#ofc people are going to want to deck your ass when they see you

[cat-mentality]

Love doomed Team Soulfire.

Because they all love so very deeply don't they? They love their children, they love their friends, they love their homes, they love the little peace they have found in the Island.

They love so deeply that they just want to go home.

But love can be a curse.

Love can lead to nothing but pain and disaster when that love blinds you.

The Entity says that their children's lives are at stake, that they must win if they ever want to see them again, that there is a cursed team and they cannot lose, that their lose is death to their children. And Team Blue cannot risk it, they cannot allow themselves to let their children be put at risk in case they are the cursed them.

For love, they would do anything.

And that was exactly what they did. When other's are getting their resources, when they are thinking about what to do, how to proceed, Team Soulfire already knew, they knew they would do anything for their children, they would kill and they would die.

Surely everyone else was on the same page wasn't them? Their deaths meant nothing as long as their children could be saved.

Love blinded Team Soulfire.

Love blinded them to the pain they inflicted on others. Made them unable to realize exactly what they are doing the moment they spilled first blood, because that? That was the moment Purgatory began.

Not when they landed on the desolate Island, not when they were separeted on teams, not when their children's lives were considered a prize in a twisted game.

That first death? That started Purgaroty. Because what Team Blue didn't realize was that not everyone else was blinded by love as much as they were, that for others killing wasn't their first goal, that for a brief moment people thought they could fight against the system, that they could try in other ways.

But after that? Oh no, there was no turning back from that.

They didn't realize that when you kill someone over and over and over and over again, without mercy, without pause, without thinking about the sort of pain you are inflicting on them, it doesn't matter why you are doing it. They wouldn't look at you and see a friend, they wouldn't see a person who just wants to go home, who just wants to end this hell.

They will see a murderer.

They will see someone who sees their suffering as a means of gaining points, they will see someone who doesn't care about anyone else.

They will only see betrayal.

They will only see a enemy.

You cannot burn your bridges and expect to find a way home. You cannot stab the people around you, even if you do it for love, even if you believe yourself to be doing it for good reasons, and expect them to open your arms to you when you need it.

Team Soulfire loves. They love so deeply, so intensely, so very much.

And their love doomed them to be hated. To be viewed as the ones willing to do anything, to kill and betray and destroy anything the others have. Their love blinded them to the suffering they inflicted upon the others.

And the most painful thing?

Team Soulfire does not realize others are not playing the game as they are. That when they try to even the scoreboard, when they try to make things "fair" they are just feeding an uncontrollable fire, they are just scattering the ashes even further, they are hugging the broken pieces of what once was and they don't realize that the blood coating their hands.

Oh my darlings, how they put so much faith in a verbal agreement about the safety of the egg statues. How they love the children so much that they could not imagine that others wouldn't see those stones the same way they did, that they wouldn't be petrified that there was the slight chance that hurting the statue could hurt their children, how they believed that people would feel the same, would respect it as much as they did.

But of course they didn't. Because Team Bolas Rojas has been stabbed in the back from all the sides multiple times, they could not phantom the idea of trusting the people who have hunted them for sport, who have killed them for points in their own home, who have done nothing but hurt and betray them, they don't look at Team Soulfire and see friends just trying to go home, trying to protect their loved ones, they just see the people who hurt them multiple times.

And Team Green Ninjas agreed to not kill the statues, they truly had never any intention of finishing the job, but at no point their ever promised they wouldn't try to win, because at the end of the day they too worry so fucking much they couldn't imagine the possibility of not trying to win to save their children.

So that leaves Team Soulfire isolated, burned by love, forever to be distrusted and hated and avoided because of the actions they took in day one, because they believed that anything done in Purgatory was done for love and would be forgiven because they all have the same goal, they all want the same thing, because they believed people would understand their motivations.

And they did! They do!

It just doesn't matter.

Because the hurt they caused is too deep to be soothed by that.

For love, they have caused what seems like irreparable amounts of pain.

For love, they doomed themselves to be the villains in the eyes of everyone they know.

[echoingbirdsofprey]

Delicate (Jake's Version)

1 - Iceman's Daughter

Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x OFC Samantha Kazansky

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: swearing (as usual) and Jake just getting shit from everyone

WC: 2.5k

A/N: So I'm borrowing the twins idea...so Tyler and Jake are twins so those stories will coincide at some point. Enjoy please! Don't be a silent reader either!

Playlist

Sam didn't need a damn thing in this world. Not a thing. She certainly didn't need a man. She certainly didn't need any of these cowboy fighter pilots in Fightertown. They all seemed to want to flirt with her, but it always ended there. No one ever made a move because of who her father was.

Iceman.

U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky.

Her father was one of the highest ranks in the Navy. And when she walked in a room, in a bar, or almost anywhere in Miramar, California, people knew exactly who’s daughter she was. 

To say that Sam wanted for nothing was an understatement. Sam would consider herself well off with her almost brand new truck, that yes, daddy did buy, and all her pretty clothes, that yes, daddy did buy for her. She flaunted the fact that her dad bought everything for her. So it was no surprise that there hadn't been a man who could match up. Especially where Sam was much smarter than most of them, and worked harder than most of them too. She had a younger brother and sister, Mark and Alexandra, who were both in high school. Sarah, their mom, had always been a stay at home mom, and took the best care of them all, while Iceman did his duty. He provided a beautiful home, and whatever they wanted or needed. 

But it didn't stop the guys from trying.

As she stepped through the open doors at The Hard Deck, a local bar where most of the military personnel hung out, Sam made a vow to herself. None of these stick jockeys were getting in her pants. Not now, not ever. These guys weren't getting a single thing from Sam. She went toward the bar and sat, noticing the sign that said ‘disrespect a lady, the Navy, or put your phone on my bar, you buy a round’ and she made sure to keep her phone off the bar. 

“Nice touch, Penny, the sign’s new, huh?” She asked the brunette woman behind the bar. Penny had known Samantha since she was little and it had been about two years since she’d seen her. Penny whipped around and a huge smile that went all the way up to her eyes formed as she nearly ran to Sam. 

“You’re back!” She exclaimed as she hugged Sam tight. “And you graduated?”

“I did. Dad was able to make it too.” Sam said, her tone turning slightly solemn. Penny hugged her again, tighter this time.

“I heard he’s not doing well...” Penny said quietly to her and Sam nodded.

“Yeah. So I’m home for now. Working remotely so that I can be here for as long as I need to.” Sam explained. “I’m meeting a friend here.”

“Well, it’s five so the entirety of the Navy should be showing up soon. Speaking of...” Penny said, glancing at someone as they came in. Someone that Sam also knew. 

“Mav.” Sam said as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell walked up and pulled her into a hug. He then sat and his eyes traveled to Penny. Sam knew they had some history, so she checked her phone and then saw Maverick turn to her. 

“Tell your dad thanks for saving my ass. Again.” Maverick said and Sam laughed.

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked and he explained that he was there on a special assignment. Sam nodded and felt a hand at her back. She turned to see her friend Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace. Another big hug and when the two parted Nat had a big smile on her face.

“I’m so happy you’re here. I’m glad I’ll have a friend to go to the beach with while we’re on assignment.” She said and Sam smiled wide. “And you can tell me all about Harvard and all those boys you met. By the way, you look super pretty as always.” Sam had worn a pretty, lacy dress, pink on the top and blue with flowers on the skirt. She had dressy flip flops on and her phone which had her wallet with her cards and cash attached to the case.

Nat said shed be back in a few and went over to the other Naval Aviators that were there. Sam took a moment and glanced around, taking in the familiarity of it all. There were the tables and high tops on one side, some booths here and there, and then there was a jukebox, a piano, and a pool table overlooking the view of the ocean. The sun was going down so the rays were shining in through the windows, creating interesting shadows. 

She hadn’t even noticed the other aviators filing in, all meeting in the corner with the pool table. There was a tall blond, another blond with glasses, a rather handsome black guy about the same height as the first blond, and a shorter Hispanic man. They were all dressed in tan uniforms, names on their right chest, patches and wings on their left. All well put together.

Sam ordered a cider beer, and took a sip. That was the biggest thing she missed about Harvard. Every bar around had a different cider beer. She was going to miss being there in the chilly autumn months when the leaves were changing colors and falling, and everyone was decorating stupid early for Halloween. Penny smiled back at her as she chatted with Maverick, noticing Sam had seemed to be stuck in a daydream, her pink lips on the edge of the bottle opening. She was deep in thought until more of the tan uniforms walked in. A blond with a mustache who wore a Hawaiian shirt, whom she knew as Rooster, then a bearded black guy, two asian guys, an asian woman, and a dark haired white male who winked at Sam as he walked by.

Fuck.

She was trying to not be noticed and of course, one of them noticed her. She should’ve just taken her cider and gone outside onto the beach deck. She couldn’t now though. She had a great spot on the bar. And she did like people watching.

The taller black man and the tall blond had come over to the other side of the bar, asking for a round of drinks for them and their friends. Eleven beers in all. They had to come back and when they did, the black man smiled at Sam. She tipped her head down. 

Well fuckity fuck.

She noticed Nat glance over and she decided to shoot her a text. 

Sam: don’t mind me i’ll just hang out by myself

She saw Nat glanced down atr her phone and then up at Sam and mouthed a ‘sorry’ and then texted her back.

Nat: i’ll come back over in a few, catching up with Chicken Little

Sam: thought I recognized him, i forgive you as always 🥰

Sam nursed her cider and flipped through her Instagram, looking at her friend’s stories who were back in Boston. 

“You here all by your lonesome, darlin’?” A voice asked from beside her. She turned to see the tall blond leaning on his elbow over the bar. His friend, the handsome black man, was standing to his left, staring at Sam with a smile. She sighed and pursed her lips.

“Waiting for someone.” She said, trying not to look at his stupid, very handsome face. He had an air of arrogance about him that unfortunately, Sam was instantly attracted to, but she couldn’t let him know that. And the accent? Fuck.

“Well, someone isn’t here yet, so...” He said as he scooted in a bit closer. His friend whacked him on the shoulder and the blond glanced at him with a smirk. 

“New in town?” His friend asked and Sam’s eyes flicked to him. She took a sip of her cider and looked him up and down, just as another one of the tan uniforms walked up. This was the one that winked at Sam. Now she had the attention of three very good looking, very testosterone driven males, who were looking at her like she was a very unattainable snack. And they didn’t seem to know who she was. She saw Nat’s eyes gleen over and a horrified look spread across her face. Sam smirked at her. 

“You’re TopGun pilots, huh?” Sam asked with a grin, as she left the beer close to her lips. The blond’s eyebrows shot up and a wild smirk spread across his very pretty, very kissable lips. God, did she want to kiss him. FUCK.

“Jake. Jake Seresin.” He said, holding his hand out for her to shake. She did, immediately noticing how warm his hand was. He flicked his head toward his friends. “This is Reuben Fitch, and Neil Vikander,” pointing first to the handsome black man and then the brown haired, freshly shaven white guy. Reuben held his hand out for her to shake and she did so. Neil did not, instead he just smiled at her. 

She took another sip of her beer and glanced at each of them, up and down, before asking, “What are your callsigns, boys?” 

Reuben said his was ‘Payback’, Neil’s was ‘Omaha’, and then Jake...Jake took a second, tipping his nose down and flashing his pretty smile before speaking.

“Know a little bit about pilot shit, huh?” Jake asked and she rolled her eyes at him. He smirked.

“I know a lot about a lot of shit. What’s your fucking callsign, Jake ?” Sam said, the swears rolling off her tongue calmly. Reuben and Neil broke out into a fit of laughter and they both patted Jake on his back as they left. Neil leaned in and said, ‘good luck’ to him. Jake’s eyes followed his friends for a moment before the sage green locked back on her mahogany brown ones. 

“ Hangman .” He said as he sat on the stool next to Sam. 

“See that wasn’t so hard was it?” She said, finishing her beer.

“Penny, m’dear, she’ll have another, on me.” Jake said and Penny shook her head and smiled as she took Sam’s empty and replaced it with a full, ice cold bottle. 

“Oh, all I have to do is insult you and I get free beer? Excellent.” Sam said, starting on her second. Jake tilted his head and scooted closer, manspreading next to her. She placed her hand on his chest and looked him dead in the eyes. “Easy there, Peacock . I get it. You’ve got the prettiest feathers . Don’t need to see them any closer.” 

“Goddamn you are somethin’ fuckin’ else.” Jake said, shaking his head, an opened mouthed grin plastered to his face. “ Let me buy you dinner .”

“Don't need you to buy me anything else, handsome.” Sam said and Jake just kept on smiling. He looked like a love struck puppy, all wide and sparkly eyed. The only thing that was missing was the wagging tail and the tongue hanging out of his mouth. 

“Hard to get is your game then? I can hang .” He said and Sam laughed down the barrel of the bottle. 

“That why they call you ‘Hangman’?” She asked and he didn't have a come back this time. He just sat there, smiling like a fucking idiot at her, clearly hoping his handsome fucking face would get her to do whatever he wanted. Oh, boy, when he found out who her dad was, he’d change his attitude for sure. She saw Nat heading back over.

“I see you’ve met Bagman.” She said as she placed her arm around Sam’s shoulders.

“Oh no, are you Phoenix’s girlfriend. Shit. Now I really wanna take you to dinner...I didn’t even catch your name, sweetheart.” Jake said, eyes darting between Sam and Phoenix. She scoffed at him and side hugged Sam.

“I'm not going to dinner with you.” Sam said, taking her phone out and opening Instagram back up. She scrolled for a moment as Jake watched her. Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for her to give in.

“You really don’t know who she is, Hangman?” Nat asked, with a knowing smile. Sam glanced at her, Here it comes. The implosion of his self confidence. “Sam Kazansky...” Nat said and Jake’s eyes locked on Sam’s, then widened. He touched his beer to hers and then smiled and tipped his head.

“My Insta is jseresin90 when you decide to follow me.” He said, as he stood. He began to walk away and Sam's eyes followed him. He turned and smiled at her, saluted her and said, “Can't wait to see all your pretty pictures, Sam!”

She followed him with her eyes as he made his way back over to his friends. Sam turned in her seat as Nat sat at the bar next to her. She motioned to Jake.

“ So tell me more about Jake Seresin. ” She said and Nat smirked and asked Penny for another beer.

🛩��🛩️🛩️

As Jake continued drinking and playing pool, his friends and co-pilots teased him. 

“What the fuck, Jake? Tell me you got her number.” Neil said, and took a sip of his beer. 

“Yeah,, seriously, she’s hot as hell, man.” Reuben said, shaking his head.

“Well?” Bob piped up, with a smirk. Jake stopped as he was about to make his next shot, glancing around as everyone got quiet. And then he lied.

“Course I got her number.” He said, a bit sheepishly, and Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, the dirty blond with the mustache, raised a brow. He’d give him shit later but not here. They all laughed, a few of them sighed and rolled their eyes, and then they went back to drinking and conversing with each other for a couple more hours. When everyone was sufficiently drunk or buzzed, they all decided to head home. 

Jake stepped out onto the patio and gazed out over the ocean. Behind him was his friend Coyote, aka Javy. He clapped him on the shoulder and shook him a bit, making Jake smile. 

“You okay, man?” Javy asked, and Jake nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good.” Jake said tentatively and Javy patted him on the back.

“When you wanna talk about it, I’m here.” Javy said and went back in, just as Rooster came out. Jake had turned to go back toward the parking lot and he drew in a sharp breath as he caught Rooster’s disapproving stare.

“You didn’t get her number.” He said and Jake shook his head.

“Why do you have to be an ass about it...” Jake said and Bradley stepped into his space.

“ Don’t ruin her. You’re gonna be in a world of shit if you do. You have no fucking idea who she is. ” Bradley said and Jake bumped his shoulder into his, as he brushed past him.

“There’s a whole side of me that y’all won’t ever see because you think I’m a dick. Fuck off and let me be.” Jake said as he went down the patio stairs and toward the parking lot. 

“Maybe stop acting like a dick then, Bagman!” Bradley yelled as Jake got in his truck and slammed the door. He punched the center console and swore. He took his phone out and checked to see if he had any notifications. Nothing. 

Fuck.

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (MDNI 18+ Only), Angst with a Happy Ending, Stalking, P in V, oral (female and male receiving), Semi-public sex, light spanking,

Word Count: 2.3k

Summary:

Another day, another stupid man to deal with. You run into a familiar face when you go to meet up with the face and person that's been on your mind all day.

Masterlist

Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Nancy Drew and the Instagram Account

You start your Sunday early to beat the sun and the heat. Your cycling group is meeting up on the San Diego waterfront just as the sun rises. The day is clear and just a bit crisp. You revel in the chill now as it will heat up soon, especially with the hilly route on deck for today. The ride starts easily with the Bay Shore Bikeway up to La Jolla then it heats up with a trip to the top of Mount Soledad, the ride down is fast enough that you can feel the moisture in your eyes being wicked away by the arid dry air. The rest of the course skirts around the eastern edges and suburbs of San Diego. After a few stops for water and some snacks to keep you energized, the ride winds down at about 2 pm where you started. You start packing away some of your gear and sit to change your shoes to get on the ferry. As you're tying the laces on your shoes, a shadow looms over you.

“Elsa, how’s it going?”

Bill asks. Of course it’s Bill, he does this every time the group meets.

“I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me tonight, like a date?”

Bill is nice, but he’s also a good 20 years older than you and more like your father than is comfortable in the dating scene.

“Sorry Bill, answer’s still the same, no. Besides I have plans tonight,” the thought of Jake brings an unconscious smile to your lips.

“Come on, Elsa, you’ve got to give in sometime, I’m just trying to be a nice guy. It’s just one date, I’ll cook you dinner at my house, a little wine, it’ll be a nice night. You gotta say yes.”

You sigh, knowing that what is going to come out your mouth next is going to make the next meet up the group awkward as fuck, but you can deal with akward.

“Bill, how many times have you asked me out?”

He shrugs,

“A lot, I guess.”

“And I always say no. What makes you keep asking when you get the same answer? That’s the literal definition of insanity.”

“I figure persistence pays off and besides I’m a nice guy, give me a chance.”

“Bill, the answer today, tomorrow, and every time in the future is going to be no. N. O. I don’t want to date some overbearing guy who has no respect for what I say and what boundaries I draw. Being a “nice guy” doesn’t entitle you to a date.”

By this time others in the cycling group are starting to notice the exchange. Millie, who is a retired Navy Captain, steps over to see what’s going on.

“Jeez, Elsa, you don’t have to be such a bitch about it.”

“Bill, if you think this is me being a bitch, buckle up buttercup, you haven’t seen anything yet. I can’t help that your sense of language comprehension and pattern recognition is that of a four-year old, you sad old man. No means no. We’re done here.”

You start to walk your bike towards the ferry terminal and Millie runs over to catch up.

“You okay?” she asks, giving you a side hug.

“Yeah, just tired of dealing with Bill’s bullshit week after week. I just want to come ride and hang out with friends. Not ward off old dudes trying to get into my pants.”

“We’ll take care of it, Bill’s out of the group, easy peasy,”

Millie says. Millie is one of the founding members of the cycling group and part of a kick-ass group of older retired military women who deal with exactly zero shit from anyone.

“Thanks, Millie, I appreciate that. I gave him so many outs, but he kept coming back into the danger zone.”

She shrugs,

“Some people are just dumb. You did good back there. Do you need anyone to see you home in case he gets weird about it?”

“No, keep him occupied for about 15 minutes while I get on the ferry and I’ll be good.”

You give Millie a hug and wave goodbye as you get on your bike to ride the last little distance to the ferry. When you get home you jump into the shower to rinse all of the day’s gross parts off, real and metaphorical.

As you're getting out of the shower you hear your phone ding:

Lydia: So you and Hangman, becoming a thing? A baseball game (glad you found a dork that likes baseball) and dinner at what I know is your favorite restaurant (the tapas place in the Gaslamp Quarter.) It's like you’re putting your best moves on him.

You: I'm not putting my moves on him, you and I both know I have exactly zero moves. He offered up the baseball game as amends for being a jackass the other night at the bar. I was hungry after the game so I invited him along.

Lydia: Liar. Liar. Pants on fire! 🔥 You asked him on the dinner date. I pressed him for the deets when he mentioned going to the Padres game that I saw on your Instagram. And he crumbled like a lovesick fool. Between asking for your number and him coming back practically skipping and whistling I figured it out.

You: Alright, Nancy Drew, Girl Detective you got it right. It was Colonel Mustard in the library with a wrench.

Lydia: What are you even talking about?

You: How have you never played a game of Clue?

You: Nevermind.

Lydia: So…..how was he in the sack? These Navy guys are fucking built.

You: We only made it to my porch.

Lydia: Ooh, outdoor sex. Adventurous.

You: Not that! We just had some really nice kissing that ventured into a bit of heavy petting. And then I said good night.

Lydia: Right. And you have plans with him tonight. You like like him!

You: How did you know about that?

Lydia: The walls here are hilariously thin. You can hear everything that happens here.

You: So Jake mentioned. How was that mustache ride?

Lydia: De-fucking-lightful. 10/10 would highly recommend.

You: I'll remember that yelp review when I'm in search of a mustache ride which will be…..never. Seriously, what's up with the stache? Did he lose a bet?

Lydia: Didn't come (heh heh) up in conversation.

You: You are the worst. Talk to you later, remember to keep hydrated with all the sexing you’re doing.

Lydia: Smooches & Byeeee!

You shake your head at the conversation you just had with Lydia. Before you put your phone down you text Jake to set up the now infamous drink date tonight.

You: So, we still on for drinks tonight? How does 7 at the Hard Deck sound?

You don’t expect a reply right away and put your phone on the charger and head over to the couch with a giant jug of water and make plans to watch some TV and chill for the rest of the afternoon. Somewhere, around an hour later when you've already watched two documentaries on WWII aircraft your phone dings. In what can be described as an all out sprint you rush to your phone.

Jake: That sounds like a date. See you there. Maybe this time I'll get to buy you more than one drink, (my turn.)

You: See you then.

It's about 4 pm now, which gives you enough time to whip up a nice curry for dinner and still have time to gussy up for your date. This is actually date date.

Getting ready to go out has become more of a challenge than you anticipated. You've pulled out every dress you own and rejected each one twice. You're looking for that "Oh just drinks, you just threw on whatever to come here." Your goal is effortless grace, not "I totally overthinked every aspect of my appearance and maybe had a slight panic attack." In frustration you call Lydia, breathlessly shouting out as soon as she answers,

"You actually have fashion sense, what should I wear?"

The cackle comes out of the phone speaker first and then her reply,

"Just drinks, riiight. You’re actually trying to impress him aren't you? This is adorable, Elsa has found someone to melt her frozen heart or other parts."

She snorts at her own terrible joke and you can practically hear her eyebrows rising up and down on her forehead.

"Don't overthink it like you usually do. Wear the magenta dress with the nice flowy skirt. It'll be easy to get off later."

There's a muffled male voice in the background saying something like "Come back to bed, baby."

"Are you still at Rooster's? How are you not chafed or unable to walk?"

"No, we actually ventured out for some beach time and came back to mine, a whole lot more privacy. By the way, I might have heard a certain someone moaning another person's name last night when he presumably was taking care of his blue balls courtesy of you. Well, have fun, do something I would do, Byeeee!"

You, for some reason, follow Lydia's advice and wear the suggested dress. Wearing a bra with this dress is impossible due to the plunging back. Lydia knew exactly what she was doing when she suggested this particular dress. Scanning your underwear drawer you spot a pair of black lace boy shorts that you know make your ass look really good. After setting a light curl into your dark brown, almost black hair, you leave it down to cascade down your shoulders and back. Minimal make-up, you're always going for the natural look, but for some reason you pick a darker magenta shade of lipstick that complements the dress. You grab a light sweater and your purse and you're out the door. The walk over to the Hard Deck is nice and cool and calming. The butterflies in your stomach start to flutter as you approach the door and it hits you that you actually want to impress him tonight. It's an exhilarating and terrifying concept at the same time, what are you getting yourself into?

You don't really have time to delve into your brain after that idea as I've arrived at the Hard Deck. You push open the door and pull your sweater off. Despite it being a Sunday night the place is pleasantly buzzing with a steady hum of voices and glasses clinking together and onto tabletops around the bar. You scan the crowd and don't spot Jake anywhere so you make your way up to the bar. At the bar there's is a familiar bomber jacket and black head of hair.

"As I live and breathe, it's Maverick. And in one piece,"

You say as you sit on the open bar stool next to him. He's halfway through a swig of beer when he turns and makes the connection that it’s you sitting next to him.

"Elsa! What brings you to this place?"

"Meeting a friend for a drink."

Penny comes over and asks,

"The usual?"

You nod yes. Maverick says,

“Put that on my tab, I owe this gal a drink for stepping in as my temporary guardian angel."

Penny looks a bit confused at the statement but shrugs and goes to make your drink.

"I should be asking you the same thing, what brings you down to North Island? I thought you were just going to carry on at the Skunk Works."

He takes a swig of his beer and shrugs, "The usual pissed off an Admiral. They weren't overly impressed with me breaking "the project" apart." He uses air quotes to reference the Darkstar hypersonic stealth jet you were both working on and he was serving as the test pilot.

"I'm teaching at Top Gun for a few weeks. While the Navy decides your fate for me."

He leans over to whisper,

"Thank you for saving my life, there's no other reason I'm alive other than your life pod."

"How did it perform?" you ask quietly.

"Like riding a mattress down and landing on a marshmallow, so perfectly. Next time can you get it to drop me off near civilization rather in the middle of an orange grove near Fresno?"

You laugh,

"Jeez, so needy, not only do I save your life and give you a gentle ride back to earth, you want door to door service. I'll see what I can do."

You glance over to the door to see Jake coming through the door; he instantly scans the crowd and locks in on you. You catch his eyes and then turn back to Maverick and say,

"I'd love to get together to pick your brain on other impressions on "the project". Thanks for the drink. I’m glad you’re alive."

You lean in to hug Maverick.

Your drink has appeared on the bar and by the time Jake has jostled his way through the crowd to the bar you can see that the expression on his face has turned from that panty dropper smile to confusion and a bit of jealousy.

He swaggers up to the bar and gives you a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Both Maverick and Jake are looking at each other confused and startled.

"Hey, Captain, didn't think you'd be back here after the other night." Jake says with that patented smirk.

Maverick winks and says,

"I like the company and the scenery."

He nods his head towards Penny. You cock your head with a questioning look. Maverick sheepishly replies,

"We have a complicated…history.".

Jake asks, his signature smirk in full force,

"How do you know Elsa or are you hitting on women who are half your age and out of your league, now?"

Chapter 6

@mayhemmanaged

@callmemana

@dempy

@hangmanscoming

@lanie-k

@callsign-viper

@senjoritanana

[chickensarentcheap]

Never Gonna Be Alone: Chapter 97

Fandom: Extraction

Pairing: Tyler Rake and Esme Rake (OFC)

Warnings: profanity and angst

Tagging: @tragiclyhip @munstysmind @secretaryunpaid @youflickedtooharddamnit @asirensrage @residentdormouse @alisbackalleybbq @themaradwrites @ninjasawakenedmystar @kmc1989 @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciationtag @occommunity @karimac @thebewingedjewelcat

If I forgot someone, please let me know! My brain is mush!

My tag list is OPEN! Just ask if you'd like to be added :)

Link to Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28860450/chapters/127049641

****

He paces the length of the deck as he waits for K to pick up the phone,  occasionally glancing over his shoulder and into the living room. Millie watches him in nervous curiosity;  undoubtedly concerned about his mental and physical well-being, and wondering about the conversation that will take place.  And when he gives her a reassuring smile, his daughter returns it with a shaky one of her own.  Then stretches out on the couch stomach down and faces the sliding door;  chin on her forearm as she continues to keep an eye on him. 

“Rake?” K’s voice on the other end of the line. 

“I’m here.”

“Sorry to call so late.  I know you’ve got little ones to worry about and…”

“No such things as too early or too late.  Not when it comes to my family.  And especially not when it comes to Esme.  I hope you have some good news for me.  That you’re not calling to stall things even more.”

“I’m not…”

“Where’s my wife?  I’m sick of playing these fucking games. Waiting on you to decide what’s best when it comes to her.  You don’t know her.  You don’t know a damn thing about her.  So how about you cut the shit; tell me where she is and I’ll pay you a little visit.”

“I’m not the enemy in this, Rake.  I’m far from it.  If it wasn’t for me…”

“I never said I didn’t appreciate what you’re doing; putting your ass on the line to make sure she stays safe.  But I’m tired of this shit; waiting on you to decide when you’re going to get off your ass and make things happen. I’m nearly out of patience, kid. And you don’t want to see what I get like when I run completely dry.”

“I’ve had to wait things out.  It isn’t easy, you know; finding the time to contact you. Not with all the bodies coming and going from here, all hours of the goddamn day. If any of them were to find out I was talking to you…”

“They’d put a half dozen or so bullets in you.  I get the risk.  But if you continue to fuck me around, whatever they would do to you?  I’ll make it look tame. Now where’s my wife?”

“I can’t let you just show up.  Do you know what kind of firepower we have here?  What kind of training these guys have?  It’ll only make things worse.  Right now,  she’s safe. But I can guarantee that if I tell you where we are and you decide to show your face around here? It’s not going to end well.  Especially for her.  And I know that’s the last thing you want; to put her further at risk. So how about you…”

“How about you give me something to work with, then? That won’t put an even bigger target on her back.  When are we going to meet?  ‘Cause I’m ready to go when you are.”

“Unless you agree to my terms…”

“I already told you. I’ll be alone.  I won’t try and follow when you leave.  I just want to get these meds to her.  To keep her and my baby safe.   Until you’re able to get her out there. So when is it going to be? Because we’ve wasted enough time.”

“Two days from now.  I’ve already made up an excuse.  Had to lower myself to the gutter and use my son, but…”

“We’ve all done things we wish we never had to.”

“You speaking from experience, or…”

“I’ve got a lot of regrets.  That I don’t wish on anyone.  But you’re going to have a bigger one if you don’t stop fucking me around.  We could settle this right now, mate.  Put this all to bed. Avoid all this needless bullshit. Just tell me where she is, and I will come and get her.  With a lot of people and a lot of firepower backing me up.  So if you want to get out of this alive…”

“Do I need to get her back on the phone? Do I…?”

“Don’t do that,” Tyler warns.  “Don’t weaponize her like that.  It’s a real piece of shit thing to do. Weaponize her like that.”

“Look,  I know you’re used to being the boss.  The one calling the shots.  The legendary mercenary who turned himself into a legendary boss. But I need you to let me take the lead on this. I’m the one that’s right in the trenches; trying to keep her alive. BOTH of us alive, for that matter.  And if you come around and fuck things up,  it’s all going to horribly wrong.  You think you have regrets now? How will it be if something happens to her? Because of YOU?”

“Please, Tyler,” Esme begs in the background. “Please just listen to him.   He knows what he’s talking about.  I know it’s hard for you sometimes;  you react emotionally when it comes to me and the kids.  But I need you to just stop. Please. Just stop and think about all of this.  Think about what he’s saying.”

Both chest and throat tighten.   Nearly brought to his knees by the sound of her voice;  the fear and the desperation that weighs down every tearful plea.   And as his grip tightens around his phone, he briefly closes his eyes, struggling to get the mixture of emotions under control. A combination of intense rage,  profound sadness and near-painful helplessness.  And emptiness and loneliness unlike anything he’s ever experienced before.

“I know what it’s like.”  K’s voice is softer; laced with patience and sympathy.  “Being used to always having a handle on things.  The one everyone turns to when there’s trouble.  And I also know what it’s like to feel all that slipping away.  It’s fucking awful, mate.   no longer being in control of things.   Especially through no fault of your own.”

“I have seven kids here.  That need their mother.   And you keeping her away from them even longer than you need to…”

“I’m doing what’s best for her.   I’m not doing this to cause more problems. Or to punish anyone. I know what these people are like; I know the kind of power they have and I know what kind of resources they have backing them up.  It’s why we can’t just jump into things; we need to play along and gain their trust and their confidence.  I can’t just break her out of here.  It’s not that easy.  And I think if you’d look at this as a mercenary and not as a husband, you’d say the same thing.  You wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks with a client, would you? You’d do whatever it takes to keep them safe, yeah?”

“We’re talking about a client. We’re talking about my wife.”

“Which is exactly why you can’t be taking risks.  Why you shouldn’t be WANTING to.  How many times have you had to talk a husband down? Or a wife? From doing something stupid?”

“More than once.”

“Well, now it’s my turn to talk YOU down. I’m not stalling.   I’m not dragging things out to make things worse on you or those kids.  Everything I do? It’s for Esme’s benefit.  And I know it’s a lot to ask, but you need to trust me.”

“That’s awful damn hard.  I don’t even know you.  I don’t just hand out trust to everyone I come across.  You’re holding my entire life in your hands.  And if there’s something I’m willing to die for, it’s her.  You and your buddies fucked with the wrong man.  And the wrong man’s family.  You do all this damage and then expect me to just blindly trust you? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“I’m the one who is keeping your wife and your baby alive.  And if you want to stay that way…”

“Tyler…”  Esme’s voice once more. Tearful.  Terrified. “...please just listen to him.  I’m begging you. Please.”

“I swear to God…”   Tyler growls through clenched teeth. “...if you hurt her in any way…”

“All I want to do is help.  Without causing more issues.  I tell you where we are and you come storming in here?  It will be the worst possible ending. You want your wife and your kid alive? Then you do exactly as I say.”

“Two days.  I’ll meet you at our place in The Kimberley.  If you don’t show up,  I will hunt you down.  No matter how long it takes.  And I will find you and I will make you suffer. Beyond anything you ever thought possible.”

“I don’t doubt it for one second.  But I WILL be there.  We’re on the same side, Rake.   We both want the same thing.  Your wife…safe and sound…back with you and your kids.  I’m not the enemy here.”

“You were.  Four nights ago.  When you showed up at the place in Tasmania.  When you stood by and watched your buddies take my wife.  And then stayed behind to kill me.”

“But I didn’t do it., did I? I backed out.  Couldn’t go through with that.”

“You’re just a regular bleeding heart, aren’t ya.”

“I’m trying my best here, alright?  I don’t want things to get any worse.   And if you don’t listen to me and you track us down and just show up here…”

“I already said  I’d back off.  But we need to get a couple of things straight.   This change of heart you had? When it came to killing me? Everything you’re doing to keep Esme and the baby safe? Whatever plan you’re cooking up to get her out of there? That doesn’t make us friends.  We’re not buddies. We’re not going to be hanging out or going for beers or sending each other Christmas cards.  Once this is over? You disappear. I better never see or hear from you again.”

“Fair enough.”

“And if anything happens to my wife, you’re going to wish you’d killed me that night.  Because I will hunt you down.  And I will put you in the ground. Don’t fuck me, mate.  Because those stories you’ve heard?  About the things I’ve done? The things I can still do?  They’re all true.”

“I never doubted it for a second.”

“I’ll meet you in two days.  You don’t show up?  I WILL find you.”

“I’ll be there,” K assures him. “And do as I say; don’t bring an army with you, don’t try and stop me from leaving, don’t have anyone follow me. I’m the only thing that stands between your wife and whatever these assholes have planned for her.  I’m sure you don’t want to chance it.”

“You just make sure she stays safe.  That no one lays a hand on her.  And if I find out all this time that you’ve done nothing but fuck me around…”

“If there was ever a time for you to trust someone, this is it. You need to take me at my word.  That I’ll keep her safe and sound and find a way to get her the hell out of here.”

“And what are you going to want in the end? If this all goes according to plan?  If you get her out of there and I bring her home? What are you going to want? As reward? A payment?”

“Just my safety.  All limbs attached to my body. All my internal organs still inside and functioning properly.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see about that.”

“Two days. I’ll be there.”

“Yeah…” Tyler snarls. “...you fucking better be.”

******

He wakes to the sound of little feet and voices overhead.  Addie and Brookie whispering and giggling as they scurry down the hall and towards the stairs. Declan cheerfully obliging Takota’s request to piggyback him to the kitchen as  TJ mutters in that grumpy, first thing of the morning way of his;  yet showing off his unlimited patience when it comes to Tanner’s cheerful, incessant rambling about the dreams he’d had.  And Millie and Alannah, discussing their plans for the day: seeing a movie with Nanny Stel, Addie, Takota and the older kids. 

It resembles a typical morning in the Rake house. A mixture of the immediately cheerful and energetic and their easily annoyed and frustrated counterparts.   Yet the reality will soon set in;  the realization that -as they’re settling into breakfast- that a huge part of their household is missing. An empty chair at the kitchen table serving as a stark reminder of the nightmare that is continuing to unfold around them.   

The little ones greet him with their unusual enthusiasm; Addie declaring how much she’d missed him and the tearfully declaring how she’d been worried when she’d woken up in the big bed and he wasn’t there to snuggle into.  He’s the best for snuggles after all; his body is big and strong and warm and safe.  

The safest place on earth, in her opinion.

With the help of Estelle, he manages to get the day started. Not only Fighting through the incessant pain that inhabits nearly every inch of his body, but struggling with the immense emptiness that Esme’s absence has left him with.

He’s standing on the back deck when Brookie rushes over to him; nursing his second cup of coffee and watching as the kids tend to their weekend chores. Watering the various plants in the garden and cleaning out the animal habitats; making sure food and water dishes are full and showering the ‘pets’ with unlimited love and attention.  They’d all been taught at an early age to put in the work;  learning as they toddled alongside their parents and asked what seemed like a million and one questions.  Their enormous levels of curiosity quickly paying off;  experiencing that rush that comes with the reward of accomplishment and pride.  

 Esme and him had always been on the same page when it came to how to raise a family;  he can easily remember those early days when Millie was still in her belly. Those often emotional late-night chats about the things they’d been robbed of in their childhoods; filled with promises to make sure their offspring never suffered in the same way.  Both determined to provide the same things:  lots of love, acceptance, and support.  While they’d be given both things they would need and desire, they would also be trusted with responsibilities; simply chores that would start in the toddler years. Their parents wanting them to grow up to be not only self-sufficient adults but damn good humans; compassionate and empathetic and blessed with both book smarts and practical hands-on knowledge.

“Daddy!” Brooklyn wraps an entire hand around one of his fingers and gives a firm tug.   “We got a problem!”

“What kind of problem?”

“A big one! No one got Pumpkin Lumpkin’s carrots ready! Momma always does them the night before; she puts them in a bag and puts them with my helmet and my boots.  So we don’t have to rush around and do stuff. But momma isn’t here so now…” Taking a deep breath, she exhales dramatically. “... there’s no carrots to take!”

“We’ll stop at the store.  On the way to the stables. We can run in and…”

“That won’t do! It’s not the same! Pumpkin doesn’t like the ones from the store!”

“I highly doubt Pumpkin knows the difference between store-bought and ones from our garden.”

“She’s REALLY smart, dad.  Super smart! She definitely knows! And she likes mommy’s carrots best. ‘Cause mommy’s are  grown with love.  ‘Cause she sings and talks to her plants and that makes them taste better.  Pumpkin will know something is wrong. If we don’t bring momma’s carrots.  And I don’t want her to know about mumma. I don’t want her to be depressed like us.”

His throat tightens and his heartaches.  Even in the smallest and most mundane of ways, Esme’s absence is an enormous loss to all of them. “I promise I won’t tell her.  And we still have a bit of time before we leave. Why don’t you run and grab some carrots?  That we can take with us.”

Brooklyn’s face visibly brightens at the suggestion. “I’m going to pick the best ones! Pumpkin deserves them!”

“Well, leave some good ones for humans. We gotta eat them too.”  He tousles her hair before she runs off, then calls to Declan to help her in the garden.  He’s inherited his mother’s green thumb; first developing a love for all things gardening when he was merely four years old.  Always excited to be ‘helping her’;  all smiles and giggles and chatter as he walked alongside her, carrying a watering can.

“Looks like ‘business as usual’ around here.”  Riley’s voice comes from behind as she lingers in the open doorway; leaning against the frame with her arms folded against her chest. And Tyler briefly glances over his shoulder; immediately noticing the absence of the vibrance that normally accompanies the redhead. Currently replaced by stormy eyes, furrowed brow,  and tightly set jaw. 

Sighing, he  turns his attention back to the hustle and bustle in the backyard.“Gotta keep things as normal as possible for them.”

“Things are as far from normal as they can possibly get.”

“I need to try to bring them a little bit of happiness.  Not every aspect of their life has to completely suck.”

“You certainly don’t seem to be suffering any.  You’re just back to everyday life.”

He wants to argue about it being the furthest thing from the truth; remind her that he’s the one suffering the most. Both emotionally and physically.  But at the same time, he understands her anger. Albeit misplaced, she’s worried and terrified and desperate to ‘get the show on the road’.  Anxious to do whatever she can to help find her sister.   And it’s her heartache that is convincing her that she needs someone to blame.  That she has to hold someone responsible for what happened.

“I’m just doing my best.  Trying to hold things together.  For my kids.”

Riley joins him, laying both forearms along the top railing of the deck.  “Might be better for them if they see something…anything…from you. Emotion wise.”

“I’ve shown a lot of emotion.   In front of them.  Just because you haven’t personally seen it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.   I could turn the tables and say the same thing about you.  You haven’t exactly shed a tear.  Ranted and raved.  Not since a couple of days ago anyway.”

Scowling, she casts her brother-in-law a sidelong glance.

“I heard what you said.  To Shaena.  I heard ALL of it.  And I wasn’t going to say anything but I totally get where it’s all coming from.  It’s a hell of a thing that happened and we’re all suffering and we’re all trying to find a way to cope.   And I’ve been there myself;  worried and scared and angry and needing to take it all out on someone.  I think it’s pretty normal for a lot of people;  needing someone to place the blame on.  Even if it is no one’s fault.”

“But it IS your fault.  The blame is all on you.  You’re the reason this happened.  You and what you do for a living and all the people you’ve pissed off and…”

“What happened has nothing to do with me.  These people? That took your sister?  They’re from HER past.  Not mine.”

“Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear from you. Victim blaming.  Especially when the victim is your own wife. My sister.”

“That’s NOT what I’m doing.  I’m trying to explain my side of things. I was the one who was there, Riley. Not you.  All these details you have in your head? You put them there. I didn’t.  No one else. You let your imagination run wild; your brain made up all kinds of bullshit and you’re actually believing it.  Everything you said to Shaena? None of it was true.”

“Seems like it’s pretty cut and dry.  Someone is out for revenge. And they’re getting it through my sister.”

“There’s nothing cut and dry about this.  And yeah, they’re out for revenge. But not because of something I did.  Not because of the past I’ve led.   I HAVE crossed a lot of bad people. Stepped out on a lot of toes. Burned a lot of bridges. And I see how it makes sense;  someone out to get me so they chose her as a target. But that’s not what it’s about AT ALL.”

“Don’t even try and pretend you’re innocent in all of this. That who you are and what you do didn’t play some kind of part. Don’t…”

“I wasn’t even going to tell you all of this.  I even asked Shaena and everyone else who knows the details to keep it from you.  I wanted to protect you. I wanted to spare you from all of that.  Because this IS your sister we’re talking about.  But if you’re going to keep up with your bullshit, maybe it’s better if you do know the truth. So you shut the fuck up about me.”

Riley blinks at the vehemence in his voice.

“This is about Mark.  He’s the one behind this.”

“Mark.   Douchebag ex-husband extraordinaire?  That’s who we’re talking about, right? THAT Mark?”

“Don’t talk to me like that.  Don’t be a condescending little bitch. Yes. THAT Mark.”

“The same Mark that cheated on her while coming back from their honeymoon? By joining the mile high with a stewardess?  The same Mark that used to beat her senseless?  Force her to eat food off the floor?  Rape her? That put her in the ICU? TWICE.”

“I know everything he’s done.  Everything that he put her through. I probably know more than you do. Things she never even told you.”

“The same Mark that you ordered someone to kill? Only to later find out he was still alive? The same ‘back from the dead’ Mark you ever told my sister about?  Until it was too late?”

“I had my reasons. For not saying anything to her.  There was a lot going on; I had just been through all that bullshit with Nathan, she was pregnant with the twins. She didn’t need anything else added to her plate. I didn’t think it mattered; whether he was really dead or not.  She THOUGHT he was.  And that made her really feel at peace for the first time in years. I did what I had to do. For HER.”

“How come every time you decide something for her it ends up being the shittiest possible outcome?”

“I had no idea it would come back and bite me in the ass.  He flew under the radar for five years.  I thought he’d just given up; decided to leave us alone and go on with his life. How the fuck was I supposed to know he’d do some shit like this? You think I wanted this to happen? That I somehow ASKED for it to happen? Esme may be your sister, but she’s MY wife.”

“If you’d just left her alone. In Dhaka. If you’d just kept your dick in your pants…”

“Don’t bring that up. You have no idea what happened in Dhaka. During those five days. But it was more than that. Way more.”

“Y0u should have let her walk away. Afterwards.”

“I was in a coma. I woke up, she was there. I didn’t force her to stay.  I didn’t hold a gun to her so she’d stick around. That was HER decision.  Both on the bridge and off it.”

“You should have MADE her.  You should have…”

“She’s a grown woman, Riley.  She was a grown woman when we met.  Every decision she made? She made it on her own.  She stayed because she wanted to. Simple as that. And you know Esme as well as I do. No one tells her what to do. NO ONE.”

“You brought her into this kind of life.  You did whatever it took to KEEP her in it.  Knowing that there were people who would just love to get revenge. And use her to do it.  THAT should have been enough to convince her to walk away. That was selfish, Tyler.  And deep down, I think you realize that. You were selfish to bring her into this life.  And to bring kids into it, too?”

“I love your sister.  More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone.  I don’t regret how we met.  I don’t regret not trying harder to push her away.  I don’t regret a goddamn thing when it comes to her.  And yeah, there were times I didn’t do right by her. Where I was a really shit husband.  But we got past all that. We worked on our shit.  We still work at it. Every day.  So for you to stand here and accuse me of manipulating her or bullying her or…”

“What happened, Tyler? The other night? HOW did it happen? Can you at least tell me that? How someone like you -with all your skills and all your strength and experience and all the blood on your hands- could let this happen? How could you let them take her?”

“I didn’t LET them take her.  Look at me! Look how fucked up I am! Does this body look like it belongs to someone who just LET them?”

“She isn’t here, is she?  You have no clue WHERE she is.”

“You weren’t there. In Tasmania. You don’t know what went down.  I didn’t stand a chance.  It wasn’t just one or two guys.  I’m not even sure how many there actually were.  But they knew they had to blindside me; take me down and keep me down.  They knew every weak spot.  Every fucked up part of me.  And that’s how they were able to do it.  They took me out first and then went for her.  Do you really think I’d just let them walk in and grab her? You really think that little of me?”

“I never…”

“I fought. For as long and as hard as I could. I wouldn’t look like this if I didn’t.  And you know what they did? When it still wasn’t enough for him? They used her against me.  They were going to kill her, Riley. If I didn’t stop fighting and I didn’t calm her down.  They would have killed her right in front me. Maybe even done some really sick shit to her before that.  And you know what? They probably would have left me alive. So I’d remember every second of what she went through for the rest of my life.”

“Tyler…”

“Yeah, I gave up.   And that’s the only reason she’s still alive.”

“You don’t know that she is.”

“I DO know that.  I can’t tell you how. But I know that she is.  She’s not a hundred percent safe, but she has someone working damn hard to get her away from these people.  I love your sister.  I’d never do anything to hurt her.  Not intentionally.  I WILL find her. And I will make them pay. For EVER touching her.”

“You promised her.  When you met.  That you’d protect her. No matter what. Against anyone and everything.  You PROMISED,  Tyler.”

“And I meant it.  Every word.  I didn’t have a choice.  It was either lose her right there and then, or keep her alive and then do everything I had to to track her down.  It wasn’t an easy decision, believe me.”

“Promise me you’ll bring her home.  No matter what. Even if she is…”

“She’s NOT dead. She’s very much alive.  And I know you’re stressed and you’re scared and you’re pissed off.  I get it, believe me.  But I’m not the enemy here. I didn’t want any of this to happen.  All I want is for her to be here.  With me, with her kids.  That’s all I want. More than anything.  My entire existence? My world? It begins and ends with her.”

“Daddy! Daddy, look what I got!”  The soles of Brookie’s bare feet slap against the wooden deck as she races towards him.  And Riley mouths a ‘I’m so sorry’ before giving his arm a comforting squeeze and bidding a hasty retreat into the house.

Managing to swallow down the emotions,  he turns to Brookie with a smile.  “What’cha got?”

Frowning, she makes her way to the sliding door and peers inside, looking for her aunt.  “Where’d she go?”

“Who?”

“Auntie Riley. She was here and then she was gone and she looked really upset and…”

“She had a phone call.  What’cha got?”

The four-year-old relents and hurries over to him, proudly holding out a reusable grocery bag. “Look!! Look at all the carrots I got for Pumpkin Lumpkin! Declan helped me pick all the best ones! We put some in there for Bodhi too, but he loves apples more, so…”

“We’ll grab him some, on our way out the door.  You ready to go or…?”

“Daddy?” Brooklyn tilts her head to the side as she peers up at him. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t look okay?”

“Not really.  ‘Cause of what the bad guys did to you. If you don’t feel like going to the horses, it’s okay.  I won’t be upset. I understand. I know that you got a lot of ouchies.”

“Come here.” Scooping her up with his one good hand, he presses a kiss to her temple and then settles her on his hip.  “I WANT to go, alright?  It makes me happy; getting to spend time with you.  And I really need a little bit of happy right now.”

“I need some too.  But you don’t look so happy right this sec.  You look like you’re going to cry. Is it ‘cause you’re hurtin’? And ‘cause you miss mumma?”

“Yeah…” Manages a smile through a threatening flood of tears. “...I miss her a whole lot.”

“I miss her too. We’ll take lots of pictures! At the stables.  Like we always do.  Mumma always asks to see our photos! We can show her. When she comes home.”

“Gives her something to look forward to, yeah?  I’m sure you guys will have a lot of things to tell her.”

“I already have tons! Lots of stories. But I have to get to her before Addie does or I’ll be waiting forever!”

Chuckling, he places a noisy kiss on her forehead, then tightens his hold on her.  His eyes closed, chin resting on the top of her head.

*****

The stables are half an hour north. Sitting hundreds of acres of land that includes riding and jumping facilities,  buildings for boarding, and a modernized, eight-bedroom farmhouse that comfortably fits the owner and his extended family.  An army veteran thirty years Tyler’s senior; highly decorated and renowned for numerous acts of bravery and selflessness.  They’d met him and his wife through a support group for military PTSD sufferers and their partners, and an instant -albeit slightly reluctant on Tyler’s behalf-  friendship had evolved. 

 He finds it hard to be social. Not one for mindless chit chat and an immensely private person;  always desiring to keep certain parts of his life a secret.  But Esme had needed someone to bond with and he couldn’t deny or rob her of that.  Someone who would understand the fear and the worry and desperate need to take care of him; not judge her those feelings of helplessness when it comes to not being able to ‘fix’ him. And it had given her much-needed support, understanding, and guidance; someone -outside of him- that she could cry and vent to when things just became a little too difficult to bear.  

It was through Karl and Rose that they’d learned about equine therapy and the positive effects on many war vets battling various demons.  After six months of using a facility-supplied horse and being unable to deny the sense of calm and control riding gave him, Tyler had decided to purchase one of his own.   In turn, Brookie had shown and expressed an interest at a very young age; barely two years old when she’d first been taken to the stables and immediately toddling over to one of the holding pens and drawing the attention of many of the horses.  By the time she was three she could ride the ponies; showing impeccable balance and control of the animal for someone so young.  While not interested in the ‘higher end’ activities like show jumping,  she loves both her leisurely rides and how the wind blows through her hair during the harder gallops.  And she doesn’t mind the mess;  helping muck stalls and fill the feed and water troughs. 

Always used to being outtalked by Addie, she seizes the opportunity of being alone with him. Sitting on the hood of the truck while he tends to tying her riding boots and securing her helmet;  chattering about her week at school and about her excitement at getting to ride her horse and even cleaning her stall and grooming her afterwards.  And she skips alongside him as they head into the main holding barn; the bag of carrots and apples swinging  from one hand as the other tightly holds onto two of his fingers.

In that moment,  she reminds him so much of her mother. The zest for life and the intense and unwavering passion she commits to the things she loves. The fierceness with which she protects those closest to her and the startling amounts of empathy and patience.  And that smile as she beams up at him in pure delight; bright and beautiful and crinkling the corners of her eyes and the bridge of her nose. And somehow -in the painful, horrific midst of his worst nightmare- she manages to pierce the dark and stormy veil that’s shrouded him for the last four days.  Bringing a tiny yet much-needed amount of warmth and sunshine.   

“You know what I want to do, dad? When I’m older? And Pumpkin is too? Guess what I want to do!”

“Show jumping?”

“I already told you tons of times! I’m not into that.  That’s NOT my thing.  That’s more something Addie would do. IF she wasn’t scared of horses. I don’t get it, daddy. How is anyone scared of them? Especially Pumpkin Lumpkin and Bodhi. They’re so sweet! They wouldn’t hurt her.”

“I think it’s because she’s so tiny and they’re so big. It scares her; being so high off the ground.   Probably afraid she’s going to fall off. It’s why your mum doesn’t want to ride.  She’s scared of getting hurt.”

“Bodhi is really big but Pumpkin isn’t. She’s still a baby.  Maybe we can get Addie one of those little mini horses. Remember those? The ones I learned on?  They’re mini just like Addie so maybe she wouldn’t be scared of them.  Can we? Get her one?”

“I can definitely talk to your mum about that.”  

His heart sinks the moment the words leave his mouth. Just something else he took for granted;  her presence in his life, home, and bed always a surety.   And now even the basics have been viciously torn away; he can’t just send a quick text or call her on the phone or simply wait to arrive back at the house to share something he’d seen or heard while he was out. 

For thirteen years,   Esme had been the one constant in his life. Her mere presence had gotten him through the darkest and most trying of days following Dhaka; consistently and devotedly camping herself at his bedside and refusing to leave even when given the most dire of prognosis.   She had supported him through the months of recovery;  his one-person cheering section as he laboured and struggled to relearn even the most basics of tasks and functions.  She had taken him back after their sixth-month separation; tearfully calling him in the middle of the night and begging him to come home.  She’d missed him and didn’t want his absence to become permanent; worried his drinking and drug use would only grow in need and intensity and lead to his demise.  And he’d followed every ‘rule’ that she’d put forth; checking himself into rehab and anger management and agreeing to attend both solo and individual counselling.

She’d been there after Nathan had destroyed both his body and his mind.  Accepting the responsibilities of feeding him, washing his hair, helping him in and out of the shower.  Never losing her patience when the lingering effects of his concussion and added brain trauma had caused him to ask the same questions over and again. She had been by his side when he’d been given the CPTSD and Bipolar diagnosis; angrily and adamantly refusing his suggestion that she walk away and spare herself the torment that would come with having to put up with his ‘episodes’. And the very real worry that he’d one day snap and take all his frustration and hurt out on her and the kids.

“We’re better together than we are apart,”  she’d reminded him.  “You said  that yourself. In Dhaka. So if you think I’m letting you deal with this on your own, you’ve got another thing coming.”

So many roles in his life that she fills.  Loyal confidant.  Fervid supporter.  Best friend.  Lover.  Wife. Mother of his children.  And he’s simply not ready to give any of those up. 

But it’s lonely and he feels so empty.  His broken and aching body constantly reminds him that he isn’t the same man he used to be.  And he worries that maybe…just maybe…he really HAD failed her.  Reneging on his wedding day promises to provide for her and love her and cherish her. To keep her safe, happy and warm.

And to always…above all else…protect her. 

“Mumma will say yes!” Brookie declares, oblivious to the darkness that has descended upon him.  “Mumma loves animals! Like me.  And like you! We all love animals!”

“No one loves quite as much as you. And you never did tell me what you wanted to do.  When you’re bigger.”

“I wanna own a ranch! Just like this one. Well maybe not JUST like it, ‘cause I wanna raise cattle and have some alpacas and a pumpkin patch where people come at Halloween! I’m going to decorate it all up and it’s gonna have apple cider and pumpkin muffins and cookies and pie and there’s gonna be a haunted house! And a hayride! There’s GOTTA BE a hayride.”

“What are you going to do the rest of the year?”

“Spend time with my cows. And my alpacas. Don’t worry, I’ll have some chickens for you and some goats for mum.  ‘Cause they’re YOUR faves.   Maybe I’ll even have horse riding lessons and stuff like that. Or have summer camps for kids!”

“Sounds like you got it all planned out.”

“I’m gonna be a cowgirl! I’m going to wear cool cowgirl clothes and hats and on special days Pumpkin will get her hair braided and her ribbons will match what I’m wearing.”

“You’re going to make a mint.  Beef is a huge business around here. Always in demand.”

Brookie stops dead in her tracks; brow furrowed as she stares up at him incredulously.  “Excuse you, dad! The cows aren’t going to be for eating! Those cows are gonna be my pets! You can’t eat my pets! You wouldn’t let anyone eat Mac or Saju, would you?”

“There’s kind of a big difference between a house pet and beef cattle.”

“Listen, you can get your meat somewhere else. Eat someone else’s cows. Not mine! I swear if any of them go missing and up in the freezer, I’m going to know it was you! And I’m really going to be pissed and I’m not going to talk to you  for a long time. Like a week. Or two! Just to teach you a lesson!”

“Oh man,” he heaves a long, dramatic sigh. “How will I ever cope? A week or two of peace and quiet?”

“Dad…”  Planting a hand on her hip, she cocks her head to the side. “...that is NOT friends!”

“You just told me I can’t eat beef again. I’m a carnivore, damn it.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t eat it ever again! I said you have to get it from someone else!  Eat someone else’s cows. Not mine.  That’s eating your own grandchildren, you know.  That’s the only kids you’re getting from me! Why would you eat them?  You’ll be okay. You’ll find meat somewhere else. Just go to the shops!”

“How did you know ‘carnivore’ means someone that eats meat? You’re only four.”

“It’s ‘cause  I’m smart. Like mum.”

Tyler smirks. “Is that a backhanded way of calling me stupid?”

“You’re smart too, daddy.”  Brookie curls her arms around one of his thighs and leans her hand against him; eyes sparkling mischievously as she grins up at him. “In your own way.”

“You’re a real little shithead, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know!”  With a giggle and a squeeze of his leg, she turns on her heel and skips off into the barn. Pausing only long enough to cast a glance over her shoulder and add, “Mum says I get it from you!”

*****

An hour later, he keeps an ear open for any difficulties in the stall next to him.  Brookie tending to Pumpkin; alternating between talking herself through each step of the care routine and repeatedly singing, “Dirty deeds! Done dirt cheap!”. Earlier she’d insisted on carrying the feed and water buckets herself; slow yet steady trips across the barn as she muttered about how heavy the hauls were.  Informing him: “I can do it! I can do it!” each time he offered a hand.

“Daddy?”

Glancing  over his shoulder, he finds his daughter peering through the slats in the wall that separates the horses’ stalls “Brookie?”

“I got a bit of a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Pumpkin is out of those salt licky things and I checked the storage in here and there’s none there.  I know where they keep them. Out back. And I’m not supposed to go anywhere unless I tell you or ask permission. 

So is it okay if I go and grab some? I’ll be really quick. Like a ninja.”

“Promise? Just there and back? No stopping every stall to say hi to the horses?”

“I promise. There and back! No stopping to say ‘hi’. But it’s going to kill me not to!”

“Go ahead then.”

Tyler keeps an eye on her from over the partition; gaze following as she bolts from Pumpkin’s stall and then scurries through the barn and towards the rear exit.  And he returns his attention to Bodhi when the four-year-old steps out into the sunshine;  speaking in a low, smooth tone as he gently glides a brush through the horse’s mane and along his glistening, chestnut coat.  

There’s something so comforting about it;  the smells, sounds, and sights within the barn’s four walls.  The smoothness of the horse’s coat against his palms and the coarseness of the mane as it slips through his fingers.  Far more therapeutic than any counselling session has ever been; no awkwardness between yourself and a doctor,  no embarrassment at some of the secrets and confessions you share.  And he thoroughly enjoys his time at the ranch;  left alone to tend to his own business and the fresh air and rolling hills soothing him in ways no medication ever could.

He’s filling the water and food troughs when it happens.  An ear-piercing scream that he can hear over the din inside the barn; managing to find its way over the rustles of horses within their stalls and the loud chewing and slurping and the grunts and neighing.  And it makes his blood run cold and every hair on his body stands on end;  initially rooted to the spot he stands in before his instincts take over.  Crossing the stall in two long strides and rushing for the exit; hand reaching under the bottom of his t-shirt for the Glock -nestled in its holster- that he’d clipped to his jeans before leaving the house.

“Daddy!” Brookie’s panicked voice floats in the air. “Daddy! Help! Help me please!”

The sunshine burns his eyes when he steps outside; initially blinding him.  When he regains his senses he glances down and finds a panicked Brookie looking up at him;  her vision blurred by tears of both frustration and fear.    And both feet stuck in a large, thick puddle of mud.  

“Daddy, help! I can’t get out!  I can’t move my boots! Not without my feet coming out!”

Relief surges through him and his fingers slip from the handle of the Glock; tucking it back into its resting place and covering the holster with the bottom of his t-shirt.   And he drops to a knee in front of his daughter; her hands immediately clutching his shoulders as he investigates the situation. 

“Calm down. You’re alright. I’ll get you out of there.”

“What if you can’t? What if I have to stay here forever?!”

“That’s not going to happen. It’s just mud.  Not like you’re stuck in concrete.”

“What if it isn’t mud? What if it’s quicksand? What if it’s quicksand and it sucks me under!”

“I won’t let that happen. And besides, it’s NOT quicksand.”

“How do you know?”

“I know everything, remember? Santa’s email and phone number, how to speak kangaroo.  Now just take a breath and calm down and I’ll have you out of there in no time.”

“I don’t want to lose my boots! They’re my favourite! Mummy got them for me.  And it might be the last thing she ever bought me and I won’t have them anymore and…”

“You won’t lose your boots,” he assures her. “Or your mum.  She’s got a long life ahead of her. Lots of time left to buy you things.”

“You sure?”

“I am one hundred percent sure.  I’m going to find her mum and bring her home and she’ll never…ever….get taken away again.”

“You promise?”

Tyler mods.

“Pinkie promise?”

He hooks his little finger around the much tinier one offered to him, then leans in to peck his daughter’s forehead.  “You’re alright, Brookie.  Nothing bad is going to happen. You’re not going to be stuck here forever. Maybe a few days. At the most.  And if that happens, I promise I’ll come visit three times a day and bring you all your favourite snacks.”

She manages a shaky, tearful smile.

“Let’s get you…and your boots…out of there, yeah?  Then we’ll get you clean and finish stuff with Pumpkin and Bodhi and go for ice cream?”

“Can we get a banana split to share? That’s always our special treat.”

“You read my mind. I was just thinking the same thing.  Come on, let’s get you out of this nasty old mud.”

As he begins working at clearing layers of mud with his bare hands,  her much smaller ones come to rest on his shoulders; tiny body leaning into his, her chin resting on the top of his head.  And after several minutes of scooping away muck and wrinkling her legs, she’s finally free and she gives an ecstatic cheer, an enormous sigh of relief, and then promptly bursts into tears.

“Daddy…” Her sobs shake her entire body, and she curls her arm around his neck and buries her face in his shoulder.  “...Daddy…”

He wordlessly comforts her; one muddy hand in her hair and the other on the small of her back.  Waiting until her sobs diminish in frequency and force before speaking.  “This isn’t just about getting stuck in the mud.  And the boots.”

Brookie vigorously shakes her head.

“It’s about your mum, yeah? And how much you miss her?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to.  And I’m not going to force you to.  As long as you know that when you’re ready to get it all out, you know where to find me.  You’ll come to me, yeah? And tell me all about it?”

“I don’t want to make you more sad.”

“Listen to me, Brookie.”   Pulling away, he clasps her face in his hands.  “It doesn’t matter what I’m feeling or what I’ve got going on.  Don’t ever worry about that.  You come first. You and your brothers and your sisters. So promise me;  that you’ll come and talk to me. Promise?”

“I promise.”

“ I know you want to be strong.  Especially for Addie.  And you are an incredibly brave and strong little girl for even trying.  But do you know what the best thing is? For your sister?  For her to see you get upset.  Because she might be older, but she idolizes you and wants to be just like you.  And right now? She needs to know it’s alright to be sad.   To get angry. Cry a lot.  That’s what she needs.   I mean look at your brothers;  they’re not afraid to show it.  Even TJ and Delcan, as tough as they are.  Even She-Beast Millie’s been out in the open about it.”

“She-Beast,”  Brookie repeats, and manages a giggle. “And you cry too.”

“I do.  Lots of daddies cry.  Even the really big and really strong ones.  It took me a long time to do it, though. In front of people. And you know who taught me that it was alright? Your mum.  And she is the smartest person I have ever known. Not to mention the strongest.  So don’t hide things, okay?  That’ll just hurt worse in the end. And for a long time.  I don’t want that for you.  I don’t want you to end up like I did.  Understand?”

She nods. “I understand, daddy.”

“I miss your mumma so much.  Every second of every day.  She’s not just my wife and the mother of my kids, but she’s my best friend.  And she’s been all those things for a long time now.”

“You promise you’ll find her? And bring her back?”

“I will do everything I can to make that happen. So that we get a lot more years with her.  So she gets to meet her four-legged grandchildren.”

Laughing, Brookie rests her forehead against his.  “I’m scared, daddy.”

“I know.”  Pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, he again embraces her;  large, muscular arms holding as tightly as that little body will allow.  “So am I.”

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

jigsaw voice hi hi hello nyla...i'm here to play a game...THE SELFSHIP ASK GAME!!!!!!! for my darling sea otters might i ask:

👯, 📝,💞,💌, and ��(pretty please <33)

bestie hash, the final boss of sea otters shippers gracing me with their presence in my ask box uwu we love to see it

👯: What canon character are you most similar to?

i think a lot of people would draw superficial comparisons to perona since our devil fruit abilities would have some overlap with my seeing ghosts and her eating the ghost ghost fruit. i can see comparisons to rouge happening as well! and maybe a dab of parallel comparisons to nami, robin or vivi

and i'm only putting garp here not because we are similar but because we're basically narrative foils to one another so he'd be brought up a lot in discussions about me i think

📝: How would your story in canon go? How would you influence the events of the original story?

the biggest one has to do with my insertion into the blackbeard stealing the dark dark fruit plotline. i always end up doing some sort of fun activity whenever we make landfall and one particular occasion i'm told by a fortuneteller i thought would only give fun little nuggets of wisdom on love or whatever says that i'm going to be betrayed by someone and a "precious flame will be extinguished"

to which i'm defensive and in denial about at first because if ace was going to die in the near future, i would definitely know thanks to the version of the faerie faerie fruit i ate but now that it is in my mind i can't really let it go and start speculating who in the crew could potentially be a traitor because where else would such a grand betrayal come from

and right when i think i was just tripping and paranoid and that fortuneteller was bunk, my 'preventable death sense' is pinged by thatch and it becomes a race against the clock to stop THAT from happening before anything can happen to ace. so with the help of wbp crew member that is a ghost still attached to the crew who has sense become suspicious of teach, when thatch finds the dark dark fruit and said ghost pal sees teach's reaction i figure i have my guy

from there i knock thatch out on the deck later that night and take the dark dark fruit for myself knowing teach will inevitably show up for it, which he ofc did before i pass the quick time event of him stabbing me in the back. we have our exchange of me putting shit together that he would kill thatch, his true plans of just wanting that fruit and weighing my options of keeping thatch alive and more importantly ace (who i realize i'm in love with during our time in wano), i relent and give blackbeard the dark dark fruit

then he leaves, although not before asking me to join his crew which i decline and i just wait on the deck for what i know will be a punishment and trial of sorts because of the events that transpired that night and i knew a lot would be stacked against me since

1) thatch is short one devil fruit, 2) i did knock thatch out, 3) i allowed teach to leave and 4) teach had been a member of the wbp for decades compared to my short couple of years

things ultimately work out there and on that end but outside of thatch's death being avoided and ace not having a reason to chase after blackbeard until we have an encounter with him where we inevitably get our asses beat and get sent to impel down (different levels though, he's in level 6)

the only real major change is ace surviving marineford because the 'preventable death' sense triggered on the battlefield when he was faced with his option of turning back to fight akainu or just leaving and he ultimately relents because in that case he knew he would die and didn't want to put me and luffy through that (.... uwu and we both happened to be behind him)

💞: Aside from with your f/o, who else would you commonly be shipped with? Why?

i answered this one here!

💌: How would your dynamic be portrayed? What might people focus on most? Any misconceptions?

i think that our dynamic would really be explored in equal parts gentility and love as worship/a choice

it's shown in present day actions and flashbacks (like the asl brothers arc) that i've always chosen to be in ace's corner - a major highlighted scene being my asking garp if he'd choose ace and luffy or the marines and his hesitance in answering as a contrast to my active decision to choose ace and luffy (and sabo when he is revealed to be alive)

and it's shown in the scenes where there isn't dialogue verbally exchanged but panels/shots of us just having silent eye contact or brief touches for comfort or reassurance. compromises of morality to ensure the safety of a loved on. the fear of losing what's behind him. little things like a casual trivia reveal or random sketch that ace knows how to handle afro hair because he learned a while ago on dawn island to help me take care of it

just stuff that a 10+ of friendship and loving each other and even viewing the world through the lens of that beloved person crafted and i feel like that's really the main thing people would like to focus on in our dynamic

and as far as misconceptions...? i'm not sure i can think of any major ones- well minus weirdos who would only focus on the aspect of our being an interracial couple

👀: How does your ship with your f/o influence both of your characterisations and the world? Would there be any interesting metas written about your dynamic?

i think entire video essays and 'tldr' length tumblr posts would be made about our dynamic as it is expanded on and explored in different ways in arcs like marineford and impel down about the stuff i mentioned above

maybe we'd get so popular there'd be an official ship day so new fans will be ??? when they see an influx of art of the two of us before going "ooooh it's sea otters/flaming pearls day" (dare i be bold enough to say a ship week???)

ace is already a gentle character in certain ways but i think viewing him through the lens of our relationship would add a certain aspect to it that in how much that can extend, verses my more sharp edges that aren't as easily seen over my more sarcastically comedic and joking nature (although the insomnia and eyebags snippets would be a hint there's more to my character than acting nonchalant)

Send in a selfship game ask!

[weemstar]

Ive been watching this trend since Rock Paper Scissors.

I don't care about winning. I care about integrity. I don't use the shells, I hoard them.

I'm a casual player who enjoys playing with my friends and being goofy during splatfest. It's a test of my skills and I love the energy!

But unless a team color is funny or the options WILDLY popular in Japan and NOT given to her, Shiver wins.

there's an implicit bias happening if Japan affects the outcome on its own and 90% of them never interact with US and Europe players bc of the way matchmaking functions. Look at Money v Fame v Love. Love reported mirror matches so frequent that TOO many people spent half their splatfest time in mirrors for them to not get the popular vote at LEAST.

Like they keep giving Shiver the options that align most with Japanese players, ofc they're gonna pick Shiver, it's a culture thing. It's not bad or wrong, it's just not fair to the ENTIRE global player base for one single country to affect the outcome singlehandedly.

A streak this long shouldn't be happening with 3 idols. I genuinely love Shiver, her character is great and her design is wonderful, but Nintendo is stacking the deck by giving her the option that aligns with the largest section of the player base EVERY time. I haven't picked her since Nessie because I've been picking based on which one I actually want, not what promises me a win.

I'd be mad if Frye was winning this long, or Big Man. Hell I remember being a lil cross that MARINA had a 7-streak during 2, and I never played that one! It was for the simple fact it seemed ridiculously unfair.

It doesn't make sense for the score to have been *so* close at Halftime only to then turn and see 55% of the total votes going to Shiver. It's ridiculous.

Nintendo either needs to make splatfests regional again or it needs to fix global matchmaking to ACTUALLY make it as fair as possible.

People are also taking this far FAR too serious and I'm worried if something isn't done people will begin to get worse. It's a game. It needs to be patched and fixed, but stop taking your anger out on others. Stop doxxing people. Stop gore-spamming people and calling them slurs. Stop harassing people over a video game. It's not fucking real you shit-baby.

I don't want toxicity under this post. You act like an ass I'm blocking you. This isn't me being "salty", this isn't me throwing a fit. I'm genuinely asking for a problem to be fixed because it's causing genuine issues.

I don't want to see racism either. I see that shit you're being reported and blocked.

I've seen a LOT of that lately against both Shiver and Frye and it's frankly disgusting.

I'm angry at the company, not the digital character who bare resemblance to irl races that yall seem to enjoy making disgusting comments about when you're angry.

Mic dropped.

[sunnyie-eve]

ELEVEN

Series: Life Lesson || Sorority Boys

Paring: (Adam/ Adina x OFC!)

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: language

Last | Next

"Leah, Leah, Leah." Mia chases after her sister.

"I'm never dating anyone! Guys! Girls! They're all the same!"

"Can you tell me what happened? Talk to me. That's what we do." Mia reaches for Leah's arm stopping her in some random hall.

"Daisy acts like a different person in public but we all all night in private at home. Plus she says she's moving back to Minnesota."

"That's such a stupid cop-out..." Mia says to herself but Leah hears.

"Thank you!" She throws her arms up walking away making Mia chase after again. "Maybe if I can find her and we can just talk it out." She hears Daisy in the distance.

When she opens the door Mia sees Dave and Adam hugging, "Minnesotan, huh?" She leaves and Mia looks at the two.

"I'll take care of it. Just find your damn tape so you can explain everything to her." Mia shuts the door chasing her sister. "Leah!" She calls out her name looking for through everyone.

"Excuse me. How would you like to go to bed with a very rich man?" Kloss does the same with Mia as he just did to Leah touching her butt.

"Fucking perv!" She slaps him across the face where Leah hit him not too long ago. "Ugh!" She sees her sister going over to sit next to her.

"I want to go home." Leah sighs.

"You know Daisy and Adina aren't a thing, right? They're best friends celebrating because Daisy got a new job. They don't have a secret thing for each other. Adina actually has a thing for me. She kissed me before you bump me." Mia tells her sister half the truth.

"I feel like shit now... I think someone has a thing for someone else then I get assaulted." Leah huffs.

"That rich perv touched your ass too. He just did it to me when I was looking for you."

"Thank you for chasing me." Leah looks at her sister.

"You're my older sister by eight minutes... I'm always right behind you when you need someone." Mia leans into her as they sit alone.

"Dogcatcher!" A whistle is blower and Leah and Mia are getting pulled up and apart but men.

"Ow, let go of me!" Leah shouts at them.

"Let her go! Let me go!" Mia gets held between the two waiting her turn.

As Dave and Adam were walking around they here what was going on and run to the deck.

"Put her down. Leave them alone." The rest of the girls try to help but get held back.

"Let me go!" Mia fights to get her arms free from Kloss and Dave's dad.

"You'll get your turn next dear." Dave's dad tells her and they start the countdown to throw Leah overboard.

"Stop! Put her down." Dave says in his girl voice.

"Hold on, Darling. You'll get your chance after the beauty." Kloss touches Mia's face so she tries to bite his free hand before they start counting again.

"Dad!" Dave yells normally causing everyone to look at him letting Leah loose. Dave takes his wig off showing himself. "Oh, Leah, I can explain." He tells and she rushes off. "Let go of, Mia."

His dad and Kloss let go of Mia finally so she moves away from them as Jimmy runs up to Adam. "Give us another chance. I can live with the fact that you don't love me. But maybe with time, you could learn to-," Adam cuts him off.

"Hey! It ain't gonna happen." He pulls his wig off shocking more people. "I'm a dude." He says making Mia slightly chuckle because it was obvious and he didn't need to say it.

He sends her a glare, "Sorry." She apologizes to him as Spence shows up with Doofer.

"There's mutiny a door. Convene the high council..." He tells all the guys.

"Girls, let's go home." Mia tells them so they all go get on the boat they got here on. Mia looks at the guys crossing her fingers hoping everything goes well for them.

When all the girls were off the boat the meeting was held. "We must punish these thieves to the full extent of the original charter. Any last words, gentlemen?" Spence asks the three.

"Yeah. Hey, you see those girls out there? Well, you guys treat them like garbage. Why? What, so you can feel like a real man? You all should be ashamed of yourselves. You know, I learned more in one week Y D.O.G. than I learned in four years at K.O.K." Dave says and Adam nods his head agreeing. "And after seeing myself through their eyes, I don't want to be a KOK anymore."

"That's sweet. Is that all?" Spence asks so Doofer pulls out a tape saying what it is. But wasn't 100% sure it was. Dave plays it anyways and it starts to play Adam having sex but then changes to Spence stealing the money out of the safe. Spence tries to say he can explain them but is thrown overboard too.

Back at D.O.G. Mia follows Leah to her room. "Did you know and for how long?" She snaps at her sister.

"Since we all agreed to play in the Powered Puff game. I found out after realizing some things. I said I wouldn't say anything so they could finish their plan. Leah, they needed proof they didn't steal the money out of the safe. A tape on that boat proves they didn't. They just wanted to be un-shunned... When they first started living here they didn't care about us but along the way they did. They learned a lot living here and I know they aren't the same anymore. Dave wasn't playing a game. He really fell for you while being Daisy. Now, y'all showering... I don't like him for that, but I know he really likes you. He didn't what to hurt your feelings." Mia tries to explain to her sister.

"I just want to be alone. So please get out of my room." Leah points at the door so Mia does going to her room to go to bed.

[base0h]

Hii! Um.. Can I ask for Zoro or Kid scenarios pls? (Both would be best if possible) Love your work! <3

a/n - hi hi! Yes ofc, I’d be more than happy to do things for moss head and kid :) and I’m so glad you love my stuff 😭💜✨I hope that some cuddling and kissing hcs/scenarios are ok with you :) (for kid’s I kinda did something weird-)

warnings ⚠️ - fluff, g/n reader, minor suggestive part??

Zoro & Kid cuddling/kissing hcs

Zoro

- This man sleeps and we all know that 💀

- When he falls asleep on the deck and you just start leaning on him, hugging his torso (bitch won’t wake up💀 /j)

- He opens one eye, seeing you leaning on him and smirks

- He ends up putting his arm around you, pulling you closer to him

- almost like he’s saying, “they belong to me.” To his crew mates

- this man’s lowkey possessive and does NOT wanna share you at all

- he wants you all to himself 👌

- In the morning, when you two start to wake up, Zoro usually hugs you close from behind, his face mostly in the back of your head

- His bulky arms never let you go lmao

- His breath tickles your ear everytime, and when you move like an inch, he starts squeezing you tighter

- this asshole will tickle you if you’re ticklish

- he finds it amusing when you’re flailing your arms around while you helplessly get tickled by him

- THIS MAN WILL PIN YOUR LEGS OUTWARDS WITH HIS KNEES AND USE ONE HAND TO PIN YOUR ARMS ABOVE YOUR HEAD WHILE HE TICKLES YOU 👹

- But sometimes he can be soft and gentle, (this usually happens if you’re feeling down, or just not feeling great)

- in public, he may seem kinda cold and distant, but that’s just because he doesn’t want Sanji to start annoying him about giving you attention

- he is SO protective tho

- like one look from Sanji and the love cook is getting his ass whooped

- He always stays behind you, and when he finds people staring at you (because obviously you’re amazingly gorgeous or handsome) he puts his arm around your waist, then stares at them with his dark green eyes

- man is possessive af sometimes. 💀

Scenario - Sunny Mornings ☀️

You felt the warm body behind you, breathing against your ears. The mornings you had with your lover were always the best. You felt the familiar feeling of strong arms around your waist, hugging you close to them. Your eyes slowly started to open, coming into contact with the world. As you shifted your body slightly, Zoro instantly started to hug your tighter, squeezing you towards him. He grumbled drowsily, “Where are you going..?” He mumbled, his eyes still closed. You softly laugh, he was always clingy in the mornings, although he'd never admit that during the day. "I’m not going anywhere, I just wanted to move a bit." You reassured him as he groaned, continuing to be half-asleep. You moved his arms away, and he grumbled with an irritated tone. He felt colder without your body near him, he needed you right next to him when you slept together. His wishes came true, you turned around to face him, and you entangled your legs with his, wrapping your arms around his torso. He opened one of his eyes drowsily, smirking as he wrapped one of his legs around your waist, only entangling your legs even more. He placed his chin on the top of your head, continuing to snuggle with you for the rest of the sunny morning with a comforting smile.

BONUS (hehe) - When it was finally time to get out of your shared bed, Zoro first tried to detangle your legs from the mess of your previous cuddling position. You were still half-asleep, and you groaned when he started to move away from you. "Y/n- I can't sleep all day, you know I wish I could." He grumbled, struggling to stand up and sit up. His leg was stuck around your waist, and your legs were tangled up with his. When he tried to stand up, one of his legs were still caught up with yours, so when he went to take a step, he fell down, pulling you down with him. "What the hell-?!" He yelled, grunting when he felt your body fall on top of him. You laughed, laying your head on his chest again, "I'm going to tickle you stop laughing." He threatened with a smirk, holding his hands out menacingly. You instantly shut up, but he smiled, starting to tickle your sides. You laughed uncontrollably, and afterwards your stomach and sides hurt for around 20 minutes :') you forced Zoro to cuddle you for an hour as payback, but he didn’t really see that as a punishment. he won’t ever say that out loud though because he still wants to cuddle you :3 “I’m sorry y/n- Are you still mad at me..?” Zoro asked with an actual genuine sounding apology. “Hmm. I dunno.” You replied with a smirk as he looked at you with a deadpan face. He held up his fingers again, moving them around like spiders as he started to smile. “Don’t you dare-!” You shouted before he started tickling you again, pinning your legs and arms up with his own. As you were laughing, he dove in, pressing his lips against yours roughly. His tongue slid into your mouth like a snake, playing and dancing with yours. You were shocked and taken by surprise, you didn’t even expect this to happen. When he pulled away, a string of mixed saliva connecting your lips, he smirked. “Still mad?” He asked, laying on top of you. What could you even say to that..? Your ears were tinted red, and you looked away, “No.. I’m not mad Zoro.” You replied softly, looking away from him as he chuckled. “Love you.” Zoro said, kissing your cheek before climbing off of you, putting on his shirt again. “Love you too.” You replied with a smile, waving at Zoro as he left your shared room.

Kid

- he’s a scary looking dude ngl

- everyone’s supposed to fear him right?

- hah not you

- kid is always so confused as to why you want to cuddle with him or hug him

- “Y/n… Have you seen my arm?”

- “Uh- no why..?”

- “It’s made out of fucking metal.”

- You have to beg him to cuddle you lmao

- He will NEVER ask you until he’s super comfortable with it

- When you first cuddle him, it’s like you’re hugging a wooden post

- He’s so stiff my god 💀

- He’s a pretty strong guy so he’s worried about accidentally crushing you

- Please reassure him that he won’t crush you 😭

- Once he’s comfortable with it tho, he’s a cuddle bug 🥺

- He LOVES holding you with your head close to his chest, it’s his literal favorite thing because he can smell your hair and lean his face into it to be able to smell it the entire time

- Your hair smells just- amazing to him, and it calms him down after a really stressful day

- (and this is just a lil’ thing I thought up-) if he has a nightmare, and wakes up in the middle of the night, being able to instantly smell your hair is such a comfort for him

- it tells him that you’re still there with him (man imma go cuddle a pillow now)

- ALSO- he enjoys being nestled where you’re hugging him close to your chest so he can hear your heartbeat

- Running your fingers through his god soft hair makes him a happy boi

- He hates admitting that he likes being the little spoon sometimes ;)

- Like Zoro, Kid has little sense of gentleness (have you seen this man..?)

- When he’s kissing you it’s so rough but also it’s the right amount where it’s not hurting you

- He likes to carry you up and set you on the counter to kiss you since he’s so tall

- He’s also the type to kiss you out in public to show people that you belong to him-

- he ain’t ashamed of pda at all lmao

- nah no one can give you a glance without him putting his arm around you, keeping you nearby him while glaring at them

- he once beat up a dude looking you up and down 💀

- please reassure him that you’ll never leave him- just so he doesn’t worry about it a lot :’) he has that worry in the back of his mind

- He often asks himself if he’s too violent for you, does he scare you?

- tell him no, and that you love him everyday 🥺

Scenario - Jealousy ❤️

Taking a walk outside with kid was great except for one thing.. He very easily became jealous. The slightest glance from someone could earn them a death glare, and an arm around your waist. Today, you told him that today would be different, “Kid, I promise. I PROMISE, I’m never going to leave you. I’m not gonna leave with some random person on the street who makes eye contact with me. I love you. Not them-!” You would tell him, pulling him by his collar down to you so that you both were eye to eye. He growled, having a tint of pink on his cheeks when you said, “I love you.” “You don’t think I know that?? I don’t get jealous y/n!” He replied with an irritated expression. He huffed and crossed his arms, opening the door, getting ready to walk outside. You followed him outside, Killer accompanied you two as well. Maybe it truly was you accompanying them on their mission.. But kid didn’t really care, he let you come along since it wasn’t a dangerous mission. When you three came up to the town square, Kid turned around and stopped. “Kid, he’s right there.” Killer pointed out, staring at a man wearing all black, as well as a rather interesting looking top hat. “Y/n, stay here, we’ll be back.” Kid said, walking towards the alleyway along with Killer before disappearing behind the corner.

You decided to just look around the new city, the scenery was quite beautiful. Blue skies with specks of fluffy white clouds, the bustling crowds running back and forth with happiness and some stress. You saw an interesting stand-up shop, and walked towards it, taking a look at the merchandise. A man walked up beside you, also looking at the merchandise, you paid no attention to it, why would it be suspicious at all? The man tapped you on the shoulder, “Forgive me, but I couldn’t help but notice you look absolutely stunning..” The man said with a smile. You couldn’t help but smile, whatever this guy was saying was kind of corny, but you went along with it. “Why thank you, kind sir.” You said back in a slightly more esteemed tone. He smiled at you, continuing to look at the pieces of jewelry that sparkled in the bright sun. “Perhaps this one would suit you?” He asked, holding up a golden necklace to your collar. The necklace had a pendant in the middle of a gemstone the exact color of your eyes. The stone almost reflected a ray of color into your eyes when you looked straight at it. You smiled gratefully, “Thank you.. But I don’t think I can afford it today.” You said with a kind smile. It was a lovely offer, but you didn’t think Kid would want you buying random things from this town, especially if it’s a town they haven’t been in yet. “Well then, how about I purchase it for you?” He asked you, chuckling softly. This man sure was quite the “Prince Charming”. “Oh- no please don’t do that. You really don’t need to.” You protested with a slightly anxious look. Now this guy was starting to get a bit too pushy for your comfort zone. He kept saying over and over that he would purchase it, and how gorgeous you looked. When you tried to slip away, he grabbed your wrist tightly, squeezing it harshly. You grunted in pain, swinging your free arm towards his face, ready to land a strike. But the man was two steps ahead already, he grabbed that hand and made you immobile, leaning into your face. The store clerk was a bit frightened, and he opened his mouth to say something, “Let go of me!” You shouted, leaning backwards to get away from him, struggling to kick his shins with the heels of your shoes. He wouldn’t even budge! What was this guy??

Suddenly, a hand would grab the man by the collar, choking him as he was raised off the ground. “The fuck do you think you’re doing to her?” A familiar growling voice asked with such rage in his voice. “Kid-!” You shouted, relieved that he had come at such a great time. Kid was beyond enraged, someone was touching you, that was absolutely unacceptable. He slammed the man into the wall, repeatedly beating his face down with his metallic arm. Killer stood by you, checking if you were alright before making sure you were protected while Kid beat the man’s face up. You started to think it was going too far, Kid was about to kill him, no- did he already kill him? “Kid-! That’s enough it’s ok! He didn’t do anything to me!” You shouted, trying to get your lover to stop beating the man. “Y/n, stay behind Killer.” Kid said with a crazed look in his eyes. He was scaring you, he wasn’t listening at all. “You’re scaring me! Please stop!” You yelled, grabbing his arm. He snapped out of it when you said those words, he shook his head, slamming the guy to the ground as he walked back towards you. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said with a gentle look in his eyes. You sighed with relief, jumping into his arms and embracing him tightly. His eyes widened at the gesture, “Don’t worry, he barely did anything.” You said to him, kissing his cheek. His cheeks flushed bright red as he pushed you off, “Ok- I get it!” He shouted, trying to hide his blushing face. “Kid… You do realize you just got really jealous right? You almost killed him.” You mentioned as he grunted. “I DON’T GET FUCKING JEALOUS!” He yelled angrily as you laughed, hugging his arm, leaning into his shoulder. “I want hugs when we get back, that’s your punishment for scaring me.” You said with order in your voice. “…Fine,” he replied, hiding the red on his cheeks by turning away from you. You smiled at your lover, he was just so perfect.. Perfect in every way <3

a/n - idk why tf kid’s scenario is so much longer than Zoro’s but- I hope you all enjoy :)

<3

[td-scenarios]

Could I request Brick, Alejandro, Heather, Mike ( +Alters), with how they would react when the reader is hurt in a challenge?? If not thats totally fine! I hope you have a nice day/nice

Thank you for the suggestion!! I hope you're having a nice day as well! <3 (also I hope you don't mind if I don't do all the alters ^^ I'll just do a few.)

Brick

You know his whole "don't leave anyone behind thing"? Yeah, he immediately notices when you go down and he tells the team to wait (but knowing the Toxic Rats or Mutant Maggots, not all of them would)

"Y/N! Where did you get injured?"

Ofc he immediately asks that, and you try to tell him you're fine but your arm definitely shouldn't look like that and no shot you're making it to the end in this condition

You give him a look after he won't back down and begrudgingly tell him that it's your arm that got fucked and even though you can TECHNICALLY stand, the swinging of your arms when running/walking would cause enough pain.

The fact that it's your arm troubles him quite a bit because he can't just easily scoop you up and carry you like that.

He sits there with a puzzled look on his face before he drops down to your level and pulls you up onto his shoulders. Ofc he asks if it's okay after he does it because he didn't even stop to think before doing it.

Brick just carries you through the entire challenge, but not because he wanted to win, but because he wanted to get your arm taken care of as soon as possible.

Your team wins anyways because of the fact that the team decided to go ahead and because the other team was missing a few people.

Alejandro

Immediately drops whatever he's doing to your pained stance.

"Alejandro don't worry, I'm fine. Win it for the team." He has never heard such bs in his life.

"Y/N, you are not fine. You have never just dropped like this during a challenge, and besides, it'd be a shame to leave such a perfect being behind." Cue to the hand kiss which makes you wince.

Definitely sprained your wrist trying to climb up a tree or a mountain or something and now it's coming to bite you for not taking care of it earlier. To Alejandro's defense, you did just fall off of this next thing you were climbing while shouting because of your wrist.

He raises a brow at you and so you have to reluctantly agree to let him help you.

He insists on having you on his back like a koala or something. It would be the easiest way for him to carry you after all.

(Alejandro definitely continued to carry you after the climbing portion was over, but we don't speak about it. Owen already won't let it go and makes fun of him for being a softie.)

Heather

She doesn't notice that you got hurt until after the challenge is over.

The whole team is cheering because they won, but Heather slowly realizes that not everyone is there. She walks off to go looking for you.

No one else really notices because 1. They just won the challenge and 2. It's Heather disappearing. The less time with her, the better

Finally, she comes across you in the communal bathrooms, balancing on one leg as you try to patch up a nasty gash on your own.

Heather gags because ew blood, but then steps up a bit because it's you we're talking abut.

"Stop. Let me do it." Bossy as always.

Despite her tone, she's extremely gentle as she has you sit up on the sink as she gathers the supplies to help properly clean it up.

If you didn't have feelings for Heather before, this definitely helped you see her in a new light as it shows that she really cares.

Heather finishes it up and helps balance you when you get off the sink.

You try walking on your own, but she doesn't even allow it. Girlboss immediately just holds on to you and walks along with you. Probably calls you an idiot or something, affectionately of course.

Let's just say, Heather doesn't really get on your nerves as much anymore.

Mike

"Oh my gosh, Y/N, are you okay?!" Because y'all be ride or dies on a challenge, right next to eachother or some shit

You're not really sure if you're okay. Like, yeah, you just busted your ass pretty badly there and it may hurt to stand, but it's not like it'll impair you.

Yeah you just fell again.

Mike helps you stand up this time, heavily concerned about your state of being.

He isn't even worried about winning the challenge anymore he just wants you to be safe.

Mike would definitely call for help for you and then refuse to leave your side, even if it costed the team the challenge. He has so much love in his heart for the people he cares about :(

Manitoba

The obligatory "Crikey!" followed by him asking if you're alright.

You're clearly not and so ofc he just scoops you up and keeps on going.

No questions asks. Mans carries you until the end of the challenge and takes you to your cabin afterwards.

If you guys don't think Manitoba knows how to take care of someone you're dead wrong.

He now despises that challenge with a passion and will do anything to make sure you stay away of the area.

Vito

I'm saying that you get hurt in a fighting challenge just because I want Vito to throw hands.

He would.

He can't very well throw hands with some dirt or water or something, so of course you need to get hit by someone because of a challenge.

Shirt: Off

Fists: Out

Someone's Halls: About to be decked

"Eyyy what d'ya think you're doin' puttin' yo hands on this beaut?"

You're not the only one that's coming out of this challenge injured.

[k-evans-reads]

On Deck

Chapter 3

Summary: Although they grew up in the same small town, Chris and Sam had both gone their separate ways a long time ago. Chris moved up to become a MLB star, one of the best in the business, while Sam stayed stuck in the same small town. But when multiple injuries ended the Red Sox prodigy’s career, he winds up back in the same small town he swore he’d never be back to. The past may not stay in the past any longer, as old wounds begin to creep back up.

Pairing: MLB!Chris Evans X OFC Samantha “Sam” Merrick

Word Count: 8,163

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None

Previous | Main Masterlist | On Deck Masterlist 

The bright lights illuminated the baseball field on the Thursday night, the sound of murmured talking from the wooden stands that were filled with fans. In the small town, there weren't a whole lot of entertainment options and many people attended the baseball games even if they didn’t have a son or nephew who played. But this game was different.

The star of the Red Sox, second baseman Chris Evans, was coaching and that was drawing the interest of the entire town. Sam had never been packed in this tightly on the dusty wooden bleachers in the early Spring chill, and seeing everyone’s eyes glued to Chris made her want to throw up. She ignored all the hushed talking about him and just focused on her little brother standing on the pitcher's mound as he threw another strike, making her clap and shout, “Way to go Riley!”

“Hey Riley is doing great as pitcher,” Ify whispered, bumping her shoulder against Sam’s lightly.

Sam smiled, nodding as she watched him prepare for another pitch. “Yeah he’s loving that position,” she told Ify, the familiar nerves filling her as she watched him throw the pitch, breathing a sigh of relief as the umpire called a strike.

“That’s new, isn’t it? Wasn’t he left fielder before?”

She nodded, watching as he dug his foot in the dirt, swinging and stretching his pitching arm. “He was, but Chris suggested he be a pitcher this year.”

“Wow you don’t have to say his name with such disgust,” Ify laughed, taking a swig of her water. Sam’s eyes stayed locked on Riley’s frame, even as Ify continued, “I take it you’re still pissed at him for some stupid reason.”

“It’s not a stupid reason,” Sam muttered, watching nervously as the batter got a hit, but breathing a sigh of relief as an outfielder easily caught it, ending the top of the inning. She turned to Ify once Riley stepped off the mound, running into the dugout as Chris patted his shoulder. “And I’m not pissed at him. I just don’t like him because he’s an ass.”

“And why might that be?”

“Well, remember the other day when Carson was sick and I covered your shift?” Sam paused, watching as Ify nodded. “He took Riley home so he wouldn’t have to take the bus and then came upstairs and insulted our apartment.”

“Sam, you know that place you live is a dump. The only reason you’re still there is because it’s the only place you can afford with you and your mom’s income and still be near the bus route,” Ify shook her head, shooting her son a smile from where he was playing at the front of the bleachers with some other kids.

“I know it’s a dump, but it’s rude to come into someone else’s home and insult it,” Sam shot back, sighing before she rolled her eyes. “Then the idiot was like ‘Why don’t you just move?’ and that asshole is so out of touch and doesn't realize that all of us don’t have millions in the bank like he does.”

“Okay that is an asshole move.”

“Right?!”

“He was wrong to say it, but we both say it all the time that it’s a shithole, Sam,” Ify murmured. Sam sighed, knowing she was right. But it was the only three-bedroom within the school’s boundaries that they could afford. And while Sam would give anything to have a function washing machine, dishwasher, or neighbors who didn’t smoke weed and argue at all hours of the day, there were slim pickings in their town and they were lucky they could even have this place, especially given how many times she’d been late on rent in the last five years.

Sam shook her head again as she looked at her lap, quietly admitting, “I just don’t like him being such a fucking bigshot and waltzing into town looking down his nose at everything.”

“Well you can’t control how other people act, only how you do,” Ify said to her quietly, rubbing her back as the crack of a ball on a metal bat rang through the field, one of Riley’s teammates getting a single.

Sam laughed as she watched the player, her eyes finding Chris and Riley standing next to each other in the dugout, quietly talking as they watched the next player at bat. “Are you my therapist now, Ify?”

“Sometimes you make me feel like it,” she laughed. “Don’t let him get under your skin too much.”

Before long, the game was over, Riley’s pitching helping his team to a season-opening victory. Sam lingered with the other players’ parents, watching as player by player left the dugout until it was only Sam waiting near the bleachers. She watched as Chris gestured while saying something to Riley, her eyes noticing how careful he was being to not move his legs quickly, his upper body doing most of the work. She gave them a few minutes before she moved closer to the dugout, leaning over the short fence and calling, “Riley, you got your stuff?”

“Just packing it up now, I’ll be out in a sec!” Riley called, turning his head before he went back into the dugout, gathering his things.

Chris’ eyes watched Riley before he slowly walked over towards Sam, leaning on the fence, his baseball pants tight on his hips.  “So, not bad for a first game, huh?”

“Be careful Evans, your head is already so big that I don’t think you’ll have room for all that extra pride and ego,” Sam murmured to him, a smirk fighting its way onto her lips. She watched as he turned to glance over the field, her eyes taking the chance to look over him. You’d never guess that this man had gone through five surgeries on his legs in the last two calendar years, he seemed at home here in a way he never did anywhere else, even to an outside perspective. And the baseball pants on his toned legs didn’t hurt either, Sam feeling a hint of attraction deep inside of her, hating herself for it.

But a loud laugh rose from Chris, his eyes scrunching up in amusement. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a place,” he assured her, almost mischievous as he looked at her.

“I’m sure you will,” Sam agreed, resting her weight on her arms as she leaned on the fence. Her face pinched in mock-confusion as she added, “I’m actually surprised you aren’t wearing your Red Sox jersey just to show off.”

“Nah, I’m saving that for the next game,” he easily replied with a smirk, before a hopeful expression crossed his face. “So does leading the team to a winning game earn me a free cup of coffee tomorrow morning?”

“Take it up with Ify, she’s working tomorrow.”

“Really? I thought you were always there.”

“I know it may be surprising to you but I do actually have a life,” Sam rolled her eyes, straightening up and looking for Riley again in the dugout, seeing him digging through a cubby for his things.

“Social life? But Riley’s in school tomorrow morning,” Chris laughed, shooting her a grin but the expression slipping slightly as he met her steel eyes. “So that means you’d have time to get me that cup of coffee, right?”

She rolled her eyes again, looking at him as she sighed. “This is probably hard for you to understand but not everyone is looking for an opportunity to suck up to you, Evans.”

“Well I would think having a cup of coffee with me would be an improvement from sitting by yourself in that shitty apartment.”

“Are you really so bored in this town that you just feel the need to insult me every chance you get?” She asked incredulously, jaw dropping slightly as she listened to him.

“I wasn’t trying to insult you, I-”

“Oh yeah saying I have no life and saying I live in a shithole isn’t insulting, okay,” she told him, her tone sharp and cold as she moved off of the fence, praying to anyone listening that Riley would get his shit together, literally, quicker.

“Sammy, I wasn’t-”

“Save it, Chris.”

She saw him open his mouth to reply but Riley came jogging out of the dugout with his bat bag on his shoulder, making Chris close his mouth as quickly as he had opened it. Not wanting to be in his presence any longer, Sam threw an arm around Riley’s shoulders, praising him while the pair walked toward their car.

On the way home she listened to Riley’s thoughts about the game, loving to hear his enthusiasm but by the time silence fell between them, her brain was filled with thoughts of the conversation that transpired earlier. Sam had emotionally been on her own for a long time. After her dad had left when she was young, her mother started going downhill, looking to fill her life with men or drinking and a lot of the time both. She always put a roof over Sam’s head, even though most of the time it was a leaky one and had food for her, but in terms of being an emotionally supportive mother, that had been absent for a long long time.

Sam grew up fast, most of the high school years she spent leaving school and going right to work before coming home and helping take care of her baby brother while her mom went to work and things had basically been the same since then. Because of the life she was used to, Sam wasn’t a fragile person. She was used to having to suck up her feelings and deal with what was in front of her, but there was something about Chris that just got under her skin and she couldn’t quite place why.

That question was still unanswered the next morning when she had just dropped Riley off at school when the owner of the diner called, telling her she needed to come in because the third waitress called in sick. With a groan, Sam turned her car, driving it to the diner on her one day off a week, changing her shoes before going into the diner. The door hadn’t even closed when she heard a voice call out, “So you showed up for that cup of coffee after all?”

Sam slid her sunglasses up on top of her head where her dark curly hair was wrangled up as she looked over at where Chris was sitting. It was way too early and she was not in the mood for that sickening smirk of his today, causing her to just roll her eyes and walk straight back to the kitchen without saying a word.

“Hey Sam,” Ify called from where she was refilling drinks and turning on the extra coffee maker. “Sorry you had to come in on your day off. Bridget was sick.”

She rolled her eyes as she pulled off her coat, hanging it on the hook and pulling on a uniform shirt over her long sleeves, looking at Ify with an unamused expression on her face. “Yeah, sick with a hangover most likely,”

Ify laughed sharply, nodding her head in agreement before she sighed, placing the drinks on a tray. “Well Ken wants me to do inventory today so you’ll be serving. At least you’ll get tips.”

“You know I’ll split them with you Ify,” Sam murmured as she walked over, putting on her nametag and leaning her hip against the prep table. “But why don’t I do inventory and you can finish up the tables that are out there right now?”

But her longtime best friend shook her head, giving her a knowing look that came with the years she had on Sam. “I already started.”

Sam practically whined, giving her a pained expression, a low whine rising from her throat. “Ify, I don’t want to wait on him.”

“Chris? C’mon Sam, he’s harmless.”

“I know, but I just am really not in the mood for it today. Please Ify,” she begged, her face turning red as she tried to convince Ify.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. Ken told me specifically to do this and he’s been breathing down my neck all morning. I don’t need him chewing me out,” the older woman shook her head, handing her the tray of drinks. “Chris just got an egg and some toast. It should be up in a second.”

With a sigh, Sam dropped the subject, taking the drink tray and delivering them to a table before the ding of the kitchen bell rang, signaling that Chris’ food was ready. Sam took the plate from the kitchen, begrudgingly making her way to Chris at the counter. She clenched her jaw as she dropped the food in front of him, but before she could say anything he asked, “I thought you said you were too busy having a social life to be at work today?”

“Bridget is sick so I had to cover,” she hurriedly said, sighing again before adding, “Do you need anything else?”

He gave her a weird look, furrowing his brows before shrugging. “Actually some more coffee would be great,” he finally said, a slightly nervous expression crossing his face momentarily.

She nodded, turning around and grabbing a mug, pressing start on the coffee machine on the counter. “Cream and sugar?” She asked without turning around, shoulders tensed and voice clipped.

“Just cream,” he replied, and she could hear the hesitation in his voice as he continued, “You seem like you’re not having a very good day.”

“I’m fine.”

“Sam, I’m actually glad you’re here because I wanted to talk to you…”

“I can’t, I’m working.”

He sighed, his fork dropping onto the plate with a clatter. “Can you come sit down just for a minute?”

“I know you think everything revolves around you but all of these tables need me,” she said as she turned around and placed the mug of steaming coffee with cream in front of him, avoiding his blue eyes.

“Sammy please,” he quietly begged, lip pursed unconsciously, Sam struggling to deny him.

She shook her head again, whispering, “I have to work,” as she stepped away, going into the back to check on the other tables’ food.

She tried to ignore him as much as she could, dropping his check silently as she ran drinks to another table, watching out of the corner of her eye as he stayed longer than usual, his eyes following her sadly. She never imagined feeling this way because of him, he’d been an asshole to her before, but she never anticipated the heart-clenching emotions stirring inside of her at the sight of those blue eyes, at the hurt expression in his eyes and all over his face.

When she made her way back to the counter with his change in hand, he surprised her as he shook his head, pushing her outstretched hand away. “No change,” he said quietly, wallet already tucked away in his pocket.

Sam met his eyes for the first time since she’d stepped inside the diner that morning, confusion on her face. “Chris, there’s twenty dollars here,” she replied, trying to push against his hand and give him back the change.

But he stubbornly nodded, standing up to pull his coat over his broad shoulders, ducking his head down but standing tall.  “I know, it’s your tip.”

“You got toast and an egg, I’m not taking that much as a tip,” Sam laughed sharply, shaking her head as she shoved the twenty dollar bill across the counter to him.

“C’mon just take it, Sammy,” Chris rolled his eyes, not even moving to take the bill off the counter.

“I don’t need your charity.”

“It’s not charity,” he insisted loudly, cutting himself off and shaking his head. He continued quietly, “Sam, will you just listen to me for a second?”

“Fine, what?”

“I’ve been trying to apologize,” he whispered, sitting back down in the stool as she leaned back against the counter along the wall behind her. “Look, what I said the other night about your apartment was insensitive. I was in a bad mood but, god-that sounds like I’m trying to excuse it. I’m really not, I just… well I’m just sorry Sammy. I shouldn’t have said that or what I did about you being at the diner all the time. I didn’t mean it that way and I’m sorry.”

“Was this money your way of buying me off?”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes in disbelief, Sam fighting herself to not do the same. “God you’re difficult sometimes,” he muttered.

“This doesn’t sound like much of an apology.”

“Well you aren’t doing a very good job of accepting it,” he shot back, Sam’s face falling even more as he cut himself off again. He swallowed uncomfortably, Sam trying to anticipate his next move as he aimlessly looked around the diner. He took a deep breath before he quietly began speaking, “I’m sorry Sammy. I mean that. I was an ass with what I said. But the tip wasn’t meant as anything but a tip to say thank you for doing a good job, that’s all.”

“Alright.”

“Alright as in you accept my apology?”

“Yes,” she nodded, wrapping her arms around herself, biting her lip nervously.

“Okay,” he nodded, running a hand through his hair, his biceps flexing through the tight jacket covering his arms. “Well I’ll see you around.”

Sam whispered a goodbye to him, watching as he stood up and left without another word, leaving the twenty dollar bill on the counter in front of her. She stood there for a moment silently, watching as the other table left, breathing a sigh of relief as the restaurant was finally empty. Shaking her head, Sam tucked the twenty into her apron, picking up his dishes and heading into the back where Ify was standing near the door.

“Just so you know, I heard all of that,” she instantly told Sam, a pained expression on her face. “That was kind of brutal.”

She shook her head, tears threatening to spring to her eyes as she rushed to defend him. “He doesn’t know how to apologize well,” Sam murmured, swallowing down the lump in her throat.

“No, I meant you.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“The man gave an honest apology and you totally just shot him down!”

Sam’s brows furrowed, dropping the dishes in the dish bin in frustration before turning back to look at her friend. “I said I accepted his apology.”

“Yeah with the warmth of a snowman,” Ify laughed bitterly. “Nobody says you have to like the guy but that was kind of harsh, Sam. That’s so unlike you. You’re always so friendly and you genuinely like people but you’ve been gunning for this guy the second he stepped foot in this town.”

“No I haven’t, I just was reacting to how he’s treating me,” Sam retorted, brows pinching in frustration before she fidgeted uncomfortably under her friend’s scrutiny.

“You were doing this before he said some shit though,” Ify pointed out, lips pursing as she added, “Sam, I think you’re angry at something other than him.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, you tell me?”

“He just doesn’t deserve what he has. That guy has been fawned over his entire life. When we were teenagers there was nobody that didn’t give him special treatment just because he was good at baseball! He had every opportunity in the world. His parents loved him, they had money, he could do whatever he wanted and he got out of this town and became a star and turned into an asshole,” she ranted, unable to stop the words from pouring out of her, feeling thankful she could finally release this anger and confide in Ify. “He just doesn’t deserve it.”

“Isn’t that what you’re mad at, not really him? That he got the things that you could only dream about?”

“...I guess,” she admitted, wide eyes meeting Ify’s own brown ones.

Her longtime best friend sighed, shaking her head as she hesitated. “Look Sam, I know life isn’t fair. It sucks sometimes. But that isn’t reason to be mad at him,” she finally began, tapping her pen on the inventory list on the prep table, watching Sam carefully. “Chris did work for what he had and look, now the poor guy has lost everything because of his injuries. In a lot of ways, I think he’s just as lost as you are.”

“I know you’re right, Ify. It just… sucks,” Sam admitted, with a crack in her voice as she struggled to make sense of her emotions.

“Life does sometimes but you’ve overcome a lot and I don’t want to see your frustration turn you into something that you aren’t. Sam, you’re a great person and what I just heard out there wasn’t you,” Ify insisted, reaching and placing her hands on Sam’s sharp shoulders, sliding them over her comfortingly.

Sam knew her best friend was right. She knew that everything she’d been bottling up toward Chris really was more anger at her own life rather than his. But taking it out on him wasn’t the right way to handle it. She felt guilty for how she had treated him when he was being honest with her and she wanted to tell him so, figuring that she’d get a chance when he stopped into the diner the next morning as he had often since he’d gotten to town.

But the next morning the second stool at the counter was empty. And it stayed empty for the rest of the week, which only made the slightly sick feeling inside Sam’s stomach grow, knowing she was the cause of that lonely, empty stool.

By the time the next baseball game rolled around that Friday night, Sam knew that was her opportunity and she had to take it. It was obvious Chris was ignoring her, especially when she stood with the group of parents near the dugout and Chris seemed to always conveniently have his back to her.

She was surprised when Riley ran over to her without his things quickly after the game ended, hanging on to the fence and leaning over it to call to her. “Hey Sam, can I go out for pizza with the guys?” He asked, brows raised excitedly.  “Cody’s mom is taking us and she said she’d drive me home.”

Sam smiled, happiness flowing through her as she looked at the childlike innocence all over his face, something she’d lost early on but always tried to ensure he retained. “Sure, that’s fine, just bring me your stuff and I’ll take it home,” she nodded, reaching for her bag as she added, “Do you need some money?”

“No, Coach gave us money to buy dinner,” he smiled, face falling a bit as Sam walked over to stand next to him, admitting, “We invited him but he said he couldn’t go. He’s been acting kind of weird lately.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, heart clenching as she realized the cause of that pain was her, her stubborn, asshole tendencies, especially where Chris was concerned.

“I don’t know… just quiet. He’s not been joking around and laughing with us like he normally does,” he shrugged, running a hand through his sweaty hair.

“Well he’s going through a lot of rehab with his leg, maybe that’s it,”  she murmured, tapping her fingers on his arm.

“Yeah maybe,” he shrugged, straightening up. “Well I’ll see you later Sam. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Sam smiled, the thoughts of Chris leaving her mind momentarily as she looked at her baby brother. “Text me when you’re on your way home, okay?”

She watched Riley’s retreating form as he went back over to the group, Sam waiting until the athletes left to leave. But she found herself hanging around until the only people at the field were herself and Chris, opening the gate and stepping onto the field, walking over to where Chris was cleaning up the dugout.

“Hi Chris,” she said tentatively, not missing the way his shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly underneath his shirt.

“Hey,” he replied, just as quietly, turning to look at her over his shoulder.

Without even realizing it, she wrung her hands nervously in front of her, shooting him a small smile. “Do you have a minute?”

He nodded, turning back to the task at hand, “What’s up?”

“Can you look at me?”

“I’m busy working,” he shot back, echoing the words she’d spoken to him nearly a week ago. She couldn’t even blame him for saying it to her, knowing she deserved every ounce of his anger given the way she acted that morning.

“Okay, I deserved that,” she sighed, shaking her head. She watched as he kept her back to him, breathing out a sigh of frustration this time. “Seriously Chris, can I talk to you?”

He dropped the bucket of baseballs to the concrete floor with a slight clatter, turning and sitting down on the bench. “What is it, Sam?”

She swallowed, leaning on the fence stretched across the length of the dugout. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for how I acted when you apologized. I shouldn’t have been so cold to you and I appreciate that you went out of your way to tell me that you were sorry,” she said, looking at him with a remorseful expression. She’d had the last week to stew over her thoughts, something she was sure Chris had also done, and she’d only been able to feel regret when she reflected on it.

He nodded, looking down at his hands as she spoke. “I really am sorry for what I said,” he whispered, picking his head up and looking at her, those wide blue eyes staring into hers.

“I know you are and I should have been able to accept your apology,” Sam replied, nodding as a sad smile crossed her face, feeling something shift between them.

He was quiet as he watched her, glancing down and taking a deep breath, but the way the tension immediately left his body, as if the fight had just left him, surprised her. “Thanks Sammy,” he murmured, a small smile crossing his face finally as her words set in.

“I also brought you this,” she began, pausing as she rifled through the tote on her shoulder, pulling out a plastic container with a piece of pie in it with a small smile. “It’s cherry so I hope you like that kind of pie.”

“What? Is this a peace offering?” Chris asked, a genuine, wide grin spreading across his lips as he pushed himself off the bench, making his way up the dugout stairs and standing next to her. “Did my charming ways finally win you over?”

“That might be a bit of a stretch,” she smirked, rolling her eyes playfully as he took the container out of her hands, leaning his hip next to her.

“I’m not so sure about that… I mean, you brought me pie…”

“Well I brought some for some of the other parents too so don’t read too much into it,” she waved him off, her cheeks turning pink as she caught Chris smirking while he watched her.

“Dammit, I thought I really had moved up in position,” Chris muttered, shaking his head with a laugh.

Sam reached to lightly shove his toned shoulder with her hand, glancing around the empty field and bleachers around them. “Since your mom wasn’t at the game tonight I better tell you not to spoil your dinner with that pie.”

“Maybe you could help me with that,” he trailed off, one brow raising as he tapped his fingers along the fencing. “I was thinking about going to grab a bite to eat. Want to come?”

She blushed furiously, shaking her head as she glanced away from him, saying, “Thanks anyway, but Ify and I are doing a girls night.”

“Oh, going to talk shit about me?”

“You really do think everything revolves around you, don’t you Evans?”

“Well it’s kind of more interesting that way,” he chuckled, biting his lower lip a little as he straightened up, adding, “Hey I was thinking I should probably get your number for if I need to text anything about the team, or you know, in case you get bored with Ify and would rather hang out with me.”

“Fat chance,” Sam laughed loudly, before nodding. “Where’s your phone?”

Chris dug out his brand new iPhone, handing it to Sam as she quickly typed in her number, adding the name ‘Sammy’ in the contact profile even though he was the only one who called her that. She clicked done before handing it back to him before bidding him goodnight and turning to walk to her car, giving him one last wave before driving off. As she drove in the darkness of the evening, she could feel something different. That little something that had just shifted and part of her knew it would never go back.

Chris sighed as he pulled over and parked his car outside of the diner, the mid-spring sky a deep pink. The town had emptied out, the good weather driving most of the families to go to the beach for the weekend, and the prom leading most of the town’s teenagers and their parents to be taking prom pictures and chaperoning the dance at the high school.

He had been in town for almost two months, but he still was adjusting to life here. Chris had been used to having a packed schedule, flying from one city to the next for games and practices, and spending most of his time when he was back in Boston going out with friends. But now he was here coaching kids, driving to his physical therapy appointments, and spending the rest of his time with his mother. It wasn’t much of a social life but if he was being honest, there was something relaxing and calming to his anxious demeanor about being in the town. Although a quiet night like tonight did have him wishing he was back in Boston to be able to have something to fill his time while the rest of the town was busy.

Chris climbed out of his car and walking into the mostly empty diner, going to sit at a booth in the corner rather than plopping down at the counter as he normally did when Sammy was there. He had called his mother earlier, saying he was going to come over for dinner but she had told him she wasn’t going to be there, instead chaperoning at the prom which added just another person in the town who was unavailable tonight, which is what left him deciding just to go out to get something to eat and fill some of his evening chatting with Bridget or Ify.

“I almost didn’t recognize you, you’re not at your normal spot at the counter,” he heard a familiar voice call from behind him, Chris turning in surprise.

“Sammy?” He asked, eyes moving over her face, taking in the messy hair and those freckles. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I believe you were the one who said I didn’t have a social life and was here all the time,” she raised her eyebrow, a smirk spreading across her freckled face as a small laugh fought its way out of her.

“Wow, I should have known you’d bring that up,” he muttered in faux-hurt. “Did Riley go to prom?”

Sam laughed, grabbing Chris’ favorite soda from the fountain along the wall, just a few steps away from the booth.  “Yeah and he took a girl,” she said, raising her brows.

“Did he? Oooh, who is it?”

Sam nodded as she turned to look at him, “Kayla Johnson, she’s in his class.”

“Oh is she that little short thing, curly blonde hair and glasses?” Chris asked, waiting for Sam’s nod to continue, “I’ve seen her walk with him to practice a few times.”

“Yeah they’re not really dating but kind of hanging out. It’s pretty cute,” she smiled, laughing a little as she dropped the glass of soda in front of him. “It’s his first prom taking a girl.”

“Oh that poor guy is probably sweating through his shirt!” He laughed loudly, shaking his head and thanking her quickly for the soda, but ignoring it to continue speaking to her, turning in his seat to face her fully. “I remember taking Lindsey Metcalf to our prom I think in 10th grade. I was so anxious that whole evening that I would step on her feet or something. That was that one they decorated the whole gym with that stupid underwater theme, do you remember that?”

“I never went to prom,” she shook her head, Chris’ jaw dropping as she sheepishly shrugged.

“Seriously?” He asked, brows raising in shock.  “I’m having a hard time believing that nobody asked you.”

Sam shrugged again though, breaking his heart even more as she added, “Well all through high school I had a job after school so I couldn’t go.”

“You weren’t missing much other than a bunch of teenagers making idiots of themselves and trying to spike the punch,” he muttered, shaking his head as he remembered his prom years. “Luckily they have my mom as a chaperone tonight so I’ll get to hear about any of the good stories.”

“Well you better share them because I guarantee that Riley will only be staring at Kayla tonight,” Sam laughed, the cheery sound echoing through the otherwise-empty diner, warming him from the inside out.

“I’m going to text Ma and see if she can sneak a picture of him,” Chris said, pulling out his phone and swiping around on it a little. “I remember my mom making me and my date stand in front of the fireplace and taking a thousand pictures before we could leave. I’m sure your mom was doing the same run down with Riley and Kayla.”

He looked up when he heard her intake of breath, Sam biting her lip a little. “Actually he was with Cody’s parents tonight. My mom was working and obviously I’m here,” she shrugged hesitantly, swallowing uncomfortably as her hand tapped her leg nervously.

He furrowed his brows in confusion, eyes moving around the diner as his brain moved a million miles an hour. Something felt out of place, nearly the entire time he’d been there, but he didn’t realize it until just now. “You don’t usually work closing on Friday though, aren’t you usually the morning shift?”

Her jaw clenched, Sam rocking on her heels a bit as she answered, “This week I’ve been both.”

“Sammy, you’ve been working open until close?” He asked quietly, his heart dropping. The diner was open twelve hours a day, of which he knew Sam normally worked half so that she could be with Riley every evening, but clearly that hadn’t been the case this week. He hadn’t realized it before now, but he hadn’t seen her after practice every day, or at the game. Ify had taken Riley home from the game on Wednesday and Cody’s mom drove him home from the practices, but he just hoped she was finally taking some time to breathe.

Sam nodded, blushing a bit. “Yeah, Riley outgrew his cleats and his baseball pants ripped. I tried to fix them but they ripped again, then the suit rental for tonight wasn’t cheap so I just needed a few extra shifts,” she explained, shrugging a little as she looked away from his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I can get him new cleats and pants,” he breathed, his heart breaking at that. He could have easily gotten Riley the new gear, even pants he was sure his mother still had in the basement saved somewhere from when he was Riley’s age. He didn’t want it to come across as him insulting her, or implying that she wasn’t doing enough to take care of herself and Riley, but he was more than capable of helping out without expecting something in return, especially for Riley.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you,” she said quietly. “Besides, after tomorrow’s shift I’ll be all caught up.”

“I wish you would have told me so I could have done something. That way you could have at least been able to have tonight off,” he shook his head, unable to stop himself from being at least a little hurt still.

She smiled easily though, shaking her head. “It’s alright, I made Riley try on his suit this morning before school so I could see him in it. You can imagine how thrilled he was about that,” she laughed, the easy subject change taking the focus off of her and onto Riley.

He laughed, shaking his head. He could practically picture it- awkwardly gangly Riley, frowning as Sam over-dramatically fawned over him. “I can imagine.”

Silence fell between them, the pair awkwardly looking around before Chris cleared his throat, motioning towards the booth seat opposite him. Giving him a small smile, Sam sat down on the opposite seat with a sigh, looking around. “God, I can’t believe that ten years ago I was working in this diner during my prom and now I’m still here working in this same diner while Riley goes to prom,” she laughed bitterly, rubbing a hand on her forehead as she shook her head. “I really have done a great job moving up in the world.”

He watched her carefully, tilting his head and narrowing his gaze. “Well I’m the loser who is here alone, whose best friend is his fifty-five year old mother… So what does that say about me?”

He was surprised when she burst out laughing, body shaking. As she caught her breath, she looked at him with a smirk on her face, drawling, “That’s true, at least my best friend is only ten years older than me,”

“Wow I didn’t need you to agree with me!”

“Hey you brought it up…”

“Alright smartass, what do you want? I’m buying,” he said, pushing off of the cushion to sit up, resting his elbows on the table and paging through the extensive menu.

“Well if I have to go get it, you better be buying, that’s the only fair trade,” Sam laughed, biting her lip as she jutted her chin out at him. “What do you want, bigshot?”

“Honestly I don’t even care, surprise me,” he shrugged, pushing the menu aside and looking at her with a mischievous smile.

Chris waited in the booth until Sam came back, putting a chocolate milkshake in front of him and a basket of fries for them to share. The empty diner was filled with nothing but the sound of their voices, talking and laughing the whole night. Chris ended up sitting with his back against the wall, his long legs stretched out on the booth, an elbow resting on the vinyl table as his eyes scrunched up while laughter poured from his lips for the thousandth time that evening. He tilted his head, looking across at where Sam was slumped against the faded booth cushion and all he could think about was just how damn beautiful she was. Even with dried ketchup smeared on her arm, soda spilled on the edge of her tee shirt, and her hair in a messy bun that was starting to slip out from the long day, wisps of her curls falling around her neck… she was still the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen.

When he first came back to town, he wondered if seeing those dimples of her and all the freckles across her nose and cheeks had him feeling butterflies just because of his teen crush. Maybe he was just remembering how he felt back then, being transported to the feelings of that moment in time, but sitting here he knew that wasn’t true. She was so damn stubborn and difficult, being able to push him right back with her words. But maybe that was all that he liked.

No, that wasn’t it, he thought to himself. It was so much more than that. It wasn’t just the fact she was a challenge, it was… everything. He just liked her. He didn’t know how else to put it but he just did, simple as that. And sitting here in the run down diner with her on a Friday night laughing over a plate of fries made him forget about everything in his life, even if just for a moment and make him feel the rush of happiness in his bones.

He found himself watching her more often than he reached for a french fry, but was snapped out of the introspective moment when the door to the kitchen opened, a short man poking his head into the dining room, eyes locking on Sam as he called, “Hey Sam, the kitchen is all clean. Are you ready to close?”

She straightened up, wiping her mouth with a napkin as she waved him off, “Oh, I still have a few more things to do. Go ahead and go home, I’ll finish and lock up.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow,” he called, giving Chris a little bit of a weird look before he went back into the kitchen, the echo of a closing door reaching the dining room a minute later as he left.

Chris turned to look at Sam, tilting his head, again feeling sheepish, as he asked, “Do you want some help cleaning up? I didn’t mean to keep you.”

“Honestly right now, I don’t even want to move,” she confessed with a small laugh, leaning back against the worn cushion of the booth with a sigh.

“Well we still haven’t finished our fries…”

“Yeah we better do that. I mean, it’s one less thing to clean up,” Sam stated sarcastically, a smirk fighting its way onto her face before it turned into a smile as he met her eyes.

“This is the one good thing about not playing on the Sox anymore, I don’t have to feel guilty about pigging out on fries,” Chris laughed, reaching for the chocolate milkshake and drinking the last of it.

“...Do you miss it?”

“Playing for the Red Sox?” He asked, sighing as she nodded. His eyes glanced away, Chris sighing loudly before he admitted, “More than I even realized.”

“I can imagine that it was hard to have to give it up when it wasn’t your choice,” she said to him, watching Chris as he met her eyes again.

“It’s so frustrating to not only have all of that taken away but now my fuckin’ body doesn’t even work the same. With physical therapy it’s getting a little better but I’m not even a fraction of what I used to be,” he confessed, head shaking as he added, “I can’t even fucking run right now.”

He couldn’t meet her eyes, feeling the intensity of her stare on him as she whispered, “I’m so sorry Chris.”

“See, that’s what I hate too. And I’m not meaning that as a criticism of you, I’m just meaning I hate people pitying me. I hate all my former teammates calling me and acting like I’m an invalid,” Chris clenched his jaw, feeling his shoulders tense before he quietly admitted, “But then at the same time I feel like one. I not only lost my career but I feel like I lost… myself.”

“Why do you feel like that is? I mean, baseball was what you did, not who you were.”

“Baseball has always been who I was though. That’s what I’ve always been good at and what my entire life is about and now it’s suddenly not,” he said, reaching a hand and holding it in mid-air. “And the other part of it is that I loved it. I love baseball and now I… don’t have that.”

“I can understand why that’s hard. Well not entirely, I mean, I’ve been a waitress as long as you’ve been playing baseball but it’s not like I love it. I don’t think anyone is passionate about bringing a cheeseburger to a table,” Sam chuckled, cheeks flushing.

“I’m sorry Sammy, I feel like an ass for even saying this,” Chris whispered, running a hand through his now-messy brown hair. “I know I shouldn’t be whining. I got to do what I loved for so long, and I know that’s really unusual. But I don’t know, it's hard to adjust I guess,” he shrugged, shifting uncomfortably.

“A lot in your life changed really quickly, don’t be too hard on yourself,” she told him quietly, leaning her chin on her hand. “But your mom told me you had a broadcasting job lined up, right?”

He nodded, taking a swig of his water. “Yeah, next season. I’m glad I’ll still get to be involved in baseball at least. It’s not the same, but it’s the way it is.”

“Well maybe you can look at this time as an opportunity. A chance to get to know who Chris Evans is, apart from what you did,” she said, raising her eyebrows with a hint of a smirk.

He shifted again, feeling himself flush as he replied, “I’m not so sure I like that guy, he was an ass to you when he first came.”

“Nah, that was Chris Evans the baseball star who was trying to be a bigshot,” Sam told him with a smile, before she pointed at him. “This is the real Chris Evans.”

“Oh a guy who’s blubbering all his feelings and shoving his face with fries, that’s a really great guy,” he said, running his hand over his face as he listened to her words, not even believing them fully still.

But that small smirk he’d grown to begin to love appeared on her face as her eyes dropped to his olive green shirt, brows raised as she sighed, “Yeah well that guy also spilled some ketchup on his tee shirt.”

The pair laughed before they kept lightheartedly chatting until they realized the time. Sam eventually got up and started cleaning the last few things, Chris trying to offer to help but secretly glad she jokingly said she didn’t trust him because with the way his Achilles had stiffened up from sitting in the booth for so long, he was embarrassed at how much he would have been hobbling across the diner.

“Alright, I think that’s everything,” Sam called as she walked back into the dining area, shutting the door to the now-darkened kitchen behind her.

“Except I didn’t pay for my meal yet,” Chris said, pulling some cash out of his wallet as he stood up. She took the twenty, which he knew was more than enough to cover the couple of sodas, shake, and fries, but he pulled out more, handing it to her. “And the rest is for you… for Riley’s baseball stuff or whatever you need it for.”

“Absolutely not,” she said instantly, dropping her hands from his. “This is a crazy amount of money.”

He sighed loudly, shaking his head as he looked at her incredulously. “Samantha, why are you so against me helping you a little bit?”

“Because I can do it by myself,” she replied, raising her eyebrows. He felt the stirrings of another argument rise, knowing this was the same way they began arguing the first time around, but he shook his head, knowing it wasn’t coming from any place except him just wanting to ease her stress levels and help Riley out.

“But you don’t have to,” he said quietly, ducking his head to meet her brown eyes.

“Chris, I don’t want to owe you anything. I can take care of it,” she defensively put her hands out in front of it.

But Chris could see right through that and just insisted, “You won’t owe me, that’s not how friendship works.”

“Are you saying we’re friends now?” He could tell he won something over in her, seeing her dimples appear while her pink lips parted to show a smile that warmed him.

“Maybe I am,” Chris shrugged.

“Well… maybe I’m okay with that.”

The softness in her eyes was something he hadn’t seen a lot of but it only made him want it more. The way she looked at him made Chris feel a little weak but he just simply put the cash in her hand and was smiling even bigger when she just sighed and put the cash in her pocket, thanking him before Chris cut her off, reminding her she didn’t owe him anything, and he knew she’d realized the same thing he had that night- that they were reaching that point where they could call each other friends, and actually mean it.

A/N: Things are changinggggggg! We can't wait to hear more about what you all think!

[haikyuuublog]

Haikyuu Theater Kid Headcanons: Karasuno Edition

Kageyama:

Plz the way he’d freeze up and come off super stiff

Like he would just stand there like 🕴

So awkward and sweaty

Gets mad at himself

Has tried to set the props

Played the moon once tho ig so good for him 🤷‍♂️

Daichi:

Director Daichi!!!

Solid actor

Yells a lot

He has to keep all the loud ass mfs in line though so don’t blame him

People have different responses to him yelling: Tsukishima puts in headphones, Suna records it, and Tanaka yells louder to assert dominance

Sugawara told Daichi “I can’t get scared when you yell though because your yelling is kinda hot”

Daichi now only speaks to him in a stern tone

RIP Suga

Sics Ennoshita on anyone who tries to fuck around during practice

Sugawara:

Co Director Sugaaaaa

Has so much chemistry with the other cast members

Playful and lighthearted

Keeps everyone on good terms with each other

At the same time, also is in charge of those chaotic theater kid trips to iHop

They have been kicked out of six iHops so far and are aiming to be kicked out of ten by the time the show is over

Daichi does not know about this. He does wonder why Suga keeps giving him free pancakes, but it’s honestly not the most questionable thing Suga has done

Kiyoko:

Has a beautiful singing voice (ofc)

Helps with management: making schedules, helping with scripts, etc.

So many people just come to see her so she ups the audience count significantly

Gets more applause than most of the actors

Also her and Yachi made a really cute sign saying “break a leg”

She stopped using it though after 3 events

1. Lev actually did break Yaku’s leg with his uncoordinated ass attempting hard choreography

2. Bokuto approached her after practice and had asked, “Do I have to break my leg Kiyoko? I really don’t want to. I feel like it’d hurt a lot.” 😥

3. Tanaka and Nishinoya were ready to break each others’ legs to gain her approval and Daichi had to get in the middle before Tanaka bashed a chair into Nishinoya’s legs

Her influence 😫 truly the baddest of bitches

Ukai:

Saw Kageyama acting for one second and said “I’m gonna need a drink for this”

Told Takeda he signed up to be a coach to volleyball not “whatever the hell is going on here”

Takeda told him to quit because he came into every play practice drunk

Tanaka:

Yells literally everything

Gets so fired up before a performance

Wants to impress the girls in the audience (especially stage manager Kiyoko)

Threatens anyone who looks at Kiyoko

Will straight up growl at anyone who hits on her; he has driven people who were going to audition away because he threatened them

Cannot put this man in stage combat as he will actually deck the other person

Hinata:

Ball of energy

Doesn’t ever stfu. Ever. I mean ever. 

Doesn’t understand when it isn’t his line, he shouldn’t be speaking.

Keeps trying to one-up himself

Yells motivation in the middle of practice. And dress rehearsals. And the actual play.

Stage. Fright. OMFG this man is puking onstage

Voice cracks galore

Gets very antsy when he is not on stage and complains

Sings off-key. Loudly. No shame.

PEP! TALKS!

Nishinoya:

Also wants to impress the girls in the audience and stage manager Kiyoko

So enthusiastic and loud

Is like a human energy drink

This man cannot stand still

He bounces around on stage and will like jump on his castmates’ shoulders

No fight or action scenes for him as he will yell “ROLLING THUNDER” at least one of the times

Gets really focused during the actual performances though

Hype 👏 Man 👏

Takeda:

Tries to give pep talks using all those weird metaphors

Leaves everyone more confused than when they started

Tries to help Hinata pronounce words. One time he taught Hinata the correct pronunciation of a word, and Hinata said, “Well it sounds cooler the other way so I’m gonna say it the other way!”

It’s ok Takeda; you tried your best 😌

Asahi:

Plz u think this man is going onstage 😆

(He actually has a pretty singing voice tho low-key)

Tsukishima:

Literally just makes fun of everybody the whole time

Isn’t even in the play; he just comes to practice to roast the hell out of everyone and then leaves

Smirks every time someone messes up

Literally the worst

Yamaguchi:

Actually wanted to try out for the play, but thought Tsukishima would say it wasn’t cool

He is right tbh

Secretly asks to be an understudy in case somebody dropped out

It’s okay king. You have your jump float and nobody can take that away from you 😌

Yachi:

Villager B

Nah but actually she’d be a costume designer or something- she is definitely helping behind the scenes

Gets more frightened before the show than the actual actors

Ennoshita, Kazuhito, and Kinoshita

Extras

[awesomerextyphoon]

Speculum Cupido

Summary: You’ve been Dr. Strange’s apprentice for some time now and you wanted to prove your best friend wrong. It goes awry and both of you find yourselves in a ‘dark mirror’ universe where the Captain, the Asset, the Kraken, and the Fallen Angel want to make both of you theirs.

Pairing: Dark!Steve x Female Reader x Dark!Ransom, minor Dark!Bucky x OFC x Dark!Sam

Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Word Count: 3,072

Warning: Dub/Non-Con Smut, Oral (m & f receiving), Daddy Kink, MMF Threesome, Double Penetration, Spit Roasting, Non-Con Drugging, Breeding Kink, and Artistic License w/Biology

A/N: This is my gift to @labella420​ for @drabblewithfrannybarnes​, @chrissquares​ , and @amythedvdhoarder​’s Happy Hoelentine’s Day Challenge.  Dividers are by the lovely @firefly-graphics​. Shout out to @saiyanprincessswanie​ for letting me borrow an idea of hers for this fic. Thanks to @the-soulofdevil​ for the beta.

Back to Masterlist

Another Valentine’s Day, another day for the world to mock me being single.

You were having enough of a ‘meh’ week as it is. Dr. Strange had to return to Kamar-Taj for an in-person meeting and Wong was who knows where. They had instructed you to work on your portal and transfiguration spells while they were away which was fair since you’ve been lacking in that department.

It’s just that you longed for some excitement.

Luckily you wouldn’t be spending Valentine’s completely alone; Isabeau, your best friend, was coming over due to as she put it, ‘no one cares about a day where all one gets is somewhat good sex’.

Fast Forward two hours and you’re getting your room ready for Galentine’s Day Movie Night. You had decked out your room with homemade baked goods, drinks, best friend movies, all the good shit.

“I have wonderful news!” Isabeau burst in with gusto yet again.

You shot her a bemused smile, “What is it this time?”

“I have a new crush! It’s Eric from IT!”

“Are you sure this won’t end up like last time?” you queried in reference to the time when Isabeau’s crush turned out to be a complete asshole.

“Oh hush! This won’t be like that at all,” Isabeau retorted, “Now how about you? Have you had any luck with a hot sorcerer?”

“If only I’d be so lucky,” you muttered as Isabeau started on the Toffee Crunch Cookies you made.

A few minutes later, Isabeau’s eyes narrowed and her full lips curved upward in a mischievous smirk.

She had one of her ideas again.

“Hey, why don’t you try an ambiance spell. They’re harmless and you always feel better afterward.”

You didn’t like casting them due to something always going awry, but you relented once Isabeau broke out her puppy dog eyes.

“Alright, alright, I give,” you submitted, “I’ll try a simple floating star spell. Let me find the book.”

 Both of you went to the library for the book but it was nowhere to be found. All of the ambiance and illusion books were blank.

“Is this a sorcerer thing? I’m not seeing any words or illustrations,” puzzled Isabeau as you went through book after book in the library only to find them blank.

“No. Maybe we should just go back to my room,” you suggested as you made your way to the exit.

“Wait! There’s one book left. You could try that one.” Isabeau pointed to the last book on the shelf. It was a little worn like many of the books that resided in the library, but the inscriptions seemed odd; like it wasn’t supposed to be there.

Yet it was the only book that had anything in it.

“Fine,” you relented as you took the book back to your room.

  The spells in the book weren’t anything out of the ordinary, but one spell seemed to stand out to both of you.

“Speculum Mundus?” Isabeau wondered.

“It means Mirror World in Latin.”

“Oh,” her eyes got a mischievous glint to them again, “I bet you can’t cast the spell.”

“Not this again.”

“Oh come on,” Isabeau goaded, “It’s a simple mirror world spell. You’ve done it before. What’s the worse that can happen?”

“I don’t know…”

“Are you gonna chicken out again?”

“No! Just give me a minute,” you mumbled as your hands got into the starting position and recited the incantation.

  The room changed instantly.

It was filled with prism-like structures and kaleidoscope imagery giving the space a surreal ambiance.

It wasn’t unlike the last time you went into the Quantum Realm with Dr. Strange and Wong, and yet the hair on the back of your neck stood straight, and a chill shot through your spine.

You heard a gasp and turned around to see Isabeau with her protruding eyes opened wide and her mouth gaping. Following her line of sight, you saw four of the hottest men you’ve ever seen.

Though something was amiss.

For one thing, there were two Steve Rogers; one with a beard and one clean-shaven. Bucky Barnes’ arm was silver and not dark gray with gold highlights. All of them were in black uniforms with sections of vermillion and/or maroon. Clean-shaven Steve had a black tactical suit with a vermillion Kraken on his chest. Bearded Steve had a skull with tentacles on it. Sam had three vermillion stripes and one maroon stripe across his chest and shoulders with a falcon’s head in red surrounded by a black circle between his pecs.

But the thing that set off all your alarms was the fact that Bucky’s outfit was a dead ringer of his Winter Soldier days.

Instinctively, you grabbed Isabeau’s hand and made a mad dash for the hallway. You needed to get some distance so you could ground yourself.

You tried breaking the spell but to no avail. Not only did the spell not break, but your hands also burned at each attempt.

“We won’t lose you again!” one of the Steves yelled as you and Isabeau turned a corner.

“Come here, mici prințese!” another voice, probably Bucky’s shouted as the two of you made your way into a closet.

“I think we’re okay for now,” you breathed telepathically as the four Adonises crept past your hiding place.

“What’s the plan now?” Isabeau asked fearfully as her heartbeat started to rise in terror.

“I don’t know but-” you were cut off by a strike to the back of your head and your vision rapidly fading to black.

  Muffled voices and the beeping of medical equipment brought you from the void.

“Nothing is wrong….they’re…good, sir.”

“Be sure that they are. We can’t leave anything up to chance.”

Groggily, you open your eyes to find yourself in a sleek hospital room lightly chained to a bed. Several other people were monitoring your vitals. One of them is Dr. Bruce Banner, or what seems to be Dr. Banner.

Bruce turned to see you looking around with a slightly confused expression, “Ah, you’re awake,” he turned to one of his aides, “Contact the Captain and Lieutenant. Tell them to come to get their bride.”

You blinked. Bride?

“Where is Isabeau, my friend?” you inquired as one of the aides brought you some water.

Bruce scowled, “Don’t think about her. You might be able to see her if the Captain and/or Lieutenant wills it.” he remarked while eyeing you up and down in a condescending almost lecherous manner, “Hmm, looks great for breeding,” Bruce noted as he fondled and prodded your curves.

You’ve always been proud of how you looked, but at that moment you wanted to shrink in the corner after giving this Bruce a roundhouse kick to the groin.

You were about to tell Dark!Bruce to fuck off when Tony Stark, fuck it, Dark!Tony entered the room. This Tony looked a lot more sinister with his silver, gray, light, and steel navy blue armor. His face and hair were mostly uncovered with his facial expression positively predatory.

“Cap’s one lucky bastard. He gets a sexy bunny along with Lieutenant Smart Ass.”

Recalling how some megalomaniacs liked shows of submissiveness, you lowered your head and asked where you were.

Whether it be out of pity, spite, or malice, Tony answered your question, “You’re in another earth, another universe.”

You nearly swiveled to look outside the window. NYC’s skyline was radically different. There were fewer buildings and HYDRA insignias everywhere.

“HYDRA took over this world.” You deadpanned. FUUUUCK!

“Sexy and smart.” Tony praised sardonically.

It didn’t take time for HYDRA to regroup after WWII. Zola and his associates were able to convince Howard Stark to give them the Tesseract with the promise of great renown, riches, and no longer being bound by the laws of weaker men. They were able to create a superweapon with the help of Dr. Whitney Frost and have been ruling the planet ever since.

It could be worse. HYDRA knew they had to offer the people comforts in exchange for their obedience. They eradicated all diseases, created a good standard of living, and ended all petty conflicts under the new world order.

Though Tony didn’t feel the need to tell you. You’ll figure it out on your own.

The doors opened to reveal Steve Rogers and his younger, clean-shaven counterpart in all their masculine glory.

“Good, you’re here.” Bruce welcomed smirking at your silent pleas.

Both soldiers walked over and inspected you.

“Hello, kitten. Name’s Ransom.” The clean-shaven soldier drawled as he moaned from your scent, “Nice set of lips you’ve got there.”

“We’ll definitely have some fun with her,” Steve noted as licked his lips ogling your curves.

You had to use all of your restraint not to spit in their faces.

“We’ll take her.” Ransom decided while Steve nodded.

Several of the aides breathed a sigh of relief as Steve broke the chains on your bed like they were nothing.

“Don’t have too much fun now!” Tony called as Steve picked you up bridal style.

“Who am I kidding? they’ll breed her like a Catholic rabbit!”

  “Um, where are you taking me?” you queried, your voice barely above a whisper.

“You will address us as ‘Sir’ in public unless instructed otherwise. Is that understood?” It took all that Steve had not to push against the wall and pound your pussy with his cock he was so enraged.

No, he needed to wait. No one was to see what’s theirs.

Ransom, for his part, chuckled and shook his head, “Best not to anger this one, kitten. He hasn’t been in the best of moods.”

  You gasped once the doors to their living quarters opened.

The place was huge!

It had a modern yet retro design; it should’ve been confusing, but it worked. Grand windows showcased the skyline with a balcony in the middle with a huge kitchen next to what looked to be a restaurant-style fridge and a huge living room with a TV and a fireplace.

Yet there seemed to be something missing.

“Place needs a woman’s touch,” Ransom commented sending a smirk your way.

“I’ll see you in the guest quarters Ransom” Steve deadpanned as he led you down a hall.

  The bedroom was enormous yet sparse like they didn’t know what to do with it.

You were about to say something when Steve dropped you onto the incredibly soft mattress. His eyes darkened with lust and you knew what he wanted. You couldn’t think of a way out of this, not with the magic inhibitors Bruce placed on your wrists.

Maybe you could give escape one last try; you just had to wait for the right opening.

Steve smirked upon seeing you removing your clothes. He liked that you knew your place, his pretty little princess.

You could only gasp when Steve removed his uniform top. He had an incredibly defined musculature: broad shoulders, beefy biceps, chiseled pecs and abs, and a seriously drool-worthy Adonis Belt. The light shining behind him made his body appear even more glorious.

Steve looked like an ancient god brought to modern times.

With a predatory smirk, Steve slowly crawled to you loving the smell of your arousal. “Let me lay out a few rules, sweetheart. You will make our meals, clean our rooms, bear our children, and be our good little whore. You must earn the right to wear a bra; panties are out of the question.”

Each rule was emphasized by a kiss or a love bite to your jaw, neck, collarbone, and shoulders.

Finally, you are to address us as Sir in public and Daddy in private. Say it.”

“Yes, Daddy,” you muttered with your eyes downcast.

Steve lifted your chin up with his forefinger, “That’s a good girl,” and brought you in for a kiss on the lips.

The kiss was demanding yet soft. You were surprised he was capable of such gentleness.

Steve was about to push his tongue into his mouth when Ransom strolled into the room.

“Does she know the drill?”

Steve broke the kiss with a smirk,” Just finished explaining it.”

Ransom shot you a sardonic smirk, “You got the rules, kitten? Good. Now if you misbehave, I’m gonna send you to the dungeons for a few days.”

Steve started up again, “But...if you’re good-”

“A good little wifey,” Ransom interjected caressing your right cheek and leaning in for a kiss.

This kiss started off soft then intensified (really know how to lure a girl) into one filled with passion and dominance. Ransom forced his tongue into and moaned at your taste. A few seconds later he was pushing what felt like a small tablet past your tongue forcing you to swallow.

“Did you do it yet?”

“Cool it, grandpa! I did, don’t you worry. She’s gonna feel it. Aren’t ya, kitten.”

You started to feel strange. Your body temperature skyrocketed, your mind was in a deep haze, your thighs were clenching on overtime you were so turned on. You needed relief and fast.

“Please Daddies!” you begged as you tried your best not to touch yourself.

“See grandpa? She’s ready.” Ransom purred as he grabbed your thighs and placed them over his shoulders. He planted a few kisses near your entrance and groaned at the smell of your arousal.

It only took one long, slow lick to your slit to turn you into a moaning mess. You couldn’t believe the pleasure you were feeling. It was like a bolt of lightning shot through you.

Ransom groaned at the taste of your juices. Not even Stark’s overpriced chefs could compare. “Fuck, she tastes divine,” he groaned and dove in for more. Ransom attacked your folds and swollen clit with insane intensity and precision alternating between his tongue and fingers.

You were on cloud nine. Each motion took you further to the precipice of an orgasm. Ransom kept bringing you back from the edge only thrust you back into his level of tumultuous.

Steve got in on the action by covering your moans with a kiss of all-consuming passion and started playing with your breasts.

“Fuck, these tits are amazing! Can’t wait until these are filled with milk” Steve purred as he took one of your nipples into his mouth and the other between his big and forefingers.

After twenty minutes of teasing, Ransom finally let you come. A volcanic eruption of ecstasy erupted from your core and Ransom lapped up all of your juices.

“Rogers, you’re in for a treat!” Ransom exclaimed as he hopped off the edge of the mattress.

“I get her pussy first since you got to eat her out,” Steve uttered as grinned at your blissed-out state.

With a tsk, both of them got you into position with Steve’s thick, muscular thighs on either side of your hips and Ransom standing in front of you taking off his pants.

He was huge! His cock was long, thick, and veiny. It wobbled against his masterfully sculpted abs with each step he took. You wondered how that was going to fit in your mouth. Turns out Steve’s was no smaller if his tip being coated with your slick is any indication.

“This won’t hurt, kitten. You were made for us.” Ransom cooed.

You didn’t know how right he was.

Steve made his move by pushing into you inch by delicious inch and moaned at the sensation. “Fuck, she fits like a dream.”

“Don’t take forever, grandpa.” Ransom chided.

“Shut up, ya punk!” Steve retorted as he began thrusting into you loving the way your pussy clenched around him like a vice’s grip.

“Open wide, kitten,” Ransom started to push his throbbing cock into your mouth.

It took a bit of time and effort to loosen your jaw enough for him to fully enter you. He started fucking your mouth before you were ready. You tried not to gag he was so rough.

What happened to the man from earlier?

“Fuckin’ perfect.” Ransom breathed as he was approaching his climax.

Steve came with a primal roar that reverberated throughout the room after making you come two more times.

“Swallow it, kitten” Ransom ordered.

Funny thing is, you didn’t need the order. You delighted in the salty, tangy, and slightly sweet flavor.

Two minutes after you swallowed all of Ransom’s spent, both men decided it was time to move. Ransom got onto the mattress and pulled you on top of him with his tip nudging your entrance. Steve got behind you and placed kisses along the juncture between your neck and shoulders while positioning himself at your ass.

“Please...please don’t do this!” you pleaded, the pill’s effect slipping for the tiniest of moments.

Steve grabbed your neck with just enough force to pause, not hurt.” Best be a good girl now, sweetheart,” he warned.

Ransom slid in first, “Holy fucking shit!” he moaned, “Sam owes me $40.

“That depends on how well their bride is taking to them,” Steve pointed out.

“Eh, we’ll say ours is better.”

Ransom moaned again once he bottomed out and grabbed the globes of your blessed backside. He couldn’t wait to grab and smack it around in their quarters.

Steve moved slowly causing both of your breathing to hitch, his from pleasure and yours from slight pain.

With a grin and smirk, they started moving in tandem. Your body almost couldn’t take the immense pleasure you were feeling.

“I could get used to this,” Ransom remarked.

“Well, we have the week,” Steve breathed past your ear.

Both kept at it until they came in you twice. You nearly passed out after your twelfth orgasm.

“Rest kitten,” Ransom purred as you finally gave in to your exhaustion.

  “The bride took to our seed,” Steve reported to Director Pierce.

“Good. We found their parents along with the rest of the resistance.” Pierce imparted.

Steve scowled at the information.

You and your friend, Isabeau, were the only ones to survive the Eve Project. HYDRA wanted to genetically groom compatible brides for their top soldiers. You were promised to Steve and Ransom and your friend to Bucky and Sam. Both of you were whisked away to another Earth by the resistance and your treacherous parents.

Now you were back where you belong.

“When do we leave?” Ransom growled.

“Once Strange and Wanda crack the protection spell. In the meantime, enjoy your bride.” Pierce turned to leave, but stopped before turning off the screen,” I want to see some little ones soon.”

[deadrlngers]

all of hearts for vesper?? <333

ANYAAAAAAA (<screaming at the top of my lungs like i’m on a rlly high mountain) thank you so much beloved <33

oc asks  

💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

girl loves to act all tough and scary but nothing gets her heart racing like a very beautiful smile directed at her, that play of glances between two people followed by a cheeky smile...she’s blushing probably and can’t help smiling back (legends say fenix shoot his shot with one of his signature smiles but got decked in the face, i guess the attention must be wanted back first mr fenix). also when she hears the words “this made me think of you”, she’s like ohh you were thinking of me? hehe (dies and screams) and hugs,,those big bear hugs types. she didn’t get hugged enough in her life, the pure affection of that gesture makes her heart leap into her throat, she might be a lil stiff at start but she would soon melt into it

💘 HEART W/ ARROW - what traits do they look for in a relationship? do they believe in love at first sight?

doesn’t believe in love at first sight, maybe at first fight. main traits she looks for in a relationship is reliability, someone that will be there for her when she needs help (not like she will show that she needs it but still, feels nice to know there’s someone), sincerity, she doesn’t like lies!!, and then FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN. she wants someone that will make her laugh and do stupid shit and that will do stupid shit with her too when she gets dumb ideas. she needs a partner in crime!!

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they're in love?

she’s COMICAL about crushes, it’s not noticable unless you know her well enough. she’s trying her best to let it go unnoticed but suddenly she’s smiling way more around the person she likes, she’s even cracking jokes and you will catch her sighing dramatically as she looks at her crush from afar. with fenix she was mainly mean bc 1. he deserved it 2. it was incredibly fun to make fun of him 3. she was trying to deny her feelings sooo bad. when she’s in love she’s in general more...comfortable i would say, still on that smiling/joking more part, she feels like she can be herself and her cold shell in basically broken. you get to see real vesper without any filter

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

answered here <3

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

yes,,,she’s not admitting it but she’s so sad when she’s left on her own. at this point her & fenix are like a package deal, she feels weird when he’s not there especially since they spent so much time separated. ofc she still values her alone time or ‘with other friends’ time though. i don’t see a great difference with her acting when fenix isn’t around, i guess she will not need to save his ass after he pisses off someone and i guess...i must say..i think...if she talks about him and fenix isn’t there and the thing she’s saying is inherently positive (crazy since it’s nix) then she will speak about him with a big smile on her face...OUGH MY HEART

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

as stated on first question..HUGS HUGS HUGS. please for the love of god hug this woman, last time she got hugged she was a teen she needs that love. just let me say how an hug is like the physical form of a safe space with her, it’s probably the only way you will catch her crying. she mostly hide her tears and the only way to see her crying is if you hug her..insane about this. also something very specific between her & fenix: when she’s upset or frustrated or stressed or sad or literally whatever, fenix hands slides to the back of her neck and just gently rubs his thumb over her skin, gives a lil tiny massage, there’s smth so comforting about that kind of touch. it simply ease away all her worries

💖 SPARKLING HEART - are they a subtle or a showy lover?

subtle. for sure subtle. she has her little moments but mostly subtle, you can easily pick up on her ways to show affection and love when you get to know her real well. and fenix is already the most showy lover she could find so the stress of dealing with him makes her subtle side bring some balance here jskdjf

💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

not the type that would write love letters but she’s on the receiving end of little funny and raunchy notes. fenix and his way around words huh. anyways just like him she would probably feel sooo dumb writing super sweet lovely things so she avoids..writing anything in general. funny since words very often fail her and writing them without speaking them out loud would help her way more. open your eyes girl. she would get embarassed and shy if receiving a sweet love letter tho, but she would need to read that all alone or she would die

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

(looks straight into fenix’s direction) uhhh i guess...leaving, leaving for months without telling her anything, being a piece of shit towards her when she’s emotionally vulnerable, leaving, making her feel like she’s unlovable because no one ever sticks around too much with her, leaving, turning colder towards her the moment she starts falling in love, did i say leaving? yes? good bc i gotta do smth real quick (tearing to shreds fenix)

[blossom-hwa]

college model!juyeon

SO the people have spoken (aka 3 people but it’s more than 0 so I DON’T CARE) and without further ado HERE WE GO IT���S A COLLEGE MODEL JUYEON BLURB. please reblog if you enjoyed and check out my other dumb overly long blurbs in the stream of idiocy tag on my blog <3

pairing: juyeon x gender neutral!reader

wc: 2.4k

genre: fluff, a bit of angst when mc is stressed, university!au

triggers: cursing, like the tiniest bit of suggestive stuff but absolutely nothing explicit (it’s really just saying juyeon is hot which wbk)

fashion major!kevin

TBZ Scenarios Masterlist | TBZ Drabbles Masterlist

so juyeon isn’t actual a professional model-model like he just happens to be v tall and v handsome and therefore catches the eye of every single fucking fashion major (and other people too) on campus but i’m focusing on the fashion majors because he is LITERALLY model material. have you seen those fucking arms and that fucking face ANYWAY MOVING ON juyeon is an absolute sweetheart behind those stupid muscles and anyone who works with him swears it is impossible like legitimately impossible not to fall in love with his dumb little smile but the thing is juyeon only really agrees to model for fashion major kevin usually like sometimes kevin will pull in a favor and ask him to model for someone else who can’t find anyone (bc let’s be real kevin’s got a lot of friends he could definitely rope someone into modeling for him /cough the other 2/3 of bermuda line cough/ but more often than not kevin takes juyeon not bc juyeon is like the best model or whatever (he’s good obv but some people probably have more experience) but bc juyeon is the only one who will willingly wear some of kevin’s more questionable choices

and the fucking thing is. he still looks good in them. he walks down the runway in this weird ass shirt and pants or whatever the hell kevin’s cooked up for this assignment and people are like.... IT’S SO WEIRD BUT WHY IS JUYEON PULLING IT OFF

so YEAH juyeon is happily modeling his way through college while doing a dance major (one time kevin did his makeup to purposely make him look slightly sweaty and the crowd went fucking insane) and he’s got a lot of things going for him, looks, talent, hard work, etc. and he’s v good at dancing, one of the top in his year so in exchange for his modeling work kevin goes to his dance recitals/competitions to cheer him on and that’s actually how juyeon meets you

you’re feeling shitty bc you just broke up with your partner for whatever reason, let’s just say it was not an amicable breakup and you were about to hole yourself up in 1. the dorm or 2. the lab and just drown yourself in work to forget everything but kevin is one of your good friends and he rolls up and is like. nah. fuck no i’m taking you out we are going to get lunch and then we are going to go see my model friend at one of his dance recitals i promise you it will be FUN and??? you can’t exactly refuse because it’s kevin and he’s not wrong you actually do need to go outside and get some fresh air bc the only time you have left a building over the past week or so is to 1. go to class/the lab from your dorm or 2. to go to your dorm from class/the lab (you are a science major here bc i am a science major and i am heavily projecting ok don’t come at me. though i will say you do theoretical physics which i DO NOT DO but i think it’s cool if mind-blowing so again. projection. despite the fact that i will not touch quantum mechanics after today with a ten foot pole)

so kevin forces you outside and the day is going ok like it’s nice out and he pays for the food and the dance recital is amazing and juyeon has this mf solo that’s absolutely gorgeous and you’re like hitting kevin in the shoulder like omg dude how did you score a friend this talented and he’s like??? what the fuck do you mean by that are you saying i’m not talented and you’re like. well. and then he threatens to deck you but it’s all in good fun anyway MOVING ON when the recital is over kevin drags you over to meet juyeon bc he’s like! it is unacceptable that two of my good friends do not know each other and juyeon if you’re not doing anything you should come with us to dinner! and juyeon is like well i was going to go out with the dance team but you two could come with us and he’s all smiley and soft and you half want to praise the heavens and half want to go to hell bc he looks so sweet and happy and lovely and it’s an honor to be in his presence but at the same time you haven’t left a building for like a week and you’re pretty sure you still have eyebags that haven’t disappeared (jokes on you they’ll never disappear this is university) but kevin says yes for both of you and so you end up with dinner plans too

and it’s fun! everyone is really nice and even though you know nothing about dance you and juyeon end up having v cool conversation about each other’s interests and all that and you’re so immersed in talking with him that you don’t see kevin giving you side-eyes next to you every five fucking minutes (he’s like well. i didn’t see this coming but i’m not going to complain) and by the end of the night you have juyeon’s number in your phone and you’ve made plans to get coffee before class the next day (you don’t have the same class but they’re in adjacent buildings and at the same time so why not) and you go back to your dorm feeling happier than you’ve felt all week

it continues like this?? like it’s actually v weird bc even when you two don’t have plans to meet up juyeon just magically appears around where you’re supposed to be and when you remark on this at one point juyeon just kinda blushes and diverts the topic which makes you suspicious a little but he’s really sweet and has no stalker-ish vibes and you also double-check with kevin who just fucking starts laughing over the phone until you hang up bc he clearly doesn’t have the brain cells to talk to you anywho this is model juyeon and i haven’t talked about that much but HERE WE GO 

kevin has a fashion show assignment coming up and juyeon doesn’t have much time to hang out anymore between fittings with kevin + his own major so you end up carting your ass to the fitting sessions after kevin invites you once to see what’s going on and juyeon actually gets scared by all the numbers n shit on your papers bc like what the fuck y/n are you a computer and you just whap him over the head with your stack of homework and say no shut the fuck up and model pretty boy (you don’t see but juyeon blushes bc you called him pretty. kevin saw though and he’s not impressed) but you end up not focusing on your homework bc kevin has juyeon put on and take off clothes at multiple points during the session and ofc if it’s pants or whatever juyeon goes into a different room but if it’s just a shirt.... let’s just say you get a free show and at some point you’re just like yeah i have to go and kevin’s like?? there’s still an hour left and you say something like i can’t focus here the vibes are off and KEVIN KNOWS WHAT’S UP but juyeon is adorably oblivious so he’s just like! ok! see you later y/n i hope you get your homework done :) and he’s so smiley and cute and you just want to melt and cry bc he’s shirtless which is hot asf but he’s also smiling like that which is cute asf and you’re getting whiplash

(you still end up joining the sessions every so often. you bring homework to try and get it done but your time is either spent critiquing kevin’s fashion choices or staring subtly (not) at juyeon)

then a not good week rolls around and it’s just been absolutely shitty between crap professors and too much homework and your lab is working on submitting a paper soon and you’re stressed to the max and to top things off you saw your ex earlier and they tried to talk to you and you really didn’t want to have it so you’re in the lab crying over your computer while you try to proofread the stupid paper and your phone is off bc you don’t want to talk to anyone but then the door bursts open and you nearly have a heart attack and there juyeon stands in clothes that definitely aren’t his own (they’re too sleek and fancy to be normal clothes at least) and his eyes are kinda wild before they locate you in the corner of the room, shell-shocked and confused and also still crying a little bit out of stress 

and oh god juyeon’s eyes just soften totally and he walks over and before you know it you’re being pulled into a juyeon hug which is quite possibly one of the best hugs you have felt in a very long time and you’re doing your best not to break down right then and there bc his clothes feel hella expensive and he’s asking you what’s wrong and you can’t speak bc if you do you’ll cry on his model clothing and you finally manage to say that and there’s a beat of silence and then juyeon just goes well would it help if i took the shirt off 

AND THAT JUST SETS YOU OFF AND NOW YOU’RE CRYING AND LAUGHING AT THE SAME TIME AND JUYEON IS HALF SMILING HALF UPSET THAT YOU’RE STILL SAD BUT LIKE IT’S FINE IT’S TOTALLY FINE AND somehow you manage not to ruin kevin’s latest fashion creation (which makes juyeon look unfairly handsome even through your puffy eyes) and juyeon closes your laptop and takes you out to the convenience store (still dressed in his modeling outfit jfc) and over shitty ramen and alcohol (or water/juice/whatever if you don’t drink) you tell him about your crap week and juyeon commiserates and listens

at some point you ask him why he’s still wearing kevin’s clothes like?? surely you weren’t running around in them all day and juyeon just looks down and mumbles something and you’re like speak louder dude i can’t hear you and apparently he was in the middle of a session w kevin and kevin looked super stressed and worried and juyeon asked what was up and he told him about how you weren’t responding to anything and juyeon just. booked it the fuck out of there to find you and well now here you both are

and that. that just touches the FUCK out of you and wow you’re crying again bc of that and out of guilt for not talking to kevin or anyone and juyeon’s freaking out like oh my god please stop crying did i say something wrong and you’re just wiping your tears away with a napkin like no you doofus i’m sorry i made you worried it was just that shitty week and??? why did you sprint out of there IN KEVIN’S MODEL CLOTHES you gotta give those back??? and it looks like silk you know that’s going to be a bitch to clean

juyeon just pouts then and mumbles something under his breath and is like. it’s not more important than you.

which makes you reel bc that sounded a lot more like a confession than you’re really ready to process and juyeon seems to realize that at the same time and now you two are both just wide-eyed staring at each other and juyeon’s ears are going red and you’re still in shock and at some point you’re like... juyeon you stupid bastard say that again and he DOES and okay maybe you’re not dating by the end of the night but you sure are two weeks later when you ask him whether or not this is now a date and if he’s your boyfriend and juyeon spills coffee all over himself

(he mumbles yes as you’re wiping the coffee off his front though so it’s fine)

(it does not help that the coffee has now made the outline of his stomach visible)

anyway in general it’s a v cute and v sweet relationship :D juyeon is head over heels for you and you’re head over heels for him too and you’re not like the over the top sweet and gross couple you two like to keep it a little low-key but ofc that doesn’t stop kevin from banning you from fitting sessions w juyeon out of fear that you’ll like make out while juyeon’s wearing the modeling clothes but that’s just kevin being a little shit so it’s fine

juyeon manages to bring that silk shirt back to kevin in one clean piece

you manage not to die every time you go to one of juyeon’s dance recitals (even when he puts in a fake eyebrow piercing and you almost have a heart attack)

juyeon often likes to come into the lab for nothing other than to watch you work bc according to him its fascinating to watch you manipulate numbers and actually the lab is a v nice and quiet place to get things done when it’s mostly empty so you have a few study dates there

you go to juyeon’s dance practices sometimes when you have nothing better to do and get excited over showing him the physics of some of the dance moves and juyeon understands almost none of it but he’s beaming bc you’re so excited and animated while talking about it and the first time this happens is when you two have your first kiss. you ask juyeon if he was kissing you to shut you up and he says no i just thought you looked so happy that i had to kiss you

juyeon is a gentleman and you are like the sarcastic best friend turned lover but it really works out and yea there are a lot of people jealous that you managed to wrap juyeon around your finger but you’re also wrapped around his it’s v much a partnership where both of you rely on each other and yeah. it’s sweet. it’s lovely. juyeon hot but more important juyeon best boyfriend ever <3

and that’s how it goes.

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 prayer for kevin’s clothes let’s all pray that no tears stain his silk)

[kekoma]

— hanamaki as your boyfriend.

hands belong in pockets, not in your pants unless you’re him. hope you enjoy.

hanamaki hours has now entered the chambers.

such an amazing man. would do many things for him, but you didn’t come here to know that.

you came here to see how life is like dating hiro, yeah? so let’s get into.

how you two ended up dating isn’t munch of a mystery.

makki  had s personality that attracts all kind of people without even trying so it wasn’t a surprise when he had been able to lure you in as well.

as for when he realized that he actually liked you was when mattsun had pointed out how much he spoke you to him. 

and he also picked up the fact that he started flirting with you more than before too yet it no longer had that playful feel around it— hiro was serious about wooing you over.

pretty sure he was the one to make the move on you. he isn’t someone that is shy so when he asked you if you would go to the amusement park with him— that’s when he became a bolder.

“how are you enjoying our date so far?”

“it’s actually amazing~ can we... huh? wait... our date?”

“well yeah. this is our first official date. heh i suppose this is my chance to confess to you now.”

everything went smoothly. he was quite confident that you’ll say yes since makki made time to learn everything about you and paid close attention to any and every small behavior along side gestures you revealed.

not much to really go on about so i’ll hop right into the actual stuff.

i’ve mentioned it before with issei so it’s only right i’ll mention it here too since takahiro gives off the same energy.

you two are DEFINITELY the kind of couple who jokes around about breaking up over the strangest things and it’ll be at random times too.

“my guy... who cuts your hair?”

“huh? what are you talking about cutie?”

“i can’t help but realize that your hair reminds me of an upside skate ramp. who are you paying because baby...”

“so i see you woke up and choose violence today... you know, i didn’t come to get roasted. i came here to love you y/n and this is what i get?”

“hold up! stay right there. i’m gonna go find my tech deck and do a few tricks.”

“i- yeah let’s break up. my lawyers will call yours and i’m taking the kids too. can’t believe i’m bullied right now.”

vv dramatic but it doesn’t bother you since you go along with his ways.

being serious? is considered rare within the relationship.

however, when it does occur then hiro can be deapan.

which i will take the time to discuss arguments with him briefly.

again, it’s something rare since the relationship is mainly playful and uplifting each other.

yet when you two get pretty heated, it can go two (2) ways.

a) he’ll opt for the silent treatment since he could say some really foul things that could possibly hurt you to the max and he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings. may even go as far to put a little more distance between you two so he can calm down and approach you in a better manner.

b) actually voices how he feels about towards the situation at hand and will probably sound extremely venomous when doing so. his main goal when speaking is getting his point across if you dismissed it and/or made it seem like he’s in the wrong.

up to you on how you would like to view his way of approaching arguments though.

but if you want to make it up to him then give makki space for a while before apologizing. also make sure the apology is honest because HE WILL know if you’re lying and if he catches you then it’s back to square one...

with that out the way, let’s return.

DEFINITELY is an supportive boyfriend that likes helping you grow as a person and reach your goals. since you do the same for him, it’s only fair plus he likes seeing the smile on your face once something is accomplished.

although he already has you— makki will still flirt with you. it’s just more cheesier.

“damn babe. is your father a priest because i’m feeling blessed when i’m with you.”

“shut up before i eat your food.”

“ooh~ that’s hot. guess your dad isn’t one. perhaps i’m dancing with the devil because you’re hot as hell.”

“... takahiro. sir please. stop.”

“okay okay but i think you should see this.” proceeds to shove his phone in your face, the front camera on to reveal you on the screen, “this is the prettiest person i’ve ever met.”

“you’re lucky you’re cute and that i love you.”

definitely does the hand in his pants thing in your house and in his (ofc).

even if they have pockets or you call him out for it, it’s just an automatic for him so you gotta accept it.

besides that, if you’re someone that LOVES to bake or occasionally bakes— best believe he’s the first to taste it all.

extra points to you if you make cream puffs.

is most definitely the kind of boyfriend who invest in matching items. clothing, jewelry, phone case, and etc. he finds the concept cute to be honest.

if you’re lucky enough, he’ll let you buy matching hair clips (something cute like Sanrio, fruits, animals or etc.) and lets you put them in his hair.

won’t compain if it seems extremely girly/cutesy. instead makki will take a bunch of pictures and post a few on his sns about how you two are matching.

also loves to make it known he has the most divine girlfriend in the world. dude is proud to be your boyfriend so ofc he’s gonna show off.

nicknames? yeah yeah nicknames real quick.

top ones for you are 🥁🥁 babe/baby, beautiful, cutie and lover girl occasionally makes it’s way around.

something a little extra: hiro will even call you his doll sometimes but its only brought up at random times. 

moving onto pda since it’ll also be a bit brief.

in love with PDA when it comes to you. 

although he tones it down when you two are in public so of course you get the basics, but something he’ll always do is wrap his arm around you or constantly interlock his fingers with both combined hands on his thigh.

as for private, it’s not as filtered. would say he’s a bit more touchy but i must advise... don’t keep your back turned to him for long because makki will use the opportunity to either smack or grab your ass while saying “i like your cut g.”

... can’t convince me he doesn’t do that. rip y/n’s ass.

last but not least— dates!

don’t think hanamaki is picky about what kind of dates you two go on.

but most dates are chaotic in a way. will deadass text you in the middle of the night or show up to your place be like “wanna film dance vids in a parking lot? or like walk around and eat good street food.” and you just gotta go with it.

however, when they aren’t that way or involving outside then some dates consist of staying indoors. probably baking together, watching a bunch of movies, doing his makeup and etc.

overall: 10/10

best relationship with constant fun <3 we love it here.

and that’s where i end this bc makki do be breaking my brain.

© all content belongs to kekoma 2020. do not repost, modify or translate.

[wiypt-writes]

Riding On

Ch22: Driftwood

Summary: It’s Mary’s birthday and for the first time ever she requests a party. Meanwhile, Evelyn makes a decision and Frank isn’t entirely sure how he feels about it.

Warnings: Bad language, 18+, Smut (NSFW 18+)

Pairing: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: I have to a huge thanks to @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ for her input here! Have a biscuit, Ambi...

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 21

 May 2020

“So this,” Frank held up the item in his hand, showing it to Alex, “is a fuel pipe. Without this the engine gets no food. Something you should be able to relate to.”

Alex’s response was another loud gabble as he looked at his dad from his vantage point, sat in his little bouncer which placed on the deck of the boat to Frank’s left. 

“Exactly, no food, no go.” Frank nodded, as he reached into the space, ducking down to get a closer look. He clamped the line into place before he shuffled out and stood up, grabbing a rag to wipe his hands on as Alex peered up at him, his arms and legs waggling as he gave another shriek. “Yup, I reckon you’re right, Son. Time to give it a try.”

Checking that his hands and arms were clean enough, he unclipped Alex’s straps and gently placed him on his hip as he strode to the front of the boat, jangling the keys in his spare hand. Alex reached for them, making a cooing noise of interest and for a moment Frank let the baby curl his hand round the metal before hastily moving them away as Alex went to shove them in his mouth. As the baby let out a noise of protest, Frank jiggled him a little before successfully distracting him by holding him up above his head, bringing him down quickly to blow a raspberry on his cheek.  With his son held safely against him with one arm, he stuck the keys in the ignition with his other and gave them a turn, letting out a triumphant noise as the engine fired up.

“I am a genius.” Frank looked down at Alex who beamed back, shrieking and Frank chuckled, kissing the tiny boy’s rosy cheek before he turned the key to cut the engine.

“You got it working, I see!”

Frank turned to see Fliss’ head appear over the side of the boat as she climbed the small set of ladders by the side and he grinned as she hopped onto the deck.

“Yup. Fuel line was blocked. Replaced it and bingo.” He dropped a kiss to her cheek as she gently brushed her hand over Alex’s head as he was now fisting his little hands into Frank’s rather grubby t-shirt. “He helped.”

“That right? You been helping your Daddy, Bean?” She beamed and Alex let out another string of nonsensical babble and she grinned, before she looked at Frank. “You’re filthy.”

Frank looked at his T-shirt before he bit his lip. “Shit, I didn’t realise. Here.” He made to pass Alex over but Fliss shook her head, frowning.

“Frank, it’s a bit of dirt, not like he’s eating it is he?” She looked at him, before she smirked. “Besides, that’s not why I mentioned it.”

Frank arched his eyebrow as she bit her lip, scanning him up and down, her eyes lingering on his tatty jeans for a second before she shook her head and looked back at his face.

“Down girl.” He quipped and she laughed.

“I’m just gonna sort his dinner, want me to take him?”

“Yeah, I’m done out here for the night.” Frank looked at her, passing Alex over. “I’ll just lock the garage up and be right in. You riding tonight?”

“No, I snuck in a quick one at lunchtime on Cap. Alex was down for his nap so I took advantage, parked him in the office and left him to it. Slept right through.”

“Yeah, we kinda lucked out a little with him there didn’t we?” Frank smiled. “He’s nothing like Mary, she was a pain in the ass to get to sleep. Still is.”

“Well, with a bit of luck he’ll go down easy tonight.” Fliss smiled, before she looked at Frank, a dirty little grin on her face. “Then so can you.”

“Oooh, Miss Gallagher you filthy, little minx.” Frank’s mouth curled up at one side as she laughed before she stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss.

“Glad to see you’re no longer cranky, Frankie.”

“I was not cranky.”

“Sailor, you exploded at Mary when she knocked a glass of water over.” Fliss looked at him, her face soft. “I’ve never seen you blow like that, Baby. Not over something so trivial.”

“In my defense, I had told her three times to stop messing around.”

“I know.” Fliss cocked her head to one side. “Just isn’t like you, that’s all.”

Frank dropped his head, letting out a heavy sigh, he knew shew as right. Work had really been stressing him out recently and unfortunately he’d taken it out on the very people he didn’t want to.

“I’m sorry.” He wrinkled his nose and Fliss shook her head.

“It’s fine, no lasting harm done.” With that she kissed him again and Frank’s hand giving her ass a quick squeeze as she turned to leave.

“Hey, can you manage?” He asked as he watched her grip the side of the steps in one hand, Alex held in her other arm.

“Yeah, I got it.” She made her way slowly down, before hitting the floor of the garage. “Don’t be too long, Sailor.”

“Like I said, locking up and be right in.” He smiled, watching her make her way out, chatting away to Alex as she went, Thor trotting at her heels.

Frank climbed down himself and then checked around the garage and workshop area, making sure his power tools were locked away before his eyes fell over the little shelf he’d made out of a piece of driftwood as a surprise for Fliss. She’d picked up Heidi’s ashes a week ago, which had been another tearful morning as she’d broken down again when she’d picked up the sleek, mahogany box with her beloved mare’s name engraved on the lid. The box was currently sat on her desk in the office at the stables, Fliss saying she didn’t really want it in the house as the yard had been Heidi’s home so she needed to be there. Later that evening, Frank and Mary had taken Thor down to the beach to collect some driftwood for their fire pit and they’d stumbled upon a particularly large, gnarled piece. Frank had instantly been struck with the idea to craft it into a shelf for Fliss, thinking it would make a nice feature upon which she could lay Heidi to rest for good, and the finished article was quite nice, even if he did say so himself. He’d managed to keep the character of it nicely, the edges remained rustic and the entire thing had come up beautifully when he’d applied the final coat of varnish the previous evening.

The builders had been there all afternoon, marking out the areas where the expansion to the yard was due to start on Monday, so he supposed tonight was as good a time as any to give it to her, to apologise for being so bad tempered over the last few weeks, and celebrate the launch of a new opportunity for her business in one go. He could put it up for her tomorrow when she decided where she wanted it to go. Tucking it under one arm, he stepped out of the garage, pulled the up and over door down before locking it and heading into the house.

Fliss was currently warming something up for Alex to eat and she turned to face him, frowning as she saw the shelf under his arm.

“What’s that?” She asked.

“It’s a shelf.” He smiled, setting it down on the kitchen island.

“Frank, it’s gorgeous!” Fliss smiled, her fingers trailing over the surface of it. “Did you make it?”

“I did.” He nodded. “Out of a piece of driftwood. I thought it would look nice in your office, somewhere for you to put Heidi.”

At his words she stilled, her head shooting up to look at him and she blinked as her eyes welled with tears. She glanced back down, before she looked up at him, and gave him a huge smile. “Oh, Frankie. I love it. Thank you so much.”

Frank smiled and opened his arms, and she moved round to fall into them, resting her cheek on his shirt. His large hands gently rubbed at her back as she sniffed and he dropped a kiss to her head. “You’re welcome, Sweetheart.”

“You’re so thoughtful.” She let out a little choked sob and Frank chuckled.

“I try.” He looked down, his hands cupping her face as he wiped away her tears, dropping a kiss to her lips. “If you decide where you want it I’ll put it up for you tomorrow.”

“I already know exactly where it’s going.” She smiled. “Could you move the one above my desk to the back wall and put that in its place? I want her right up there where she’s in prime position.”

“Sure, not a problem.” He assured her, giving her another kiss. “Was Mary okay when you dropped her at Roberta’s? She wasn’t upset or-“

“Upset, no. Raging about you being a, and I quote, ‘miserable, bad-tempered douchebag’, yes.”

Frank snorted and took a deep breath. “I’ll apologise tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about it, I told her to cut you some slack. She gets it. I said you’d pick her up on the way back from the airport tomorrow morning. Everyone will be arriving for her party at one so she needs to be back here by at least midday. Roberta said she’d come too, give us a hand setting up.”

“Is there much to set up?” Frank asked. “I mean there’s only five of them coming.”

“Seven if you count the twins.” Fliss corrected. “But no, not really. Food is simple, just need to throw it on the grill. Mum’s got the cake done, snacks are sorted…just a case of setting the table outside and the music and stuff.”

“You know I think she’s more excited for the party than she was for her actual birthday.” Frank mused as Fliss pulled Alex’s dinner out of the microwave.

“Well, it’s her first party.” Fliss smiled, giving the cauliflower and haddock puree a stir.

“Yeah, I never thought I’d see the day she asked for one.” Frank continued to ponder, taking the dish that Fliss handed him, before he pulled a face looking at it. “This looks disgusting.”

“Well I’m not asking you to eat it.” Fliss narrowed her eyes at him and Frank raised his eyebrows.

“Good job.”

“Keep talking, Sailor and you’ll be wearing it.”

He gave a laugh, before he moved and sat down on the stool next to Alex’s high chair as the baby made grabby hands for the dish, noises of approval escaping his mouth as Frank held out the first spoonful to him. Fliss watched them for a moment before she smiled, and moved behind Frank, dropping a kiss to his cheek.

“I’ll ring our order through for dinner, you fancy Thai or Italian tonight?”

“You choose.” Frank replied, his concentration fully on feeding his son and Fliss squeezed his shoulders, before she picked up her phone and rang the Thai place, knowing full well Frank would prefer that, even though she was in the mood for Italian.

*****

For the first time in weeks, Frank felt fully relaxed that evening. He wasn’t going into the shop that weekend, having put his foot down and said not a chance given it was Mary’s party. They’d eaten a fabulous take-out, drank a few beers and now they were sat together in his favourite place, outside in their garden around the fire pit, under the stars whilst their son was sleeping soundly upstairs.

“You know, I do love how it sometimes burns blue.” Fliss smiled as she snuggled further into him.  

“Yeah, it’s to do with the salt, I think.” Frank shrugged, his fingers tracing shapes on her upper arm. ”Sure Mary would be able to tell you if you asked her.”

“Sure she would.” Fliss chuckled. “Along with a detailed explanation of exactly what chemical compounds are involved, or the fact that the moon being in a certain position to Venus means it glows a different shade of blue or some other random shit like that…” Frank burst out laughing, pulling her closer. “I don’t know how she remembers half the shit she does.”

“Diane was the same.” Frank mused. “A goldmine for trivia. She was great for Quiz Nights.”

“You do it too.” Fliss sat up and looked at him.

“I don’t.”

“You so do.” She scoffed.

“Not as bad as Mary.”

“Hmm, hey, maybe that’s what we need to do next time they have a Quiz at Ferg’s. Smuggle Mary in and hide her under the table.”

“I doubt she’d stay there.” Frank pulled a face and Fliss shoved him in his chest, causing him to snigger again.

“Dick!”

“Don’t pretend you don’t love it, Sweetheart.” He winked as he dropped a kiss to her lips.

“I love you.” She muttered against his mouth.

“Yeah?”

“Yup.”

“How much?”

Biting her lip she arched her eyebrow and snatched his beer off him, placing it on the table along with her glass of wine before she moved, straddling him, her bare thighs falling either side of his. Bending down she kissed him deeply, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her in closer. He let his lips dance across hers before she pulled back a little, looking at him.

“That much.”

“Yeah, not sure I got it…” He chuckled, pulling her back to him as he kissed her again, this time only parting when her hands wrapped in the bottom of his t-shirt, tugging at it until he moved to allow her to drag it off. He took advantage of the moment, dragging her cami over her top, letting out a soft groan as the sight of her bare in front of him. He dropped his head, kissing and nuzzling at her breasts, Fliss’ fingers digging into his hair to hold him close.

“Got it now?” She grinned as she pushed down, rubbing her sleep short clad core into his groin, making him hiss at the feeling, his dick growing hard through the constraints of the sweats he was wearing.

“Not quite…”  He teased, nipping at her neck. Fliss giggled as he went back to her breasts, hands cupping them, squeezing gently before his mouth gently covered a nipple. As he gently flicked the hardening nub with his tongue she gave a little squeak of delight.

“I mean… If you really don’t get it, Adler…” she panted out slightly, “then maybe you’re not as smart as I thought.”

“Well, you always tell my brains are in my dick.” He growled a bit, giving her chest a gentle bite, and Fliss arched herself into his mouth, hissing at the way the slight pain and pleasure mixed. His arm tightening around her, Frank lifted them both up off the cushion to lay her down on her back on the outside couch and took a chance to look over her, his eyes traveling down her bare torso, before his mouth followed suit, his beard scratching her skin slightly, mouth cooling the delectable burn as he went.

Fliss rolled herself up into him, enjoying the feel of his relatively firm torso against the softness of hers, allowing herself to get lost in the feeling as she bit her lip and tipped her head back against the arm of the wicker sofa, enjoying being in her man’s care. Frank’s gently gripped at the sleep shorts she was wearing, before he slipped them down her toned legs before he pushed his sweats down, kicking them to the floor.

He moved to a kneel, one hand gently hooking Fliss’ left leg up to rest against the back of the couch, her other leg falling automatically to the floor, toes pressing onto the smooth sandstone flags, leg bent at the knee. Frank took another moment to look at her as his hands rubbed against her inner thighs, taking her in from her toned shoulders and arms, right down to the gently curve of her hips. There wasn’t a single bit of this woman that he wasn’t achingly in love with.

Sliding his hands up and around, he gripped at those hips and shifted her slightly making sure she was where he wanted her.

“You know, Frank…” Fliss, looked up at him, and her deep brown eyes flashed in amusement, as she watched her fiance appreciate her body, and she could feel a flush rising pink up her neck, into her cheeks. The way he looked at her, like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen still made her a little bashful at times. “If brains were dynamite, then, you wouldn’t have enough to blow your pants off.”

“Oh, really?” Frank leaned forward, kissing her lips, and down her neck as she laughed, his fingers drifting along her curves till they dipped between her spread thighs and slipped along her folds, causing her got gasp. “Never heard you complain before.” He braced a hand next to her head, as she starting to wriggle from where expert fingers teased her slick. “Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“Shut up…” She groaned as she arched up into him, pushing against his hand.

“You started this, Sweetheart.” His fingers picked up their pace and he watched as she writhed beneath him, her breath coming in ragged pants, her fingers digging into his biceps, soft whimpers of his name leaving her mouth in a staccato chant.  “You wanna think about what you just said?”

“You’re not using your…fuck!” She cried, as his fingers stretched her open, gliding and rubbing against her walls which clenched with need around his digits. “-dick, you…oh, God!”

“Nope, not yet.” He agreed, dropping his head so he could reach her breasts, a pull of his teeth on a nipple drew out another cry from her. “But I’m not sure I’m gonna need to.”

His fingers moved even faster, Fliss quivering, her whole body rubbing against his, panting as she glanced down at him, his blue eyes peeking up at her, twinkling with desire and mischief. “Frankie, please, I gotta…”

His lips wrapped around the other nipple, sucking and working his teeth around it before he pulled away, the muscles in his back and shoulders shifting as he arched up once more watching her. “Let go, Lissy.”

The heat in her stomach flooded her and she arched up off the cushions, a loud moan rolling from her throat as Frank felt her clamping down round his fingers, as her eyes flickered shut, her legs twitching. Frank leaned over to kiss her, deeply, as he slotted himself between her thighs, grinding down into her. Kisses flowed into soft bites of skin while Frank arched his hips up enough to slide his cock between her folds, and once he found her entrance, he pressed into her heat, burying into exactly where he wanted to be the most, forehead pressed against her own, breath mingling as both panted through the initial hit of sensations that coursed through their veins.

“You okay, Baby?” Frank looked down at her and Fliss nodded, tipping up to press her lips against his, tugging on his full bottom lip, nudging her nose against his.

“Better than okay” She rolled her hips once more against his, the shift in angle making her tighter, driving Frank crazy to feel her fluttering around him. Pulling his hips back he thrust deeply into her, causing her shudder.

“I can tell.” He grunted as he started to move himself, the thrust of his hips moving her slightly with each drive forward. Shifting to his elbows on either side of her head, Fliss immediately wrapped her leg from around the couch over his hip, rocking up to meet him.

“Oh, fuck, Frank!” The change in angle hit her deep and just right as he reached down and grabbed under her other knee, bringing that leg around his hips too before he fisted a hand in her hair, tipping her head back and dragging a swipe of his tongue up her neck. He kissed that sweet spot just behind her ear, once more dragging his name out of her in a chant, as he slowed his movements down, his hips now driving slow and deep. But her hands dragged down to his back, nails digging into the bunched muscles he was using to monitor his speed and she grabbed at him.

“No Sailor… I want you to fuck me.”

Frank gave a little groan as he moved to look at her and found her eyes challenging him. Fuck, he loved it when she got all fucking horny and needy.

“Oh, Cowgirl…” He smirked, shifting his chest across hers and pulling away, propping himself up above her as both his hands fisted in her hair to hold her down. “. “You better hold on to something.”

Her eyes flashed and then without warning he began snapping his hips forward and back with a brutal pace as he dragged himself back and forth from her fluttering channel.

It was so quick that Fliss screamed out, a vague thankful feeling crossing her addled brain about how she was suddenly glad they had no near neighbours, but all thoughts disappeared as soon as they flashed into her mind as she felt her eyelids flutter shut as she could feel nothing but how thick he was inside her, the constant pounding left her trying to keep up with his furious fucking, and she was failing, big time.

Her eyes opened and her entire gaze was filled with nothing but Frank, a wide chest with its spattering of dark hair drove her crazy, to the straining shoulders that gave him the leverage to shift his body in every way to claim her. And then his face, that handsome face she knew from memory, his sharp, bearded jaw was tight, those baby blue eyes burning into hers as his face hovered inches from hers, all his focus on her and only her.

It was driving her crazy.

Frank was just as swamped with the sensations. He enjoyed making love to his girl but he also enjoyed the faster, carnal fucking too. There was a darker side to him that enjoyed being able to use his size to claim her how he wanted and give her what she needed and since their weekend in Vermont, he knew he could do exactly that without fear anymore.

"Fuck…“ he growled out as he rutted into her, feeling her clench as he hit a particularly toe-curling spot deep inside her and her mouth dropped wide in a loud gasp. He was angled just right, and she dragged her nails down his back, urging him to keep hitting it, which he did, rotating his hips, making her groan and her whole body arch into him.

Frank kept going, relentless, hard, demanding, claiming. Fliss tightened her legs around him, her, hands scrambling along his back, and her head fell back against the arm of the couch again, and Frank heard her signature cry, a whispered, garbled tangle of words falling from her lips as, her whole body locked around him before with a loud, guttural cry of his name she came, hard.

Frank dropping himself enough to press his forehead against hers as she cried underneath him, his lips pressing to hers, swallowing her cries. He slowed his thrusting, helping her ride out her orgasm, but he wasn’t that far from his, it was simmering and he was teetering on that edge that he knew he was going to fall over soon. There was a slight stutter to his hips as he grained speed again, grinding into her until her clenching body was too much and with a gasp of a name and a dirty grunt he spilled into her, jolting to a stop after several erratic thrusts, sinking down over her as Fliss pressed her face into his neck, breathing in deeply.

After a moment, she eased her limbs from around him, her foot sliding down the back of his thigh and calf, humming softly post-orgasm, she leaned up, nibbling on Frank’s neck, and he gave a soft hum of delight as she nipped at his jaw.

“Maybe you could blow your boxers off. At a push.” She mumbled cheekily, and Frank laughed, his mouth claiming hers, if for no other reason other than to shut her up.

*****

Even if they’d had chance to lie in the next morning, which thanks to their son was not an option, they couldn’t have. Fliss was up early, the excitement in the house at the fact they were hosting Mary’s first birthday party was infectious, and Frank found himself getting swept up in it too. This was all he’d ever wanted for Mary, and the fact she’d actually requested a party in the first place had almost reduced him to tears.

By the time nine in the morning rolled by, the balloons were blown up and scattered about the place, banners had been hung and the music system was ready to go outside. With a quick kiss goodbye, Frank headed off to go and pick his mother up from the airport, before driving back down to their old estate to pick up a very hyper active Mary, and a slightly less bouncy Roberta.

Mary was overjoyed with the decorations, hugging Fliss and thanking her over and over again, and then the time seemed to fly by with her best friend Rosie arriving first, along with her parents who once more asked Fliss and Frank if they were sure the little girl was okay to stay the evening too. Fliss waved away their concern and asked if they’d like to stay for a while, an offer which they rather hastily declined and Frank snorted a little as Rosie’s dad gave him a wink when he told Frank they had ‘plans’.

By two, the pool party was in full swing, Steve, Frank and Bill overseeing seven kids as they dived in and out of the pool, jumping on and off inflatables as the music played in the background. Frank glanced around, watching as Fliss bustled about the garden, Alex perched on her hip as she laughed at something Roberta had said before she nodded and passed Alex over to the woman who beamed at him as he grabbed at her large beaded necklace.

“Frank?”

He spun to face his mother who smiled at him, her large sun hat shading her face. She held up the empty bottle in her hand. “Me and Verity appear to have finished this Sancerre. Do you mind if-“

“You’ve sunk a bottle by two in the afternoon, shame on you.” He gave a lout tut and his mother simply arched an eyebrow.

“Yes, well having children turned me into a raging alcoholic.” She stated matter of factly and Frank snorted.

“Touche, well, help yourself, you know where it all is.” He jerked his head towards the kitchen. “You don’t need to keep asking for things whilst you’re here, you know.”

“No, I know. But I was kind of hoping to talk to you actually.” Evelyn looked at him. “Come with me.”

“Oh?” He frowned, tossing a glance back at Fliss before he followed Evelyn into the house. He reached into the fridge, pulled out another chilled bottle of wine before he set it on the counter. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much, I just…well, I’ve come to a decision about something, and I wanted to run it past you first.”

“Okay.” He watched her as she cleared her throat.

“I’ve decided to sell the house.” She stated and Frank watched her, having a feeling he knew exactly what was coming next. “And I’m going to buy and apartment. Here.”

“Right.” Frank looked at her, his face passive.

“And one in Boston.”

“Two apartments?”

“One plus one was two last time I checked, yes.” Evelyn’s mouth twitched at the corner and Frank rolled his eyes. “I thought I could spend the winters here and the summers in Boston. That way, it would only be for six months a year. Sure even we could survive being in the same state as one another for that long.”

“Sounds like you got it all planned out.”

"I want my grandchildren to know me, Frank. I already missed out on so much with Mary, and yes, before you say anything, that was my own fault, but I don’t want to miss out on any more.”

 “And you won’t, I’ve told you-“

“Well, clearly I am because I missed the fact that Mary was now calling Fliss mom.”

Frank took a deep breath and folded his arms across his chest, “I thought we’d been through this. You said it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“It isn’t, I just…well, I wasn’t prepared for it, that’s all.”

“Well, that’s on me.” Frank looked at her, his expression softening slightly. He hadn’t really considered what effect it would have on his mother, hearing Mary call someone other than Diane her mom, but then again, why would he? Evelyn had never seen Diane with Mary after all, it never even crossed his mind that it would upset her. “I should have warned you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Evelyn shook her head. “Like I said, I wasn’t expecting it that’s all.”

There was a pause and Frank took a deep breath. “Look, I’ve told you before. I want you to have a relationship with the kids, and, well, if you feel moving nearer to us is gonna help that then…” He trailed off giving a little shrug.

“So you wouldn’t object to me moving closer?”

 “What would be the point of that?” He asked, passing her the bottle of wine. “You’d do it regardless.”

“Yes, I would.” Evelyn stated simply before she took the bottle from him. Frank gave her a small smile which she returned before she moved to leave, greeting Fliss who had just walked into the kitchen.

“Did I just interrupt something?” She frowned.

“No.” Frank shook his head, watching his mother leave. As soon as she was out of earshot he gave a groan and pulled a beer from the fridge. “She just told me she wants to sell the house and buy two apartments. One in Boston and one here.”

“Oh.” Fliss frowned, cocking her head to the side. “But, that’s…fine. I mean, you and your mom get on okay now, so-”

“Yeah, we do.” Frank nodded, taking a huge pull from his bottle, swallowing his beer. “Because she’s in Boston and I’m not.”

Fliss gave a chuckle and slipped her arms round his waist. “Stop being a little shit, Frank. I hate to point it out but it makes sense. She’s not getting any younger and if anything happens she’s a three hour flight away, as we saw when Mary was taken ill.”

“Why do you always have to be so fucking sensible?” Frank narrowed his eyes at her and she grinned, shrugging.

“I’m not, I can just see it from her point of view. But hey, look on the bright side. If she’s told you, it gives you a perfect excuse to help her look for somewhere. Tampa’s not a bad area, and it’s a forty or so minute drive away…”

“Oh, now who’s being a little shit?” He laughed as he dropped a kiss to Fliss’ lips.

She chuckled and pulled back, looking at him. “Anyway, parking that for now, the kids are getting hungry. Can you we fire up the grill and I’ll get the sides and stuff out?”

“Sure.” Frank smiled, before he kissed her again and headed outside, grabbing Steve’s collar as he went, roping him into helping.

Half an hour later kids and adults alike were sat around munching burgers, hot dogs and various other items Fliss had dotted out on the tables at the side of the garden. Frank was stood drinking a beer as he watched Steve flop down next to Sian on the seat round the table the adults had settled at, gently rubbing his hand over her little bump, giving her a quick kiss. Frank smiled, thinking back to how it didn’t seem like five minutes since he’d been doing the same to Fliss.

“Not sending you broody is it, Son?”

Frank turned to look at Bill who nodded to Steve and Frank scoffed. “Nope. Two is quite enough for us, thanks.”

Bill laughed. “Exactly what Fliss said, well, not exactly. Her phrase included the words ‘fuck off, Dad’ but the sentiment was the same.”

Frank laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, we’re both agreed, thankfully.” He smiled, his eyes flicking to Alex who was perched on his mother’s knee, as she sat chatting to Verity.

“I had a nosey up at the yard before.” Bill took a swig from his bottle. “Looks like they’re all ready to start. Must be a relief that they’re finally getting going.”

“To be honest, Bill, I’ve not been as involved with it all as I’d like.” Frank bit his lip. “I mean I’ve been over the plans and keep checking the costs and stuff but as far as actively being involved in organising anything.” He let out a deep sigh. “I know I should have stepped up a little more.”

“Hey don’t worry!” Bill smiled. “We got it covered.”

“I know and I’m grateful but I just, well this is our future you know? Her business, our property and land and I kinda feel a little...”

“Left out?”

Frank wrinkled his nose. “Not left out as such. Not in control is the best way to describe it, I suppose.”

“We talking about the building work now or life in general?”

Frank snorted, it unnerved him how easily his future father in law could read him. “That obvious, huh?”

“A little, plus Fliss says you’ve been mad busy at the shop.”

“I thought it would have died down by now.” Frank shrugged. “But we seem to be getting bigger and bigger and, it’s just not what I had in mind when I went to work there. And I know, I’m grateful but I kinda miss when things were simpler, you know?” He shook his head. “Doesn’t really sound like I’m very ambitious does it? Most people would kill to be in my position.”

“Look, management and running a business isn’t for everyone. If it was, the world would hardly tick over the way it does, would it?” Bill said wisely. “Have you talked to James?” 

Frank shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what I’d say.”

“Well, what do you want to happen?”

“I miss the repairs.” Frank said, honestly. “I enjoyed it when I was running the workshop. It was a good mix between management and still being able to get my hands dirty when I wanted to.”

“Tell him that then.”

“Not that simple, we got a new guy running that side of things now. Plus it would be a drop in wages.”

“Do you need the money?”

“Not especially, Fliss brings in a fair packet and it wouldn’t be a bad income at all. But I like the security.”

“Well in that case don’t let that be a factor in your decision. Trading off a higher standard of living versus job satisfaction is a mistake I’ve seen a lot of people make in the past, Frank. It doesn’t end well as they become miserable and resent their choices.” Bill paused. “Have you not thought about going back into repairs full time, like working for yourself again?”

Frank shook his head. “No. The security which comes with this job is too big a pull to give up. Especially now there’s four of us to consider.”

 “You could make it secure if you did it properly.” Bill looked at him. “Set yourself up as an independent business but get a unit on one of the Marinas. Yeah, they’ll take a cut, but you’re pretty much guaranteed work and it comes with most of the perks but you’ll manage your own time.” Frank looked at him as Bill smiled. “Might be a bit of work at first to get yourself back in the game so to speak but I can help with the practicalities of setting out on your own. Fliss has an excellent accountant plus I hear you know a pretty good lawyer.”

Frank smiled. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Just think it over. If you need the money to set up you know me and V will help out. Plus, the beauty of it is Frank, you have a job to keep you going whilst you make your decision. It ain’t a bad place to be when you think about it.”

“Thanks Bill, I’ll give it some thought.”

***** The party filtered out at about five, and their family stayed around for a little while until they too left a couple of hours later. Mary hugged Fliss and then Frank tightly, thanking them both for ‘the best birthday party ever’, Frank not bothering to point out that the sum total she had held or attended didn’t give her much to go on. He was simply happy she’d enjoyed herself.

They managed to get the two girls to bed in Mary’s room at a ridiculously late hour, so when Frank woke the next morning he wasn’t surprised to find them both fast asleep still when he poked his head into the room. He was surprised, however, to find his bed empty. Sundays were normally their lazy mornings, none of them really bothering to get up until they had to, Alex often coming into their room for a few hours. But today, it was barely gone nine and Fliss was up and fully dressed in denim shorts and a baggy fitting t-shirt.

“Morning, Honey.” He greeted her with a soft kiss. “You’re up early?”

“Yeah, I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.” She shrugged, before her face wrinkled up and she swallowed, rubbing at her stomach.

“You okay?” Frank frowned, his hands gently running up and down her arms. “You sick?”

“No.” Fliss shook her head. “I came on a few days early and it’s fucking excruciating for some reason. Hasn’t been this bad since I had Alex.”

“Oh, Baby!” Frank pouted and with an exaggerated fake chuckle-slash-sob she pressed her forehead to his chest and he smiled, wrapping his arms round her, kissing her head.

“My ovaries are trying to kill me.” She whined and Frank chuckled, his hands rubbing up and down her back.

“Can I do anything to help?”

“Not really, other than give me lots of sympathy and pretend you know what I’m going through.”

“Think I can manage that.”

Together they made breakfast, Evelyn joining them and Fliss took care to leave enough batter to feed the girls with when they finally surfaced at half past ten. Frank then let them head back out to the pool for another hour or so before he dropped Rosie off home and swung by the store for some snacks which he knew would keep Fliss satisfied for the afternoon and hopefully help keep her killer womb at bay.

They all settled down for the afternoon on the sun-loungers outside, the lazy Sunday bleeding into the evening, as they dipped in an out of the pool before it was time to sort dinner, which consisted mainly of left over party food, Frank grilling the remaining burgers and sausages that hadn’t been eaten at the party. Once that was over, Evelyn asked if she could take Alex’s bath time. Fliss handed him over with a smile, whilst Frank headed upstairs to make sure his mother knew where everything was. Once he was bathed and put down for the evening, Evelyn retired back to the guest house and Mary retreated to her den to watch one of her new DVDs, leaving Frank and Fliss to curl up on their sofa, settling in for another binge watching session, this time making their way through The Witcher.

As Fliss shifted again, trying to ease a particularly nasty cramp in her stomach, Frank glanced at her, frowning a little.

“Have you taken some more painkillers?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, stretching her legs out. “Just haven’t kicked in yet.”

“What hasn’t?” Mary asked as she walked past the sofa from her den, heading to the fridge.

“Nothing that concerns you.” Frank replied, not even looking at her.

“Are you on your period?” Mary asked bluntly and Fliss glanced at Frank who looked at her, blinking, before they both turned their heads to look at her over the back of the sofa as he closed the fridge, juice box in her hand.

“How the hell do you know about that stuff? You’re ten!” Frank stared at her and she shrugged, moving back towards them.

“I read about it when I looked up where babies came from.”

“You looked up where babies come from?” Fliss repeated, her voice controlled as she was trying to supress the laughter bubbling in her throat.

“I was curious, Mom. Wanted to know how you made Alex.”

“Jesus Christ.” Frank groaned, as Fliss let out a snort. “I clearly need to increase the level of Parental Control on your laptop and tablet.”

“No you don’t because it didn’t let me google it, so I had to find it in a book in the library.” She said matter of factly as she paused by the back of the sofa, fixing them both with a look. “And, for the record, I think it’s totally disgusting what you did. But, now you have him, you don’t need to do it again. That is unless you decide you want another and-“

“No, you’re absolutely right.” Frank cut her off, his face serious. “It’s totally gross. I’m so relived I will never have to go through that torture ever again.”

Fliss couldn’t look at him, she had to turn away, the expression on his face was utterly dead-pan. She pressed her lips together, scrunching her face up as she tried desperately to stop the laughter exploding from her mouth.

“God knows what Uncle Steve and Sian think they’re doing, having another one.” Mary grumbled.

“Well, your Grandmother had two.” Frank pointed out, and Fliss slapped his thigh, in a desperate attempt to make him stop. His lips quirked at the sides ever so slightly before he straightened his face once more as Mary looked back at him.

“I suppose, but you were the eldest so she clearly thought she needed to try again after having you, you know, make it right.”

At that the laughter Fliss had been supressing burst from her mouth as her shoulders shook and she tipped her head back, roars of laughter filling the room.

“Well,” Frank looked at Mary, “you’re technically our eldest so…”

“Yeah but you adopted me, therefore you chose me.”

“Well, not really as you were kinda already here.” Frank teased.

“Yeah but you chose to be my parents, not just my uncle and his wife.”

“That’s true.” Frank nodded.

“So, that clearly makes me special.”

“Oh, you’re special alright.” Frank agreed, his face serious.

Mary grinned as she flounced back off to her den, shutting the door behind her. As soon as it clicked shut, Frank look at Fliss, who was now bright red from the force of her laughter, tears pouring down her face and he too began to laugh.

“Fucking hell.” He shook his head as Fliss wiped her eyes. “I can’t with that kid!”

“She’s hilarious, I love her.” Fliss chuckled. ”And you- I’m so relieved I will never have to go through that torture ever again, liar, much?”

Frink grinned, his arm curling round her shoulders, pulling her to him as she snuggled into his side. “Well, sex is dirty. But only when it’s done right.”

Fliss snorted. “And of course we do it right, Sailor.”

“Damned straight we do.” He leaned back against the sofa, pressing a kiss to her head.

“So, are you gonna tell Alex sex is dirty and gross?”

Frank hesitated, before he rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Fliss was getting at. “You know, of course we will properly talk to Mary when she’s older and starts to get interested in dating, Fliss.”

“Careful there, Sailor. You’ll give yourself whiplash backtracking that fast.”

“I’m not backtracking."

“Course not.” Fliss wrinkled her nose sarcastically and Frank groaned.

“Look, can we stop talking about when she’s...” He waved his hand and gave a shudder. “I don’t wanna think about it.”

“Face it Frankie, it’s probably gonna happen sooner than later. You got to be prepared.” Fliss looked at him, her lips twitching at the corners. “I mean, you wanted her to have a normal life. Dating is part of that."

“Are you gonna shut up, or am I gonna have to make you?” Frank turned to Fliss, dropping his head a little so his nose was mere inches from hers,

“Thought that was like gross.” She teased. “And besides I’m on.”

“You know, I have heard that orgasms are supposed to help with cramps.” Frank shifted a little, his lips gently brushing her neck. “Could always do it in the shower,” he nipped at her skin. “No mess, no fuss.”

“I showered before and besides,” Fliss pushed on his shoulders, forcing him to stop his teasing bites to her neck, “it’s a known fact that a woman’s entire sexual reproductive system grows teeth in shark week.” Frank blinked before he gave a snort of laughter as Fliss shrugged. “Well, it feels like my womb is trying to eat its way out so…”

“There’s somewhere else I could shove it to keep you quiet.” Frank grinned and Fliss scoffed.

“Yeah that’s got teeth too, Sailor, and I ain’t afraid to use ‘em.” She laughed and gave him a gentle kiss. “But only when you ask nicely.”

Frank gave a groan against her mouth. “You’re killing me, Lissy!”

“Aww, I got you all worked up Sailor?”

“Yes.” He answered bluntly.

“Shame Mary’s in the den, I could have fixed that for you.”

Frank looked at her, before his head whipped round over his shoulder. “Mary! Go to bed!”

Fliss slapped his arm, laughing as Mary pulled open the door to her den and glared at him. “It isn’t even nine yet!”

“He’s joking.” Fliss looked at her.

“No I’m not.” Frank deadpanned and Mary rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, Dad.” And with that she disappeared again, the door shutting behind her.

Frank groaned as he lay his head back, shifting slightly, trying to relieve the strain at the front of his jeans. Watching him out of the corner of her eye, Fliss smirked to herself. She loved how she could get him worked up simply by using her words, it was a fucking huge turn on.

“You know, I’m sure I just heard Alex upstairs.”

“What?” Frank turned his attention to her.

“Yeah, I best go check on him,” she looked at Frank, “you know, upstairs,” she bit her lip, “and it might take me five minutes or so.”

With a puzzled expression Frank watched her go before he turned his attention to the baby monitor. On the small screen he saw Alex was sleeping soundly. He frowned, Fliss had no reason to be-

Oh. Oh

With a grin he stood up. “Mary just gotta nip upstairs for a moment. If you need us just, well, just wait.”

And with that he shot after Fliss, taking the stairs two at a time.

****

Chapter 23