#russo all at sea

[ghostsessioned]

two alex's walk into a bar

[enwoso]

Genuinely can’t wait for first few days

FIRST FEW DAYS — alessia russo

i can’t find the original request but it’s been a long time in the making but it’s finally here!!

masterlist

motherhood is one of the most magical things in the entire world. everyone tells you how amazing it is and how it's the best thing a person can experience. and while you definitely won't disagree with that one little bit.

and as the the first few weeks with your little one with alessia by your side have been everything and more than you could have ever imagined. making memories which will forever leave an imprint not only in your mind but your heart too.

however nobody tells you how hard motherhood can be.

the sleepless nights. the long days. the constant feeling of feeling lost in your own self. feeling as though you and alessia are just passing ships living in the same sea. the first few weeks being both physically and mentally drained.

but with all the bad it gave you a reason. your family. your beautiful girlfriend and beautiful little baby.

you and alessia had, had a hard time adjusting and had bumped heads a few times as a result.

"no your doing it wrong! you have to make sure it's the right temperature" "i have checked the temperature! and it's the perfect temp!"

"less i've already asked you, will you move your kit! i'm gonna end up tripping over" "i'll move it in a second, she's just about to fall asleep"

"i've done the last two, it's your turn for the feed" "i've already done it tonight- it's you"

but thankfully they would each end the same way, you cuddling in bed pushed up against each other while whispering sweet nothings as you shared small tender kisses.

today was another first though, you both were heading over to beth and viv's house for a 'team bonding' afternoon. beth and shared in the groupchat that it was mandatory to be at as well as ensuring with alessia that you were there even though you weren't exactly on the team.

you knew it was beth's way of getting you to bring your newborn daughter with you which most of the arsenal girls including beth had been yet to meet. but this was going to be the first time you both would be going out with your daughter since you had given birth several weeks ago.

so you were definitely feeling a little stressed to say the least.

"less, baby i don't know where i've put the her bottles?" you were pacing back and forth in the kitchen from counter to counter as alessia appeared in the doorway, your daughter in her arms all dressed already in her second outfit of the day and it was bearly even 11am..

a small smile appeared on your girlfriend's face as you furrowed your eyebrows wondering how she could be so calm right now. "love you've already put them in the bag" alessia pointed towards the bag which was sat on the kitchen counter.

"i haven't- i know i didn't." you shook your head wandering over to one last place in the kitchen were you'd been storing her bottles.

alessia moves to the living room your daughter still in her arms as the blonde was waiting for you to finish up getting ready before you could finally be able to leave.

"babe-" alessia coughed as she held up a bottle from the bad her other hand spread protectively over the back of your daughter to keep her held up as you stood and blinked for a second as you felt your shoulders loosen.

"and yes there's enough for the entire time we are out" alessia smiled as she placed the bottle back into the bag before walking back over to you as a small sigh came from you as you leant your head on your girlfriend's shoulder, your arm wrapping around her lower back looping your a finger into her belt loops.

"why don't you go and finish getting ready and i'll sort this out and me and little one here will wait for you in the car?" alessia whispered against your head as you hummed, as a smile appeared onto your face looking at your baby girl. she was almost a double of alessia when she was a baby.

she had alessia's big blue eyes and nose but your lips along with a few strands of blonde hair on the top of her head. you could sit and watch alessia with your daughter for hours and it would always be your favourite thing.

"take your time baby, i love you" alessia breathed out as she placed a gentle kiss to your forehead. you moving from your position to face the blonde.

"i love you too" you smiled, reaching up to kiss the blonde on the lips, making sure not to push your body to close to alessia in risk of waking up your daughter.

you'd made it to beth and viv's home where the team were meeting as well as much to your surprise you weren't the last ones there and you'd managed to make it out the house for the first time without forgetting anything cause even though a newborn is small don't let that fool you as they travel very heavy.

it felt nice to just slot back into normal conversation with friends. it feeling as though it had been so long since you'd done in when in reality it had only been a matter of weeks.

“hey guys!” beth greeted you all at the door with a huge smile on her face, you with the your daughters baby bag as alessia trailed behind with your actual daughter in her carry car seat. you still being restricted with what you can and can’t carry. not that alessia would allow you to even if you were able to.

“hey beth, you okay?” you smiled engulfing the blonde in a quick hug as you heard her nod before saying a hello to alessia who placed down your daughters car seat in order to be able to give beth a hug.

“i’m great, excited to meet our new mini gooner!” beth giggled as you shook your head it confirming your suspicions on why she had insisted so much for you to be at the team bonding session.

“may have to hold that excitement as she’s just gone to sleep as we were pulling into your estate” alessia pointed out as you had already made your way into the living room where the rest of the girls were.

“y/n!” the girls cheered as they seen you walk in.

“you came alone?” katie pipes up as you quickly scoff and shake your head.

“no, no less is through there-“ you pointed your head towards where alessia and beth were chatting.

“where’s the little one?” kyra smiled softly, the ice in her drink clinking from side to side but before you could answer alessia was walking through the car seat in her hand as beth walked beside her.

you quickly got into a flow of small talk, most of it being about your daughter but you didn’t mind. it warmed your heart to see the girls so invested and already how much they cared for your daughter.

“i dibs holding her first!” beth called out as alessia moved to take your daughter from your arms, having given all the girls their warnings.

“nah me first!” kyra whined as she held her arms over her chest in a huff. it then breaking out into a disagreement on who was going to hold your daughter first out of the group.

“no i’m first” leah argued as you shook your head in disbelief of how grown women were acting. the girls all arguing their case to you on why they should be the first to hold your daughter as alessia kept her in her arms bouncing her to keep her soothed.

you weren’t really listening to their reasons, so instead you decided you would just make the decision. “viv, do you wanna hold her?” you leaned forward so you could meet viv’s face as she was the only one of the group who hadn’t been making a fuss, this making the room go quiet.

“i- uh- yeah” viv stutter over her words as alessia carefully handed your daughter into the dutches arms. your girlfriend adjusting viv’s hands a little just to ensure that she was holding the tiny baby right. viv sat in awh of the baby as she gently lifted a finger to stroke her cheek.

the rest of the girls watching intently at your daughter as they talked about your daughter and her little features on who she looked more alike and what facial features she had gotten.

your daughter eventually being passed carefully around the team to those who wanted to hold the tiny baby some being a little too scared to hold the your daughter.

"oh she is adorable, you can tell she is your guys daughter!" steph says out loud, as she held your daughter in her arms, kyra in awh of the small baby in steph arms.

"steph i don't think their paying any attention" beth points over to the two of you across the living room, in your own little love bubble. talking amongst the two of you as if nobody else mattered, your eyes flicking over towards your daughter ever few minutes.

"do you think we should we should bring them back to the conversation or.." leah raised an eyebrow, looking between the group and the two of you.

"nah their maternal instinct's will kick in soon"

you and alessia were completely oblivious to the conversation being had about the two of you while your daughter was being passed around the group each of the girls claiming they had auntie cuddles to be given.

alessia had given them all the talk telling them how to handle your daughter, correcting them immediately if any of the girls fingers were an inch out of place.

you and alessia were instead having your own little moment. just the two of you. something that you hadn't had in a while. you were cuddled up on the couch your head resting on alessia's chest as you looked at her as if she hung the stars in the sky at night.

while alessia's traced small shapes and patterns into your palm. "i've missed this" you admitted, this had been the first genuine moment that had just been the two of you since you'd given birth.

alessia humming in agreement. it had been difficult adjusting to the new reality of motherhood. your hormones had been all over the place along with the lack of sleep. so having moments to yourself with your girlfriend had been far and few.

"me too baby but it'll get easier" alessia reassurance you. she knew that's you'd found it hard with the adjustment, you never being the biggest fan of change. alessia trying her best to try and take as much stress away from you with the new born.

she knew how much you loved your daughter and what you were prepared to do for your daughter but navigating motherhood for the first time was hard. people only ever tell you the good, never the bad.

"we just have to enjoy these moments together as well as making sure we make the most of these moments too" alessia pointed toward the group of girls as they all fussed over your daughter a fond smile appearing on your face seeing how much they love her already.

"i can't believe how big she is already- i put her in a newborn baby grow yesterday and it already doesn't fit" you pouted, thinking of how small your daughter was when she was born to now and how much she'd grown in such a short amount of time.

"she's growing love, but she'll forever be our little girl" alessia smiled as you hummed, reaching up to peck at your girlfriend’s lips a few times.

“i love you so much and our little family”

alessia

liked by ellatoone and 973,125 others

alessia first few days as three🤍

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[mj0702]

The other Bronze – Pt.8

Okay... this is the last Barça part for now (hold your pitchforks - we will get back to Barcelona in the future)

I feel different about this chapter since there's less chaos and more feels but I still hope you like it❤️

I can't put into words how much I appreciate all your support especially @samkerrworshipper and @valewosomtb but also all you anons like my lunatic and gold star ❤️❤️ now go and enjoy 11k of Bronzeness

As soon as Keira and you entered her flat she retreated to the kitchen letting you standing in the hallway

“You need help Kei?” you asked knowing full well she'll decline since you got banned from kitchen duty after you nearly cut off your hand when you wanted to help her and Lucy one night (back in the day back in england) and the night ended in hospital

“You already know the answer to that, Bitsy... go shower...” you heard her yelling back as you heard pots clatter

“I showered at the Beach... with the sexy spaniard” you said now moved to stand in the kitchen entrance

“And then you went to have your little outbreak in the Sea... believe me... you'll want to shower or you'll wake up in the middle of the night itching and scratching your skin off... and I swear to god if you wake me up at 2AM because you decide it would be a good time to shower I'll have your head” the blonde englishwoman answered measuring some stuff for your requested Shepherds pie

“But I don't have my shower stuff here and yours is so... flowery” you whined

“Your choice Bitsy... but I really will have your head if you wake me up in the middle of the night...” Keira looked at you raising an eyebrow in challenge

“Ugh” you huffed pushing yourself of the doorframe as you dragged yourself towards her bathroom

“Good choice” you heard the blonde yelling after you and you could hear the smirk in her voice

“Good choice” you imitated her under your breath “I'm gonna smell like a fucking field of poppies”

After 20 Minutes you cracked opened the door of the bathroom a little bit to yell for Keira

“Keira???!!!” you yelled loudly so she would hear you in the kitchen

“What?” she yelled back and you could hear a nuance of annoyance in her voice

“I forgot clothes” you yelled as Keira stayed in the kitchen and you didn't want to leave the bathroom in your (her) towel

“Ugh kid... I still don't know how you survive without me constantly around” she said as she came out of the kitchen walking down the hall to get you some clothes

“I have a good system of supporting people around me... I refer to them as my cult” you said as she passed you “they make sure I don't die – they're too scared of you”

“I bet... let me guess... Mary, Millie, Rachel, Tooney and Russo?” Keira rolled her eyes knowing you have basically all her lionesses teammates wrapped around your pinkie and if you just look at them with HALF a puppy eye they all scramble to grant you every wish

“And Hempo and Meado and Scotto and Viv and Daan and Greensie and ChloChlo and Leila and Guerrero and Stina and Lia and Kimmi and...” you counted on your fingers smirking as Keira made her way back to you some shorts and a shirt in her hand

“God... you really always get whatever you want” she rolled her eyes but a smile tugged on her lips

“Not everything... otherwise you'd be a Bronze” you shrugged your shoulders as you took the pieces of clothing out of her hand and shut the door

“Don't do that Bitsy...” Keira sighed against the door “... it's not your fault”

“But it feels like it” you answered from inside the bathroom fighting with your balance as you tried to get into the shorts but struggled since you suddenly were overcome with a wave of dizziness

“It's not... stop telling yourself that... it just happened Bitsy...” Keira answered softly as she heard a crashing sound from the inside “You okay Bits?” she asked a little concerned

“All good” you said quickly picking yourself up from inside the shower you fell backwards into “Got stuck on the shorts”

“Dear jesus chirst kid.... I swear you're so clumsy at this point it's more luck than sanity that you're still alive...” the blonde huffed out

You tried to stand up again only to find the room spinning again so you decided to do something you hated doing

“Kei help please....” you said your voice low

Keira knew that when you actually asked for help it was a serious matter so she quickly pushed the door open to find you sitting in the shower back against the tiles

“What's wrong Bits?” she asked concerned crouching down in front of you

“Room's spinning” you mumbled

“You have a headache too?” the blonde asked already knowing what's wrong with you

“Little bit...” you answered honestly

“You have a sunstroke Bits...” Keira smiled lightly “Not used to the spanish sun...”

“Is not fun” you mumbled trying to contain the nausea

“Come on Bits...” the blonde huffed pulling you up into a standing position but keeping a good hold of you “... you gonna lay down on the couch and rest okay...” she said before leading you back into the livening room minus the shorts so you were just in your boxers and a sports bra

“My shorts” you whined

“First... these are MY shorts and secondly... you don't need shorts.. it's just me” Keira said softly before deposing you on the couch “Gonna bring you some water okay”

“Kei...” you whined “... I'm not feeling good”

“I know Bitsy... I know” the blonde sighed before getting you the promised water

“Why am I feeling sick?” you whined turning onto your side

“Sunstroke Bitsy... drink some water... it'll help I promise” Keira said lovingly as she stroke softly through your hair

You carefully took small sips of water as Keira decided to sit down by your head her hand never leaving your face. Softly stroking through your hair, over your forehead or caressing your cheek smiling softly as you continue to whine about how bad you felt

“Take a nap Bitsy.... that'll help too” the blonde englishwoman spoke lowly as she saw your eyes dropping

“You not mad anymore?” you asked half asleep

“I was never mad Bitsy... I was scared” Keira said softly “You mean the world to me, Bitsy and alone the thought of loosing you without being able to do anything scared me – really scared me”

“You mean the world to me too Kei... you're always there” you sighed as Keira started to lightly scratch your scalp

“I've seen you grow up Bits... you fought so many battles and still grew into an amazing person I can't nor do I want to imagen a world without you in it... you have so much more to explore and offer and seeing you out there... without anyone responsible near it squeezed all air out of my lungs Bits... you really can't do things like that” you heard the crack in her voice at the end and force your eyes open again.

Even with your blurred eyesight you could make out Keiras tears

“Kei...” you said lowly waiting for her to look at you “... nothing's gonna happen to me... the stupid always have the luck on their side... so I'm safe... won't leave you Kei... you're my sister too you know... and most of the time you're the better sister.. I love Luce really love her – but I love you just as much because I know you're always there for me... I promise I won't leave you Kei...”

“You can't promise something like this Bitsy... because if you ever break this promise I'm gonna break... not only are you like a sister to me, you are basically my child...” Keira said her voice heavy

“I never broke a promise with you” you said your voice insisted looking her straight in the eye “I never did and I never will...”

“I need you to PROMISE me to start thinking before you do things Bits...” the blonde said and you knew you would never EVER break that promise

“I promise...” you just answered and Keira could hear the honesty in your voice “But you need to promise to never leave me”

“I promise Bitsy... wherever I end up either in my career or afterwards... I'll be always there for you” Keira said softly

“Good... because let's be honest if I have to live of Luces cooking I'm gonna be gone pretty quickly because of food poisoning” you said as a matter of fact

“She got better... she doesn't burn the pasta anymore...” Keira smiled through her tears

“Kei... she was meant to BOIL the pasta... she's the only person I know who burns pasta in cooking water!!!! And she stuffed fish-fingers in a toaster and nearly burned our flat down!!” you exclaimed bewildered

“I know... she had some... questionable ideas” Keira tried to find the right words

“She has shit ideas when it comes to cooking,... I mean who thinks it's a good idea to serve RAW fish” you exclaimed loudly

“To her defence... sushi is raw fish” the blonde said

“WHEN IT'S FRESH IT IS.... this... thing was probably a week old... and on top of that she KNOWS I hate fish” you couldn't contain your outburst

“Fish is good...” Keira smiled knowing just how much you despise it

“Nope... nuh-uh.... it's disgusting... it normally looks at you when served...” you shook your head which reminded you immediately of your nausea again “Uh... wrong move” you mumbled

“Oh Bitsy...” the blonde sighed putting her hand against your forehead “You're burning up... I'll get you some paracetamol and then you'll have a nap... if you feel up to it later we can eat a little bit and then off to bed you scramble”

“Ugh please no paracetamol” you whined

“Ah yeah... I always forget that you always get sick from paracetamol... Aspirin it is then...” the blonde said pitiful as she softly stroke over your forehead experienced first hand before how bad a sunstroke feels

“Can I call G?” you whined miserable

“Of course Bitsy... why are you asking?” Keira asked confused

“Didn't know if you'd be a fan of me calling her... Lucy is not a fan” you mumbled your eyes already dropping again

“Lucy is very much a fan... but more and foremost she's your sister... she swore to protect you Bitsy” the blonde chuckled getting her phone from the side table dialling Georgias number

“Hey best friend... what gives me the unwanted pleasure of you calling me?” Georgias happy voice came out of the speaker and you could hear the smile in her voice

“You really milking that best friend card since Leah is out” Keira deadpanned but couldn't help but smile too

“I mean... I take what I can get...” the younger blonde said grinning “But seriously... what can I help you with”

“Not me.... but you could help your girlfriend out” Keira chuckled

“Ehrm... while you're there?” Georgia asked unsure and you could just picture how her cheeks flush and she rubbed the back of her neck

“Dear jesus... not like that” Kei exclaimed “What is wrong with you??”

“I haven't seen her in WEEKS, Kei... WEEKS...” the younger blonde insistent

“I don't CARE” Keira said back just as insistent

“G” you whispered exhausted

“Hey baby” immediately your girlfriends voice changed into a soft caring low tone

Keira left to finally get the shepherds pie into the oven but still was listening to your conversation with one and a half ear

“Not feeling good” you whispered

“What happened baby...” Georgia asked softly

“Parrently M not used to sun” you mumbled

“You're english... of course we're not used to sun...” your girlfriend chuckled lightly “... what you need from me baby?”

“Just talk... M sleepy” you mumbled your speaking slurred with sleep

“Usual topics?” Georgia double checked softly

“Mhm” you mumbled confirming

“Okay... sooooo... I kinda overslept this morning... but just like... 20 Minutes – still made it to training in time but I couldn't stop at that little bakery.. you know the one on the corner with the colourful dotty thingies on the windows... but I'll make sure to stop there tomorrow again...” Georgia began to lowly tell you about her day with all the little details as you slipped into a peaceful slumber

As your girlfriend heard your even breathing she stopped talking for a second before asking

“Keira?”

“Yes?” the blonde answered

“She asleep?” Georgia asked already knowing the answer

“What do you really want to ask, G? What's on your mind?” Keira chuckled

“How mad is Lucy?” your girlfriend mumbled concerned

“Lucy isn't mad... she's protective... I can promise you deep down inside she's relieved it's you... you're a good person, G and Luce knows that... and I'm happy it's you – because let's be real for a second... any girl Bitsy would have brought home would run for the hills after a “talk” from Lucy Bronze – you can handle that just fine. So Lucy isn't mad... but you're dating her baby sister... she swore to protect her no matter what since the moment she found out y/n will be a girl... and she waited 16 years to give someone “The Talk”... so she'll act all overprotective and threatening and what not but in secret she's happy for the two of you... just let her waltz over you with her “If you're hurting her”-talk and smile politely” Keira said knowing G needs some reassurance right now “Just... don't kiss her in front of Lucy right away... baby sister and all that”

“No kissing got it” G repeated nodding her head – even if no one could see it

“I didn't said no kissing... I said no kissing in front of Luce” the blonde corrected her younger friend

“Isn't that the same thing?” Georgia asked confused

“Gosh G... get creative... didn't YOU tell me about 30 minutes ago you haven't seen your girl for weeks” Keira huffed out as she left the living room with her phone to check on the shepherds pie

“I mean... yeah... but that would involve a lot more than kissing” G answered and Keira could hear her embarrassment

“I love you G, I really do... but I won't cover for you or get Lucy of your backs.... just saying” the blonde said as she pulled dinner out of the oven

“Can we not... talk about that... maybe?” your girlfriend asked even more embarrassed

“We're grown ups, G... we can talk about sex” Keira rolled her eyes before speaking to herself “Do I wake you up Bitsy or not?”

“Why do you want to wake her up? I literally just put her to sleep” Georgia ignored the first part and just jumped on the you-waggon

“She should eat... but as you said... she just fell asleep...” Keira mumbled looking over to your sleeping form

“Wake her... I still got time so I can bore her to sleep again” G said happily

“How often do you talk anyway?” Keira asked finding it quiet endearing how your relationship blossomed and she was very grateful that she was one of the first (if not the first) to witness it

“You mean like now? Or texting?” your girlfriend asked

“Like now.... you immediately knew what she needed – it's cute” the blonde grinned

“Every Day... even when I have games we make time... if it's just five minutes” Georgia said and Keira could hear how important it was for the younger girl

“Didn't peck you as a routine girl, G” Keira teased her friend

“It's important to her....” your girlfriend answered and her voice showed nothing but love for you.

“God G... you sound like your neck deep in love” the blonde chuckled but was met with silence from the other end

“G??” Keira asked kinda bewildered

“Yeah... still there” the younger one mumbled ashamed

“Talk to me G” the blonde encouraged her

“I know it sounds stupid but... god Kei I do love her... I know we haven't dated for long but... I can see her as my forever... I know it's early to say something like that but it feels so different with her... good different...” Georgia tried to put her feelings into word

“Calm down G... it's okay.. it's just me... honestly... I can see it too – you shouldn't say anything like that to Luce tho... at least not for the next... 10.... no... 25 years” Keira said softly and tried to lighten the mood a little bit

“It just... it scares me a little bit I never felt like this about anyone” Georgia explained

“G... if you know, you know... and it's okay to get scared or overwhelmed... but you need to talk to someone – ideally with y/n but you can always talk to me too... keep communicating” the blonde said trying to calm her friend down

“I just never felt like this... like... she's my air you know... god I sound so cheesy... but when I look at her nothing else matters... when she smiles it's like getting hit with a truck and Kei.... when she laughs... it's the most beautiful sound in the world” your girlfriend said and Keira could just HEAR the love

“Tell her G... tell her that every day... because even if they always act so tough... both of them Bronzes need to hear things like that” Keira said softly

“How do you know?” Georgia asked confused

“And she's back” the blonde rolled her eyes “Why do all of you always forget that I dated a Bronze.... for YEARS”

“Ah yeah... you dated the other Bronze” your girlfriend laughed

“Technically I dated the one Bronze... you date the other Bronze” Keira said

Suddenly there was a crashing sound from the living room followed by a whined “Keira” and Keira groaned

“She fell of the couch again?” Georgia asked knowingly

“Yep.... catch you later G... I have to go aid your girlfriend” the blonde huffed

“Tell her I love her, yeah” your girlfriend said hopefully

“Will do... see you in a few days in Camp G... and G” Keira said

“Yeah?”

“You're good for her... Lucy will see this too... so don't let Luce push you around... stand up for your relationship” the blonde said and her voice had a loving tone

“Thanks Kei... I mean it” your girlfriend answered honesty

“KEIRAAAAA” you whined from the floor of the living room

“COMING... jesus...” the blonde yelled back “See you in a few day G...” she said before ending the call

“What happened there Bitsy, hm?” the blonde asked you as she knelt down beside you

“Fell off” you mumbled

“I see that” Keira chuckled “You want to go back to sleep or eat a little bit”

“Shepherds pie?” you asked your eyes shining hopefully

“Waiting in the Kitchen” the blonde smiled as she pulled you up by your good wrist “After that you go straight to bed, do you hear me?”

“Yeah mom” you mumbled and Keira noticed you're definitely still asleep

Keira basically had to feed you since you nearly face planted into your plate several times before she dragged you back to her guestroom. As usual you didn't want to sleep alone so you just started to whine until the blonde gave in once again leading you towards her bedroom. You were dead asleep the second your head hit the pillow so Keira just threw a blanket over you and went back to the living room after she cleaned the kitchen and started packing for her (hopefully) call-up to national camp. Just as Kei was halfway through her packing her phone rang and Lucys name showed up on the display

“What can I do for you ex?” she grinned into the phone as she locked her phone in between her ear and shoulder to have her hands free

“Hello to you too other mother of my princess... Bubs around?” Lucy shot back but Keira knew she wasn't serious

“OUR princess, ex...” the blonde corrected grinning “Nope... your sister is dead to the world in my bed”

“I KNEW there was something going on... G is just a cover, innit?” Lucy exclaimed and faked being shocked

“Oh no... you figured us out” Keira answered monotonous and pausing for a second before starting to chuckle “What you need from her? Not that I could get her up anyway but I'm sure she'll be up at some point in the night”

“I actually need YOU” Lucy mused and Keira heard the slight begging undertone

“Oh my Luce... I thought we were past the sex with the ex act... does Ona know what you're proposing right now?” the blonde just couldn't give up such an opportunity to tease her ex girlfriend

“Oh my god... no... not for that... that front is very well covered thank you very much...” your sister stuttered shocked which caused Keira to start laughing “I need you to bring y/n with you to training tomorrow...”

“That's a given” Keira rolled her eyes “You think I'm gonna leave her out of my sight after the stunt she pulled today?”

“... as fast asleep as possible” Lucy finished her sentences ignoring Keiras interruption

“She definitely outgrown the dino-harness...” the blonde said knowing exactly what Lucy was planning

“I... modified it?” your sister said slowly

“Modified it?” Keira asked confused

“The buckle just works like I belt... so I strapped a belt into the buckle so it would fit...” Lucy said reluctantly

“She will throw a whole ass tantrum you know that right... and you want me to get involved as well” the blonde said warningly

“I know... but come on Kei... she proved today that she actually is not grown up enough to be left to her own devices...” your sister huffed out

“Did it accrue to you that she actually IS grown up enough and she just lets her guard down around you because she knows you're the only person in the entire world that will always be in her corner no matter what... I mean... except for me” Keira said and she knew she hit a nerve when there was no come back from the other end of the line

“I was scared Kei” Lucy admitted her voice low

“I know... I was scared too Luce... but she's growing up... you have to let her make mistakes” the blonde sighed knowing it was so hard to let you off the (imaginary) leash

“I know... but let me have my moment tomorrow.. I'm taking the blame... tell her you didn't knew” Lucy begged a little bit

“If she doesn't talk to you for weeks don't come to me crying” Keira warned “You have a girlfriend for that now... not my problem anymore”

“Deal... but I promise I'll get in her good books at end of training again” your sister said and Kei could hear her grin

“Do I want to know?? I feel a headache forming” the blonde mumbled

“I'll let her drive my Cupra... we just need to wait long enough till the parking lot is empty” your sister said excited thinking she could fulfil a wish for you

“Oh Luce” Keira sighed

“I know... she's going to be so happy” Lucy could hardly contain her excitement

“Oh you have no idea” the blonde tried to warn her friend without saying too much

What Lucy of course didn't knew was that Jill (Scott), Millie and Rachel gifted you 10 driving lessons for your birthday – but not just driving lessons they were stunt driving lessons. Of course it was mostly courtesy of Jill who knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy. So while your sister was under the dreamy impression that she would make you happy being the first one who's letting you drive (even if it was kinda illegal) you perfected the art of drifting, donuts and race gear shifting. And of course how to use the breaks – you weren't completely stupid. But it was the second best present this day. Jill even went so far in buying you race driver shoes – like formula one shoes.

“So you bring her in tomorrow?” Lucy asked hopefully

“Asleep as possible... I'll get her to Nuo around 8... you better be there and get her in that harness before she interacts with Mapí because that will kick-start her” Keira sighed again knowing tomorrow will be an absolute disaster.

“Thanks Kei” your sister said happily “I'll wait in front of the locker room for you”

“You owe me Luce...” the blonde replied

“What do you want?” Lucy asked interested

“I want to have Narla over Christmas” Keira said

“Hard bargain there, Walsh... but okay... but I get her new years” your sister huffed out

“Okay... 8 o'clock locker room.. if you're late I'll let Mapí talk to her” the blonde threatened playfully

“Aye woman...” Lucy answered and Keira could just picture how she put her hand up to a mock salute

“Hate you” the blonde grinned

“No you don't.... see you tomorrow Kiewa” your sister answered using a stupid nickname you once tried to get spread through national team

Keira just hung up continuing to pack some shirts before she called it a night too. She carefully entered her bedroom to find you still dead asleep but you moved to her side your nose pressed deep into her pillow

“Why can't you always be so sweet?” the blonde mumbled lowly a slight smile on her lips

As if you heard her you started to snore – very lightly which caused Keira to laugh quietly before laying down on your other side. Just like always you immediately noticed the “intruder” as you turned around still asleep as you cuddled up to Keiras side

“Bitsy come on.. wake up... we're leaving in five” Keira shook you awake next morning

“Nooooo...” you whined sleepily turning away from her “... five more minutes”

“We're leaving in five, Bitsy... come on... up and at em” the blonde didn't give up “Up... now... teeth, clothes, car” she said sternly

“Kei... nooooo” you whined trying to get away from her shaking

“Up NOW Bitsy” the blonde got even more firm – which she hated herself for

“Yeah okay... I'm up” you grumbled as you stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom

Exactly 5 minutes later you stood at the door where Keira was waiting for you impatiently. You had your shirt on backwards, Barcelona training kit shorts which were slightly too big for you and a England bucket hat on your head

“Is that my bucky?” the blonde asked confused

“Couldn't find anything else and I'm NOT sitting in the sun today... learned my lesson” you mumbled and Keira noticed how grumpy you were

“Come on Bitsy... I'll get you coffee at Camp Nuo” the blonde said hoping to get your spirits up just a little bit – at this point you'd probably rip Lucys throat apart with your teeth if she'd touch you and buckle you up in the harness. She decided to give Lucy a warning which your sister replied with a thumbs up

“Kay” you mumbled as you stumbled towards Keiras car

23 Minutes later you arrived at Camp Nuo and Keira manoeuvres you expertly through the long hallways

“Jesus... bet some people died in here trying to find a toilet” you grumbled as Keira pushed you around another corner which caused the blonde to chuckle behind you her hand never leaving the small of your back

“Not so bad once you figured it out... you were here before, you know.. you just were very VERY high... Alexia lost you twice – not that your sister knows but still... Capi needed to confine someone” Keira laughed

“I actually don't know... I was high... I know NOTHING from that day” you grumbled as you spotted your sister waiting in front of a door that looked just like the 500 doors you already passed.

“Bon dia Bubs” your sister smiled warmly

“Bon fuck yourself” you grumbled while you walked passed her thinking you need to keep going as Lucy grabbed your shirt to pull you back

“Locker room is this way” she said not letting you get to her nerves as you outright sweared at her.

Next thing you knew was that you were buckled up in something and as you looked down you spotted the familiar face of Bronzo the Bronto (courtesy of Dszenifer who thought it would be funny to name your dino-harness Bronzo). Before your brain could even recognise what just happened you heard Lucy victorious chuckle “Still got it”

“Wha... Wha... Wait what??” you stuttered as you tried to comprehend what just happened

“It's okay Bubs... just want you to be save” Lucy said lowly knowing this could go two ways. Either you accept it since you haven't even had coffee yet OR you could completely explode.

Your brain choose option two for you and you just started to sprint. Your sister didn't see that coming she was more prepared for you to attack her directly so you got a few meters between the two of you before Lucy grabbed the leash tightly in her hand trying to stop your running. What she also wasn't prepared for was the strength you could get out of your fury so Alexia was met with a angry faced running you as she rounded the corner as you basically dragged Lucy behind you who still tried to get you under control

“Bubs come on... calm down” your sister tried again “Bon dia Capi” she smile quickly at Alexia before she got dragged on

“I... don't even want to know” the blonde spaniard mumbled to herself as she continued her way to the locker room

“The Bronzes out there?” Keira asked as Alexia entered the changing room

“This way... Cariño seemed quite aggressive this morning” the blonde pointed to the right

“Yeah... Lucy jumped her with the dino-harness... did anyone had any blood on them?” Keira asked getting a little concerned when Alexia used “aggressive”

“Not that I saw... but the Cariño pulled Lucy around like she weight nothing...” the spaniard answered as she tied her cleats

“Yeah... y/n in a bad mood is someone you don't want to cross...” the blonde englishwoman said as she stood up from her cubical grabbing her water bottle

“And why exactly is Cariño pulling around Lucia?” Alexia now questioned as she copied Keira and grabbed her bottle as well when the two women make their way to the field

“You'll see” Keira grinned knowingly

“Bon dia” the two blonde smiled towards the media staff as they recorded the famous arriving of the players

“LEFT!!! TO THE LEFT!!!!” the whole team heard Lucys yelling and all heads turned towards the tunnel exit

“I'LL PRESENT YOU MY LEFT TO YOUR NOSE IN A SECOND!!!!! LET ME THE FUCK GO!!! THIS IS LITERALLY KIDNAPPING!!!” you shouted back and Keira heard that you were about to lose it

“HA!!!!!” Lucy exclaimed as she pulled you out after her “You admit you're a kid... so you get treated like one.... Bon dia” your sister smiled at the camera having the leash over her shoulder walking slightly hunched forward as you got pulled backwards.

“I swear to god Lucy... I rip you to pieces” you sneered as you passed the media staff

The whole team watched the interaction between the two of you and before you knew it you heard a loud laugh. Mapí just couldn't help herself as she saw you in the bright green dino-harness kicking and pouting like a three year old. You of course didn't think it was funny so you turned and sprinted past Lucy about to fight the tattooed spaniard as Lucy hauled you back

“Nooooo... we don't fight” your sister said sternly as she held the leash tightly digging her feet into the grass so you couldn't pull her along again

“She's laughing” you said accusing and even Lucy saw that your patience’s wearing thin

“Let her Bubs... come on... I even got you some coffee and ice cream” your sister tried to lure you away as Mapí stupidly opened her mouth

“You wearing a kiddie-leash” the spaniard laughed loudly as Ingrid stepped in looking at Lucy

“Where did you find that? That is a great idea!!” the Norwegian asked interested

“Bronzo? Bought it back in Lyon when missy here decided to go on a stroll while I was... occupied and I had to pick her up hours later at a police station” your sister grinned as she playfully tugged on the leash

“You weren’t “occupied” you were shoving your tongue down Keiras throat!!!” you exclaimed aggregated

“I think my life would benefit from something like this as well” Ingrid mused her eyes sparkling

“Why would we need something like this, mi amor?” Mapí now asked confused

Ingrid just raised an eyebrow expectantly at her girlfriend waiting for her to catch on – and finally she did

“NO.... I don’t need something like this... I’m no hija” the tattooed spaniard exclaimed annoyed looking at you pointingly as she referred to you as a child

“You sure sound like one at the moment...” the Norwegian grinned as Mapí pouted and crossed her arms over her chest before sticking out her tongue to you

You tried to get to her again as Alexia now stepped in and stopped you

“cálmate” the blonde spaniard said calmly and the usage of spanish got you out of your head

“Huh?” you asked as you looked at her confused

“cálmate” Alexia repeated softly

“Cellmate?” you asked even more confused “makes no sense dude”

“It means “Calm down” in spanish” the blonde answered her voice calm and low

“Ha... so calm mate is making sense” you said but weirdly you felt much more calm

“It kinda does, doesn't it” the Capitan still kept her voice calm as she grabbed your waist manoeuvring you to the side line without breaking eye contact as she feared you would jump on Mapí and kill her.

Everyone watched the interaction stunned as you just let Alexia carefully move you away from the team. Even Lucy and Keira couldn't believe it since it was normally a fight for hours till you calmed down.

“Shit Capi is good” Lucy mumbled loosening the leash so you wouldn't feel the pressure and would snap again

“Shut up before you shift her focus and we have another fight on our hands” Keira shushed her ex girlfriend warningly

Alexia manoeuvred you into a shady corner the leash now dragging behind you since Lucy had to let go of it to not disturb the little moment you have with her Capitan.

“Are you gonna be good and stay here or do I have to tie this leash to one of the posts?” Alexia asked you quietly but still firmly

“Not gonna run” you mumbled kinda ashamed and embarrassed being strapped into a kiddie-harness right in front of (yet again) world class players “So embarrassing”

“No need to be embarrassed Cariño... we just want you save” the blonde said quietly keeping this interaction as private as possible “And it makes Lucia feel so much better knowing you're save”

“She could just have...” you started but couldn't come up with a reasonable solution

“It's the best solution for now... and after training I'll let you chase Mapí for making fun of you, okay.. now please stay here – I give you the... depth of doubt and won't tie this leash up but if you disappoint me I won't hesitate to do so” Alexia said softly but it was a fair warning to you

“Benefit...” you mumbled not meeting her eyes “It's benefit of the doubt... but thank you”

“If you need something just yell or tell one of the staff members okay?” the blonde smiled warmly at you

“Is there coffee around?” you asked hopefully as the blonde started laughing signalling to one of the staff to come over. She quickly spoke to the young man in spanish and he jogged off back into the building

“Cortado is on the way” the Capitan winked “you remember “thank you” in spanish?”

“Moohtschas grazia or something like that” you said after a second of thinking and you could see Alexia visibly flinch at your butchering her mother tongue

“You have to speak softer, Cariño... spanish is a soft language – not harsh... try again... muchas gracias” the blonde encouraged you to try again

“That's what I said... Moohtschas grazias” you said confused

“You are to hard on the “s”... it's “s” like … sunshine... not “z” like... what's this white and black horse?” she tried to remember

“Zebra” you helped her out

“Sí... Zebra... again... muchas...” Alexia spoke slowly empathizing the “s”

“muchas” you tried to copy her pronunciation

“gracias” the blonde said slowly again

“gracias” you followed

“Bíen... muchas gracias” Alexia smiled proudly at you “Now be good and stay here” she said as she pressed a light kiss to your forehead and left you standing there rooted in place.

The only people who were allowed to give forehead kisses were Lucy, Keira, Sarina and Georgia. Alexia wasn't allowed and you were very careful when it came to physical contact. Keira of course kept an eye on you through warm ups and saw the interaction with Alexia. As soon as the blonde spaniard leant down to press a small kiss to your forehead Keira already moved towards you

“It's okay Bitsy... it's how the spanish are, okay... she doesn't mean any harm” Keira spoke calmly since she knew what physical contact – at least not predicted one – did to you.

“It's just the way they are around here, okay... they're very touchy feely... no need to freak out Bitsy okay” the blonde englishwoman kept talking until you looked at her

“She... she kissed me” you stuttered out

“I saw... but she doesn't mean any harm – it's really how they are here” Keira reassured you

“I... didn't like it... she didn't say anything beforehand” you said and the blonde could see how you were fighting an internal battle

“She doesn't know... no one knows you don't like contact like that” the blonde stayed calm through your conversation

“Why did she do that?” you asked confused

“She wanted to show you how good you did” Keira once again reassured you

“Ice cream would have done the job” you mumbled which caused the blonde to burst out laughing

“I know... but I can see some coffee coming this way... I bet it has your name on it” Keira smiled as she stroke through your hair and turned around to leave you to re-join training.

“muchas gracias” you said as the young man who grinned widely as he answered “De Nada”

You sat down on the ground sipping on your coffee watching the training going on as they switched from passing drills to 5 a side. You remembered these drills like the back of your hand and you already knew who would pass to whom and who would assist to who to get the ball into the back of the net. The drills they were playing were so predictable that you groaned internally. Just happens to not be internally – you groaned so loudly that even Jona turned around looking at you as if he tried to figure out if you're hurt again. He signalled Lucy and spoke to her quietly as her eyes snapped towards you before she came jogging over

“What's wrong Bubs... Jona said you might have hurt yourself he said you groaned quite loudly” your sister asked worried

“M not hurt... but this is so boring and your playing is so predictable...” you rolled your eyes

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked confused

“Okay wait...” you waited until the whistle blew again “Ingrid will pass it to Ona, Mapí tries to intercept but her footing is wrong so she won't get there in time. Ona will pass it as a high ball to that brown haired one who will TRY to get it down the middle with as a half-volley but Alexia stands to close so brown hair only gets the ball to bounce of Alexias hip... she will pass the ball to the right to flawless and flawless will cross it back into the middle to the blonde norwegian... who will make it look like she's going in for a header but she'll let the ball cross to the Jamaican spaniard who's already waiting at the back post... oh yeah... and Kei was open in the middle the whole time” you said and it happened exactly like you said just that you said it about 10 seconds before it all happened

“What the...” your sister listened to you as you predicted the whole tactic move before it even got played out now looking at you shocked

“Told you.. predictable” you shrugged your shoulders as Lucy waved Jona over to her speaking to him in spanish as now HIS eyes snapped towards you.

“Mind if we try something Bubs?” Lucy asked you smiling slightly

“I'm NOT trying your protein shakes again” you exclaimed

“No... I just want to show Jona something” she laughed as she nodded to her trainer.

Jona yelled something in spanish and the teams mixed up before he looked at you expectantly

“Tell me what's going to happen now, Bubs... I'll translate for him” Lucy encouraged you as you scanned the field and who the players were positioned

After a few minutes you looked at your sister “Team Yellow is going to score first... they have a technical midfield and even if Team Red has the better defence, they will concentrate on the forwards instead of the midfield and either Kei or tweedledee will score – team reds defence will probably only watch tweedledumb and Jamaican spaniard and forget about the technical finesse these two midfielders have... Alexia will realize it first but it will be to late” you shrugged your sister as she spoke lowly to her trainer who then turned around to blow the whistle.

Again you watched bored as the game rolled out just as you said – it was Keira who had the finishing touch on the ball to hit the back of the net. Jona turned around to you looking like he saw a ghost

“How did you know this?” Lucy asked you after Jona talked to her for a minute

“Predictable” you felt like a broken record “You guys focus too much on the forwards... you have an amazing midfield but you only go for the forwards... it’s a wonder you’re opponents haven’t figured it out already”

Lucy again translated what you said to her trainer who couldn't stop to look at you with a shocked face

“He wants you” your sister grinned

“Yeah no... I don't dingdongs... sorry” you waved off before yelling over to the field “Keira... rotate your hip more when you go for that high ball... and lock your ankle... you look like a fucking penguin trying to walk on ice”

“He wants you in his training staff you horny bitch” Lucy bit out

“Yeah... he can get in line” you mumbled watching Keira closely as she tried to follow through with what you just said

“What was that?” your sister asked confused

“KEIRA for god sakes... LOCK THIS BLOODY ANKLE... you locked it around my sisters waist enough times that I know you're able to do so!!!” you yelled again not happy with the outcome of your “pointers”

“Dear heavens” Lucy groaned as half the team looked at her while the other half looks at Keira “No more caffeine for you”

“It's not the caffeine that's the problem here...” you mumbled watching Keira step up to the ball again

“Then what is?” Lucy asked annoyed

“You REALLY want the answer to this question?” you raised an eyebrow at her

“On second thought...” your sister interrupted quickly

“Yep.. thought so...” you grinned fake “BETTER KEI!! Good job” you yelled out as the ball was nearly perfect

“Thanks Bitsy” the blonde yelled back smiling

“Always” you shouted before sitting down again

“What did you mean when you said Jona can get in line?” Lucy asked bringing the former topic back up

“You really think he's the first trainer that offered me a job??” you looked at her in disbelieve

“I... can't follow you” your sister said getting more and more confused

“The first one who offered was Sarina after the Euros... you think it was an accident to bring Tooney and Less in just after halftime? Second one was Alex Straus, third one was Emma, fourth one was Jonas, fifth was Gareth and on place no. 6 now the spanish guy... so yeah... he can get in line” you said seriously as you looked your sister straight in the eye

“I had no idea” Lucy said slowly compensating the information

“Yeah... it's not like I make a big deal out of it” you shrugged but Lucy knew you wanted to say something else

“You can always talk to me, Bubs” she said knowing you would need to hear it again and again and again

“Yeah... I know” you sighed

“Good... I'm going back to training okay... we have about 30 minutes left then we can go for ice cream...” she smiled softly at you before turning around leaving

“Hey Luce?” you shouted after her

“Yeah?”

“Can I have your phone please... mines dead again and I'm bored... you have games on your phone right?” you asked pouting a little for good measure

“Sure... pin is your birthday” your sister went over to her bag quickly and tossed you her phone

“Love you” you shouted after her.

Just as you wanted to start playing candy crush it started to ring. Caller was “Lionesses”. So you figured you could answer the phone.

“Lucy Bronzes phone... you're speaking with the better looking and younger version” you answered the call

There was a beat of silence before the other person started to speak

“Y/n??” you heard a confuses voice

“Hi Mama Rina” you said happily noticing Sarinas voice immediately

“I thought I called Lucy” the Dutch was majorly confused

“You did... I'm currently at the Camp Nope watching her train and I got bored so I got her phone to play candy crush” you explained as the smile never left your face.

“Oooooh okay... think she can make it to Camp next week?” Sarina asked and you could her smile through the phone

“Wait... I'll ask her...” you said before covering the phone with your hand “LUUUCCYYYY!!!! SARINA WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU ARE FREE NEXT WEEK FOR CAMP!!!” you yelled of the top of your lungs

“WHAT?” your sister asked confused

“NATIONALCAMP NEXT WEEK!! YES? NO?” you yelled again

“YES OF COURSE!!!” Lucy yelled already on her way over again

“She said yes... Keira is here too” you got back to the call

“Would you mind, Liefje?” Sarina asked you already pulling the phone away from her ear knowing you're going to start yelling in a second

“KEIRA??? NATIONALCAMP – YES OR NO?!” you yelled to the blonde englishwoman

“YES” Keira just yelled back not bothering asking why you asked her

“Kei said yes too...” you repeated the answer to the womans national coach

“Thank you, snoepje... I'll see you all in a week then” the Dutch smiled and ended the call

“Why are you on the phone with Sarina?” your sister asked

“She called...” you shrugged your shoulders “Flights will be send per email as usual”

“She called... okay...” Lucy said dumb folded and left again

Just as training was about to end and you roamed the side line a little bit – always under the watchful eye of Alexia, Lucy and Keira – Mapí tried to do a midfield shot on goal. Of course she booted the ball without any precision and the ball ended up in your direction

“Y/N!! WATCH OUT!” Keira yelled as she saw the ball rocketing towards you.

You lifted your head just in time to recognise the ball but you didn't have time to THINK what you would do. Your body reacted out of reflex and muscle memory. You stopped the ball perfectly with your chest before you volleyed it down the field with your right food and your precision was so on point that the ball came in perfect for Keira who stopped the ball with her foot mid air to turn with it and just tipped it into the open goal. Everyone on the pitch looked at you shocked and even you were shocked about what happened. Since you got your diagnosis with your third ACL you swore to yourself to never touch a ball again – and yet here you were assisting a “goal” for Keira and it was all Mapís fault. No one dared to move as they kept staring at you – and suddenly it clicked in your head. You looked at Lucy. You looked at Keira.

“Bubs no... it's okay... you're okay” Lucy tried to approach you slowly as she spoke softly seeing in your eyes exactly what your next move would be.

Oh how right she was – the second it really sunk in what just happened you bolted. You jumped over the barrier running as fast as you could. OF COURSE you forgot about the dino-harness. You just entered the tunnel as you got hauled backwards with such a force that you lost your footing and crashed into the ground. You just laid there as you tried to breath but your breathing became more hectic and rapid. Your sisters face appeared next to you only seconds later pulling you upon into a sitting position as she shuffled in behind you pressing your body back into hers as you tried to fight her grip

“It's okay Bubs... nothing happened... you're okay..” Lucy reassured you over and over again as you keep struggling in her arms trying to get free

“You need to breath for me Bubs... come one... deep breaths” your sister spoke softly ignoring the fact that you already hit her twice in the rips as she sat with you on the ground in the tunnel.

Suddenly Lucy heard fast approaching footsteps and the next second a panic stroked Mapí dropped to her knees in front of the two of you.

“Neña... Neña I'm so sorry... I didn't mean too... please” the spaniard begged you as she took your face in her hands seeing you so majorly distressed brought her to the verge of tears

You jerked back from her touch successfully head butting Lucy in the face who groaned painfully and felt hot liquid shooting out of her nose right into you hair as you kept your face away from Mapí. Your sister tightened the grip around you body basically switching to koala hug you from behind as tight as possible as you kept throwing your weight around

“Maps please... I know you're sorry and I know it wasn't on purpose but I need you to leave us alone right now” Lucy said through gritted teeth not because she was angry she just felt her strength leaving her arms and she knew the second she would let go you'd be gone and probably gone for days.

“I just want her to know how sorry I am... I really didn't mean to... Keira said I opened the box of Pandora” the tattooed spaniard said and Lucy heard the desperation in her voice

“I know Maps... I know it wasn’t intentional... and I promise you everything will be okay again – it's not the first time I'm going through this with her and she will calm down eventually... we just need space” your sister answered – even tho her voice got quite nasally – calmly to not set the spaniard off even more.

She could see how Mapí beat herself up but she was oh so thankful when she heard another pair of footsteps approaching and seconds later Mapí got hurled to her feet and dragged away by her girlfriend. As soon as the spaniard was gone from your vision you calmed down significantly reducing to a whimpering mess in your sisters arms

“I know Bubs... it's still too much for you and I know you need to work through it in your own time...” Lucy spoke quietly into your hair as she started to rock the both of you back and forth.

Lucy loosened her grip around you slightly to see your reaction but not too much if you'd try to bolt. Thankfully you exhausted yourself to the point where you just sack against her trying to find as much comfort in her touch as possible. You stayed like this for another 10 minutes with your sister mumbling sweet nothings into your hair before Lucy heard a low whistle coming from the tunnel entrance. As she looked up she saw Keira poking her head around the corner an eyebrow raised in question. The blonde knew from past experiences that you would get send right into another panic attack if there was anyone else except for Lucy around you. Lucy looked down on your hunched form back up at Kei and nodded. Keira approached the two of you carefully always ready to stop or even retreat if you showed any sign of discomfort

“That was a bad one” the blonde whispered as she slid down next to the two of you.

“I'm so thankful for that stupid leash... we wouldn't have found her for at least days Kei... if not weeks” Lucy whispered back as she adjusted your hold on you pulling you closer to her chest

“I know... but Mapí didn't mean too...” Keira said as she kept her voice low

“I know... I'm not blaming her or anyone... it was a stupid coincidence” your sister answered her eyes never leaving you

“She just broke down in the locker room... she's beating herself up really bad for that” the blonde whispered

“Ingrid with her?” Lucy asked alarmed not wanting Mapí to fall down into a mental hole as well – one mental breakdown was enough for one day.

“Course... Alexia as well... but she needs to hear it from y/n... it's funny isn't it? They know her for a few days but I bet my yearly salary that every single woman in that room would jump in front of a truck for her” Keira said and a low chuckle left her throat

“It's the Bronze charm... you fell for it too... twice actually” your sister smiled slightly

“You wish... you figured out already that G is a cover... you think I was after you?” the blonde teased back

“Keira Fae...” Lucy faked gasped shocked “... are you implying you were after my Sister the whole time?”

Keira just grinned enjoying the playful banter that just shows what good of a relationship Lucy and her were still having. A purely friendly relationship but still up for banter.

As you registered more of your surroundings you noticed that at one point Keira must have entered the scene and you blindly patted your hand towards her hoping she'd understood. And of course she did – she took your hand into hers without and comment making sure to keep a good hold of it.

“It's okay Bitsy... we're here” the blonde whispered calmly

You just sunk deeper into your sisters arms pressing your face into the crook of her neck feeling utterly exhausted

“You should get your nose checked out” Keira said referring to the dried blood on Lucys face

“Later... not important right now” your sister mumbled squeezing you tighter to her chest

“M sorry Luce” you mumbled against her neck

“S okay Bubs... you just got scared” Lucy mumbled back pressing a kiss to your forehead

“M sorry to Mapí too... probly scared her” you half-slurred as your body felt heavy your mind exhausted

“Don't worry about it... you can talk to her tomorrow on the phone, okay?” your sister reassured you softly

“Want to pologize n person” you said as your closed again

“Okay... but tomorrow... you okay moving to the locker room?” Lucy asked carefully

“Don't want to see anyone” you shook your head

“I'll clear it out” Keira said as she stood up “Give me five minutes”

After five minutes Keira came back around the corner nodding. Lucy tried to stand up but with you in her lap and sitting on the hard ground for nearly an hour she wasn't able too. Your hand clutched her shirt tightly fearing she would disappear once you'd let go

“Come here Bitsy... the old woman needs help to stand up” Keira said her voice teasing as she pulled you off your sister into her arms.

You were basically dead weight at this point only be held up by the blondes strength. As soon as Lucy stood up (with a loud groan) she lifted you bridal style and started to walk towards the locker room where Alexia waited outside the door. The blonde spaniards eyes grew wide in shock as she saw Lucys face but recovered quickly as she just opened the door to the mostly empty locker room in silence letting your sister carry you inside before closing the door behind you. Inside Ona waited with a water bottle offering it to you as Lucy placed you in a corner on the bench letting you lean against the cool wall.

“I'm just gonna jump the shower quickly Bubs, okay... is it okay if Ona has an eye on you or do you want her to leave” Lucy spoke softly knowing from past experience that you couldn't deal with loud noises in that state

“S okay...” you mumbled taking a small sip of the water

“Okay” your sister sighed relieved “I'll be back in a flash okay Bubs”

You just nodded sipping slowly on your water while Ona retreated to the other side of the room not wanting to invade your space or scare you. You were pretty impressed she knew what you needed – then again Keira probably gave her a run down. The all to familiar feeling of loneliness spread in your chest again and you just grunted hoping Ona would understand your silent request. She wasn't Keira so you had to make yourself known a second time – this time with a whine. Ona noticed you were slightly in distress but didn't knew how to react. Keira told her to be there but not too close. But after you whined out she kicked all plans out the window approaching you carefully sitting down two cubical away from you

“You need anything, Bebita?” the blonde freckled spaniard asked quietly

“Hug” you whined out

“Ven aquí entonces” Ona mumbled out and to both of your surprise you basically threw yourself into her arms.

That's how Lucy found you 10 Minutes later – you fast asleep in Onas arms who looked like she was hardly breathing not wanting to scare you.

“Welcome to the family” Lucy smiled as she passed you seeing how content you apparently felt in her girlfriends arms

“I didn't to anything I swear... she asked for a hug then threw herself at me and seconds later she was out like a light” the spaniard whispered her voice slightly panicked not wanting to set you off.

“Don't worry... she won't wake up...” Lucy waved off speaking normal volume “I know you didn't started it... but you have no idea what this means... you are basically now her sister too... she accepts no one other than Keira or me to touch her in that state... and here we are with her fast asleep in your arms... you made it Babe”

“Is this her way of telling me she's okay with me dating you?” Ona smiled

“It's more than that... she's telling you that she trusts you” your sister said as she put a new shirt on “You know if a physio is still around? Need my nose checked out – don't think it's broken but better save than sorry”

“Marc should still be around...” the spaniard answered “What's with her”

“Hope you're comfortable... I'll be back quickly” Lucy grinned widely before slipping out of the door before her girlfriend could protest

Outside she was met with Keira and Alexia both leaning against the opposite wall

“Wow... extra security detail... she's asleep – no need for bodyguards” your sister joked as she laid eyes on her two teammates

“How is she?” Keira asked cutting straight to the point

“Asleep... Ona seems to meet her standards when it comes to sleepability” Lucy smiled

“Good... keep me updated... and if you need anything” the blonde started already grabbing her things knowing there's nothing for her to do anymore

“I'll text you... thanks Kei... it really meant a lot... also means... thank you” your sister said honestly

“Always Luce... always... whatever you need... or whatever she needs” Keira smiled back warmly

“Kay... see you tomorrow Kei” Lucy hugged her ex girlfriend and pressed a soft kiss to her temple

“And what can I do for you Capi?” your sister asked expectantly after she turned around

“Let's take a walk?” the blonde spaniard asked

“I need to see Marc anyway...” Lucy shrugged her shoulders

“What happened?” Alexia asked straight away

“Panic attack” your sister answered as the two women walked down the hallway

“But why... nothing happened” the blonde asked confused

“For us it was nothing... for her it opened up old deep wounds” Lucy answered “I'm about 95% sure it was the first time she touched a ball in over three years. You see... you just went through an ACL tear and rehab yourself... you know what it takes and how it feels... now imagine being 13 and went through it twice already and you AGAIN tore your ACL... I still can remember the look she had on her face when I told her what the diagnosis was... she was just stoic... for weeks she didn't talk just basics... she hardly ate – just what Keira and I basically forced down her throat and there were a lot of panic attacks and nightmares... at some point she got better again – but she never worked it out... and I'm still waiting for the day when she finally breaks... that earlier was just a panic attack about touching a ball again”

Alexia listened carefully before looking at Lucy with a sorrow face

“No...” your sister immediately said sternly “We don't pity her of feel sorry for her... we're proud of her...”

“She didn't deserve that... that ball was PERFECT Lucia...” the blonde spaniard said and her voice was full of hurt

“I know... you haven't seen her play... how she ran circles around Jill Scott or Ellen White out dribbling them with such ease.. how she kicked a Gatorade bottle off the crossbar – from the other box just for fun... how she spend HOURS on the side line when I had training just playing keep ups... believe me Alexia when I say... I KNOW” Lucy answered and for a second Alexia saw just how hurt Lucy was for you “But she fought... three times she fought back... doc said she'd probably will have a limp all live – do you see her limping? No... because she fought... so no, we don't pity her... we're so SO proud of her”

“She is remarkable, just like her biggest Idol....” Alexia smiled but it had a sad nuance

“I wish I was half as Tough as she is” your sister smiled back understanding her Capitan immediately.

“Just keep being there for her Lucia... she doesn't need anything more from you...” the blonde squeezed Lucys shoulder lightly “And now get that nose checked... you looked... not very appealing”

“I looked like shit... but thanks Capi... see you tomorrow” your sister smiled as she went inside to the physio who told her a few proddings later that her nose was in fact fine

“Hey... I'm back” Lucy said lowly finding you and Ona in the same position she left you in

“Hola... you okay?” Ona asked smiling slightly as you drooled on her shirt your head laying on her shoulder

“Nothing broken... just bruised.... home?” your sister asked as she already packed up hers and Onas stuff

“You really want to move her? She's sleeping so peacefully” the blonde asked concerned looking down on you.

“You want to stay here all night?” Lucy asked back raising an eyebrow

“Let's get her home” Ona said after a second

“Yep thought so... You bags I her?” your sister asked smiling

“I bag and keys...” the blonde grinned “... you know since she's around I'm driving your car more than you do... I like it... she can stay” the blonde winked

“You wish...” Lucy huffed as she pulled you into her arms to carry you to the car “Let's go home Bubs” she whispered and smiled as you sighed out pressing your face against her neck.

[totaly-obsessed]

Revenge

Mary Earps x reader request

-> Meeting Mary for the first time after losing the Euros to her is far more interesting than you had thought.

➳ Masterlist

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Derby days were always a different kind of excitement. Old Trafford was filled to the brim – a sea of red as far as you could look. But every now and then a sky-blue jersey could be seen in the crowds, making their way to the visitor’s side where they formed a new hive. 

Excited chants filled the Stadium as the players warmed up on the pitch – the crowd's roar when the red devils walked out was nearly deafening. The season had been going on for a while until you had come to this point.

This was insane – just a year ago this had all been drastically different. The Lionesses’ winning the home European Championship and managing to include the media as well as they did, changed the games of Women’s football forever.

Coming home with a silver medal instead of a gold one hurt a little less once you saw how the game in England had changed.

Or rather how different it was to Germany. The change from Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City had nearly given you whiplash. But the players on your new team were nice and kept their teasing and gloating about winning to the minimum.

Standing in the tunnel you couldn’t help but eye up your opponents – Alessia Russo, Ella Toone, Nikita Parris, and Mary fucking Earps. 

Ella had scored the first goal in the final – but Mary had stopped three of your four strikes on goal – only letting one in. Maybe, if she had just slipped or miscalculated, you would have been the reigning champion of Europe.

But that didn’t happen. She didn’t slip or miscalculate – she was just too good.

It was as if she could feel your eyes on her, with a raised eyebrow she mustered you before her lips finally formed a cocky smirk. She didn’t need to hear you speak to know that she got under your skin. 

Mary relished in that feeling of your pure annoyance as both teams walked out to a deafening crowd of fans. This was her pitch, her goal, and her match – and she would make sure you knew that.

But when the goalkeeper went to shake your hand before the match, she was surprised by your composure. The last time the Brit had seen you was when you were crying on the pitch because of the loss.

You could see her confusion, brows still furrowed but it looked different – she looked curious. A little like a cat who just saw a little piece of string vanish around a corner, desperate to figure out where it went.

“Get ready Earps – no excuses today.” 

She didn’t really understand what you meant with ‘excuses’, but hearing the determination in your voice threw her off a little more – and you could see it. Shellshocked Mary still stood there when you had already gone past, running back to the sky blues for a team photo.

This was your game. And once she saw your smirk as you posed for the photographer, she knew it too. Today she would lose.

The game was brutal and you could swear you saw more of the ground than any other place on the pitch. But eventually, it was Alanna Kennedy who set a long ball through to you nearing the end of the second half.

After a nice little back and forth with your fellow striker Lauren Hemp, you finally managed to break through their middle field - only to be met with Ona Batlle who had made her way back. Annoyingly she was quite hard to get rid of. 

Old Trafford got noisier the closer you got to Earp’s goal. You could hear the boos and disappointed shouts from the stands as Ona landed on her bum, but they only motivated you even more.

The Manchester United goalkeeper needed a second to understand what had just happened – she conceded. And it had been you.

She could have sworn she had the ball in her hands. 

She did – for a second, before it continued on its path, into the back of the net. Much to her disbelief and the annoyance of the crowd.

Jess Parker was the first to reach you, abruptly jumping on your back, and taking you down with her. “What a fucking Power Shot!” 

You got up as quickly as possible, running to the goal. The plan was to grab the ball as quickly as possible, trying to ensure your lead. But when you pulled the ball, it didn’t move.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Mary’s accent was thick, laced with anger as she yanked the ball to her chest – pulling you even closer to her than you had been before.

No way would you let go of the ball.

“Use your brain should you have one. Let go.” Taken aback the goalkeeper actually let go of the ball, watching as you ran back to the middle line.

You could feel her staring, especially at your backside – once you looked back at her, smirk on your face, eyebrows pulled up, she blushed.

The Mary Earps was staring at your ass and blushed once she got caught. This was officially the best day of your life.

And it would continue to be a good day because just shortly after you slotted another one past her, this time you had just picked up one of Millie Turner's lost balls and sent the Goalkeeper flying in the wrong direction.

To no surprise making the round in Old Trafford didn’t take too long, seeing as their team just lost 2-0 to their city rival.

Just as you were entering the tunnel you were yanked backward, effectively cutting the conversation with Alessia Russo short. However, the blonde didn’t seem too sad, once she saw Mary was the one with a fist in your jersey.

“Have fun!” You couldn’t miss the shit-eating grin on Ella’s face as she tugged her best mate down the hallway.

Your shirt was now half up your back – and Mary didn’t say anything, her eyes didn’t even meet your eyes. They were caught on something else.

“If you wanted me naked you could have just said so – no need for violence.”

Mary had finally caught herself, letting go of your shirt and instead crossing her arms in front of her chest. It was kinda funny how she tried to look taller and buffer to intimidate you. 

“As if! Who would want that?” The goalkeeper's eyes flit from one direction to the next, acting as if she was looking for people who would want to see you.

In a quick motion, you stood shirtless in front of her, turning it right side around again – before eventually just throwing it in her face.

“Thought you might want the shirt of a winner - if you want the shorts too you’ll have to come find me!”

With your sweaty shirt in hand, Mary could only watch as you ran in the tunnel to a giggling Esme and Hempo – she didn’t even manage to tease you about losing the euros but before she could follow her team, you turned around to shout something in her direction.

"And I expect you to bring your shirt in exchange!"

Manchester wasn’t that big. She would find you - right?

[updownlately]

‘cause all that you are (is all that i’ll ever need)

| alessia russo x reader | some angst and some fluff | 3.3k | inspo: kiss me by ed sheeran & tenerife sea by ed sheeran | a/n: so this req was a long time coming, thanks for your patience amigo! hope you like it! idk how to feel about this one but ima get this out for now and if i need to re-do it later then ill be more than happy to!

~~~

Late training sessions were definitely not on Alessia’s list of favourite things in the world, especially not when all she wanted to do was escape the rainy Manchester weather and cold. It was safe to say really, that if she could change any one thing about her football career, past, present, and future, she’d limit the number of evening practices, especially those on rainy days to near zero. 

Being soaking wet after a practice, the number of times she had fallen no doubt a contributing factor, the chill in the air seemed to send a continuous shiver in her bones, one that not even a shower post-practice could abolish. 

So albeit showered and freshened up, all the blonde really wanted to do at seven in the evening on a Tuesday was take a hot shower at home and curl up beside you; dinner, a movie, and unlimited cuddles the only things things on the cards for the night. 

But that plan required many things, one of which included you being free, something you likely weren’t. 

Caught up in all your coursework for your degree, you had recently been swamped with a never-ending to-do list, something which pained Alessia almost, if not more, as much as it pained you.

Entering your shared apartment, Alessia gently dropped her kit bag and paused for a brief second to try and decipher where you might be. Hearing nothing that would give any indication of your location, she kicked off her shoes before haphazardly placing them on the rack and heading in to find you.

With finals season upon you, you had been hiding away from Alessia to finish your work a lot more, conscious of how her mere presence distracted you, had you contemplating why you wanted to finish your degree this year when you could instead cuddle up with her on the couch and put on a show to watch. 

However, the tiredness of the day was finally catching up to her and the Gunner wanted nothing more than to find you and drape herself over you, cuddles galore, her heaven on earth. 

Quickly peering into the kitchen and then the dining area before checking the living room, Alessia wandered through the living space, not wanting to shout for you lest you be on a call of some sort. 

Walking towards your office/makeshift study space, she started to take her wet hair out of its bun, hoping that she could get you to agree to plait it for her as you normally would. 

Between rainy English weather and the nearly two years of you two dating, it had become a sort of ritual between the pair of you- countless nights of a dimly lit living room, a brush in your hands as you sat on the couch with the footballer on the floor between your legs, you working ever so carefully and gently to untangle and braid her wet hair into a somewhat manageable braid.

It had started when you had realized that Alessia would leave her soaked, post-shower hair in a messy bun until it would eventually dry eons later, making everything her head came in contact with during the meantime a damp mess.

After the fourth time you had to change out of a wet t-shirt post cuddling session, you had finally given up on trusting the striker to do her own hair, instead taking matters into your own hands. 

Since then, it had become normal for the Englishwoman to find you after most practices or games, silently taking seat between your legs or in front of you with a towel, brush, and blow-dryer in hand. 

So Alessia made a quick stop to your shared ensuite, grabbing the aforementioned items in a breeze before continuing on the remainder of her short walk to you office next door. 

Well aware that you may be on one of your numerous zoom calls with a course mate or advisor of some sort, the blonde knocked gently before slowly turning the handle and peeking her head inside. 

Eyes just barely adjusting to the dimly lit room, Alessia sighed, already being able to tell you had barely left your study space for a while, the countless dishes piled up on the table beside you a worrying sign.

Stepping in and choosing to make her presence known, the blonde walked over to where you were sat at your desk in the back corner of the room, eyes focused intently on the screen in front of you. 

“Hi…”

Coming to stop right beside you, your girlfriend teetered from one foot to the other nervously, waiting for a reaction.

You barely looked up from your monitor as you hummed in response, a disastrous number of tabs open on the screen and the laptop beside you, mind nearly as scattered. 

Wringing her hands, her voice came out soft, nearly a whisper, heart already tired from the long day she had. 

“Could you please plait my hair when you get the chance?”

Had you been paying attention to the blonde one your left, you would’ve taken in the tiredness in her eyes, the defeated weight on her shoulders, and the nervousness thrumming in her body as she fiddled with the hairbrush in her hand. 

But you weren’t.

Eyes not leaving the screen for a second as you took notes on your iPad without looking down, you inhaled sharply. 

If you had known better, you wouldn’t have reacted as you did. Would’ve separated your frustration with your paper from your love for the striker. 

You didn’t however. 

Instead, you let your frustration seep through, a gruff exhale escaping you. 

“Less I’m busy. Just do it yourself yeah?”

Not waiting for an answer, you continued with the task at hand, flipping between another website and copying and pasting text into your notes document. 

Beside you, Alessia quickly shut her eyes, straightening her back in an effort not to become upset at your sharp answer. 

She knew you were stressed, this degree something you had been working on tirelessly to achieve. She knew this frustration wasn’t aimed at you, more so at the tight deadline coming up, the need for perfection that you craved. So why did she feel like shit now?

Taking a deep breath, she figured it would be worth a shot to ask you about dinner, aware that you likely hadn’t eaten- your habit of hyper focusing a common obstacle when it came to taking care of yourself. 

“Before I go, do you want anything in particular for supper? I was thinki-”

“Anything’s fine. I’ll eat later. I really need to finish this up.” Your voice cut in, not bothering to wait for her to finish. 

Eyebrows furrowing at your interjection, Alessia’s shoulders deflated, well aware that any time spend together was likely off the table for the night. As if this night couldn’t possibly get worse. 

Sighing near silently, the Arsenal forward turned on her heels, making her way out of the room quickly as to not disturb you any further. 

It was only when she had fully made it out of the room, door shut firmly behind her, that Alessia let the weight of the day crash on her.

As a handful of silent tears of frustration came barrelling down her face, the striker made her way back into your shared bedroom, haphazardly throwing the items from her hands onto the bathroom counter before wiping away the tears and throwing her hair into a bun once more. 

Deciding that tonight was not a night where the blonde wanted to be cooking, at least not anymore, not since you very likely wouldn’t be joining her, she reached for her phone, eyes scanning the numerous apps through her blurred vision before finding the desired delivery app. 

Quickly ordering comfort food for herself and your usual order from the restaurant she had chosen (she wasn’t heartless, could never be towards you), the striker threw herself onto the bed, arms coming to wrap around her own midsection in a vain attempt to provide herself with some comfort. 

And when the ordered food finally arrived, bag somehow soaked from the pouring weather, the Englishwoman knew that the universe was playing a cruel joke on her, maybe even getting her back for jumping on Leah when she had been soaked after practice earlier. 

Clenching her jaw, Alessia quietly plated her food before taking a seat at the island, dim lights and the soft murmur of the world outside the only company for her on the lonesome night, the empty stool beside her mocking her as she ate, a pounding headache growing due to the bun she wore, food lukewarm, and heart alone.

What a lovely night…

~~~

You were proud of yourself. 

It had taken nearly a week but here you were, essay nearly done, on the brink of submission a handful of days early, qualification for graduation just a few clicks away. 

All that was left was to proofread it for the fourth time, you well aware that you were being nit-picky, the perfectionist in you making itself known. 

But that could wait. That could most definitely wait. Because all you wanted to do right now, aching neck, tired eyes, and growling stomach in tow, was to relax with your girl for a bit, a well deserved reward should you say yourself.

Pushing yourself away from your desk, your eyes flickered over to top corner of your monitor, a place you tended not to look often in an attempt to not intimidate yourself with the passing minutes. 

Now though? Now you wish you had looked at the clock earlier.

Cursing yourself for being so caught up in your own mind that you had tuned out the world most important to you, you hastily got up from your seat. 

The bright digits glared at you as quickly started cleaning up your desk- 9:47 pm- much much later than you had anticipated. 

Exiting out of now useless tabs and turning off what needed to be shut down, your quickly grabbed your mountain of dishes, precariously balancing them as you tucked your nearly dead phone into your pocket and scrambled towards the door.

Less couldn’t be asleep right? Not yet at least…surely?

You silently prayed that the blonde was still awake, the pattering of the rain outside and darkness filling the empty corners of the apartment as you made your way to the kitchen. 

The silence in the apartment was eerily haunting, a reminder- no- an indication of just how selfish you had been. 

Entering the threshold, your eyes fell on the sticky note left on the counter, space barely illuminated by the streetlights.

Gently placing your dishes in the sink, letting warm water run over them, you backtracked, picking up the yellow post-it and reading the message- once and then again, heart sinking at the unsaid words. 

‘Supper’s in the fridge. Went to bed early.’

The lack of words told you everything you needed to know. You had fucked up.

No 'I love you', no 'I'll be waiting for you', none of that. Just eight direct words, saying everything that Alessia didn't voice.

Swallowing hard, you contemplated your options, wondering whether it would be worth the risk to potentially upset Alessia more than you already had.

It wasn’t a secret to you that the blonde hated late practices, especially on days like today, where there were double practices, afternoon and evening. Add the pouring rain that had brought you comfort the past few hours, hours that Less had likely passed around waiting for you, hair no doubt a mess, a headache likely from the cold, stuff you usually helped her prevent post-practices, you knew you had messed up. 

In your blindside to free yourself up early, you had ignored the one you loved. Just fucking great.

Deciding then and there to make amends, you made your way to your shared bedroom, taking the gamble to see whether Alessia had fallen asleep or not, hoping you could rectify your earlier actions. 

This time, it was your turn to nervously enter the room, turning the knob nervously and slowly stepping in. 

In front of you lay the taller girl, frame looking small on the bed, her back facing you, the dark room doing nothing to help your uneasiness.

Stepping forward, you reached out, pulling up the covers on your side of the bed, you sliding in after.

Holding your breath, you strained to listen to Alessia’s breathing, trained in being able to identify whether the blonde was on the brink of sleep or not, years of being together aiding you immensely.

Finally exhaling when you realized the blonde was still awake, you took your chances.

Keeping your voice soft, you let it carry, the weight of your words hanging in the air. 

“I know you’re still awake…”

You could feel the mattress move before she did, the blonde shuffling further to her own side of the bed, nearly falling off the edge with how much space she left in the middle. 

“Less…”

Silence being your only response, you tried again. 

“I’m sorry for being an ass.” 

This time you heard a slight huff. Not the best response but a response in the least- a positive in your eye. You chose to continue, hoping you could dig yourself out of this hole.

“I’m sorry for being huge dickwad. You didn’t deserve me snapping at you like that.”

And as Alessia’s hoarse voice responded, your gut sank with guilt, jaw tensing.

“Just the snapping? I asked you about supper and whether you could take just a few- a few- minutes to plait my hair like always, and you got upset with me.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I really am. You were only trying to help and you were tired yourself and I was dumb.” Surging forward, you reached out tentatively, slowly placing your hand on Alessia’s shoulder, pulling her into you.

“You really were.”

Placing a kiss on the back of her head once she was close enough, you murmured against her scalp. “Can I make it up to you? Let me braid your hair?”

“That doesn’t excuse your behaviour…”

Nodding in agreeance, you let your arms wrap around the taller girl’s waist. “It doesn’t, but I’ll get there, I promise.”

Alessia sinking backwards into your grasp at your words gave you the answer you needed, you holding her for a few more minutes before quickly rising up and getting the items you needed.

Turning on a lamp as you returned, you settled behind the footballer, plugging in the hair drier and undoing the bird’s nest on your lover’s head. 

Silently working, you meticulously dried the blonde’s hair enough that her pillow wouldn’t get any more soaked, teasing out the kinks and knots gently before braiding her hair loosely.

Finally pleased with your work, you set the comb and hair drier aside, pulling Alessia back against your front and wrapping her up in your hold, placing a gentle kiss on her shoulder and lingering for a second.

“I can’t promise I won’t be stupid again, but I can promise you that I’ll try my best to never do that again.”

“No more ignoring me no matter how busy you are alright? Just let me in your head…tell me your plans so that I’m not left here waiting for god knows how long, as you snap at me when I try to care…please?”

“I promise. Solemnly swear in fact.”

Feeling the blonde smile at your words, you let a grin take over your own face. 

“Now, I know you already ate, but would you fancy joining me for dinner? It could be our own little date? You, me, a little Love Island, and ton of cuddles?”

And as Alessia turned in your hold, burying her face into the crook of your neck, you kissed the her crown, holding her just a tad bit tighter. 

Only making a move to get up when your stomach grumbled loudly, you shot a sheepish smile to the angel in your arms before loosening your hold.

And as the pair of you exited the room, hand in hand, you made sure to grab the softest blanket you could, her comfort blanket, settling the striker on the couch before rushing into the kitchen to make yourself a plate of food, getting an extra helping, well aware that your girlfriend would munch with you.

Nearly sprinting back to the living room, food in hand, the pair of you got comfortable, the blonde resting her head on your shoulder, blanket wrapped around you both as the tv illuminated the living room, the rain now setting a comforting tone to the night.

Feeding the Gunner small bites as you ate your food, the two of you managed to finish off the plate quite quickly, setting it on the table before sinking together, a few more episodes, a handful of minute more spend cuddling.

Mindlessly tracing your fingers up her arm, you pulled the tired woman into you, body shuffling to lay across the couch, Alessia's head resting on your chest as the other girl whispered out little comments at every turn in the show.

It was only when you could finally feel the taller girl’s body growing heavier a bit more with each passing minute that you decided that it was a good time to head to bed.

Skimming your fingers up and down her spine, tracing the ridges of her back, you slowly, just barely, pulled Alessia out of her lethargic state, silently pulling her into a sitting position.

Moving to get up, you wrapped the blanket around her, ignoring her groans of protest at her own personal space heater walking away.

Convincing her you would only be a minute, you ran and put ur dishes away before coming back to usher a somewhat sleepy Less to your bedroom, the blonde slightly waking up a bit more at the movement.

Walking both yourself and your sleepy counterpart through brushing your teeth, you pulling silly faces randomly before splashing the taller girl with some water to tease her, you eventually managed to get the two of you back into bed, you on your back and the taller girl resting her head on your chest, sleepy yawns escaping her as she got comfortable once more.

Taking her now dry hair out of its braid, you loosely combed your fingers through it, nails scratching her scalp in a successful effort to soothe.

“Tell me about your day?” Your voice was quiet, just barely audible, not wanting to rouse the girl in your arms any further.

“Well my girlfriend was kind of an arse to me…”

Shaking your head as your chest rumbled with silent laughter, you gently hit Alessia’s shoulder. 

“I mean it...I wanna listen dork.”

And as the blonde recited her day to you, you could feel her breathing get heavier, the tiredness finally catching up to her.

Placing a gentle kiss on top of her head, you murmured another quiet apology as Alessia’s voice died down, you tightening your hold, mentally vowing never to let yourself get consumed by school or work so immensely ever again.

Unbeknown to you, the striker was just barely awake, her whispers of ’never again’ making her conscious state known. 

Agreeing, you repeated the words, whispering an I love you, the sentiment returned before Alessia’s breathing finally evened out, body completely relaxed in your hold. Finally letting yourself unwind, the tension from studying earlier totally seeping out of your body, you let a smile spread across your face.

Well aware this was all you really needed, you let the warmth spread through your body.

Here, your lover in your hold, silent breaths puffed against your neck, the weight of your love hanging comfortably in the air, you followed Alessia’s lead, letting sleep overcome you, everything that really mattered to you in this world, here, in your arms. 

[michimonie]

Just wanted to get this idea out of my head for once and out there.

So, way back when I first made my Haunted Mansion x Ducks crossover illustrations, I originally had plans for a whole series.

It was going to be a ton of illustrations based on the second movie. (For the record, I've never seen the original ride, only the movies).

So, here's the full list I was originally going to do, in case anyone was curious (also, sorry, I don't remember all the character names):

THE LIVING

Daffy as the spirit photographer (duck dodgers could be the hero he talks about? Or superior Duck since he seems to be unknown)

Tina Russo as the "single mother who bought the mansion"

Plucky (90s) OR Huey Duck (2017) as the kid

Fethry (or Bugs Bunny) as the priest

Daisy as the medium

Von Drake as the wacky historian

THE DEAD

Scrooge as the Top Hat Ghost (though Glomgold would be perfect for personality)

Donald as the Mariner / Sea Captain

Melissa Duck as Hatchaway (bride with the axe)

Shirley as Madame Leota (she literally has the powers)

Gladstone / Magica as the lovers

HDL as the hitchhikers (maybe? If huey isn't the kid)

Maybe I'll still get around to this in the future, but we'll see...

[weyounpussyindulgence]

Some highlights from my week at STLV

- Meeting Garrett Wang first, giving him a special Voyager limerick I wrote for him, and him loving it

- Getting my picture with John Billingsley and his wife Bonnie and getting some great advice about starting out in the acting industry from them

- Telling Tawny Newsome she looked beautiful and her complimenting my TOS inspired blue eyeshadow (and then her recognizing me the day after when I got her autograph)

- Jess Bush also complimenting me on my eyeshadow

- Walking past Anthony Montgomery and telling him “Hi! I think you’re really cool!” and him replying “Thank you, I appreciate that! I think you’re cool too!”

- Getting a duo picture with Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner, and Frakes telling me that I looked pretty

- Talking to Marina Sirtis, telling her I was there for my birthday, and her wishing me happy birthday and gifting me a free signed photo of Deanna

- Talking about Out to Sea with Brent and listening to him regale the fun he had making that movie

- Talking with Cirroc Lofton about his experience working with Avery Brooks and mutually agreeing that Star Trek needs more wholesome parent/child relationships

- Listening to John de Lancie talk about his experience sailing from California to French Polynesia (I could listen to him talk for hours, his voice is so soothing)

- Going to a memorial panel for Nichelle Nichols that featured her sister as a surprise guest (holy moly, she looked and sounded exactly like Nichelle 🥹)

- Going to another memorial for Aron Eisenberg and getting to make a toast to him with Cirroc and other fans (they used root beer for the drinks and had gummy worms “tube grubs” as table snacks)

- The moderator for the TNG panel not showing up, allowing Frakes to take over and him, Brent and Gates going absolutely batshit feral on stage

- Walter Koenig speaking out against the genocide in Palestine (and just getting to hear him talk in general)

- Seeing Armin Shimerman again and getting to tell him how much I enjoyed Betrayal of Angels (and his face lighting up when I told him how great an author he is)

- Sara Mitich and Ronnie Rowe both wishing me happy birthday and just being all around so kind and patient

- Telling Nana Visitor that she had the voice of an angel when she sings, and seeing how big and beautiful a smile she got

- Telling Kate Mulgrew she looked beautiful and her replying “Thank you! So do you.”

- JG Hertzler telling an absolutely hilarious story about how Avery Brooks and Rene Auberjonois got into a fight about one of Rene’s line deliveries while filming Far Beyond the Stars

- Richard McGee, Jay Chattaway and Jeff Russo conducting an absolutely phenomenal orchestral concert of Trek songs

- Seeing a really fun dinner show with some of the actors singing Broadway songs (my personal favorites being Nana, Robert Picardo, Bonnie Gordon, Jon Jon Briones and Celia Rose Gooding)

- Seeing Jeffrey Combs again and getting to ask him during his panel what would happen if all of his Trek characters were in the same room together (his answer: they would probably start either a baseball team or a rock band)

- Getting a picture taken with myself and both Carol Kane and Christopher Lloyd together

- Getting Mary Chieffo’s autograph and her writing happy birthday in Klingonese on it

- The entirety of the Rat Pack performance

- Getting to meet and interact with Trekkies of different ages, race, gender and sexuality and all of them incredibly nice

[e-dubbc11]

Son of the Sea

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Tattoo Artist Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: Fluff, few swear words (courtesy of Little Raven and her godfather🤣), pregnancy, morning sickness, little distress but it all turns out alright.

Word Count: Around 5K-ish

Summary: Part of The Sweetest Pain Series This little family of three is getting a new addition and Little Raven is very excited for his arrival

A/N: I never thought this little series would turn into what it has become and I’m so happy everyone that has followed along from the beginning continues to follow and watch this family grow. Thank you!

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

The familiar wave of nausea washed over you as you stood at the stove trying to cook dinner without running to the bathroom. You learned quickly when you were pregnant with Little Raven that morning sickness didn’t always strike in the morning and that it basically showed its ugly face whenever it wanted to.

There were only a couple of scents that triggered your morning sickness and continued to bother you even after you had given birth. You had a favorite perfume that you wore every day before you got pregnant with Anna and now you couldn’t stand the smell of it on anyone and had to get rid of the nearly full bottle Billy had given you as a gift because it made you sick to your stomach.

The aroma of any meat cooking was what was bothering you at the moment but you weren’t positive you were pregnant yet. It was a very high possibility though. Just a handful of weeks ago, you and Billy had a wild romp in his tattoo chair.

He had even made mention of another baby after your intimate moment but you had put it out of your mind until right now as you pushed the ground beef around in the pan, trying to keep your stomach from retching.

“Maybe I am pregnant….” You thought to yourself before moving the pan to a cold burner, dropping the spatula, covering your mouth and running for the bathroom.

Billy and Little Raven were quietly drawing at the dining room table as you raced past them, into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut behind you. The porcelain cooled the inside of your wrists which brought your body temperature down a little. Even after everything was out, you continued to dry heave and that’s when you heard a slight knock on the door.

“You alright, sweet girl?” Billy asked softly against the door.

You couldn’t answer him right away as your stomach continued to do somersaults.

“Baby? I’m comin’ in ok?” He said in his familiar gentle tone.

Slowly, he opened the door and found you sitting on the bathroom floor with your back against the bathtub and one hand covering your eyes in embarrassment.

Without looking at him, you replied, “You shouldn’t have to see me like this.”

“Oh I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you worse than this, my love. Remember your last birthday before you got pregnant with the little miss? At one point, I had to make sure you were still alive.” He flashed his million-dollar smile at you. “I’ve also watched a baby come out of you too soooooo…” Said Billy, leaning up against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest.

“That was a good birthday though.” You said, returning a gentle smile. “Riiiiiight up until I had that last shot of tequila.”

The two of you started to laugh.

Billy planted himself across from you on the floor, his long legs extended and feet resting at the sides of your hips with his knees bent. He took your hand in his and gently pulled you away from the bathtub so you were sitting upright and he swept a stray hair out of your eyes. His smile made you weak in the knees every time so you were happy you were already sitting down.

“Do you think maybe you’re…?” Billy asked, glancing at your stomach then back up to meet your gaze.

“It’s very possible, my love.” You replied, the corners of your mouth curled into a slight smile.

Just as you said that, you heard little feet running down the hallway.

“Well, we know she’s never gonna sneak up on anyone.” Billy said with a wide smile.

You started to laugh when you saw her little face in the doorway.

“Mommy, ok?” She asked. Her carbon colored eyes that were just like her fathers were full of concern.

“Awww, of course baby. Mommy’s ok.” You replied.

Billy looked at Little Raven and said, “Mommy just has a bit of an upset tummy.”

Anna glanced at her father and then looked over at you, satisfied with that answer and said, “I go get you my dinosaur, ok?”

Then she took off again down the hallway, and back into the dining room. She carried that stuffed dinosaur Shortcake had given her everywhere she went, and held it extra close when she didn’t feel well.

Billy pulled you in close so he could wrap his long arms around you. He leaned in to give you a kiss but you held up your hand to stop him.

“Uh, you might wanna hold off on that, lieutenant.” You said, covering your mouth.

With a wide smile, he kissed your forehead instead. “I’ll go finish dinner, sweet girl. You sure you’re ok?” He asked.

You nodded. “I’m ok, handsome. I’ll take a test in the morning.”

When you were pregnant with Anna, the perfume was really the only scent that triggered your morning sickness. Every other time, it just came out of nowhere but it was different this time. You noticed there were a few scents that bothered you aside from the meat.

Eggs, onions, and trash were bothering you a lot in the past week. Billy was constantly taking out the kitchen trash because you couldn’t stand the smell of it so even though you hadn’t taken a pregnancy test yet, you had a strong feeling of what it would say.

You heard little feet run down the hallway again followed by a little voice.

“Here, Mommy! My dinosaur make you feel better.” Said Anna, handing you her stuffed toy.

A loving smile stretched across your lips as your sweet little girl gave you her favorite stuffed animal to help you feel better.

You replied, softly, “Thank you, baby girl. I feel better already.”

**********

The Next Morning

You opened your eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the early morning sun spilling in through your bedroom window. The space next to you, Billy’s space, was empty and cold. He was probably sitting in the kitchen, drinking his coffee like he did every morning. Lately, you had been feeling more tired than usual so you didn’t feel him get out of bed.

You were ready to head to the kitchen to see him when you remembered there was an important test you had to take this morning. Digging through the cabinet under the sink, you found the box of pregnancy tests, took a deep breath, and opened the package.

The edge of the tub felt cool through your thin pajama pants as you sat there waiting for the timer on your phone to ring. The flashback of waiting to find out if you were pregnant the first time played in your head.

You remembered how nervous you were at the thought of becoming a mom, how scared you were to tell Billy the two of you were going to be parents and it was probably the most terrifying but exciting news you had ever received.

After what felt like hours, the timer on your phone went off. Timidly, you stood up and craned your neck to see what the results were. Two blue lines…you were pregnant…again. A sense of warmth flushed across your cheeks as your lips curled into a smile.

The tears that stung the back of your eyes were almost like a reflex; you didn’t mean for it to happen but it did anyway. You and Billy were going to have another baby and Anna Raven was going to be a big sister.

But the smile quickly disappeared from your face when you felt the familiar turning of your stomach. It was a good thing that you were already in the bathroom.

As soon as you walked toward the kitchen, a familiar sight was in front of you. Your handsome husband sitting at the breakfast bar, with a cup of coffee in front of him, and a pencil in his hand.

Billy was always drawing something.

“What are ya workin’ on, handsome?” You asked in a cheery tone.

Billy replied, “Well g’mornin’, beautiful.” He quickly turned the paper over so you couldn’t see what was on it. “You’re not allowed to see that yet.”

Slightly disappointed, you said, “Oh I’m not, huh?”

Biting down on his lower lip, he shook his head and replied with a wink, “It’s a surprise, sweet girl.”

You had the pregnancy test hidden behind your back.

“Well…speaking of surprises but not really. Surprise!” You said, chuckling as you showed him the positive test.

“We’re gonna have another baby?” He asked, softly.

Pointing at the test, you replied, “Well, according to this we are. I’ll have to make an appointment to find out—“

Billy cut you off when his lips collided with yours as he cupped your cheeks, tongue gently pressed against your teeth wanting to tangle with yours. His hands dropped from your cheeks to your belly. Billy was always very gentle with you when you were pregnant with Little Raven.

No matter how many times you told him you weren’t going to break, he was always very careful. Gently touching your stomach, he looked down then back up to meet your gaze and your tattooed hand rested on top of his. A wide smile stretched from ear to ear on his face; he just looked so happy.

Snaking your arms around his neck, you pulled him in close to touch your forehead to his, and you lightly scratched his scalp with your fingernails.

“You ready for another little Russo…Dad?” You asked with a warm smile.

Billy leaned in and gently pressed his lips to yours.

“Even though we’ve done it before, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.” He said, as he glanced down at the floor. “But we’re doin’ ok so far with Little Raven, right? We can handle another one.”

Biting down on your lower lip, you nodded and replied, “I’m sure we can, baby. We’ll wait a little before we tell Anna and then we can tell everyone else too.”

**********

“What my shirt say, Mommy?” Asked Anna, looking and pointing at the shirt she was wearing.

Helping Anna put on her jacket, you replied, “It says, ‘I’m going to be a big sister’ Remember what Mommy and Daddy told you yesterday? Mommy has a baby in her belly so you’re going to have a little brother or sister.”

With pure innocence in her voice, she asked, “Do I get to pick? I wanna sister.”

Chuckling, you replied, “Afraid not, baby girl. We don’t get to pick.”

Scrunching her nose, she asked with slight disappointment in her voice, “Are you sure?”

“We get what we get, Anna. You ready to go see Uncle Frank and Auntie Maria?” You asked, zipping her jacket.

The three of you were getting ready to have dinner at Frank’s house along with Billy’s friends/employees from his tattoo studio. After seeing Little Raven’s t-shirt, they will know you’re pregnant and you couldn’t wait for everyone to find out your big news.

“I see Shortcake today, Daddy?” Asked Little Raven.

Billy smiled at his daughter.

“You sure do, little miss. You bringin’ your dinosaur?” He asked.

You answered for her.

“Oh she already packed it, baby. It’s all ready to go.”

You said with a wink and a smile.

**********

Frank cooked on the grill no matter what time of year it was. He’d stand out there with an umbrella or in snow boots if he needed to but it was a beautiful sunny day in April.

The late afternoon sun warmed your faces as you pulled up in front of the Castle’s home, Frank was already outside prepping the grill, and the excitement on Little Raven’s face when she saw her godfather made your heart swell. They loved each other so much.

After getting out of her car seat, Anna took off running toward Frank. Scooping her up, he tickled her stomach and playfully bit at her neck while she laughed uncontrollably. Frank was the only one outside at the moment, everyone else was in the house.

“Show Uncle Frankie your t-shirt, Little Miss.” Said Billy.

Anna had a problem undoing the zipper on her jacket.

“Help peeease, Uncle Frankie.” Anna begged.

Frank pulled the zipper down on Anna’s jacket, read the t-shirt, glanced at you and Billy then back to Anna with a sly grin stretched across his lips.

“You’re gonna be a big sister?!!” Frank asked.

Biting back a shy smile, Anna nodded.

“I wanna baby sister, Uncle Frankie.” She said.

Frank chuckled.

“Well, we don’t get to pick what we want, Little Raven. That’s not up to us.” He said. “Go show your Auntie, she’s gonna lose her shit, er, her mind.”

Anna knew “shit” was a bad word. She let out a devilish little laugh and replied, “Shit.”

It was only a matter of time before she’d pick up on the colorful words her Uncle uttered out loud.

“Anna Raven, you know that’s a bad word.” You said, biting back a laugh.

Frank opened the front door so Anna could go inside, then turned to you to offer his congratulations.

“Congratulations you two. Finally took enough ‘naps’ to get the job done, eh Bill?” He joked, pulling you in close to give you a hug.

“Something like that.” Said Billy, with a wide grin.

“We find out what we’re having in about three weeks.” You said.

You heard squeals and screeches coming from inside the house. It sounded like Maria and Shortcake got a good look at Anna’s t-shirt. Suddenly, the front door flew open and Shortcake was standing in the doorway.

“When are you due?!!!” She asked, her cheeks couldn’t contain her smile.

You returned the smile and replied, “Around Halloween.”

Shortcake turned and shouted back into the house.

“SHE’S DUE AROUND HALLOWEEN!!!” She yelled.

Faintly, you heard Maria shout back, “Tell her to come in here!!”

“Don’t keep that woman waiting, she’ll make ya pay for it.” Said Frank.

You felt a light smack on your ass as you walked past your husband and into the house. Billy winked when you glanced back at him over your shoulder. You could barely get inside the house before you were attacked with hugs, kisses on the cheeks, and glances at your belly. You had already started to show a little because it was your second baby.

Anna got hi-fives from Ed #1 and Ed #2. They told her she was going to be the best big sister and then she proceeded to try and extort snacks from both of them. They both knew Anna was going to be at the Castle’s today so they had stashed packages of goldfish crackers in their pockets. Her face lit up with a bright smile when she found the first package.

“Open peeeease.” She said to Ed #1.

She was smart and waited until after he opened her snack to pull on his dreadlocks. She thought it was the funniest thing but he didn’t seem to mind at all. He laughed right along with her.

Dinner was great and even though Frank grilled all of the meat outside, you still needed to run to the bathroom a few times after the smell of meat cooking floated past your nose.

Lisa and Junior played with Little Raven so you and Billy could have adult conversations with your friends. They were always so good with her and were excited there would be another Russo baby to play with.

You did express to the girls that you were worried about how Little Raven was going to react to a new baby because she won’t be the only child anymore. Maria told you to make sure to include her and each of you spend time with her alone without the baby so she doesn’t feel ignored.

Her mouth downturned a little when she talked about being alone, having two small children while Frank was deployed, and how hard it was to try and give Lisa her full attention when she needed a little extra “mommy” time while trying to take care of Junior at the same time.

Your hormones were all over the place so listening to her talk about it made you very emotional but very grateful that Billy was there so you could do it together.

Taking care of two children by herself, made Maria so strong in your eyes and you were thankful that you had someone you could go to for advice.

**********

Before you knew it, summer was over, you and Billy found out you were having a boy, and you were trying to get ready for Halloween and your new arrival. You were keeping his name a secret like you did for Anna.

It was quite a busy time and all things considered you were moving around pretty well for being nine months pregnant. Anna said she wanted to be Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty for Halloween which is a little fitting since she had a pet raven. She was very excited.

“Mommy, I wear my horns soon!?” Asked Anna, excitedly.

Easing yourself down onto the couch, you smiled warmly at her and replied, “Yes, you do Little Raven. Are you excited?!”

She clapped her hands together, jumped up and down, and she gave you the signature Russo Cheshire Cat smile when she replied, “YES!!”

You wanted a costume that would go with your pregnant belly so you went with Thing 1, the baby was Thing 2, and you were dressing Billy up as the Cat in the Hat which Anna was very excited about because it was her favorite book. She wanted you to read it to her every night before she went to sleep, sometimes more than once if she was trying to procrastinate going to bed.

Just in case your baby boy was born before Halloween, you had a skeleton onesie and a skull and crossbones beanie to go with it for him. Your due date was two days ago and Halloween is tomorrow so it was looking like your little man was going to miss Halloween.

Oh well.

You were becoming increasingly irritable, it was difficult to get comfortable enough to be able to sleep, and Billy felt bad that he couldn’t do anything to put you at ease. Trying all the tricks in the book to jumpstart your labor, you went for long walks, ate spicy food, sex…you tried them all but your little boy just didn’t want to come out yet.

They wouldn’t induce you unless you were a week overdue so you still had a handful of days left before they would. Your labor with Anna came so quickly so you thought it would be quick with this little guy too…you were wrong.

But it wasn’t all bad. You would get to dress up for Halloween (your favorite holiday) and take Little Raven trick or treating with the Castle children in their neighborhood, which may end up being your neighborhood too.

Your soon-to-be family of four was going to need more room and Maria excitedly told you there was a house a couple of streets over that just went up for sale that would be “perfect” for you.

It was definitely something to think about but right now you were focusing on trying to convince baby boy Russo to come out.

“Front and center, soldier! Let me see it!” You called to Billy from the living room.

He replied from the bedroom, “I look ridiculous, baby! Frankie’s never gonna let me live this down!”

You replied, “Well you haven’t seen his costume yet, Billy. He may think twice about saying anything about yours.”

Billy walked out from around the corner in his Cat in the Hat costume and you had to bite back your laugh. The striped hat, the red tie, and the tail…Anna looked very pleased. She started to giggle and point at him.

“You the Cat in the Hat, Daddy!” She squealed.

Covering your mouth to stifle your laugh, Billy could see you were laughing and he narrowed his eyes at you before turning back to Anna.

“You like Daddy’s costume, baby girl?” He asked.

She nodded and replied, “Mommy’s Thing 1 and my baby brother is Thing 2!”

Billy laughed and said, “Well Daddy feels a little silly but Mommy looks adorable.”

He winked and smiled at you before leaning in close to whisper in your ear, “What three-year-old wants to be Maleficent for Halloween?”

“Our child.” You responded with a warm smile and a kiss on his cheek.

He kissed the tip of your nose and said, “Well, I love it. It’s very rock star of her.”

Anna Raven was ready to go trick or treating. She understood it a little more this year so she was really excited to go with Lisa and Junior. She wore a long black robe, Billy fashioned her horns out of moldable foam and electrical tape, she carried a staff with a little stuffed raven attached to the top of it, and her face was painted green. Your little miss was the perfect little Maleficent.

“You ready to go, Little Raven?” You asked, wincing a little at what might be your first contraction.

“You alright, sweet girl?” Asked Billy, his voice full of concern.

“Let’s go, Mommy!” Anna yelled.

Nodding and grimacing at the same time, you replied, “Yeah handsome, I’m fine. The walk will be good. Let’s go.”

Billy opened the door, grabbed his keys and ushered the two of you out into the hallway before locking the door behind him and asking, “So, what’s Frankie’s costume?”

A devilish smile stretched across your lips as you answered, “Oh I don’t wanna spoil that surprise, you’ll see.”

**********

Billy had a hard time recovering after seeing Frank in his costume for the first time. The Castle family was dressed up like the cast from The Wizard of Oz. Lisa was Dorothy, Maria was the Scarecrow, Junior was the Tin Man and Frank was the Cowardly Lion. He didn’t look pleased at all which only made Billy laugh harder.

The picture you took of the two of them was priceless. They tried to look tough but at the end of the day they were both still dressed up as cats.

The tightening in your stomach became more painful and more frequent. You also had a lot of pain in your lower back, more so than you did with Little Raven which had you a little concerned but you really wanted to finish taking Anna trick or treating before possibly going to the hospital.

Anna had acquired quite the stash of candy before you couldn’t take it anymore. Billy had periodically asked how you were doing but you played down how much pain you were in. Finally, you came clean.

“Billy…I think I need to go to the hospital. These contractions hurt… a LOT.” You said in distress.

Billy was holding Anna in his arms when he replied, “Oh fuck, er, I mean…shit! Nope, that’s not right either.”

You tried to laugh but it was too painful.

He passed off Anna to Maria and Frank, then left to go get the car. They said they would take care of her and to let them know when the baby arrives, then they would visit. Luckily, your hospital bag was already in the car. Billy made sure you were ok before closing your car door and speeding away.

It was difficult to sit all the way down because it was so painful. At your last few doctor’s appointments, they said it was a little concerning that your baby boy hadn’t turned to be head down yet but that you shouldn’t worry, he should turn and it would be fine. They told you there were some things you could try to get him to turn on his own.

You were starting to think that maybe he hadn’t turned yet and that’s why you were in so much pain.

“We’re almost there, baby. It’s ok.” Billy said, nervously.

Billy was always calm and in control but this was the first time you had seen him look…scared. He had been told that attachments and showing emotions were a weakness so a lot of the time, he kept his feelings to himself, pushed way down inside so no one else could see. It was better since he became a husband and a father but old habits are hard to break. All of that went out the window when he saw how much pain you were in.

When you arrived at the hospital, and after everyone you saw smiled at your Halloween costumes, your doctor told you that your baby boy was, in fact, breech which was why you were in so much pain. They were going to try and turn him but if they couldn’t, they would need to do a C-section.

Your doctor tried his best but couldn’t get the baby to turn so they prepped you for a C-section. Dressed in a sterile hospital gown and cap, Billy attempted to reassure you everything was going to be alright even though you could see in his deep brown eyes, he was still a little scared.

He couldn’t hide his emotions from you.

“It’s gonna be ok, sweet girl. They’re gonna get him out, alright?” He said from behind a face mask and stroked your forehead.

Billy could tell you were in a lot of pain because you never complained too much when you were in labor with Anna but she arrived quickly so you weren’t in pain for an extended period of time. Pretty soon, you didn’t feel any more pain and your baby boy was here.

After you were moved to a recovery room, tears stung the back of your eyes, and you gazed at your new son with relief that he was finally here and that he was alright.

“Oh Billy…he’s perfect.” You said, as a tear dropped onto his nose just like it did when you held Anna for the first time. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Just a quick question…” He said.

Confused, you asked, “What is it, handsome?”

Lightly touching his son’s head, Billy asked, “Um, well, where’s his hair?”

You could tell your baby boy would also have dark hair like his father but unlike his sister who was born with a full head of hair, he didn’t have much to work with at the moment.

You tried to stop yourself from laughing because you didn’t want to pop a stitch but that was a hard one to bite back.

“I’m sure he’ll have plenty of it when more of it comes in but he is definitely your son, look how dark it is.” You said.

Being careful not to squish the baby, Billy leaned in and gently pressed his lips to yours. The hand with his marine corps tattoo on it gently cupped your cheek as he continued to kiss you. Billy smiled at you before leaning down to kiss his newborn son on the forehead.

“I’m gonna go call Frankie.” He said softly.

You smiled back and replied, “Don’t forget to call everyone else too, you know they’ll want to know too.”

Your little boy finished eating just as his first visitors arrived. Frank was carrying Anna who was all clean and in her pajamas. She looked very excited and a little nervous to meet her brother. The Castle family had changed out of their costumes too.

“I missed visiting Anna in the hospital because of that snow storm, I wasn’t gonna miss this little one’s first days too.” Said Maria.

“You ready to meet your baby brother, Little Raven?” You asked.

Chewing on her finger, she nodded and smiled.

Frank set her on the edge of the bed.

“Anna…this is your brother, Dylan. Dylan William Russo. Say ‘hi, Dylan.’” You said as tears welled up in your eyes again looking at the two of them together. They already looked like each other.

Anna was very gentle when she touched Dylan on his chubby little cheek and whispered, “Hi Dylan. Imma big sister.”

“You ARE a big sister, Anna.” Said Billy.

Carefully, Dylan was passed around so the Castle family could each hold him, even Lisa and Junior held him for a minute.

“Well, I know why you chose William but is there a reason behind Dylan?” Asked Maria.

You and Billy smiled at each other before you replied, “You all know how much I love the ocean and we all spent a lot of time at the beach this past summer. Well, this little guy was the most active when we were at the beach, kicking me, stretching, moving all around, especially when I was swimming. And the name Dylan actually means “son of the sea,” so he kind of chose his own name. It’s also no wonder he didn’t want to come out!” You said with a little laugh.

Everyone else chuckled a little too.

Frank looked at Anna and asked, “What do you think of your little brother, Anna? You wanna keep him?”

Anna looked up at her godfather with her ink like eyes, smiled and said, “I keep him, Uncle Frankie. He cute.”

Frank glanced at Billy before saying, “We’ll take her home with us so y/n can get some sleep, you too, you look like shit.”

Everyone heard Anna’s tiny voice repeat, “Shit.”

Frank tickled her neck and playfully scolded her.

“Hey, we told you that’s a bad word? Yeah?” Asked Frank.

Her devilish smile stretched across her lips again as Anna replied, “No, YOU say shit, Uncle Frankie.”

“Why does she only repeat it when I say it?” Frank asked with narrowed eyes and in a confused tone.

“Because she knows you’ll give her the reaction she wants.” Said Billy.

Everyone said their goodbyes to you, Billy, and baby Dylan. Frank scooped up Little Raven in his arms, she turned to wave to you and said, “Bye, bye Mommy, bye Daddy.”

The two of you waved back.

“Bye baby girl. You be good for your Auntie and Uncle, ok?” You said.

Frank paused in the doorway, Anna turned to look at her baby brother once more, she waved at him and said with a kind smile, “Bye, bye baby Dylan. I see you soon!”

Tag List: @wheresthesunshinesblog @rafaelakelley @idaoftheburningmind @snowkestrel @fakehappy27 @music-indie-tv @fictional-hooman @kayhi808 @munsonownsmyass @gijos @celestialend @k-marzolf @nutmeg17 @rosaleenablack @vaguekayla @qu1etwolf @danzer8705 @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @mysteriouslydeafeningwerewolf

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If you’d like to be added (or removed from) my tag list(s) for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕💕💕 If I tagged you but you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again.

[hungermakesmonsters]

Catch Me If You Can

Chapter Eight

Plot summary : When your friend interviews for a position at Anvil, you have a chance encounter with Billy Russo. He takes you for coffee and, by the time you’re done, Billy decides he’s anything but done with you.

Pairing : Billy Russo x Reader

Story Rating : R 

Chapter Rating : PGish

Warnings : [This is a fic for 18+ only, minors DNI] Reader is kind of mean to Billy. Random guy gets grope-y and doesn't want to take no for an answer. There's a little bit of violence. And reader has far too much to drink. Please check the warnings on each chapter if you choose to follow this story. 

Word Count : ~4.3k

A/N : This follows on directly from the last part! Thanks to everyone still following this and for all the likes, comments and reblogs, y'all are awesome!!

CHAPTER ONE | CHAPTER TWO | CHAPTER THREE | CHAPTER FOUR | CHAPTER FIVE | CHAPTER SIX | CHAPTER SEVEN

Chapter Eight

The club was packed, the dance floor a sea of bodies in costumes and faces in masks. You regretted deciding to go the moment you saw how full it was, but Tammy had hold of your wrist, leading you towards the bar. It was your round and, suddenly, you were very glad of the two hundred dollars Billy had tipped you for his bogus delivery. Eventually you all ended up at a table, more shots were put in front of you and, honestly, you couldn’t remember the last time you’d had so much to drink

Michelle and her friend made a point of loudly letting everyone (you) know when Billy arrived. The newer Anvil recruits seemed just as uncomfortable as you at his presence and you made a point of heading to the bar before he reached your table, escaping his notice, but you found yourself glancing over your shoulder, drinking in the sight of him in one of his dark suits, matched with a red shirt, and a devil mask that covered half his face. At least he’d be easy to avoid, looking like that.

You stayed at the bar, slowly making your way through a couple of drinks, doing everything you could not to look back. And, for a time, that worked out perfectly.

Until it didn’t

You felt him behind you, standing too close, towering over you. A shiver ran up your spine as he placed his hand on the bar next to yours, so close that his thumb was almost pressed against your pinkie. The seconds ticked by; you didn’t speak and he didn’t move. You were the first to break, glancing over your shoulder, finding his dark eyes beneath the devil mask. He didn’t smile that playful smile, didn’t look happy that you’d finally decided to pay attention to him; his jaw was clenched and he just seemed lost.

Unfortunately for him, you’d had enough to drink to loosen your tongue.

“Did you tell Michelle that she’s a rebound?” Not caring about the jealousy and anger in your voice.

“I’m not here with Michelle.” 

“Not what I heard,” you answered back and watched as his shoulder twitched in annoyance, “tonight’s the night she finally gets you into bed.”

“I’m not fucking Michelle - tonight or any other night.” Barely managing to hold back his irritation, but you couldn’t tell if it was aimed at you or her.

“No, that’s right - you can’t fuck anyone, can you?” A laugh bubbled up and you hated how cruel you felt the moment it left your lips.

“You know why I’m here.”

“Yeah because she sent you a thirst trap and you were thirsty enough to fall for it. Don’t act like this has anything to do with me.”

Billy didn’t answer, he just reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, opening the picture Michelle had sent, zooming in on the background; it was you, talking to Tammy. He’d come to the club for you, to stop you taking anyone home, just like he said he would.

“So you’re stalking me now?” You demanded but the only answer he gave was a shrug. “I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but your ex was right about you; you’re a fucking psycho, Billy.”

It was enough to draw a reaction from him, one that you weren’t expecting. There was a visceral flicker of pain across his face, followed by something that almost looked like fear. He looked away from you and your stomach dropped, remembering what Karen and Frank had told you about his relationship with Krista. It felt like you’d genuinely hurt him, like you’d finally managed to strike a nerve.

“You spoke to Krista.” It wasn’t a question, wasn’t even a demand, he just sounded resigned.

“She spoke to me,” you explained, not wanting him to think you’d gone looking for dirt on him.

“When?”

“At the gala. Why? What does it matter?”

“And she told you - what? - that I’m a psychopath, that I can’t feel real emotions? Did she tell you I’m dangerous? That I hurt people?” There was pain in his voice, the kind you hadn’t meant to cause, his composure seeming to break a little more as his shoulder ticked again. “She told you all that but you still went home with me?”

“I didn’t believe her -”

“But you do now?” He didn’t let you finish. “You think I’d hurt you? That I’m capable of hurting you?” He was standing close enough that you heard his breath catch over the thrum of the music, and saw his chest shudder, like he couldn’t breathe. His hand twitched on the bar, inadvertently grazing yours as he pulled it back.

Before you could think of an answer, or say anything at all, he was turning away from you and disappearing into the crowd. You’d managed to get rid of him, but the cost felt far too high.

The next few hours passed in a blur of tequila shots and increasingly sloppy dancing with Tammy and her friends. From time to time, you caught sight of him through the crowd, Michelle permanently attached to his side, putting her hands on him at any chance she got, but every time you looked his way, it was you that held his attention. 

You kept drinking, trying to wash away the sickening feeling in your stomach, the part of you that regretted what you’d said to Billy - you’d wanted him to leave you alone, you hadn’t wanted to hurt him. And it had been low bringing Krista into it. But, the more you drank, the harder it became to really focus on any of that. You just wanted to dance, but none of the Anvil guys seemed to want to dance with you or pay you any attention, and you didn’t know if it was because of Billy or just because of you. 

With your self-esteem in the toilet, you went looking for validation elsewhere, and it wasn’t long before you found yourself a dance partner (though you really should have realised he was bad news purely because he was dressed as Jared Leto’s Joker).

You danced for a couple of songs before everything started to go wrong.

His hand found your hip, low enough that his fingers could slip into the gaps in your fishnets. You tensed, but you didn’t pull away. If he noticed your discomfort, it didn’t stop him from putting his hand on your other hip, his fingertips roughly pressing into your skin. You danced like that for another song before he got a little bolder, letting one of his hands grab your ass and pull you closer, grinding his body against yours. You managed to squirm out of his grip, hoping he’d take the hint.

He didn’t.

“C’mon, babe, don’t tease. You’re gettin’ me hard.” He smirked, pulling you close again, grinding against you. You tried to push him away, hands on his chest, trying to struggle out of his hold. Instead of letting you go, he leaned in to kiss you. You felt his lips brush yours before -

Suddenly he was gone, pulled away from you, and someone was standing between you and him. Billy. 

“What the fuck?” He threw a clumsy fist Billy's way, but Billy was too fast (and sober). Billy stepped aside, catching him by the collar, holding him in place as he threw a punch of his own. Even over the music you heard the sickening thud of Billy's fist connecting with his face. Blood started to pour from his nose, but Billy didn't stop, hitting him again and again.

He didn't stop until a couple of the Anvil guys pulled him off, one of them telling the bloodied guy to walk away.

By the time Billy thought to turn back to you, you were already heading for the door, not even bothering to stop to get your jacket. He followed after, forcing his way through the crowd and calling out your name, discarding the stupid devil mask as he went. You didn’t stop, didn’t even turn; you just wanted to get out of there.

You were fighting back tears by the time you made it outside and into the pouring rain. It didn’t take long for Billy to catch up, lightly grabbing your wrist so you’d at least turn to look at him.

“Leave me alone, Billy.”

“Are you okay?” He asked, letting you pull away from his grip.

“What do you think?” You half-snapped, half-sobbed. “Are you happy now?”

“Why would I be happy?” He was confused, hurt by the implication.

“You were right; I can’t do this.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I didn’t want to be right like this.” He replied softly. Too softly. The care and tenderness in his voice were just too much to process.

You shook your head and turned to keep walking, and Billy started after you. For a few steps you tried to ignore it, hoping he’d get bored or decide it wasn’t worth getting soaked to the bone. Of course, he didn’t.

“Stop following me, Billy.” 

“I just want to make sure you get in a taxi and make it safely to your front door,” which, to you, made it sound like he wanted to follow you all the way home.

“I’m not getting a taxi.” You kept walking, trying to ignore the rain and the cold. Billy fell a few steps behind before realising just what you were doing.

“You’re gonna walk home in the pissing down rain just to prove a point?” He called after you, still following.

“Yeah, Billy. The point is that I’m not going to fuck you.” You snapped back, almost losing your footing as you glanced back at him.

“I get it, you don’t want me, you’ve made that painfully fucking clear.” And you really could hear that pain in his voice.

“Then why are you still following me?”

“‘cause this is a scary neighbourhood and I don’t think a good looking guy like me would make it to the end of the block on his own?” You didn’t want to laugh at his stupid joke, and you did your best to stifle it, but it hurt. You didn’t want to laugh with him, didn’t want to think about the sweet and playful guy you went for coffee with all those weeks ago, it just made walking away from him harder. 

Billy kept following as you crossed the street, watching as you shivered and tried to push your wet hair from your eyes. He stayed silent, giving you space and waiting for you to speak again. And, of course, a few minutes later, you did.

“Why did you have to ruin it?” You asked, stopping beneath a flickering street light and turning to face him. He was drenched just like you, but it didn’t seem to bother him; perks of being an ex-Marine, you supposed. “We had a perfect night, why couldn’t you just let me keep that?”

“Because I don’t want a perfect night with you, I want every night; the perfect ones and the bad ones.”

“Don’t you realise how insane that sounds? You hardly know me, Billy.”

“I know enough. I know how I feel whenever I’m around you.”

“And how’s that?” You rolled your eyes.

“Happy,” he answered uncomfortably, like he didn’t want to admit it. “I feel like I can just be myself with you, and you’ve got no idea how difficult that is for me..."

“Why would that be hard for you?”

“Seriously?” You didn’t say anything. “You’ve seen Michelle, right? You’ve seen how she is with me?”

“Yeah, she wants to fuck you, like pretty much every other woman above the age of consent in New York...” You rolled your eyes, oblivious to the point he was trying to make.

“And you think any of them would give a shit if I didn’t have money, or if I didn’t look like this?” Again, you didn’t say anything, finally starting to understand what Billy was trying to say. “Every time someone like Michelle wants to talk to me, it’s to get something. I spent my whole childhood trying to get anyone to care about me, and now people just see me for what I am, not who I am, but not you...”

The vulnerability in his voice, written all over his face, was enough to soften your expression.

“Don’t,” he told you softly, “don’t you dare pity me.”

You stayed silent, letting your eyes linger for a moment more before continuing your miserable walk in the rain. It felt strange to suddenly have a new perspective on everything, on Billy. It hadn’t crossed your mind how it must feel to have people only interested in his status and looks - honestly, with the way he acted sometimes, you’d just assumed that Billy was perfectly happy with it.

Soaked to the bone and freezing cold, you pulled your arms across your chest, shivering and regretting your childish decision to walk home. Before you knew it, Billy was at your side, draping his jacket over your shoulders, it was wet through, but it helped block the cold wind.

“Billy -”

“I don’t want you freezing to death out here.”

You didn’t argue, you already knew that it would be pointless to try. He kept walking like the cold and rain didn’t bother him, like the only one being punished on this slow walk home was you. And, by the time you reached your street, you were close to tears again, the wind was biting and you felt like a child for putting Billy through it.

Once you were finally outside your building, you turned to face him. There were roughly a thousand and one things you wanted to say to him, and only about half of them were nice. You were still angry, still frustrated beyond belief that he wouldn’t just let you go, but having heard him out, you couldn’t help but think you had to take some of the blame; you’d let things get out of hand because you’d enjoyed your time with him and, in doing so, you’d given him reason to hope for something you couldn’t give him.

A heavy sigh slipped out.

“I’m home. You can go now, Billy.”

“I said I was going to make sure you made it to your front door.”

“I’m not gonna change my mind between now and the third floor.”

It was his turn to sigh. “I’m not expecting you to. I just need to know that you’re home safe.”

“And then you’ll give up and leave me alone?” 

“I didn’t say that.”

Again - again, you knew that there was no point fighting him, that he’d follow you up regardless of what you had to say. So, you pulled his jacket tighter around your shoulders and made your way inside, taking the stairs at an awkward pace, almost stumbling a couple of times (probably why Billy had wanted to make sure you actually made it to your front door, because the walk in the scold had done little to help you sober up). And, by the time you reached your door, you felt worse than ever.

Under the flickering hallway light, you could finally see him, see the state he was in; soaked to the bone, hair dripping, shirt clinging to his body. And it was your fault - of course he wasn’t going to let you walk the New York streets on your own at two in the morning. And you could have changed your mind at any time and ordered an Uber, but you hadn’t because you’d wanted to put him through that.

As if you hadn’t already put him through enough.

“Can I get my jacket back?” He asked, breaking a silence that you had allowed to linger a touch too long.

“Why did you have to do this, Billy?” Still clinging to his jacket, knowing that he couldn’t leave without it.

“Which part?” He asked, like he thought everything that he’d done had been perfectly reasonable.

“Any of it.” Because you weren’t sure why he was fighting so hard to keep you. No one had ever fought to keep you before.

“You flinched - every time that prick put his hands on you, you flinched. And it made me so fucking angry that anyone could touch you in a way that made you uncomfortable.” His voice turned low, barely masking his anger, but it wasn’t directed at you. “He didn’t even notice - what d’you think he would have done if you’d gone home with him, if you’d asked him to stop?”

You didn’t have an answer for that. All you could think about was how Billy had always stopped when you asked, how he’d noticed every little flicker of discomfort - how he’d noticed your discomfort even when he wasn’t the one causing it.

“I don’t care what you think about me, I’d never let anyone hurt you.” He didn’t have to go on because you were sure his reasons for following you home were exactly the same. “And I - I know I hurt you earlier, and I’m so fucking sorry, but seeing him grabbing you like that...”

He didn’t have to finish the thought. And you were glad that he didn’t. The rage in his voice said more than words ever could.

It was then, when your gaze dropped to your feet, that you noticed the puddles you were both making on the tiled floor. Billy was drenched and probably cold - would he even be able to get a taxi in that state? His penthouse was so far away, and -

“Do you want to come in?” You asked in little more than mumble. “Just - just to dry off a little?”

“Are you sure?”

“Just to get dry, nothing else, I’m not going to fu-”

“I wouldn’t even if you threw yourself at me.” He interrupted. It stung to hear, though you weren’t sure why; you’d just spent the last twenty minutes telling him to leave you alone. His hand on your cheek urged you to look up so he could see you. “Only because you’re drunk  and I’d never take advantage of you,” he explained, a ghost of a smile on his lips, “you’re never going to regret a night that you spend with me.

“Why do you have to say things like that?” You practically whined, hating that he was suddenly being the perfect gentleman despite every shitty thing you’d said to him in the last twenty-four hours.

“I’m not gonna make it easy for you to get over me,” he shrugged.

Turning, you fumbled with your keys, missing the lock a couple of times before Billy took over. He unlocked the door and let you into your dark apartment. Obviously Tammy hadn’t come home yet. Finding the light switch took more effort than you would have liked and you were pretty sure Billy was trying to keep himself from laughing, especially when you almost fell over pulling your boots off. But, all the while, he stood behind you, ready to catch you if you fell.

“Go sit down,” you told him, waving towards the den before heading off to the bathroom to grab some towels, not even noticing that you still had his jacket pulled tightly around you.

Catching sight of yourself in the mirror, you realised just how bad you looked; hair dripping, eyes red, and make-up running down your face. (If that hadn’t been enough to scare Billy off, what would be?) You spent a moment at the sink, trying to clean yourself up a little, scrubbing away the make-up with enough force to leave your skin feeling raw, before towel drying your hair. 

There was no noise in the apartment and you almost dared to hope that Billy had let himself out but, when you finally left the bathroom, a towel in hand, you found him in the den, sitting on the edge of the coffee table. He gave you a smile as you edged closer, holding out a hand like he was expecting you to offer him the towel. But you didn’t - that had been the plan, to let him dry himself off so he could leave - instead you stopped in front of him, standing far closer than you knew you should.

Billy didn’t say anything, he didn’t even move. Looking down you noticed the way he was gripping the edge of the table at his sides, holding tight, obviously not trusting himself not to reach for you. 

Even though you knew he was still fighting for you, he was respecting your boundaries.

Slowly, you pressed the towel to one side of his face, then the other, before towelling his hair. His eyes stayed on yours, letting you do what you wanted. Your attention moved to his neck, one hand drying his skin with the towel while the other slowly started to undo his shirt. Little by little you exposed his torso, running the towel across his chest and stomach, while you pushed the shirt off his shoulders. And Billy let you, he went along with everything until your fingers found his belt.

He took hold of your hand gently before standing slowly. When he reached for you, your breath caught and, despite every time you’d said no to him, you found yourself thinking yes. But Billy didn’t kiss you, didn’t even pull you into his arms. No, he gently pulled his wet jacket from around your shoulders and dropped it onto the table.

“You should get out of those wet clothes,” he told you softly and, despite the tenderness in his tone, it felt like a rejection. 

“Right,” you huffed, letting the towel drop from your hand. You weren’t even sure why you were upset - or what you’d even been planning to do when you got his pants off. As much as you’d been trying to convince him that you didn’t want him, some part of you obviously did.

You turned from him, but instead of heading towards your bedroom you made a beeline towards the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” He asked, getting to his feet and following after.

You didn’t need to answer, it became more than obvious once you’d fished a bottle of Jack Daniels from a cupboard and found yourself a mug. Billy let out a sigh, obviously biting back what he wanted to say; haven’t you had enough? For a second you just looked at him, expectant, but when it didn’t come, you decided to pour him a drink too (managing to splash the counter in the process).

Billy looked at the mug; a bright pink thing with the words Queen Bitch painted on in silver glitter. The corners of his lips turned up at the ridiculousness of it, eyes then rolling when he noticed that yours similarly was painted silver with the words Ray of Fucking Sunshine in gold.

When you took a drink, he did too. He let the silence linger for a few long moments, waiting to see if you had anything to say, but you were waiting for him to speak first.

“What are we doing?” 

“Drinking.” You answered, taking another sip from your mug and grimacing at the taste.

“Why?” 

“Because what else are we going to do?” You offered. Billy held up his hand in a confused half-shrug, needing you to be  more specific. “You’re half naked in my apartment but you don’t want to fuck me, so what else are we supposed to do?”

Even though you were being completely serious, Billy started to laugh but it wasn’t that playful that you’d come to enjoy pulling from him, it was something far darker. Still, you glared at him, silently demanding that he explained himself.

“There hasn’t been a single moment where I haven’t wanted to fuck you, sweetheart,” there was that sharp, barely restrained tone in his voice again. He placed his mug down and stepped towards you, your head tilting back the closer he got to keep your eyes on his. “You’ve got no idea the things I want to do to you - the things I will do to you once you admit that you’re mine.”

“I’m not yours,” you answered breathlessly, not sure which of you you were really trying to convince.

He reached for you and you let him, his hand finding your cheek and, despite your verbal protests, you leaned into the touch, letting your eyes fall shut for a few sweet seconds. You didn’t open them until Billy spoke again.

“I want you in the worst ways, I’m out of control when I’m with you, but I can’t stay away. I’m bad news, just like Krista said, and you’re right to try and tell me no. But, eventually, you’re gonna give in and then I’ll show you exactly how much I want you.” It felt like he was barely holding back again and you shivered. “Once you’re mine, I’m gonna ruin you.”

You struggled to swallow down the lump that had stuck itself in your throat, heart pounding in your chest, again struck by the notion that Billy was dangerous. But you still didn’t pull away, the heat of his palm on your cheek stoked a heat between your thighs and, although he’d already said no, you wanted him. Dangerous or not, some part of you still knew that Billy would never hurt you.

“I’m not yours,” you said again, lifting the mug to your lips and draining the rest of the Jack Daniels.

“Not yet,” he answered back.

“Maybe I’m the one who’s dangerous, maybe I’ll ruin you. You don’t know me, you don’t know what I’ve done. You think you want me but if you knew…” The mug was placed on the side and you made to move, half-thinking about throwing yourself at Billy, and half-wanting to grab his discarded drink, instead the floor seemed to shift and you fell forward. Billy caught you, holding you tight against his chest.

“Okay, time for bed, sweetheart.” And you were in no state to argue with him as he scooped you up into his arms.

CHAPTER NINE

END NOTES : I don't really have much to say about this one. I just enjoy the angst. Next chapter will take place more or less directly after this one, and we're finally going to learn a little bit more about reader (though please check the warnings on the next one because there's a few things that will probably come up that are potentially triggering). And, as always thank you so much for engaging with this story, I'm speechless how many followers I've gotten and the fact that the first chapter of this story now has over 100 notes!

Thanks for reading!!

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[wosowrites]

One Shot (Jill Roord x Reader)

warnings: ⚠️swearing and blood⚠️

a/n: let’s pretend Viv’s ACL isn’t torn. based off this request:

prompt: the world cup final with your secret girlfriend Jill Roord.

For two years, Jill and you had been dating. You both played for Wolfsburg, and only your teammates and families knew about your relationship. That was fine with the both of you, although lately, you had been talking about going public. You had both decided that you would tell people after the world cup final. So, tomorrow.

You felt nothing as you stood behind Dan and in front of Jill. Your face was stone cold and full with concentration. You felt a hand gently graze your arm and you knew it was Jill’s way of telling you you had this. You looked to your left at the lionesses. They were all lined up and directly beside you was Lucy Bronze. She was easily the player you were the most scared of on the team. But there was no room for fear in your mind. The referees started walking out into the large australian stadium, the crowd was wild, a sea of orange and white. Everything was a blur. There was the national anthem, the shaking of hands, the team picture, and then the kickoff.

England scored first in the 60th minute from an Alessia Russo banger. Your heart dropped as you saw the ball go in. As one of the wingers, you felt guilty. You were giving Viv service, passes, crosses, and you had taken shots too. But everywhere she was, there was Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright or Leah Williamson. England was unbreakable. That is, until the 78th minute during a corner kick.

You were the Netherlands pride and joy when it came to corner kicks. They were your specialty. You had scored two olympico’s for the netherlands, but that’s not what happened today. You lifted your hand in the air and kicked the ball with your left foot, delivering it perfectly. It went to the back post and you thought you had over shot, that was until Jill came running. She lunged, the sole of her foot connecting with the ball and going flying into the net. The Netherlands fans went crazy. You screamed at the top of your lungs, running to the group of girls in orange who were hugging and jumping around. They opened your arms too you, complimenting your corner. You crossed your fingers to Jill who crossed them back. It was your special thing, you couldn’t do PDA, so it was your way of saying I love you during games.

The referee blew the whistle in the 92 minute. Extra time. It had been a surprisingly clean game for a World Cup final. Only two yellow cards between both teams and a couple of fouls. But you knew that was all about to change. Playing 120 minutes meant people got tired, and panicked, and scared. And that meant unnecessary tackles.

That’s exactly what happened in the 117th minute.

Viv was obviously trying to keep her cool, but she wasn’t positioned well when Dan sent a perfect ball through the midfield and up to where Viv was supposed to be. Luckily for you, you were fast, the ball was in the air and you jumped up, back towards Mary Earps. You brought your leg up and it trapped the ball, but that was as far as you got.

Dirty.

That was the only word for the tackle against you.

The second you trapped the ball with your foot, you felt the breath get taken out of you. You felt someone’s body collide with your own from behind, and you felt their head against the back of yours. Your body went flying forwards, falling on top of the ball and winding you further. You let out a loud groan of pain, rolling on the ground with your eyes shut. You heard a whistle and then felt a hand on your back. Your head was in the grass and your hands were holding the back of your head that was bleeding profusely. "Y/n?" Jill’s familiar voice said. You got onto four legs, digging your palms into the grass. There was clearly blood trickling down your neck. You felt a hand pull down the neck of your jersey a little. "Can’t get your jersey dirty." Jill said gently. "I’m not going off. We need to win this." You mumbled, seeing medics running towards you from the corner of your eye.

"She’s faking it, I barely touched her!" Lucy’s words echoed on the pitch and before you could stop your girlfriend she was on her feet and walking towards the english woman. "She’s faking it?!" Jill yelled, storming towards Lucy and the referee. You tried to get up but the medics stopped you as they were pushing a towel into your head to stop the bleeding.

Jill put her hand up to Lucy’s face, it was full of your blood. "You mean her blood is fake? She’s just- pretending to bleed? You’re fucking dirty!" Jill yelled, pushing Lucy with both hands, leaving a bloody mark on Lucy’s jersey. "Hey! Hey you both better calm down or I’ll send you both off and your teams will be playing a man down each!" The referee yelled at both the women. Lucy gave a death stare to Jill and then walked off, slipping off her jersey and getting handed a new one by her equipment manager. The referee still took out a yellow card, lifting her arm up in the air and showing a yellow to both Lucy and Jill.

Jill was by your side again soon, and the medics had given you the all clear. "You gotta come off for a bit but you can theoretically still play." The man said to you with a nod. "That’s all I need to know." You said. Your head was wrapped up in gauze and tape and Jill gave you a quick hug before taking her position again.

You were back on the field two minutes later but only for a few minutes as no one scored.

Penalty time.

You barely listened to Andries as he gave a quick speech to you guys. All you could think of was how you were going to take that penalty. As the girls started to go like up, Jonker held you back. "Can you take this penalty? Your heart did okay?" He asked you. "I can take it. I’ve got this. We’re doing it just how we did in practice." You told him. He clapped you on the back and you jogged over to the girls. You put one arm around Jill and one around Viv and watched.

Dan took the first penalty. She scored and your team cheered loudly. Then it was Ella Toone. She scored as well. Viv was next you tapped her on the back as she walked towards the spot, closing the gap by putting your arm around Lieke Martens. Viv scored as well. Leah Williamson stepped up next and shot it home. Jackie Groenen stepped up to the spot and slotted it into the far left corner. It was a beautiful penalty. And then Lauren James stepped up. Your team held their breaths as she shot it. Lauren was young, and the penalty was an easy save for Daphne who cheered loudly. Aniek was next and your heart dropped as you saw Mary Earps get the tip of her fingers on the ball. Next was Rachel Daly. That scared you because she wasn’t experienced. But even experienced players miss. Rachel sent it flying sky high.

And then it was your turn. And you knew that scoring this meant you were world champions. If your slotted this home, then even with a goal by England’s next penalty taker, they would still loose.

After 120 minutes and a dirty tackle, wearing a bandage around your head, it was time to make the Netherlands world champs.

You placed the ball and then took four steps back. You made eye contact with Mary Earps, smiling at her gently and throwing her off. The referee whistles and you ran up to the ball. Mary went left. You went right.

The Netherlands were world champions.

You fell to your knees in joy, quickly ending up at the bottom of a large dog pile. eventually they let you out and you jumped around in joy.

All you wanted was to find Jill, and you soon did. You found her and cupped her face with your hands, she did the same to you. You looked at each other like that for a little until you pulled her into a hug. You laughed, and sung, and cried, and hugged so many people. You also toned it down as you tried to comfort a few of the lionesses, including Lucy.

"You were great. You did great." You told her gently. She nodded gently. "Sorry about your head." She sniffled. "Sorry about my girlfriend yelling at you."

You walked away with that, not seeing lucy’s the look of realization on her face as she realized you had called Jill your girlfriend.

The trophy lift was next, Sherida lifted it first, and then Viv, and then she handed it to you and Jill. You both went to the front of the group, and lifted it up in the air together. The Netherlands fans cheered loudly and sang their hearts out.

Confetti in orange and white and silver was all over the floor, you laid down in it, and eventually Jill threw some on you. "Oh you’re on Roord." You said, standing up and throwing confetti at her. You guys were like children on a sugar rush. Except your sugar was alcohol and adrenaline. You were partying, throwing things, singing, laughing and you couldn’t stop hugging Jill.

You both went around signing things and taking pictures, never leaving each others side. All you wanted to do was kiss her.

After another hour on the field, soaking everything in, the fans had left. The stadium was empty other than the Netherlands team. The english were in their locker room, and the dutch girls were starting to go into the tunnel. "You guys coming?" Dan asked you and Jill. You were both lying in the middle of the field, confetti stuck to your body due to the sweat from the game and from the dancing and jumping around.

"In a sec." You said, sitting up.

Dan nodded and walked into the tunnel, leaving you and Jill by yourselves on the field.

Jill shifted so that her head was in your lap and you looked down at her, brushing strand of hair from her face and taking a piece of confetti away from her forehead. "There is no one in the world I would rather be here with." You told her, tearing up. "You mean everything to me. Everything in the world." You told Jill, who smiled lovingly at you. "Well… we own the world now. We’re world champs." She said to you. "But I wouldn’t want to be with anyone other than you either. I’m so in love with you." Jill said.

She sat up gently and you put your forehead against yours, moving only to kiss her. You made out for a couple seconds until you heard movement behind you. You both pulled apart and turned around to see a small english woman picking up her water bottle from the ground. Nobbs. She raised her bottle to you both in a sign of cheers, and walked back inside.

[awfcstoriesandfics]

Perfection is an illusion- Alessia Russo x Leah Williamson

After an exhausting training session, Alessia Russo found herself sitting on the edge of a bench, her heart racing and her mind swirling with doubt. The drills had been relentless, pushing her both physically and mentally. She felt the weight of expectations pressing down on her shoulders, a burden that seemed almost insurmountable. As she stared at the ground, the noise of the training field faded into a dull hum, and a wave of frustration washed over her.

Nearby, Leah Williamson was wrapping up her own training. She noticed Alessia’s distant expression and felt a pang of concern. Leah had always been attuned to Alessia’s moods, and today, something felt particularly off. She approached with a gentle determination, her heart set on helping her partner through whatever storm was brewing inside.

“Hey, you okay?” Leah asked, settling down beside Alessia. Her voice was soft but firm, a lifeline in the turbulent sea of Alessia’s thoughts.

Alessia looked up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I don’t know, Leah. I just feel… overwhelmed,” she confessed, her voice trembling slightly. “Today was brutal. I feel like I’m letting everyone down. I should be performing better, but it’s like I’m stuck in my head.”

Leah’s heart ached at the sight of Alessia’s struggle. She understood the pressures that came with their sport—the expectations from coaches, fans, and even themselves. “You’re not letting anyone down,” Leah reassured her, gently placing a hand on Alessia’s back. “You’re human. We all have tough days. It doesn’t define who you are as a player or a person.”

Alessia shook her head, frustration bubbling to the surface. “But it feels like it does! I can’t shake this feeling that I’m not enough. What if I mess up when it really counts?”

Leah leaned closer, her voice steady and unwavering. “What if you don’t? You’re one of the best for a reason, Alessia. You’ve worked so hard to get here. You need to trust in your abilities and remember why you love the game in the first place.”

As Alessia listened, her heart began to soften, but the storm inside her raged on. “I just want to be perfect, Leah. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

“Perfection is an illusion,” Leah said, her tone firm yet compassionate. “Embrace the journey, the ups and downs. It’s what makes you a great player. And I’m here for you, no matter what. Let’s take a break from all this pressure. How about we go grab some coffee? Just you and me.”

Alessia hesitated, the urge to stay in her turmoil battling with the desire for comfort. Finally, she nodded, the slightest hint of a smile breaking through her cloud of doubt. “Okay, coffee sounds nice.”

As they walked away from the training field, Leah kept the conversation light, sharing amusing anecdotes from her own training experiences. Alessia couldn’t help but laugh at Leah’s impressions of their coach’s motivational speeches, which often bordered on theatrical. The laughter felt like a balm to her troubled spirit, and slowly, the tension in her shoulders began to ease.

Once they reached the café, Leah ordered their drinks while Alessia found a cozy corner table. As they settled in, Leah’s gaze softened. “You know, it’s okay to feel stressed. It shows how much you care. But don’t forget to be kind to yourself, too.”

Alessia took a deep breath, the warmth of Leah’s words wrapping around her like a comforting blanket. “I guess I just need to remember that it’s okay to not have it all figured out.”

“Exactly,” Leah smiled, her eyes sparkling with understanding. “And you’re not alone in this. We’re a team, both on and off the field. I believe in you, and I’ll always be here to remind you of that.”

With Leah’s unwavering support, Alessia felt the storm within her start to calm. They spent the afternoon talking, laughing, and sharing their dreams and fears. In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of Leah’s presence, Alessia realized that she didn’t have to carry the weight of the world alone. Together, they could face any challenge, and that thought filled her with newfound strength and hope.

[marvelmusing]

Drown In You

Pairing: Siren!Billy Russo x Human!Fem!Reader

Summary: Tired of your life on land, you ask your siren friend Billy Russo to take you with him into the sea.

Warnings [18+]: mentions of drowning, minor injury, sexual content, bondage, fingering, mentions of sex, supernatural transformation.

My Masterlist

Billy Russo’s kisses taste like salt.

His lips move like the waves of the tide, crashing against yours as if you are a stony cliff face, instead of a mere human trying to resist the call of the sea within him. His touch is cool against your skin, like the breeze carried over the ocean, and you know that you could quite easily drown in him.

He steps backwards and you follow him into the water as it laps around your ankles.

Secretly, you hope his kiss will steal the air from your lungs, driving it all out until only water can sustain you, so that you can simply fall into his arms and allow him to drag you down into the dark depths of the sea.

A gasp shudders through you as the ice cold water hits against your stomach and goosebumps spread over your wet skin as the sea splashes up your body. Still you follow him.

Billy licks a drop of saltwater from your cheek, his tongue surprisingly warm against your chilled skin. He grins at the whimper that catches in your throat and your nails dig into his shoulders as you hold onto him.

As the water brushes against your collarbones, fear prickles in your stomach, chest tightening with panic. He kisses you gently. A tender press of his lips to your forehead as you shiver and continue to cling to him.

“Take me with you, Billy,” you whisper in a weak plea. “Please.”

His dark eyes scour your face, drinking in your earnest expression.

“You’re sure?”

When you nod he turns you around, pulling your back directly against his chest. He ducks his head down a little to speak to you.

“The change is irreversible. You won’t be able to come back once you’re bound to the sea.” Another nod of understanding, before his next words are murmured against your ear. “I know it’s hard, but try not to struggle.”

He settles his palm over your mouth and your heart speeds up as you remember what Billy had told you about how humans become sirens. He’s going to bring you to the brink of death, ensuring that the last breath you take will be nothing but water.

“Take a deep breath.”

Inhaling as much air as possible, your eyes widen when Billy pinches down on your nose, blocking your airflow completely. Bucking against him instantly, your nails dig painfully into his wrist, but he doesn’t relent.

Billy stands as steadfast as a lighthouse while you writhe desperately, your lungs burning to take in oxygen as your vision darkens. Tears burn down your cheeks as you struggle. Bright dots sparkle through the blackness and you drop your head back weakly against his shoulder.

Then he plunges the two of you down into the water, releasing his hold on your mouth and nose. Involuntarily, you breathe in a shuddering gasp, lungs drawing in water that has you choking in shock. Billy drags you down further and everything goes dark.

»»---------------------►

A weak cough startles you awake as it rattles through your body, ripping you into consciousness. There’s an ache in your chest and throat so painful that you reach up to rub over the skin there with your fingers.

Breathing hurts so much that you don’t notice the person at your bedside, smoothing hair away from your face as you struggle.

Billy.

His dark eyes are fixed intently on you as he wraps his hand around your wrist, preventing you from continuing to scratch at your chest. You hadn’t even noticed you were doing that.

As more awareness returns to your body, you realise that you’re not wearing anything underneath the blanket draped over you.

Of course, you had been almost naked in front of Billy a handful of times but not like this. The pain in your body distracts you from whatever embarrassment you might feel at being laid bare for him to see.

There’s a subtle pressure all over your body, every inch of skin feeling cold and sensitive. A sound of distress catches in your throat, and you realise how muffled everything sounds.

Billy holds up something to your lips, making a biting motion with his sharp teeth, and you bite down on the small piece of what you realise is coral. Hard coral.

It grates over your teeth, shuddering through your skull, and the pressure in your ears shifts to an uncomfortable roaring that makes you squirm. Then there’s a small pop and everything feels clear.

He cups his hand under your chin.

“Spit it out.”

His voice is firm and you can hear it easily, more than happy to do as you’re told.

“What was that?” you ask, your entire face scrunching up in distaste.

“Purple coral. Pretty rare around here.” He discards the broken remains of the coral onto the side table next to him. “I’m guessing your hearing’s back.”

You nod.

At the sight of something black with curling limbs draped over your stomach, you flinch and move to sit up with widened eyes.

Billy is quick to notice your alarm, settling a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

“Easy,” he soothes you as he pets the octopus that’s clinging to your body.

The corner of Billy’s mouth quirks with an amused smirk.

“This is Onyx. He hasn’t left your side since I brought you down here.”

Two of the octopus’s tentacles are curled around your thigh, whilst three others sit on various areas around your waist, and the other three have settled between the small of your back and the mattress.

“Onyx,” you repeat, reaching out to stroke the top of the creature’s head.

In response, Onyx lifts a tentacle, curling it gently around your wrist. Billy sits down beside you, leaning against the headboard, and you feel him breathe a small sigh of relief when you lean into his chest.

“How are you feeling now?” Billy asks cautiously.

“I don’t know. My chest hurts a little and everything feels weird.”

He nods slowly, draping an arm over your shoulders to tuck you closer into his side as Onyx clambers up to sit in your lap. The small creature has already worked his way into your heart, as he seeks to comfort you.

“That should ease up soon.”

Burying yourself further into Billy’s side, you lower your cheek to rest against the space between his collarbones as you look down at your body.

“I don’t have a tail,” you murmur softly.

Billy lifts his head up from where he’s been resting it against the crown of your head. He’s still in his more human-like form, meaning his legs are nestled beside yours.

“Do you want one?”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugs lightly.

“If you want a tail, we can make that happen.”

“How?”

“It ain’t hard. Just gotta bind your legs together with jellyfish strands.” You frown.

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

With a shake of his head, he grins.

“Nah. I think you’ll like it.”

Warmth flushes over your cheeks, which makes you feel a little dizzy. Closing your eyes, you sink back into Billy’s arms.

“Then what?” you murmur.

“There’s this sorta lotion that you soak in overnight. By the time you wake up, you got a tail.”

“It’s that easy?”

Billy smiles softly.

“Yeah.”

“And I could change back to legs if I wanted to, just like you can?” He nods. “Okay. Let’s do that.”

“You sure?”

When you nod, he presses a kiss to your forehead and concedes,

“Should probably let you rest a little first.”

Despite your eagerness for the transformation, you hum in agreement, closing your eyes as you lean against his chest. His fingers trace delicate patterns over your skin and you sigh softly at his tender touch.

“Do you like your room?” he asks.

“This is mine?”

“Course it is.” There’s surprise in your eyes as you look around the room. “Though my bed is always available,” he adds teasingly.

Sitting up probably takes a lot of effort, but you manage it to have a proper look at the furniture and decorations around the room. Onyx settles down at the foot of your bed, curling his tentacles around one of the carved wooden posts there.

The room itself is almost like a human bedroom, with wooden flooring and a soft rug that you settle your feet into as you attempt to stand. Breathing through the dizziness, you grip onto the bedsheets as you begin to walk.

It’s strange, wading through water as if it’s air, your feet remaining firmly on the floor as you walk slowly around the room.

There’s a bookshelf to one side and you slide one of the books there free. Opening it up, you’re surprised to find the ink intact, the words printed as perfectly as the day it was bound.

Billy has mentioned magic to you before, but you had no idea it was such a commonplace occurrence in his world.

The weight of his eyes on you doesn’t escape your notice as you return the book to its place and move to examine the dressing table.

“Sirens and merfolk like collecting stuff. It wasn’t hard to find stuff that you’d like,” he says quietly as you look at the combs and trinkets dotted about.

The thought of Billy giving you your own room in the house he had built for himself, decorating it, and searching for things you would like brings tears to your eyes. It’s a strange sensation, being underwater and feeling tears well up in your eyes.

“Course if you need more we can head to the market sometime.” He smirks smoothly to disguise his concerns before he adds, “I’m pretty good at bartering.”

“I love it, Billy,” you insist softly.

He tilts his head as he looks over at you, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“Really?”

You nod.

He grins.

“Look at you, walking like a natural.” His grin softens. “You feeling okay?”

Breathing is much easier now that you’ve stood up and walked around a little. The sensation of water pressing against your skin isn’t as uncomfortable as it was before.

“Yeah.”

“Ready for a tail?”

The smile on your face widens.

“Definitely.”

He moves smoothly, bare feet padding over the flooring as he opens a door which appears to lead into a small bathroom.

As he rummages through a cupboard, you stare at the beautiful tiles that line the room, illuminated by the stained glass window that casts soft pastels of blue, pink, and yellow over Billy’s features.

He returns to sit on the bed with a box.

When he opens it, a pale pink glow emanates from the top and you move closer to examine the tangle of soft strands that you assume is from a jellyfish.

“They lose a bit of the sting when they fall off. Lotta kids take up strand collecting as a summer job,” he explains.

As always when he talks about his world - now your world too - you listen with rapt attention.

His brows furrow as he attempts to untangle the strands and you breathe out a soft laugh as he almost completely traps his hand in the box. His eyes sparkle with amusement at the sound of your laughter, though he grits his teeth as he pulls his hand free.

It doesn’t take him too long to gather a few long strands of jellyfish and lie them over the bed. He raises a brow as you look at them.

“Ready?”

After nodding, you allow Billy to settle you down on the bed with your legs clasped together. When he loops the first layer of strands over your ankles, you almost kick him in the face.

“Billy!”

The strands are firm, holding you in place, despite the soft texture that feels smooth against your skin. Whatever sting remains from the jellyfish sends a tingle straight up your legs to your aching core.

There’s some sort of residue that clings to his fingertips, ensuring the prickle of sensation that lingers on his skin dances over your calves as he massages the muscle there.

When he hears you whining he grins up at you, his sharp teeth in full display as he observes your squirming.

“This okay?” he asks, although he knows the answer already.

Desperately, you nod and slump your head back against the soft pillows.

Billy binds your ankles together with expert level knots. His skill alone sends a shiver down your spine and you wonder whether you could ask him to do this again sometime.

He ignores all the whines and whimpers of pleasure and need that escape your lips, his hands occasionally settling on your body to prevent your squirming from getting out of hand.

The strands bind your calves and the spot above your knee and your breathing hitches when Billy brushes his knuckles over your thighs. A low moan wracks through your chest as he leans down to bite a small mark into your inner thigh.

By the time he has looped the bindings around your thighs you’re a hazy whimpering mess of yourself.

For good measure, he adds another set of bindings over your hips and you almost cry at the warm thrum of sensation so close to where you need it.

There aren’t any words left for you to say, except his name. Then your need brings up a concern.

“Billy? What happens to…” The words die on your lips as he rests his hand on your bare mound.

As his finger slips down to rest against your clit, your eyes roll backwards in bliss and your mouth drops open in a soundless gape of pleasure.

“What happens to this tight little pussy when you get a tail?”

You nod dumbly and he breathes out a small laugh.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we use our human forms to mate.”

The word mate bounces around in your mind. Do sirens mate for life? Living with Billy forever sounds wonderful.

He kisses along your body as he moves to lie beside you, all while circling his finger gently over your swollen clit.

“You wanna know what happens when a siren gets aroused?”

He doesn’t wait for your response, most likely realising you’re well past being able to form a coherent sentence. His voice is low as he muses quietly,

“For starters, your body temperature goes up, and there’ll be this pretty glow about you, trying to attract the attention of your mate.”

His nose brushes against your cheek as tears gather in your eyes at the overwhelming number of sensations. The bindings on your legs have you moaning with almost every breath you take.

“And the smell…” He inhales deeply which makes you shudder as he murmurs, “…will be so sweet, drawing me in to taste you.”

His tongue is warm as it laps over your neck, tracing a line over your pulse as it thrums with a heady pleasure. When his teeth drag over the sensitive skin there a tear falls free from your eye, spilling down your cheek.

Billy brushes it away with his thumb, the residue from the jellyfish ensuring that his touch stings delightfully. Pleasure prickles over your face, flushing warm as it settles at the base of your neck before flowing down your spine slowly like thick honey.

He presses the pad of his thumb against your lower lip and you lick the remains of your tear - now the pearlescent shimmer of a siren’s tears - into your mouth. It tastes sugary sweet and you gasp as you near your climax.

“Billy, I can’t-”

“Yes, you can. I know you can.”

Almost immediately after his words are breathed against your neck, you clench hard around nothing, your pussy twitching erratically as you topple over the edge of your orgasm.

Hands grasping at Billy, you scrape your nails over his chest, threading your fingers through his hair before you tug him down to meet your lips. He moans as you kiss him, the two of you meeting in a violent tangle of arms and chests and mouths.

Together, you crash against one another, two tidal waves, unrelenting in the search for something to sate your need. Despite not needing air to breathe, you gasp into his mouth as he devours you.

His bread scrapes over your chin and cheeks and neck as he attacks your skin with kisses and small bites. The pleasure of your climax seems to last forever, a spiralling whirlpool that you can only survive by clinging to Billy like a life raft.

As his kisses slow to more leisurely touches of his lips on your skin, you collapse limply against the mattress. He runs his hands over your thighs, testing the strength of the bindings after the frenzy during your climax.

“How you feeling now?”

A sigh escapes your lips easily as your muscles loosen themselves.

“Incredible.”

Billy grins lazily at you, pressing kisses to the spots between your bindings. Then he reaches for a tub of lotion, but your eyes are too heavy for you to examine it properly.

“Just gonna put this on your legs,” Billy informs you, smoothing a strand of hair from your face.

He smiles when you lean into his touch.

“Feel free to go to sleep if you wanna.”

A small hum is all you give him in response, and although you intend to stay awake, the firm motion of his hands over your legs has you sinking into a pleasure-filled haze. Before you’re even aware of drifting off, you’re asleep.

»»---------------------►

Waking in the middle of the night, you find yourself draped over Billy’s chest. Shifting your position slightly, something feels different. Then you realise the bindings are gone. Billy must have untied them while you were asleep.

The moonlight is faint this deep under the sea, but there’s a subtle glow from an anemone on the bedside table, allowing you to see your tail.

A deep dark green curled affectionately around Billy’s midnight blue, scales shimmering slightly even in the low light. The thin fins on each side, and at the end, of your tail are a paler green and they sway lightly in the water.

One of Billy’s fins twitches in his sleep, though it’s easily soothed when your own fin brushes accidentally against his.

Even in the dark, you can see how well the colours complement one another.

Land and sea entwined perfectly together.

»»---------------------►

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur @ilikefictionmen @budugu @watersquirtpewpewboomm @mysweetlittledesire @dhampiravidi

Billy Russo Tag List: @blackbirddaredevil23 @rafaelakelley @theysayitscrazy @nyx2021 @skybridgerton @dragon-of-winterfell @chickensarentcheap @stardustmorozov @diaries-of-a-hopelessromatic @witchcraftandwit @ladyofsoa

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia @weallhaveadestiny @two-unbeatable-beaters

[munsonownsmyass]

Birthday and follower celebration

I just hit 550 followers, so that's amazing enough in itself (thanks to all of you lovely little beans that want to follow me ❤️), but I'm also turning 34 on the 3rd of February, so I wanted to make a little something 😁

And what better way to celebrate than with some games, asks and requests? The little celebration will run from today until February 12th. I hope you'll come celebrate with me. And feel free to send in as many asks/requests as you like 😁❤️

Fuck/Marry/Kill

Send me 3 characters and I'll tell you who I'd wanna fuck, marry and kill. If you'd rather switch kill our woth kiss, feel free to do so.

Would you rather

This one is kinda self explanatory 😆

Top 10

Want a top 10 of my favorite songs? Favorite blorbos? Or maybe food? Just send it in and I'll make a little top 10.

Moodboard

I might not be the greatest at making moodboards, but I love making them.

Hozier requests

I'm so lucky that I got Hozier tickets for my birthday. So I had this idea that you can send in a hozier song and a character, and I could make a little drabble.

Fic requests

I would love some requests. You want a continuation to something? Or want it from a different POV? Let me know.

Or you want something new? Please send an ask. I have some prompt lists here, but feel free to add your own idea, if you want something ❤️

Fluffy dialogue ◇ smutty one liners ◇ subtle love ◇ angry love confessions ◇ lovers in denial ◇ roommates to lovers ◇ late night talks ◇ more smutty one liners

Characters I write for: Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, Quinn McKenna, Ryan Yellowstone, Matthias Helvar, Billy Russo, Marcus Pike, Tristan Thorn, Joel Miller.

Characters I'd love to write for: Benny Miller, Will Miller, Frankie Morales, Mr. McCarthy, Zach Wellison, Terrence Swaino, Evan 'Buck' Buckley.

Or if you want to challenge me with something new, you can always ask 😉

Tagging some of the lovely people I've met here. Thank you to you all: @e-dubbc11 @itwasthereaminuteago @theradioactivespidergwen @chvoswxtch @murdock-and-the-sea @mattmurdocksscars @boliv-jenta @wardenparker @lucy-sky @sio-ina-bottle @yarrystyleeza @darlingshane @anna-hawk @jvanilly @k-marzolf @hellspart-timer @danzer8705 @chellestrash @scorpio-marionette @iobsessoverfictionalmen @feelmyskinonyourskin @writerwoed @misspearly1 @toomanystoriessolittletime @bunnelbie @absurdthirst

[writerscafehub]

𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑❜𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

/) /)

( • ༝•)

c /づ づ 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 all the works made by the very talented members of the writer's café server in the month of NOVEMBER. we ask, and highly encourage, that you reblog them in support. ♡

ALL WORKS ARE FOR THOSE 18+ ONLY.

𖥔 indicates smut

✶ indicates dark elements

By ☽ @moonlight-prose ☾

𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 | steve grant

in a small shop overflowing with piles of books, steven grant meets you. someone who fancies romance even more than him. someone he could see himself falling for. yet when life drags you together and you're tested with the reality of loving not only one man, but two, you find that some stories are better kept secret. and that the moon offers more than meets the eye.

By ★ Jen ★ @jen-with-a-pen

𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 - 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎 | Art Student!Frat Brother!Steve Rogers

The start of the week that changed everything. Bucky and Sam propose something that Steve shouldn't have agreed to. A good brother is a good brother, though... right?

𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 - 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 | Art Student!Frat Brother!Steve Rogers

Steve already feels like a fish out of water at the gym. An encounter with a girl and Bucky leaves him gasping for air and grasping for what the hell is going on behind Bucky's frat boy facade. At least he gets some sweet relief, some coffee, and some courage, when he see his favorite barista

By ✬ Heather ✬ @astrorogers

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 - 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐒 | "the nutcracker" ballet

Do people write fanfic about ballets? I dunno, but I am today so here we go-

By ✵ Selene ✵ @fluffyprettykitty

𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐘 | vampire!sam wilson

childhood friend to forever protector who was your guardian angel truly?

𖥔 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐎 𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓 | billy russo

By 𖠰 𝐍𝐚𝐭 𖠰 @the-iceni-bitch

𖥔 𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐅𝐎𝐀𝐌 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐄 | sea witch!caecelia Brunnhilde x female!reader

being the lover and plaything of the witch queen of the baltic sea is more fulfilling than you ever would have imagined. and she adores displaying you for her court.

𖥔 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐊𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇 | nymph!wanda maximoff x goddess!reader

Your sweet nymph loves to play coy, but you know the chase excites you both. She smells even sweeter than the flowering meadows and the spring sunshine, she is yours.

By 𓆸 Rika 𓆸 @fushic0re

𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐑 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇 | miguel o’hara x filipina reader

“And so, the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes” || in which your grumpy husband thinks it’s feasibly too early to start decorating for Christmas, but knows better than to mess with a Filipina and her decorations.

𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐌-𝐌𝐀𝐒 | sugar daddy!ransom drysdale visual board and blurb

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s and bottles of bubbles. Girls with tattoos who like getting in trouble. Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines, buy myself all of my favorite things.”

𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃'𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 | satoru gojo, toji fushigoro, ryoment sukuna, and aoi todo

how they are as gift givers (how soon do they shop, do they shop late, etc.)

𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 | steve rogers visual board and blurb

“Snowflake, I catch you tonight. Catch you and keep you on ice, my love. Snowflake, you know you’re the only one. There’s no one like you, so I’m gonna hide you, my sweet.”

𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃'𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐀 | satoru gojo, suguru geto, kento nanami, and toji fushigoro x filipina!reader

so, it’s officially the night of december 24, also known as the most important day for filipinos, also known as…..the noche buena incident. time to bring your man home and see if he can survive in a houseful of nosey, all too-happy go-lucky filipinos.

By ☆ Stella ☆ @a-lumos-in-the-nox

𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 | druig x black!female oc

Flower & Druig are relaxing outside in the summer.

𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐌 | neville longbottom x black!female oc

Ruby Morgan is the new Charms Professor at Hogwarts this year. What happens when she gets close to a certain soft and sweet Herbology professor. These two become the talk of the school on just their chemistry alone & their not even together…yet.

By ☁︎☽ Cocoa ☁︎☽ @cocoamoonmalfoy @darksideofthecocoamoon 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 | life’s perfect ache!paul atreides x black!reader

Paul isn’t beating the ‘men are babies when they’re sick’ allegations

✶ 𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, 𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | soft!dark lee bones x black!reader

“You want a revelation, You want to get right, But it's a conversation, I just can't have tonight”

By ⚘ Akane ⚘ @haravath0t

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐒: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐒 | althaim x reader

the local intelligent but stoic scribe alhaitham is minding his own business in the house of daena. it is only when you partake in some random antics in light of the holiday season that his eyes leave the work on his hands.

𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐁 | 40’s!steve rogers x reader

the holidays are nearing, and he cannot help but feel excited looking for trees with you now that he has a lot more strength than he used to

𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃'𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒 | neuvillette, zhongli, ayato, tartaglia

meeting the in-laws during the holidays…how does that work? (genshin men x Filipina!reader)

𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐁 | 40’s!bucky barnes x reader

the most handsome man in brooklyn is here to take you to the rink.

𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃'𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐀 | the forgers

the night of christmas eve has come! are the dishes a pass or fail? ask anya.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄 | royal au!loki x reader

the prince has his eyes on you in this winter ball, but does he know you're a mere peasant?

By ❥ Courtney ❥ @chasingmidnights

𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝟕: 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 | ari levinson

A mad scientist and his wife. What’s that saying, curiosity killed the… 

𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝟖: 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓? | johnny storm

A story of a stalker taking things a little too far. 

𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝟗: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐍 | andy barber

A variation of the Headless Horseman. 

By ☪︎ Gina ☪︎ @slvttyfied

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒 - 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 | chef!ari levinson x black!reader

Cause baby I can build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me and every day is like a battle but every night with us is like a dream

[m-i-s-a-n-t-r-o-p]

Things will get better with time

Hey! This is my first ever fic so hopefully it makes some sense haha. Written for a lovely soul I met here on Tumblr a few days ago, asking someone to write them a comfort fic so here i am, trying to save the day. Hope you will like it! Tell me what you think!

Ps. this is not proofread, it is 11pm here and my brain is dying:)

---

Pairing: Billy Russo x fem!reader (not canon, this Billy is actually sweet and caring!)

warnings: a bit of swearing, feelings of being unworthy (can't think of anything else tbh)

Summary: You are on a girl's trip in Greece with your best friend but things aren't really going the way you anticipated. After a fight with her, you leave the hotel and find yourself sitting on a lonely bench when a weird stranger asks if you're okay.

A lot of angst to comfort.

Word count: 2937

Greece. Greece. 

You muttered to yourself as your eyes scanned over the department board once more, simply to confirm that this was really happening. Your first ever trip abroad. You were beyond excited as you continued to find your friend in the maze of people and luggage. All the thoughts of warm nights, hours spent by the beach and days of simply existing and relaxing were filling your mind. As you finally spotted Stephanie your excitement grew even more. A girl’s trip, something you have anticipated for quite some time now. She was, as usual, completely wrapped up in her boyfriend’s arms. Not that you didn’t want her to be happy, not that you were jealous, it was just… sometimes you wanted to spend time with just her, without Luke always there. But now you have finally managed to escape his prying eyes, his ever-present arms around your best friend and his snarky comments of always stealing his girl away from him. And to be honest, you were pretty happy about finally getting rid of him. 

“I’ll miss you baby,” Stephanie said for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. The boarding would start any minute now and yet here you were, still in the departure hall, trying to get Steph to bid goodbye and finally enjoy herself on this trip. Luke hugged her once more while saying “Call me every day, okay baby girl?” and your friend profoundly nodded, as if to confirm something far greater than just to call her boyfriend every once in a while. 

The flight, to your surprise, was quite smooth. That went without counting Stephanie’s constant cries of how she wishes Luke would have come with you. Don’t be so harsh, you told yourself, it is the first time they are really away from each other. You tried to seek some understanding within you and for the first hour you actually did find it. But when the conversation would not steer in a different direction even after two hours, you simply excused yourself from the one-sided debate, popped in your earphones and tried to fall asleep. You thought of all the beaches again, of the sea, and of course, of all the handsome men you will probably meet in Greece. 

It was not as if Steph was a bad friend. She was wonderful at times. Attentive, caring, supportive. But that was all before she met Luke. After they started dating, you have been cast aside, thrown away like a used doll that didn’t fit the child’s expectations anymore. And you understood, for who you were to stand between two people in love? So you salvaged all the little time you could get with your friend, enduring all the conversations about her love life, feeling happy for her. You just hoped things would get better with time. But they never really did. 

When you finally touched down in Greece, you were welcomed with gentle warm breeze on your cheeks and the sun stroking your hair gently in the late afternoon. The ride to your hotel was silent, a fact you were much thankful for after the exhausting flight. You guessed Steph was tired too but as you looked behind your shoulder to the backseat, you found her with her phone glued to her hands, her eyes fixed on the screen. “Everything good Steph?” you asked, concerned something was the matter as she was frowning quite hard. She looked up momentarily and forged a small smile on her lips as a form of wordless apology. She said, surprising you “Yeah, it’s just Luke. He was asking about the flight; you know how he is with planes” and chuckling a bit to herself as her eyes returned to the screen. You simply nodded, knowing she is not paying attention to you anyways. Luke, always Luke… even here in Greece, with all the beautiful scenery around, it’s always Luke. Yet you could not really bring yourself to feel anger, or at least not enough of it. It will get better, you thought to yourself as the car came to a halt in front of your hotel. 

The first two days were weird, to say the least. Your room was spacious, beautifully furnished and with a dazzling view of the town you were staying in and of the seemingly endless glimmering sea. The food was great, the people were kind and the weather even kinder to you. You have heard quite a lot of people say that Greece is insufferable at this time of the year for its hot temperatures, but you guessed you were lucky as there was always gentle breeze cooling you down. Everything was great. Except that it was not. Stephanie, despite promising you she would reserve her daily calls with Luke for the less busy afternoons, was on her phone most of the time. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Luke’s calling me, I gotta go”.

“Can this wait? Luke and I are going to facetime now”.

“Luke’s texting me, hold that thought!”

On and on, these sentences and their versions filled your days like a plague. You were getting tired of always being put second, never really being the first option Steph would choose. Because even though she was there with you, she still decided to prioritize her boyfriend. Now don’t get it wrong, you were happy for her, you truly were. But you also thought that maybe this was not entirely fair towards you. After all this was supposed to be a getaway from your work, you busy life, from all the other people. It was supposed to be just the two of you, like the old times. And you still thought that maybe things will get better. 

The late afternoon has finally begun to bleed into an endless night when you suggested going for a walk through the little town. “I suppose we could do that; it could be fun!” Stephanie exclaimed, finally agreed to doing something other than just lying in her bed facetiming Luke. You were beyond happy for finally snatching some of her attention for yourself. The two of you agreed on dressing up a bit so that you could take some lovely photos by the white houses typical for this area. You put on a beautiful flowy dress that hugged your curves perfectly and reached just above your bare knees, with flowing sleeves of blue see-through fabric. The neckline was a little lower than what you would usually go for, yet it still didn’t reveal much, only a hint, only a tease. Your hair was twisted into a simple up-do and you also put on some lighter make up, just to compliment the look. As you stood in front of the mirror, you felt so beautiful. Yet something was still missing. Oh, the earrings! You thought as you remembered you bought a pair of intricate gold earrings on the farmer’s market the other day. An old lady sold them to you, telling you they were literally made for you. And boy, was she right. You looked gorgeous. 

“Steph, I’m ready!” you called out from the bathroom. 

But your friend didn’t return the excitement which now began to slowly replace itself with disappointment. “You’re gonna hate me…” She didn’t even need to go on, you already knew where this was going. “Luke? Again? Seriously? You guys just spent the last four hours talking on the phone!” and this long-held disappointment and neglect has finally merged into a well-deserved anger. “But he says it’s important! Come on, you can’t be mad at me. I miss him so much…” Stephanie countered your angry statement with a response filled with sadness. “I wouldn’t be mad if it was just a one-time thing but Steph, you’ve been on your phone the whole time we’ve been here. I feel like I don’t even exist to you!” now you were beginning to fight, your emotions getting the better of you. “That’s now true!” your friend yelled back at you. “You know goddamn well that it is.” You said, voice barely above whisper, as if you were afraid that if you spoke loudly it would break. As if you stood your ground, then you would break. And Stephanie just stood there, looking at you, not really knowing what to say. Maybe she knew you were right, maybe she did really feel bad. But it didn’t matter anymore. You were hurt, you were lonely and you just wanted to hide somewhere and cry your heart out. So, picking up your purse and walking towards the door, you turned to her one last time and quietly left. There was nothing else to say. 

You could not exactly recall when the tears started to stream down your face, ruining your pretty make up. And you also could not recall when you’ve abolished trying to walk in these uncomfortable shoes, or how exactly you got to the lonely bench you were now sitting on. The moon was high up in the sky now, the stars singing their lullaby to anyone willing to listen. The sea was quiet and dark, a companion for worse times. And the omnipresent wind sometimes ever-so-slightly ruffled through the leaves of the trees enveloping you like a safe haven. It was peaceful, to say the least. And it indeed was a nice contrast to the war of emotions taking place in your heart. A part of you felt bad for leaving Steph like that, a part of you felt like maybe you should have yelled at her more. And as you were crying silently in the embrace of the night, you didn’t even notice the presence of someone else behind you. 

“Are you alright?

You jumped at the sound of a deep velvet voice that cut through the silence like a knife. Oh shit, oh shit. Suddenly the state of your situation started to dawn on you. You were completely alone, on the outskirts of the city, in a dress and now with a strange man. I’m fucked. You decided to play it safe.

“Yeah.” You tried to sound strong but your voice was laced with sadness and salty tears. 

“Are you sure? I thought I heard you cryin’ so I decided to check on you.” The stranger spoke up, his voice firm, yet somehow gentle and warm. Maybe he was not a bad guy after all. And you so desperately needed a shoulder to cry on, you didn’t really care whose the shoulder would be. 

When you didn’t reply, too caught up in thinking about the pros and cons, the man quietly moved next to the bench. But he didn’t sit down just yet. He was approaching you as if you were a scared animal, trying to get you to trust him. His scent filled the air around you; a sweet cologne, a bit of fire and something you could not quite name. It was pleasant, you had to admit. 

“Mind if I sit?” he asked, jerking you out of your overthinking. You silently nodded to let him know he could sit down next to you, hoping he wasn’t some kind of a creep. He sat down next to you, not close enough to let your shoulders touch, but not far enough that you could not sense the warmth radiating off his body. 

“So…” he said, suddenly unsure of himself. But you could not bare the weight of all the emotions anymore and words started to spill out without you having any control over them.

“I hate it, I hate her. I hate that I feel like this. I feel so fucking lonely, on my own goddamn holiday! I thought we would have a good time, that I would relax and enjoy myself and instead I am here, sitting on a bench god knows where with a stranger listening to me because my best friend is too selfish to do that instead.” At the end you were almost screaming into the night, your body trembling, your eyes stained with tears, your heart breaking at the realisation of what was really happening. It was pathetic really. Telling a stranger things like that, how does that even happen? But you felt like you could trust him. There was just something about him that made you feel safe. And he was listening intently, not saying anything. He was just there. And that was all you needed in that moment. When he noticed how shaken up you were, he placed his hand affirmingly on shoulder to encourage you to continue. When you calmed down a bit, you resumed your rant. 

“My friend and I, we agreed to go here on vacation. As a way to relax, you know. I thought it would be great. It is actually my first ever trip abroad. But she wouldn’t get off the phone. She is always talking to her boyfriend. Always. Texting, calling, facetiming, you name it. It’s as if I’m not even there! And it hurts so much, it feels so lonely. And I tried talking to her about it but we just got into a fight and now I am here, crying instead of enjoying this trip.”

His fingers were drawing gentle circles on your bare shoulder and you found it soothing. 

“I’m so sorry. That’s pretty shitty.”

“Yeah, it is shitty.” It almost made you laugh. Because it was shitty. 

“Look, your friend is a really bad friend. Abandoning you like this, that’s not somethin’ good friends do. You deserve so much better than this. I usually tell people that they should talk things out but if you’ve tried that and it turned into an argument, maybe it would be better if you gave this friendship some time and space. So that both of you can assess your priorities. And to also realize what is important to you.” He said, his voice calm and even, comforting your worried heart. “It doesn’t take the pain away now, I know. But it will help you a lot in the future.”

“I hate that you’re right.” you agreed and much to your surprise, smiled. “It’s just a lot of built-up anger I suppose. And disappointment too. It has been going on like this for quite some time but I never really noticed it until now.”

He took a breath as if to think a bit on what to say next, as if you weren’t going to like what he got to say about it. “I understand. Sometimes we just want to see the good in people no matter how much they’ve hurt us. And we are too blind to see that they are causin’ too much pain and not enough happiness. Sometimes it’s just better to let people go. You can be happy on your own, happier even. You know, go and see a movie alone, go to a museum or to the beach, just enjoy your own company.” 

“But doesn’t that get lonely?” you asked, still looking out at the sea. It calmed you down, the repetitiveness of the waves, the sound of water and also the warmth of his hand still on your shoulder. 

“Sometimes. But I have found out it is better to be lonely than to be with the wrong people.”

It were those words that made you finally turn around and look at him. And you were met with a sight worth more than words could ever describe. A man so handsome you thought he was conjured by your own imagination. But then, your imagination could not possibly produce something so perfect. His eyes, dark as the sea draped in darkness, looking warmly at you. His lips curled into the faintest reassuring smile. You could tell his hair was once neatly styled with gel, now ruffled and messy, yet still looking soft. And to top it all off, his perfectly trimmed beard. 

He smiled at you, a wide and beautiful smile. “Hey there.”

You weren’t looking at him, no, you were quite intently staring. “I’m Billy.” He extended his hand towards you, waiting.

“Y/N” you said at last, smiling too. You shook his hand and suddenly felt the urge to apologise. “I’m so sorry, I probably shouldn’t have done tha-“ “Don’t apologize sweetheart. I couldn’t bear to see you cry.”

A quiet “Thank you” found its way onto your lips. And his smile grew even wider. “Please, don’t thank me. Letting you talk it out was the least I could do.” 

And even though his voice was reassuring, and his eyes told you he spoke earnestly, you still couldn’t shake the feeling you should feel bad. Maybe because you were still shaken up from Stephanie not listening to you or maybe because you found yourself on a bench in Greece with this handsome man, spilling your heart out. And suddenly, tears rolled down your cheeks again and your heart felt too heavy to carry once more. 

“Oh no, baby, come here.” Billy said as he wiped some of your tears with his thumbs. “Shhh, it’s all okay sweetheart, it’s okay” he whispered into your hair as he pulled you closer. His strong arms hid you away from the world, pressed against his chest, and you wished for nothing more than to simply stay in this little shelter that he suddenly became. “I’m here Y/N, I’m here. All is well, it’s okay” he repeated, rocking you back and forth, as you cried into his shirt. And as you stayed there, on that bench, talking the night away in Billy’s arms, you let yourself believe that, for the first time in a while, things will get better with time.

[michimonie]

For anyone wondering what I'm referencing, here's the list (all referencing the second movie, not the ride or the first one).

THE LIVING

Daffy as the spirit photographer

Tina Russo as the "single mother who bought the mansion"

Plucky Duck (90s) OR Huey Duck (2017) as the kid

Fethry Duck (or Bugs Bunny) as the priest

Daisy Duck as the medium

Ludwig Von Drake as the wacky historian

THE DEAD

Scrooge McDuck as the Top Hat Ghost

Donald Duck as the Mariner / Sea Captain

Melissa Duck as Hatchaway (bride with the axe)

Shirley McLoon as Madame Leota

Gladstone Gander / Magica De Spell as the lovers / Gracies

HDL as the hitchhikers (maybe? If huey isn't the kid)