bothering u but i just NEEEED to know more about your teen wolf dr !!!!

i’m so curious bc i’m shifting to season 1 so that i have the time to get comfy and see everything unravel etc but if i understand correctly you’re currently in a different point in time in your dr, right ? is there anything you’re comfortable sharing about what happened before this?

(i hope i’m making sense, i’m usually awful at explaining myself, sorry 😭)

alsooo i’d love to know how beacon hills is !! if there are any shops you really like, places to be, whatever you’d like to share <3

(us teen wolf shifters gotta stick together fr btw)

HII!! yes us teen wolf shifters GOTTA STICK TOGETHER. thank you for the ask this literally made me so happy!!

this is going to be long so i apologize in advance 🙏 i am nothing if not a yapper.

yes, at this point my dr is "post-canon" if im talking in ao3 terms. it's been like almost a year now since everyone and their mother (literally) was against us and we were all sleeping on the floor of a veterinarian clinic, so i would say things are decent! you can think of everyone split into three groups at this point: the ones away at uni, those of us who are still in beacon hills already working or going to bhcc, and the ones who are about to graduate high school. (and a moment of silence for the two i know who are still juniors, nolan and alec, unfortunate for them really).

as for the area, i will be honest with you, beacon hills is kinda boring in my experience LMAO. it’s a mid-sized town, its realllyyy old, LOTS of abandoned places around, exploring them is fun. lots of people move in and out constantly. can you blame them? we have a big reputation for being a "haunted" or “cursed” area, and lots of true crime fans visit. let me tell you they scam tf out of these people LMAO. for example people pay to go on this one tour where they literally just walk you through a trail and from what ive heard tell you incorrect facts about werewolves. girl if you dont go home. also apparently theyre planning on building a museum or something based on all thats publicly known, i cant wait to go and laugh personally.

so yeah, if youre arent already used to living the small town life in any reality, you'll have to get used to the art of it, which is usually finding the joy in sitting in a parking lot with your friends and driving around.

we live close to mt. shasta, theres lots of nature around, plenty of trails like i mentioned, preserves, and parks. i was also going to say we have lakes, but that is an extremely generous word. so we have some ponds! yay swimming!

there is a small “downtown” area which includes some nightlife. we have a few clubs, the ones i've been too are: sinema, club 530 and the basement. sinema is the best, the basement next, 530 is trash dont even bother if its in ur dr as well 😭. theres also raves sometimes if youre into that. ive never been and the only person i know who enjoys them is erica so im sure its fun LOLL. theres also a place downtown called baan thai. BEST PLACE EVERR its so good their chicken fried rice and volcano sushi roll pls save me.

if im talking about my favorite places, i also feel obligated to mention my dads diner as i grew up there. think luke from gilmore girls, ifykyk, that's his vibe. the place is called blackbird diner, named after him and his dads favorite beatles song. (SHOUTOUT TO JOEL THANKS FOR SIGNING THE ADOPTION PAPERS 🗣️)

theres also a paintball place which i have some fun memories of. let me tell you it is a SERIOUS game when the people you’re playing with either have enhanced speed or are literally trained in shooting. or both.

and not that long ago a cat cafe opened!!!! very big for me.