#remind me to make a tag 4 jake

[rootedinrevisions]

Friends (with Benefits) Dont: Part 7

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You guys know I couldn't leave you hanging after that last part! There will be one final part coming tomorrow but for now I need sleep and am going to head to bed. Keep an eye out for the final part tomorrow!

SUMMARY: The emotional reunion between you and Jake unfolds on the deck of the aircraft carrier, where anticipation hangs thick in the air as you wait for him to land. When he finally appears, relief washes over you, but the pain on his face is a stark reminder of the danger he faced. Embracing him feels like the world fades away, yet the weight of unspoken feelings looms between you. Later, as he recovers in the med bay, you sit by his side, both grappling with the aftermath of his confession and the silence that followed. In this tender yet complicated moment, you find comfort in each other, setting the stage for a new chapter in your relationship that promises to redefine everything you thought you knew.

4o mini

OTHER PART(S): PART 1 I PART 2 I PART 3 I PART 4 I PART 5 I PART 6

WORD COUNT: 2.9k

WARNINGS: FLUFF.

TAG LIST: SEE COMMENTS BELOW

The salty breeze whipped through your hair as you stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier, heart pounding in your chest. The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean stretched before you, but your gaze remained fixed on the horizon, straining to catch a glimpse of Jake. Every second felt like an eternity, the anticipation gnawing at you.

You barely registered Rooster’s plane as it swooped in for a landing, the familiar roar of engines drowned out by the anxious thrum of your own thoughts.

People tried to approach, offering words of comfort, but you brushed them off with a shake of your head. You couldn’t focus on anything but the hope—and fear—of seeing Jake again. Memories of his last radio transmission echoed in your mind, and you fought to suppress the wave of emotions threatening to crash over you. What if he didn’t come back? What if the next plane to touch down carried news that shattered your heart? You squeezed your eyes shut, willing the horizon to yield the figure you desperately needed to see.

Minutes stretched on, each passing moment deepening your anxiety until finally, a speck appeared in the sky. The roar of engines grew louder, and adrenaline surged through your veins. It was the search and rescue jet that had been sent after Jake had ejected.

As soon as the plane touched down, you found yourself sprinting across the deck, adrenaline fueling your every step. Your heart raced as you approached the jet, watching intently as Rooster and Coyote helped Jake down, their expressions a mixture of relief and concern.

Jake leaned heavily on them, his face pale and drawn, but your breath caught in your throat when his eyes found yours. A spark ignited in his gaze, and a smile broke across his face, lighting up the shadows that clung to him.

“Hey sweetheart, you miss me?” He called out, his voice laced with that familiar teasing tone, and it was so absurdly silly that a laugh escaped your lips despite the weight in your chest. 

You stood frozen for a moment, torn between wanting to rush to him and the instinct to hold back, afraid to hurt him with a hug. The pain etched on his face was unmistakable, and you hesitated, wanting to make sure he was truly okay.

“Are you going to come over here, or just stand there looking pretty?” he teased, raising an eyebrow as his smile grew, that glimmer of mischief still intact despite the circumstances.

Nodding in response, you finally closed the distance between you, wrapping your arms around his neck as you pulled him close. The warmth of his body against yours felt like home, a balm to your frayed nerves.

Jake let go of Rooster, using one arm to anchor himself around your back, burying his face in the crook of your neck. You could feel the weight of him, the exhaustion pressing down on his shoulders, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. You held him tightly, feeling the rise and fall of his breath against your skin, grounding yourself in the reality that he was here, alive, and safe. No words were needed; the intensity of your embrace said everything you both felt.

You and Jake remained locked in your embrace, time seeming to stretch indefinitely as the chaos of the aircraft carrier faded into the background. The world around you blurred, and all that mattered was the warmth of his body, the scent of him, and the relief flooding through you that he was finally here, in your arms. It felt like a dream, one you never wanted to wake from. But just as you began to lose yourself completely in the moment, a voice broke through the haze.

“Seresin, they’re waiting for you in the med bay,” Admiral Cyclone announced, his tone clipped and professional.

You instinctively began to pull away from Jake, concern flooding your mind at the thought of him needing medical attention. But his grip tightened around your waist, holding you close, as if he couldn't bear the thought of letting you go just yet.

“I know,” Jake replied, his voice steady despite the tension. “But I’ve got one thing I need to do first.”

He exchanged a knowing glance with Coyote, who nodded but warned, “Keep it short, Hangman.”

With that, Jake turned to you, his expression shifting from relief to a kind of intensity that made your heart race. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, his voice low and serious, as if this moment meant more than just a casual brush of lips.

You couldn’t help but smile, the warmth spreading through you as you nodded. “Yes.”

Jake leaned in, closing the distance between you as he captured your lips with his. The kiss was soft at first, a gentle reassurance, but it quickly deepened, filled with a desperate hunger and emotion that had been building between you both. His lips moved against yours with a tenderness that took your breath away, and for that fleeting moment, the rest of the world faded away again, leaving just the two of you suspended in time.

* * * * *

You received the news that Jake had been cleared from the medical building, and your heart raced with anticipation. After what felt like an eternity of worry, you made your way to his room, the sterile scent of antiseptic and the soft hum of fluorescent lights guiding you. You hesitated briefly at the door, taking a deep breath before stepping inside.

Jake lay propped up in bed, looking better than the last time you saw him but still weary. His eyes lit up the moment he saw you, a smile breaking across his face that chased away the shadows of the past few days. You slipped into the chair beside him, your heart swelling at the sight of him, finally safe.

“How are you feeling?” you asked, your voice soft but filled with concern.

“Better now that you’re here,” he replied, his grin wide and genuine.

You smiled back but then tilted your head slightly. “No, really. How do you feel?”

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Like I just got shot out of the sky.”

Your smile faltered for a second, the gravity of his words crashing into you. You rolled your eyes, not ready to let his joke lighten the moment. 

“Is it too soon for that?” He looked momentarily sheepish, realizing that his attempt at humor might not land well. “Yeah, probably. Sorry about that.”

The atmosphere shifted, and the unspoken words hung between you like a thick fog. “We need to talk about... what you said,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

Jake’s expression turned serious. “I know. I’m sorry for doing it the way I did. I was worried I wouldn’t make it back this time, and I needed you to know.”

“Jake… I need you to know how much you mean to me. How much I love you.” His gaze softens even more as you speak, the intensity of his focus unwavering. “I love every moment we spend together. Every single one. But when you went down…” Your voice catches, but you push through, the words trembling with the fear you’ve been carrying. “I was terrified. All I could think about was if I’d never see you again. If you never got the chance to come back to me.”

Jake’s face falls, guilt flashing across his features. 

He opens his mouth again, but you’re already leaning forward, softening the moment with a teasing smile. “But if you ever scare me like that again, I swear, I’ll shoot you down myself.”

The seriousness of the moment breaks as Jake chuckles, the sound low and warm. His smile is brighter now, his eyes twinkling with a familiar spark. “You know, I wouldn’t put it past you,” he says, his voice light despite everything.

His smile lingers as he shifts slightly in the bed, wincing a little from the movement.

He pats the small space next to him, raising an eyebrow. “Come here.”

You hesitated, your heart racing at the proximity it would bring. “I don’t know, Jake. Aren’t you supposed to rest?”

He smirked, a playful glint in his eyes. “Rest? Please. I was shot at and had to eject from my jet. Are you really going to deny me holding my girl?”

Your stomach fluttered at his words, and a smile crept onto your face despite yourself. With a small laugh, you shifted closer, carefully lying down next to him. As you nestled against him, you looked up, your eyes meeting his.

“Your girl, huh?” You said, a teasing tone in your voice.

Jake leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “Yeah…my girl,” he repeated, his voice warm and filled with sincerity.

His arm wraps around you as you settle into his side, your head resting against his chest, listening to the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart.

As you settle against Jake, the warmth of his body easing your frayed nerves, you feel your eyes growing heavier. Every muscle in your body feels like it’s finally starting to relax, the adrenaline and fear of the day slowly draining away. Jake must notice because his hand, still tracing soft circles on your arm, pauses for a moment.

“Hey,” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing. You tilt your head slightly to look up at him, and you catch the soft concern in his eyes, though his smile remains steady. “You should get some sleep.”

You open your mouth to protest, but he shakes his head gently before you can say anything. “I’m fine, darlin’,” he says, his thumb brushing lightly over your arm, a gentle reassurance. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise, I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

His words are a balm to your exhausted mind. You trust him completely, but the fear that gripped you earlier still lingers in the corners of your thoughts. Now, though, it feels distant, fading into the background as the reality of having him here—safe, alive, holding you—grounds you.

You nod softly, too tired to say anything more, and let your head sink back against his chest. Jake’s steady heartbeat becomes the only sound you focus on, each rhythmic thud lulling you closer to sleep. His arm tightens around you just a bit, a silent promise that he’s not letting go, that you’re safe.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers, pressing a light kiss to the top of your head. The tenderness in his voice is enough to make your chest ache, but this time, it’s a different kind of ache—one filled with love and relief instead of fear.

The last thing you feel before sleep takes over is the warmth of Jake’s body, the rise and fall of his breathing beneath your cheek. And for the first time in what feels like days, peace finally settles over both of you. Neither of you speaks another word, but none are needed. In the quiet of the med bay, wrapped up in each other’s arms, you both drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep, safe and content in the knowledge that you’re together.

And this time, there’s no uncertainty, no fear—just the steady, comforting certainty that when you wake, Jake will still be there, just like he promised.

As you drift in and out of sleep, you hear the door creak open, and the soft shuffle of a nurse entering the room. She’s quiet at first, checking Jake’s vitals on the monitor and making a note on her chart. But when she glances over at you, curled up against Jake on the narrow bed, she hesitates.

“Lieutenant,” she says gently, not wanting to startle you. “I’m sorry, but your guest can’t stay in the bed with you. It’s against protocol.”

Jake opens one eye, his expression already shifting to one of mild annoyance. He’s clearly not thrilled about the idea of you leaving his side, and the nurse can sense it. She’s just doing her job, but she doesn’t realize she’s dealing with Jake Seresin.

“I’m fine,” Jake replies, his voice a little gruff from the exhaustion but steady. “She’s not hurting anything by being here.”

The nurse tries again, a bit more firmly this time. “It’s for your safety. We can bring a chair over—”

“I don’t want her in a chair,” Jake cuts her off, his tone growing more insistent. He shifts slightly in the bed, adjusting his arm so it’s holding you a little tighter, making it clear he doesn’t intend to let you go anytime soon. “She’s staying here. With me.”

There’s a brief, tense silence. The nurse looks a bit exasperated but still professional, knowing she has to follow the rules. “Sir, I understand, but—”

Jake sighs, now fully awake, and fixes the nurse with a stare that could stop anyone in their tracks.

“Listen,” he says, using that smooth, authoritative tone that makes it hard for anyone to argue with him. “I’ve just been shot out of the sky, survived an ejection, and had to think about the possibility I’d never see her again. I’m not about to let some rule keep her from staying in this bed with me. So unless you’ve got some life-or-death reason, she’s staying.”

The nurse opens her mouth to respond but then seems to realize there’s no winning this one. She sighs, clearly recognizing the futility in arguing with Jake Seresin when he’s determined about something.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she finally concedes, though it’s clear this isn’t the last of it.

As soon as she leaves, Jake smirks to himself, looking down at you.

“Told you I’ve got your back,” he murmurs, his tone playful, as if the whole exchange was just a minor inconvenience.

But the real showdown comes later in the evening. You’ve been peacefully resting beside him when another nurse—or maybe it’s the same one from before—comes in to remind you that visiting hours are over.

“Ma’am,” she says kindly, but firmly. “It’s past 9 p.m., and you’ll need to leave for the night.”

Jake’s eyes snap open, and he’s immediately back on high alert.

“No, she won’t,” he interjects before you can even respond. He shifts in the bed, the pain in his body seemingly forgotten as he props himself up on one elbow. “She’s staying. I’m not spending the night in here without her.”

The nurse lets out a tired sigh, clearly not up for another round with Jake. “Sir, it's hospital policy. You need to rest for your recovery—”

“Hospital policy,” Jake echoes with a smirk, cutting her off again. “Let me tell you something about that. You know what’s really good for my recovery? Her being here. So if you want me to heal up quick and get out of your hair, you’re gonna let her stay.”

“Sir—”

“I’m not asking,” Jake says flatly, and his tone leaves no room for negotiation. He folds his arms across his chest, wincing slightly as the movement aggravates his injuries, but he doesn’t let it show. “I’m telling you. She’s staying.”

The nurse gives you an apologetic glance, as if seeking backup, but you know there’s no reasoning with him at this point. You’re about to offer to leave to keep the peace, but Jake shoots you a look that says he won’t hear of it.

After another futile attempt to argue, the nurse finally throws up her hands in defeat.

“Fine,” she mutters under her breath, “but if anyone asks, I didn’t see anything.”

As she leaves, Jake grins triumphantly, settling back down with a satisfied sigh. “That’s more like it,” he says, clearly proud of himself.

You shake your head, half-amused, half-exasperated. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Jake chuckles, wincing slightly from the pain but still smiling. “Only when it comes to you, darlin’. I’m not spending another minute without you if I can help it.”

But of course, the night staff makes another attempt to enforce the rules about an hour later. This time, Jake’s too tired to put up much of a fight, but he still manages to give them one last stubborn retort before they give up for good.

“If you want me out of this bed so bad,” he says with a smirk, “maybe just let her stay and I’ll be out of your hair even faster.”

Eventually, the staff realizes there’s no winning this battle. You stay curled up next to him, feeling his chest rise and fall beneath your cheek as the exhaustion from the day finally catches up to both of you. Jake’s arm wraps protectively around you, pulling you closer.

“See?” he whispers, his voice soft in the dim light of the room. “Told you that you weren’t going anywhere.”

You smile against his chest, your eyelids growing heavier by the second. “You really are impossible,” you murmur sleepily.

Jake chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest. “But you love me for it.”

"Yeah, yeah I do." You mumble as you close your eyes again.

And with that, you both finally drift off to sleep, content in each other’s arms. Nothing else matters but the fact that you’re together, and Jake’s stubborn determination ensures that’s exactly how it’s going to stay.

[m00nsbaby]

Clumsy II.

Marc Spector + Steven Grant x F! Reader. Next part to "Clumsy." (Or Already Over IV)

Tags & warnings. You already know the deal lol + Marc is still a jerk. (Sorry btw) This is the last part of the mini saga. :)

Word count. 2.9k

Summary.

I let you down, I've been clumsy with your heart again, I guess you figured me out, Now here's a taste of my own medicine. Caught at the end of the lifeline, The catch of a lifetime. Oh, we were destined for danger, Familiar strangers.

Everything you had done for the past 2 years had been for Steven, reaching the point of having him as motivation to get out of bed.

Unfortunately, this day was no different. If you had managed to muster the courage to stand up and accept Jake's unusual invitation, it was purely for him.

The part about choosing a nice dress was a personal choice, though.

"So, then…?"

"4 o'clock sounds perfect." His voice was soft on the other end of the line. Not quite like Steven's, but Jake's voice had something… special.

Something that could make your cheeks blush just by hearing it.

"4 o'clock at your apartment then."

"Steven is excited." The mention churned your stomach.

Truth be told, you had been on autopilot for quite a while, even before Jake made his proposal. There were small details that brought you back to reality, even if it was just for a few seconds—seconds in which you physically felt the consequences.

"I'll see you in a bit, Jake." You hung up. You couldn't set his expectations too high. This wasn't going to be a romantic reunion or your way of saying, 'Everything's okay, it was just a misunderstanding.' Instead, it was your way of bringing closure to things with Marc. If it weren't for Jake, he would still cling to the idea that he doesn't need you in his life.

Knowing that at least more than one person was on your side had given you the strength to face it, and to question whether maybe you weren't the one who was wrong in this situation.

"It won't be long, buddy." You told your cat as he nudged his nose towards you. He meowed back. "Take care of the house, okay?"

Marc had been inconsolable for about two weeks now, and the news of Jake's arrival weighed heavier on him than any of the three would have liked.

It was just another way of reminding himself how messed up he was. If getting used to Steven had been an ordeal, this would probably be World War II.

He would scream at himself in the mirror or break anything that could show his reflection, depending on his mood. Meanwhile, Steven felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He stopped being the one who took care of Marc, at least for a few days, and he had time to experience his grief as it should be.

Jake was compassionate towards both of them. He somehow understood what they were going through.

"I don't want her here!" He drank from his whiskey, savoring the burn in his throat.

It was 11 in the morning. His hand moved on its own, throwing the bottle to the ground, shattering it into a million pieces.

"Idiot," he growled.

Steven said nothing, only chuckled to himself at the mere idea that Marc probably looked insane.

He'd let him argue with Jake as much as he wanted.

"It's for your own good." It was the only thing he heard back in his head, and Marc had to put both hands over his face as a way to console himself. He was drunk, with a terrible headache, and a strong urge to give up on life, although lately, that was nothing out of the ordinary. "Give me the body."

He accepted it without protest, and even the strongest of the three groaned at the sudden dizziness and the awful state in which Marc always left the body whenever he had it in his possession.

He showered, cleaned up. Did everything the other two hadn't been doing during these sick days, even answered your call.

And when he was done, his leg trembled up and down as he stared at the clock on his wall, which showed the exact 23 minutes left until your arrival.

And despite being the most prepared of the three, he nearly jumped in fright when you knocked on his door. Exactly three times to let him know it was you, something he learned from your secret techniques with Steven.

When he opened the door, both of you exchanged smiles, which was unusual. Yours was nervous, shouting 'I'm glad to see you but I fear what might happen,' and his, on the other hand, seemed quite excited.

Even more so when you hugged each other as a way of greeting, even if the contact only lasted a few seconds.

"I'm glad you came," he whispered as he closed the door behind you.

"I told you I would."

"Yes, I… yes." He cleared his throat; he could feel the burn as if he was still drinking whiskey. "Come in, let's go to the bedroom."

You filled your lungs with oxygen, enjoying the scent of Steven before nodding slowly.

"Is Marc going to…?"

"Yes." He interrupted instantly, biting his lower lip as if he was hiding something. He directed you to his bedroom, although you already knew the paths within his house perfectly well. "I need you to listen to me and trust me."

You frowned.

"Huh?" You entered his room slowly. And he closed the door behind you.

Your expression became even more confused when you saw him lock the door.

"Sorry, there's no way he won't escape if I don't do this."

"Jake?"

"Sorry," he repeated, stepping back.

Forcing the switch between them was always uncomfortable, especially when he had to put in double the effort to get Marc out, as he clung to hiding. Unfortunately for him, Jake was stronger.

You noticed the change in his expression almost immediately. You would recognize that furrowed brow anywhere, and while it looked slightly puzzled, he didn't take long to place himself.

When his gaze settled on you, Marc could swear his heart stopped.

He had spent so much time dreaming of you that he completely forgot certain details about you that were undoubtedly better in person.

"Marc?" You whispered shyly, almost fearfully. You hadn't seen him since he cruelly broke up with you.

Your heart raced, even after all the damage he had done to you.

"I have to… Uh." The air got stuck in his lungs. After several seconds of staring at you, he averted his gaze, stumbling clumsily over his feet to the door.

He tried to open it but it didn't give way. Jake had done his job well. He gave it another tug and grew even more nervous.

"Marc!" You called for his attention, your brow furrowing. Barely 3 seconds together and you were already losing patience.

This wasn't going well.

"What?!"

"Stop it!" Finally, he looked at you, and in a matter of seconds, it seemed like his eyes had welled up with fear. Did he fear you? You, who had to tilt your chin up to look him in the face because he was noticeably taller than you. "Stop it." You repeated, this time in a low tone.

"I don't want to talk to you, I won't."

Ouch.

"Either that or you'll have to break down the door, and Steven won't…"

"Steven doesn't even talk to me!" The sudden way he raised his voice made you jump slightly, and you pressed your lips together at the news.

Would it be wrong to admit that this was something you were expecting? You remained silent for a few seconds, and you swore you could hear his ragged breathing, as if he had the right to be angry with you.

"Jake won't let you out unless we do this now." You cleared your throat as you crossed your arms over your chest.

He cursed internally at how adorable you looked in that gesture.

"You and I have nothing left to talk about."

His words sent a wave of heat through your whole body.

"What did you say, Marc?"

"That you and I do…"

"You're an idiot," you whispered with a sarcastic laugh, and he finally fell silent. It had been so long since his ego had been hurt that he almost felt good about the slight pain in his chest. "You hurt me. Like no one ever did before."

He fell silent, waiting for you to continue, but he didn't let his guard down. You could see it in his irritated expression.

“You blamed me for… You blamed me for loving Steven. You let me live with the burden of thinking that I had destroyed your life.”

"You did." He whispered. It was visible how tense his body was, and you laughed sarcastically again at his words.

"Don't give me that, Marc Spector." You spat his name out with resentment. It was the first time you allowed yourself to be angry with him after forcing empathy for him for so long. "You got what you wanted. Layla? Your life made out of lies? Pushing Steven away from you?"

His expression finally wavered, even if it was only for a few seconds.

"Layla left me."

The news hit you like a bucket of cold water.

That made everything make more sense. The sudden appearance of Jake, his insistence on you talking to them, coming back. They were using you as a second option now that they had nothing left, trying to get you back as if nothing happened.

After all, you had always been the foolish one at Marc's service, willing to give up everything for him whenever he asked.

This wouldn't be one of those times.

You gathered all the strength you had in your small body to push him with both hands. He barely stepped back, stumbling in surprise at your sudden attempt to attack.

"I hate you!" Your voice broke.

His heart raced as if he had run a marathon, yet he didn't say anything.

"I hate you, Marc!" You sobbed, giving him another push. This time he didn't even move.

He stood still, and his hands trembled.

"Why are you doing this to me?" You were still the only one speaking. You sounded devastated, even more so than the day when you almost begged him for a chance. "Why?"

And, as usual, you got no answer. In fact, you got nothing; Marc wasn't even looking at you.

The truth was, despite having to deal with Steven and Layla telling him these kinds of things, coming from you was… worse. It was like a doubly more horrible shock therapy. The pain in your voice was something he had never heard before, and the truth was, he never wanted to hear it again.

You were choking him without even laying your hands on him. The words wouldn't come out, and his feet were rooted to the ground; he couldn't even look at you.

"You're killing me, Marc." You whispered as if the strength had left you. After receiving nothing from him, you knew it wasn't worth fighting, not with him. "You don't want to be with me." Admitting it aloud left a bitter taste in your mouth. "But you won't let me go. Don't you realize what you're doing?"

It was you, as usual, who crouched down. You sought his gaze, regardless of the mess you were in.

He looked back at you, and you waited.

You waited, and you waited.

When time passed, you knew what his answer was. Marc would never take a risk, or at least he wouldn't do it for you. He was too stubborn, and you doubted that he would ever lower his eternal guard.

The day Steven begged on his knees not to leave hurt, but somehow it was worse to receive silence from Marc. Knowing how little you mattered to him based on his actions.

"I understand," you whispered, wiping your tears with the back of your thumb. "Jake? Can you let me out?"

You reached out to grab the door handle, and he grabbed your wrist.

"Let go of me."

It sounded like a threat.

He, once again, didn't respond; he tugged on your wrist and almost made you let out a shriek as you collided with his chest.

Marc was so quick that you didn't even have a chance to react when his free hand positioned itself on your chin, pressing it between his fingers and holding it firmly.

Yet, you didn't protest; you let him guide you until his lips met yours. There was your answer.

When they finally kissed, tears welled up in your eyes again. In fact, you suddenly felt like you were drowning against his mouth, as if you wanted to groan but refused to break the contact between you two.

"I hate you," you said with difficulty against his mouth, trying to convince yourself of what you had said. He just made a small 'hmm' sound against your lips.

Apparently, neither of you trusted your words.

He let go of your wrist when he made sure you no longer wanted to touch the doorknob, but he continued to hold your chin. Eventually, he also took you by the waist and brought you even closer if that was possible.

His kisses were rough, so forceful that for a moment you doubted this body was the same as that of your ex-partner. Steven had never been like this. You also wondered if this was just a result of pain and desperation, or if his kisses were always like this.

With just two steps, your body was squeezed between his and the wall.

"I love you."

Your stomach turned.

"I love you." His kisses didn't allow you to respond. You wouldn't know this, but his fear wouldn't allow him to hear what you might say about it. "I love you." His fingers tightened their grip on your chin. "I love you." He sounded desperate. In pain.

You responded to each of his kisses, and you noticed that he needed a few more seconds to find calm.

"She left me because she knows I love you." He said quickly when he finally gave you a chance to breathe. His forehead rested against yours, and those big brown eyes were fixed on you. "S-She knows… She realized that…" He stammered. There was nothing more horrible for Marc Spector than expressing his feelings, giving explanations. "S-She…”

You were worth it.

You were worth throwing his pride to the wind.

"You took my heart when you left. You took everything." He admitted in a whisper and didn't receive an answer by his own choice.

He kissed you again as if his life was slipping through his fingers.

You didn't talk for the rest of the afternoon. You received all the kisses he had to give, and he allowed himself to feel your delicate hands on him. Massaging his shoulders at times or stroking his curls as you used to do for Steven.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized that you were doing it for him this time. You were taking care of him.

"Did you miss me?" His voice was so sweet that even with your face flushed from crying, you managed to smile.

Everything was so easy with Steven.

"I already told you I did." You laughed like a little girl who was recovering from a scolding or perhaps a tantrum. You even felt lightheaded, just like in many childhood instances when you had cried until your throat begged for a break.

"How much?" His fingers traced your waist, and you sighed at the familiarity of the sensation.

"With all my heart."

His eyes lit up at your words. Poor Steven had been through so much that he could swear this was a mirage or an illusion from his brain. There was no way you were really there in front of him.

As beautiful as ever.

"I bet I missed you more." You laughed again, specifically because you knew he meant it. You missed that smile so much that you decided to agree with him. You placed a hand on his cheek and nodded.

"I bet you did, love."

Steven could have burst with happiness right then and there.

"I have to go home, Steven." You spoke again, your thumb gently pressed against his cheek, right where his smile ended.

The news hit him hard. So much that you almost wanted to laugh.

He was terrified that you wouldn't come back, that you would consider this just a momentary mistake and nothing more.

"B-But I…"

"Sekhmet is alone." You corrected him with a slight smile, trying to give him the confidence he seemed to urgently need.

He nodded silently, looking like a sad puppy.

"Do you want to come with me?" Ah, there it was. His eyes were on you again as if he couldn't believe your offer.

No wonder you had never doubted Steven's love. The guy looked at you as if you were the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever seen, even after everything that had happened, not to mention the 300 times he had apologized to you for something he hadn't done.

"Can I, love?"

"You can spend the night there."

Silence. Seconds of silence before he nodded so quickly that his curls fell onto his face, making you laugh.

A genuine laughter that lit up your entire face, much like the one he had caused on your last date when he lifted you up in his arms and Sekhmet entered their lives.

Steven felt his heart skip a beat and his cheeks turn rosy.

"Let's go!" He gave you a little nudge, and you laughed again. "Jake can drive."

[saiyanprincessswanie]

SaiyanPrincessSwanie Reading List Week 213 & 214

A/N: Thank you again to those who recommended fanfics or tagged me. 💜 This week had me reading 50 fics. Absolutely amazing fics here. This has been so much fun for me and I hope you enjoy my reading lists.

As always these will be listed in no particular order. None of these stories are mine. I’m just signal-boosting them. The author is listed next to the title. My goal is to signal boost writers and spread positivity in the community.  💜💜

Click HERE to see what I will or won’t read. This is very important.

Click HERE for past reading lists.

For my Masterlist click HERE.

Please make sure you’re reading the warnings on every story. They range from dark to fluff. Do Not Read if you are under 18 years old. These stories are meant for adults only. You’re responsible for your own media consumption.

Page-break by @whimsicalrogers

Header by @fictional-affairs

If you can, please reblog these lists so they can reach more people on Tumblr.

I love you 3000 💜 Missy

Need You Now - (Bucky x Reader) - @saiyanprincessswanie

Mafia Bucky Drabble - @angrythingstarlight

Goldi locked - (Curtis x Reader x Ari x Steve) - @biteofcherry

one for you and me - (Bucky x Reader) - @mellowsaturns

no place like home - (Steve x Reader) - @mellowsaturns

Drugged Courage - (Steve x Reader) - @mercurial-chuckles

Berserk Captain Rogers - (Steve x Reader) - @mercurial-chuckles

Out of My Head - (Bucky x Reader) - @navybrat817

Stay - (Bucky x Reader) - @jobean12-blog

Making Time - (Bucky x Reader) - @jobean12-blog

Sunrises and Sunsets - (Bucky x Reader) - @navybrat817

More time - (Brock x Reader) - @nekoannie-chan

somebody else - (Bucky x Reader) - @lunarbuck

Deception - (Andy x Reader) - @stargazingfangirl18

Fate Part 1 - (Curtis x Reader) - @thezombieprostitute

Fate Part 2 - (Curtis x Reader) - @thezombieprostitute

Guilt - (Bucky x Reader) - @deliciousangelfestival

Oh My - (Jake x woc!Reader) - @syntheticavenger

hard drive - (Jake x Reader) - @syntheticavenger

Comply - (Winter Soldier x Reader) - @tumblin-theworldaway

Mafia Bucky Drabble - @angrythingstarlight

A Much Needed Reminder - (Andy x Reader) - @stargazingfangirl18

Hold Me - (Ari x Reader) - @flordeamatista

Losing Control - (Bucky x Reader) - @flordeamatista

till the end of time - (Thor x Reader) - @sergeantxrogers

for so long as you live - (Bucky x Reader) - @witchywithwhiskey

"My King" - (Thor x Reader) - @fluffyprettykitty

Vicious - (Bucky x Reader) - @fluffyprettykitty

Another Ending 1 - (Bucky x Reader) - @deliciousangelfestival

Another Ending - 2 - (Bucky x Reader) - @deliciousangelfestival

You Should've Seen Him - (Steve x Reader) - @buckets-and-trees

I Will Always Come When You Call - (Bucky x Reader) - @eat-limes-bitches

Love Marks - (Bucky x Reader) - @flordeamatista

Betrayed heart - (Brock x Reader) - @nekoannie-chan

Hold You Tight: Part 6 - (Bucky x Reader) - @navybrat817

Cold hearted - Chp 3 - (Multi Pairings) - @missvelvetsstuff

Cold hearted - Chp 4 - (Multi Pairings) - @missvelvetsstuff

Indecent Proposal - (8) - (Stucky x Reader) - @holylulusworld

Leap of faith - (Steve x Reader) - @mostly-marvel-musings

Drabble Roulette: F*ck Machine - Bucky Barnes - @darkficsyouneveraskedfor

Touching - (Steve x Reader) - @nekoannie-chan

Delivered - (Curtis x Reader) - @stargazingfangirl18

Big Pharma - (Steve x Reader) - @ronearoundblindly

Back to the Office - (Bucky x Reader) - @navybrat817

liquor - (Thor x Reader) - @syntheticavenger

I know what you did - (Lee B x Reader) - @tumblin-theworldaway

Chivalry - (Steve x Reader) - @mostly-marvel-musings

So, This Is Love! - (Ransom x Reader) - @americasass81

Life Is Short So Make It Sweet - Chp 10 - (Curtis x Honey) - @sweater-daddiesdumbdork

Your Mark On Me - Part 13 - (Steve x Reader) - @georgiapeach30513

[nwjws]

howlers of love - ksn 🎐

; pairing - sunoo x gn!reader

; synopsis - in which sunoo starts receiving howlers from an anonymous student, professing their love for him in his face for the whole school to watch.

; tags - one shot, fluff, a teaspoon of angst, hogwarts au, hufflepuff!sunoo, hufflepuff!reader ; warnings - none

; wc - 3.3k

; author's corner! this was requested! i just love hogwarts aus and sunoo

it was a normal morning. it was.

walking down to the great hall with your best friend, sunoo, for breakfast - it was your daily routine. it had been for the past 4 years.

you'd wait for each other in the common room every morning, then make your way to the hall for breakfast. sunoo would be complaining about some teacher or classmate while you speed-run some homework due the other day.

then, you'd leave for your classes, but not without sunoo stuffing some toast up your mouth, because you never actually eat much in the mornings. not when you're completing work you should have done earlier. this morning was just like every other - until an owl dropped a red envelope at sunoo's plate.

suddenly, the other students sitting nearby you guys silenced, eyeing the howler in front of your best friend. howlers were never a good thing to receive. they were often sent by parents to their children who had been particularly naughty.

"are you in trouble?" someone asked, but no one could believe it. after all, sunoo was a good student, great even. he was a ball of sunshine, and did well at school. he had no enemies, not when a smile from him could send anyone melting on the inside.

so what the hell was a howler doing in front of him?

"you should open it soon," you told him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. his eyes remained fixed on the letter. "to get it over with."

it seemed like the whole hall leaned away as sunoo slowly reached for it, confused and afraid of what it might contain.

a moment later, the envelope exploded, and a distorted voice started roaring from it, garnering everyone's attention.

"DEAR SUNOO, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THIS IS, BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOW.

"I LIKE YOU. I HAVE FOR A WHILE NOW, AND IT'S SO HARD KEEPING THESE FEELINGS TO MYSELF. NOT WHEN YOU'RE SO PERFECT, AND AMAZING, AND BRILLIANT, AND TALENTED.

"I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO RECIPROCATE MY FEELINGS, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO CARE FOR YOU - LIKE ME.

"SINCERELY, YOUR NOT-SO-SECRET ADMIRER."

a silence fell over the hall, as the howler burst into flames and ashes.

everyone had heard, and everyone was now staring at your best friend - who remained stunned in his seat, a hand over his mouth.

"sunoo?" you asked tentatively. the hand you placed on his shoulder seemed to wake him up.

he was about to say something when everyone burst into chatter about what had just happened, whistles echoing throughout the hall.

"whew!" jake, another of sunoo's friends, clapped his back. "now that's one way to confess." sunghoon nodded with a grin, holding his chuckle in as he stood slightly behind his fellow ravenclaw.

"no," sunoo whined, hiding his face completely behind his hands. "a good way of confessing is telling me who they really are. only cowards hide behind anonymity."

you rubbed his back comfortingly, trying to form words in your head.

"everyone's going to be talking about it for the rest of the day," sunghoon remarks.

"don't remind me," sunoo said, his voice muffled.

"are you okay?" you ask him, bending to try and get a look at his face. he turns his head slightly, and you see his face flushed red.

"oh!" you laugh. "did you like that?"

"of course he did," jake chuckled. "you know our sunoo, he loves the attention." he reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, but sunoo fought his hands away before jake could do anything.

"stop doing that!" he whined. "i'm just a little embarrassed. now everyone's in my business," he mumbled, sitting up and putting his red cheeks on full display.

"i think it's cute," you say, reaching up to comb his hair with your hand. you heard jake grumble about how sunoo only ever lets you touch his hair.

"ah sunoo," sunghoon sighed, patting the younger boy. "ever the lover for grand gestures, aren't you?"

sunoo huffed. "whatever. me and y/n are going to class now. i'm not listening to you two idiots any longer."

and then he up and left, taking you with him by the wrist.

the next week, another howler arrived for sunoo. everyone was curious now.

"DEAR SUNOO, I HOPE YOU'RE SMILING WHEN YOU GET THIS NEXT MESSAGE. IT ALWAYS BRIGHTENS UP MY DAY.

"I HEAR YOU THINK I'M A COWARD FOR REMAINING ANONYMOUS. I THINK SO TOO. BUT, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT ME, I'LL TELL YOU ONE.

"I LIKE YOUR SOFT, FLUFFY HAIR, AND THE WAY YOU STYLE YOURSELF. IT ALWAYS AMAZES ME HOW YOU CAN MAKE OUR BORING UNIFORM INTO YOUR OWN. YOU INSPIRE ME.

"SINCERELY, YOUR NOT-SO-SECRET ADMIRER."

sunoo scoffed, but a smile tugged at his lips anwyay.

"is that even a fact about themself?" he asked you with a pout. "everyone likes my hair!"

the other students resumed their previous chit-chat, some trying to guess who the anonymous sender might be. you just shrugged and continued to eat your food, frantically trying to complete an essay for charms later that day.

"your admirer doesn't seem to have any plans of actually revealing who they are, huh?" sunghoon asked sunoo. him and jake had decided to sit with you two at the hufflepuff table this morning.

"no," sunoo sighed. "cowardly on another level - giving me hope, only to pull that on me!"

"maybe they'll reveal more in their next letter?" you try to comfort him.

"they better," he grumbled. "i need to know who it is."

"maybe it's someone you know!" jake says. "if they feel the need to distort their voice so they won't be recognised, maybe you know them."

"that barely narrows the pool of possibilities down! i know practically everyone at hogwarts," your best friend whined.

"it's only the second letter. you can't exactly guess much from two howlers," you tell him, still focused on your essay. you groan as you scribble out a whole paragraph.

"oh my god," sunghoon gasped, staring at your textbook from the other side of the table. "i totally forgot about that assignment."

"you idiot," jake smacked the taller boy's head. sunghoon reached for your textbook to look at the content, but you pulled it back.

"i can't let you see my textbook - i've written notes all over it," you say, embarrassed. sunghoon wouldn't be able to read much over all the post-it notes you've stuck on the pages.

"more like you've doodled all over it," sunoo laughed.

"listen - drawing cutesy little stars and hearts on the page is more interesting than professor kim drawling on about the goblin rebellion of 1612, okay?" you defended yourself.

jake raised an eyebrow. you could tell he wanted to laugh.

"whatever, just let me finish this essay. i'm almost done."

"i'm not! i haven't even started," sunghoon groaned. the three of you laughed as he leaned on jake's side, dragging his hands down his face with a whine.

over the next few weeks, sunoo would continue to receive howlers, garnering everyone's attention every time the owls swooped into the hall to drop off mail. in fact, it's become something the whole school started looking forward to - the only thing that had them excitedly running for the hall at the beginning of another hellish week of school.

waiting for another red envelope to plop onto sunoo's plate had become regular. the usual screaming into his face had become your normal monday mornings.

you realised that there were now several students sending him howlers, because he would receive 2-3 howlers every week, all with distinctly different voices and handwriting.

"seems like your original sender has got competition," jake giggled as sunoo rubbed his ear.

"i'm going deaf with all these letters screeching at me every week," he rolled his eyes, feeding you some fish from your own plate. you were working on more homework that you'd missed out on recently (what's new?). "and besides, none of them will ever beat the original."

"even riki's?" you asked, laughing. the second year had latched onto sunoo on his first day at hogwarts, and somehow joined the group of boys, despite being a lot younger.

he'd joined the trend of sending sunoo howlers one morning, although it was obviously him without the distorted voice. none of the other senders had bothered to cover up their voices.

"riki's 'confession' was him thanking me- actually, more like exposing me for bringing him some butterbeer from our last hogsmeade weekend!" sunoo cries in exasperation. "i had to put on the biggest puppy eyes i could when professor jeon pulled me aside to ask about it."

"i told you it was a stupid idea," sunghoon said solemnly, but the twitching of his lips betrayed his amusement.

"he threatened me to! that brat."

"i heard that!" riki's voice yelled from the slytherin table, next to hufflepuff's.

"that kid's crazy," you gasped through your laughter.

"he's going to ruin the fun," sunghoon sighed. "after his letter, the professors started talking of banning students from sending howlers to each other."

"what?" sunoo gasped. "how am i going to receive letters from my secret admirer?"

"they can just send you normal, written letters," you suggested.

"but it's way more interesting when their deformed voice is screaming about how much they love me," he pouted.

"oh, he's down bad," jake shook his head.

sunoo ignored him. "i miss them," he sighed instead. the original secret admirer hadn't been able to send a howler in 2 weeks, much to everyone's disappointment.

"look at him! he's missing someone he doesn't even know!" jake gawked in disbelief.

"i'm trying to figure it out."

"really? how?" sunghoon asked.

"i have a list of things they mentioned about themself, and other things i've figured out, on my phone."

"can we see?" you asked, curious.

"no!"

"why not?" jake pouted.

"i don't want you guys to figure it out. i want to be the one to do it," sunoo huffed stubbornly.

"but you'd figure it out sooner with all of us!" sunghoon says.

"with you?" sunoo gaped at the tall boy. "you may be ravenclaw, but you do not have the brains to actually be of any help."

"touche," sunghoon folded his arms and shrugged. "but hey, jake can help! and y/n!"

"the answer is no."

"well, you better figure it out soon, before the school actually bans us from sending howlers to each other," you tell him. he stares at you intently for a moment, then nods.

just then, another red envelope is dropped onto his plate. sunoo sighs as he shifts forward to open it, expecting another confession from a newer sender.

"DEAR SUNOO, I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ME YET."

it was the original sender. sunoo switched his full attention onto the howler; everyone else quietened to listen in.

"I'M SORRY I HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO TALK TO YOU THE LAST FEW WEEKS. YOU KNOW SENDING YOU THESE LETTERS ARE MY FAVOURITE THING TO DO.

"YOU SEEM TO BE DOING WELL. I SAW YOU THE OTHER DAY, WITH CUTESY BOWS IN YOUR HAIR THAT YOUR FRIEND HAD PUT IN. THE SMILE ON YOUR FACE WAS HAPPIER THAN I'D EVER SEEN IT. I HOPE ONE DAY TO BE THE CAUSE BEHIND SUCH A PRETTY SMILE.

"ACCORDING TO THE RUMOURS THAT THE SCHOOL IS BANNING HOWLERS, THIS MAY BE MY LAST LETTER. IF IT IS, I'M GLAD THAT I GOT TO TELL YOU HOW I FELT, EVEN IF I'LL NEVER KNOW IF YOU LIKE ME BACK.

"LOVE, YOUR NOT-SO-SECRET ADMIRER."

even after the red letter set on fire and burned to ashes, your best friend's eyes remained fixated on the space in front of him. he stared into nothing, seemingly in a daze after the (possibly) last howler he'd ever get from his favourite anonymous admirer. you wondered what he was thinking.

"sunoo?" you prodded. he turned to look at you, eyes blown wide open.

it's like something clicked. his siren-like eyes pulled you in, engaging you into a staring contest. while the rest of the world continued, you two were stuck in your own timeless little space.

his eyes were always your favourite feature. you wished you could see the world through his beautiful eyes, even if for just a moment.

"hello?" sunghoon tapped you on the shoulder. you finally broke away from the hold sunoo had on you. "we've got to get to class."

"oh, right."

for the rest of the day, you couldn't seem to look directly at your best friend, still replaying the events of that morning.

it was clear sunoo had taken quite a liking to the anonymous sender, no matter how silly it sounded. in the weeks following their first letter, he would talk about them nonstop. his eyes twinkled and his cheeks got especially rosy whenever he did, and he also loved to speculate about who or what the person was like.

you listened whole heartedly, his voice soothing you after a long day of school. even if he was talking about someone else, or at least an illusion of a person he'd created.

sunoo had gotten frustrated with you for avoiding him all day. so he resorted to cornering you in the hufflepuff common room before you two went back up to your dorms.

"y/n. stop it."

"stop what?" you asked innocently.

"don't play dumb. why have you been ignoring me all day?"

"no i haven't."

"you're a terrible liar."

"how would you know?" you crossed your arms.

"you fiddle with your thumbs whenever you lie. you also comb your hair with your hands, fold your arms, stand up straighter, scrunch your nose-"

"okay, okay. i get it," you shook your head. "i'm sorry."

"you should be. i've been missing my best friend all day," he pouted.

you fell apart at his expression, and engulfed him in a hug. "i'm sorry, i didn't mean it. i hope you're okay."

"i would be better if you shared this hot chocolate with me by the fire place. i brought both mugs from the kitchens all by myself - and they're really hot!"

"fine," you laughed, and took a mug from one of his hands.

you two settled into the couches by the warm fire place, and you watched the flickering light from the flames reflect onto his hazel eyes.

"you always look at me like that."

"like what?" you asked.

"like you're obsessed with me," he grinned.

"sounds like you're obsessed with me," you retorted with a giggle. "to the point you even notice the way i look at you."

"why wouldn't i be?"

your smile dropped. you looked down at your cup, your reflection in the drink swirling.

"you can't just say things like that."

"why not?" you stayed silent.

he continued. "why can't i talk about how much i love my best friend? why can't i tell you the little things i notice about you? why can't you just look at me?"

"because!" you exclaimed suddenly. you cleared your throat awkwardly when you garnered a few looks. you spoke again in a lower tone.

"it makes me feel things- things i shouldn't be feeling for a friend."

"well, i would hope not. i'm not just your friend, i'm your best friend."

"but that's the thing, sunoo," you sighed. "sometimes, i feel like i don't want to be just best friends. i look at you and see someone with a sweet smile, and with an even sweeter personality. i've never met someone who's as pretty on the inside as they are on the outside.

"when i look at you, it feels like the world is clearer, easier to bear. when i look at you, i see someone i want to spend the rest of my life with - someone i love."

sunoo was silent for a moment.

and you were so scared that you messed it up, your friendship. you couldn't stand the deafening absence of his voice, overtaken by the crackle of the flames and background voices.

just when you were about to stand up to go hide in your room, he finally spoke up.

"are you the original anonymous sender?"

you froze in place.

"you are, aren't you?"

"how... how did you figure it out?"

"i wasn't entirely sure at first. but like i said earlier, i've been trying to gather details from your previous letters.

"in the second letter you'd sent, you mentioned my hair was soft and fluffy. i don't really let anyone touch my hair, because they'd definitely ruin it," he rolled his eyes. "well, except you. but i figured the sender probably meant it looked soft and fluffy, so i just brushed it off.

"but then things started to add up. one time, the letter smelled like dittany, which we had made in herbology just that previous friday. another time, i noticed that the 'addressed to' writing at the front used navy blue ink, instead of black or blue. you're the only person i know who uses that colour.

"and then, when you fell sick recently, the letters stopped. but i was so worried for you that i didn't even notice, until you mentioned it in your letter today.

"i realised it was most likely you when your letter said the word 'cutesy' in your howler today. i've known you for years, you think i wouldn't have noticed the way you speak?" he laughed quietly.

"so.. you knew this whole time?"

"i suspected it, but not definitely."

"and you never told me."

"i didn't want to force a confession out of you," he admitted. "i wanted you to tell me yourself."

"so now what?" you asked. you still weren't sure where his own feelings lay. sure, he knew that you were the not-so-secret admirer, but did he like you?

every time you saw him smiling at another letter (even if it was howling in his face on a monday morning), you felt even more scared to tell him how you felt. you watched as he came to like the anonymous sender, and not you. he had created his own persona for the sender, and it was definitely not you. you were scared that he would be disappointed to find out it was you after all, and not his dream person.

"you're over thinking again," he said simply.

"can you blame me?"

"for the record, i love you too," he said, setting the cup down and taking your hands in his. "you didn't have to resort to howling at me to get my attention, or something like that. i've only ever looked at you. and i will only ever look at you; in my world, you're the only one in it."

tears leaked out of your eyes. "so i did all of that for nothing?"

sunoo laughed and wiped your cheeks, caressing them with the soft touch of his thumbs. "no, nothing like that! i realised my feelings for you when i got that first howler, because when i pictured who might be behind those red letters, i could only imagine you. the thought of it being anyone else made me cringe."

"what if it wasn't me?" you pouted playfully.

"then i would have rejected them, if they ever confessed to me for real. and i would have loved you with my whole being, even if you never liked me back."

"you would have cried yourself to sleep every night," you laugh, a croak in your voice from crying just moments ago. you know him too well.

"you're right! so thank god that wasn't the case." sunoo hugged you tighter, and you wrapped your arms around his middle. a satisfied sigh escapes your lips.

right then, you also thank whatever being out there let you meet your best friend. and you're grateful that you can give sunoo all of your love without holding back - not-so-secretly anymore.

; taglist - @kflixnet @lovelovelovebts @miyseung

[silvermistcosmos]

▬▬  enhypen’s reaction to their s/o jumping on them to wake them up 

PAIRING. enhypen x reader

GENRE. fluff, crack //  reaction

WARNINGS. N/A

WC. 633

A/N. you guys! I RECENTLY JUST HIT 1,000 FOLLWERS!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH, I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO GET THIS BIG SO FAST?! I’m planning a 1,000 follower event so keep on a lookout for that, I just wanted to let you guys know how grateful I am for you all! 💕💕

# Heeseung 

You tried to wake him up. Keyword, tried. There was no waking this man up. Even when you jumped on top of him, your full body weight just resting on him, he didn’t even move. After several minutes of trying to wake him up by jumping and shaking him, you finally gave up and in the end just kissed his cheek. And then he opened his eyes. 

“I was really awake the entire time. I just wanted to you to give me a kiss to wake me up.” And then you continued to scold him for the next half hour. Heeseung is definitely a tease. 

# Jay 

He would be so done with you. Right as you jumped on him, you would hear a low groan then see his eyes open into a glare at you. He would yank the blankets above his head making you fall to his side. You tell him you just wanted breakfast and he would slowly pull the blankets from his head. 

“Go get it yourself then. I’m sleepy.” Then before you could even protest, you heard his little snores so you decided to just find something to eat yourself. And you learned to not ever wake Jay up. 

# Jake 

Jake would be startled. His eyes would shoot open and he would jump up, looking around the room until his eyes landed on you and he would sigh in relief. He’ll pinch your nose bridge, not too hard, and lay back down, shaking his head. 

“You’re so naughty. Could you not have waken me up in a more normal way?” 

# Sunghoon

Sunghoon rethinks life decisions as you so playfully woke him up, whining for him to get up and play with you. He stays silent no matter what you do, just staring off into the distance. He rubs his eyes, finally looking at you who was already wide awake. 

“Why am I dating an adult child?” He asked you to which you shrugged and continued shaking him until he eventually got up to do something with you. 

# Sunoo

This was a normal routine between the two of you. Waking up each other normally and sweetly? No, you jumped on each other to wake the other up. So Sunoo doesn’t even blink. He just pushes you off of him and onto the other side of the bed. He lifts his hand up to pinch your cheek with a small smile, his eyes still closed. 

“Five more minutes...” He would mumble and you shook your head, reminding him that he had already said five more minutes three times already. And so you continued to annoy him until he finally woke up.

# Jungwon

He would be a little startled, blinking several times to make sense of what was happening. Once he figured out it was just you being mischievous again, he smiled, shaking his head before jumping up and tickling you scaring you this time. You guys would have a tickling battle for the next ten minutes, fully waking Jungwon up. 

“You’re so silly, but next time maybe wake me up with a kiss or something sweet like that, hm?” No, he knew what he got himself into when you guys first started dating. That wasn’t going to happen and he knew it. 

# Niki

He won’t even flinch. He’ll Just wrap his arms and body around you, turning you around so that you were smushed into the sheets and he was on top of you, his head resting in the crook of your neck.

 “I’m not waking up right now, so don’t fight it.” He would say in his deep, morning voice. As much as you wanted to protest, his body was tightly wrapped around yours so you couldn’t do much about it as he was much stronger than you.

taglist: @love-4-keum @flo-i @deafeningballoonnacho @luveuly @tyunni​ @sulkygyu @quokkasunggie  @niktwazny303​ @jeonghanscumslut 

if you want to get tagged when I post new writing pieces, just send me an ask and I’ll add you to my taglist

[sweetreliever]

introduction makenna. she/her. fourteen. bunnies. infp. music addict. taken by @chrisbabymomma flute.. piano. victoria’s secret angel makeup. stockholm style. gold jewelry. kendra scott necklaces. folklmore era. strawberries. chris girl. floral anything. lip gloss. madison beer. coraline. giddy when happy. theater. fruit bars. skirts. sturniolo triplets. rainy mornings. 10 things i hate about you. brandy melville. autumn. local coffee shops. roses. and kindness.

hello darlings! here's my get to know me! my inbox and dms are always open if you need someone to talk to about anything!! just a reminder, this is a safe space for everyone! hate will be blocked! absolutely no bullying, harassment, racism, abelism, homophobia, sexism, age regression shaming, or any discrimination of any kind.

i am open to writing headcannons/blurbs about chris or matt x female reader, nick will only be platonic!

i am also open to writing about madison beer x female reader! i am also comfortable writing smut about her!

what i WILL write

matt, chris, madison being amazing partners, caregivers, parents, comforters, etc!

reader with autism, adhd, anxiety, depression, age regression, BPD, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, GERD, PTSD, and any chronic illnesses or mental illness i haven't said will be glad fully written!

what i WON'T wriite

smut (i'm bad at writing this) rape, incest, cheating, death, weird kinks, politics, smoking, no happy ending type shit

interests

youtubers: sturniolo triplets, benoftheweek, flamingo, jake and johnnie, tara yummy, dramakween, danny gonzalez, jackpop, anthpo, just sharon, chloe hayden

music (i did this by type) : taylor swift, madison beer, melanie martinez, chappell roan, lana del rey, laufey, clario, gracie abrams, alex g, tv girl, mac miller, dominic fike, tyler the creator, frank ocean, kendrick lamar, eminem, sza, lil skies, and a lot more!

movies: ten things i hate about you, speak, edward scissorhands, hercules, the princess and the frog, lego batman, enchanted, scream, jennifers body, back to the future, my girl, juno, mamma mia

tv shows: stranger things, school spirits, gravity falls, big city greens, gilmore girls, heartstopper, outer banks, young sheldon, family guy, victorious

i regress! my little age is 4-6 i'm audhd, meaning i have both autism and ADHD, along with crippling anxiety. i'd like to set a few ground rules with that, please don't use tags or shorten words, i understand some of them, just that i'd like to see what you fully mean, please do not make any rude jokes towards it. any hate of my disability will be blocked and reported. i do cross country, theater and dance

likes: sushi, the color purple, pasta, animals, music, art, books, english, us history, biology, physics, positivity, dance, singing, disney movies, iced coffee, thai food, ice cream, fruit, veggies, water, and energy drinks dislikes, math, history class, tomatoes, pickles, ranch dressing, prime drink, steak, actual cheddar cheese, my anxiety, my autism, my adhd, school, rude people, homophobia, racism, ableism, sexism, being catcalled, fires, and tornadoes

conclusion

heres my spotify!

[soft-girl-musings]

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - CHAPTER 2 (I've Got You Under My Skin)

Noir!Jake Lockley x WOC Lounge Singer!Reader

written in collaboration with + header by @mrs-lockley

chapter 1 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5

cross-posted to ao3

tags: late 1940s Noir AU, Reader is WOC coded but with no physical description besides being slightly taller than Jake while wearing heels, no use of Y/N

wc: 2,326

fic summary: Of all the gin joints in all the world, Jake Lockley walks into yours. Unfortunately for him, it's not quite the start of a beautiful friendship.

chapter summary: another night, another guest.

----------

The Paper Moon is open to all walks of life– every culture, creed, and color is welcome through the doors of your lounge. This is usually a happy truth, but these days you’ve been harboring a clockwork headache when that cab driver stops by.

He gives you the base courtesy of sticking to a schedule: around 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jake will waltz in on the heels of James Wesley and whatever company he has in tow. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Jake sits at the same back table while Mr. Wesley conducts his business. And every Tuesday and Thursday, you play nice as you check in on your patrons. Including the cabbie.

“Another stellar set, Ms. Songbird,” he lilts as you give a courtesy nod, brushing past his table in the hopes of keeping things brief.

“Thank you, Mr. Lockley.” Your voice is tense as you breeze by. Jake Lockley, you’d learned from the wait staff: the legal name for the thorn in your side.

In all honesty, you wouldn’t mind his presence as much if he didn’t insist on making it known every evening. You had learned to expect him in the crowd whenever you’d hear a high-pitched whistle ringing above the applause each night. The sound grates at your resolve and forces you to plaster on your stage-ready smile a bit longer every time you make your rounds.

“Hey Songbird,” he calls out after you. “Have a drink with me?”

“A drink at my own bar? How inspired.” You press your lips into a firm line, the rest of your face broadcasting your disinterest to no avail. Every week he asks; every week you say no.

“Suit yourself,” he sighs, always backing down but never taking his eyes off you. It’s one thing to be watched onstage; it’s another to feel his gaze on the ground level. You feel a bit of relief every time you see him walk out with his client, tipping his hat to you at the end of each evening. His smile remains undeterred, no matter how cold a shoulder you offer.

It’d be damn near charming if you trusted it.

----------

Today’s not the day to let your guard down, the unmarked letter in your hand reminds you as you pace around the backstage corridor. It’s the third of its kind you’ve received this month. You worry your lip between your teeth as you pour over its contents, even though you know them by heart.

“To whom it may concern….” “...property acquisition…” “...would be in your best interest…” “...other businesses under our care …”

“‘Our care,’ that’s rich,” you mutter. “Remind me to stop opening the mail during business hours…”

“Uh, okay?” Mauricio agrees hesitantly as he rounds the corner. “Was wondering where our ‘fifteen-minutes-to-curtain’ call was, but I see you've been busy.”

“Oh good golly, is that really the time?” You fumble to put the letter back in its envelope. “Haven't even finished my makeup…” you trail off as you head to your dressing room, your drummer right behind you.

When you open the door, you see a small bundle of flowers sitting on your side table. Oh for crying out loud.

“How many times do I have to–” you're muttering to yourself again as you take the flowers in hand, moving swiftly across the room.

"What are you doing?" Mauricio sputters.

"If that man thinks he can weasel into my good graces with a few pretty flowers-" you huff as you drop the bouquet in a wastebasket. "–he's going to be sorely disappointed."

"Those were– those were mine." Mauricio admits softly.

You freeze, turning to him. "Really?"

He scoops up the bouquet. "I wanted to surprise you. Guess I should've left a note," he chuckles.

"Oh, Maurie, thank you." You rush over to bring him into a hug. Sometimes he's too sweet for his own good.

".... This is from Mr. Lockley." Mauricio breaks away to hold out a single white rose he'd been hiding behind his back.

You sigh. "He's a persistent son of a gun, isn't he?"

He nods, dimpled smile growing by the second. “I think he's swell, miss. The boys think so, too.”

You turn the rose over in your hand. “I want you to be careful around him, Maurie. We don't know what he's about.”

“I think he's made it pretty clear,” he laughs.

“Hm. Perhaps.” You raise an eyebrow. "And I suppose you both brought flowers because...?"

Mauricio brims with excitement, taking the rose back and bundling it with the bouquet he'd gifted. "Mr. Lockley sounded real set on gettin’ you something sweet," he starts. He puts the flowers in an empty vase on your vanity.

"I didn't mean to steal his thunder, but I like it when you smile." He wipes his hands on the front of his pants and his expression drops a bit. "You haven't been smilin’ as much these days, Ms. Songbird."

You busy yourself with the fallen petals at your feet. “I smile all the time, what do you mean?”

“I guess I'm saying… there's you onstage, then there's, I dunno, you -you. They smile differently, s'all.”

He's right, as much as you hate to admit it. You look over at the flowers. “Well, thanks for giving me a reason to smile for real, Maurie.” You press a kiss to his forehead. “My mind's a bit out of sorts tonight. So thank you.”

The youth's dark brown eyes fill with concern. “Anything we can help you with?”

You shake your head, moving back to your vanity. “Nothing to worry yourself over, darling. Just make sure the boys are set. We have a show to put on.” 

He nods and leaves your dressing room. As you apply your lipstick, your hand trembles.

----------

Wednesdays have become your favorite part of the week: the day you catch your breath between visits.

In the time before the first half of your set, you make your usual rounds to each table.  Eventually you work your way to the front of the seating area, where you see a familiar silhouette beside the stage. A pair of dark glasses are perched on his nose, which crinkles as he smiles at the sound of your footsteps.

“Mr. Murdock,” you greet him warmly, taking his extended hand. “Always a pleasure.”

“Hey, kid.” He squeezes your hand in response, still beaming up at you. Even in the dimmed lounge, Matt Murdock’s smile can light up a room. 

“Come off it,” you huff in mock annoyance. “Thanks for stopping by on such short notice.”

“It sounded urgent, of course I’d be here. Do you have all the paperwork together?”

You eye the empty seat next to him. “I have a whole file waiting for you backstage… I’m sorry, is Franklin not joining you this evening?”

“Not tonight, but I do have another guest coming. Is that drink still on the house for a new plus-one?”

“Any friend of Nelson & Murdock is a friend of mine.” You brush a few stray hairs from his forehead. “Is this a guest for business or pleasure?”

He laughs, waving your hand away. “I suppose that depends.”

“Well, as long as they’re a fan of good music, they’re welcome here anytime,” you hum as you straighten his collar. “I swear, Matty. It wouldn’t kill you to dress to impress.”

“You dote too much. I’ll catch up with you later.” You leave him to his drink, making a mental note to demand his dress shirts for a routine tailoring.

The dinner rush brings the usual crowd, and you eye your friend’s table every so often. The seat beside him is still empty. You wonder if Matt was just pulling your leg and wanted to keep both complimentary drinks for himself.

But you don’t have time to ponder that. Instead, you scribble a few notes down and pass them out to your bandmates.

“Ah gee, boss, changing the setlist again?” Your pianist whines, scanning your notes. He didn’t ask tonight, but last-minute song requests are a longstanding favor to Matt when he has a lady to impress (which is often). For the sake of his mysterious guest, you swapped in some softer, more romantic pieces.

“Jackie, don’t tell me you’re not up to the task?” You eye him sternly. “Half the gig is improv anyway, and these are all songs we’ve done before.”

Jackie’s budding protest is silenced by the bassist via an elbow to the ribs. Arguing with you is never worth it: a lesson everyone learns sooner or later. Some take longer than others. 

Rubbing his side, Jackie concedes. “Whatever you say, boss.”

You wink. “That’s a tune I like to hear.” Smiling sweetly, you lead the band's procession to the stage.

“Good evening,” you croon into the microphone, “and welcome to The Paper Moon. I’m Ms. Songbird, this fine-feathered crew beside me are The Jays– let’s have some fun tonight.” You flash a rehearsed smile so dazzling it can be seen from the farthest table in the lounge, and you scan the room with anticipation. The moments before a performance are so precious; even with a setlist, anything can happen the moment that first note is played. Every night, you revel in the possibility. 

A familiar two-toned whistle draws your gaze to Matt’s table right below the stage, where the seat beside him is no longer empty.

Hat resting on the table, chin propped in his hands, you find yourself staring down at the face of none other than that infuriating cab driver bearing a grin so wide you hope it splits his cheeks.

Fighting to keep your smile from turning into a grimace, your eyes snap back to the middle of the room. “This first song goes out to one of our favorite patrons… and his company,” you add, your voice betraying your restraint with a crack. You don’t look down, but you just know that damned cabbie is smiling even harder.

Despite the rocky start, you and your band pull together another unforgettable night of music. You perform with your eyes closed more than usual; you refuse to give Jake Lockley the satisfaction of serenading him with your best love songs.

Once the music portion of the night is through, all the frustration you’d pushed down swiftly rises to the surface as you watch them pal around right under your nose. You rush to the floor level to get this over with.

“What are you doing here?” you blurt out, glancing between Jake and Matt. Your friend’s eyebrows raise at the outburst.

“Last I checked, this is a free country. I’m allowed into most businesses.”

“No, I mean– it’s not Thursday. You come on Thursdays.”

“Why Ms. Songbird, I didn’t think you cared enough to keep tabs on me.” He leans his head on his hand and stares up at you. “Sorry I didn’t call ahead.”

You want so badly to snap back at him, but instead you look at Matt. “ This is who I changed our set list for?”

“In my defense, I never asked you to,” he grins.

“You didn’t tell me you were so familiar with our lovely hostess here, Murdock. Seems you have more pull with the house than you let on,” Jake muses in surprise.

“A privilege he’s bound to lose if he's not careful,” you say through gritted teeth. Like it or not, Jake is a guest. And you still have an image to uphold. “How’d you have the pleasure of running into this one, Matthew?”

He barely has time to respond before Jake's leaning in farther, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Oh, chin up, doll– can’t say I’m too surprised he’s a friend of yours. Always has a knack for finding the pretty ones, this guy.” He nudges Matt’s side, who’s far too quiet for your liking.

“I’m not sure what you’re implying,” you huff.

“‘Course, I keep him around for that brain of his, not so much the mug.”

“He's my lawyer,” you say in unison. What makes your brow furrows leads Jake to bark out a laugh, shaking Matt in his grip as he tugs him closer.

“What are the odds of that, eh Murdock?” He beams up at you. Your frown deepens. “He's helped me with the occasional run-in with the law.”

“Oh, so you're not just a smart-mouth but a criminal, to boot?” 

“Nothing but a few civil suits, doll. Got off clean every time.” He winks as you cross your arms, glaring at Matt.

“You have interesting taste in company, Mr. Murdock.” You turn on your heel and head backstage.

“No kidding,” Jake continues to laugh as you walk away. Once you're out of sight, his smile falters. “So when you said you had a friend in show business–”

“Yeah.”

“And when I told you about the dame I've been eyeing at this new lounge–”

“–I knew exactly who you were talking about.”

“So you've been letting me parade around like a putz this whole time? ” A smack upside the head earns Jake a kick to the shin beneath the table.

“That, my friend, was all you. I mean bravo, you were in rare form tonight.” That signature smile returns as Jake pushes a hand through his hair. “I should probably go smooth some feathers. Catch up with you in an hour?”

Jake downs the rest of his drink and stands when Matt does. “You know I love our little talks.” Casting a final glance towards the stage door, he adjusts his jacket and moves from the table.

Matt catches his elbow. “She’ll come around.” He almost sounds convinced of it himself.

“Yeah, well, we’ve got other fish to fry tonight. Promise I’ll save you the big ones.”

Shaking his head, Matt makes his way backstage. “I’m starting to think some of that vitriol isn’t unearned.”

They part ways– Matt heading backstage, Jake to the moonlit streets. 

Bigger fish to fry, indeed: all swimming in the Kingpin’s tank. 

----------

A/N: thank you to everyone who has expressed enthusiasm over this little passion project!! it's been so fun putting it together, and i'm looking forward to sharing more with you. expect to see more of our favorite lawyer in the future (we have fun here)

as always, thank you for reading <3

tag list: @importantnightwerewolf, @cupidysm, @queerponcho, @nerdieforpedro, @fandxmslxt69, @shadystarlightgentlemen, @lunar-ghoulie, @casa-boiardi (lmk if you'd like to be added to/removed from this wee tag list)

[bellaireland1981]

Starting Over | 11

Summary: You come home to work to find your husband of three years in bed with your supposed best friend. It’s the wake up call you finally needed to take your two year old daughter and get the hell out of Texas. With nowhere to go you head to your big brother in San Diego. The Dagger squad takes you under their wings, and shows you what having a family means. You get a fresh start… will you find your happily ever after?

Characters: Jake “hangman” Seresin x Sister! Reader, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Seresin! Reader (Eventually), Hangman x Phoenix , Adorable OC Gracie!   The Dagger squad

Word Count: 7201

Warnings: Angst, fighting, cheating husband, emotional abuse, eventual fluff, SMUT, Sweet uncle Jake, Adorable Rooster with a toddler… if I miss any please let me know. MINORS DNI

A/N: I don’t own the characters or storyline for Top Gun Maverick. All OC’s are mine. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR ANYONE TO COPY OR REPOST MY WORK TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM! DON’T STEAL! Reblogs, likes and comments ALWAYS welcomed. THANK YOU @waywardodysseys​ and  @beyondthesefourwalls​ as always for reading over my work and helping me flush out ideas!! 

Taglist is open! If I missed anyone who asked to be tagged, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM  to be added. It’s getting to hard to keep track of asks. 

CH 1  CH 2  CH 3  Ch 4  Ch 5  Ch 6  Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 CH 10

Friday night the squad all descended upon Penny and Mav’s house for dinner and to start to decorate for Gracie’s party. The bounce castle was delivered and of course the overgrown children needed to test it out. Thankfully it didn't result in any injuries. You knew a few of the kids from Gracie’s daycare would be at that party, apart from that it would mostly just be adults at the party. You knew Gracie didn’t care as long as she had her people there. 

Nat, Penny and you were busy inflating balloons to create the balloon arch that Nat had insisted on from the party store, while Bradley and Jake kept Gracie busy in the bounce house out back. 

“Nat, remind me not to listen to you when it comes to decoration ideas again.” You complained after tying off what felt like the millionth tiny balloon. “My fingers are going to be numb for the rest of my life.”

“But it’s so PRETTY!” She insisted, “It’ll be worth it! You’ll see!” 

“Maybe next time we just order the damn arch and have someone ELSE build it?” Penny suggested.

What felt like hours later, but was really only about 45 minutes, all of the balloons were inflated and just needed to be assembled into the arch. Once it was all put together, you called the guys in to hang it up. 

Once finished, it looked like the entrance to a castle, and you had to admit, it looked amazing. 

“Ok, I admit it…. It’s badass.” You said, “Good call, Nat.”

“SEE?” She exclaimed, “I TOLD YOU!” 

“You doubted my girl, Tulip?” Jake asked, coming over to stand with you all as you admired the arch. 

“Not doubted so much as hated having to inflate and tie the millions of balloons required to create this arch.” You defended. 

“It’s beautiful, Sweets.” Jake said, wrapping his arm around Phoenix, “It’s just what our Princess G needs.”

“Thanks, Babe.” She smiled, leaning back to kiss him, “Anything for that girl. But Y/N is right, those balloons were a pain in the ass.”

“Mommy! Papa Mav gave me WINGS!” Gracie said running into the house, “Now I fwy wif Daddy and Unco Jakey!”

“Uh oh.” You said, smiling, “I’m not sure the Navy is ready for that just yet Gracie Girl.” 

“You wanna fly with us, Princess?” Bradley asked, scooping her up into his arms. “Daddy and Uncle Jakey can take you flying anytime you want to.”

“YES PWEASE!” She exclaimed, “Mommy! I go fwy wif my daddy and Unco Jakey now!”

“I don’t know if they can take you right this very minute, Sweet girl, but I’m sure they’ll have you in a plane as soon as they possibly can.” You laughed, “And I have no doubt that Papa Mav will help them make that happen.”

“Absolutely!” Mav said, beaming proudly. “We can  get her in the skies this weekend!”

“All I ask is that we wait until she’s at least in kindergarten before anyone takes my baby supersonic.” You requested, rolling your eyes. You had zero doubts that if it were at all possible one of them would figure out a way to sneak her into one of the Super Hornets. 

“That seems like a reasonable request.” Penny laughed, “And sadly, one that you had to actually spell out with these three.”

“That’s what I figured.” You said, laughing. “Covering all the bases here.”

“I’ll supervise.” Phoenix offered. 

“Something tells me you’d be just as bad as them in that situation.” You laughed. 

“Maybe.” She shrugged, winking. 

“We’ll save the Super Hornets and crazy pilot stuff until she’s at least in Kindergarten.” Bradley promised, “For now, we can take her up in something a little safer. I have no doubt she’ll take to the skies though.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” You sighed, “I won’t be able to keep any of your feet planted on solid ground afterwards.” 

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart,” Bradley said, kissing your forehead, “We’ll always fly right back to you.”

“You better.” You replied, tipping your head back to smile at him, claiming a kiss in the process.

“Alright, decorations are officially complete.” Penny said, “Let’s eat some dinner. A certain little Princess needs extra sleep to be ready for her big day tomorrow!”

Mav and Penny had ordered lots of pizza for the squad that night so that nobody was cooking on top of having to decorate and set up for the party. 

Once everyone had plates piled with pizza and drinks of choice they made their way to the back yard, settling into the chairs already set up for the party. 

“Daddy, I sit wif you.” Gracie said, climbing into Bradley’s lap. 

“Absolutely you can sit with me, my sweet Princess.” He replied, beaming at her.

“I’ve officially been replaced.” Jake pouted, sitting down next to them and placing his plate on the table. “I’m washed up fish guts in yesterday’s newspaper.”

“Wow.” You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Dramatic much?”

“Stop pouting, Hangy.” Bradley teased, “Gracie, you still love Uncle Jakey, right?”

“Yup!” She agreed with a mouth full of pizza, “I wuv you Unco Jakey!” 

“See? You big baby, she still loves you.” Phoenix said, sitting next to Jake, “Not let Rooster enjoy the fact that he now has a Daddy’s girl and stop being a brat.” She leaned in to kiss Jake’s cheek, before winking at Bradley and digging into her own pizza. 

“I love you too, Princess G.” Jake said, smiling at his niece, then looked at Phoenix, “Are you staying at the house tonight?”

“Most of my stuff is already packed in boxes so I planned on  just spending most nights there now.” She replied. 

“Good.” Jake said, leaning over to drop a kiss on her temple, “I like it better when you’re there.”

“Me too.” She said, smiling softly at him. “We have to leave early tomorrow to have time to stop to get the last part of Gracie’s present.”

“You both spoil her too much!” You groaned 

“No such thing.” Jake said, “It’s not possible to spoil our Princess G.”

“You’re impossible.” You laughed, knowing you would never win this argument. 

“Daddy, how many more sleeps til Mommy and me live wif you?” Gracie asked Bradley. 

“One more week, Baby Girl.” He replied, “This time next week, we will be moving you and Mommy into our house. That’s 7 sleeps.”

“Too many sleeps.” She pouted, giving him her best sad puppy eyes. “This many sleeps?” She held up 3 fingers. 

“Already a negotiator.” Mav laughed, “You all are in trouble.”

“And the puppy eyes…” Coyote added, “Who can resist those? I’d be giving that baby anything she wants!”

“Gracie, we have to wait until next weekend because it’s a lot of work and hard to move.” You tried to reason with her, “We have to wait for another weekend when Mommy and Daddy don’t work. We wanted this weekend to be just for your birthday.”

“But I wanna live wif Daddy.” She said, laying her head on Bradley’s shoulder. 

“Between all of us, we could get you moved over there in no time” Coyote offered, “It’s not like it’s an entire house of stuff, and you’ve fed us so often it would be the least we could do. That way our cutie pie Princess gets to live with her Daddy way sooner than 7 sleeps. No weekend needed.”

“That’s a good plan. I’m free whenever you need help.” Bob said.

“I can watch Gracie here to make it easier too if that helps.” Amelia offered.

“What do you say, Sweetheart?” Bradley asked, smiling at you, “Feel like moving in sooner?”

“If everyone is absolutely sure they want to help, I’ll happily accept.” You smiled.

“Ok, Baby Girl” Bradley said, “Tomorrow, we’ll have your party, then on Sunday we will pack and if everyone is available Monday after work… we will move you and Mommy in with me. So that’s 3 sleeps!” 

“YAY!” She exclaimed, “I wuv you, Daddy!” 

“I love you too.” He replied, smiling, “Jump down and give hugs to all your uncles and aunt too. They’re the ones that are making this happen!”

Gracie jumped down and made her way around to everyone giving them hugs and kisses. 

“While we’ve got all the muscle, can we knock out two moves?” You asked, “We’ll order dinner for everyone that night and next Friday night we’ll have everyone over and I’ll cook. Just figured we could orchestrate a two for one deal…get Nat moved in while we move out?” 

“I can wait until the weekend, it’s ok!” Phoenix insisted, not wanting to make more work for people. 

“It’s absolutely no problem!” Bob said, “We can split the squad…divide and conquer!” 

“No sweat, it’ll be easy.” Coyote said, smiling, “We’ve got you!”

“Guys, it’s really ok…” Phoenix said.

“Nope, it’s a done deal.” Fanboy said, “We’re moving Y/N and Gracie to Rooster’s and Phoenix to Hangman’s. Next topic… Gracie, I hear there’s a Disneyland trip in the future… I think that needs to happen soon, don’t you?”

“YES!” She agreed, “You come too?”

“Of course, I’ll come!” He said, “I think we should get everyone to come, just like when we went to the zoo, that would be fun! Maybe this time we can get Papa Mav and Penny to come?”

“Now, wait…” Mav started to stay.

“PAPA MAV!” Gracie exclaimed, running over to him, “You go to Disney wif me and Mommy and Daddy and Unco Jakey and Aunty Nix and EVERYBODY?”

“Now, how can you say ‘no’ to that?” Penny asked, laughing, “He would love to go with you, Sweet Girl.” 

“I guess you’re going to Disneyland, Mav.” Bradley laughed.

“Dagger trip to Disneyland!” Jake said, “I’m just glad we’ll have a lot more supervision than just the two of us now. More hands on deck is always better.” 

“More supervision is always the answer when you two are involved.” Phoenix agreed.  

“I can’t even argue with that.” Jake shrugged, flashing her a smile. 

“Nope. That’s accurate.” Bradley agreed. 

“I’d say the whole squad needs adult supervision, but honestly, they put Pete in charge of them…”, Penny laughed, “So, not really sure what the Navy was thinking there.” 

“Mav’s in charge of us, but Simpson is tasked with supervising him.” Phoenix reasoned, “I think they assume that it’ll balance out.”

“I think they knew exactly what they were doing when they put all of you together.” You said, “You all fit perfectly. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses but they all compliment each other…if that makes sense. I wasn’t here in the beginning and from what I’ve heard it may not have been as well oiled as it is now, but I’d bet even then, even if it wasn’t as smooth you all worked well together.”

“You’re absolutely correct, Y/N.” Mav said, “Even at their worst, when they couldn’t see past their own noses, they complimented one another in their skills. The higher ups definitely knew what they were doing assembling this group, and were smart enough to keep them together.”

“Aww, Mav.” Jake said, “You really DO love us!”

“Of course he does, he’s adopted us all, hasn’t he?” Payback teased, “He now has 6 kids.”

“I don’t recall signing any papers or taking responsibility for any of you.” Mav laughed, “Well, except for Bradley… I signed up for that one.” 

“Sorry guys, guess I’m the only one that’s been adopted.” Bradley laughed. You were glad he’d been able to rebuild his relationship with his godfather. You knew the history and that it was still a work in progress, but that they were working hard towards the bond they’d once had. 

“Since Rooster is with my sister that makes him my family so that means you have to adopt me now by default.” Jake reasoned to Mav.

“You know, his logic does sort of make sense.” Bradley agreed, looking at Mav. 

“If Rooster and Hangman agree on something it MUST be true.” Bob added.

“If Bob backs it, then it’s 100% fact.” Phoenix said. 

“Looks like you’ve got yourself at least 2 adoptees, might as well make it 6.” Penny laughed. 

“Since you are I are together now, Honey, that makes them yours too.” Mav smirked. 

“Penny’s been mothering us since we got to North Island, Mav.” Fanboy said, “She adopted us willingly.” 

“Can’t help it, you all were a hopeless lot. You needed mothering.” Penny replied, winking at him. 

“So it’s official, we’ve been adopted.” Jake said, “Next order of business, when’s our Disney trip?”

“Barring any surprise missions or pop up training exercises we can probably schedule it for next weekend since we won’t be needing it to move anyone now. We can book a few hotel rooms or look at renting out a house for the weekend.”

“What do you think, Sweetheart?” Bradley asked, looking at you, “Family trip to Disney next weekend?”

“If everyone is free, I know a certain Princess would love to spend the weekend at Disneyland.” You agreed. 

“We’re in.” Jake said, looking at Phoenix to confirm, she smiled nodding back at him. 

“I’m definitely in!” Fanboy said, “Not missing this for the world.”

“I’m free and it sounds fun.” Bob said.

“I’m game. I might see if my sister wants to meet us there with her kids too.” Payback said. 

“That would be perfect.” You replied, “More kids for Gracie to interact with.”

“Then it’s set, Dagger family trip to Disney next weekend.” Penny said, “I’ll get Kenny to cover the bar and call in some of my extra standbys.”

“Here that, Princess G?” Jake said, lifting Gracie into his lap, “We’re going to Disneyland next weekend!”

“DISNEY?” She exclaimed, “YES!” 

“Our favorite Princess needs to meet the rest of the Princesses.” Phoenix said, “You’ll still be our favorite though.”

“Absolutely” Bradley agreed, “None of those Princesses are better than our sweet Princess.”

“Alright, time to get this princess home to bed so she’s rested for her big party tomorrow.” You said, “We’ll plan on being here early to help get all the food and everything set up, Penny.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Sweetie.” She assured you, “We’ve got it handled. Just enjoy the morning with your little girl. No rushing around.”

“Thank you again for letting us crash your backyard.” You said. 

“We were more than happy to have the party here.” Penny said, “No thanks needed.”

After saying goodnight and giving hugs, you and Bradley made your way to the Bronco, getting Gracie secured in her car seat. By the time you arrived home, she was already asleep, having worn herself out bouncing in the bounce castle.  Bradley carried her into her room and tucked her into bed after carefully pulling her shoes off. You decided letting her sleep in her clothes one night wouldn’t hurt anything. 

Jake and Phoenix arrived home shortly after. You and Bradley were wrapping some of Gracie’s presents when they came in. 

“And we’re the ones that spoil her?” Jake asked, taking in the array of presents being wrapped. 

“Ok so, we may have gone overboard.” You acknowledged, “But in my defense, this is her first real birthday party… the first year we’ve got people making a big fuss over her.”

“I understand.” Jake said, coming over and pulling you into a hug, “And it’s not like we ever had steller birthdays, so I get you wanting to make them amazing for Gracie.”

“I do.” You replied, “I want her to have everything we didn’t.”

“Just promise me you’ll remember that tomorrow…” Jake said, pulling away and flashing you his dimpled grin. “I’m just making sure she has the kinda birthdays we never had.”

“Jacob Seresin, what did you do?” You asked, knowing now he was definitely up to something. 

“It’s a surprise.” He said, “But Gracie is going to LOVE it and that is all that matters.” 

“Nat… you had ONE job.” You groaned, shaking your head, “You were supposed to keep him reigned in…”

“Yeah… about that.” She laughed, “Problem is… there was nobody to reign ME in?”

“I need to remember to send Admiral Simpson the biggest package of cookies and treats with an “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” card for dealing with all of you.” You said, shaking your head, “Seriously, the man has earned a bonus…or an early retirement… surely some fancy medal…”

“I love you, Tulip.” Jake said, cheekily, “You know you love me too. I’m your favorite big brother!”

“I do love you, you idiot.” You laughed, “You’re my ONLY big brother.”

“I just want to point out that I had nothing to do with this surprise.” Bradley said, smirking, “So, I’m not in the doghouse over this one. Sorry, Jake. Other surprises, I will fully admit to having a hand in.”

“What other surprises?” You asked, suddenly nervous.

“Look at the time, it’s getting really late.” Bradley said, changing the subject, “We should really get to bed. We promised Gracie chocolate chip pancakes for her birthday breakfast, she’ll be up early for those.”

“Definitely, it's gonna be an early start tomorrow.” Jake agreed, “We’ll be here for her birthday breakfast, but then have to go take care of the rest of her present, so we’ll meet you at Penny and Mav’s after to help with the rest of the setup.”

“OK, I’m just going to roll with it.” You decided, sighing. “I trust that whatever this surprise is will be something she’ll love and will be absolutely Uncle Jake coded, meaning chaotic.”

“There’s the spirit!” Phoenix laughed, “You’re not wrong either.”

“Alright then, I’ll see you both in the morning.” You laughed, “I love you both. Goodnight.”

“Love you too.” Jake smiled, kissing your head and hugging you. “Goodnight.”

***

The next morning Gracie was up with the sun, excited for her birthday. Before you even had a chance to wake up or think about starting her pancakes, she was bursting into your room and climbing on your bed with you and Bradley.

“Mommy! Daddy!” She exclaimed, “It’s my BIRFDAY!” I’m FREE!!”

“Are you sure?” Bradley groaned, pulling her down in between the two of you, “I dunno if the sun is even awake yet, Princess.”

“It is, Daddy!” She promised, “WAKE UP!”

“Happy Birthday, my sweet Gracie Girl.” You said, opening your eyes and pulling her to you into a hug. “I love you baby girl.”

“I wuv you too Mommy!” She said, snuggling into the hug for a moment before flipping around to Bradley. 

“Daddy!” She yelled, making sure he was indeed awake. 

“I’m awake, Princess.” He laughed, “Happy Birthday, Baby Girl. Come give me BIG BIG hugs.” 

She launched herself across into his arms, immediately snuggling into his embrace. 

“I love you, Gracie.” He told her, “I’m so lucky I get to be your Daddy and spend your birthdays with you now.” 

“I wuv you too, Daddy.” She replied, “You’re my best Daddy!”

“You’re my best Princess!” He replied, kissing her head and launching a tickle attack. 

A while later and after some caffeine, you’re plating chocolate chip pancakes for the birthday girl, as Bradley is getting milk poured into her sippy cup. 

“Happy BIRTHDAY Princess G!” Jake exclaimed, coming into the kitchen and swooping her up from her chair to hug her. “I love you!”

“I wuv you too, Unco Jakey!” She said, hugging him back. “You eat pancakes wif me?”

“Absolutely!” He replied, “They’re my favorite.” 

“I get to hug the birthday princess first!” Phoenix said, taking her from Jake. “Happy Birthday, Gracie Girl!”

“I wuv you Aunty Nix!” Gracie said, hugging her tightly.

“I love you too!” She replied, “I can’t wait to celebrate with you today!”

“You jump wif me in the bouncy castle?” Gracie asked her

“Of course I will!” She promised, “Uncle Jakey and I will happily jump with you!”

“Have a seat, I made enough to feed half of the Pacific Fleet” You said, setting a platter of pancakes on the table. 

Once everyone was full and breakfast was cleared, Jake and Phoenix headed out on their secret mission for Gracie’s surprise and you and Bradley started to get Gracie ready for the party. 

“I’m going to jump in the shower quick, can you get her dressed in a play outfit?” You asked, “We’ll take her Princess dress for her to change into at the party.”

“Sure can.” Bradley said, “Come on, Princess, let’s go get you ready while Mommy showers.” 

After a quick shower, pulling your hair up to keep it dry, you pull on a pair of shorts and the tshirt you’d ordered for the party that said “Mommy of the Birthday Princess”. You’d ordered one for Bradley that said “Daddy of the Birthday Princess” to wear as well. You took your hair down and ran a brush through before deciding to pull it into a loose braid to keep most of it off your face. 

“Alright, we’ve one birthday Princess dressed, but we both decided it would be in everyone’s best interests to let Mommy tackle the hair.” Bradley said, coming into your room carrying Gracie piggy back style.  

“I think I’m up to the challenge.” You said, smiling at the pair, “I set your t-shirt out for you.. It’s not a Hawaiian shirt, but figured you’d make an exception just this once.”

“I don’t ONLY wear Hawaiian shirts.” He pointed out, chuckling. He carefully let Gracie slide off his back onto your bed, then turned to look at the shirt, his face lighting up as he read it. “I absolutely love it, Sweetheart.”

“Good.” You said, kissing him, “Go get ready, I’ll do Gracie’s hair, then we can head over to help Mav and Penny.” 

“I love you.” He said, stealing another kiss before picking up his t-shirt. “Thank you for letting me be her Daddy.”

“I love you too,” You replied, “Thank you for loving her and for wanting to BE her Daddy.”

*****

When you arrived at Penny and Mav’s they were already hard at working getting food prepared and set up on platters. 

“There’s the birthday Princess!” Penny said when Amelia led the three of you to the kitchen. “Happy Birthday! Are you excited for your party?”

“Yes!” Gracie exclaimed, squirming to be let down from Bradley’s arms. He obliged, setting her down so she could run to Penny and give her hugs. 

“Where’s my hugs, Little Chick?” Mav asked, crouching down and opening his arms up. Gracie immediately launched herself into his arms. 

“Little Chick, huh?” You asked, smiling at the pair.

“Figured it was appropriate.” Mav winked, “We used to call Bradley Baby Goose… so Little Chick seemed to fit this cutie.” 

“Baby Goose?” You gushed, looking at Bradley, who sighed and chuckled, shaking his head at his godfather. “That is the most adorable thing EVER!”

“Thanks, Mav.” Bradley groaned

“Speaking of adorable,” Penny said, “I love your shirts!”

“Thanks!” You said, smiling, “I found them online and couldn’t resist.”

“Do you think we can get shirts made for the Disney trip next weekend?” Bradley asked, “Or is it too late?”

“I think we can probably make it happen.” You replied, smiling at him. “Maybe we can get them made for the whole squad?”

“I can guarantee you that every one of them would wear one.” Mav said. “Myself included.”

“Count me in.” Penny agreed. 

“Me too!” Amelia said, “Gracie, do you want to go play for a little bit while the adults set everything up?”

“Yes pwease!” Gracie said, “Mommy, Daddy, I go pway?”

“Go ahead, Baby Girl.” Bradley said, “Just make sure you listen to Amelia, OK?”

“OK!” She replied, running off with Amelia. 

 “I wish I had that child’s abundance of energy.” Mav laughed

“Or her resilience.” You said, thinking about everything she’d been through already in her three years of life and despite it all she was still the most loving, free spirited, and trusting child you’d ever met. 

“I dunno, Sweetheart,” Bradley said, “I think she learned resilience from her Momma. She’s a strong little little girl because she’s had you to learn from… and she loves with her whole heart, just like her Mommy.”

“He’s right, Y/N.” Penny agreed. “Her resilience and strength is a direct reflection of you. You’ve done an amazing job, Sweetie… no matter what, never doubt that.”

“Y’all are gonna make me cry before this party!” You said, tears threatening to spill over. Bradley pulled you into his arms, tucking your head into the space between his neck and shoulder. You breathed him in, recentering yourself and pushing back the emotions. Once you were calmed again, you lifted your head enough to kiss his cheek, “Ok, let’s get our daughter’s birthday party ready for her.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” He smiled, kissing your forehead before releasing you. 

A few hours later Amelia found you all sitting outside having gotten all of the food prepped. All that was left was for the meat to go on the grill when it was time for the party. 

“Gracie fell asleep while we were watching Beauty and the Beast.” She said, sitting down next to Bradley. The two had really bonded recently. You could tell Amelia looked up to him, and saw him almost as a big brother figure. “She’s on the couch and I put pillows on the floor next to her in case she rolls off.”

“Thanks, Ames.” Bradley said, smiling affectionately at her. “She loves spending time with you, you’re really good with her.”

“She’s adorable.” Amelia replied, “I’m guessing a little sibling isn’t in the cards for me, so it’s fun to get to play with Gracie and have her around.”

“Definitely a no on the siblings, Sweetheart.” Penny confirmed, “That ship has sailed.”

“How would you feel about having a niece?” you asked, “Being an aunt could be just as fun as being a big sister.”

“Really?” She asked, her eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across her face. 

“I think you’d make a fantastic aunt.” You confirmed, then nodded at Bradley, “And since this one is in the only sibling club too, I think he needs to be adopted. Feel like taking on a big brother?”

“It does seem kinda cool to have a big brother.” She acknowledged, “I guess I can adopt this one. He’s kinda cool?”

“Just KINDA cool?” Bradley gasped, “Gracie thinks I’m SUPER cool.”

“I wouldn’t go THAT far…” Amelia laughed, “But… I think you’d be a really awesome big brother.”

“It just so happens,” Bradley said standing up and pulling her with him into a hug, “I think you’d be a really awesome little sister.” Amelia wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back. And just like that, the tears that had threatened to spill earlier were back. 

“What did we miss?” Jake asked, coming around the corner of the house  with Phoenix by his side. 

“Bradley just got himself adopted by Amelia as a big brother.” Penny said, wiping her own tears from her eyes. Glancing up you see Mav’s eyes suspiciously wet and red as he watches the two hug. 

“What took you so…” You trailed off, your eyes falling on the pony that was being led to the backyard behind Jake and Phoenix. “JACOB! WE SAID NO PONIES!”

“Ok, but in my defense, I never actually AGREED to that.” He said, flashing a bright smile, his dimple popping, “And Mav signed off on it. Besides, It’s a UNICORN, Tulip, not a pony.”

Looking back you noticed that there was indeed a unicorn horn attached to the pony’s head, making said pony a unicorn. 

“So, you can’t get mad, because we absolutely followed the no pony rule.” Phoenix pointed out.

“You all need full time adult supervision.” You laughed, looking at Bradley, “Were you in on this?”

“Absolutely not.” He promised, “I’m innocent…although, I kinda wish I’d thought of it. Gracie is going to LOVE it.” 

“I surrender.” You laughed, “I’m clearly outnumbered.” 

“There’s the spirit!” Jake cheered. “Mav, where should we have them set up the pen and Unicorn?” 

“We can make space next to the castle bounce house.” He replied, getting up and heading over to the bounce house with Jake and another handler leading the pony/unicorn. 

***

By the time the squad started to arrive, Gracie was awake from her nap, changed into Princess dress and already in the bounce house with Jake and Phoenix. 

“Where’s our birthday Princess?” Coyote asked, leading the group to the backyard. 

“Last I checked she was giving Jake and Nat a run for their money in the bounce house.” You replied, “They would probably welcome someone to tag out with them.”

“Mission accepted!” He said, “Fanboy, let’s go bounce!” 

“Can the bounce castle handle that?” Amelia asked, looking at the castle doubtfully. “That’s a lot of crazy in one confined space.”

Bradley and Payback almost fell on the ground laughing. Bob and Mav just agreed with Amelia. You and Penny shook your heads laughing, and decided to go grab drinks for everyone. 

Several of Gracie’s friends from daycare and their families arrived a little later. Mav started the grill up, getting the food going to feed the masses. Kids were running around between pony “unicorn” rides and bouncing in the castle, while the adults supervised, played yard games, or sat together and talked. 

“Looks like the perfect party for a princess.” Lauren said, walking towards where you and Bradley were currently standing watching Gracie ride the pony. “And it appears the live animals did in fact win out.”

“Lauren!” I’m so glad you could make it!” You beamed, “The unicorn pony is all Jake. He requires adult supervision at all times, I’ve learned.” 

“There are worse things.” She laughed, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I love getting to see the happy beginnings…and I know this is the start to a beautiful family.”

“Thank you again for all that you did for them.” Bradley said, “This is all possible because of everything you did to help. Gracie is living her best life right now.”

“I’d say she’s living her best life because she’s got two amazing parents and a very large extended family that loves her unconditionally.” Lauren countered, smiling at Gracie as she passed around on the pony.

“She’s definitely got a large family.” You agreed, looking around at everyone that showed up. “I never dared to even dream this could be our life.”

“It’s only going to get better from here, Sweetheart.” Bradley said, leaning over to kiss your head. 

“TIME TO EAT!” Jake yelled, drawing everyone’s attention towards where you had all the food set up. 

“We better get in there before there’s nothing left.” You said laughing, “Trust me, this lot can eat, so you’ll wanna get it while you can.”

“Come on Princess.” Bradley said, lifting Gracie off the pony, “Time to eat my sweet baby girl.”

“Daddy, you see me wide?” She beamed, proud of herself. 

“I sure did!” He replied, “You did so good! We might need to find you some riding lessons when you get a little bigger.”

“And so it begins.” You laughed, “I think this was Jake’s ulterior motive… making her fall in love with horses.”

“Horses and planes…”Bradley said, laughing, “It tracks.” 

You got Gracie a plate and set her with her friends to eat while Bradley got plates for the two of you and set them at the table the rest of the squad had settled at. 

“Looks like Gracie loves the Unicorn.” Jake said, looking pleased with himself. 

“She does in fact love the PONY.” You laughed, rolling your eyes, “Your evil plan seems to have worked.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tulip.” He said, feigning innocence. “I simply realized that every princess party needs a unicorn.”

“Uh huh… had nothing to do with getting your niece hooked on horses?” You asked, not buying it for a minute.

“That is just an added bonus!” He beamed. “She’s a natural in the saddle too! Did you see her?”

“Your Cowboy is showing.” Phoenix teased, winking at him, “It’s cute, I’m not complaining… just stating a fact.” 

“I can show you my cowboy hat when we get home.” He offered, smirking back at her. “You can even try it on.”

“Eww, nope! No, stop!” You whined, “Jakey! NOT ok!”

“It’s just a hat?” Phoenix replied, not understanding your response.

“There’s a rule about wearing a cowboy’s hat, Sweets.” Jake said cheekily, “If you…”

“Jacob, there are small children present.” You reminded him, leveling him with your ‘mom’ look. “You can tell her all about it later.” 

“Now I’m really intrigued.” Phoenix said, looking at Jake. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “IS THAT FOR REAL?”

You laughed at her reaction, nodding your head to confirm. 

“Care to share, Sweetheart?” Bradley asked, “Now I’m curious.”

“Depends…” You reply, “Do you happen to own a cowboy hat?”

“I could be persuaded to buy one.” He replied, “I’m guessing by your earlier reaction to Jake’s comment that it would be worth my while.”

“Bradshaw,” Jake said, glaring playfully across the table, “That’s my baby sister you’re talking to.” 

“And?” Bradley tossed back, smirking at him. 

“Just reminding you.” Jake replied, “I don’t need to be party to all your conversations. There are little ears here.”

“On that note,” You said, changing the subject, “I”m going to go check on the kiddos then get the cake from the kitchen.”

“I’ll come help.” Bradley offered. 

After making sure that Gracie was OK at the table with the other kids, you and Bradley made your way into the house to get her birthday cake ready along with the candles. 

“So…the hat rule?” Bradley asked, standing behind you and wrapping his arms around you as you put the candles into the cake. 

“The rule is if you wear a cowboy’s hat, you ride that cowboy.” You smirked, glancing back at Bradley. 

“I may definitely need to invest in a cowboy hat then.” Bradley said, dipping his head to kiss your neck. “Or we can change the rule… you can wear one of my uniform caps and ride the aviator.” 

“I think I like the sound of that flyboy.” You replied, turning in his arms, wrapping your own around his neck and pulling him down to kiss him. When you pulled away you added, “But for now, we need to bring this cake out to our daughter and keep her party moving.”

“Yes Ma’am.” He replied, smiling, “I can’t wait to watch her open all of her presents!”

“I have a feeling we may need to add a room onto the house to hold all of her toys.” You laughed. 

“We can make that happen.” Bradley said, picking up the cake from the counter. 

After a wild rendition of “happy birthday” was sung, you moved to the food table to start serving cake and ice cream with Penny’s help dishing it all up and Bradley helping to pass out the dessert. Once kids were once more sugared up and had energy, they returned to the bounce house and pony rides for a while before you attempted to round everyone up to open gifts. 

You were correct in assuming you’d need to add on to the house to hold all of her gifts. Her new extended family had definitely gone overboard. Mav and Penny had alone had practically cleaned out the Disney Store. She’d have lots of new Princess decor for her new bedroom. Bob got her a new princess themed tea party set which she immediately made him promise to play with her with. Payback and Fanboy went together and got her a princess bike with training wheels, complete with a princess helmet. 

“This one is from Aunt Nix and me, Princess G.” Jake said, handing her a brightly wrapped box. 

She tore the paper off and opened the box pulling out a small flight suit. It was customized with a Dagger patch on one side and her name  Gracie “Princess” Seresin on the other. Inside the box was also a child size pair of aviator sunglasses. 

“I match you and Daddy!” Gracie beamed happily, “And Aunty Nix!” 

“You sure do, Princess G.” Jake said, “And all your other uncles, and Papa Mav too.” 

“I fwy wif you now?” She asked, batting her eyelashes at her uncle. 

“Soon, I promise!” He said, “Very very soon!”

“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” You smiled at Jake. “And very restrained from you….”

“Oh that’s not all.” He laughed, pulling out another giant gift bag, and handing it to his niece. You just shook your head. “Come on now, Tulip, you know me better than that.” 

Gracie pulled the paper from the bag and lifted out a pony playset and a little cowgirl hat with a princess tiara attached to it. She loved it, wanting to wear it immediately. Thankfully you’d put her hair into lower ponytails today so the hat fit over them. 

You and Bradley got her a couple of new toys and outfits, not wanting to go completely overboard. 

“There’s one more here for you, Baby Girl.” Bradley said, handing her a small wrapped box. You looked at him questioningly, not recognizing the box. He smiled, shrugging. “It’s my first birthday with her as her Daddy… it had to be special.” You leaned over and kissed his cheek, whispering “I love you” in his ear.

She tore off the paper on the little box opening it up carefully, her eyes lit up and she smiled widely at Bradley. 

“Daddy! It’s pwetty!” She exclaimed. Nestled inside the box on a satin backing was a tiny necklace with two small charm pendants. One was a small princess crown and the other an f-18. Where he’d managed to find that was beyond you. 

“Bradley, it’s perfect.” You whispered, tears springing to your eyes. 

Jake leaned over, his own eyes suspiciously wet, to help Gracie take the necklace from the box and to put it on her. Looking closer at the necklace he said, “Princess G, it’s even more special.. It says ‘Daddy’s Girl.” on the crown!”

At that, you lost the battle and the tears freely fell from your eyes. Bradley wiped his own eyes, smiling as Jake put the necklace on Gracie. 

“I wuv you, Daddy!” Gracie said, coming over and throwing her arms around Bradley as he picked her up, holding her tightly to him. 

“I love you too, my sweet Baby Girl.” He told her. 

“So, would now be a good time to tell you that Bradley and I definitely went ahead and ordered that Castle playset for y’all’s backyard?” Jake asked, wiping tears from his eyes as he tried to add some humor back to the situation. 

“You know what?” You said, wiping your own eyes, laughing through the emotions, “I’m not even shocked.”

After the party wound down, the squad stayed behind to help with clean up. Payback and Fanboy offered to take the bounce house back to the rental place once it was deflated. Gracie got a few more rides on the pony before the handler had to load her back onto the trailer. Jake handed you their business card, saying they also offered riding lessons. 

You all loaded Gracie’s gifts into Jake’s truck as there was more room in there than the Bronco. You let Gracie keep a few things out she wanted to play with the next day while you all tackled the packing, and you would take the rest straight to Bradley’s house to avoid having to move it twice. 

“Hey, what time are you thinking of starting packing in the morning? Do you think it’ll take all day?” Mav asked, as you and Bradley were loading the last of her gifts.

“Definitely not all day.” You said, “It’s mostly clothes and toys, not a whole house.” 

“How would you feel about bringing Gracie out to the hangar tomorrow morning and taking her up for her first flight?” Mav suggested.

“You wanna take Gracie flying tomorrow morning?” Bradley asked, smiling. 

“I was thinking more along the lines of her Dad and Uncle taking her up in the air.” He clarified. “She’s small enough, she can be strapped into the backseat with someone… probably safer that way anyway.”

“You’ll let us fly your plane?” Jake asked, clearly shocked.

“You are both highly skilled pilots.” Mav laughed, “Of course I trust you to fly my plane.”

“What do you think, Sweetheart?” Bradley asked, “Can we take her flying?”

“Just promise me no crazy pilot stuff and to return her safely back to the ground.” You said, “So maybe Jake should be the backseater tomorrow.” 

“Hey!” He protested, “I take GREAT offense to that.”

“I don’t doubt your skills, Jakey.” You laughed, “I doubt your restraint in not turning my daughter into a dare devil at 3 years old. I don’t know that my Mommy heart can handle that. Can we agree to wait until she’s older to turn her into a daredevil?”

“Fine.” He agreed, “Rooster, for tomorrow only, I’ll be your backseater.”

“I’m sure Bob and Fanboy can give you some tips if you need them.” Bradley teased, “Thanks, Mav. This really means a lot.”

“No thanks needed.” He replied, “Taking you up flying when you were little is probably one of the best memories I have of your childhood.”

“So you’re saying I should be ready for my daughter to follow in her uncle and Daddy’s footsteps to become a Naval Aviator?” You asked. 

“Hell yeah!” Phoenix said, bring Gracie over to the group. “She’d be fierce.”

“I don’t know that the Navy would survive that.” Mav laughed. “It’s barely surviving all of you.”

“Fair.” Phoenix laughed. “This one is fading fast. I think all the bouncing and riding tired her out and the sugar is leaving her system.”

“Let’s get her home to bed.” You said, “She’s going to have another exciting day tomorrow, apparently.”

“You and Nix take the Bronco with Gracie and get her tucked in,” Bradley said, “Jake and I will run all this to the house in his truck then head that way.” 

“Wow, that’s huge… Rooster’s letting someone else drive his Bronco.” Jake chuckled, “Didn’t think we’d see the day.”

“She’s trusting me to be a father to Gracie.” He replied, shrugging, “Nothing can compare that, man.”

“Fair point.” Jake said, “Let’s get this haul to your house and get back to our girls.”

After saying goodbye to Penny, Mav and Amelia and making plans to meet the next morning, Bradley loaded Gracie into her car seat. Phoenix got into the passenger seat buckling in, Jake going around to her side leaning in to steal a kiss. 

Bradley walked you to the driver’s side, pulling you into his arms, your own winding around his neck. 

“Drive carefully, Sweetheart.” He said. “My whole world is with you… and not the Bronco… you know that right?”

“I know, Baby.” You said, smiling, pulling him down to kiss him. “I love you, Bradley.”

“I love you too, Y/N.” He said, resting his forehead against yours, “See you soon.” 

A/N: Sorry the update took so long! I promise, I've got more time now so updates should be coming quicker! :)

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[callsigndragon]

Seeing Red | Ch. 5: Used to it ✍️

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x ex-wife!Reader (Call sign: Red Queen)

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: sassy red, jake being an ass, more mav and jake being father and son, mentions of dead, some ex-wife/ex-husband unresolved tension, and... Liam's reveal.

A/N: I literally wrote this in 4 hours i was REAALLY obsessed with this idea and here it is. Comments are welcomed and THERE'S AN AUTHOR NOTE AT THE END THAT EXPLAINS A BIT SOME PARTS OF THIS BUT IT'S IN THE END TO AVOID SPOILERS.

(Whoever wants to be tagged, comment down below!)

Masterlist on pinned

When you walk out of the base towards the tarmac, you see Jake talking with someone. He seems older. Both of them turn toward you, Jake attempting to flee as soon as he recognizes your presence, but the other one stops him, both of them approaching you. Once they’re close, you remember who the other man is.

"Captain Mitchell?" you ponder, covering your eyes with your hand because the sun is shining brighter than usual. 

“Red Queen! It’s been a while. Last time we worked together, you weren’t even married.” He says, Jake groaning beside him. 

“If you told me that I would get married and divorced in the span of three years, I would have said that was bullshit.” 

“How many times are you gonna mention it?” Jake protests, taking off his glasses. 

“The same amount of times I tried to call you and text you after you left the fucking divorce papers on the kitchen counter.” You challenge him, waiting for his reaction. 

“I guess they were a lot.” Maverick adds, making Jake cover his face in disbelief. “Anyway, Cyclone told me that you were doing a dogfighting exercise, so I thought I could join." 

“Mav, did he give you the green light, or are you trying to make me break some rules on my first day?” 

“Well, maybe he didn’t agree 100%. But I want to help you!” 

You’re about to protest when you feel your phone ring in your pocket. “I’m gonna take this call and go ask Cyclone. Wait for me to come back, and I’ll let you know if you can fly or not, Mav.” 

You turn around and get inside the building, answering the call. You don’t even need to check the screen to know who it is. 

“Hey pretty boy.” 

“So… you fucked up real good, buddy.” 

“Oh yeah? I didn’t notice.” He is tempted to walk away, but then he hears Red talking. 

"Hey pretty boy" 

"Pretty boy?" Jake mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Looks like she has moved on." Mav whispers, patting Jake's back. 

"No, Liam, we can't have a cat. We have a dog, and that's a lot of work already." 

Red enters the building, and Jake stays there, completely astonished. "Who the fuck is Liam?" 

"Your replacement?" He shrugs. 

"Fuck off, Mav"

And just like he did hours ago, Mav smacks Jake's head again. "I'm not the bad guy here, son. And I don't know if you're allowed to be mad. You asked for a divorce." 

"You know why I did it." 

Mav sighs, taking off his glasses. "Yeah, I know. And I told you there may have been other ways to solve the problem." 

"I couldn't find any other one. Look, I can tolerate being around her at work. But she's gonna be friends with all the team because that's how she is, just the purest human being to ever walk on earth. I'm telling you now, if I have to see her walk in the Hard Deck hand in hand with an asshole that doesn’t deserve her, I'm asking for a relocation."

"And you think you deserve her? Jake, I know better than anyone how you feel. I let Penny slip away from me many times, and I came back many more. I just—" he looks around, as if trying to find the right words. "I just want you to remember that you vowed to be together for better and for worse. And when the worst came, you didn't tell her and made a decision by yourself." 

"You think I don't know that?" He takes out his phone, showing the lock screen to Mav. "I never changed it. I couldn’t. It's a reminder of what I had and what I lost. A fleeting glimpse of the only happiness I've ever known, and an endless torment of what I lost." 

Mav scoffs. "You sound like that guy from Pride and Privilege." 

"...you mean Pride and Prejudice?" 

"THAT ONE!" 

"Really, Mav? One of the greatest books to ever be written, and you don't even know the title?" 

"Have you even read it?" The older man mocks. 

"Yes, I did." 

"Bullshit." 

"It's true, I bought it for him," Red says, walking past them. "Get in your plane, pops. We're going for a ride." 

Jake watches Red jogging towards her plane, new letters added to the side, her name and call sign. And his last name. Seresin, in big black letters. 

“Why did she keep my name?” Jake ponders.

“What?” 

“Look." He points at Red's aircraft. "Seresin. Why is she using it?” 

“I don’t think I have a good answer for that, son. Come on, I have to fly.”

It's all good until Jake's turn comes. All of them are amazing pilots, of course, they're the best of the best. You didn't expect anything different. Rooster is the fastest to take you out. Mav explains to you how, until a few years ago, he was afraid of his own potential. You can hear how proud Mav is now, as if Rooster were his own son. In a way, you know he is. 

"Hey, Red. Can I ask you a question?" Bob mutters through the comms. 

"You just did, Bob." You laugh. "Of course you can." 

"Why Red Queen as a call sign? You don't seem like the kind of girl that chops off heads."

You laugh again, turning to be closer to Phoenix's plane. You wave at Bob and he waves back with a chuckle. "It has some resemblance to the Red Queen, but not entirely. Have you heard of the Red Queen hypothesis?"

"Not really."

"According to the Red Queen hypothesis, a species needs to evolve and adapt in order to survive because its competitors are doing the same."

"Did you evolve and adapt?"

"Yep. Being an aviator wasn't in my plans." You confess, remembering the old times. 

"And what were your plans?"

"She wanted to be a lawyer." 

"I don't think they were asking you, Seresin." You retort, moving your plane to an inverted position, and flying above Jake's plane. "If I want you to talk, I'll let you know." 

"I think you're abusing your power, Commander," he mutters, looking straight into your eyes. 

"I'm just giving you as many chances to talk as you gave me, Lieutenant."

You move your plane away, the radio has become silent. "But yeah, I wanted to be a lawyer."

"What changed?" 

"My dad died in Iraq when I was a teenager. His plane crashed. He wanted to defend his country so much that he died doing it. And I took his place."

"Adapt in order to survive." Bob mutters. 

"That's it." 

“It says a lot about you, Red. Your father will be proud.” Mav comments, moving to your right. “Anyway, are we gonna play or what?” 

“Yeah, we’re in the right place already. Okay, Phoenix, Jake, you have thirty seconds to fly away from us. After that, fight’s on.” 

“Aye aye, Red”

“Yes, Commander.” 

A tiny part of you almost feels bad that Jake has to address you by rank. 

Almost. 

You wait thirty seconds. Mav immediately goes after Phoenix, and you know he’s giving you the chance to see how Jake reacts. Instead of going after Mav to ‘free’ Phoenix, he leaves his wingman alone. What the fuck does he think he’s doing? 

“Phoenix, Mav, stop right now.” 

You see both aircrafts slowing down. “Did something happen, Red?” Phoenix asks, flying back to you. 

“Lieutenant Seresin, I want you to fly back to the base right this instant and wait on the tarmac until I finish all the exercises of the day.” 

“Can I ask why, Commander?” 

“You’re not leaving your wingman alone, not under my command. If I have to be paired with you on a mission because Cyclone ordered me to carry your ass everywhere I go, you’re not gonna fucking leave me alone so you can make some maneuvers and take the glory.” 

“Red, I work better like that.” 

“First of all, it’s Commander for you. Second, you’re gonna work as I say, cause I’m in charge here, not you. Not anymore. Is that clear?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

You whisper. “I should be used to it by now.” 

“Used to what?” he asks. 

“To you, leaving people behind. Everyone back to the base. We’re done for the day.” 

It takes all your power not to cry. The idea of being on a mission and having Jake leave you behind, just because he has the biggest ego ever known in human history, makes you shiver. Being abandoned is a feeling you don’t want to experience again. 

You spend the rest of the day in your office, working on the report Cyclone asked you to write. You don’t want to be that type of ex, but you have to write a bad review of Jake’s work. He only needed ten seconds to abandon his wingman. How has he been working here for so long? It’s a complete mystery to you. 

You’re printing it up when you hear a soft knock on your door. “Come in.” 

“Commander” 

You should look up from your work the next time someone knocks on the door. “Do you need something, Seresin?” 

“Actually, yes. I have questions.” He says, while closing the door. He takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of your desk. 

“And what makes you think you have the right to ask anything?” You question, collecting all the sheets of paper from the printer. 

“Why are you still using my name?” 

“It became mine too when you married me. Just never thought about changing it.” 

“That’s not it, Red. We both know it” 

“Whatever my reasons are, I don’t have to explain them to you.” You argue, getting up from your chair and collecting your things before exiting the office. Jake follows you, seems like he doesn’t want to end the conversation there. 

“I think I deserve an explanation. It’s my name, after all.” 

You stop in your tracks, turning around so fast that your body collides against Jake’s. You look up, all the hurt, pain, and fury accumulated over the last three years lighting a fire in your soul that must be visible to him, because he moves a step back. “Jake, it’s just a name; don’t be such a dick about it. It’s not because I still love you or whatever stupid idea you have running around in your head. It was a lot of paperwork that I didn't want to deal with. Happy? Now wait here, or do you want to enter Cyclone’s office? I heard it’s like your second home” 

You enter Cyclone's office. He told you before that he had to leave to attend to some important matters, but you could leave the report on his desk without problem. You take a moment to breathe deeply, your hands shaking with the many unsaid words that you have kept in your chest for far too long. But you know you can’t tell him what you want to. Not now. 

When you walk out of the room, he’s still there. “You’re really annoying, you know?” 

“I want my answer.” He insists. 

“Why do you care so much, Jake? You left me, you literally abandoned me and never looked back, and now you are demanding that I answer your questions? Fuck off.” 

You hurry out of the building, looking for your car keys in your bag, when you see a familiar blue car parked in front of you, a woman in her sixties helping a small kid get out of the backseat. 

No. No. No. 

“What are they doing here?” you whisper under your breath. 

“Red, wai- Charlotte?” Jake recognizes your mom in an instant. The woman in question turns around and waves at Jake with a gleeful smile. 

This has to be a fucking nightmare. You stay there, completely frozen, knowing that there’s no way in hell you’re getting out of this. You see your kid walking towards you, making grabby hands and giggling. You haven't seen him in two days, having to leave him with your mother to prepare everything in this new base, this new home... You couldn’t bring him yet. 

“Liam wait!” Your mom yells, but he doesn’t stop. He has seen someone he knows very well, but has never met in real life. Someone he has seen a lot of photos of. The man that appears in the photo frame placed on his bedside table. It’s a photo of your wedding. 

“Dada?” 

“What did he say?” Jake whispers, standing at your side as frozen as you are. 

“He called you dada.” You declare, already giving in. If this is happening, you're gonna do it right.

Liam stands in front of him, tears in his eyes, as he watches Jake. “Dada is you?” 

“I—I don’t know.” He turns at you, fear in his eyes. Oh Lord, what have you done? “Am I his dada?” 

You kneel down, taking Jake’s hand and dragging him down with you, both now at the same height as the little kid, who looks at you with a confused expression and wet cheeks. “You want to know why I never got rid of your last name? Well, Jake. Let me introduce you to Liam Alexander Seresin.” 

“Oh my god, y-you were pregnant; that’s why you-” He starts to hyperventilate. “Y-you signed the papers to protect him?”

You can’t believe this is happening. This isn’t how you planned to tell him. “Jake, calm down. I didn’t know I was pregnant, I swear, but I need you to calm down.” You don’t want him to have one of his panic attacks in front of Liam, it would scare him.

"Dada, don’t cry.” Liam pouts, his chubby hands rising to touch his father’s cheeks. 

“C-can I hug you, buddy?” 

Liam throws himself in Jake’s body, the pilot starts crying when he realizes what he had done. He didn’t just leave his wife. 

He left his wife and his unborn child. She had to raise him all alone. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeats over and over again, his head buried in his son’s hair. Liam smells like her; he’s a miniature version of her with his eyes and nose. It’s everything he once hoped to have. 

And he had missed his first steps, his first words, and his first laugh. 

Just because he thought that by divorcing her, he could save her. 

How wrong he was.

A/N: THERE HE ISSSSSSS. Yes you guessed it, Liam is Jake and Red's son. And here is the explanation you need.

Jake asked for a divorce three years ago. Like actually, is going to be almost three years in a few days (fic time). Liam is a Valentine baby. Jake asked for a divorce on May, Red didn't know she was pregnant until a few days later, when she started to feel sick. She signed the paper's almost immediately after Jake left them in their house, and gave them to her lawyer. They never saw each other again. The reasons why Red didn't tell Jake about the baby, are part of the fic so, I won't tell.

But as it has been hinted, Liam knows who his father is, Red has a picture of him placed in Liam's room, and she tells him about him whenever he wants to know about his dad. Red having Jake as her lockscreen pic? So Liam could see a pic of him every time he wanted.

Liam is now two years and a half. He has Jake's eyes and nose, but is as sassy as his mom.

More details about him will be revealed in next chapters. This is only the beginning of the journey the seresin family will be going through.

And that's all. Have a good night/day!

-Jinx.

Tag list: @purplevortexx @shrimping-for-all @caitsymichelle13 @callmemana @abaker74 @starkleila @topgunmenbefinebruh @blue-aconite @tayrae515 @alexxavicry @xoxabs88xox @mercurio23 @smells-like-perfect-senses @dempy @djs8891 @indynerdgirl @countryclubswifey @lauenderhaze @avaleineandafryingpan @poppyalice2001 @emorychase @wildxwidow @agentwayne17 @shanimallina87

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Chapter 4

Pairing: Platonic Steven Grant x Reader (for now)

Rating: T

Word count: ~2600

Story Summary: Steven meets a beautiful woman in the Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum...

...Too bad she's his new boss.

Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergent since Steven still works for the British Museum post-canon, No Jake Lockley, developing friendship

A/N: Here we are with the next chapter! As always, please let me know if you want to be tagged in this or any of my other stories!

“...And that concludes our tour,” Steven said to his final tour group of the day. “Please don't forget to check out our shops and café, located right here on the ground floor, and remember that memberships are available for purchase and help support the museum.”

He waited until the group had disbursed before heading back to his office to collect his messenger bag, also grabbing his umbrella as a rumble of thunder sounded overhead.

“Heading out?” Ruby, one of the tour guides, said as Steven passed through the Programming staff area.

Steven nodded. “You’re on tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah, I'll be in tomorrow, but if it's okay with you I need to switch my Thursday shift. I have an exam on Friday morning that I need to prepare for.”

Steven made a mental note. “That ought to be fine. Just let me know who you wind up switching shifts with.”

“Okay, have a good evening.”

“You too.”

Steven headed out of the museum, surprised to see Dr. Y/L/N standing under the entryway and peering out at the rain. “Afternoon, ma’am.”

Dr. Y/L/N turned and smiled at him. “Hi. Headed home?”

Steven nodded. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“Oh, no.” Dr. Y/L/N gestured out towards the rain. “I'm just waiting for it to stop raining so I can go ahead and walk home. I didn't bring my umbrella today and don’t really want to have to take a cab since I live nearby.”

“Oh.” Steven held his umbrella up. “Well I’ve got mine, so I can walk you home if you’d like. Plenty of room under here for the both of us.”

Dr. Y/L/N hesitated. “It’s very kind of you to offer, but I’d hate to make you have to go out of your way. I’m sure Gus is waiting for you.”

Steven shook his head. “Gus’ll be fine. I left the telly on for him so he’d be entertained while I was at work.”

He grinned as Dr. Y/L/N let out a light laugh. “Such a good fish dad,” she joked. “Are you sure you don't mind?”

Steven nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Then in that case, I accept. I really appreciate it.”

“It's not a problem.” Steven opened his umbrella and raised it above his head, the light scent of Dr. Y/L/N’s perfume filling his nose as she joined him underneath it.

He took a deep breath. “Right, then. Lead the way.”

They headed down the steps together, the gentle sound of the rain falling adding to the rhythm of their steps.

“So, how are you?” Steven asked. “I haven’t seen you around much the past few days.”

Much to his relief, Dr. Y/L/N really was open to collaboration and had so far been a very hands-on and communicative director. She had implemented weekly meetings consisting of all of the heads of department so each section could share their progress on various projects and she would frequently check in with each department individually to make sure everything was running smoothly and to see if anyone needed help with anything while still giving the museum staff more than enough autonomy to where (as far as Steven knew) no one never felt like she was micromanaging.

“Oh gosh, I’ve been crazy busy,” Dr. Y/L/N replied. “Just in the past 3 days I’ve had a 4-hour-long conference call with all of the UK’s museum directors, a bunch of interviews and other publicity stuff regarding the new permanent exhibits, plus I had to prepare the annual statistics report to present at the board meeting tomorrow afternoon -- which reminds me, the number of paid tours and new museum memberships have both gone up exponentially for the third month in a row.”

Steven nodded. He was proud of all the hard work the Programming staff had put in since he had taken over the Visitor Engagement Specialist role. “The Programming staff is pretty great.”

“You’re pretty great.”

Steven’s face heated as he looked over at Dr. Y/L/N, who was looking back at him with a slightly nervous look on her face.

She cleared her throat and looked away. “I mean, if it wasn't for you revamping the tours and coming up with the idea for a membership drive I really don't think we'd have seen the slightest difference in numbers. You've proven yourself to be a wonderful team leader.”

Steven's face heated at the praise. “Thank you, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N bit her lip. “Hey, um, since you’re not in a hurry, can I buy you a cup of coffee as a thank-you for walking me home? There’s a coffee shop nearby that I sometimes stop at on my way to work.”

Steven couldn't help but smile, pleased to have an excuse to spend even a few extra minutes with Dr. Y/L/N. “I, er, I don't actually drink coffee, but I’d love to have a cup of tea with you.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded, a smile spreading on her own face. “Oh, right, okay. Well great! It's right this way.”

They headed down the street to a small café, where they paused together under the shop's awning while Steven shook his umbrella out so it wouldn't drip all over the shop’s floor.

He opened the door for Dr. Y/L/N. “After you.”

“Thank you.” Dr. Y/L/N led him inside and over to the counter. 

“Afternoon,” the barista, a dark-haired man who appeared to be in his early twenties and whose name tag read Michael , greeted them. “What can I get started for ya?”

Dr. Y/L/N gave her coffee order. 

Michael nodded as he tapped at his computer screen. “And for you, sir?”

Steven eyed the tea selection. “Er, yeah, can I get a cup of Earl Grey, please?”

Michael tapped at his screen some more. “Anything else?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Mmm, can I also please get a scone?”

Michael nodded. “Of course ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N turned to Steven. “Steven, you want a pastry or something?” 

Steven briefly studied the display of baked goods. Tea was the cheapest thing on the menu, and Dr. Y/L/N had offered… A small snack wouldn't hurt. “Maybe a chocolate croissant?”

Michael tapped at his screen once again. “Okay… And a name for the order?”

Dr. Y/L/N pulled her wallet out of her purse. “Y/F/N.”

Michael tapped at his screen a few more times. “That’ll be £11.43.” 

Dr. Y/L/N swiped her credit card through the card reader and signed the receipt.

“I'll have that out for you straightaway,” Michael said as he moved over towards the coffee machine.

“Thank you.” Dr. Y/L/N turned back to Steven. “Want to go sit while we wait?”

Steven nodded. “Sure.”

They headed over to a table for two tucked away in a cozy corner of the café.

Steven looked around as they sat. The walls were lined with bookshelves containing a mishmash of novels, non-fiction books, and various knick-knacks. 

Reminds me of my flat. “This is quite an interesting little place,” he said. Do you come here often?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Usually a couple times a week. I’ll order ahead whenever I don't have time to make coffee before work, or if I’m feeling indulgent or have an extra busy day ahead and need an extra caffeine boost I'll stop in and pick something up. This is the first time I've been able to stay and drink my coffee here though.”

Steven nodded. He did recall seeing Dr. Y/L/N walking around with a takeout cup on occasion instead of her usual travel mug. “Ah, okay. I'm glad you invited me to join you, then.”

“I'm glad you accepted.” Dr. Y/L/N shrugged. “It's the least I could do after you were kind enough to go out of your way and offer to walk me home.” 

Steven shook his head. “It’s really nothing, ma'am. I actually quite enjoy your company.” Moreso than you probably realize.

A small smile graced Dr. Y/L/N’s features. “That’s very kind of you to say. I enjoy your company as well.”

She bit her lip. “You know, actually, if you're not busy this weekend there's a –”

“–Y/N!”

Dr. Y/L/N startled slightly and looked over towards the counter, visibly relaxing as Michael set their tea and coffee down. “ Oh . Oh, our drinks are ready.”

Steven stood. “I'll go get them.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Okay, thanks.”

Steven walked over to the counter as Michael set a plate of pastries down as well. 

“Here you are, mate,” Michael said. “Enjoy.”

Steven nodded. “Cheers.”

He managed to carefully carry everything back to the table and set Dr. Y/L/N’s coffee down in front of her. “Here you are, ma'am.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled up at Steven as he set the plate of pastries down as well. “Thank you so much, Steven.”

Steven set his tea down and sat. “So what were you saying before our items were ready?”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “Oh, it was nothing.”

She took a careful sip of her coffee. “But I would be remiss if I didn't ask you how you've been this week. Anything fun and exciting going on in the world of Steven?”

Steven shook his head as he added a small teaspoon of sugar to his tea and stirred it in. “Just researching the provenance of the new vases we got in the other day while in between tours. Christina said she wanted to include them in our special display of Austrian art that's opening next month.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Ah, wonderful. Have you found anything so far?”

“Actually, yes, it's quite intriguing.” Steven took a sip of his tea. “It appears that at least one of the vases was made for a member of the Austrian royal family back in the 1700s before it was eventually given to a loyal subject as a wedding gift and passed down through several generations, but then it was taken in a raid by the Germans during World War II and somehow wound up in the hands of a French army general, who gifted it to an American soldier as -- ironically -- a wedding present.”

Dr. Y/L/N looked riveted. “Oh, wow. That is rather intriguing.” 

“It made its way through several generations of that family until it was discovered that it had been stolen all those years ago, so it was then returned to the rightful owner,” Steven continued, “who donated it to the collection so that everyone could enjoy it. It's because of its illustrious history that Christina and I were thinking it should be the centerpiece of the exhibit.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Yes, you're absolutely right. That piece should definitely be the focus. Do we have anything else to display along with it, like letters or photos of the families, anything of that sort?”

Steven shook his head. “We discovered a few photos of the two families each holding the vase while we were researching, but unfortunately there isn't much else.”

“That's okay.” Dr. Y/L/N took another sip of her coffee. “Everything else is good? How's the new guide working out?”

“He’s doing well so far.” Steven took a bite of his croissant, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “The fact that he has prior experience as a tour guide definitely was a plus -- he didn't need much training and seems to be catching on pretty quickly.”

“Excellent. I'm glad to hear that.” Dr. Y/L/N paused. “If you don't mind me asking, what kind of tea is that? It smells good.”

“Earl Grey,” Steven replied. “Have you ever tried it?”

Dr. Y/L/N shook her head. “No, I've only ever had regular tea.”

Steven bit back a smile. “‘Regular’ tea?”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded. “Yeah, you know… just tea at restaurants and stuff.”

“Ah, gotcha. So basically just plain black tea, then.”

“Mmhmm.” Dr. Y/L/N took another sip of her coffee. “Sweetened, of course, but yeah. So what's the difference between Earl Grey and regular black tea?”

Steven took a sip before answering. “Earl Grey has bergamot in it, which gives it sort of a citrusy flavor.”  

Dr. Y/L/N’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Oh, that sounds interesting. I might have to try it one day. Any others you recommend?”

Steven nodded. “There's also Lady Grey, which has lemon and orange in addition to bergamot, and if you want to try something really interesting you should try chai, which has all sorts of spices, like cinnamon, and star anise, and cardamom, and it literally means ‘tea’ so if you ever go somewhere and order chai tea you're ordering ‘tea tea’ .”

Dr. Y/L/N let out a light laugh. “I'll have to remember that.”

Steven and Dr. Y/L/N continued to chat, occasionally pausing to take a sip of their beverages or a bite of their pastries.

“Ready to go?” Dr. Y/L/N asked after they had both finished.

Steven nodded. He knew Dr. Y/L/N had had a long day and was probably ready to get home so she could rest. “Yes, if you are as well.” 

They stood and cleared their table, then thanked Michael as they headed out of the door.

“Oh, it's stopped raining,” Dr. Y/L/N noted as they stepped outside. “I'm sure you want to get home since you no longer have to keep me dry, so I'll see you tomorrow?”

Steven shrugged in what he hoped appeared to be a casual manner. “I walked you this far, so the gentlemanly thing to do would be to walk you the rest of the way, right? If that's alright with you, of course.”

Dr. Y/L/N smiled softly. “You really are, aren't you? A gentleman, I mean.”

Steven’s face heated. None of the dreams he'd had about Dr. Y/L/N over the past several months he had known her could exactly be described as gentlemanly , but it wasn't like he could control his subconscious, was it? 

He glanced down at the ground before making eye contact with her once again. “I try to be.”

Dr. Y/L/N grinned. “Well for what it's worth, I would choose you over the bear.”

Steven huffed out a laugh. “I appreciate that, ma'am.”

“Shall we continue on, then?”

They continued down the street, continuing to chat amiably as they walked.

Eventually Dr. Y/L/N stopped in front of a small apartment building. “Well, this is me. Thanks so much for walking me home, Steven. I sincerely appreciate it.”

Steven shook his head. “The pleasure was all mine, ma'am. I'd be happy to walk you home any time.”

Dr. Y/L/N nodded with a smile. “I might take you up on that soon, then. I enjoyed our time together today.”

“I did too.”

Dr. Y/L/N hesitated a moment, then shook her head slightly. “I'll see you tomorrow, Steven.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Steven waited until Dr. Y/L/N had unlocked the door and headed inside before turning and heading back towards his bus stop. He had already been struggling with fighting his feelings for Dr. Y/L/N, but the kindness with which she treated him and the way she genuinely seemed to enjoy his company made him struggle even harder. 

He shook his head. He'd never have a chance at a romantic relationship with her, but maybe they could at least be friends.

[s1gmagirl]

polyjomies + love languages

drew

drews love language is gift giving, which is probably pretty obvious from the show but i think drews the kinda guy to like buy smth after he hears someone mention it. like for example if henry starts babbling abt an ice cream flavour he wants to try drew will go and buy it 4 him and tell henry he overheard him talking about it. or he'll buy things that remind of him someone. drew loves giving people gifts because he loves seeing the happiness on their faces after receiving it.

jake

jakes love language is words of affirmation. in the show we see jake lifting people up alot by encouraging people with his words so its basically canon to me. jake compliments his boyfriends alot and is constantly showing affection through his words. he always sends goodnight and good morning texts no matter what. whether its telling them he loves them or telling them how amazing they are, jake loves expressing admiration through words

henry

henrys love language is physical affection. honestly i dont even know why i think this but i just think henry feels grounded and safe when he's close to the people he loves. whether its holding their hand or hugging them it makes henry happy. he shows his love through cuddling, kisses, hugs etc. if he wants his boyfriends to know that he loves them he'll plant kisses all over their faces and squeeze them till they cant breathe.

liam

liams love language is quality time, and this is canon so stfu. liam shows his love by spending one-on-one time with his boyfriends and having their undivided attention. he loves hanging out with them whether they're out and about or just laying bed all day. he thinks spending time with someone is the best way to show them you care about them. no matter how boring mha may be sometimes he still loves watching it with henry because they get to spend time together, same thing with playing drew and jakes complicated videogames. dates are his favourite things ever and he loves planning them.

@red-in-revenge @sobeksewerrat @gaydrewrealll uhh idk who else to tag crying

[youlikefanficdontyousquidward]

RECOMe again?

The reader must navigate interacting with their fellow recoms despite having betrayed them as a human! Does anyone know their secret?

Chapter 1, 2 3

Notes: Y/N (Your name), Y/LN (Your last name), na'vi dialogue in bold, fic will contain swearing, violence, IN THIS CHAPTER body horror imagery, smut

If there are any specific triggers people would like warned for let me know (^・ω・^ )

Eventual miles x reader, with some lyle x reader and a lil zdog x reader

Cannon divergence time (⌐■_■)

Tag list: @buzzing-honeybee @lazyassmermaid @secretflowerobservation @hihhasotherfixations @perseny @ratchetprime211 @symptoms-of-moonlight @totesnothere04

Chapter 4

You took the last watch, ears perking and swiveling to every noise of the slowly rising forest around you. It was peaceful, watching everyone's chests rise and fall. It lulled you into a state of relaxation only broken with the twigs snapping around you. You spied large beetles climbing the trees, iridescent bodies reminding you of the patterns on the belt of a na'vi child you met with Grace. Perhaps that's what it'd been made of? You remembered the meeting fondly, the child was as tall as you and wanted to talk. You'd spoken far less na'vi at the time and could barely understand the gist of what they'd said but it'd been sweet. They'd taken your hand in there's touching things and naming them with you. You'd repeated best you could but they'd ended up getting frustrated and they'd braided a section of your hair to pass the time instead. Lyle had disapproved when you'd made your way back to the chopper, saying it looked stupid. You'd kept their beads, somewhere now rotting in the corpse of the old RDA base. You hoped you could collect them one day.

When the sun rose you woke the others. Before long you were trekking out again into the dense forest. Spider had taken a spot next to you bounding along with far more energy than you could ever muster. How he managed to keep stride with everyone was incredible, years of practice you imagined.

His attitude surprised you. Jake had always struck you as a deeply caring man and the idea that this child had felt lacking under his roof bothered you. Maybe he'd been raised by someone else? He raced forward to your Colonel now, looking agitated by something.

Quaritch remained strange towards you. You hadn't spoken since the chopper out but he'd started watching you again. Mainly when Spider was with you, something unreadable in his expression. You'd have thought it was suspicion due to Spider's sudden closeness but his gaze still returned to you when the kid was beside him.

It hadn't been this way before you'd been copied. You'd been getting along famously, despite your secret allegiance swap. He'd smile at you and greet you in the halls, even brought you a coffee when you'd been working later together. None of the current tension that seemed to burn between you now.

You tried not to dwell on it, nostalgia for your past with him would do neither of you any good long term. You'd been thinking of ways out of this since you'd landed. Spider's air mask contained a tracker so any escape attempt would be quickly foiled. So you'd need to find a way to get another mask and swap them before any attempt. You'd hoped you'd swing past the shack again but the trail Quaritch was taking seemed to veer away from it. You'd scanned the maps for abandoned mining locations, there were a few dotted around the area but none close enough to the route planned.

The trail seemed to abruptly end. The forest floor suddenly growing thick with turquoise lichen, all other plant life suffocated by it. The trees too were different, not the brown ragged bark littered with vines and small flowering plants. Ahead the trees were pale, almost smooth, thin ridges climbing up and up into a canopy so far above you could barely make it out. All you could tell was it was thick, blocking almost all the sun light of the day. Even so the tell tale bioluminescence was absent. Only thin beams of light seemed to cut through in almost uniform circular shapes, like the light cast at the bottom of a pool but dead still. As you shifted from foot to foot you could see the 'trees' followed the same uniform structure. They were equally distant from each other, forming what looked more like massive columns of some huge forgotten temple.

Just looking into the gloom made the hair stand up on the back of your head. The others seemed to feel the same trepidation, tails flicking back and forth, ears flattening, a sting of anxiety burned your nose. Mansk particularly seemed on edge, almost growling at the sight ahead.

Despite this Quaritch ordered you all to continue forward. Spider still urging you all to turn back. You placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder before walking in with him. The mossy ground beneath you felt spongy and was hard to walk across. It did light up with each footstep, casting a sickly green light into the gloom. The air in here smelt foul, stale, almost like rot. A fermenting smell, more beer than bread.

The deeper you all went the stranger you felt. Apart from your groups movements there was no other sound. The fauna of Pandora seemed not to dwell in here. More and more you felt you should follow their lead.

You stepped carefully around orange growths, that sprouted from the ground at even intervals. You remembered Grace talking about mega flora on Pandora. She'd mainly spoke of the immense 'home tree' but you were beginning to think this place might be something similar. The shapes and colours around you had put you in mind of something you'd read before about Pandora mushrooms.

Ahead Mansk tripped over the soft lichen planting face first into those orange plants. In an instant a puff of yellowish spores flew up into the air. You ears perked hearing the plant beside you expel the same substance right into your face. You coughed and sputtered backing away from the thing. All around every visible orange plant was doing the same, filling the air with a yellow fog of spores. The lessons on Pandora's connectivity flooded you, mushrooms more than any other plant shared a huge connective structure under the soil.

"Masks!?" You shouted, pulling the clothe of your jacket over your nose and mouth. You knew you didn't have anything, Prager and Zdog had pulled bandanas off and began fastening them to their faces. Mansk got up screaming and began scrambling away, sprinting off into the gloom. Lyle shouted after him following, with Quaritch and the rest not far behind.

You head swam as you tried to keep up with them. Figures doubling in your vision and swaying heavily. Their limbs distorting like fun house mirrors as you tried to focus your eyes. You felt bile rise and stopped hunching over gripping into the giving texture of the mushroom stalk.

When you lifted your head you were alone. The sound of boots gone, your own breathing sounding too loud in the sudden vacuum. You turned around in circles, trying to decide what way you'd come from and then what way the rest had headed. In your dizziness the swirling uniform columns gave nothing away, the only certainty being the mark of your hand in the 'trunk' next to you.

You held up a compass but were unable to focus on its spinning dial. Eventually you decided to just follow the direction your hand print pointed in and stumbled forward. The spongy lichen making running difficult, you swayed, swerving in a zig zag pattern,

You kept walking, yellow fog swirling around you. You tried desperately to keep your nose and mouth covered but your arms felt like lead and now hung uselessly from your shoulders. You turned, stumbling and reaching a hand out to stalk to support yourself. You hand slipping into a groove, you took your hand away staring in horror as its double stayed indented in the stalks flesh. You'd gone in a circle some how, you cried out for the others, begging someone to come to you.

"Ain't this a bitch" You head swiveled to the voice. A human form blurry and waving though your clouded eyes. As they came closer you could make more out. Your hair, your clothes, your face. It was you. A human you. You fumbled over heavy lips trying to question them.

"I did all that just for you to end up back with them. Worst part is you like it don't you." You shook your head at yourself, nauseous feeling rising in your throat again. They laughed loudly, cruelly, you felt ashamed, curling away from them.

"Don't lie you little slut! You liked fooling around with them before and you like it now. Anything for the cause right? Pathetic. I wonder if Jake and Grace knew, think they ever wondered how you got the Colonel to be so easy on you. Bet they had you figured out from day one, you little whore. Bet they were playing us like you were playing your friends"

You kept coming closer. Bones began to crack, joints popping, skin stretching beyond its limit and splitting, blood dripping down other you's face. Their elongated limbs limping their way towards you, getting bigger and bigger, until their bent broken body matched your own size. Reddened by blood their hands reached up, bones poking through like claws. Their lips split as they smiled an entirely pointy toothed smile.

"They're going to figure you out idiot! They're gonna find out and when they do... well I guess we'll be seeing one another soon." Their fangs tore their lips as they spoke, eyes leaking from their sockets as you screamed pulling away from them. You didn't know when it started, maybe you'd been screaming the whole time but you couldn't stop now.

"Go away you're not real! They won't they won't they won't" You repeated backing up until you bumped against something hard. You turned suddenly, looking up at Quaritch. His face distant, jaw slack, he looked down to meet your gaze. You swiveled back but you were gone. You whimpered, still feeling tears falling down your cheeks.

"Colonel we have to get the others and get out of here, there's something in the..." You were cut off as he grabbed your flailing hands.

"Colonel?" You sputtered out, his grip painfully tight around your wrists. His hands shifted, grabbing your shoulders, then your head, pulling you closer. His pupils were wide and his nostrils flared.

"Colonel, please that hurts!" You pleaded, his grip so tight of either side of your face it felt like your skull was going to crack. You stared into his wild eyes, a low growl escaping his throat as he leaned forward. A light musk filled your nostrils as he opened his mouth, exposing rows and rows of fanged teeth. You screamed pulling away suddenly, his grip lost, you tripped over your feet and landed on your back on the moss.

He followed you down, body hunched over yours on all fours. He stared down with intense eyes, tailing thrashing behind him. You heard the same growl rise up his throat again. Panicking you scrambled back a little, eyes never leaving his. Each shuffle back you took he matched crawling forward, keeping you close, a feverish heat radiating from him. You heard cracking behind you, fear surging and refocusing on the other you. A painful urge to check behind you surged, you couldn't risk taking your eyes off him.

"Don't..." His voice strained out of him, head lolling weakly into the crook of your neck. His thick arms caged you in on either side, his hips pinning yours, his knife jabbing into your navel. You whimpered, feeling his tongue dart out to lick the skin from your throat up to your ear. He growled into your skin, you could feel his fangs gently pushing against you, images of the rows of them from before flashing in your mind. In a sudden rush of adrenaline you swung an elbow up, connecting with his jaw. He pulled back and with the new space you scrambled up. He stayed painfully still on the ground for a second, eyes burning into yours and a little blood dripping out from between his lips. Then he was roaring and you were running.

You sprinted off into the gloom, hearing Quaritch close behind. You'd spent more time as a human in the forest and the advantage of that was only barely keeping him off you. You felt his fingers graze your queue and tail a few times, hearing your own laughter echo through the stalks. You rolled quickly round the side of a mushroom stalk, doubling back and running the way you'd came. Weaving around the stalks he seemed as disorientated as you, maybe more so. After taking a quick left you dived down, nestling yourself as tightly as you could in the stringy base of the stalk. Quaritch came sprinting past, not even looking to where you'd hidden. You held your breath, hands over your mouth as he flew further into the stalks, screaming your name as he went. He sounded mournful, losing his prey.

You stayed there a long time. You head gradually feeling clearer and clearer. There was no yellow fog of spores here and even if the air wasn't as clean smelling it was certainly not toxic. You'd never heard Grace talk about anything like this, maybe they'd discovered the area and avoided it entirely. If it did this to na'vi you could only imagine the effect on humans. SPIDER! You didn't remember where he'd ended up when everyone started running. Had he been faster and stuck with the group? You spied glowing dots making their way towards you. Suddenly fearful that the Colonel had returned still ready to kill you huddled further into the 'roots' of the stalk.

They felt odd against your bare skin, tingling slightly. Looking down you could see tiny pin like fibers jabbing into your skin. You turned your head and almost screamed. The body of hexapede, a deer like creature, was most of the way sunk into the stalk next to you. The same needles had grown against the now exposed bone as the animals skin seemed to have sloughed off in patches. You pulled away, skin stinging as you did. Slapping a hand over your mouth you watched as the deer turned and opened it's jaw in a silent scream. You scuttled behind the stalk as the murmur and lights drew closer, examining the beads of blood on your arms.

As they neared you saw Spider, Zdog and Prager with a nearly unconcious Mansk between them. Their bodies still and solid, with no hints of extra teeth. You breathed a sigh of relief, but thought twice about revealing youself just yet. What if they weren't real or if they'd turn violent. You could hear them now too, calling out for yourself and Quaritch. They all stopped suddenly, guns raising then falling. Lyle and Quaritch ran into view, sweaty and out of breath.

"I don't know where she is. I... I saw her and something was wrong. She was terrified and ran, didn't catch her." Quaritch spoke between gulping breaths. Had he been mostly an illusion? Like the other you, just something you're mind made up to frighten you? "Found this one" Lyle nodded to the group, still catching his own breath.

"She got a face full of it, if she's worse than the Colonel was..." Lyle drifted off as Quaritch shot him a glare.

"I told you it was dangerous! I told you we shouldn't..." Spider cut himself off when Quaritch turned his head to him.

"It's a toxic plant, pretty sure Mansk, y/n and yourself got the worst of it. Y/n's notes on the data pad actually have a bit from Dr Augustine's book on them. She's probably hallucinating pretty bad if she's not like this one right now" Zdog spoke, hoisting Mansk up a little. His face was pale and sweating, drool pooling out and down his chin. He looked like he needed your help now.

You came round stalk to approach, guns training on you before dropping once you came into the light.

"Christ y/n! How long were you there!" Zdog dropped Mansk's arm leaving Prager fumbling to take his full weight. She approached swiftly stopping ahead of you with raised hands. You must still look a mess, tear stained, bloodied and eyes still like saucers. A full weight of fear and adrenaline passed from you then, lunging forward into her arms you sobbed openly. She stiffened like you'd stung her before relaxing and wrapping her arms around you.

"Shhh shhh, your safe okay, whatever was out there's gone now." She soothed, rubbing circles on your back. "We've got you." You pulled back still holding her arms gently, the fuzzy feeling still with you. Her star like freckles seemed to shift and twinkle as you looked at her face. Feeling a little giddy you reached out to try catch one, they seemed to swirl under your fingers. You giggled to yourself, wondering if her tattoos were as friendly.

"Okay she's still not doing great, where'd you say that post was?" Zdog guided you over to the group, holding your shoulders as you watching the colourful patterns shift and move on her strong arms.

Prager led the group forward towards an abandoned mining post. Mansk between him and Lyle occasionally muttering to himself. The scraps of material harvested in the ground here had not been worth the dangers of the mushroom forest. This post was abandoned by the RDA and scientists a long while before you'd ever stepped off a drop shift here.

Quaritch walked closer to you for a moment, causing you to pull into Zdog's arms further. He caught this, ears drooping as he quickly walked on ahead. Zdog pulled you in closer, rubbing you shoulders as you walked together.

Spider approached too, cautiously. You reached out to smooth his hair, he smiled to you from under his mask. You'd bet it'd offered a lot more protection than your shirt had, he'd probably been the only level headed one out there. You wished he'd have taken the opportunity, headed to the post alone and escaped.

..............................................................................................................................

The garish yellow building sat in a scar on the land, large wounds stretched out in different directions. Huge quarries started but never finished. You could see the earth beneath held far more of those orange plants, connected by pulsing veins that spider webbed across the exposed dirt and stone. Several rickety rusting metal bridges reached out to the suspended building, a couple had given way and hung limply into the chasm bellow. The metal groaned as you walked across it one at a time. With the bridges jutting out and the fibrous mushroom plant tho whole place had taken on an arachnid quality that set a shiver up your spine.

There was no power, old generators rusted beyond use or needing solar to use them. The door was pulled open by Quaritch, breaking it in the process but it hardly mattered. With the amount of broken windows inside it was hardly needed to secure the place. The spores still played with your mind, making the jagged entrance look fanged and the bridges twitch like legs. Zdog's hands in yours as she walked you through the threshold, teasing that she'd carry you in if she had too.

She set you up in a medical lab with Mansk. You accessed him but other than a bloodied nose he was physically no worse for wear. Lyle stayed for a bit, helping check you and bandage your arms before wandering off to find Quaritch and Prager. Both of which seemed to dart off as soon as they'd entered the building. Mansk now slept, skin still feverish but according to the information you had there was little you could do but let him rest it off. Same for yourself, you drank great gulps of water and ate a little at Zdogs insistence.

She sat with you now as you rested in the room opposite Mansk. If he took a turn you'd hear but you felt too shell shocked to sleep just yet. Zdog seemed to understand this implicitly not leaving your side but not pushing you to speak. Instead telling stories from your RDA days. She was great like that, you'd valued her friendship in your human years and relished getting to relive it now. You'd gently probed her early on, seeing if she could be an ally to Grace and Jake but she had no love for this world, nor it's inhabitants. Damn near broke your heart at the time, still ached to think about it now.

It was nice to spend time with her again now, though your horrific doppelgangers words echoed 'you like it'. They were right, you were enjoying spending time with them all again. Worse they were right about other things, you were a slut. Zdog had been here all this time comforting you and you couldn't help but dwell on her muscular arms, her swell of breast when it'd been pressed to your side whilst she helped you walk. Worse still you smelt that musk on her now, same as with Lyle. She wanted you too.

You were stuck with what to do. In your right mind it would be a bad idea, here you were close as ever to escape so would it not be best to cut ties now. Your head still felt fuzzy though and you were lost watching her lips move as she spoke. She paused now, you let your eyes follow up to hers. She was a little flushed, a light blush reaching her ears, cute you thought to yourself. Although by her reaction maybe it'd been shared with the room.

"Uh Y/n... You sure you're good?" She reached up placing a palm to your forehead, you hummed leaning into the contact. A fresh wave of her musk hitting you, you tail swaying as you stewed it.

"You smell nice." Was all you could think to say, thoughts still swimming. Your skin felt like it was buzzing, you fidgeted in your clothes, pulling at the fabric. It felt too close, constricting.

"Y/n... Now's just not a good time okay, I'm pretty sure you're basically drunk right now. Also I'm pretty sure Lyle would be pissed right?" Zdog pulled your hands in hers stopping you from taking anything off. You grumbled, but wouldn't go further.

"Lyle and I have an understanding, it's like before, just some fun. Can I just hold you?" You whined wanting to be closer, to feel her strong arms holding you again.

"Okay but just a cuddle okay, at least till your... you again." You smiled, letting her lead you to where she was comfortable. Your head resting up in her neck, body curled against her side. Beyond the musk was Zdinarsk, her own base smell. It relaxed you now, drifting you to sleep as her long fingers scraped against your scalp.

..............................................................................................................................

You awoke to her hands still playing in your hair. You felt heat rising in your cheeks, embarrassed for having come onto her in that state.

"You up?" She questioned softly, tucking hair behind your ears to see your face better.

"Uh yeah, hi!" You smiled, propping yourself up slightly on your elbow. You felt bashful now, not quiet willing to look directly at her. You did though and she was staring back, smirking. She took your chin in between her fingers, tilting your face to her.

"How we feeling?" She said in a sing song voice.

"Like I still want to kiss you." She hummed her response, closing the distance and placing her lips to yours. She tasted sweet, like bubblegum and she kissed like you had all the time in the world to explore one another. Her soft lips molding to fit against your own, nipping your lip to get closer.

You hoped no one would come looking for you both, you didn't want this moment with her to end. She pulled you up and into her lap, her hands moving to pull your shirt off. You obliged, taking hers next. You traced the tattoos on her collar bones, leaning forward to follow them down her chest with your mouth.

She signed above you, fingers pulling in your hair. You knew all her little secrets, you knew how she liked her partners to suck at her nipples, to gently roll them between their teeth. You were careful with your sharp fangs, they'd not re pierced her na'vi body but you doubted she'd want you to now.

She moaned more, pushing a hand down between you to touch you. You gasped as she played with you, long fingers drawing moans from your lips. You pulled your head up, her vibrant eyes hooded as she smirked at you. You kissed her, running your hands down her faux hawk and tugging her head back by her queue. She hissed before catching your mouth again. She was bringing you higher and higher with expert hands. You continued best you could, nibbling at her ear, kissing her neck, lips, all between wanton moans. She wasn't a talker, her other hand tugging your hair and grabbing your hips the closest she came to encouraging you. Still you felt the familiar build up, gripping her shoulders.

"Zdinarsk!" Was all you managed before the waves of pleasure washed over you. She kissed your jaw as your muscles shook before she brought her hand up to your mouth, having you lick her fingers clean. You stared back at her, eyes locked as you slipped each digit into your mouth.

"I wanna..." Your eyes shifted down, tugging at her belt.

"Please." She understood you, laying further back and shuffling her own pants off. You knelt between her legs, running you hands down to her knee, bringing it up to begin placing little kisses leading down. The closer to her core the more open mouthed they became, before your tongue swiped the length of her. She shuddered, hand flying down to tangled in your hair again.

Roughly she pushed you to her and you began to suck and lick at her clit. Bringing a hand up to tease her entrance. She fluttered around nothing as you drew shapes onto her. Her hand eagerly pushed you further, gripping your hair. You dipped your tongue into her core, tasting her more fully. You groaned sending rumbled across her, she mewled deliciously above you. You bumped her clit with your nose, before pulling up to take her back into your mouth. You slid a finger gently inside, feeling her grip and pull you closer in. Pumping gently you added another, then a third, all the while never letting up on her.

Zdinarsk's moans got louder, her hands tugging and gripping your head. You kept the motion up, she was so close. Your fanged teeth lightly grazed her and she fell apart under you, writhing through an orgasm as you continued.

She pulled you up then, grinning at your glistening face. Kissing each cheek before pulling your forehead to hers.

"You taste good too." You smirked, she scoffed slumping her head against your shoulder and holding you closer.

"Don't make this embarrassing." She rolled her head into your shoulder. You looked up, spying Mansk now frozen in the doorway. His mouth bobbing open and shut, hands pulling up from his obvious erection to gesture wildly. Oh that bastard! Your burned, how long had he been watching? A devious smirk crossed your lips as he mouthed pleas.

"More embarrassing than having an audience?" You tease, body still hidden against Zdinarsk. Her head snapped up turning to see Mansk, who in turn chirped and ran off.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Zdinarsk screamed, scrambling to pull her top over her and chase after him. You could hear him screaming down the hall as she pursued hurling curse words and maybe her boots?

Sat alone in the after glow you laughed to yourself, but it felt shallow. A hollow feeling returning to your chest, your own voice echoing insults in your mind. The humor left you quickly as you sat alone. Human you was right, you were letting yourself be swayed by them. You'd come close to quitting before, frustrated and upset with lying to everyone you'd cared about. You'd seen what RDA would do and things were no different now, maybe worse. No sweet words from your Colonel, Zdog or Lyle could sway you, not then and not now.

On the wall air masks dangled. You eyed them, resolve crystalizing.

[foxes-that-run]

2011 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag

We don’t know the whole story

Although Harry and Taylor have never said when they met or started dating, often assumed to have met At the March 2012 Kids Choice Awards, because it was the first time we saw them together. 2 weeks after the awards Justin Bieber said a superstar liked Harry, but didn't name Taylor or say they met at the awards. I have a post about the Kids Choice awards/IKYWT Secret message and Harry's Jacket here.

A source close to Taylor later said to Vanity Fair he had chased her for a year, before the started dating, which was also before he kissed Emily Ostily on the 21 April 2012 and Taylor posted about infidelities to Instagram on 23 April 2012 (which doesn't make sense if they met 24 days earlier).

That would indicate they had met by March 2011. Which is likely as they were in the same city and locations throughout 2011. In 2014 Taylor told Rolling Stone:

"People think they know the whole narrative of my life, I think maybe that line is there to remind people that there are really big things they don’t know about."

As Taylor said to Time Magazine in 2023 and Harry said to Howard Stern in 2019 it's not in their interests for a new relationship to be public before they are solid.  In Harry's words 'it's never benefited me' for a relationship to be public. In 2011 people were sent death threats for having dinner with him. It's no wonder they were hidden for most of that time.  Special thanks to @cntfightmydemonsthyknowhowtoswim for help with this. You are the best.

2010

31 January - Fearless won AOY & CA Grammy

27 March - Harry styles auditions for xfactor

23 July - One direction formed on X factor.

23 October - Taylor first seen with Jake at snl taping, sung monologue song

25 October - Speak Now released.

12 December - X factor semi final, 1D third, Syco signed One Direction for £2 million, each boy was only paid an initial £8,000. Maybe signed on the 13th.

13 December - Jake not at Taylor’s birthday, in January announce broke up in December. It was 7 weeks.

2011

4 January - Taylor seen in LA on the 5th January then not again for a month.

25-30 January 1D fly to Los Angeles. The Sun reported they were in US meeting writers and producers to start recording. It's likely they first met here.

5 February - Taylor seen for first time in a month, in LA, wearing the Key necklace in LA. It later appeared in the I knew you were trouble music video (4:45) and was sold as merchandise, there was a key for Fearless too, but it stopped after this.

19 February - 9 April; X-Factor live tour. TS tour break 20 & 21, 20th was X Factor O2 show.

1 March - Harry left Manchester hotel and arrived Sheffield

3 March - Harry pokemon white/black

7, 9 March - Harry Liverpool

10, 11, 12, 13 March - Harry in Manchester

17 - 30 March - Speak Now in Europe. Taylor wrote ATW

15 March - one direction Birmingham show, fans see boys leaving on the 16th then have 4 day weekend where he is not seen.

16 March - Taylor's Lover Journal talks about Paris, seeing castles, 4th grade and career anxiety over the Mean video. She talks about visiting having visited Neuschwanstein Castle that later appears in Bejewelled MV.

16 - 19 march Taylor seen in Paris

17 March - Taylor plays speak now in Paris at Zénith de Paris, in park bordered by Canal Saint-Denis, (technically) outside Saint-Denis.  Holy ground's secret message is “when you came to the show in SD” later the film clips for Begin Again, EHC, Falling and LOT tour images all reference canals in Paris. Taylor plays Soul Sister / Fearless mash-up for the first time that show. Soul Sister was Harry's first X-Factor Audition song. She plays the mash-up on/off for the rest of the tour and on the DVD.

21 March - Taylor in London Recording Studio wearing a rose dress key from IKYWT video. Taylor wore a Rose ring and Rose Dress the day before too.

22 March - Taylor shopping at Portobello Market and photographed at Alice in Wonderland themed store (Wonderland)

23 March - a Wednesday, Taylor wore white dress (Begin again cover) in London, Harry also in London before Nottingham show. Vanity Fair article later says they'd known each other for a year by March 2012. Harry return to hotel after performing at O2

30 and 31 March - One Direction Tour Break, Speak Now at O2

4 April - 1D iTV Studios (filming a year in making)

6, 8, 9 April - Harry Cardiff

30 April - 1D Recording Studio

2 May - 1D outside hotel London

10 May - 1D recording studio Kent

23 May - 1D left Britney Spears Concert LA Staples Centre

27 May - November 22 - Speak now in US, arm lyrics start.

2 June - 1D LA recording studio

3 June - 1D meet fans London

11 June - “In Detroit, Swift seemed somewhat melancholy. Once in a while, I had the feeling that she was on the verge of bursting into tears. She said that she had recently decided that life is “about achieving contentment… . You’re not always going to be ridiculously happy.” She had written about ten songs so far for her next album. Asked to characterize them, she said, “They’re sad? If I’m being honest.” The most recent one, she said, “is about moving on.” (x)

6-12 June - 1D in Sweden, likely record What makes you Beautiful.

13-20 June - 1D has a break, Harry unseen, not active on social and reappears in LA on the 20th. Taylor also free 13 - 16 other than the 15th:

15 June - Taylor arm lyrics "“A moment, a love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss, a cry, our rights, our wrongs.” – The Temper Trap, Sweet Disposition. Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Exactly one year later Harry got the lyrics from this song tattoo'ed.

17 June - Lover Journal Taylor wrote in her journal on way to Nashville “Something so unexpected and amazing happened recently... I’ve become blissfully happy with my life. Like, actually grateful for every second of the day. I've notice this onset for a while, but it's really hit me in the last week and especially since I wrote those 2 new songs. I'm happy I get to meet so many people on the road who make me feel like my music really matters to them.” One song may be State of Grace.

20-27 June - 1D in LA. Speak now break 23 & 24 June.

20 June Harry reappeared in LA at Britney concert

21 June - Harry at Staples centre LA

26 June - Harry Heathrow

27 June - Taylor in Teen Vogue with photos like Babe video

2 - 10 July - Speak Now dates rescheduled due to Bronchitis. Taylor in LA and does magazine shoots.

8-15 July - 1D in LA. What makes you beautiful shot at Sycamore Cove Beach in  Malibu 14-15. 15 July - arrived back at Heathrow

27 July - 1D iTV London (shot A year in the making where H cried)

16 August - 1D Key 103 Manchester

24 August - Arm Lyrics “But my heart cried out for you, California.” – Joni Mitchell, California. Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

31 August - Harry wearing paper plane necklace in heat photo shoot (1:55)

6 September - One Direction at GQ Men of the Year Awards 2011 - London. It gets mentioned in a few interviews after.

7 September - Taylor plays Tacoma -arm lyrics: “You are the ever-living ghost of what once was.” – Band of Horses, No One’s Gonna Love You. In her Lover Journal she went to Nashville rather than LA and writes Red on the plane.

10 September - WMYB on Red or Black, Harry is anxious in his solo and his hand shake. Arm lyrics “There was always something that meant more to you than me” - Jessica Andrews, “There’s More To Me Than You”

11 September - What makes you beautiful debut #1. 21st - Up all night. 1D helicopter to Manchester, shown in A Year in the Making

13 September - 1D Real Radio Manchester

14 September - asked who was most confident with girls LT says "Definitely without a question say Harry, like Harry, no matter how long is known her, or who she is he will go up to her, like if it's a celebrity, like at the GQ Awards, [Niall adds "Like Pixie Lott] he will go up and sing their song and dance. It's like 100% Harold Styles." Harry then changes the conversation to silly names, Louis brings up GQ again and Harry mouths "Stop going' on about it" (9:50).

16 September - 1D Harper Collins London

18 September - Harry at G.A.Y. perform WMYB

21 September - Harry at GQ end of FW party

18 - 30 September - 1D in New York, filmed Gotta be You in Lake Placid NY 29 and SUNY 29 September. Speak now break 18, 21 - 23 September, shows other days. The film clip included scenes on a train, the SBT message is "when you were on the train", she wrote it sometime on a bus. Speak Now dates in Colorado, Utah and Georgia. However, 28 September is possibly an anniversary and in the Four hang out (31-33) Harry said gotta be you was his favourite 1D song of all, which Niall clapped and said “well done Taylor your boyfriends back”. Harry met Emily Ostilly.

30 September - 1D at Heathrow

4 October - At Bring 1D to me Munich, when asked about ‘Celebrity Dreamgirls’ Louis says "Celebrity dreamgirls um,  yeah like there's a lot of people I suppose that we think is HOT, like... Harry?" the look Zayn, Niall and Liam's expressions, and Louis this is not flirting, he is 'ribbing' Harry for making out with a famous person and sharing his secrets. Harry says his crush is Emma Watson, who the interviewer says has a crush on him,  H blushes and, not willing to let it go, Louis points out a love bite. Arm Lyrics “It’s easy saying nothing when there’s nothing to say” - KT Tunstall, “Fade Like A Shadow”

5 October - Taylor tweets “Leaving Little Rock, headed to New Orleans. Writing a song on a moving bus” in the album video (8:20) Taylor said she wrote sad beautiful tragic on a bus.

17 October - Harry goes to Ed Sheeran concert with Louis at Eleanor's university then not seen till rehearsals 2 weeks later.

19 October - Harry did a 10 min phone interview alone with Grimmy and said he was passing through Birmingham. There are voices in the background at the end.

20 October - Taylor played San Diego. Harry was not seen. He posted "Finally set the correct time on my Microwave..I feel like a new man." on Twitter.

24 October- Harry is coughing in an interview and looks and sounds unwell. At 16:20 the interviewer asks about their break, Harry purses his lips for age thinking then says he is tried when he comes back to work because he spends his break rushing around to see everyone. Zayn looks to Louis who gives a loud “Hmmm” which is a tell of his for knowing more than is said.

30 October - Taylor writes in lover journal she (also) has a chest infection!

31 October - Taylor adopted Meredith!

2 November - One Direction Tour rehearsals Harry back in London for month

9 November - Harry Shepperton Studios

13 November - Harry Fontain Studios, Xfactor also

15, 17 November - Harry London. filmed One Thing Hyde park 17th

17 November - Louis quoted in media  "Harry's found 'The One' now." and doesn't name Caroline. Harry and Caroline never say more than friends, Eleanor seen with Louis often. Harry in London

18 November - Up all night released. In listening party says “more than this” is his favorite, it’s a deep one. Harry in London,  has dinner with Caroline Flack. On 27 November on chatty man Harry clarifies there were other people there and again says just friends. Articles and Caroline tweets about death threats for having dinner with Harry. (Like WTF would anyone date him publicly?).

19 November - Harry Dublin

22 November - Harry Alan Carr. Taylor posts photo of London shop for preppie rugby menswear (!) and posts a photo to instagram with "Superior Style and Quality Fit" 👀 written on the window. This is a latergram, she had a show in Madison Square Garden. On October 3 Harry had said Rugby shirts look better on girls.

24 November Sugarscope asks if they have an eye on anyone in the US and mention Taylor Swift, all 5 are actually quiet for the first time, Liam’s face changes to serious (0:34), Harry and Zayn look at Louis, maybe because of Oct 4. Niall offers Demi Lovato and all the boys start saying Hollywood in a silly voice. The same interviewer asks about romantic Christmas plans, Louis looks at Harry again, Harry answers truthfully “Christmas at home with family” seems the interviewer and band know what’s not being said, they ask Harry twice

6 December - H Caroline's house

8 December - Caroline and Harry photo, see Caroline post from another blog

10 December - Harry london nightclub,

13 December - Taylor's birthday party inside her Nashville apartment. posted a photo in a recording studio, so assumed that Begin again was recorded on on her birthday. Taylor not seen again that year other than Snow on the Beach Photos. Harry seen in London on the 13th. One direction in tour rehearsals till tour begins 18 December in England (12 & 13)

15 December - Harry posted that he went skinny dipping, as in no shorts to avoid doubt. Taylor still MIA. Paper Rings vibes.

16 December - it snowed in Liverpool, including the "Snow on the beach" 50 minutes from Harry's house in Holmes Chapel.

I8 December - 1 July - Up all night tour, Europe till us in February

22 December - in 1D you tube the band chose a fan question “from Taylor, if you were a girl who would you date” and Zayn laughs and says Harry.

24 December - One Direction Holiday till 3 January. Taylor MIA.

28 December - Taylor posts three photos from a beach one with her face on the beach "Childhood beach memories revisited" and one with snow on the beach behind her "Nothing quite like a freezing cold, wintery beach." some have assumed this was in New Jersey, but the shadows look like an afternoon on an western coast and there was no snow in NJ, nor Taylor seen near there. It had snowed at the beach in Liverpool which is west.

29 December - Taylor posted a seashell with Safe and Sound Lyrics written (it had just been released) with the caption "Saying goodbye to the shore, writing on a seashell."

30 December - Harry got his drivers licence, on 28 June 2012 on Bert show (11 mins) said “the first thing I did was my …….. someone brought the car to me and I dropped them off at the pub” Harry was in Manchester. Louis posted he was in Paris Disneyland with Eleanor. Apart from the winter/snow on the beach photos Taylor hadn't been seen for a week, she then posted a goodbye and Harry's first drive was to drop someone secret somewhere. 👀 

31 December - Harry goes back to London flat for new years party, in same interview Harry said they spent Christmas at home

3 January - Caroline Break up announcement. Harry later tweets, he 'didn't dump' her, he never said they were more than friends. Caroline also said "95% of what was reported was false". 

Continue to 2012

[strangerhands]

10 fandoms/10 characters/10 tags

waaaaaa omg thank you for the tag em 🫶 @runa-falls!! its been 800 years since i got to do a tag game (and make my own post for once..) so thanks! this actually made me happy but also a little "oh shit. people know i exist..?" i also made this post unnecessarily long but its me so whats new

ummm its all. only. oscar. not sorry (a little sorry)

1. marc spector + steven grant + jake lockley, moon knight-my absolute beloveds. moon knight is so special to me. the boys are so special to me. theres really nowhere near enough i could say here about them but if you get it, you get it. its also what got me into oscar (even though i discovered immediately that he was in annihilation and x-men: apocalypse WHICH I WATCHED YEARS AGO GODDAMMIT)

2. robbie paulson, law and order: criminal intent-listen. hes my girlfriend. my babygirl. my love. my sweet boy. the one plaguing damn near every Thot. most niche character here. wish he was real. wish there was more content of him out there but good god if fran (@/midgardian-witch, who also made that gif) hasnt been holding it downnnnnnn. bless.

3. poe dameron, star wars sequel trilogy-beautiful brave sweet husband who would maybe drive me a bit insane irl but in a good way (mostly) i wanna protect him. (also the only star wars films ive seen sorryyyyy sorry. yes it was for him. and adam driver.)

4. miguel o'hara, spider-man: into the spider-verse + spider-man: across the spider-verse-ohhh you beeg grumpy beautiful man. he would not like me. bite me pls (also still my two favourite movies oat.) craving some milk and cake suddenly... (his hair wings..<3)

5. cecil dennis, revenge for jolly!-pathetic little dirty alley cat man my beloved. my little princess. also my babygirl girlfriend little guy loser boy. (AND THE CURLSSSSSSS. AND SAD COW EYES.)

6. nathan bateman, ex machina-asshole who i unfortunately love. we would not get along irl but thats what fics are for!!!! he would make me cry. (but what if i could fix him..) i have a soft spot for him...

7. llewyn davis, inside llewyn davis-sad beautiful talented man. you can crash at my place any day. i would let him leech off of me idec lemme help you baby. i could show you what love is. (the curls and outfits...... i Crave.)

8. santiago garcia, triple frontier-woof. this guy. damn. yeah. sorry santi but i wanna bite your knees

9. blue jones, sucker punch-literally. asshole piece of shit but good god. whore. so slutty and beautiful and PATHETIC. i would let him be mean to me and then cry in private. but also put him in his place. its complicated. (whoever did his eyeliner and club wardrobe in that movie... i owe you my life. thank you. thank you. you deserve everything. thank you.)

10. mikael boghosian, the promise-oh. sweet beautiful intimate lover man. THAT scene... absolutely killed me. THAT SHOULDVE BEEN MEEEEE. i need him. (i am taking this moment to remind yall of the titty bite. yea. not sorry. youre welcome.)

honestly i couldve put nearly all of oscars characters but alas.

no pressure tags, hope none of you mind! i know this is very sudden and unexpected from me. only tagged some mutuals so its not 10 :p sorryy (sorry if youve been tagged already)

@my-secret-shame @saturn-rings-writes @spacecowboyhotch @villainsoftheweek @f4nrir @kouichijo @mugensword

again, no pressure to do this. hope everyone tagged is doing well! i havent interacted with some of yall in a long time<3

all gif credits go to their respective creators! i have no idea if tumblr automatically shows who made them or not, so sorry if it doesnt.

[melodygatesauthor]

Weekly Update

8/27/2023

Announcements/Reminders

Next week is my 1 year ficversary! - I'll be doing a BIG post and a tiny celebration for that since I just had a celebration for my 2k followers.

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I'm taking art commissions! - Pricing - Follow my art blog: @melodymakesart

Fic Updates

Disclaimer - I never know which way the winds of inspiration will blow. Timeframes aren’t a promise/guarantee, they’re a goal.

Fic Updates Legend:

Blue - Update this week

Pink - Update in progress

Red - Backburner Fic (not currently working on. See WIP list for status)

You can find my current WIP list here

Chaptered Fic Updates

A Bit Dodgy - Chapter 17 is coming tomorrow! I don't think it will be out early in the morning like usual but it will be out tomorrow at some point during the day!

Always Yours, Never Mine - Chapter 4 is in progress, hoping to have the next update out in the next couple of weeks!

The Fractured Moon - My primary focus this past week has been getting A Bit Dodgy finished, and also working on getting the requests and stuff for my 2k celebration done. I'll be working on part 4 of TFM this week to hopefully post next week!

Remember to look at my WIP list for other backburner fics

Mini-series Updates

Feeling You Can’t Fight - Chapter 3 is done! I had meant to get editing done for this fic last week but it got away from me! I'll be working on it this week.

All on the backburner for now but will get additional chapters soon:

Not a Doctor - Part 2

Worth the Risk - Part 3

AI Character Bot Updates

I currently have the following bots on my list that I’m working on. If you have any suggestions or additions you’d like, please feel free to ask! I won’t make every single one I get asked for but I’ll make some of them as I get time!

DBF Jake and Steven (I already did Marc...did I ever post him? I thought I did but maybe not)

Patient Steven and Marc

Moon Knight Rescue scenario

Am I missing any? Don't see one on the list that you want to add? Send me an inbox or private message! No promises, but if I like the idea I'll make an AI bot.

I think that's all for now! Much love!

Don't forget to follow my other blogs:

@melodymakesart - My art blog

@lockandkeynovel - The blog for my original fiction novel, Lock & Key

@melodyreadsfanfiction - The blog where I reblog works I intend to read, a good place for fanfic readers to follow!

@melodygatesupdates - This is where I'll reblog any chapter updates for my fics and whatnot. This is what I use instead of a tag list!

[alwritey-aphrodite]

500 Followers Celebration!!

Firstly, thank you all so so so much for 500 followers!! I truly appreciate each and every one of you, so here’s a little something for me to show my gratitude!! I haven’t decided when I’ll start posting these yet but feel free to start sending your requests!

Blurbs: send me a prompt from one of the lists below and a character from the list and I’ll write a little 500-700 word blurb for you!!

Physical Intimacy Prompts

Romantic Gestures

Holding Hands

Characters I’ll Write For: Jamie Tartt, Roy Kent, Poe Dameron, Santiago Garcia, Duke Leto Atreides, Marc Spector, Steven Grant, and Jake Lockey

Ships: send me a description of yourself and what type of character you’d like to be shipped with (Oscar Isaac Characters, Ted Lasso Characters, Game of Thrones Characters) and I’ll find your perfect match!!

Moodboards: send me an aesthetic, a vibe, a character, a color, or any combination your heart desires and I’ll make you a moodboard!!

Songs: send me a character (literally anyone I know) and I’ll give you 4-5 songs that remind me of them!! Feel free to share your own thoughts too :)

Also, as this is a celebration for y’all, feel free to send in as many requests as you’d like, all I ask is that you send them in separate asks :)

Tagging some of my lovely friends, because I love them all dearly and I truly wouldn’t be here without their love and support: @andr0medafallen @koyafruit @sweetly-yours-and-mine @miguellohara @benedictscanvas @pedrito-friskito @foxilayde