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yurimother · 4 years ago

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The Best Yuri of 2020

2020 was hell in every way, and many of us are looking forward to new possibilities and advances in 2021. However, the year brought us many small moments and gifts worth celebrating. Among these, the explosive growth and change within the Yuri genre are among the most precious and most outstanding achievements. This second century of Yuri opened with a bang, as phenomenal new works, creators, and moments made their mark and helped change the future genre.

This annual list is a celebration of just a handful of the fantastic titles, people, and events in Yuri. There are likely some even greater ones that did not make the list because there is so much content in both English and Japanese that even I cannot keep up. However, among the troves of treasure, these titles stood out as shining examples of Yuri excellence. Some were released this year, others were recently adapted into English, and still, others are established titles that rose to prominence to dominate the conversation and my mind this year, but every one of them is worthy of being on this list and in your heart.

Here is the Best Yuri of 2020!

15: The Curse of Kudan Remastered

Japanese Yuri visual novel developers show no sign of slowing down as they continue to push to new heights and try new ideas. These are the same amazing people who brought us the delightful educational Yuri game The Expression Amrilato and the hilarious and surprisingly queer OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbando’s. However, this most recent release, The Curse of Kudan Remastered, is their best work yet. Released near Halloween, this game brings a new edge of dark mystery and the occult to Yuri audiences worldwide.

The Curse of Kudan is available on MangaGamer, JAST USA, Denpasoft, and Sekai Project.

14: Adachi and Shimamura

English audiences were finally treated this year to Hitoma Iruma’s long-running and wildly successful Yuri light novel series, Adachi and Shimamura. Although the story struggles to gain traction, dedicated readers’ have their patience rewarded with a sweet tale full of gay pining. Alternatively, you can jump into its stellar anime adaptation, with gorgeous visuals and realized characters you will actually be willing to put up with the annoying Yashiro just to see where the title characters go. The series shows no sign of slowing down either, as the manga adaptation is coming to Western audiences next year.

Adachi and Shimamura is available to stream on Funimation. The light novel series is published by Seven Seas - https://amzn.to/3rTSZTK

Honorable Mention: Happy Go Lucky Days

The OVA adaptation of Fragtime got most of the attention this year. Still, director Takuya Satou and Pony Canyon also gave us this much-overlooked “love is love” anthology movie based on Takako Shimura’s manga (Sweet Blue Flowers, Wandering Son). The first short in the film, “Happy,” is easily the best Yuri anime of the year. It follows the beautiful yet realistic queer love story of two women hooking up at a mutual ex-girlfriend’s wedding, only for the relationship to blossom and warm viewers’ hearts. Sadly, while stylized, the budget demanded the animation cut a few too many corners. Additionally, the subsequent stories are at best tedious and at worst alarmingly problematic, which is why Happy Go Lucky Days only gets an honorable mention.

The OVA is streaming on HIDIVE

13: Mieri Hiranishi

The Yuri scene has many colorful creators with a breadth of different ideas and stories in the genre, yet few have provided as much humor and joy as Mieri. This talented creator spectacularly tumbled into the scene with her manga essay The Moment I Realized I Wasn’t Straight, which embodies the brutal honesty and realism of Nagata Kabi and matches it with exaggerated hilarity. She continues to chronicle her painful struggles of being a butch girl in love with butch girls in the monthly series The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend. Alternatively, you can follow her on Twitter for just as much heart and laughter.

Read The Girl that Can’t get a Girlfriend on Tapas and Webtoon.

12: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

My Next Life as a Villainess has what can only be described as volcanic bisexual energy. Every character protagonist Catarina Claes encounters is entirely enthralled by her. Of course, she is far too preoccupied with her quest to avoid doom flags and change her ultimate fate to notice any romantic interest. The series is rewarding and well structured, as views are just as focused on how Catarina plans to avoid certain doom as they are with the various romantic misses her band of companions cooks up. While the “friendship ending” did not capitalize on its Yuri potential, it was perhaps the most satisfying possibility for this crazy harem, at least until season two comes out, which looks, unfortunately, to be significantly less queer.

My Next Life as a Villainess is streaming on Crunchyroll

11: Love Me for Who I Am

Kata Konayama’s manga series is less Yuri than a general LGBT work, but it has a lesbian character and explores her identity and struggles in great detail. Few titles before have captured the exciting and nervous waves of emotions that young people feel as they explore gender and sexual identities and try to find themselves. This heartfelt and extremely queer series rubberbands between cute moe dress up to tragic and gripping backstory, keeping readers on their toes the whole time.

Love me for Who I Am is published by Seven Seas - https://amzn.to/3rTSZTK

10: A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986

Oracle and Bone’s debut visual novel, A Summer’s End, is set in a vibrant and electric 1980’s Hong Kong. Drawing inspiration from classic Asian cinema, music, and fashion. The worlds of Michelle, a young office worker, and a free-spirited woman named Same collide. The two struggle to comprehend and accept each other’s feelings just as they struggle against society’s expectations and prejudices. An incredibly thoughtful and touching adventure, the creators incorporated vital contemporary elements include Asian LGBTQ rights and growing political unrest in Hong Kong, into this illustrious game.

The visual novel is available on Steam.

Honorable Mention: Goodbye, My Rose Garden

In the same vein as A Summer’s End, Goodbye, My Rose Garden is a beautiful period piece that incorporates LGBT views into its shattering narrative. The story follows a bright-eyed immigrant, Hanako, wanting to make a new life in England as an author at the dawn of the twentieth century. She takes a job as a maid to noblewoman Alice, but their relationship takes a turn when Alice asks Hanako to kill her. This poignant tale is beautiful and an honest depiction of love and its conflict with responsibility and society.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/3hFSyaG

9: Shio Usui

Usui’s hit Shaikaijin Yuri manga Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon could easily take this spot even though it is not even out in English until February 2021. The manga is already making waves and receiving constant praise. The characters and their journey to discover love and self-acceptance are as charming as they are relatable and grounded. However, it is the creator, Usui, who really deserves acclaim. Not just for their work on Doughnuts, but having a second serialized story, Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita, in monthly Yuri magazine Comic Yuri Hime simultaneously. It is even more remarkable when you consider these two iconic stories are Usui’s first long-running works, as they only contributed one-shots before.

8: Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka

Bloom Into You is possibly the most iconic Yuri series in the past decade, and while the manga deserves its own place on this list, the best thing to come out of the series as a whole is easily the light novels. This trilogy by Adachi and Shimamura creator Hitoma Iruma dives deep into supporting cast member Sayaka. Readers are treated to a delightful journey as she discovers her sexuality, experiences heartbreak, and finally finds herself breaking free and falling in love. With the help of gorgeous illustrations by Nakatani Nio herself, Iruma masterfully captures Sayaka’s unique voice and emotions in this wonderful series. Whether a fan of the originals or not, every Yurijin must check out Regarding Saeki Sayaka.

The light novel series is published by Seven Seas - https://amzn.to/3hFSyaG

7: Our Teachers are Dating

The best a Yuri can get. This workplace romance follows two teachers at the start of a new relationship taking nervous yet enthusiastic first steps, including saying I love you, going on their first date, and even sleeping together. It is so heartfelt and salacious that readers will squeal the whole time. Additionally, our heroines are supported in their relationship by everyone they know, their students, colleagues, and even the principal. It is a perfect world for these two lovebirds! Our Teachers are Dating would easily be number one or two in any other year, but the competition is fierce in 2020. So even though this is only number seven, it is still a master class Yuri manga.

The manga is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/38XY3O9

6: Amongst Us

Who would have thought that a comedy alternative universe story spinoff of a fantasy action series would be the single best Yuri webcomic this year? Shilin’s astounding artwork illustrations the hilarious and irresistible journey of girlfriends Blackbird and Veloce. These two eccentric young women get into all kinds of everyday mischief that bounces between tender and touching romance, completely outrageous comedy, and downright thirst-inducing sorcery. Seriously, you should buy the first volume for Veloce’s back muscles alone. The storyline skips between time, but both their established relationship and their meeting as teenagers are adorkable and captivating.

Amongst Us is available online free on Webtoon and the comic’s website. The first volume is in paperback on Shilin’s site.

Honorable Mention: Éclair

There are a lot of Yuri anthologies out there, and they have done some beautiful things. Many focus on themes like Syrup. Others collect a series of stories by an author into one bound work. However, out of all of them, Éclair is the most successful. ASCII Media Works took some of the genre’s most extraordinary creators and let them do whatever they wanted, and the results are spectacular. The incredible talent behind Éclair somehow packs a full volume’s worth of story and character into just a few pages with every chapter. While the first volume came overseas a few years ago, Yen Press gave Yurijin a gift this year by releasing the entire rest of the series in which readers can get lost.

The anthology series is published by Yen Press - https://amzn.to/38XY3O9

5: I’m in Love with the Villainess

A small trend of isekai Yuri with villainesses emerged recently, and I honestly had few hopes of I’m in Love with the Villainess. The series is pretty popular, but I often find that this does not denote quality, and with isekai having some institutional issues, I suspected this would fall flat. Then the volume three cover showcased an incredible accomplishment, allowing for a lesbian relationship to blossom into a family with children, and it blew me away. Finally, I read volume one and realized that the series has incredible character, some of the best world-building I have ever seen in a light novel, thoughtful discussions of inequality and societal issues, and most impressively, open and frank discussion of queer identity and life Yuri has ever seen! This one is something special.

The series is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/3nedvdZ

4: The Last of Us Part II

Yes, I know this one is not Yuri and that a portion of the population despises this game and will likely be exceptionally angry at me for including it. However, I maintain that it was an incredibly challenging masterpiece. Naughty Dog did not take the easy route out and delivered one of the most devastating media experiences I have ever seen. As I said in my article about the game, playing it changed me, and it sticks with me to this day. The Last of Us Part II earns its spot on this list because it pushed boundaries more with LGBTQ inclusion than any other AAA game. From brave inclusion of LGBTQ themes to queer characters and storylines at its center, the game changes gaming and it will never go back.

The Last of Us Part II is available on PlayStation 4

3: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

She-Ra feels like the culmination of all the LGBTQ progress western cartoons have made over the past few years. From The Legend of Korra to Steven Universe, young people are finally seeing more LGBTQ people represented on the small screen. This epic fantasy concluded with an amazing and powerful lesbian romance, delivering on its queer promise and revolutionized representation in a trope-defying crescendo.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is streaming on Netflix

2: The Conditions of Paradise

The greatest single Yuri work of all in 2020 was the English release of Akiko Morishima’s breakthrough manga, The Conditions of Paradise. Initially released in 2007, this anthology detailed the love between adult women. It was in every way a manga ahead of its time, and seeing it finally get a small piece of the recognition it deserves overseas is a true gift. The fact that we can own this legendary piece of Yuri history and Morishima’s other anthologies is nothing short of a blessing from the Yuri goddess.

The Conditions of Paradise is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/38bh4xq

Honorable Mention: Otherside Picnic

This eerie sci-fi horror series combines the best of pulse-pounding thrillers, complex and intelligent hard science fiction, and exciting Yuri romance. Author Iori Miyazawa spends as much time crafting a well-paced and intriguing narrative about a mysterious world where occult creatures roam as he does establishing two believable and grounded heroes in Sorawo and Toriko. The romance between the two may be slow to start, but their chemistry is undeniable and as the stakes and story build, so too does their relationship. Not only are the light novels incredible, but the series’ manga adaptation is coming soon to the West as well as an upcoming TV anime in early 2021.

Otherside Picnic is streaming on Funimation. The light novels are published by J-Novel Club - https://amzn.to/3niiv1g

1. Yuri subgenres

For a long time, Yuri was not a genre of its own, but elements of romances or bonds between women found in other works. Now, thanks to an increasing library of works, the advent of social media, and a wider audience, Yuri is a genre on its own, with many creators telling different stories in different styles. However, 2020 saw the continued emergence of something extraordinary, subgenres. Yuri is now so vast, we can actually categorize the works within. Depending on their characters, like classic schoolgirl romances or spicy shakaijin office affairs, their world, such as fantasy or isekai series and thrilling science fiction adventures, and even other elements within. One of my personal favorites is the feminist Yuri that emerges from titles like Sexiled, where women celebrate the accomplishments of other women and dismantle power structures stacked against them. Now, no matter what kind of Yurijin you are, there is something for you to love.

I am happy to leave 2020 behind, but I bring with me a renewed love and admiration for Yuri. 2021 looks to be a somehow even better year for the genre, and I am thrilled to experience every minute of it that I can. Yuri has transformed into something far greater than I ever thought it would be, and let us all enjoy its evolution and expansion together in 2021.

#yuri #manga #anime #top 10 #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #girls love #gl #adachi and shimamura #otherside picnic #lists #2020 #happy new year #2021 #new year

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burningblake · 3 years ago

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ok i just finished my 8-hour long marathon of the witcher and I have opinions to share, some bitter some good, so let's start with the good:

I absolutely adored the yennefer-jaskier bonding scenes, especially when she hugged him and he was so surprised asdfgh and then how she saved him, my lovely girl has such a big heart and love to give. also bonus jaskier later defending her actions to geralt omg adorable

the moment tissaia sees yennefer after she thought she was dead 😭😭😭

the yennefer - geralt reunion I freaking replayed it so many times!! And then when Geralt introduced her to Ciri and that talk they had, asdfg found family united at last. (Would have loved the "dear friend" letter but I understand it wouldn't fit the pace and the vibe of the show to suddenly see geralt and yen writing letters)

The dessert!!!!

The unicorn reference!! 🤭🤭

I loved that Ciri's training is slow and gradual and she didn't like get all perfect and fearless at once

Ok that about sums up the good things, now the bad things, well!! I have a lot of complaints and quite honestly I am salty, if you don't want the negativity, don't read further but I need to express it so..

Why oh why the fuck did they change the plot so much?! What was this absolute shit with the hut spirit? Why???????? I am so pissed!!!

Listen!! Yennefer met Cirilla because Geralt ASKED her to take care of her and help her control her magic and YENNEFER was so different from Geralt in her teachings that Cirilla instantly made her her role model and thought of her as a mother figure!!!

THEY FLEED WITH THE HORSES FROM MELITELE BECAUSE YEN WAS PROTECTING HER WHAT THE ABSOLUTE HORSESHIT

yennefer would have never sacrificed an innocent life (much less CIRI!) no matter the cost, she valued life more than anything, SHE FREAKING RISKED HER LIFE TO SAVE A RANDOM BABY and you're telling me she would steal Geralt's baby and give her to the wolves?! EXCUSE ME but I call bullshit. Like sorry for the all-caps but I'm feeling strongly about this, they destroyed the perfect mother-daughter relationship from the books and I AM BITTER

why spend an entire episode at the beginning with that meaningless non-canon plot about yen fringilla and francesca finding some ancient spirit that determined their paths for the entire show WHEN WE COULD HAVE HAD AN EPISODE OF YEN TRAINING WITH CIRI WTF!!!!!!!!

Why the fuck is tissaia with vilgefortz? Where did that freaking come from?! LISTEN! TISSAIA IS EITHER A LESBIAN OR ASEXUAL LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE

The Geralt-Rience fight scene was supposed to be like this: Rience finds Geralt and he insults Yennefer in his face and so Geralt pretty much tells him that that insult just determined his fate and killed him on the spot because no one insults his wifey. INSTEAD Yennefer somehow freaking led him to Geralt?! As a distraction to take away Ciri?! HONESTLY FUCK THE FUCK OFF

Also why all that queerbaiting? Like excuse me but I am fairly certain that when Cahir asked Fringilla about her relationship with Francesca and he said "is she just a friend?" and that look fringilla made?! Yeah that was gay and then they twisted it to "she is your plan" yeah I'll tell you what plan her freaking wedding plan!

Even though I understand the cost Yennefer paid for her heroism at Sodden, I still think it was too far-stretched for her to only get her magic back at the very end and only to perform a small healing. My girl should have been able to join the final fight and save Ciri single-handedly along with Geralt and not be like "oh I made a potion"

Which leads to another thing I am bitter about, how did her "making a potion" serve the plot? Such a lazy writing ugh!!!

I HATE NETFLIX

All in all the bad things far outweigh the good for me - they changed so many freaking things without freaking reason!!!!! Ugh I am so annoyed and dissapointed! Truly sorry for the negativity, you can block me if you want, I am simply having a moment and I can't help being so salty about this

#the witcher #the witcher spoilers #yennefer of vengerberg

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pasiphile · 3 years ago

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Highlights of the wedding

Getting a surprise second flower hairpiece from our florist even though we only ordered one, which was perfect bc in the meanwhile I had changed my mind a bit about not wanting one

Make up artist who kept going "everything is going to be fine" even though we weren't particularly stressing at that point (slightly worrying)

The arsehole who parked on our reserved special marry spot and who then had to manoeuvre out, while my dad and brother held up the traffic in the Very Busy street so we could park there

My two sisters in law realising upon arrival that they accidentally coordinating their outfits perfectly (both in bright red)

Security dude "uhhh so usually the groom's family sits on this side so uhhhh" me: "I'm the oldest so pretend I'm the groom" koni: "even though I'm the one wearing trousers"

Official : "so here we are, koni and pasi..." *looks between us hesitantly* koni "and now you have to guess who's who!"

Official : "all the people present here are your greatest supporters" us: *side eye each other*

Little 4yo niece being mildly confused about her ringbearer duties but taking to the task with great determination

Said 4yo niece being asked by the official if she could write her name (serious nod) and if so, that she could also sign the official wedding documents. Her name apparently is written "circle double cross squiggle"

Grandpa-in-law getting up halfway the lil ceremony to congratulate the official because he thought it was finished already

Mask on, mask off, mask on, mask off

Assorted nieces going out on the balcony of the town hall looking down on the town square "ohhh there's a fun fair can we gooo ?" "no we have to go the party after" "awwww"

Me repeatedly forgetting during the photoshoot that when "koni's side of the family" is called, that includes me now

The weather actually being nice all the way through even though there was a storm predicted!

Photographer : "for the next one, give your wifey a kiss" Us: *squee*

Walking back to our car from the park where we took our pictures, multiple people giving us fond looks and a couple of "congratulations!" "you two look very beautiful!"

Cousin-in-law complaining about the lack of non-gendered wedding gift vouchers

Cousin-in-law instead giving us a funky flower pot with women's faces in the design. "look, it's all girls!"

Cousin-in-law also a bit disappointed she couldn't get us a rainbow roses bouquet, instead accidentally made a lesbian pride flag with the colours she could find

(florist apparently going "oh is it for the wedding this Friday?" when she went to ask for a rainbow bouquet)

Other Bro giving me a Steven Universe ruphire congratulations on your wedding card which he made himself with Photoshop. The inside says "it's about timey-wimey you got married"

Assorted nieces recording tiktoks in the other room while the adults had dinner

Us: "how's the wine?" sister-in-law: "very nice!" us: "oh great cos we don't drink so we had no idea if it was gonna be good."

My parents being quietly horrified by how much booze my in-laws were chugging while still having to drive afterwards

My brothers being quietly horrified by the amount of coffee my in-laws were still drinking at 10pm

Bro and Cousin-in-law's husband hitting it off over their shared love of cooking, single-handedly destroying the patriarchy (but not really)

Everyone being entranced by the chocolate fountain

Waitress: "so for you a mint tea and what does your uhhh well, wife now, want?" me: oh right she's my wife now"WIFE! WHICH TEA DO YOU WANT"

Everyone being very enamored by our handpainted lavender-themed menu holders and asking if they could take some home

Getting home just before midnight, putting all the flowers in vases and then taking a bath together before going to bed WITH MY GAY WIFE <3

#the good ship koniphile #which has now officially sailed off into the waters

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ellasadventuresinfandoms · 3 years ago

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Okay, back in May @isolatedphenomenon asked me if I had an les mis fic recs and I went "oh boy do I !" and then promptly fucked off and disappeared from tumblr for like 6 months...

Anyway on the off chance people are interested, here is my vastly too long list of my favourite les mis fanfic (that I'm almost 100% sure I'll have accidentally missed some of my favourites off of...)

The vast majority of these are main pairing Enjolras/Grantaire, so I've put those first, divided into multi-chaptered and then one-shots. Below that will be other pairings!

Multi-chaptered

• Witch Boy Series : magic AU, starting with Grantaire solving Enjolras' curse - this is just Incredible world building which gets better as it goes on - my favourite is the Babet interlude

• World Ain't Ready : you know how fandoms tend to have a fic that is just associated with it ? in my experience, for les mis this is it - and well deserved ! High school, fake dating AU with some of the most engaging writing

• BE : Enjolras is dragged back into theatre production, helping Eponine put on a production of Hamlet - really love the characterisation in this, and this is really one of those modern AUs that actually feels like real life - really good writing

• After the End : the definitive apocalypse AU in my eyes - les amis are an underground resistance to the dystopian government - really wonderful characterisation of Grantaire and the amis

• You never have to wonder; you never have to ask. : I tend to find fic by scrolling through bookmarks of a pairing, which means I often see repeats; this is a fic that if I see I just re-read cause I know I'll enjoy it - the amis sparked a failed rebellion, and now 18 months later Grantaire ends up staying at Enjolras' after returning to Paris for Marius and Cosette's wedding

• Your Heart on Your Skin : Soulmate AU with flower tattoos marking important emotions and events - wonderful concept and world building

• Impatient to Be Free : Daughters of Bilitis AU - if that doesn't make you excited I don't know what else to say to convince you (aside from saying the author is a simply wonderful writer)

• You Dance Dreams : Okay. Not to be over dramatic, but this fic did genuinely qualitatively change my life, in that it was the first thing that got me looking up contemporary ballet and now that's like one of my favourite things and big hobby So. Also its really great writing; music/creative arts school les amis with Grantaire choreohraphing the ballet for Combeferre's opera, with a heavy emphasis on Grantaire realising he really never actually got over Enjolras

• philia : this one is an absolute classic to me, but not given nearly enough recognition - one of the more realistic college AUs ever written, and the writing of Grantaire is so good because it hits the perfect balance of sympathy and annoyance about his behaviour (that's a genuine compliment)

• Coffee Hooligans : fucking tragedy this never got properly finished, Enjolras leads the amis as social justice vigilantes and tries to hide the criminal bits of his life from R

• Fighting the Hurricane : Pacific Rim AU that's less an AU and more just placing the les mis characters in the Pacific Rim universe. Really good and riveting read, also super interesting depiction of Grantaire

• Weaving Olden Dances : Fairy AU - Grantaire "claims" Enjolras to prevent his execution - really good writing, love Grantaires characterisation

• Paris Burning : canon era (sort of) where cities have a physical being - Grantaire is Paris and becomes entangled in Enjolras' revolution - oh the world building is truly *chefs kiss*

• Euphoria is You For Me : Enjolras and Grantaire keep meet cuting in a wonderfully written Brooklyn - feels like a love letter to Brooklyn at times, and I really like the characterisation of Grantaire

• so please just fall in love with me this christmas : Enjolras works for the environmental company Grantaire volunteers at, and keeps getting secret gifts at Christmas - I sound a little like a broken record but the Grantaire characterisation is very good

• You Are the Moon : Wild West esque Space AU - Grantaire has to call on the amis to help rescue Valjean and Cosette, despite Grantaire leaving the amis 6 months before. On re-reading the Enjolras characterisation feels a little rushed, but overall fantastic story telling and the Grantaire arc is a Delight

• Pandemos : Enjolras is aphrodite, and seeks peace from all his suitors in R/Hephestus' cave

• Pining for You : Hallmark christmas romance - Grantaire returns home to work on his father's tree farm, and Enjolras is the lawyer helping prevent the farm being sold - cute as shit imo

• Once We're Kings : Fantasy AU - a country hosts a ball to marry Prince Enjolras and the rival country sends Grantaire as a fuck you - one of the best ways of doing Enjolras as a prince in a fantasy and just really nicely written

• Never Bitter and All Delicious : Fairy Godmother AU - yes really, yes its genuinely a very good read

• On One Condition : Fantasy AU - Enjolras is a bored knight who finally goes to check out the local dragon, which turns out to be Grantaire - I really like how they capture Enjolras' stubborn nature and it's such a well written soft growth of love between them

• That's How Easy Love Can Be : Les Amis work at a primary school; and its secret santa time! very fun portrayal of Enjolras

• The Lark and Her Lieutenants : re write of canon where Cosette is the leader of the revolution - just *chefs kiss*

• If You Tickle Us, Do We Not Laugh : Grantaire is Enjolras' secret android - really good at writing a relationship that's incredibly loving but just keeps being antagonistic and coming off wrong

One Shots

• True Colours : AU where you leave colours on the people important to you - Enjolras and Grantaire falling for each other is so soft and gently written its lovely, this is genuinely one of my favourites

• Keep It Kind, Keep It Good, Keep It Right : this one is so good to me, because it builds off my pet hatred of everyone assuming Enjolras doesn't care about (or at least actively show he cares about) his friends

• blooming : very soft post-dystopian utopia that has just a really wonderful sense of hope and light to me

• and the wall leaned away (or: The Pros and Cons of Tilling) : perfectly realised characterizations of the amis, Grantaire needs a date to her final year art exhibition - deals with anxiety over protest in a way that actually hits for me

• not just one of the crowd : R helps run a leftist bakery and bike repair shop - very cute characterisation, and I think more les mis fanfic should link to anarchist essays

• Lovesickness : Enjolras is an idiot and thinks he's sick rather than having a crush - the writing of Joly and Combeferre in this is some of my favourite depictions of these two

• If there's a rocket, tie me to it : absolutely heartbreaking sci-fi AU about the amis as doomed mecha pilots

• Where I Fall is Where I Land : Enjolras is a Roman commander as Rome's power is leaving England, and then meets the pict Grantaire (+ fun soulmark stuff !)

• You Started Foreign to Me : Enjolras moves to america and R is the overnight grocery clerk who helps her learn Spanish - cute fluffy lesbians with a wonderfully written driven Enjolras

• Love Is Touching Souls : very cute soulmate AU - and one I really love for really truly considering the implications of soul marks and creating historical lore around it

• Ten Years : R is a musician, and it non-linearly charts his relationship to Enj from high school to 10 years later

• put up with me then I'll make you see : Grantaire lives above Enjolras, and its christmas - I find it to have a very fun interpretation of pining Enjolras

• A Cat Called Trash Can : this was one of the first les mis fics I ever read (yes I know it says it was published in 2020, but I think it has to be a re-upload or something?) and it does still have a special place in my heart - Grantaire rescues a cat, but Enjolras is the only one with an apartment free to look after it

• Still I'm Begging to Be Free : inception AU where les amis have to rescue a sleeping R from his own brain

•I'm in it for You : cw: illness, cancer - R has cancer and is being a martyr about telling his friends so Enjolras drives him back from chemo

• walls come tumbling down : sky high au - a very good high school AU with the perfect level of campy superhero powers

• This brave new world's not like yesterday : Enjolras needs a job, so ends up working in a bowling alley with Grantaire and bonding

Enjolras/Grantaire/Combeferre

• In Defiance of All Geometry : les amis are a student co-op house, Enjolras and Combeferre are pining friends and Grantaire is the newbie

• Still the Same : this is very good writing and very compelling - if you can get over the (imo) plot hole of Enjolras working for the FBI. R was an art thief Enj put away and is briefly helping the FBI out, and Combeferre is Enjolras' husband

• To Kingdom Come : cw: war and PTSD from that, Enjolras and Combeferre are part of a group of refugees that have crossed into a more fantasy land, and Grantaire is a lone traveller from that land that attempts to help - that was a shit summary of this very emotional, wonderfully written fic about war and love in all forms

• Gonna need (a spark to ignite) : I always love a twist on a classic trope, and this is a very fun take on the soulmate AU - Enjolras loses feeling in his soul mark as a child, falls in love with Grantaire and then his soulmate, Combeferre, turns up

Eponine/Cosette

• Pretty Girls Don't Know the Things That I Know : simply stunning writing - perfect example of soft writing about a harsh world

• she knows her way around : Eponine and Cosette bond, ostensibly so Eponine can find out about her for Marius, and their interactions are so playful and realistic, its wonderful

• always find me floating on oceans : Cosette stows away on Eponine's pirate ship - I do always have a soft spot for eposette fics (not just cause I ship it) because they truly characterise Cosette in a really considered and interesting way

• There's No Making Love : I'm putting this under eposette even though there is some significant enjolras/grantaire content, because the Cosette characterisation is so fun and cute

• round and round again : this fic really beautifully translates Cosette's bad childhood and then isolated teenage years, and the impact that would have on her as an adult into a modern AU

• Underwater Thunderheards : this is based off the book The Scorpio Races, and is just a really nice short fic about longing

• How To Change The World Without Taking Power : Marius has a crush on Cosette and she's tried being polite and subtle in turning him down, so just ends up fake dating Eponine instead

• blood red fruit and poison's kiss : Snow White AU - Cosette as Snow White

• The Winters Cannot Fade Her : Snow White Au 2.0 - Eponine as Snow White - this was written as a pair to the one above which is just so cute to me

• marriage à la mode : Cosette and Eponine run a bridal shop together and it's very cute !

• Temporary Hold : I personally find this a really fun and very unique take on Cosette - with exams coming up she decides she needs to get laid on the reg and so hits up Eponine to act as if they're already long term girlfriends

Combeferre/Courfeyrac

• better than you had it : fake dating but kick it up an emotional notch - Courf and Ferre pretend to still be together after breaking up for a family event

• take flight, come near : nice and cute low fantasy, where Combeferre runs a dragon sanctuary and Courf finds an injured dragon

Rare Pairs

• The Future's Owned by You and Me : cute Enjolras/Feuilly with actual radical politics and real life organising difficulties and wins

• First Dates and Other Dangers : Combeferre and Grantaire agree to go on a blind date and it's awkward until it isn't - just cute !

• after midnight : Combeferre has insomnia and meets Grantaire in various all night fast food chains

• as you are : Bahorel and Jehan getting ready together

• Almost Romantic : Jehan works at a museum, and takes Combeferre on a little tour

• Understudy : Jehan/Combeferre, with Combeferre's insecurities regarding being seen as second best to Enjolras

• Here There Be Dragons : Courf/Enj/Ferre - Courf and Enj are superheroes and Ferre is the doctor that patches them up

• To Let it Occur (Laisser Faire la Nature) : Feuilly has a stupidly long stopover in Paris and meets Enjolras

• rule of three : Courf/Enj/Ferre as spies and loving boyfriends

• Good Rhetoric : snapshots of cute cuddly courf/enj/ferre

• subluxate, dislocate, replace : found family and chronic illness with Joly/Bossuet/Musichetta

• Strike stone, strike home (like lightning) : so this fic took one minor piece of lore about Tolkien's dwarves and made a beautiful j/b/m fic from it

• Almost Inevitable : Bahorel/Feuilly friends-with-benefits

• god only knows (what I'd be without you) : Bahorel/Feuilly with a closeted Feuilly and a beautiful Feuilly and Eponine friendship

#les miserables #fanfic rec #les mis #les miserables fanfic #les miserables fanfic rec

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curlynerd · 3 years ago

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@spnwomenweek Day 7: Free Space because I'm bad at deadlines and missed AU day.

Harvelle’s Sweet Treats - Home of delicious cupcakes, cookies bigger than your head, and the prettiest baker Charlie has ever seen. Now if only she could ask her out without making a total fool of herself.

1.8K word count, copious amounts of Jo and Charlie fluff

Read on AO3

Five days. That was long enough, right? Five days between visits to a bakery was a totally normal, non-stalker-ish, “oh hey I just really like cupcakes, ya know?” amount of time to wait to go there again.

Right?

Yes. Definitely.

Hell, after five days, the cute girl behind the counter had probably long forgotten Charlie. It was a popular bakery, after all.

Yeah, she’d definitely forgotten Charlie by now.

Well...that was depressing.

Charlie huffed and readjusted her backpack on her shoulders. Whatever. She’d just make Bakery Girl remember her! They’d had a great conversation. A totally memorable chat.

About cupcakes.

In a store that sold cupcakes.

Okay, probably not so memorable.

She stifled a groan. Dammit Charlie! This wasn’t hard! She knew how to flirt! She flirted all the time!

...Not with girls this cute though. Not girls with beautiful blonde waves to make even Galadriel jealous. Not girls who smelled like cinnamon and vanilla and sugar.

Charlie shifted from one foot to another as she waited at the crosswalk. Her time to chicken out was rapidly dwindling. Harvelle’s Sweet Treats was just on the other side of the road. But, hey, nothing wrong with being a chicken. Six days between visits was better than five, right? Even less weird?

The crosswalk sign changed.

Charlie groaned out loud and earned herself a concerned look from a businessman walking alongside her. She forced a smile and started jogging the rest of the way to escape his judgement. Unfortunately that left her staring at the door to Harvelle’s much sooner than intended.

She took a deep breath. “You got this, Bradbury. Woman up! Just don’t think about how she smells like cupcakes and you’ll be fine.”

At that moment the blonde woman behind the counter noticed her lurking outside the door and grinned at her, gesturing for her to come inside.

Charlie’s eyes went wide as saucers. “I don’t got this,” she squeaked.

But it was too late now. Bakery Girl had spotted her. If she ran away now…

No, she couldn’t consider that.

Charlie squared her shoulders. She felt like Link staring down the entrance to Ganondorf’s castle, only without any of the sages to back her up. If only she had an ocarina on hand to teleport her out of here if things went awry... No. Focus! Charlie shook herself out of her thoughts and entered the store.

“Mornin’!” Bakery Girl’s smile was cheerful and casual. “You know what you want?” She leaned against the counter on her forearm, which caused her gorgeous hair to cascade over her shoulder and frame her face.

And just like that, Charlie’s carefully planned script flew straight out of her head. “Um.” She blinked. Once. Twice. Think, Bradbury! Think! Do not answer “you,” okay? That’s just weird. Think of literally any other answer!

Bakery Girl chuckled at Charlie’s dumbstruck stare. “We sell coffee, if you’re still waking up,” she said with a wink, which only drove Charlie even closer to a full-fledged hardware meltdown.

“Coffee! Mm-hmm!” Charlie squeaked with an over-enthusiastic nod. “Yes! I will take one coffee and one...er, cupcake,” she added, determined to get back on script before she blurted out something stupid and completely ruined any chance she might have with Bakery Girl.

“Coffee and cupcake. Interesting breakfast.” Bakery Girl raised an eyebrow as she tucked her hair behind her ear. God, why did she have to keep smiling like that? Charlie was going to have a heart attack!

Charlie nodded again before mentally smacking herself for looking too much like a bobblehead toy. “Well that’s me. Interesting.” Her eyes widened. “I mean, not interesting. Not, like, full of myself. A-And not weird interesting either!” she added hastily. “I mean, okay, yeah, I’m kinda weird. Pretty weird. Comes with the whole...nerd territory. But hey, ha ha, at least I shaved my neckbeard this morning, right?”

Bakery Girl listened to Charlie’s increasingly unhinged rambling with a bemused grin on her face. She shook her head. “Yeah, definitely weird,” she agreed with a laugh, but somehow it didn’t sound like an insult. She pushed off from the counter and rung up Charlie’s order.

Charlie forced herself to take a deep breath. Okay, so operation “Woo The Hot Bakery Girl” was definitely going off the rails, but it wasn’t unsalvageable! She just needed to regroup. Charlie smiled her brightest, sweetest “don’t think I’m a total loser, please” smile as she paid for her food. Bakery Girl grinned back, and any flirtatious comeback Charlie had was lost in thoughts of cinnamon-brown eyes and absolutely adorable apple-round cheeks.

“You got a name, Miss Interesting?”

Charlie blinked and shook off her daze. Bakery Girl was holding a pen up against a coffee cup. “Um.” Charlie looked around the otherwise empty store. “It’s not like you’re gonna mix up my order.”

Bakery Girl pursed her lips and fought down a new smile. “Humor me.” She honest to god winked, and Charlie honest to god let out a tiny, mortifying squeak.

“Charlie!” she blurted out, hot on that noise’s tail. Maybe she was fast enough to cover it. God, she hoped she was fast enough to cover it. “Bradbury. Charlie Bradbury. Though why would I tell you my last name? You don’t need my last name. That’s ridiculous. I’m being ridiculous.” To Charlie’s horror, she couldn’t bring herself to shut up no matter how hard she tried. “You obviously don’t need to know my last name, but um, yep. There it is. Bradbury. Like Ray Bradbury? That. And--”

“You know what flavor cupcake you want?” Bakery Girl cut in, and Charlie was so grateful she almost hopped the counter and kissed her then and there.

“Um…” Once again, Charlie’s carefully planned out script was trapped behind the mesmerizing distraction of Bakery Girl’s smile. No, wait! She remembered! “What do you recommend?” She batted her eyelashes a little and shrugged one shoulder. Yes, this was perfect. Whatever was offered would oh so conveniently be one of Charlie’s favorite flavors. Of course, all cupcake flavors were her favorite, because they were cupcakes. Not a lie. Just an exaggeration.

Bakery Girl glanced down at her display case. “Red velvet,” she said with the hint of a smirk. Her eyes seemed to linger on Charlie’s hair, but surely Charlie was imagining that. Definitely imagining that.

Charlie bit her lip. “Sure! Let’s go with that,” she said in a rush, while internally she screamed about her carefully planned cupcake flavor ruse. Bakery Girl nodded and set about getting Charlie’s order ready. Charlie breathed in deeply, disappointment building with each passing second. This was a bust. This was clearly not going anywhere. Charlie was way too flustered to pull out her usual stops. So far all she’d managed to do is look and act like a socially awkward nerd. Which...well...Pot. Kettle. Black.

Maybe if she came back in another five days, things would go better that time. Or six days. Or sixty.

As Charlie put her wallet away, her eyes landed on the pen cup. There was a cute one with an oversized cartoon cupcake on the end, large enough that it partly obscured the little rainbow flag stuck in there too.

Deep down, Charlie knew that could mean anything. Maybe the owner was gay. Or one of the other employees. Maybe the store did a lot of gay wedding cakes. Hell, it was San Francisco. Pride flags were just good business sense. Charlie had to admit her gaydar could get a little frazzled when confronted by stunningly attractive women. Or maybe she was just exceptionally optimistic.

She decided to pounce on the opportunity anyway. This was her last shot.

She pointed to the little flag and flashed a grin that she prayed wasn’t too awkward. “Hey cool. Samesies.” Dear goddess Selûne, did she really just say samesies? She tried not to cringe.

Bakery Girl laughed. “Yeah, I’m aware,” she said as she brushed her hair behind her ear. And okay, Charlie had to give her that. She gave off that vibe. Also there was a lesbian pride pin on her backpack.

Thinking about it, that might have been the biggest giveaway.

“So…” Charlie began. This was her opening. She knew this was her opening. And if this were anyone less cool, or less hot, or less…all of everything that Bakery Girl had going on, Charlie would be on top of things. She’d have gotten her number and made date plans before she even placed her order.

Instead she rocked back and forth on her heels like a helpless dweeb. Like some sort of awkward middle schooler trying to ask a date to homecoming.

“So…” Bakery Girl agreed, her voice barely containing her laughter. The silence dragged on until it became agony. Charlie thought for certain the pressure to ask her out inflating her chest would burst before she worked up the nerve. But right when Charlie opened her mouth to either speak or let out a pathetic squeak of compressed air, Bakery Girl leaned forward on the counter and raised an eyebrow at Charlie. “So are you gonna ask my name before or after I get your phone number?”

Charlie jerked her head up in surprise. “Phone number?” she squeaked. Her eyes widened. Bakery Girl was asking for her phone number?! SUCCESS! “Um, yeah! Yeah, I…” Charlie grinned from ear to ear. “Name? Your name? Er…” She cleared her throat. “What’s your name anyway? So I can stop calling you Bakery Girl in my head?”

Bakery Girl smirked. “Bakery Girl, huh?” She grabbed the cupcake pen from the cup and held out her hand. Her eyes darted to Charlie’s arm and back to her face as she wiggled her fingers. Charlie hastily held out her hand. “It’s Jo, by the way.” Charlie’s skin tingled where Bakery Girl--Jo! touched her wrist. Jo scrawled out her number on the inside of her arm.

“You know, I coulda just punched it into my phone,” Charlie said, already wondering how weird it would be if she didn’t wash her hand for awhile.

“Yeah, but I like to be old school.” Jo winked at her. Her fingers slid down Charlie’s hand as she released it, and Charlie’s heart skipped a beat.

“Old school, huh?” Charlie grinned. “So like...dinner and a movie, pick me up at eight old school?”

Jo paused a moment to size her up. She bit her lower lip. “Pool,” she said with a cocky smile. “There’s this bar I like where we can play pool.”

Charlie’s shoulders dipped a little. “I don’t know how to play pool.” Could a date fail before it even started? Charlie was beginning to suspect Jo was way cooler than she could ever hope to be.

Jo just shook her head, a knowing twinkle in her pretty brown eyes. “Oh, I figured. I plan to teach you.”

Charlie’s heart leapt into her throat. “Can’t wait.”

#spnwomenweek #jo/charlie #charlie/jo #charlie bradbury #jo harvelle #katie writes things #my fanfic #look I know Charlie's got game in canon but it's *MY* fanfic I do what I want and I wanted her to be an awkward nerd around Jo #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction

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brandywine-tomatoes · 3 years ago

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Kyu Sakamoto - an excerpt

Literally just procrastination writing from yesterday. I created 2 badass lesbian ocs for the MCU (mainly Rogers, Barnes, and Wilson's stories) and now I have a 7-page outline...... been in the fandom for 3 days..... ANYWAYS

Masterlist

@icedcoffee101 and @dragon-pups pushed me to write this sad excerpt, so here you go everyone!

TW: sad/depressing thoughts, questioning existence for a hot second, honestly it's just really fucking depressing, but I love it nonetheless.

Word count: 1519

Prompt/Inso: my 7-page outline of badass lesbians that keep an eye on bucky when he's the winter soldier (this excerpt isn't about that tho)

QUICK NOTE: this is during the events of TFATWS, episode 5 I believe? And Grace is mute, so she uses sign language (tho she's only in the flashback). So yeah. Enjoy some sad angst!

“Well,” she picked up the leather bag from the chair, holding it up with a smirk. “I brought records.”

Bucky’s resting bitch face turned up into a small smile. The only person with a decent music taste thankfully brought records to Sam’s ‘let’s finally work on this fucking boat’ party with most of the neighbours and people owing favours. Everyone was milling around, fixing whatever they were assigned to fix and laughing in the cool bay breeze.

“I sure hope you have 60s stuff in that huge bag of yours,” he chuckled, walking past her up the dock to bring the record player from the shore. She held the heavy bag with one arm as she unzipped the zipper, an old and dusty smell escaping the inside and showing the spines of dozens of records.

“You pack all those just for us, Ash?” Sarah came up beside her, admiring all the casings.

“I found them stuffed in a closet back in Africa. I thought I’d revisit some old favourites,” she smiled at her.

Bucky and Sam came back down the dock with the record player in tow and an amp, talking with each other about god knows what. They set the gear down on a bench, plugging in the amp. The four of them dug into the bag, each of them taking out 2 or 3 records each to examine.

“Damn, you really like your slow songs, huh?” Sam spoke up, showing her the record covers in his hands were indeed black and white photos and words she didn’t understand.

She smiled brightly. “Yup! The 60s were the times of slow songs, the best ones.”

“I full-heartedly agree,” Bucky laughed. He slid a perfect disk out its paper cover and carefully placed it on the spindle, sliding over the needle to the first song ridge.

“I hope you picked something upbeat,” Sarah said.

The music flooded through the amp, the old-sounding and staticy bass vibrating through the deck and resonated in everyone’s hearts. People started taking their wives and husbands and kids to dance to the seemingly upbeat song.

Sasha just stared wide-eyed at the spinning disk, a long shoved down lump of unshed sobs pushing up her throat.

‘We don’t have anywhere else to go, we have the papers, and we have the rings,’ Grace signed quickly, pulling Sasha through the doorway gently and resting her hands on her waist, Sasha’s hands instinctively moving to behind her neck.

“All we need is a song, Graceless,” she smiled softly, mesmerized by her new wife’s radiating happiness and her beautiful smile that could seemingly never be darkened. The white curtains blew gently in front of the open window by their records, the moon's soft glow flooding the hardwood floors the only light they needed.

She nodded in return. Grace pulled away and walked to their stack of brand-new records, picking the one off the top and putting the needle of the travel-sized player on the first song.

‘We better thank him for his demos,’ Grace signed, then extended a hand to her wife. Sasha smiled so brightly as she took it.

“The neighbours will have a fit, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning,” Sasha whispered, putting her chin on Grace’s shoulder and started swaying slowly with one hand lightly holding Grace’s and another around her arm.

‘Doesn’t matter,’ Grace tapped on her shoulder in a familiar rhythm.

She sighed in contentment. Why couldn’t every day be like this, nothing to worry about other than what song to choose, no people to run after, no running from Hydra. Just the soft blowing of curtains and Kyu Sakamoto on their travel record player.

“If you say so, Ana.”

“Ash, you alright? You look like you’re about to cry,” Sarah laughed awkwardly and put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder, bringing her back from her wedding night. The others started to notice the reddening of her eyes and the shaking of her hands.

She walked away from the 3 of them, vaguely registering someone's failed attempt at reaching out to grab her wrist.

She couldn’t cry here, not in front of people she didn’t know and wouldn’t understand. She picked up the pace, the dammed river behind her eyes becoming unbearable to keep holding up. Soon enough she was running up the green hill leading to Sam’s house with no intention of stopping until she was with the love of her life again. Running might get her there, it might get her back in her arms, swaying softly to Kyu Sakamoto back in Africa.

She ran across the street of the empty house, bursting through the green forest and didn’t stop. The stray tears escaping her eyes were pushed past her face from the wind, clouding her eyesight.

“What was that?” Sarah asking, concern evident on her face.

Bucky sighed in realization of what he did. He dropped his face into his hands groaning. “Shit.”

“What-”

He started walking up the dock to make up for lost time. He shouted back to his friends, “It’s her god damn wedding song.”

“Oh shit,” Sam whispered. He didn’t know much about Sasha or her history, but he remembers her and her deceased wife, how much they loved each other. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what force would be able to pull them apart. They were both super-soldiers, they lived longer than Bucky or Steve had, they had more than half a century of camaraderie. She was off the grid for 7 years after her death. “Oh shit.”

“I didn’t know Sasha’s married,” Sarah tried to lighten the mood.

“It’s a long story.”

When Sasha finally collapsed in the dense forest, the light shining through the trees dimmed and turned the colour of the orange clouds above. Little streaks of light escaped the canopy and left little spots of highlighted roots or fallen leaves. Grace would try to step in every streak of light, sign that Sasha should help her find all the new tree sprouts and clear the leaves from around it to give it a fighting chance at survival.

She kneeled in the dirt beside an old and tall tree, the fabric of her jeans digging into the soft earth and the moisture seeping across her knees. The first sob she let go made her feel so weak and helpless, like a wounded puppy trying to fight its way off the streets. After that, she only thought of Grace coming up behind and hugging the life out of her, trying to make her feel as safe as possible. But she’d never feel the bone-crushing safety again, only the hollow and emptiness of her evaporated shadow.

She cried and sobbed and spread her tears around her face well into the darkness of night with only the moon to watch in pity. The sleeves of her white crew neck were dried with snot and dirt and pieces of bark from the tree she was leaning on. It was only a dent, a chip off the sorrow she felt, and it didn’t make her feel any better. Nothing would make her feel better.

Her legs were numb under her body, prickling like hundreds of needles were puncturing her skin. Her hands were rested in the dirt, fiddling with dried chucks as she stared out an open spot in the canopy. It was a clear night, a couple stars blinked back at her tired and puffy red eyes.

She was in the middle of thinking that sinking into the old tree supporting her side would solve her problems when the sound of leaves crunching beneath footsteps came closer and closer and eventually stopped just off to the side of her.

“I’m sorry, Sasha,” Bucky’s words were genuine. She stayed silent, grimacing at the change of sound. “I wasn’t thinking.”

She turned her head to look at him, a frown etched in his face as he took in the sight of how small she looked, how the whites of her eyes were clearly bloodshot, even visibly in the silver light.

“I hope you never find someone that makes you feel this way,” her voice was beyond strained and wavered at every word.

“Sasha-”

“Her real name was Anastasia, like the Grand Duchess. After Hydra tried to burn the warehouse down, we assumed other names,” she looked back to the canopy. “It meant resurrection.”

“Look-”

“I’m not coming back, James. This country has her blood smeared on its soil and I’ll never be able to forgive it.”

Bucky was surprised, to say the least. “We need you here, Sasha.”

She turned a cold and raging glare at him. “We helped you enough. We spent decades helping you. I’m done.”

She had a hard time using her numb legs to get up and the tree's roots around her didn’t help either. Bucky held out a hand for her to take. A last helping move before she left. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it.

She gripped his flesh hand tightly and hoisted herself up, steadying herself and shaking the blood back into her limbs. She nodded at his darkened face.

“Goodbye, James Barnes.”

A/N: WAS THAT SAD OR WHAT?! I teared up a couple times writing this, ngl. If y'all find this interesting, let me know! I need the motivation to write the real fic with Grace and Sasha alive, Sasha isn't always deep in a depressive state with Grace dead.

ANYWAYS! Go drink some water, go have a snack, take a break, you deserve it so much, I'm so proud of you for getting this far!! ❤️❤️

(The nickname 'Graceless' came from my friend Shae and her friend on Insta 💕💕)

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nessabear05 · 4 years ago

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A Day To Remember, a Nea x Yui Oneshot

#2k21BVryKnd

#SilverRescueTeam

#SRT

This is a commission collab I did with my friend Fizzie! Basically, we came up with the idea that we give each other characters and a third or first-person POV to go off of, and we write a story just based on those. She posted hers a day or so ago, so go check it out and give it some love!

Fizzie’s Story: http://aminoapps.com/p/u8pxte

Keep in mind…she doesn’t know the plot ;) But I decided with the number of characters she gave me, I would do an AU where they just have a girl’s day! She gave me Nea, Yui, Laurie, Claudette, and Meg to work with! Hope you enjoy girl!

Also uh....had to add a little side ship of your OTP since I know how much you like Quendette :)

Word Count: 1,929

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

The weather was perfect today. The sun was shining, no clouds to be seen...it was just a great day to get out and do something. And that’s exactly what this group of friends was doing. But they weren’t going out just as a last-minute thing, this was all planned out months in advance. And it was going to happen no matter the conditions.

Why so dead set on going out? Well, today was an extremely special day for two girls, in particular, those girls being Nea and Yui. The two had been dating for...well what seemed like forever. But they had been dating for around four years maybe? Ever since the beginning of college. And well...within the next couple of days, they were going to get married. And who else would be a part of their wedding if not their group of friends they had been with basically since they were children?

Now, things weren’t always great for this group of girls, but honestly, it always worked out in the end. And today would hopefully be no different. The five of them were just supposed to go out and get their nails done, then go to lunch afterward. And it was all supposed to go according to plan, but you know, nothing could ever go perfect, especially not with this group.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

It had all started this morning, and can you guess who the first one to screw up was? If you guessed Nea, you would be correct. The girl had forgotten to set her alarm the previous night, and Yui had gone to spend the night with some of her old friends from Japan that had flown down to America for the wedding of their friend. They had stayed at the hotel, but they weren’t coming with them to get their nails done today. Since it was just going to be the two bridal parties together.

And as anyone could have guessed, Yui was not that happy to find out that Nea had forgotten an alarm on a pretty special day. But, Nea had apologized profusely as she ran around the house quickly getting changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, all while their three friends Laurie, Meg, and Claudette giggled at the couple’s antics. The lack of Nea being prepared did not make them late though, so that was a little bit of a bonus to the shitty beginning of the day.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

When they arrived at the nail salon, everyone was no doubt, excited. Nea was talking with Meg and Claudette as they walked in, trying to decide on a matching color. Since the two were her bridesmaids, she wanted to make sure she picked out something they all liked. In the end, they had decided on a pretty light pink color. Since Nea’s dress was white, sticking with the traditional way of things. Well, as traditional as you could get with a lesbian wedding that is. The pink would match really well with the bright white gown.

Yui on the other hand was supposed to wear a white kimono, sticking with her traditional Japanese ways. She had a pink and white floral uchikake for the reception afterward, something her grandmother had worn at her own wedding, a garment Yui absolutely adored ever since she was a child. Now….she would get to marry the love of her life in it.

Laurie was her bridesmaid, being closer to the older woman than Nea’s two other friends. And they had both decided on a beige color for their nails, thinking it would look good with the white and the pink. Which, funny enough, were the colors for the decorations the two women had decided to be their main decor of the ceremony.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

As they walked inside the salon, there weren’t a lot of people there, maybe like….two others? Since it was still pretty early, but since they were getting both nails and feet done, they didn’t want to be there super late in the day when more people would start popping up. Common decency at its finest.

They were lead to sit down by a worker after picking out a polish from the walls, deciding to get acrylics for their hands with gel polish instead of normal polish, so it would stick on longer. And...quite a few of them had short nails, mostly because of their jobs. Yui was a mechanic since she always loved bikes and cars, things like that. Nea was a painter, but not a normal one. She got paid to do graffiti art on bridges and such, something to make the town more lively.

Meg was a semi-professional athlete. She wasn’t too well known, but she made a pretty good amount of money. Laurie was a childcare worker, working at a school and her nails broke easily around young children, she had come to learn that the hard way. And Claudette was a doctor, and she didn’t want to accidentally be poking people with her nails all too often through the gloves she wore. So needless to say, they didn’t get to have nice long nails like some girls a lot of the time and wanted to make sure they stayed on for the amount of time they could have them.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

They were sat down in the chairs to get their toes done first, one of the workers bringing over five glasses of champagne for them, one for each girl. And since they were all over twenty-one, they accepted it gratefully. Claudette wasn’t much of a drinker, but she would make an exception for this. It was a pretty special day after all, and she had taken off work for the next two days for the wedding.

Honestly, most of them had forgotten what it was like to just...be pampered like they were. It was honestly something they weren’t able to do often, being adults and such now with jobs to worry about. So it was relaxing while they just chatted, laughed, drank, and got their nails done. They did have a little incident where Meg almost kicked the nail stylist because the red-head was very much ticklish, but it didn’t seem to phase the person working on her. Only waving it off with a chuckle and saying it happens all the time.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

They were there probably around….three and a half hours? Mostly because despite the early time of day, a lot of people seemed to come in quickly, and the girls had to wait to get their hands done. But, nonetheless, it was worth the wait, and the five females were very happy with how everything turned out.

Though they didn’t condone drinking and driving, Claudette didn’t really like the champagne, and only ended up drinking two or so sips before she couldn’t do it anymore, finding the taste too strong without a chaser. And Nea was more than willing to finish it off for the smaller girl.

This also meant Claudette was now their driver for going off to lunch. So, they all piled into Laurie’s car, Laurie in the front with Claudette while the other three sat in the back, Nea and Yui sitting beside each other holding hands while Meg stared out the window, asking where they were going for the thousandth time since they left the salon. And the answer was the same each time. It was some little small-town restaurant that Claudette’s boyfriend, Quentin, owned. So not only would they get a discount, but he made pretty awesome food.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

It didn’t take long to get there, the place only slightly packed for the rush hour of lunchtime. And they quickly got out of the car, heading inside while chatting, obviously having to tease Claudette about coming to the place her boyfriend worked at.

As they walked inside, they spotted the curly-haired brunette behind the diner immediately. He had on his usual bright smile, his smile only growing bigger when he saw the five walk in, but it was definitely aimed towards Claudette.

“Hey, guys! Welcome in and have a seat wherever you want. I trust you guys to not take any unneeded space,” he said, more concentrated on the plates of food he was currently trying to carry. Quentin had changed a lot since high school. He wasn’t as shy as he used to be, and he had grown a lot taller almost six feet, and his hair had grown out a little longer. Needless to say, Claudette made a really good choice when she decided to start dating the nerdy kid.

The five took a seat at a booth, Meg, Laurie, and Claudette on one side with Nea and Yui on the other sitting beside each other. They chatted as they waited patiently for Quentin to come over to take their order, the boy handing off the plates of food to his co-worker, and ex-girlfriend Nancy. They had ended off on good terms, Quentin finding out he was into Claudette. And Nancy was totally fine with that, considering she and Quentin had been friends since childhood.

When he did come over, he let his customer service facade drop, his smile still there but seeming just a little less fake. He leaned down to press a quick kiss against Claudette’s cheek, causing the girl to giggle quietly and her friends to coo at her, “Alright….I’m guessing you all want the usual? Tea for you babe, water for Laurie, Sprite for Meg, iced tea for Yui, and a coke for Nea?” he asked, earning nods and smiles from the five girls. He wrote it down and walked off quickly, not before giving a quick congratulations to Yui and Nea. He hadn’t had much time to see them running his diner. One that his friend Steve had said he should open and most of his friends had pressured him into it. It was one of the best decisions of his life if he was entirely honest.

━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━

They sat and chatted for an hour or so, eating the food that was paid for by Quentin, despite the objections of everyone at the table. But, the brunette was kind that way...even if he was a little more than annoyed when he saw the tip left for him by the five women. Since the day was over, Claudette was going to drive everyone home with Laurie’s car, and Quen would pick her up when he was done with work in a couple more hours.

Nea and Yui were the first to be dropped off since their house was the closest, the engaged couple giving hugs and promises of seeing them tomorrow bright and early to go to where their wedding ceremony was supposed to be held. And after the goodbye’s, waved as they watched their three friends drive off down the road.

Nea turned to her smaller fiance, a small smile on her face as she slipped her arms around the woman’s waist, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss against her forehead, “I ever tell you how much I love you?” she asked with a small tilt of her head, and Yui could only giggle at Nea’s antics.

“You say it all the time darling....but I guess there’s nothing wrong with hearing it again..” she told her as she leaned up, arms wrapping around her shoulders to kiss her properly, lips pressed firmly against Nea’s. If this is what she was getting for the rest of her life, well, then she got pretty damn lucky.

#nea karlsson #dbd ships #dbd #nea dbd #yui kimura #engaged #girls day #claudette morel #laurie strode #meg thomas #dead by daylight #writing #fanficton #oneshot

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alienjock · 5 years ago

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an extensive and thorough list of lgbt+ artists to support instead of buying corporation pride gear

so @beautysnake made a very good post about promoting lgbt+ people that are selling pride gear this year and the notes are a wealth of resources and ive taken it upon myself to provide a detailed, well documented masterpost of things made by and for the lgbt+ community.

i had three criteria while making this and i ask that you follow these outlines as well if you add to this post:

the artist is NOT sketchy/creepy (fetishization, “fujoshi”, and things similar to these things being available on the artists story automatically disqualifies them)

if multiple pride flags are being sold, there MUST be a lesbian flag included. not sapphic, not wlw, but LESBIAN. preferably community, but the original works too

this is the big one, and if you contribute to this list i BEG you to pay attention. lgbt+ people of color deserve to not only be represented and celebrated in our community, but to have their content equally promoted. merch that is made by poc/includes the philadelphia flag will be bolded.

now let’s begin! if ive missed anything, made a mistake, a link doesnt work, or someone nasty passed through the filter, shoot me a message and ill fix it!

lgbt poc pride patch by SunnySellsUSA - $9

pride flag stickers by vainwin - $3

holo pride knife stickers from lieswithin - $3

PRIDE KNIVES PRIDE KNIVES PRIDE KNIVES INCLUDES LIKE EIGHT DIFFERENT FLAGS

iron on pride stickers by CMGsCreativeStuf - $5

there’s a sale right now! i think the design is really nice!

spoopy queer art by grrrlspells - $2-20

PROBABLY MY FAVORITE I REALLY REALLY LIKE IT THERES PINS, STICKERS, PRINTS, A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING! I WANT THE QUEER VAMPIRE PIN! WE LOVE GOTH GAYS!!!

lets get this juice by rexio - $16-20

super cute juiceboxes AND space lgbt designs!!

subtle pride pins by thepinprick - $8-16

pride accessories specifically designed to be subtle but still very fashionable and full of self love! one of the few places ive seen selling pride lapels, lace locks, and cufflinks! i really really like that? i gotta show up to a wedding w/ trans cufflinks pls.

lgbt armory by foxlight studios - $3-15

a well known series of pride accessories that deserves a spot on this list! stickers, embroidered patches, and enamel pins all available here! im partial to the trident trans pin myself but i wanna buy the sword lesbian pin for my friends :3c

pride by ambiguousnothin - $16-32

cute, cartoony designs for tshirts and hoodies of snakes, slushies, and birds that say FUCK OFF!

pride kitties and others by catmintstudios - $3-12

stickers and pins of super adorable cats and dogs wearing pride flags! and lil acrylic keychains of gay birds ;o;

pokemon pride stickers by chunkytomato - $5

handmade personalized lgbtq jewelry by prideasylum - $14-18

the level of options and customization for these are INSANE theres SO MANY THINGS TO CHOOSE FROM and you can get your name on the necklaces! there are pronoun bracelets too! all on sale for pride month!

proud & perfect enamel pins by kerrincunningham - $15

lgbtq+ mythological pride stickers by kairyudee

ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!!!!!!!!! 18 DIFFERENT CREATURES!!! ALL GORGEOUS

pride swords by frostyfallon - $3-30

PRIDE SWORDS PRIDE SWORDS PRIDE SWORDS NO COPS AT PRIDE JUST OUR SWORD SHIRTS

pins by queencheetahdesigns - $7-9

all pride items are on sale this month! i need to show yall The Moth.

pride cone enamel pin by thegeekstudio - $9

absolutely gorgeous pins on my god

ALSO PKOJIUHGYTY GAYMER PIN.

I LOVE IT GOD I WISH I WAS ONE OF THOSE 5 PEOPLE OKKIOJUHYG

AND THATS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW! I SPENT A LONG TIME PUTTING THIS TOGETHER SO PLEASE SHARE, CONTRIBUTE, AND SUPPORT THE PEOPLE ON THIS LIST! HAPPY PRIDE!!!!!!!

#lgbt #pride month #pride merch #pride 2019 #lgbt merch #long post

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yelenasjacket · 4 years ago

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Jemily: Honeymoon

Ok. this is my first time writing anything to do with smut, so it’s not that great. The story itself isn’t that great tbh. I just felt like the wedding story needed a continuation. There was going to be more fluff, but it didn’t turn out how I wanted. But anyway it’s pretty long so here it is.

Unofficial tag list: @garcias-batcave @isaachasfun @the-light-from-your-eyes @heat-waveee @ssa-lesbian @waitingfortheendtocome @prentiss-dinozzo @thatacepoc @gabiagentcorp @criminalmindsgonewrong

The clear, bright Alaskan sky was a huge change from the overcast normal of Washington DC. Emily stared in awe out the window of the plane, it having been a while since she had been this far north. She felt a light squeeze on her left hand, and looked over to her wife. Her wife. She smiled to herself, loving the new title.

“Em, put your seatbelt on.” JJ nodded to the ‘fasten seatbelt’ light, which was shining brightly. After the flight attendant announced their descent, Emily’s ears popped with the sudden change in altitude. The trip through security and baggage claim was quick; not many people were traveling to Anchorage.

Upon the recommendation of the travel agency, they rented a truck with four wheel drive instead of a car. They’d explained that it could be a challenge to get to the cabins in the mountains. The drive was about an hour.

“Emily, look! A moose!” JJ’s excited voice from the passenger seat drew a smile out of Emily. And sure enough, a large cow moose jumped out of the brush into the road. JJ scrambled to get her phone, mumbling about how Henry is going to love seeing the animal. The cow stopped in the middle of the road. Confused, Emily looked around to see what could have caused her to stop. Two leggy calves teetered out after their mother. Emily smiled again.

“Jayje.” Emily whispered. The blonde looked up from her purse and gasped.

“Awww!” She crooned. “Look how cute.” She looked back into her purse. “I can’t find my phone.” She said, distraught.

“Here.” Emily handed her phone to her wife. They sat in a comfortable silence watching the wildlife. Eventually, the mother and her calves exited the road and went on their way to the woods.

“Henry is going to love that video.” JJ said happily. Emily smiled to herself at JJ’s motherly side. She loved how much her wife cared about her son. As they climbed further up the mountain, the sun sank lower in the sky. The sun had slipped over the horizon by the time they reached the cabin.

“Oh my gosh.” JJ said, breathless, when they walked up the porch. “This is beautiful.” And it was. The log cabin was two stories with large windows. The interior was very luxurious. A flatscreen tv sat above a large fireplace. A chandelier made of deer and elk antlers hung from the ceiling. The kitchen had a double fridge with a freezer. Next to it was a gas stove and a dishwasher. “This place is much too big for just the two of us.”

Emily shrugged. “I wanted it to be special.” She walked over to where JJ was standing and wrapped her arms around her wife’s waist, placing a kiss on the back of her head. JJ turned around and placed her hands on Em’s shoulders.

“We could’ve gone to a hotel in DC for all I care. Anywhere is special when I’m with you.” JJ leaned forward and brushed her lips against Emily’s, a tease. The brunette groaned playfully.

“JJ.” She whined. She twisted her fingers in the blonde’s hair in an attempt to pull her closer. JJ resisted and placed her index finger on Emily’s lips.

“Ah, ah, ah.” She tutted mischievously. “Pump the breaks. We haven’t even unpacked or had dinner yet.” JJ pulled away and grabbed her bags. Emily sighed, but followed suit. They separated clothes into drawers and put the toiletries into the bathroom. The fridge was stocked with the groceries they bought in town. JJ started fixing spaghetti and garlic bread as Emily explored the cabin.

“Oh my god! JJ, get down here!” Emily yelled from the basement. JJ inhaled sharply, wondering what in the world could be worth such a reaction. She turned the heat down on the stove and rushed to Emily.

“What is it?” She asked worriedly. All the worry vanished, however, when JJ saw the huge smile on Emily’s face.

“There’s a hot tub.” Emily whispered. JJ’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Look.” Emily pointed out the open door. A large square tub was nestled in the corner of the porch. JJ let out a shaky laugh, embarrassed by her unnecessary concern. “What?”

“I just forget how childish you can be sometimes.” JJ said with a chuckle. Emily laughed.

They talked and laughed while they ate. Emily listened intently while JJ told her about Henry’s newfound obsession with Spider-Man. They talked about everything and nothing in particular. When dinner was finished, they washed dishes together.

“So.” Emily started. “What are we going to do this week?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe go see the wildlife or go on some hiking trails. That sound good to you?”

“Perfect.”

~~~~~~~

The fire crackled warmly in the hearth, spreading heat through the room. JJ’s head lay in Emily’s lap as they watched Beauty and the Beast. Emily ran her fingers through the blonde’s hair while they sat in a comfortable silence. After the credits rolled, Emily stretched her arms over her head.

“Jayje.” She whispered. “I need to get up.” JJ groaned, but sat up.

“Where you going?” JJ asked. Emily grinned.

“Just to the bedroom.” She trilled mischievously as she skipped away. JJ smiled and folded the blanket. When Emily didn’t come back for five minutes, she went to see what was keeping her.

“Em, what’re you-?” JJ stopped cold at the sight of her wife, sprawled out on the bed wearing matching lingerie that she had no knowledge of her wife ever owning. JJ felt the heat rushing to her face and her center. “What’s all this?”

“This is our honeymoon, isn’t it?” Emily drawled, leaving the bed and going over to her wife, slowly running her hands up JJ’s back. “This week is supposed to be special, and I’m going to make it special.” Emily’s lips crashed against JJ’s. JJ was taken off guard, but only for a moment.

The kiss became passionate. Hungry, even; a mess of teeth and tongues. JJ pulled away.

“Bed.” She breathed. Emily didn’t have to be told twice. Without missing a beat, JJ pushed Emily onto her back, pinning her down with her hand. JJ placed her knee between Emily’s thighs, applying light pressure. Emily moaned quietly at the contact, longing for more.

“Jen.” She whispered. JJ bent down and placed her lips on Emily’s pulse point, sucking harshly. Becoming more aroused by the second, JJ sat up, straddling Emily’s hips. The brunette let out a frustrated whimper.

“Take that off.” JJ demanded, pointing at the lacy bra on Emily’s chest. She threw her own shirt over her head and slid off her shorts. Emily unclasped the garment and flung it across the room. In the blink of an eye, JJ was back down again, trailing kisses from Emily’s jaw to her chest. JJ took one nipple in her mouth while rolling the other between her fingers.

“J-Jen.” Emily moaned. JJ pressed her knee harder against Emily’s center, causing her to squirm. “Jen, please.” Emily begged.

“Please what?” JJ played dumb. She ran her fingers over Emily’s abs and hips, leaving a trail of goosebumps in her wake. “Use your words, babe.” Emily did nothing more than moan.

“Do you want me to fuck you, Em?” JJ drawled. Emily nodded, her bottom lip clasped firmly between her teeth. “Say it.”

“F-fuck me.” The brunette breathed. JJ released Emily’s nipple with a pop.

“Since you asked so nicely.” Her fingers slid down to Emily’s thighs, fingertips dancing around her slick entrance. JJ trailed kisses down Emily’s stomach before leaving marks on the insides of her thighs. Emily opened her mouth to complain, but before she could say anything, JJ’s mouth landed over Emily’s sensitive bundle of nerves. Emily gasped at the sensation, wrapping her hands in the blonde’s hair and pulling tightly. She sucked repeatedly, taking the hair pulling as encouragement. JJ slipped two fingers into Emily’s wet heat, curling them to make sure she hit every sweet spot. JJ worked a consistent rhythm, sucking Emily’s clit incessantly. JJ slipped in a third finger, and Emily all but screamed in praise.

“Jen...Jen...J-Jen! Fuck!” Emily’s hands flailed around, desperate for something to grab. She settled on the sheets as she hurdled over the cliff of ecstasy. JJ worked Emily with her fingers through her high before removing her fingers and bringing them to her lips and sucking Emily’s sweet juices from her fingertips.

“K-kiss me, Jen.” Emily begged, her breathing still uneven. JJ just smiled as she pulled herself over her wife’s body, placing a kiss on her throat before landing on her lips. Emily moaned into the kiss, tasting herself on JJ’s tongue. They shared kiss after kiss, until JJ broke away, flopping down on her back with a blissful sigh. After Emily’s heart rate slowed to normal, she looked at JJ with a coy grin.

“What?” The blonde asked with a chuckle.

“Your turn.” Normally, JJ would object to Emily’s offer to return the favor. But watching her wife unravel in front of her turned her on something fierce. JJ didn’t resist when Emily removed her soaking panties. Emily made quick work of JJ, making sure the blonde got where she needed to be and quickly. With one final scream of Emily’s name, JJ toppled over the edge. Emily extracted her fingers and offered them to JJ, who cleaned them off eagerly.

Exhausted, they curled up together under the blankets. A noise Emily didn’t quite recognize was coming from JJ. She soon figured it out to be light sobs.

“Jayje, what’s wrong?” Emily whispered. “Hey.” The blonde turned over to face Emily, her cheeks tear-streaked.

“I just….I’m just wondering how I got so damn lucky.” JJ choked out. Emily pulled her head against her chest, stroking the blonde’s hair gently.

“Are you kidding?” Emily laughed. “I’m the one who got lucky. I thank god every day that you came into my life. JJ, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” JJ sniffled and wiped her eyes.

“Tell me you love me.” She whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Jennifer Jareau, I am in love with you.” Emily said into her hair before placing a kiss to her temple. Emily held her wife close until they both fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

#mental health? non-exsistant #writing? shitty #hotel? trivago

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gayforheadphonesgirl · 5 years ago

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Falling Back Into You (Chapter 3)

(A/N): I’m back with Chapter 3 of this SingleMom! Alex imagine. I’ve been having writer’s block so it took a bit longer than expected. This is a pretty long ass chapter. Not proofread in any way. Hope you guys like it!

Being the best friend that she is, Kelley quickly made her way to Alex's house after their phone conversation about (Y/N).

Kelley had always seen the pair act differently around each other, even during their younger days in the USWNT.

So she wasn't entirely surprised that Alex was currently pacing around in her own living room while the former Utah Royal looked on amused.

"Maybe you're just really excited to see her after all these years?" Kelley offered, but not exactly believing herself.

She had always thought Alex and (Y/N) would've made a good couple in another life.

They were like, each other's 'one that got away' as far as Kelley was concerned.

"Maybe... but I'm worried about how warm and fuzzy I feel inside when I'm with her. Especially when she's interacting with Mia" Alex exclaimed, running her hands through her hair.

"She's nice, she always makes people feel warm and fuzzy" Kelley said, shrugging her shoulders.

But Alex still looked frantic. Kelley wondered if a person could be too old for gay panic, because it seems like Alex is having it right now.

"Besides, Al. So what if you have a crush on (Y/N)? I'm pretty sure she feels the same way" Kelley said.

Alex blushed furiously at the thought that her feelings might be reciprocated.

"Wh-what makes you say that?" Alex said, sitting down on her couch next to Kelley.

"She picked up your kid from school, she bought you food... twice! That's like the greatest love language of all: FOOD!" Kelley said. Alex manages a laugh at her friend's logic.

"She's like that for everybody" Alex said, not wanting to get any hopes of something more than friendship with (Y/N).

"No, Al. She's got a real soft spot for you and it seemed to trickle down to Mia, too" Kelley said, smiling knowingly at Alex.

"Did you know she played soccer with Mia today? She pretended she was a goal keeper... She was wearing oven mitts for goodness sake! Why did I find that adorable?" Alex said, once again exasperated at her newly surfaced feelings.

Kelley chuckled and placed her arm around Alex's shoulder and pulled her for a side hug.

"You, my friend, are having gay panic. Bi panic, specifically" Kelley said. Alex groaned.

"Really? In my 40s?" Alex said.

"Better late than never, I suppose" Kelley said before bursting into laughter.

"Shhh! Don't wake Mia up!" Alex said, moving to shush Kelley with her hand.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry" Kelley said, stifling her laughter.

"So, are you nervous for Friday?" Kelley asked, leaning back on the couch.

"Very. Plus... I may have invited her over for dinner next week" Alex said, almost whispering the last part.

"You what? Oop. Already planning date night, are we?" Kelley teased. Alex once again blushed madly.

"I-it's not a date. It's just a thank you to her for picking up Mia today" Alex said, covering her reddening face.

"Alright, Al. If you say so" Kelley said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Alex groaned.

"I'm too old for this" Alex said. Kelley laughs and straightens up.

"Well, Al... It's pretty late. I gotta get back to Cassie or I'm sleeping on the couch tonight" Kelley said, moving to stand up. Alex looks at her friend and nods.

"Thanks for coming over. I just... I'm not really used to this feelings thing anymore" Alex admitted. Kelley smiled and gives her a slight push to the head.

"I'm glad for you Al. This will turn out better than you expect, I promise" Kelley said reassuringly. Alex doesn't exactly believe her but hums in agreement anyway.

"Thanks Kell. See you Friday. Bring the whole gang, will you?" Alex said.

"Sure you won't want (Y/N) all to yourself?" Kelley teased as she walked towards the door. Alex throws a pillow in her direction but the former Utah Royal quickly dodged it and stuck her tongue out.

"Goodnight, Kell. Drive safe" Alex said, smiling. Kelley waves before heading out the door.

For the first time today, Alex is left alone with her thoughts and feelings.

She lets herself fall into the couch and sigh.

She was pretty fucked.

---

Friday came too soon for Alex's comfort. She had mixed feelings about today, she was beyond excited, don't get her wrong.

It's just that she was also incredibly nervous about seeing (Y/N) with her realization that she may have feelings for her former teammate.

Her phone dinged with a text from (Y/N).

Hey, what time does Mia get out of school? I promised I'd hang out with her before we all go out for drinks tonight.

Alex couldn't help the smile that graces her features.

We'll be at home at 4pm. Alex typed out her reply.

(Y/N)'s answer was almost immediate.

Great. I'll drop by then. See you later, Al.

The sound of her university soccer players entering the pitch pulled her from her thoughts.

Right, she had work to do. She pushes the thoughts of tonight at the back of her head and started on her day.

---

Meanwhile, (Y/N) was mulling over what to wear in her loft. She wanted to make a good impression, not just on Alex but on all her other friends.

Her watch read 2:30pm. She had about an hour before she needed to leave.

She stared at the pile of clothes she had laid down on her bed. A button up and a jacket would be too formal, but a shirt would be too casual.

She settled for a navy blue mandarin collar button up and black slacks. Just sleek enough to pass off as someone who had their shit together.

Being the basic lesbian that she is, she didn't take long in getting ready and had about 15 minutes to spare.

But a light bulb lit up in her head. Grabbing her wallet and keys, (Y/N) dashed down to her car and pulled out of her driveway.

In record time, (Y/N) found herself in front of her favorite flower store: Freda's floral emporium.

Stepping out of her car, (Y/N) entered the store. She was greeted by the store's owner.

"Why, it's good to see you (Y/N)!" Freda greeted. (Y/N) smiled and headed on over to her.

"Good to see you too, Freda" (Y/N) said, pulling the elderly woman for a hug.

"It's too early for mother's day, isn't it? And it isn't Gloria or Ariel's birthday" Freda said, commenting that (Y/N) only usually came on those occasions.

"Well, it's not for family this time, Freda" (Y/N) said shyly, scratching the back of her neck.

Freda's eyes light up and she almost jumps for joy.

"Oooh! Is it for a special girl?" Freda said, already leaving her post in the counter to help (Y/N) look for the perfect bouquet.

"Sorta, yeah... Damn, Freda. This seems like I'm back in high school again" (Y/N) said, chuckling at how young and aloof she feels at buying a girl she likes flowers.

"Never too late to find love, I tell ya!" Freda said, already picking out her best flowers for her favorite customer.

"She's just a friend though, I doubt she feels the same way" (Y/N) said. Freda abruptly stops what she's doing and stares at (Y/N).

"Oh I think she'll change her mind with these flowers I'm making. Besides, who wouldn't want a piece of you!" Freda retorts. (Y/N) blushes and playfully nudges the older woman.

"What? It's true! Oh if I only had a daughter, I would've set her up with you a long time ago" Freda said, arranging her newly picked flowers for (Y/N).

"You flatter me, Freda" (Y/N) said, laughing at the woman's antics.

"There! Perfect. Any woman would fawn over this!" Freda said, handing (Y/N) a beautiful bouquet with roses and a single sunflower in the middle.

"Wow, this is amazing Freda" (Y/N) said, inspecting the flowers. She gives it a sniff and almost sneezes.

Bad idea, she thought.

"All in a day's work" Freda said smugly. But (Y/N) had one more request.

"Oh Freda, can I get a bouquet of daisies? For her kid?" (Y/N) said, wanting to surprise Mia as well.

If Freda was a bit taken aback at (Y/N)'s love interest having a kid, she did a good job of showing it.

"Ah, don't worry. Freda has got you covered!" She said, scurrying again to pick out daisies.

"Thanks, Freda. You're the best" (Y/N) calls after her, still looking at the bouquet in her hand.

She hoped Alex would like it.

In no time, Freda walks back to the counter with a small daisy bouquet in hand.

"I know I'm the best" Freda said, smiling proudly at (Y/N).

"How much for the two bouquets, Freda?" (Y/N) asked, setting Alex's flowers down to pull out her wallet.

Thumbing through her bills, she pulls out a 50 bill.

"Just 30, the daisies are on the house" Freda said. (Y/N) looks scandalized at the thought of not paying everything she owed.

"I refuse to let you go bankrupt, Freda!" (Y/N) said, pushing the 50 bill.

"I won't. Just promise me you'll get me as the flower supplier for your wedding!" Freda said, handing (Y/N) back a 20.

(Y/N) flushes but takes the change.

"I'll let you know, Freda" (Y/N) said, chuckling. She picks up both bouquets and walks out of the store.

"Thank you, Freda!" (Y/N) calls out.

"You're welcome, kiddo! Get her!" Freda said. (Y/N) smiles and heads on over to her car.

It's already a little bit past four when (Y/N) finds herself at the Morgans' doorstep.

She takes a deep breathe, and knocks on the door with both bouquets in hand.

"Just a minute" Alex called from the other side. (Y/N) shifts in her place, a bit nervous.

Alex opens the door with a smile so bright (Y/N) thought she was going to pass out.

"Hey" Alex said.

"Hey yourself" (Y/N) replied. They momentarily just stare into each other before (Y/N) gets back to her senses.

"I-uh, these are for you!" (Y/N) said, putting the bouquet forward. She doesn't miss the bright red blush that graces Alex's features.

"Wow... this looks amazing (Y/N)" Alex said, taking the bouquet.

"And these, are for Mia" (Y/N) said, showing the simple daisy bouquet. Alex smiles even wider at (Y/N).

Why does she have to be so thoughtful? Is this romantic? Is she trying to be romantic? A flurry of thoughts racing in Alex's head.

"You're so sweet" Alex said. She turns a bit to call for her daughter who was in the living room.

"Mia! Auntie (Y/N) has something for you!" Alex said. Mia quickly jumped up and ran over to the front door.

"For you, m'lady" (Y/N) said, crouching down to Mia's height. The girl takes one look at the flowers and squeals.

Mia takes the flowers and envelopes (Y/N) in a hug.

"Thank you Auntie! They're amazing!" Mia said, running inside to put it in a vase.

"Please be careful with the vases, baby girl. Do not hurt yourself" Alex called after her. She looked back at (Y/N) and invited her in.

"If you keep on giving her stuff, she's gonna be expecting it every time" Alex said, smiling at (Y/N).

"Then I'll do it every time" (Y/N) said grinning back at Alex. Alex felt the blood rush to her face and she hides behind the bouquet.

"I'm... gonna go put this in water. You can join Mia in the living room!" Alex said, before hurrying away from (Y/N).

(Y/N) looked weirdly in the direction where Alex had bolted but shrugged her shoulders.

Alex rushed into the kitchen and got one of the vases kept in the cupboards. She takes a moment to control her heart before putting the bouquet in water.

She places the vase next to Mia's and shoots Kelley a text.

She brought me and Mia flowers, FREAKING FLOWERS KELLEY!

Kelley, who was already on standby next to her phone since Alex had said (Y/N) was already on her way to them was able to see it immediately.

The former Utah Royal lets out an honest to God 'Awwww' while on her way to the bar they'll be meeting at.

She quickly types out her reply.

Ohhhh girl, she's definitely into you!

Kelley's reply does nothing to quell the blush on Alex's face. She groaned and rubbed her hands on her face.

"Okay, Alex. You can handle this. It's just a crush" Alex said to herself quietly.

She was three-time world cup champion, she can definitely survive having feelings for her friend.

Right? Right.

When she walks back in the living room, (Y/N) and Mia are deeply immersed in first-grade math homework, sitting on the carpeted floor.

Mia was chewing on her bottom lip and looking intently at her textbook.

"How about this Auntie, what do I gotta do?" Mia said, (Y/N) looks over to where she's pointing and proceeds to try and teach the girl what she needed to do.

Alex looks affectionately at the pair and silently walks to take a seat in the couch.

(Y/N) looks up at Alex and grins.

"Gays can't do math" (Y/N) mouths. Alex couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.

She pulls out her phone and snapped a photo of the scene before her. She contemplated putting it on social media, but thought better to ask (Y/N) first later.

(Y/N) continued to help Mia with her homework with Alex simply watching them.

She was mesmerized at how natural it looked to see (Y/N) with Mia. Maybe it was her crush talking, she didn't know.

"Mom look! I finished my homework so quick!" Mia said, lifting her textbook for Alex to see.

"That's great, baby. I'm proud of you" Alex said, walking over to sit on Mia's other side.

Anybody could've taken a look at the three of them all huddled up and think that they were a happy family.

"Can we watch soccer now?" Mia said, looking up pleadingly at her mother. Alex smiled and reached for the remote.

She flipped the television to ESPN just in time for an NWSL game. With Mia engrossed in the action, Alex took the opportunity to talk to (Y/N) quietly.

"Look at you and Mia" Alex said, showing (Y/N) the photo she took. (Y/N) turned and beamed at the photo.

"Wow that looks really nice. I love it" (Y/N) said, she takes Alex's hand to pull the phone closer to her.

They both ignore the electricity that they felt when their hands touched.

"Will it be alright if I post it on Instagram?" Alex said. (Y/N) lets go of her hand and she misses the contact immediately.

"Sure, why not" (Y/N) said, smiling. Alex draws back her phone and opens up social media.

"What's your handle? Do you even have Instagram still?" Alex said, already typing out the post.

"Yeah. I'm not a grandma. I just don't use it a lot" (Y/N) said with a laugh.

"Is your handle the same?" Alex said. (Y/N) nods.

Not long after Alex posted the photo, (Y/N)'s phone started ringing with notifications.

"Her new favorite Auntie" Alex's post read.

"I love my new title" (Y/N) said, chuckling. She spotted a comment from Kelley and Allie.

K: Hey no. She cannot dethrone me that fast! A: Well, I'm pretty useless when it comes to homework so she can have that part of the job.

"Oh I forgot to ask, who among the girls are going to make it tonight?" (Y/N) said, scrolling through the comments.

She noticed a few fans commenting about their 'ship' coming alive after all these years.

There isn't a ship when it's unrequited, she thought.

"Kelley, Allie, Krashlyn and Preath all said they would come!" Alex said.

"Nice" (Y/N) said, her excitement of seeing her old teammates bubbling inside of her.

"Some of the younger ones are still busy with the NWSL season so they couldn't make it" Alex said.

"I totally get that" (Y/N) said. The pair was a little bit startled when someone knocked on the door.

Alex looked over her shoulder and stood up.

"Must be the babysitter" Alex said. (Y/N) nods and puts her arm around Mia who was starting to doze off after the game finished.

Alex walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hey, Greta. Thanks for coming " Alex greeted her usual baby sitter. The teen smiled and walked inside.

"Hey, Alex. No problem. Anything for sweet little Mia" Greta said. The pair walked into (Y/N) carrying Mia who was already fast asleep to lie on the couch.

(Y/N) looked at them and put a finger to her mouth to signal them to be quiet.

Alex swore she had never seen anything more adorable. She quietly made her way to Alex and Greta.

"Out like a light. Must've been the math" (Y/N) said, chuckling.

"(Y/N), this is Greta. The best baby sitter in town" Alex said, motioning to the teenage girl next to her.

"Hey Greta. I'm (Y/N)" (Y/N) said, offering her hand to Greta. But the teen just gaped.

"... (Y/N)? As in (Y/N) (L/N), USWNT legend?" Greta said. Alex laughed and linked their arms.

"The one and only" Alex said proudly.

Greta couldn't believe her luck. The number of football players she had met because of her babysitting job with Alex Morgan.

She almost thought it was a scam when a craigslist ad for a babysitter was listed under the soccer star.

(Y/N) laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. Alex looked knowingly at Greta.

"Why don't you take a photo with her?" Alex said, nudging (Y/N).

"Would that be okay?" Greta said hopefully. (Y/N) nodded and smiled.

"Sure. It's kinda funny how you know me" (Y/N) said, moving to her side. Greta gave Alex her phone and squealed.

"You're like one of the greatest of all time" Greta said happily. (Y/N) blushed and swung her arm over the teen's shoulder.

"Thank you, but I'm not" (Y/N) said, chuckling. Alex snapped the photo and handed Greta back her phone.

"She's humble like that" Alex said, grinning at (Y/N).

Greta thanked (Y/N) for the photo and proceeded to look after the sleeping Mia.

"I'll go get ready" Alex said, motioning she'll be going upstairs for a bit. (Y/N) nods and lounges around in the kitchen.

She's busy scrolling through her phone when Alex emerges from the top of the stairs. As if by instinct, (Y/N) looks up and her breath is caught in her throat.

Alex looked stunning in a striped dress that hugged her curves just right (A/N: Just imagine her wearing the dress she has on in her vogue shoot on Instagram. I don't know how to describe it lmao).

"I feel like I should've dressed up more" (Y/N) said, still gawking at the former Orlando forward as she went down the stairs.

"Please. You don't look so bad yourself" Alex said, and with a surge of courage threw a wink at (Y/N)'s direction.

(Y/N) blushed at the comment and followed Alex like a lost puppy as she gave Greta a few more reminders before they went on their way.

"Dinner's in the fridge. Her vitamins are in the usual cupboard and bedtime is at 9:30pm please" Alex said. Greta nodded her head. Mia was still out like a light on the couch.

(Y/N)'s heart warmed as Alex bent down to kiss her daughter goodbye.

"I got us a Lyft so nobody has to be the designated driver" (Y/N) said, grinning at Alex as they made their way outside.

"Smart. What about your car though?" Alex said. (Y/N) shrugged.

"I'll bring it home once I've sobered up enough. Would you mind if I leave it here?" (Y/N) said. Alex's mind raced at the possibilities of (Y/N) having to come by her house after drinks.

"Not at all" Alex said. (Y/N) beamed and offered her arm, Alex smiled and accepted, linking them together.

It didn't take long for the Lyft to arrive and they were off to the bar.

Both women were buzzing with excitement at the thought of reuniting with their friends.

"I wonder if Kelley can still hold her alcohol like she did when we won the World Cup back in 2019" (Y/N) thought aloud. Alex snorted.

"Oh she definitely still can. She's a 21-year-old frat boy stuck in a 40-something's body" Alex said. (Y/N) laughed.

"God I can't wait to see them. I feel bad for not really staying in touch with you guys all these years" (Y/N) said sadly, looking down at her hands.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Life happens. You're here now right?" Alex said, taking (Y/N)'s hand and squeezing it.

(Y/N) offered her a smile and felt infinitely better. They spent the rest of the ride still holding hands.

Neither of them acknowledged the other's disinterest to let go.

The only time (Y/N) finally lets go of Alex's hand is when she has to pay the driver once they arrived.

They thanked the Lyft and went inside the bar. Kelley had immediately spotted them and began waving wildly from her seat.

"Alex! (Y/N)!" Kelley said loudly. The pair whipped their heads in her direction and laughed at the woman.

Still the same Kelley after all these years, (Y/N) thought. They approached Kelley with wide smiles.

Once they were close enough, Kelley attacked (Y/N) with a bear hug.

"How long has it been (Y/N)!!!!" Kelley said, squeezing the living life out of (Y/N).

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her two friends.

"Nice to see you too, Kell. Now let me go before I pass out" (Y/N) said, chuckling.

"Oop, sorry" Kelley said with a cheesy grin. They take their seats while waiting for the rest of the gang to show up.

They had talked about (Y/N) being intrigued with Mia during her camp that eventually led to her reconnecting with Alex and the rest of the team.

Kelley nodded along like Alex hadn't already gushed about it to her.

It took about 15 minutes before the rest of the gang showed up, Allie had arrived with Preath while Krashlyn came as a couple.

"Still the third wheel, I see?" (Y/N) said to Allie with a smirk. Allie rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, (Y/L/N)" Allie replied. (Y/N) laughed.

The group of friends easily fell into conversation once they were settled down with drinks.

As per usual, Ashlyn was the one documenting the whole thing and posting it on her Instagram stories.

"When I heard about the social work you were doing, I checked it out on the internet. It seems amazing" Christen told (Y/N) with the whole gang nodding their heads in a approval.

"Thank you. That means a lot, from a CEO like you" (Y/N) said with a smile, talking about their successful re-inc company.

"We really missed you, man" Tobin said. She was one of (Y/N)'s closest friends on the team, if not the closest.

"I know. I'm sorry I haven't been able to keep in touch" (Y/N) said shyly. She really felt bad.

Alex reached out for her hand under the table and squeezed again. (Y/N) glanced at her and smiled for the comfort.

"It's fine. We barely realized you weren't there" Ali said jokingly.

"Yeah... who is she? I don't know her" Ashlyn said. The mood lightened with Krashlyn's antics.

"Alright, enough with that emotional shit. It's time for Never Have I Ever!" Kelley said, raising her shot glass filled with tequila.

"Still the college frat boy, are we Kelley?" (Y/N) said, laughing.

"Of course. That's like my brand" Kelley said.

The game started out pretty simple, with most relating to soccer practice when they were still in the USWNT.

Everyone on the table was surprised when Christen took a shot after the Never Have I Ever faked being sick to skip practice.

"What? I'm human too" Christen said defensively. Kelley, Ashlyn and Allie gave her approving looks.

"Let's make this interesting and because I want Preath and Krashlyn to take more shots" Allie said. Clearing her throat.

"Never Have I Ever fallen in love with a teammate" Allie said. She narrowed her eyes at the two couples as they groaned and took shots.

Alex wondered if she should take a shot. Was she in love? It was just a crush right?

But what was surprising to everyone was when (Y/N) slowly took her shot glass and downed it in one go.

"Oh my God?" Allie said, looking at (Y/N) at disbelief. Alex felt a feeling of giddyness and jealousy bubble up inside of her at the same time.

Who did (Y/N) have feelings for? But at the back of her mind, she was really hoping it was her.

"What?" (Y/N) said, a blush creeping up on her face. Alex was also looking at her. She couldn't tell what the other woman was thinking.

Could she see right through me? (Y/N) thought.

"Spill" Ashlyn said. Allie and Ali (lol) nodded in approval.

Tobin and Christen glanced at (Y/N) worriedly, obviously knowing who it was.

"Nope" (Y/N) said, taking another shot.

"No fun!" Allie said, pouting at the other woman.

"Maybe next time" (Y/N) said, risking a glance at Alex's direction. She was playing with her shot glass, seemingly deep in thought.

The game continued on for about 15 minutes more before they grew tired and simply settled on sharing stories.

(Y/N) felt happy that her friends were still all so successful. She missed them so much and really meant it when she said there would be a 'next time'.

Before long, it was deep into the night. With kids waiting on them at home, Krashlyn and Preath excused themselves.

"See ya. Everybody just get a Lyft or an Uber please. Stay safe" Allie told the two couples.

They nodded before saying their goodbyes and heading out.

"Hey. Until what time can Greta watch Mia?" (Y/N) asked the more than tipsy Alex next to her.

The forward was feeling a bit woozy, already leaning her head on (Y/N)'s shoulder.

"She can watch her until 10pm I think" Alex said. (Y/N) looked at her watch and it was already past nine.

"It's past nine. Do you want to head back already?" (Y/N) said. Alex checks her phone and nods lazily.

"Alright. I'll get us a Lyft. I still gotta get my car at your place" (Y/N) said. Alex hummed in approval.

She sends a weak glare at Kelley and Allie's way when they wiggle their eyebrows at her while (Y/N) was busy with her phone.

After a few minutes, their Lyft driver had arrived and (Y/N) helped Alex get up.

"It was really nice getting to catch up guys. Let's do this again soon" (Y/N) said, looking at Allie and Kelley.

"Definitely" Allie said. (Y/N) smiled before assisting Alex out.

Alex spared a look at Allie and Kelley before they headed out the door. Her two friends winked at her and gave her a thumbs up.

She laughed and flipped them off. The Lyft ride home was filled with comfortable silence, both of them buzzed enough to just enjoy each other's company.

When they finally arrived, (Y/N) walked with Alex inside. They find Greta waiting in the living room.

"Hey. Mia's already asleep upstairs" Greta said, standing up and gathering her things.

"Thanks, Greta. Sorry we were out a bit late" Alex said, looking apologetically at the teen.

She shrugged and smiled.

"Mia's an angel, it's no problem" Greta said. Alex handed her the payment and she headed out.

"Are you sure you're sober enough to drive?" Alex said, turning her attention to (Y/N).

"I guess so" (Y/N) said. She wasn't drunk, but she definitely wasn't completely sober. Alex scrunched up her brows.

"That's not good enough. Why don't you stay the night?" Alex offered without thinking. They both blushed at the prospect.

"I-i mean, if you want" Alex said. (Y/N) smiled.

"I'd love to" (Y/N) answered. Alex grinned.

"Great. I'll just check on Mia. You can freshen up in the bathroom in my room" Alex said. (Y/N) nodded.

(Y/N) headed to her car to get a spare set of clothes she always kept there for emergencies.

She mentally thanked herself for doing that because she would definitely not look good in Alex's clothes.

Maybe the other way around would work, she thought. The image of Alex wearing her clothes entered her mind and she blushed.

"Great now that's stuck in my head" (Y/N) grumbled to herself.

She went back inside and stopped in her tracks when she realized she didn't know where Alex's room was.

She sighed and pulled out her phone. She really couldn't call out for Alex if Mia was already asleep.

Ok I just realized I don't know which one is your room. (Y/N) typed. She pressed send and waited for a bit before Alex's reply came.

Oh shit yeah, sorry. Second door to the left upstairs. Alex's text read.

(Y/N) made her way up and walked to Alex's room. But the sight of Alex and Mia caught her eye in the room before Alex's.

Mia was fast asleep, hugging a soccer ball plushie with Alex stroking her hair.

(Y/N) smiled to herself and proceeded to enter Alex's room. She helped herself to the bathroom and freshened up.

She was just about finishing up when she heard the door open and close, meaning that Alex was probably already in the room.

(Y/N) walked out with her worn out Portland Thorns jersey and shorts. Alex chuckled at her wardrobe choice.

"What? It was the only thing I had in the car" (Y/N) said defensively. Alex laughed and approached her.

"I think it's cute. It still suits you" Alex said, looking up at (Y/N). The latter swore she could get lost in those blue eyes forever.

"Why thank you" (Y/N) managed with a smile. Alex smiles back and proceeds to side step her way into the bathroom.

"My turn" Alex said, closing the door on (Y/N).

Having nothing to do while waiting for Alex, (Y/N) looked around the room. She noticed Alex's soccer trophies on full display on a shelf next to her study table.

She also took a peek at the framed photos on the wall. Their World Cup victories, including the 2023 one that (Y/N) wasn't a part of, club pictures from Orlando, a few photos of her and Mia.

(Y/N) smiled, looking at Alex's face on the photographs. She swore that smile could light up a whole room.

(Y/N) is brought out of her thoughts when Alex walks out of the bath. (Y/N) looks up at almost passes out then and there.

The former Orlando star is wearing nothing but a tank top and short shorts and she really doesn't want to stare so she avoids looking at Alex in general.

"I-uh, I'm going to head down Al. Good night!" (Y/N) stuttered out, making a beeline for the door.

But Alex grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop.

"Why?" Alex said, her eyes a bit glassy still because of the alcohol.

"So I could sleep in the couch?" (Y/N) said, almost as a question.

"You could sleep here with me. I mean, the bed's big enough for the both of us" Alex said. (Y/N) was putty in her hands, especially with the tinge of hope she could hear in Alex's request.

"Are you sure, Al? I wouldn't want to intrude on your personal space" (Y/N) said. But Alex is already dragging her to the bed.

"You won't. I promise" Alex said. (Y/N) can feel her heart pounding when they get settled.

She tries to focus on her breathing, it was just Alex. Friends do this all the time right? Right.

"Will you cuddle me?" Alex said. Even in the darkness of the room (Y/N) could see the sparkle in Alex's eyes.

She couldn't really say no to that.

"Okay" (Y/N) said, wrapping her arms around Alex. The latter buries herself in the other woman's arm. Feeling warm at the contact.

"Goodnight, (Y/N)" Alex said, smiling contentedly. If it was the alcohol or (Y/N)'s embrace, she didn't know but she felt the most calm she's ever been in years.

"Goodnight, Al" (Y/N) said, still trying to keep her pounding heart at bay.

To be continued.

#uswnt #uswnt imagines #alex morgan #alex morgan imagines #singlemom!alex #falling back into you

193 notes · View notes

telli1206 · 5 years ago

Text

The Wedding Date

Snow White is getting married. Let the week-long festivities begin! Evie can’t wait to celebrate her sister’s upcoming nuptials. There’s only one little problem: she’s supposed to bring a date, and she hasn’t told her mom yet that she’s a lesbian (ok, she’s afraid to tell her)! She’ll be damned if she lets Snow’s wedding be the moment that her mom finds out her secret and ruins Snow’s special day. So to avoid the issue, Evie convinces Jay to join her and pose as her date/boyfriend to keep her mom off her back. That should be easy enough to fake for a week, right?

Also posted to AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/23281867

Chapter 1 - The Arrival

—--

“I swear Evie, if you play one more gushy love ballad sappy mush song I’m going to stop right here and drop kick you out of the car!”

Evie giggles and reaches to turn down the radio. After four hours cooped up together in a car, it’s clear tensions are getting high.

“Relax Jay. Are you really getting your panties in a bunch over some love songs? We’re heading to a wedding, I’m just trying to get in the mood. You’re such a killjoy, honestly.”

“In…the mood? I love you, doll, but you know we’re not the ones getting married, right? I mean, you’re cute and all, but I’m just not ready to settle down yet.” Jay can’t help but chuckle at his own masterful sense of humor.

Evie sighs and rolls her eyes at Jay, and he takes it as a victory. He knows she tries to push down their flirty banter like she doesn’t think it’s funny, but she secretly loves it.

“You know you’re lucky you’re cute, right? I think you use that smile and your big strong muscles to distract from your obvious lack of charm.” Evie’s smile right now must be as wide as the berth she thinks she has to taunt Jay.

“Ouch, Eves. You wound me.”

He grabs his gut like he’s been punched but is still being cautious to keep his other hand on the wheel.

Quiet breathy laughs eventually die down into a comfortable silence. Looking over at her friend, Evie smiles to herself. His hair is pulled back into a neat bun, and he looks much more presentable than usual in the black skinny jeans, fitted white button down, and open black herringbone vest that she had picked out for him to wear. He looks downright dashing.

The less than presentable Jay that she first met pops into her head, the one that lived in sweatpants, always with a tangled mess of untamed long, dark hair that would constantly sweep into his face and eyes.

The first time he approached her at college orientation almost three years ago he had tried his best tactics to make her swoon, dropping obvious pickup lines that Evie found both annoying and eye roll inducing, his hair continuously tipping into his face as he tried to be smooth. The memories of awkward flirty Jay cause a tiny chuckle to bubble up into her throat.

“What’s so funny Princess? Would you mind letting me in on the joke?” Jay says, giving her a sideways glance.

Jerking her out of those thoughts gives her an idea. Jay’s not going to like this, but she really can’t resist.

“Jay, do you remember the pickup line you used on me the first time we met?”

Jay shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “What the hell made you even think of that? You know that’s NOT my proudest moment,” he groans, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

Evie lets out a little giggle. She’s trying her hardest to not start laughing, but damned if Jay’s flirting fails aren’t her favorite form of entertainment.

“C’mon. What did you say I was?” Her smile twists as tears start to well up in her eyes. Her face is getting red from holding back.

Jay sighs. “A magnet.”

“Oh yes, a magnet,” Evie snickers lightly. “Because you were…attracted to me?”

That’s enough to send Evie into a fit of laughter, her chest already heaving from holding her breath. She wipes away some tears with the back of her hand, careful to be precise so as not to ruin her makeup.

“Ok, ok, I know. I never used that line again did I? And my flirting has gotten better, you have to admit. I haven’t heard any complaints since,” he says with a quirk of his brows.

Evie groans playfully, giving Jay’s thigh a loving pat.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. I got the best friend out of it, didn’t I?” She grins warmly at him. “It was worth any cheesy pickup line you wanted to throw my way.”

Jay smiles at her, nodding his head in agreement. “Despite what I thought at the time, I’m glad we ended up as friends too,” he chuckled.

Evie lets the laughter die down again before she speaks, her tone a little more serious. “You know I owe you big for doing this, right?” Jay looks at her, surprised, and shakes his head vigorously. “You’re really saving me here.”

“You owe me? For what? A week of fun, no school, and loads of free food? With the wedding bash of the year to top it all off? I should be thanking you Eves. This is totally going to beat crashing in my cramped apartment our entire Spring break.”

“Thanks, but all that’s hardly worth the price of helping me lie to my mom, if you ask me,” Evie mutters, almost under her breath.

“Oh, please,” Jay says. He puts a hand on her shoulder and rubs it reassuringly, “It’s not your fault your mom is obsessed with this ‘finding you the perfect prince’ idea. I just wish you didn’t feel like you needed to hide the truth from her. She should be happy for you. Want you to be happy. She’s your mom, it should be as simple as that.”

“It never is with Grimhilde,” Evie sighs. “And anyway, Snow’s wedding is not the time or place to confront her with the reality of her having a daughter that’s looking for her ‘perfect princess’ instead of a prince. Let’s just…make our relationship story convincing enough to get through the week and I can deal with this again at a more…appropriate time.”

“Sure thing. Any idea when that will be?” Jay glances at Evie’s expression out of the corner of his eye. Even through his joking, she can hear the faint hopefulness in his tone.

She just sighs loudly. “Can we just worry about our story for now?” Jay concedes, but still airs his frustration with a single loud huff.

“Ok then,” Evie nods. “So, my mom knows how we met, but how did we start dating?”

“Let’s say…I charged the bleachers after we won a game, and I asked you out in front of the whole crowd. Does that sound good? That way I look romantic and heroic and sexy,” Jay smirks, waggling his eyebrows for emphasis.

“Fine.” Evie puffs. “I have no idea how that makes you look sexy, but I guess I can work with it. Then…that had to happen about 11 months-ish ago? Give or take. Close to a year. I’m pretty sure that lines up with the last time you came home with me and my mom saw you.”

“It’s been that long since I’ve come home with you for the weekend?” Jay hints with surprise. “I would think your mom would want to see me more. I thought I really won her over.” Jay can’t help waggling his eyebrows teasingly.

Evie looks up at Jay through her thick lashes, an obvious smirk painted across her perfect red lips.

“You know she adores you. She never stops asking why I’m not with you yet. I couldn’t bring you with me for a while because…I just, I really didn’t want to remind her that you even exist. If she saw you she’d just keep nagging me about you and giving me tips to win you over.”

Jay can’t hide his shit-eating grin. It’s just so unbelievably satisfying when he has that kind of effect on people, even if it’s just Grimhilde.

“Well we’ll give her a show that will just make her day. Actually, her week. Her precious little Evie on the arm of a handsome college football jock. What could be better than that?”

If Jay’s smile got any wider, Evie fears it might just freeze that way.

“Well, if you’re asking me, I could think of a couple of things,” she giggles. “But my mom will be SO happy, and that will keep her off my back. So for that, I can’t thank you enough. Seriously, Jay. Thank you. You’re the best.”

She reaches for the hand in his lap and gives it a squeeze, smiling when she feels Jay’s hand tighten around hers. He smiles back but keeps his eyes forward as he turns the car down a long driveway.

“Of course, Princess. When will you get that I’d do anything for you? Forget about your mom. It’s going to be fine. She’ll be happy, and we’ll have a blast this week. Let’s just chill and enjoy it.”

A bright orange sunset distracts them both as it breaks through the trees lining the road. The driveway starts to open wider, revealing a massive castle, tinted pink and yellow through the sky’s array of colors. Beautiful floral arches decorated in delicate pinks and blues line the front of the courtyard, with groups of wedding guests filing in through them. The twinkle of hanging lights drips overhead, bathing the front of the castle in a luminous glow.

“How…gorgeous.” Evie breathes.

Jay nods in agreement and smiles. “Showtime.”

_____

“Shall we?” Jay walked around to Evie as she gets out of the car and extends his arm to her.

Evie stands up and tries to smooth any wrinkles out of her dress. The royal blue and white lace halter she designed especially for today couldn’t have come out better in her opinion. It fits like a dream, and the material seems to hold up well even after sitting in a car for hours. She smiles, happy enough with her appearance, and hooks her arm under Jay’s. “Thank you.” She says with a wide grin. “Such a gentleman.”

They walk arm in arm up to the courtyard. looking up in awe as they pass under the floral arch. Evie can see elegant rounded bar tables set up around the courtyard, draped in silky ivory tablecloths and adorned with bowls of floating lilies. Servers with trays are passing out champagne as guests chat and giggle amongst themselves, their bubbly drinks in hand.

Evie slows her wandering gaze when she spots Snow, standing front and center in the courtyard. She looks radiant in a baby blue sundress and pale-yellow pumps. Her hair is tied back neatly in a red ribbon that perfectly complements the faint red stain coloring her lips. She smiles brightly as she greets each guest, extending one hand for shaking while keeping the other intertwined with the handsome man at her side. He’s dressed impeccably in khakis and a pale-yellow blazer. His shining blue eyes and neatly waved brown hair are familiar to Evie. It takes her a moment, but then she realizes just how much her former high school classmate Chad Charming resembles his older brother.

To Snow’s left is someone Evie knows all too well.

There’s no denying Grimhilde’s beauty. Despite a few wrinkles and clear frown lines that mar her creamy complexion, the high cheekbones, bright, dark eyes, and slender frame of her youth are still evident, allowing her to age gracefully into a very handsome woman. The elegant navy sheath dress she’s wearing only helps to enhance her pretty features.

If only she could just smile a little more, Evie thinks. Her lips are almost always pursed into a thin, tight line. Not a frown, but something no one would mistake for a smile. Her expression is mostly neutral, maybe with a faint hint of boredom, as she nods to each guest that approaches Snow and Christian.

Snow turns in her direction, and when she spots Evie she can see her sister’s eyes light up. She waves both hands above her head, almost frantically, as if she can’t see that Evie is looking right at her, eliciting a giggle from her little sister.

“Oh Evie, you’re finally here! Get over here - I need a hug!”

Evie gives Jay a tug and starts walking Snow’s way, and she can see Grimhilde turn to whisper curtly in her sister’s ear as they get closer. She can faintly make out her mom quietly saying “a lady doesn’t act like that.” But Snow just keeps her smile painted on and mostly ignores the comment. She’s clearly excited to see Evie, and it warms Evie’s heart to see how happy her sister is.

“Oh, I’ve missed you SO much! I’m so glad you’re here!” Snow says as she wraps Evie in a tight hug. Evie wraps her arms around Snow’s waist and happily squeezes her back.

“I’ve missed you too! You know I wouldn’t miss this for the world! I’m so, so happy for you Snow.” Evie turns to the man at her side. “And you too Christian. Congrats on landing such a great girl like my sister.”

“Thank you, Evie.” he smiles warmly at her, then turns to look into Snow’s eyes. She meets his gaze and lets their fingers intertwine again. “I really am a lucky guy.”

Evie grins wide at them both and squeezes Jay’s arm, the motion drawing Snow’s attention to him. “And is this your new hot college football player boyfriend I’ve heard so much about? I’ve been just dying to meet him!” She says with, tilting her head toward him with a wink.

“Yes! Snow, this is Jay.”

She smiles as she reaches out to shake his hand and he takes it. “It’s such a pleasure, Jay. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you. Evie goes on and on about you so much, I feel like I already know you.” She leans forward to offer a light air kiss next to his cheek.

Jay pulls back from the kiss and smiles back. “The pleasure is all mine, Snow. Evie talks about you a lot also. It feels like we’re already friends.” Jay jokes as he flashes her a toothy grin. “And congratulations to you. I feel so honored to be here to celebrate your wedding with you. Both of you.” He says, turning to Christian.

“Thank you, Jay. Snow has filled me in about you, too.” Christian said, flashing a wider-than-normal smile, as if he’s trying to hint that he’s in on the secret. “Based on everything I’ve heard, we’re honored to have you here with us. You seem like a great match for her Evie.” Christian turns to Snow with a wink as he shakes Jay’s hand.

Obviously done with being neglected, Grimhilde takes a large step towards Jay, close enough to his and Christian’s handshake to cause them to retract their hands, and Christian to take a half-step backward.

Grimhilde ignores the stumbling she causes, keeping her eyes on Jay. She flashes him a disarming smile, but despite her gaze only being on him, she chooses to address Evie first.

“My darling Evie, how I’ve missed you,” she says, reaching her arms out towards her. As Evie takes her hand, she finally turns her head in her direction, pressing their faces cheek-to-cheek in a not-quite-kiss. She pulls back to examine her daughter carefully, giving her outfit a long look over. “Your dress is quite lovely dear. You look like a perfect lady.”

Evie heart flutters from the unexpected praise. “Well thank you, mother. You know, I designed it mys-”

“Jay!” Grimhilde chirps in a very high-pitched tone. She’s already turned completely back to him, eyes away from Evie. And just like that, the moment is gone.

“It’s so nice to finally see you again. I can’t tell you how happy I am that Evie was able to snatch you up. I warned her time and time again that she better catch your eye soon. I’m sure a handsome boy like you doesn’t stay single long,” Grimhilde notes with a wink.

Jay takes Grimhilde’s hand in his, holding onto it gingerly. “It’s very lovely to see you again, Ms. Grimhilde,” he says in his most charming voice, bringing her hand up to his lips to offer a gentle kiss. “And let me say, I’m very proud myself for having snatched up Evie. She’s one of the most breathtaking beauties at our school, and it’s clear where she gets her stunning looks from.”

He offers a quick glance over to Evie, who is smiling sickeningly wide to hide a snicker from escaping her lips. Jay is laying it on thick.

But with the way her mom is smiling from ear to ear, it’s pretty obvious his charms are working. Grimhilde pats Jay’s hand over hers before he pulls it away. “You better hold onto this one, dear,” she says with a side eye glance to Evie. “There will be plenty just waiting in line to steal him away.” Grimhilde continues to stare into Jay’s eyes, to a point that makes it almost unnerving.

Snow quickly clears her throat to break the awkward silence. “Ahem! It looks like they’re ready for us to eat inside. Shall we?” She gestures towards the entrance to the castle with her free hand. Evie can see her give Christian a gentle tug to start pulling him along quicker, obviously to get them all moving.

As the doors swing open to the front entrance, Evie is taken aback. The decorations are just as ornate as outside, with thousands of twinkling lights hanging above, now joined with a number of large, clear vases filled with white and pink lilies suspended from the ceiling. More tall bar tables, now cloaked with white floral tablecloths, were gathered in the center of the room, flanked by a large bar with attendants on the left, and a decadent buffet featuring an array of appetizers and desserts on the right.��

Evie was speechless. Her sister never missed a single detail when it came to planning events. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from her sister when it came to her own wedding.

“Snow, this is absolutely AMAZING,” Evie breathed. “You have really outdone yourself. It’s so beautiful in here! And so much food…”

“Ohhhhh, man. This must be heaven.” Evie’s head whipped to Jay. His eyes were glued to the buffet, wide as saucers. For goodness sake, she could even see some drool on the corner of his mouth. Evie rolled her eyes, Jay was so predictable.

Snow practically glows from the praise. “Well, don’t let me hold you back! Go, eat! Enjoy the food. Christian and I need to finish greeting our guests. Will you join us for a bit longer, mom? I want to make sure everyone gets a chance to meet you.” She puts her hand on Grimhilde’s shoulder to turn her back towards the other guests.

Grimhilde smiles lightly and nods. “I hope you both enjoy the evening.” She offers a big smile to Jay, then lets her gaze drift back to Evie as she turns away to follow Snow.

“Well what are we waiting for?? I’m starving.” But before Jay can bolt towards the buffet, Evie has him by the back of his vest.

“I’m going to wait here, dear. Can you bring a plate back for your girlfriend?” She says, dramatically tilting her head and batting her eyes at him.

“Of course, dear.” Jay replies with a sly grin. From behind them he can see Grimhilde still glancing their way. “She’s watching,” he whispers to Evie, barely moving his lips. She blinks her eyes in acknowledgement, and then flutters them closes as Jay leans over to deliver the tiniest peck to her lips. Satisfied with their short display, Evie releases her grip on his vest, and he turns swiftly to make a beeline for the buffet line, quick to grab 2 plates to start throwing rolls on them.

Evie just shakes her head and smiles. Wanting to say her hellos, she looks around for any other familiar faces.

She spots Chad standing alone at a table, nursing a beer and munching lazily on some shrimp cocktail. She tenses for a second…the thought of saying hello to him makes her wince. Chad’s normal banter with her is usually flirty and can often get borderline creepy. She’s definitely not in the mood to be undressed with his eyes while trying to force petty small talk.

Luckily, she spies her cousin Doug walking through the door out of the corner of her eye. Evie’s smile spreads wider than ever, and she can’t contain the excited squeal that escapes her lips.

“Doug!” She shrieks, practically skipping over to meet him at the entrance. He smiles wide when he sees her and holds his arms out as she happily jumps into a tight hug. Her heart warms in his embrace; she has really missed him.

“It’s SO good to see you Eves!” He’s smiling from ear to ear, but his eyes look around her and notice something’s missing. “Did you come alone?”

She pauses, trying to choose her words. She didn’t mention to Doug her plan to bring Jay, mostly because she was afraid to. Doug is constantly pushing her to tell her mom how she feels, even though he knows what the consequences might be. He doesn’t think it’s fair that Evie has to hide part of who she is because of her mom. He won’t like this.

“No…Jay is here with me.” She smiles stiffly and leaves it at that.

“Oh, you brought a friend as your date too? That’s great! I brought my roommate Carlos with me, he should be in in a minute.” He smiles as he sees Jay approach them with plates of food.

“Doug! Good to see you again, man.” Jay smiles and nods his head as he hands Evie her plate.

Doug is about to reach out to shake his hand, when Jay suddenly pecks a kiss to Evie’s cheek. He hesitates and looks at Evie, who’s still smiling and stiff.

Jay grabs his partially outstretched hand to shake it. Doug, still stunned, jolts himself out of his thoughts to shake back. “It’s good to see you too, man. I was just telling Evie here how nice it is we both brought friends as our dates.” He pauses as Evie and Jay share a look. “It’s nice to be able to relax, and not worry about caring for a date…right?”

Jay looks away for a moment and scratches his neck. Evie bites her lip and looks down at the floor.

“Evie?”

“Ok.” She sighs. “Please don’t freak out. Jay and I are still just friends, but I asked him to pretend to be my boyfriend this week.” She puts a hand up to stop him as she sees Doug straighten up, ready to protest. “I just want to keep my mom off my back, ok? Coming out at my sister’s wedding is not exactly great timing. This is Snow’s week, and I want it to stay that way, ok?”

Doug holds his tongue as he looks at Evie, her eyes pleading for understanding, the hand she put up now pressed against his chest. He sighs and drops his shoulders.

“You’re right. It’s not a good time.”

Evie slowly cracks a smile, dropping her hand. “So, you’re ok with this?”

Doug smiles at her. “Yeah. JUST for this week though. And you know I’ll be right back to bugging you to tell her the truth right after this is over. You got it?”

He points a finger right at her nose as she laughs and swipes it away.

“Fine, I know. But thank you.”

Jay drapes his arm over Evie and pulls her close to his side, tipping her plate and almost knocking over her food. But Jay just smirks, glancing up at Doug.

“It’s gonna be great, bro. We’ll still be hanging out like friends, all casual. Just try to ignore us when Eves and I start to make out here and there, ok?” He takes his other hand and gives a playful pinch to her cheek.

Evie gives him a frustrated look and tries to shift under his arm to catch her plate and straighten it better so she doesn’t drop it. “Jayyyy. You’re supposed to be my gentleman boyfriend, remember? Stop sounding so skeevy. Come on, let's grab a table so we can set these plates down. I don't want you dropping my food with your awkward flirting moves."

Doug just chuckles as he follows them both to an empty table. Jay and Evie set down their plates, and they all start to look around the room at the other guests. Doug shifts his glance over to Evie. “So who have you seen yet? I need to swing by Snow and Christian to say hi. I saw your mom was with them too. Anyone else here yet that I know?”

She gestures behind them with the tiniest bob of her head. “Just Chad back there if you feel the need. I’m going to wait on that until I absolutely have to. I’ve got my hands full with my own creeper guy, don’t need to spend my time with another just yet.” She grabs at Jay’s side and he retracts from her with a laugh.

Doug scrunches his face in mild disgust at the thought of going alone to greet Chad. “Yuck, I’ll pass, thanks. I’m sure we’ll have to talk at some point, no need to rush that.” Doug snickers and shrugs his shoulders. “Besides, I saw Audrey pull up with her parents, I’m sure they’ll be walking in shortly. Then Chad’s attention will be full with Audrey for the week anyway.”

Evie looks to the entrance when she spots a flash of bright pink, Aurora’s signature color, and sees her and Phillip stroll in, drawing glances and whispers as usual. They’re hard to ignore with their perfectly golden hair, dazzling blue eyes and stunning smiles. Audrey joins their side, looking just as perfect in a full and flowy light pink dress, her chestnut locks styled in wide curls.

While they have everyone’s attention, Evie’s eyes are catch a head of dark purple hair. She continues to stare as it moves up from behind Audrey. When they finally come into view beside her, Evie is frozen, mesmerized by the person in front of her. She can feel her mouth go dry.

It’s a girl, about her age, and she’s STUNNING.

In the most conventional way, her slim, perfect figure, girly hips, intensely beautiful green eyes, and pouty dark pink lips are enough to excite Evie and draw her in. But as enticing as she is physically, there’s something else about her that keeps Evie from looking away.

She doesn’t seem to be much like the proper girl next her. She stands stiffly, uncomfortably, pulling at the tight pale purple dress that she's wearing. Evie can tell this isn’t her normal style, even just by looking at the white high-top sneakers she chose to pair with the dress. She keeps toeing them together as she raises an eye to Audrey, who sneers and kicks at her toes when she notices the fidget. She can see an almost smirk trail across the girl’s lips at the thought that she irritated Audrey.

Damn, she might be in love with this girl already.

“Eves? Are you hungry? I think you’re drooling, Princess,” Jay giggles.

She simply points her finger, trying to gesture toward the girl with Audrey. Fuck, she needs to use words to find out who she is. Why won’t words come to her?

Doug, she pleads in her head. Please oh please understand my stupid wordless gaping and tell me who she is.

“The girl? Who is she?” This, right here, is why she’s so grateful for her cousin. She nods, still at a loss for words.

“All I know is she’s a student at my college. I think she’s Audrey’s cousin.” He pauses for a moment to get a better look at her. “The only times I’ve seen her on campus, she’s either been with her or outside the Creative Arts building. I’ve seen her a few times on a bench by the front entrance. She just sits out there and doodles in this huge sketchbook.”

“Eves, stop staring. I’m serious now, you’re being a little creepy.”

She snaps her head up to Jay, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. She just seems really…interesting.”

She glares at the boys when they break out into snickers. “Right, I can see how, interesting, she is from here too.” Jay’s face is red as he looks over at Doug, both trying to hold back from laughing more.

“Oh, Doug, Evie!” Audrey sing-songs. They all stop and turn to look at the girl. She’s waving at them and suddenly dragging the girl over quickly by her arm.

“Is it possible for her to sound even squeakier than normal?” Evie whispers to Doug while she plasters a fake smile to her face.

“I guess so.” He mutters. “Why is she trying to sound so sickeningly sw…ohhhhh.”

She’s smiling blatantly at Jay, barely looking at Doug and Evie as she approaches.

“Audrey, how nice to see you.” Doug deadpans.

Audrey leans forward and wraps Evie in a quick hug, then pulls back to look at her while peeking at Jay out of the corner of her eye.

“Evie, won't you be a dear and introduce me to your...friend?" Evie raises an eyebrow at her and hesitates, glancing at Jay. Audrey huffs, clearly annoyed. Finally, she turns to Jay herself and sticks out her hand.

"Audrey Rose, such a pleasure to meet you.”

Evie clenches her teeth and steps up next to Jay. “Audrey, this is my boyfriend, Jay,” Evie says, looping her arm through Jay's as she delivers her introduction.

Fuck, if she wasn’t so desperate to meet Audrey’s cousin, she’d LOVE to just slap that flirting smile right off her face.

“Nice to meet you.” Jay smiles warmly, taking her hand. With the back of her hand facing up, it was clear Audrey was looking at Jay to kiss it. Instead, he turns it and offers a casual shake.

Audrey purses her lips, not quite hiding her frustration. She tries to recover, shaking back her curls and turning her lips back up into a smile.

“Well Jay, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other this week. I can’t wait to see what we uncover the more we get to know each other.” She gives Evie a glare, then winks at Jay.

Evie just tightens her grip on Jay’s arm and holds her smile. Jay feels her tense and drops Audrey’s hand in favor of placing it over Evie’s.

“Of course. Evie and I can’t wait to spend time with everyone. Together. It should be a great week.” He smiles, squeezing Evie’s arm.

Audrey looks at his hand on Evie’s and lets her smile drop. Before she can respond, she’s startled by a snort next to her, and turns to glare at the beautiful girl she’s still gripping with her other hand.

“Sorry.” The girls says, but snorts again, quieter this time. She turns away with a smirk and glances at Evie.

Their eyes meet for a moment, and her smile takes Evie's breath away. She can feel her heart tighten in her chest. She's never felt such, longing for someone so quickly.

"Audrey, won't you be a dear and introduce us to your...friend?" She tries to say without sounding like she’s pleading.

Not one to ignore formalities, Audrey straightens her posture and returns a bright smile to her lips. "Of course! Allow me to introduce my cousin, Mal. My parents like to call her my honorary sister. We basically raised her at the Rose house." She sweeps a hand towards Mal in a gesture like a grand introduction.

Mal, in return, quirks a half smile and gives a tiny wave to the group. "Hi."

Audrey snorts loudly. "Mal, that's not how a Rose offers her greetings." She folds her arms and glares, as if waiting for Mal to correct her mistake.

Instead, Mal tips her head at Audrey and snorts right back. "Good thing I'm not a Rose, then, huh? Honorary sister status doesn't mean I have to act like you, does it?"

Audrey starts sputtering, her face growing red with anger. She yanks Mal by the wrist and tries her best to smile at Jay, Evie and Doug.

"Well I'm sure we'll see you all very soon, but we haven't had a chance to say hello to the Charmings, and I know my parents are waiting for us. Good evening." She pulls Mal with her, making her stumble over her feet as she tries to wave goodbye first. She manages an eyeroll Evie's way as she's dragged along.

Evie just sighs longingly as she watches them go. That was far too short of an introduction for her liking.

"Smoooooth, Eves."

She whips her eyes to Jay, surprised. "I'm sorry?"

Doug's laugh makes her turn back to him. "Evie, you obviously have a thing for Mal. You are SO into her."

"I wasn't that obvious...was I?" Evie bites her lip. She knows the answer to that, she just hopes she's wrong.

"Oh no, only to people with eyes," Jay quips, laughing. He puts an arm over his shoulder. "Princess, you are SO fucked."

Evie groans. "I know! She's making me really... feel things. I just met her and all I can think about right now is how badly I want to get to know her more," she sighs. "I NEED to keep it under control though, especially with my mom around. Please, you both need to help me. Stop me if I start acting all lovesick when my mom's around. Pinch me, smack me if you need to. She CAN'T catch on, otherwise this week will turn into hell for me!" She glances back to where Grimhilde is standing with Snow and is relieved to see she's making no acknowledgement towards her. No evil glares her way means she likely missed the whole exchange.

"So where would I be smacking exactly?" Jay says, waggling his eyebrows. He just laughs when Evie narrows his eyes at him. "Don't worry, we've got you, Eves," Jays says, wrapping his arm back around her. Doug looks at both of them and nods in agreement. "Can we eat now though? I'm starting to waste away. Can't you hear my stomach?" He grabs it and tries to make his best pouty face.

Evie rolls her eyes and leans into his side, giving him a little hug. "You poor baby. Of course, let's eat."

_____

Jay dives into his plate like he hasn't eaten all day. And to be honest, that’s almost true. Chips and candy are not exactly a meal, and that can only hold you over so long when you've been in a car for half the day.

He needs to remember his manners though. Evie grabs his arm to hold back his next forkful of food. "Dear, we're in public. Maybe finish chewing the first bite of your food before you shove in another?" She smiles, trying to be sweet and polite. He remembers what a stickler Evie's mom is for proper manners, so he lowers his fork slowly and grabs his napkin to lightly wipe his mouth off while he finishes chewing.

"Doug? Aren't you going to eat?" Jay asks curiously when he notices that Doug is still standing beside them without food, watching them eat.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for my roommate. He was parking the car, but I can't believe it's taking him this long," he says as he continues to scan the door, looking for him.

"Finally.” Doug's eyes light up as he spots someone walking in. “Carlos!" He shouts, waving his hand and gesturing towards their table.

Jay follows Doug's eyes to see who he’s yelling to. "Holy hell." Jay whispers as quietly as he can.

Can a boy be pretty? Because Jay’s pretty sure he’s looking at the prettiest thing he’s ever seen.

He’s never seen anything like him. The shock of soft white curls on his head that faded into black roots, the star-like freckles that dotted his face, his wide, dark eyes, and his full lips were all so…distractingly attractive.

His clothes were cooler than anything Jay would ever think of wearing, and damn, could he ever pull them off. A fitted white t-shirt peeks out from under a red blazer covered in metal studs, black skinny jeans are basically painted on thin legs, and black lace-up boots finish the look.

"Ooooh, I like his style." Evie muses.

"I like his, everything," Jay mumbles, a little louder than he wanted to. Evie looks at him with a raised eyebrow, elbowing him in the ribs. Jay grabs his side with a quiet "Oomph!"

"Close your mouth. I don't need my mom to see you openly panting over a guy when you’re supposed to be with me."

"I'm not," he lies. "He's just, cute."

Evie snickers loudly. "Yeah right."

Jay puffs, and Doug gives them an odd look before he turns back to Carlos and smiles. "Finally! What the hell took you so long?"

Carlos shrugs. "I'm sorry. You won't believe where they had me park the car. Let's just say it's good we'll be here for the week, because it might take more than a day to get back to it," he snickers.

Dammit, even his laugh is adorable.

"Evie, Jay. This is my roommate, Carlos." Carlos smiles warmly as Evie reaches out her hand.

"So nice to meet you Carlos! Any friend of my cousin's is a friend of mine," she says with a wide smile.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you." Carlos says, almost quietly.

He turns slightly to Jay as he reaches his hand out too. While Carlos is facing him, Jay notices the slight hunch in his shoulders, making him think Carlos might be a little uncomfortable. Jay wonders if Carlos isn't really used to much socializing.

"It's a pleasure, Carlos." Jay says with a huge grin on his face. As their hands touched, he could feel a tingle in his fingertips. He definitely wanted more contact with this guy, he was sure about that. He could feel Evie's eyes on him, and he knew he had to keep his composure. For now, at least.

But a little flirting couldn't hurt, right?

Jay manages to pull his gaze from Carlos over to Doug as their handshake ends. "Are all the boys at your school this cute, man? I'm suddenly tempted to transfer," he says, throwing a wink back at Carlos over his shoulder.

Carlos looks stunned for a moment, as if he doesn't catch what Jay's suggesting. The realization must settle in quickly though, as Carlos suddenly looks down, and Jay notices a delicate pink flush travelling from his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears, brightening his pale skin and making his freckles stand out even more.

And fucking fuck if that's not the most appealing thing Jay has ever seen. He could swear this guy is getting cuter by the second.

Evie steps between them, and Jay wonders if she noticed how flustered he was getting. He knows if he was being obvious she’d probably feel the need to step in, so she can stop anything that might not look proper from happening with her mom around.

"You'll have to excuse my boyfriend, he's bisexual and VERY friendly. Don't worry, hon, I'm more than fine with it." She says, smiling at Carlos, who looks at her with a slightly shocked expression. "Really, it's ok! It's ok to have a little fun, isn't it? I know, he can be a little too much to handle, can't he?" She turns to Jay and grabs his face with one hand playfully, squishing his cheeks. Jay pulls away with a laugh. "He can be too much of a flirt for his own good sometimes."

Carlos' smile relaxes at that, and he laughs quietly. But Jay notices that Doug doesn't look amused. Actually, he's definitely glaring at Jay, and Jay is a little surprised at how callous it seems.

Finally, Doug turns back to Carlos, putting a hand on his back to gently push him towards the food.

"If you don't mind, we should really get something to eat. Come on 'Los."

Jay watches them leave, still a little stunned at Doug's reaction. "Was it something I said?"

Evie just shakes her head. "And you thought I was fucked," she giggles.

_____

Once everyone finishes eating, Snow and Christian get up to address their crowd of wedding guests.

Christian takes a small step forward. "Snow and I would like to thank you all very much for coming. We're so grateful that you're willing to take this time out of your week to celebrate our marriage with us." He reaches back to take Snow's hand and gives her a loving smile. "Since we're sure you're all exhausted from your travels, we're going to have the staff direct you to your rooms to retire for the night. You'll see once you get there that we'll have a list of the activities that we have planned, and the times and places to be if you'd like to join us for each. We'll have a breakfast spread out early tomorrow before we head out for our first event, so please feel free to get up on your own schedule to grab something to eat."

Snow turns to everyone and smiles brightly. "We are so excited to share this week with every one of you and start the festivities! Sleep well! We'll see you all in the morning."

Evie and Jay wave to Doug and Carlos as they're directed down a different hall to their room. As she expects, she and Jay are sharing a room. She was sure Snow would plan that to keep up appearances as a couple. As soon as they enter the room, Jay walks over to the huge bed to flop onto it. The long day of travel polite conversation have definitely taken their toll on him. He's more than ready to crash for the night.

Evie, on the other hand, is clearly in awe of their quarters for the week. She walks around the room slowly, taking in the ornate details of the canopy bed, painted ceilings, and heavily decorated bathroom with golden sinks and a large clawfoot tub. She can hardly believe how beautiful everything is.

Looking over at Jay, she sees him squished into the soft bed, eyes already closing. The sight helps the feeling of exhaustion she was ignoring to creep back up, and she plops down onto the mattress next to him.

"Holy shit," she says, wrinkling the sheets between her fingers as she wiggles her body on the pillowy comforter. "I think this is the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on in my life."

"Tell me about it," Jay says, sighing deeply. He flips over to his side, facing Evie.

"So, do you want to be the little spoon or big spoon?" He says with a smirk. Evie turns on her side to face him with an arm under her head to prop her up, and rolls her eyes as dramatically as she can, making Jay laugh out loud.

"I want YOU," she says loudly, "to be on the other side of these pillows.” She starts to grab every pillow off the bed to pile between them. "I don't want to wake up to anything poking me if you start dreaming of Carlos."

Jay chuckles. "Well that's fine with me. Believe it or not, I don't want to wake up to YOU trying to feel me up if you start dreaming of Mal."

Evie exhales loudly in frustration, dropping the pillow she was holding to sit herself straight up on the bed, scooting her body back against the headboard. "This week is going to be SO much harder than I thought." Jay looks up at her, clearly confused. "I mean, faking this for my mom was going to be a little bit of a challenge," she argues, gesturing between the two of them, "But now I have to fake it AND try to pretend I'm not ridiculously attracted to the most beautiful girl I think I've ever seen in my life."

Jay chuckles as he traces his fingers across the sheets, and then looks up at her. "Yeah, that definitely throws a wrench into things."

Remembering her other dilemma, she gives Jay a sideways glance, raising one eyebrow. "AND I'll have to deal with you now."

"Me?" His eyes widen as he points a finger at his chest. "What did I do?"

"You're kidding, right?" She gives him a wry smile as he shakes his head. "Jay, I've already had to stop you from blatantly flirting with Carlos when my mom was in the same room, and you only JUST met him!"

Jay just shrugs. "But that's just how I am, isn't it? I'm a flirt. Your mom knows that. It doesn't mean anything."

Evie sighs. "Ok. One, my mom doesn't know you flirt with guys , so you'll have to keep that in check. You know how old-fashioned she is. If she can't handle gay from me, she's not going to be ok with you being gay either. Especially since you're supposed to be madly in love with me." She emphasizes by pointing her own finger right at her face. Jay scoffs, but finally offers a slight nod of agreement.

"And two, there's NO way this flirting with Carlos isn't going to mean anything to you." Jay's eyes widen as he looks at her. He starts to open his mouth in protest, but Evie interjects. "No. Just listen. I have literally never seen a guy that was more your type. He's painfully adorable, shy, and way too easy for you to fluster. You can't tell me you don't want to say and do things to him just so you can see that blush over and over again." Jay pauses with his mouth hung open, but instead of protesting he just turns his head away and stays silent.

Evie giggles lightly at her victory, shaking her head at Jay. "Listen, I'm not saying to stay away from Carlos. Hell, I know there's no way I could do the same if you asked me to with Mal. We just have to be careful. When my mom’s around, we're head over heels for each other, ok? Mal and Carlos are going to have to become a stealth operation."

"You got it Princess, I can do that." Jay laughs. "Besides, it's not like I haven't snuck around before," he says, punctuating with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, Romeo." She grins at him and pushes herself off the bed. "Listen, now that we have our game plan, I think we should get to bed." She pads her way over to the bathroom, stopping to grab her bag. She looks back at Jay and sees him lay back onto the bed, already dozing off with his face buried in her makeshift pillow wall.

"We've got a very interesting week ahead of us."

Credit to @bunny-lou for the story idea! Her original story idea is posted here if you’d like to read it!

#jaylos #malvie #descendants #wedding au #Carlos De Vil #jay son of jafar #mal descendants #evie descendants

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