#see the feedback and try and get on the right side but sarahs post makes me certain theyre digging their heels in and getting bitter

[noah-of-ark]

[sarahsmi13s]

Smart Cookie

(not my gif)

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x fem!oc

characters: jake seresin, fem!oc, bradley bradshaw, leia bradshaw

warning: baby fever, mentions of throwing up, Hangman interacting w/ children (yes, this is a warning), talk of makin’ babies

word count: ~ 3.1k ( i got carried away lol)

a/n: this story is inspired by ‘His Little Girl’ (bradley bradshaw x reader) by the lovely @roosterscockpit​  ( @milesdickpic​ ) and characters from this story are mentioned. also, yes, the oc is based on me lol

this is my first story posted on here, so any feedback is appreciated

Hangman had a rare Saturday off and he wanted to spend it with his girl. They had woken up super early to clean, do laundry, and she needed to prepare for her next basketball game.

She sat down, playbook in front of her and laptop ready with the film of the last game.

He gripped her waist and pulled her back into his side, “Nope, we are relax-”

His phone rang, a familiar piano tune pouring out of the speakers. “Rooster! Ugh!” He answered, “You just love waiting until the last second to call me.” “I know you’re probably busy right now, but do you think you could watch Leia? Her mom and I got invited out with Penny and Mav, and Leia doesn’t want to come.”

Jake hesitated. 

Yes, he loved that little girl, but he needed time with his girlfriend. Alone time, with his girlfriend.

She sat up, raising a quizzical brow at Jake. “What’s up?” “Hold on, Rooster.” He covered the receiver, “He needs to know if I can watch Leia.” Sarah smiled, “Yeah, we aren’t doing anything. We could totally watch her.” “Wait, have you met Leia yet?” She shook her head, “Not officially no.”

He moved his hand, “Brad, hey, look, Sarah’s here-” “Perfect! Leia’s heard you mention her and really wants to meet ‘the other girl’ in your life.” Sarah had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. Jake glared at her a little bit.

She snatched his phone. “Hey!” He reached for it but she stood up and held a finger out. “Hey, Bradley, it’s Sarah. If you and her mom feel comfortable with it, she’s welcome to come over. I’d love to meet her.” “We’re on our way right now. Thank you.” She smiled, “Of course, Rooster. Door’s unlocked when you get here.”

She tossed Jake his phone. “They’re on their way, we need to get changed.”

Jake frowned, “Why?” “Because, we’re in pajamas Jacob.” “So? They’re comfy.” She grabbed his hand and try to haul him off the couch, “Jaaake!” He smirked and pulled on her, making her land on him, “Saaaaraaah!” She rolled her eyes, “Come on, I’m not meeting Leia wearing fuzzy shorts and a tank top.”

He groaned but got up and they changed.

*******

Despite the distraction (Hangman not being able to keep his hands to himself), they got changed and downstairs just as the Bronco pulled in.

Little footsteps were heard before the door swung open. “Uncle Jake!” “Vapor girl!” The little girl ran right into Jake’s arms, getting picked up immediately. He pecked her cheek, “How are you?” She smiled, giggling a little bit, “I’m good. I got all A’s on my report card!” “You did! Wow, aren’t you a smart cookie?” Leia nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

Sarah leaned on the doorway, smiling at Jake and how he interacted with Leia. “He’s really good with her,” Bradley said, making her look up at him. “He’s good with all kids. You should see him with his nieces and nephews, it’s something.” “You ever talk about having kids?” She shook her head, “Not yet. But man, everytime I see him with a kid….��� She trailed off, “Probably shouldn’t say that thought out loud.” Rooster chuckled, glancing back at his daughter and wingman.

“He’s never mentioned having kids, or being a dad, but I know it would suit him. We just haven’t had the chance,” she said, also looking at the pair. “Maybe after seeing you with Leia, it’ll jumpstart something.” Bradley got Leia’s attention, “Hey, Leia, come here, Princess.”

The girl patted Jake’s shoulders and he put her down.

Leia walked up to her dad and glanced up at Sarah. “Leia, this is Sarah.” Sarah knelt down to be closer to Leia height. “Hi, Leia, it’s nice to meet you. Your Uncle Jake’s told me a lot about you.” “He talks about me?” “Of course he does! And from what I’ve heard, you’re the coolest little kid ever.” Leia smiled and looked up at her dad, who smiled down at her.

Sarah straightened her back a little, “Have you eaten lunch yet?” Leia shook her head. “Are ya hungry?” “A little.” “Only a little?” Jake asked, somewhat concerned, considering the little girl ate like her father.

Rooster sighed, “She’s had a stomach ache all morning, but no fever and she hasn’t thrown up.”

Sarah frowned a little and rubbed the girls shoulders, “Oh, that’s no fun. Why don’t we try something small and go from there okay?” Leia nodded, “Do you have PB and J?” “We’ve got so much PB and J,” she stood up and held her hand out. “Let’s go.”

Before they made it to the kitchen, Leia turned to give Bradley a hug, “Bye Daddy!” “Bye Sweetheart, Mama and I will be back soon, okay?” She nodded, “Okay.”

She returned to Sarah’s side and grabbed her hand, going the rest of the way to the kitchen.

Jake couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across his face or the adoration filling his green eyes.

“She’d be a good mom,” Bradley said, seeing the heart eyes his wingman was sporting. “Barely two minutes in and she fell right into it.” Jake nodded, “She’s got a few nieces, one nephew, and she’s fantastic with them. But it’s really hard to get to see them. Unlike my family, it’s hard for her’s to get time to fly up here. And with our schedule, it’s hard for us to go down together to see them. She hates flying or driving alone.”

Rooster nodded, “Have you talked about having any kids yet?” He repeated his question from earlier. “I’ve wanted to bring it up, but it’s never seemed like the right time. I almost proposed to her but then we got called out for the Uranium Mission and I got scared.” Bradley patted him on the shoulder, “Maybe after this you can talk to her about it. I can literally see the baby fever radiating off of both of you.”

And with that Rooster left.

*********

In the kitchen, Sarah had placed Leia on the counter as she moved around the space.

“Okay, Leia, do you want strawberry or grape jelly?” “Grape, please,” she said quietly, swinging her legs back and forth. Sarah nodded and winked at her, “You got it, Vapor.” The use of her honorary callsign made her smile.

Sarah gathered most of the ingredients, “Okay, bread, jelly- I need peanut butter.” She opened the cupboard she thought it was in and frowned, “I swear that’s where I put it.”

As she looked around, Jake walked into the kitchen. He planted his hands on either side of Leia’s legs, “What’s got your tummy upset, Vapor girl?” She shrugged, “I don’t know.” He kissed her forehead, not feeling a fever. “Walk me through your morning.”

Leia tilted her head, “Well, I woke up and Mommy was making breakfast while Daddy was singing.” She giggled a little bit, making both Sarah and Jake smile. “Okay, then what?” “We ate,” she paused as she thought. “Oh! And then we danced!”

Sarah came over, resting her hip on the counter, “How did you dance?” Jake got an idea and he grabbed Sarah’s hand.

“Was it like this?” He swayed back and forth, raising a questioning brow at Leia. “No,” she shook her head. “Oh, was it like this?” Jake grabbed both of Sarah’s hands and pushed and pulled them, making both girls laugh. “No, it was kinda fancy. Like in a princess movie!”

Nodding, Sarah understood what she meant, “Oh okay. So like this-” She lifted Jake’s arm and went under it. “Oh, okay,” Jake caught on, pulling her back to his chest before properly spinning her. Leia giggled and nodded, “Yeah like that. But he did it really fast and a lot of times.”

The couple shared a look, nodding. “Sweetheart, I think Daddy just spun you too much after breakfast. Your food didn’t have time to settle,” Jake explained. Leia nodded, “Ooh, okay.”

Sarah smiled and pushed a curl gently behind Leia’s ear, “But, maybe a little rest will help settle your tummy. And some Sprite.” Leia nodded and leaned forward, resting her head on Jake’s shoulder.

Jake rubbed her back, “Let me get you that Sprite.” He moved away and got a bottle out of the fridge to pour into a cup with a straw. Sarah was still looking for the peanut butter.

“Honey?” “Yes, Darlin’?” “Do you know where I put the peanut butter? I swear I put it in that cabinet.” Jake sat the cup down by Leia, “There you go, Vapor.” “Thank you.” He turned to his girlfriend, “Um, well, you were the last one to use it. So I don’t know- Oh wait yes I do.” He opened the cabinet she was at. “I used it for our smoothies this mornin’. It’s up there,” Jake pointed up higher in the cabinet.

Sarah put her hands on her hips, “Jacob, I’m not that tall.” He smirked, “I know.” “Well, could you please get it for me?” He nodded, a playful grin on his face, “Of course.” Sarah turned to Leia, “I swear he does that on purpose, just so I’d ask him to get it for me.” Leia giggled a little bit, sipping her Sprite.

After securing the peanut butter, Sarah made Leia her sandwich and cut it in half. “Okay, let’s go to the living room, that way we can relax on the couch.” Jake scooped Leia up off the counter and took her to the living room, Sarah following behind with the food and Leia’s cup.

*******

After taking small bites and slowly sipping her Sprite, Leia said she was feeling a little better.

“How about some water? Gotta keep you hydrated,” Jake offered, shaking the now empty cup. Leia nodded, “Can we watch movies?” Sarah grabbed the cup from Jake while standing, “Of course we can, honey. We’ll watch whatever you want.” She went to the kitchen to get all of them water.

Leia turned to Jake as he pulled up Disney+, “So she’s the other girl in your life?” Jake couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes, Vapor, she is the ‘other girl’ in my life.” The little girl cuddled into Jake’s side, “She’s pretty cool.” He smiled and dropped his arm to wrap it around her shoulders, “Yeah, she is.”

“Do you love her?” Jake looked down at the six year old in slight surprise. She was looking up at him, waiting for an answer. “Yeah I do,” he answered honestly. “But you still love me, right?”

Hangman felt his heart clench at the tone of Leia’s voice. “Yes, I do. I love you both.” Leia tilted her head a bit, looking just like her dad when he was confused, “How can you love us both?”

Jake opened his mouth, but closed it again to make sure he worded this carefully. “You know how your mom and your dad love each other?” She nodded slowly. “And how they both love you?” She nodded again. “Okay, so their love for each other is different from their love for you. Does that make sense?” “No.” He sighed, running a hand down his face, maybe Sarah would explain it better.

“Babe?” He called out. “Just a second.” The rattle of ice was heard and a few seconds of quiet before she rounded the corner with three cups of water. Leia took her cup with both hands, “Thank you, Sarah!” “You’re welcome, Leia.” Jake took his cup, “Thank you, Honey.” He pecked her cheek. “You’re welcome, Babe.”

She sat down and shuffled her papers to put them away for now. She could work on basketball plays and lesson plans later.

Leia pulled on Jake’s shirt, “Explain, please.” Sarah rose a brow, eyeing her boyfriend. Jake sighed, looking at Leia, “I don’t know how, princess.” “Can you try?” Her green eyes were wide and curious.

Jake looked to his girlfriend for help but she just shrugs, smiling and resting her temple on her fist. “I can’t help if I don’t know what you’re explaining.” Leia sat up, “He’s explaining the difference between Mommy and Daddy’s love for each other and their love for me.” Sarah’s smile widened and she tucked her legs under her, “Oh, I’d love to hear this.”

He narrowed his eyes at her but she just shrugged.

Rubbing his face, he glanced at the TV screen, seeing the princess movies display.

Sarah could almost see the lightbulb go off behind Jake’s eyes.

He turned to face Leia, “Okay, so you know how in princess movies the king and queen are married?” Leia nodded, “Duh!” “Great, so you have that kind of love, the kind where you meet someone super special and you want them to be a part of your life forever. To be with them forever.” “Like, mommy and daddy?” Jake nodded, “Yes! You have that kind of love and then you have the kind of love that the king and queen have for their princess.” He booped her nose to make her laugh. “That kind of love is where you want to make sure you give them the best chance at having a good life and you would do anything to make sure they were safe.”

Leia nodded, putting her new found knowledge all together for it to make sense. “So you love Sarah like a king loves a queen, and you love me like a king loves his princess?” Jake nodded, “Yes, exactly.” She nodded again, “Okay, okay. Buuuut do you think you love me more than Daddy?” Jake shook his head, “I don’t think anyone can love you more than your mommy and daddy love you. They love you so much, so so much. I don’t think words could describe how much they love you.”

Sarah smiled as she watched Jake talk with Leia. Seeing him with kids just made her love him even more. 

He’d often come to basketball or softball games to watch her coach, or show up to her classroom with lunch. So, even though she teaches high school, watching him interact with the students and talk with them about being a pilot and in the Navy really solidified the fact that he would be a great dad. 

“Sarah?” 

Leia’s voice pulled her out of her daydream. “Yes honey?” Leia scooted closer and grabbed Sarah’s face, looking intently into her eyes, “Do you love Uncle Jake like a queen loves a king?” Sarah glanced at Jake over Leia’s shoulder, a fond smile stretching across her face. 

“You do!” Leia giggled, leaning forward to wrap her arms around Sarah’s neck. Sarah was quick to catch her, “How’d you know?” Leia leaned back, coming face to face with her again, “Because when you look at Uncle Jake you smile and your eyes light up, like when Mama looks at Dad.” Sarah smiled, “You’re Uncle Jake was right, you really are a smart cookie.” 

Jake smiled at the interaction. He never got tired of seeing Sarah interact with kids. He loved it. And her students love her, she never discouraged them and was the teacher they went to for comfort. He knew she’d be a great mom.

*****

About 2 movies, with sing-alongs, dinner, and two trays of cookies later, Leia was tired.

She was resting on the couch when Sarah and Jake heard Rooster pull in. Jake went to get the door and Sarah went to pick up Leia. 

Jake opened the door and let Rooster step in. “Hey, Sarah went to get Leia, they’ll be here in just a second.” And just like that, Sarah turned the corner with Leia. “Hey Bradley, did you and Alyssa have a nice time with Penny and Mav?” “Yes we did, she is currently passed out in the car,” he chuckled before gesturing to Leia. “Was she good?” 

“As always,” Jake said, grinning from ear to ear. “We had a lot of fun,” Sarah agreed, glancing from the two men back to the girl snoring on her shoulder. “Looks like it,” Bradley chuckled lightly before taking the girl from Sarah’s arms. “Thank you for watching her.” She waved him off, “It’s nothing Brad. She’s welcome over anytime, and if you ever need someone to pick her up, send me a text and I’ll go get her.” “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to put you out or anything.” She nodded, “I’m sure.” Bradley gave her a smile and pecked her cheek in thanks. 

She gestured behind her, “I’ll be right back.” 

When she was out of earshot, Bradley turned to Jake. “So, should Leia be expecting cousins in August or September?” Jake just shook his head, but was fully planning on fulfilling that expectation. 

Sarah re-emerged holding a Tupperware container. “What’s this?” Bradley asked, taking the container. “Chocolate chip cookies, Leia said how much you both like chocolate so we made cookies.” “You didn’t have to do that.” She shrugged, “I know. But it made her happy, and since she was feeling better Jake and I wanted to give our smart cookie some cookies.”

Rooster smiled, “Thank you, again. You guys have a good night. I’ll see ya Monday, Hangman.” 

Just as he was about to leave, Leia stirred a little and opened her eyes. “Where’re we going?” She rubbed her eyes a little bit. “Home sweet pea.” “Gotta say bye,” she wiggled to get down, just for Jake to pick her up again. “Goodnight V. I love you,” he kissed the top of the head. “Love you too Uncle Jake.” Sarah got up on her toes to kiss Leia temple. “Until next time, kiddo. I hope you had fun.” Leia nodded before having Jake put her down so she could hug Sarah. 

“Bye Aunt Sarah, love you.” “I love you too, sweet girl.” 

Bradley picked Leia up again, “Alright Princess, let’s get you and Mama home so you can sleep in your beds.” Leia just nodded and fell right back to sleep, making the three adults chuckle. “You two have a goodnight.” “You too Rooster.” 

The door shut and the couple leaned against it.

“Let’s have a baby.”

They looked at each other. “Wait really?” Sarah asked, the hopeful gleam not missed by Jake. He nodded, the smile practically splitting his face as he realized she wants what he does. “Really.” “Like, for real life?” “For real life.” 

She stared into his pasture green eyes for a moment longer, before pulling him into a kiss. “Let’s go make a baby, Lieutenant.”

*********

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

Like I mentioned, feedback is greatly appreciated. 

I normally do write ‘x readers’ or ‘x y/n’, so if you want more let me know if you want more let me know (i’ve got plenty drafted up)

[altaroracleguidance]

Hello hun, how are you? I hope you are doing well 💕.

I would love a reading if u don't mind.

My name is Sarah and I would like to know who is my Future spouse? Like some details about them (appearance, characteristic or like where/how could I meet them)

Thank you so much for offering free readings

Hi Sarah! I'm Alexandra and I'll be completing your reading today 🦋

The Fool Reversed – In the reversed position, this card encourages you to stay on your current path. You are on the right tracks already in order to meet your future spouse. You may feel anxious that you are not doing ‘enough’, and consider making some changes to your approach. But actually, this card suggests that you are doing exactly the right thing already. Continue to do your own thing and keep an open mind for relationships. If you try to ‘force’ meeting your future spouse, you may end up self-sabotaging. It will happen naturally, so keep plodding along for now.

7 of Swords – This card represents someone who is untrustworthy and malicious. This suggests that in the past, you have experienced some relationship trauma. Past potential lovers have let you down, and taken advantage of you, maybe even manipulate you. Either way, past relationships have left you with a lot of hurt and pain to sift through. So, it’s really important that you heal from this trauma before you can find your future spouse. The universe will provide your future spouse ONLY when you are in the healthiest mindset, and the best version of yourself. So until then, continue to heal and do that necessary inner work to overcome your triggers and trauma.

6 of Cups – This card represents a person who is extremely compassionate and loving. They are generous and always try to cater to others needs. This is confirmation that your future spouse is someone you can trust, someone who will love you and tend to your needs genuinely and with the best intentions. I know this reading didn’t answer some of the questions you had, but I feel this overall message was something you needed to hear as a priority ❤️

I hope this reading was insightful for you lovely! As an energy exchange, I would really appreciate it if you could leave feedback in the comments of this post, or in the comments of my pinned post. You won't be able to get another reading until you do! Since this is a side blog, we won't be able to respond to your comment, but we will definitely see it!

If you haven't already, don't forget to follow this blog, and reblog the pinned post to help me reach more people! 💕

If you're interested in a more indepth paid reading at any time, I accept donations of any amount. Please submit an 'ask' if you are interested in this, and we will direct you in the next steps 🔮

Thank you so much for your support ❤️

- Alexandra

[damilola-moyo]

Affiliate Marketing Made Simple: A Story of Sarah’s Journey to Success

Affiliate Marketing Made Simple: A Story of Sarah’s Journey to Success Sarah was just like any other person trying to navigate the digital landscape, looking for a side hustle that could potentially turn into a full-time gig. She tried various online ventures, but nothing stuck until she stumbled upon the concept of affiliate marketing. It seemed too good to be true: promote products you believe in and earn a commission without worrying about inventory or customer service. However, the more she delved into it, the more she realized the importance of using the right tools to ensure success. This is Sarah’s journey into the world of affiliate marketing, and how she turned her part-time venture into a thriving business using key affiliate marketing tools. Sarah started with thorough research. She joined various forums and social media groups dedicated to affiliate marketing. One name kept popping up: AWin (Affiliate Window). AWin is a comprehensive platform that connects affiliates with advertisers, offering a vast range of products to promote. Sarah created an account, and this was her first step into affiliate marketing. However, signing up wasn't enough. Sarah knew she needed to understand her audience and choose products that aligned with her niche. She ran a blog on sustainable living, so it made perfect sense for her to promote eco-friendly products. Using AWin’s extensive directory, she found several advertisers offering green products and sustainable brands. Knowing what to promote was one thing; effectively promoting it was another. Sarah knew she needed to create engaging content that resonated with her audience. Here’s where another tool came into play: SEMrush. SEMrush helped her perform keyword research, enabling her to focus on topics and search terms that her audience was actively searching for. This was crucial for driving organic traffic to her website and increasing the chances of conversions. With her keywords in hand, Sarah created valuable content, from blog posts and reviews to how-to articles. She made sure each piece was tailored to solve specific problems her audience might face. But she didn’t stop there. To track her performance and understand what was working or not, Sarah turned to another indispensable tool: Google Analytics. Google Analytics gave her insight into which pages were driving traffic and what content captured her audience’s interest. She could see how visitors arrived at her site, how much time they spent on each page, and which affiliate links they clicked on. This data was invaluable for tweaking her strategies and optimizing her campaigns. By identifying the high-performing content and learning from the lower-performing ones, Sarah was able to maximize her revenue. Another tool she found useful was ThirstyAffiliates, a plugin designed to manage affiliate links more efficiently. ThirstyAffiliates allowed her to cloak her links, making them prettier and less likely to be flagged as spam. It also made it easier to insert links into her content, saving her time and allowing her to focus on creating high-quality content. After several months of consistent effort, Sarah began to see a tangible return on her investment. Her monthly earnings steadily increased, and she was getting positive feedback from her audience. People appreciated the value she was providing, and moreover, they trusted her recommendations. This trust translated into higher click-through rates and more conversions. The journey wasn't without its hiccups. There were times when certain campaigns didn't perform as expected, and she had to go back to the drawing board. But every setback was a learning opportunity, and every failure a stepping stone to success. By continually refining her approach and leveraging the right tools, Sarah was able to build a sustainable affiliate marketing business. In conclusion, Sarah's story underscores the importance of using the right tools in affiliate marketing. Platforms like AWin connect affiliates with advertisers, SEMrush aids in keyword research, Google Analytics provides essential performance insights, and ThirstyAffiliates manages links efficiently. These tools, combined with a commitment to producing high-quality, valuable content, can turn a fledgling side hustle into a successful business. Affiliate marketing isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but with the right approach and tools, it offers a viable path to financial freedom. So, if you're inspired by Sarah’s journey, why not take the plunge and start your own affiliate marketing adventure today?

[jewels2876]

Eye Candy

A/N: Part 2 of Neighbor Tom is here! Sorry for the delay - I meant to post yesterday but work has been crazy and with the workouts I started doing again... I need more time in the day!

Summary: The reader gets to see a little more of Tom...

Word Count: 1007

Divider by the amazing @firefly-graphics​

Series link

I would love any feedback/reblogs/love in general but my work is *NOT* permitted to be used in any other way, on any other sites, without my express permission  

Saturday morning started like any other Saturday for you. The alarm on your watch buzzed at its usual time; you groaned and hit the okay button on your watch, blinking slowly. Sunlight filtered through your curtains as the birds chirped away outside. Slowly you sat up, yawning and stretching your arms above your head; the stretching continued as you rolled your head gently from side to side before swinging your legs over the bedside. You squealed as your toes met the cold wood floor. Looking down, you spotted your slippers against the wall; quickly you stood and stuffed your feet into your slippers. A strange whirring sound caught your attention; your head tilted right, then left, trying to place the sound.

You padded your way from your bedroom, down the hall, and into your open concept kitchen, living room, and dining room. The whirring grew louder which you tried to ignore as you approached your Keurig. You loaded your favorite cappuccino blend and pressed the button for the large cup; the whirring died down for a second before growing louder once more. After a few minutes, the coffee machine sang its “I’m done” tune. You took a sip immediately, sighing as the hot liquid coated your tongue before sliding down your throat. You heard the whirring again and ventured a peek out of the window of your side door.

Neighbor Tom held an edger in his hands, his back to you as he trimmed the grass along his driveway. That much didn’t surprise you, given he had been anxious to mow his lawn just a few days ago. What did surprise you was his naked back, the muscles stretching, pulling, then contracting as he moved with graceful ease. Now this is a view I can wake up to! You took another sip of your coffee as you drank in his form.

Tom could feel the eyes on his back, grinning to himself. He had been trying to meet you since the day he had moved in, catching a glimpse of you dancing around in your living room in a tank top and boy shorts that same day. He had been drawn to you instantly and spent a few days and nights trying to figure out the perfect way to introduce himself. The day you had rescued him from Nancy and Jill, he had noted your interest at his bare chest and a lightbulb went on in his head. Shaking his head slightly to bring himself back to the present, he turned the edger off and turned to wave at you, his smile still stretched across his face.

You waved back shyly, a one-handed death grip on your coffee. He turned back to the trimming and you swore under your breath. He’s honestly gonna be the death of me!

“Y/n come on! We’re gonna be late!” Sarah yelled from your living room.

“It wasn’t my idea to invite him!” you yelled back from your bedroom. You were only half-dressed, as you stood in front of your closet trying to decide on a top.

“Just go with the black swing top with the flower print,” Sarah said from behind you, making you jump back a bit.

“Jesus, warn a girl before scaring her, will ya?” You grimaced at Sarah before grabbing the suggested top and slipping it over your head. “Satisfied?”

Sarah threw you a thumbs up. “Now grab your purse and let’s go already! I don’t want to be late!”

You stuck your tongue out at her and turned to pick up your silver hoop earrings, sliding each one into your ears. “Says the person who is usually running late.” 

Sarah grabbed the wristlet you had already put together and shoved it in your now free hands. “Come on! I want to be the envy of all the ladies when they see us with him!” She grabbed your other hand and pulled you out of the bedroom.

“Fine, but you’re driving!”

Music blared from the jukebox as you and Sarah entered the bar. It was a hole-in-the-wall that drew locals in night after night. You spotted Tom at a table in the center of the room and made a beeline, Sarah close behind. “Hey!” you yelled as he grinned at the two of you. “Sorry, we’re late!”

Tom shook his head and stood, pulling out a stool which you promptly took. “I wasn’t worried. Looks half the town is here already.”

Sarah wiggled her eyebrows at you as she took the other stool. “Don’t look now, but guess who’s spotted us?”

“TOM!” You heard the voice shrill in delight; you cringed before turning to greet Nancy and Jill. “You should join us!”

Tom politely declined. “I”m the guest of Sarah and y/n. It would be rude of me to abandon them.”

Nancy waved her right hand, as her elbow stayed firmly at her side. “They can handle the normal riffraff; you really should sit with us.” Her left hand settled on his right forearm. Tom smiled politely and removed her hand from his arm.

“I appreciate the offer Nancy, but I’ll stay where I’m at. Thank you.”

Nancy’s sneer made a brief appearance before she schooled her face and simpered at Tom. “Aren’t you dear, being social with our less popular neighbors? Well, you guys have fun!” And with as much as her fake enthusiasm would allow her, Nancy trounced off.

You blew out the breath you didn’t know you were holding. “You lucky bastard.”

Tom chuckled. “I think we’re all lucky they didn’t offer to join us instead.”

Sarah started to open her mouth, then noticed the waitress who came to take their orders. “Three boilermakers all around, on me.” The waitress nodded and walked away. Tom cocked his head at the two of you with a rueful grin.

“Boilermakers? You two don’t play around do you?”

“It’s our warm-up. Karaoke night isn’t the same without one. Right y/n?”

Tom gulped. “Karaoke night?”

[buckybarnesdiaries]

bucky barnes x reader. masterlist.

part 1 — part 2 (soon)

a / n. this is a series of 15 mini-drabbles to celebrate the 500 followers' milestone, based on one word for each story. this first part contains 8, and the next one contains 7. it was supposed to be posted one story per day, but by that way, it'd take me to last an eternity to post other works / requests.

words. 1.533.

warning, tags. none, just a bunch of fluffy and cute situations with bucky.

join my tag list.

necklace;

It was the first time since you started to date that Bucky had to leave for a mission. Neither of the two of you knew when he'd be back, and that got you worried than ever. You were conscious of what he did for a living when you met him, but you couldn't help but feel scared. Next to the front door of your apartment, Bucky left his backpack on the floor, leaning to cup your cheeks on his palms and kiss your lips tortuously slow.

“I'll be okay, (Y/N)”. He murmured keeping his eyes closed.

“You better”.

Your hidden threat made him giggle. The soldier felt goosebumps bristling his skin as your fingertips toured his neck blindly, just to put in place the chain of his necklace. But soon, Bucky stopped your moves to take it off from him and place his dog tags on you.

“I'll come back for them”. He promised, fixing his pale blue orbs on yours, holding your hands to bring them to his lips and place fond kisses on every knuckle of both. “I love you, don' forget it, okay?”

“I won't... How could I, Buck?”

eclipsed;

Bucky was sweating, still not believing he was about to get married to the love of his life. He was on the altar, waiting for you and surrounded by all of your friends in common. Steve had had to help him with a panic attack he had suffered while dressing up, thinking that maybe you could change your opinion at the last moment. He couldn't blame you. But all those doubts vanished at the second you crossed the huge, heavy doors of the church. Your beauty eclipsed him, wearing a white lace wedding dress and seeming like you floated over the floor. Just like an angel.

His heart jumped. His oceanic eyes got covered in tears. A giggle escaped his lips, stretching a hand towards you, still praying it's not a dream. And you noticed the tension and the nervousness running his veins, leaning forward to kiss his cheek with all the love you felt for your future husband.

“Can't wait to say yes”. You whispered into his ear, causing Bucky to lace his arms around you and embrace you tight and tenderly. “I love you, James, from now and forever”.

sunset;

After his most recent nightmare and walking all grumpy from one side of another around your house, you decided to cheer him up only like you can do. With reluctance, you managed to get him out of your apartment and drag him to your car. Bucky was like a child, cross-armed, lips puckered and frowning annoyed. He tried to hide the fact that he had another nightmare to not worry you, but you weren't stupid.

Thinking that glimpsing the beach throughout the large front window would make him feel happier, your boyfriend just reclined himself on the seat, causing you to roll your eyes. That mood changed as soon as Bucky was sitting on the sand, between your legs, tho. His back was resting against your chest and his neck was wrapped by one of your arms, watching fascinated the sunset on the horizon. He wouldn't recognize it, but he felt much better hearing the waves crashing into the shore, while you stroked his scalp tenderly using the tip of your nails.

“You're welcome, grumpy mummy”.

clingy;

You didn't want to drink, but Sam and Sarah wanted to celebrate that the family business was picking up. On another occasion, you wouldn't mind, but Bucky was there. So, when everything started to spin around, you lead your clumsy steps to the edge of the harbor, having a sit there and let the soft breeze help you.

“Stop”. You heard from behind.

“Uh?”

“You're stealing my antisocial personality”. Bucky chuckled, taking a seat by your side. “What's up? Why are you here all alone?”

“Truth or lie?” You asked tilting your head towards him, raising both eyebrows.

“Truth”. He scoffed as if it wasn't obvious.

“I'm too clingy when I'm drunk”.

“Can't see the problem there”.

You chuckled, shaking your head inevitably, causing him to pucker his lips with a funny grimace.

“What?”

“Tru—”.

“Truth”.

“I've been all night wanting to rub your beard”.

Bucky exploded in loud laughter, not believing your words until you put your hands on his jawline. “God... It's so soft”.

His laughs increased, causing you to burn in shame. “No more drinks for you, ma'am...”

But the fact was that he turned to you, so it could be easy to caress his face.

safe;

Bucky was deadly tired on the sofa, warmly cuddled between your arms. A while ago, he stopped to pay attention to the movie, turning his back to the TV to hide his exhausted expression on your chest. You placed the cozy blanket over your bodies, making sure it covered both of you, being aware that tonight you'd sleep there. You felt sorry just at the thought of waking him up, seeing him peacefully breathing and his face more relaxed than the last few days.

Shutting off the TV and stretching an arm above your head, you turned off the small lamp on the auxiliary table close to the sofa, before getting comfier by Bucky's side. Your boyfriend purred delighted, still sleepy, as your fingers got tangled on his hair and started to scratch his scalp slowly, urging you somehow to place a leg over his waist, so he could settle between both a little more closely.

“Feel better?”

“I feel safe”. He replied in a low breath, to exhale the sweet scent concentrated on your neck.

“You're safe, James. You're at home”. Your calmed tone made him sigh, snuggling you strongly.

stay;

You snapped awake because of some knocks on the front door. Tossing the sheets to a side of the bed, you grabbed the gun under your pillow. It was stupidity. If somebody wanted to kill you, that would be the last thing they'd do: knock the door. You walked slowly, step by step, through the main hallway aiming to the door, more than ready to shoot your assailant.

“It's... Bucky”. You heard from the other side.

Sighing in relief and closing your eyes for a split second, you left the weapon on the dinner table in the living room. Not doubting on opening the door, you couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when you noticed the reddened mark around his left eye and cheek.

“Can I, uh... stay tonight with you?” Bucky inquired, licking his upper lip ashamed, bowing his eyes down to his boots covered in dust.

“C'mon, Sergeant”. You invited him to walk in, using such a sweet tone, while holding his cold hand.

He looked like shit but felt much better when his arms got wrapped around your waist and middle-back, hiding his face into your neck. Kicking the door shut, you embraced him tighter to your body.

notebook;

You were lying on the opposite side to Bucky on the sofa, but keeping your legs tangled. It was a rainy evening with nothing to do and you decided to start to read the book you bought last week. Your boyfriend was silently doing something in a notebook. Maybe writing memories, maybe doodling, you didn't know. But the third time you caught him staring at you, you had to ask.

“What?”

“Uh... nothing”. He whispered focused on the paper in front of his eyes.

“Whaaat?” You kicked his right leg with your bare foot causing him to chuckle.

“Nothing!” Bucky replied using the same playfully tone of voice.

Putting the book on the coffee table, you sat up to lie on top of him, cuddling between his legs and resting your head on his chest. Glancing to the sketch of yourself he was drawing, you raised your heart-eyes to his. It was such a piece of art. The drawing and Bucky. Both.

“I learned in Romania. It kept me sane sometimes”. He confessed, leaning to place a kiss on your forehead. “I want to remember you forever”.

marshmallow;

“Truth or dare?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, leaning on the table just like you did, challenging him. He was trying to read your mind to figure out which were your intentions.

“Dare”. He answered firmly.

“Put twenty marshmallows in your mouth”.

The soldier stared at you in silence, watching him lick his inner cheek and push it with the tip of his tongue. He nodded his head then, grabbing the plastic bag without losing eye contact, to start to place —one by one— the sweets into his mouth. In less than thirty seconds, he looked like a squirrel with his cheek swollen. Bucky squinted at you again, triumphant.

“Hold on, I need to capture this moment”. You laughed, catching your phone to take a picture.

When the flash went off, he spitted a marshmallow like a shotgun. And you couldn't help but laugh.

“C'mon, Bu—”.

You didn't finish the sentence, being hit by another marshmallow slightly wet because of his saliva. Your grimace turned into a funny disgust, grabbing it back to throw it to his face.

“You're like a five years old in a body fos— STOP!” You ended up giggling as he spitted you the third one.

feedback is appreciated, please, leave a comment to let me know if you liked it.

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[tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar]

I'm in the Corner

Summary: Being best friends and liking the biggest flirt on Outer Banks sucks.

Word Count: 537

Note: I wrote this at 1am within thirty minutes since the song "Dancing on My Own" by Calum Scott inspired me to be in a sad angst mood. I've never really written a songfic before and I know that if I don't post this now, I'll never do it...SO I HOPE YOU LOVE IT AND FEEDBACK IS KINDA COOL, JUST SAYING.

Somebody said you got a new friend?

Does she love you better than I can?

"Helloooooo!" Pope sings, waving his hand in front of your face. You force out a laugh, "I'm sorry. What's up?"

He rolls his eyes before he repeats himself as he refills someone's drink, head pointing towards the made-up sandy dance floor. "I asked you and John B if you guys think our idiot friend will bring his new lady friend back to the Chateau."

"He better not try to lock me out. It's my house." John B hands you a filled cup, smiling softly at you. "You look like you need this."

You give him a quick fake smile. Luckily he understands that he shouldn't have heard your confession last month during a late night girl chat in the hammocks.

There's a big black sky over my town

I know where you're at, I bet she's around

His laugh gets your attention.

Again.

It's like a car crash, you can't look away as JJ pulls the touron closer to his chest and leans down to pull her hair aside to say something in her ear. You watch as her face turns red and wish she could get embarrassed- like how you do when he is being his flirting and goofy self towards you- and walk away. But she doesn't. Instead she smirks when his grip on her hips tighten.

You can't blame her for being happy to think she finally got his attention. You clutch onto your red solo cup harder for remembering that yesterday, during lunch at the Wreck, she didn't hear him telling Kiara to please write down his number on her recipe.

He didn't notice Kiara glancing over to you but he did hear her saying, "fuck off JJ." Before she went back to work.

You shrugged your shoulders as a response when he asked, "What the hell was that about?"

And yeah, I know it's stupid

But I just gotta see it for myself

Kiara jumps to your side when you slam the cup down on the table.

"I'm gonna go dance."

Sarah shoves her way to stand between you two and interlocks arms together.

"Perfect, let's go." From the table, John B can barely hear Kiara yelling at a group of guys to make some room as Sarah shoves them away.

He watches as his best friend looks up towards you. The girls make sure you're not facing him but after jumping around, you turn and you drop your arms to your side and mutter, "stupid" to yourself.

I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her

I'm right over here, why can't you see me?

You look at each other as soon as the first note comes through the speakers. It's the song that you love humming to and he always turns up the van's radio all the way and get you laughing over the noise as he sings badly and mocks the dance moves he has seen you do.

JJ looks away as soon as a guy taps on your shoulder and held out his hand for a dance.

──────────────

Tag(you're it)ging people that I know love reading my other stuff: @pixelated-pogues @jjsbxtch @latenitewolves @softstarkey @harrysbbby @dpaccione @jjmaybanksbaby @mahleeyuh @mrsmaybankhere @poguequeen @poguestyleskye @baby3456 @sadserenadex @wildflower-obx @afterglowsb-tch13 @softstarkey @katie-avery @ktwiobx @sexualparkour

Maybe one day I'll write a part 2 that's so much better than this.

[harrysbbby]

Don’t Forget Where You Belong -  JJ Maybank x Reader - Part Three

A/N: new part!!! feedback is always appreciated and please let me know if you’d like to be tagged

Part 1

Part 2

“Okay. So, um... we didn't see anything,” Pope said clearly stressed. “We need to have total and complete amnesia.”

“Actually, Pope's right for once,” JJ piped up. You shot him a confused look. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘and what about it, “See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny,” JJ continued to yabber on.

“Guys, we can't keep that money,” Kie said.

“Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara,” JJ shot back at her.

“We really should give it to Lana Grubbs. Technically it was her husbands.” You spoke, raising your hands defensively as JJ shot a glare at you.

“See,” Kie said gesturing towards you, “Otherwise, it's bad karma.”

“Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too,” Pope spoke directly and with conviction. He kept his head down.

“Pope…” you started but he cut you off.

“We gotta go dark.” He said, lifting his gaze to look around at all of you.

“If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree,” JJ settled. You went to open your mouth to say something, but John B’s voice cut you off.

“I don’t agree,” he said to JJ. He moved to the centre of the porch and began explaining as if he was giving a Ted Talk,

“Just think about it. This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden, he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'.”

“It is a little odd,” you said in agreeance, leaning back on your chair and nodding up at John B. He nodded back as if to say, ‘thank you’ and then turned to the rest of the group who still didn’t look quite as convinced.

“I don’t know…” Pope trailed off. Looking around at you all. He stood and grabbed a fishing rod from the side of the doorway and made his way out to the pontoon. JJ grabbed the other and followed. The five of you made your way out to the water, perching yourselves along the wooden structure. The boys launched their baits into the water as John B started up again.

“All right, so think about it, Pope: How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?” he asked. Pope didn’t even look up from his line as he deadpanned,

“Prostitution”

John B shook his head in disbelief, “Square groupers, bro. Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane. What does that mean?” He looked around at the rest of you. You and Kie just shrugged as John B sighed, “JJ?”

“They were straight smugglin'.” He answered

“Smuggling, really?” you asked.

“Yup,” John B asserted, “And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband.”  

“Hell, yeah,” JJ hooted. His line gave a sharp tug and he struggled to keep control as he reeled in it. “Fish on!”

The group decided that it would be a good idea to throw a kegger in order to “lay low”. Somehow this always seemed to happen, but regardless you helped Kie carry the red solo cups onto the beach and placed them next to the keg. You felt an arm rest again your shoulder and when you turned your head your eyes met JJ’s

“Hey hey,” you said to him, moving your arm to wrap it around his waist, “who will be your claim tonight? Pogue or touron?”

JJ was notorious for accumulating at least one hook-up from each of the Boneyard parties. You were able to hold your own every now and then managing to find a cute boy to occupy you for the night, but it wasn’t quite your thing as it was JJ’s.

“I don’t know, think I’m getting kinda over it,” he said shrugging avoiding your gaze. You head did a double take as you whacked his chest.

“JJ Maybank, over hook-ups at keggers? I think the world is ending!” You spoke melodramatically, placing the back of your hand against your forehead and pretending to faint onto him. He let out a small laugh as he grabbed your body that had fallen across his. You stood up again smiling back at him.

“Yeah, think I just want something… I don’t know, different?” in said in a questioning tone. You furrowed your brows at him. You could see the look on his face was stone-cold serious and it confused you. In all the years you had known JJ he had never spoken about relationships like this. You ruffled his hair as you joked with him to lighten the mood again,

“My little boy’s growing up!” you giggled as he picked you up off your feet and tossed you over his shoulder, a joking ‘piss off’ escaping his lips.

He placed you on your feet again before running off to give John B and Pope the drinks he’d originally come to the keg for. As watched him swagger away juggling the three drinks, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to the thought of JJ wanting that relationship with you. Although you met John B first, he was more like a brother, you had always seen JJ differently. Like when he’d run a hand through his hair to put his cap on backwards your breath would catch in your throat. Or when you could feel your skin spark when he would grab your waist as he picked you up to toss you in the water. Or when you could feel your stomach drop and heart sink every time, he would get close to another girl.

You had always had a thing for JJ, but you knew the rule: no Pogue-on-Pogue macking. But it was killing you. You huffed as you took post next to Kie on the log, taking a huge gulp of your beer.

“You good?” she asked at the sight of your clearly distressed demeanour. “Let me guess, JJ?”

“Shh,” you shushed her placing your hand vigorously over her mouth. “Be quiet, I told you that in confidence.”

You and Kie, being the only two girls, would go to each other for anything that even entered the realm of emotional. The other boys just didn’t understand the need to articulate one’s feelings. You had told Kie about your crush on JJ a few months prior, and she had listened like a best friend should. But she agreed with you when you expressed your concerns about ruining your friendship. As much as you liked him, your friendship with him and the other Pogues was something you had to consider if you decided to risk it on a potential relationship.

“But yes, it is JJ. He said something super weird about not wanting to hook-up with anyone cause he wants something “different”.” You said, emphasising the different and looking at her with a bewildered expression. She hummed as she sipped her drink, clearly mulling over the information.

“That’s good though, right?” she asked, “he might like you too then?”

You shook your head at her,

“No, he said “different”, Kie. I’m normal, someone he sees every day. We’re routine.”

“I guess,” she shrugged. As you remembered what had been playing on the back of your mind, you perked up.

“Although,” you dragged out looking at her with pure excitement. She raised her eyebrows at your tone, “what we really need to talk about is you and John B,” you said nudging her with your elbow.

She looked down shyly, “what’s there to know?” she said playing dumb.

“Oh, come on Kie! You kissed him!”

“I did not,” she said sternly, “I only kissed him on the cheek,” she said flipping her over her shoulder.

You kept your eyes trained her as you narrowed them. She looked at you expectantly before she rolled her eyes.

“No! Y/N, god no! I don’t like him, okay? Not like that.” She said giving you a shove which made your coy smile slip slowly from your face. “I’m just worried about him.”

She looked over to where John B was chatting to a girl with long blonde hair. You nodded, accepting her answer as you felt a body sit beside you. You turned to see the usual mop of blonde hair that was usually in your face. Kie smiled as she slid her sunglasses off her face and onto your nose. You laughed as she did, saying she was going to go chat to John B.

You slyly turned around to JJ, the red, love heart sunnies on your eyes. As you did you slid them down your nose and popped your elbow on your hip, giving him a pout.

“What do you think?” you asked him cheekily.

“I mean you’ve looked worse,” he joked.

“Oh, shut up JJ!”

***

You heard the sound of fist hitting skin, followed the commotion of yelling. You looked up from your conversation with Pope to see Topper tackling JJ. You and Pope ran to the front of group that was forming. By the time you were there JJ was out of the equation and John B was shoving Topper.

“We’re supposed to be incognito remember?” Pope yelled. Sarah was trying to break up the fight, but Topper landed a punch on John B face. JJ went to go forward, but you put your hands against his chest.

“Nuh, uh.” You said holding him back. You looked down at your face with an aggressive expression but relaxed once he met your eyes. He lightly shoved your hands off his chest, huffing as the two of you turned to watch the scene unfold.

“Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?” you heard Topper growl. JJ held your shoulders as he saw your body go to move forwards, as rage heated your insides.

“Fight, fight, fight!” the crowd kept chanting as John stayed crouched in the water. John B grunted as he tackled Topper into the water.

“Stop you guys!” you heard Kie yell as the boys continued to wrestle. John B nabbed a punch straight into Topper’s face.

“That's what I'm talking' about” JJ jeered.

“Come on!” “You wanna go?” “Come onnnn!”

The boys were yelling viscously at one another as they sized each other up. Topper landed a sharp blow to John B’s nose making him stumble back into the water.

“Stop!” the scream ripped from your throat. It hurt you to see someone doing this to John B.

“Come on, Topper! Let’s go!” John B yelled at him, fire in his eyes as he pounded his chest.

Topper flipped John B into the water and pinned his face down. John B’s arms flailed as he struggled.

“He’s drowning him!” Pope said, distressed.

“I know,” Kie replied with an equally amount of anxiety laced in her voice.

“We need to do something!” you looked around helplessly.

You saw JJ move from beside you and lift his hand up to Topper’s hand brandishing something black and sleek and metal. You heard it click. Oh no.

“Yeah, you know what that is,” JJ spoke menacingly, pushing the barrel further to Topper’s head, “Your move, broski.”

“Chill dude!” Pope called.

“JJ,” you said warningly, stepping towards him both arms outstretched.

“Put the gun down,” Sarah said calmly. JJ didn’t even move to face her as he fired back,

“Did you say somethin', princess?”

“We're good. We're good.” Topper said, his arms raised in surrender. “All right? Come on, man!”

“Y/N can you check your psycho friend, please?” Sarah yelled gesturing to JJ. You moved towards him as he pushed Topper to the ground. You placed your arms on his shoulders “JJ, please” but he pushed you aside as he charged forward.

“Okay, everyone, listen up!” his voice billowed across the boneyard, “Get the hell off our side of the island!”

He fired the gun into the air twice.  

“Are you crazy?” “You idiot!” “It’s not worth it!”

Pope and Kiara were screaming at JJ. “I was saving his life okay?”

Topper and Sarah had bolted once the gun had fired. You turned to see John B struggle to rise up from the water, only to slump and fall back in, water gushing over him again.

“Guy!” you called to them, but they were still yelling – “You're gonna jeopardize everything” – and you knew you couldn’t move John B alone. You grasped his head to keep his head above water so he could breath as you shouted again, “HEY!” there was gravel in your voice as you used all your might to get their attention. The three of them instantly pivoted towards you, taken aback from your uncharacteristic show of aggression towards your friends, “help me.”

You all managed to get John B back to the Chateau. Between the four of you, you managed to carry him inside and lay him on his bed. You had been silent the whole time, all of you, not daring to be the first to speak.

Pope, the often peace maker piped up first, “I think I’m gonna head home.”

Usually after a kegger you would all pass out, still mildly drunk on any surface at John B’s, but after tonight’s events, none of you wanted to stick around much.

“Me too. I’ll drop you,” Kie said. She gave you a small smile and wave as she and Pope exited the room. You were standing in the doorway of John B’s bedroom, observing at his passed-out body. He was breathing fine, just exhausted. So, you came to the conclusion that he would be fine, just needed a decent sleep. You could see the bruise forming on his face, so you made a mental note to check on it and make sure he iced it when you inevitably saw him the next morning.

JJ was sitting on the end of the pull-out couch. He watched the back of your body as you leant against the door frame. He did not dare to say a word to you before you spoke to him. By the glare you had given him as you gathered everyone’s things as he and Pope lugged John B’s body home, he knew you were furious.

He looked like a wounded puppy when turned around to face him.

“Want a ride?” you asked. All he could do to answer was nod.

You drove in silence all the way to JJ’s house. Usually you would just have him stay at your house. Your stepdad was usually oblivious to your actions and your mum didn’t really care what you did as long as you were safe, so JJ was always welcomed. But not by you tonight, not after what he did. No matter how much you wanted him to stay and not have to be in a house with his dad. You needed time to cool off.

You switched the engine of your car off as you pulled into the grassed drive of his house. You sighed as you ran a hand through your hair.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said keeping your eyes trained forward.

“Y/N…” JJ started but you cut him off.

“No,” you said holding your hand up in front of him. His brows were furrowed together, and his eyes were glassy, and it made you feel terrible. But he needed to hear what you had to say, “what you did tonight was so fucking stupid, JJ. I hate Topper as much as you do but you could have killed him.”

JJ went to open his mouth, but you raised your hand before he could speak.

“I know he was drowning John B, but you didn’t have to pull a gun on him. Word of this is gonna spread, and there’s gonna be consequences to that. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” you looked him directly in the eyes. You could see an emotion flash over them, was it guilt? It was something you definitely hadn’t seen before. You felt some tears well up in your eyes. “You’re just so reckless sometimes JJ. You’re gonna get yourself killed! So please, just think a little more next time okay?” you begged him as a single tear slipped from your eye. You hastily wiped it as he nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said pulling you in for a hug. You wrapped your arms as far around his torso as you could from across the center console.

“S’okay, I just worry about you.”

“I know,” he said pulling back. He kept one hand outstretched on your arm, rubbing small circles with his fingers. “Please don’t cry.”

You laughed as you sniffled and wiped your nose with the back of your hand.

“You know I get emotional, especially when I’m drunk,” you laughed. He joined with you, but it wasn’t quite genuine as it usually was. He sheepishly looked forward, avoiding your gaze, “but thanks for the most awkward hug of my life.”

This grabbled a candid cackle from the back of throat as you smiled.

“Yeah remind me to not try and have a moment over the gear stick of a car again,” he said locking his eyes with yours.

“Ahaha, yeah…” you said, holding his stare.

“Yeah,” he responded still looking deeply into your eyes.

You don’t know how long you stayed like that. Time moved differently with JJ. Eventually, he cleared his throat and opened his door, triggering the inside light. You cringe at the brightness after having stared at JJ eyes in the dim for so long.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked standing in the door, crouching down to make eye contact.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you affirmed. JJ shut the door with a solid thunk and wandered inside his shack.

You took a deep breath as you pressed the start engine button. You rested your head against the steering wheel as you groaned: what was this boy doing to you?

Tag list:

@downbytheouterbanks​ @thesailbells​ @sexualparkour​ @bestfriendmagic​ @mileven-reddie​ @nikki082489​ @treestarrrrrrrr​ @mynamessusan​ @kristinaxilliano​ @love-bean​ @lauraxwndrlnd​

[talkfantasytome]

Part of my attempt to re-post answers I've given, without the context of specific links to posts based on this feedback and advice.

Anon Ask: Linked me to a few posts about E\ain, her possible story, and the Fourth item of the Dread Trove. My thoughts on that item possibly being "unmade" and E\ain being able to "remade" them. Thought on how Koschei was preparing for Az, and how the item being cloaked in shadow could be a link to Az and the item. And how E\ain relates to the hounds of the Night Court, which were used by the Daglan. How the greeting the Book of Breathings gave Feyre in ACOMAF is actually foreshadowing E\ain and her connection there.

If I may, my first suggestion would be to block certain tags. That might help calm you. <3 I tend to avoid E\ain-Azriel theories, because they anger me at times. Especially ones like these where they try to take what some other character has and give it to E\ain. I'm seeing it all over the place and it's infuriating me. Not because I hate E\ain. No.

Because I actually want E\ain to be a good character.

And, I'm sorry, but giving E\ain other people's stories, powers, etc. that we've already seen is not making her a good character. It's making her a repeat.

So, let me start with this:

Nesta wasn't able to "unmade" Briallyn because she was made by the Cauldron. Nesta didn't create those made weapons because she was made by the Cauldron.

Those came from the power she TORE from the Cauldron, literally. Nesta had this "made" power because she TOOK it. E\ain did not take that power. E\ain was gifted the power to be a Seer because the Cauldron found her so lovely. And the Cauldron still found her lovely after it made her, which means she didn't steal anything from it at all.

So, any theory that has anything to do with E\ain having powers like what Nesta displayed are completely inaccurate and ignore the fact that Nesta's powers did not come from her being made but from what she took from the Cauldron.

Yes, E\ain might have a connection with made objects, she might be able to find them as Nesta did. But she would not be able to create them herself. Or "unmade" someone. (I really don't know if I can use the term unmake here. 😂) She may be able to wield the Dread Trove, but that's also a big MAYBE. And I say that not because I think E\ain isn't powerful or strong enough, but because no one really thought or talked about E\ain being able to wield them as Nesta did. Maybe it's because they just forget about her, or maybe it's because they're not sure she'd be able to considering her power is different.

IDK.

Basically, I don't believe that first concept can be right, because while maybe E\ain can wield the Dread Trove, she wouldn't be able to "made" or "unmade" objects. That, to the best of our knowledge, is a power that Nesta got in her blessed thievery.

And no, that's not a power the Cauldron would have just given E\ain, because that power was part of the essence of the Cauldron. In stealing that power, Nesta broke it a bit. So the Cauldron would have had to break itself to give that power to E\ain...which means Nesta would not have become Fae the way she did.

Also, for the record, Nesta didn't "unmade" Briallyn and then kill her. She killed her by "unmading" her. Because Nesta's power was DEATH. And that sure as hell ain't E\ain's.

That second argument, on the other hand, was just incredibly focused on Azriel incorrectly. I talked about that earlier. Because Koschei wasn't preparing for Az. They were laying the trap for Cassian. Why do you think Briallyn had been so silent for those months between Solstice and then? And even before then. Emerie's cousin was influenced by Briallyn by the second time Nesta met Emerie. They were laying that trap for well over half a year. THAT's what Koschei was talking about.

You can tell he was preparing for Cassian, because Cassian's the one he froze. It's not about Az. It just feels that way if you're so focused on one character you don't take the time to actually read and see what's happening in the book. While I'm all about critical reading, that also means taking the time to see if those questions are actually already answered in the book, and they are. But if you're only thinking about Az, you might miss the answers placed at your feet about Cassian and Nesta - the main characters of the book.

It is absolutely possible that Az has a tie in to the fourth item, some way. I think in one they suggested that maybe it was hidden by a shadowshinger, so a shadowsinger must find it. I could see it potentially happening. It could be how they tie the next book into the larger, Koschei plot, which is going to be an overarching plot in books 4 and 5 before becoming the main plot in book 6. Since we will be seeing more Valkyrie stuff, and likely more Illyrian stuff too. So, like, this could happen, but that would likely bring more Nesta in. She's the one that noticed there might be a fourth Trove item. Why would that plot point then go to E\ain? Other than to give E\ain another character's plot points and journey? And SJM's not going to do that. She's going to give E\ain her own arc, her own powers and plot.

As for using what the Book of Breathings said to Feyre as a foreshadowing of E\ain being able to become a fanged beast, that's almost going way too far with that stuff, considering the fact that I doubt Sarah had planned that far ahead with that much detail these later books when she was writing ACOMAF. I don't mean that in a way to degrade Sarah. It's just that she was focused on the original trilogy, and while she likely had ideas and thoughts about everyone's journeys, she did have to first and foremost focus on the books she was actually contracted for. She didn't have the contract for the next three yet when she was writing ACOMAF (I think?).

Also, and I've said this before, anything in ACOMAF that people claim is foreshadowing for Azriel and E\ain, isn't. When Sarah was writing ACOMAF she was still planning on Mor and Azriel being endgame. She made that change when she was writing ACOWAR. So, literally, nothing in ACOMAF foreshadows E\ain and Azriel, not purposefully. And, if it's not purposeful, it's not actually foreshadowing.

That being said, that's also not how I would interpret that message and, not going to lie, I could interpret it in a way that's likely a better prediction of E\ain and Az, not that I believe it is one because, again, it was done in ACOMAF. But, let me show you anyway:

“Life and death and rebirth. Sun and moon and dark. Rot and bloom and bones. Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me.” (ACOMAF - Chapter 57)

So, first of all, this is in Chapter 57. That's well before Nesta and E\ain became Fae. So, the book was only talking to Feyre. HOWEVER, you could argue that this line is actually foreshadowing what will happen to Nesta and E\ain:

Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn.

Think about it. Feyre is "Lady of night, princess of decay." That's clearly one person, as there's just a comma. In the next line it says "hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn". That could easily mean Nesta and E\ain. Fanged beast = Nesta. Trembling fawn = E\ain. It may not. BUT IT COULD. So this line literally could be foreshadowing that they are about the be made.

Now, IF I didn't know that SJM at that point was planning on Mor an Az to be endgame, I'd be more worried about the next line.

Love me, touch me, sing me.

Mind you, I don't think that the Book's words would be foreshadowing for endgame couples, either. But, if it was - love me = Feyre & Rhys. Touch me = Nesta & Cassian - I mean, think about how important touch is to both of them and in their relationship. Sing me, then, could mean E\ain's love interest, and obvs that would sound like Az.

Now, as I said, we know this isn't the case, cause at that point, Moriel was the plan. Also, more than that, the Book of Breathings is heavily linked to the Cauldron. So, even if it was doing that, it would be foreshadowing mates, not endgame (if there's a difference), because mates are determined by the Cauldron.

So, yeah, it's not doing that. But, like, is that not a fairly decent argument? (This is why my dad wanted me to be a lawyer. I'm pretty good at debating from either side. 😂)

And, even if no one fully believes me about any of that, then tell me this - how is it that multiple lines refer to E\ain, but nothing is referring to Nesta in that? This argument basically says that this greeting from the Book of Breathings is entirely E\ain foreshadowing. Before E\ain was even made Fae.

That doesn't make sense. Why would there be so much focus on E\ain at that point that it's foreshadowing stuff that Sarah may or may not have known yet, but none about Nesta? When both were turned Fae at the same time, and we ended up with Nesta's book first.

For now, I'm going to guess that, IF that quote was foreshadowing anything about the sisters, it was that they were going to be Made into Fae. But, in the end, that quote is focused on Feyre first. So the foreshadowing of them turning Fae makes sense. But that paragraph is not E\ain-centric, it's Feyre-centric.

Don't get me wrong. I do think the fact that E\ain is Made is important. And maybe she will end up being the one to find the fourth Trove item, but I'm not yet convinced. And I don't think the fact that it's in shadow means it has something to do with Az as much as, like Nesta suggested, it's just that it's been glamoured like the others.

One other thing, but I noticed there's also an argument that E\ain is obvious for book five because of her vision about Koschei's box. But, we know that Koschei, being the large, overarching plot, is going to come to a head in book 6. So why would that make E\ain book 5?

These arguments align E\ain so much with Koschei, and then say it means she's got book 5, but Koschei's end is book 6. Book 5, like with ACOSF, is going to have it's own plot, and Koschei is going to be tied into it as the larger, overarching plot. But there's nothing about what the main plot for an Az-E\ain book would be. Because, for E\ain, her plot will be heavily linked with Koschei.

We have to remember that Sarah has said all three books are "standalone" books. What that means is that, while there is an overarching plot (Koschei), each book will also have it's own plot, with a climax surrounding that plot. For Nesta, it was the Dread Trove and Briallyn. And Koschei was tied into it, to show he was pulling strings. That's what's going to happen with book 5. And then book 6, it'll be more of a Koschei centered plot.

If E\ain is book 5, then that's two Koschei centered plots, and book 5 and book 6 are not standalones. They are a duology.

Lastly, to talk about chapter 20 from ACOSF, which was briefly mentioned - the one where E\ain says she'll find the Trove. Some believe that scene was foreshadowing E\ain and Az. It wasn't. It may have been foreshadowing some involvement E\ain will have with the Trove. But that doesn't automatically mean it'll be E\ain and Az. It literally just means she could have involvement with it.

However, considering the timing of that scene, being the literal day after that fight E\ain and Nesta had, where Nesta basically pointed out how E\ain dos nothing, I think that that scene was also a sign of who E\ain truly is.

Because E\ain didn't do shit about the Trove. She offered and then did nothing. My guess: because she didn't actually want to do something. All she wanted to do was prove Nesta wrong. Be like "look, see, I'm doing more, I'm better than you". E\ain started to show some true colors in ACOSF, and they're not all sunshine and flowers and rainbows.

However, in the end, I'm not saying anyone is wrong about E\ain and the fourth Dread Trove object. I hope they are, because I truly hope that E\ain will get her own stuff and her own plot. But E\ain and Nesta are not the same, and that's VERY important to remember. E\ain cannot create Made objects, she can not "Unmade" someone or something. Because that's something that came from Nesta stealing the Cauldron's power. And, on top of that, even if E\ain does get the fourth Dread Trove item, that doesn't automatically mean it's an Az-E\ain book. There's actually no reason to believe that. And, remember, any time you see an argument that there's Az-E\ain foreshadowing in ACOMAF, you'll know they're wrong, because at that point Sarah had a different endgame in mind, and she had that endgame in mind until after she finished writing that book. :)

That being said, I'm still thinking that E\ain is getting Swan Lake/Vasilisa the Beautiful.

I very much hope that calmed you. Sorry it's long. I'm glad to hear you consider me not in the middle of the ship war. I very much try not to be, though I'm sure these posts may not fully be helping. LOL. But I do stay out of other people's posts, and I try to consider everything outside of the relationships as well.

[ilovefandoms102]

Part 14*

Summary: The Pogues go back to the Crain mansion to get the gold..what could possibly go wrong?

Taglist:

@ma10427 @lasnaro @certainstatesmantoadartisan @iamaunicorn4704 @riverdaleserpent04 @justcallmesams @sspidermanss @tangledinsparkles @jellyfishbeansontoast @hurricane-abigail @outerbongs @gviosca @eb15

Part 13 Part 15 

Note: Hope you guys have enjoyed this series as much as I have writing it! It means the world to me when you guys message me about how much you like this story, I was so nervous to post it and didn’t expect to get so much positive feedback. Thank you so much to every single person who has read this!

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JJ and I headed back to the chateau, reluctantly of course. My brother decided tonight would be the night we went and retrieved the gold from the Crain mansion. He wouldn’t stop calling both JJ and I, so we had to cut our date shorter than either of us would have liked. 

“What if all we find is the remains of Mr.Crain?” JJ asked, nervously biting his lip.

“Would you stop with that shit babe, Mrs. Crain did not kill her husband.” I said rolling my eyes at him.

“The only reason I’m even stepping foot near that place again is to get that gold.” JJ said.

“J, she’s not even going to know we’re there. She can’t hear or see.” I said, driving the boat to the dip by the chateau so JJ and I could drag up on the mainland. 

“She’s bat shit crazy, probably has like spidey senses or some shit babe” JJ said, helping me to pull the boat up. 

We walked into the chateau, my brother and Sarah sitting in the kitchen. I went into my room and changed into all black, tossing my old clothes in the hamper. I was a little chilly, so I threw on one of JJ’s sweatshirts.

“Pretty sure that’s mine” JJ said, coming in and throwing his stuff on his side of my room. He walked over closer to me, eyeing my outfit.

“Pretty sure I do the laundry around here so I have a right to wear what I want” I sassed back.

“You look hot in my clothes baby” he smiled, leaning down to kiss me. I chuckled, walking out of my room to the kitchen.

“So what’s the plan Bird?” I asked my brother.

I took out some things from around the kitchen to make stir fry. It being the cheapest thing I could buy and easy to make. I listened to John B, JJ and Sarah discussing the plan. 

“We’ll have to create a pulley so that I can be lowered down to get the gold.” John B said.

“How are we supposed to get 250 pounds of gold out?” Sarah asked.

“No way should we get all of it at once” JJ said. 

“Yeah, we need to just find one piece to take to someone and they can tell us how much it is. No reason to try and get it all if it’s not worth anything.” I said.

“Is it even safe to talk to anyone around here?” Sarah asked, irritating me with all her questions. 

“I’m confused to why you’re still here?” I asked. 

“Bubba, please” John B said, looking at me pleadingly.

“No John B, I’m not going to let some Kook tramp break your heart if this gold isn’t what everyone thinks it is.” I said, roughly placing things on the counter. I turned around to look at them. Sarah looking at the table and JJ giving me a ‘please stop’ look.

“She wants to help us, why is that not enough for you?” John B asked, he walked over to me and turned us to where our backs were facing JJ and Sarah.

“You are crazy if you think she’s not trying to set us up John Booker Routledge” I whispered.

“She’s not! I love her bubba, please just trust me. I promise you that is not her intentions.” he said.

“Birdie...” I sighed.

“Let me decide who is and isn’t good for me, please.” he said, gripping my hand. 

“Alright...but I’m still kicking her ass if she fucks with you” I said, moving back to the stove to continue cooking. 

“I love you” JJ said, coming up behind me and wrapping me in his arms. 

“You love me because I’m feeding you Maybank,” I joked, playfully pushing him away.

I finished dinner and we sat and ate. We got the stuff we needed to take to the Crain mansion. We piled in the van, picking up Kie and Pope on the way there. I was driving with JJ in the passenger seat, he was a nervous wreck. We got to the mansion, getting the stuff together before John B stopped us all.

“I just want to say, thank you guys. It means a lot for you guys to be here.” he said looking at each of us.

“Of course” Kie said, laughing.

“Always” Pope said, doing a handshake with my brother. Sarah blushing and looking down. 

“Alright are we done with the circle jerk?” JJ asked, throwing the rope over his shoulder. 

“I’m only here because I feel obligated as your older sister” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Two minutes” John B huffed. 

We made our way over the ledge and walked towards the middle of the yard. We started making our way towards the back side of the house when lights came on. We made a run by one of the trees and ducked under the taller bushes. 

“So she has motion sensor lights” Pope said. 

“Let’s throw a rock at them” JJ said, I looked over at him raising my brow.

“Are you dumb?” I asked sarcastically.

“What are we going to do about the light?” Kie asked.

“There’s and electrical box by the porch, I can just go up and turn it off” Sarah said. We all looked at her confused. “We used to come here and play hide and seek” she explained. 

“No way, you’re not going up there” John B said.

“Can you chill, she’s going to the porch” I said.

“No” he said. 

“Watch me” Sarah said.

“I’ll come with you” Kie said. I was glad she went because I’m sure my brother would have made me go if Kie hadn’t offered.

“Hey, be safe” John B said. 

“We will” Kie said. 

As they walked away I grabbed JJ’s face.

“Be safe” I said mocking JB.

“I’ll be so safe baby” he said, putting his hand on my cheek.

“Can you guys shut up” John B said irritably.

“But how will we be safe?” I asked jokingly. JJ, Pope, and I cracking up at ourselves. John B not finding it funny and heaving our stuff towards the back. 

We entered the side of the house where the basement was, setting up our equipment. John B and I moving the planks where the well was while Pope and JJ set up the pulley. 

“Are you sure about this?” I asked my brother. 

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean, you just got out of the hospital. I can go down and you stay with the guys.” I said. 

“Bubba, I’ll be fine” he said, now adjusting the rope and harness.

JJ, Pope, and I lowered John B down into the well. 

“Please, for the love of God, don’t drop me” John B said.

“No promises” I mumbled. 

We were struggling hard, trying to adjust to get a good system going. JJ slipping, the rope losing slack and causing me to fall from having to grip the rope tighter. 

“JJ!”I yelled.

“I told you not to drop me!” John B yelled. 

“Beggars can’t be choosers” I yelled back.

We lowered the rope more, still struggling since the rope was super thin and my brother wasn’t exactly the lightest human.

“Ok, I’m at the bottom” John B said.

“What do you see bub?” I asked.

“Is Mr. Crain down there?” JJ asked, earning a smack on the head from me. 

“BUBBA PULL ME UP! JJ! POPE!” John B screamed all of the sudden.

We all jumped into action, pulling as fast as we could.

“Hold on Birdie!” I yelled.

“What’s going on John B?” Pope asked.

“Wait, wait!” John B said.

“What is it?” JJ asked.

“I found something hold on” he said.

Then, Sarah and Kie come barreling down the stairs. They looked terrified, like they had seen a ghost. Kie running to hug Pope, and Sarah coming to grab my arm, holding on to me. We heard John B talking but none of us could make out what he was saying. 

“What is he saying?” Kie asked.

“We need to go!” Sarah yelled. 

We all started pulling John B up, a gunshot ringing out and breaking the pulley. We all fell forward, losing the rope.

“John B climb up!” Pope yelled.

We saw Mrs. Crain with a shotgun, she rang out another shot all of us ducking. JJ grabbed me and ducked us in a corner, Pope joining us while Kie and Sarah went to the opposite of where we were. She shot the gun again, all of us darting out the door and to the van. 

“She’s blind as fuck how is she wielding a shotgun?!” JJ shouted, tugging on my hand as we ran. 

“That bitch can’t aim that’s for sure.” I said, laughing.

JJ jumped into the drivers seat with me being the passenger this time. The rest of the crew following behind, throwing themselves in the van. JJ took off, all of us looking behind for my brother. And sure, enough he comes running, throwing himself in.

“What the hell just happened?” Sarah asked.

“Why are we always getting shot at?!” Pope asked, throwing his arms out. 

“JB you smell like straight up asshole” I said, scrunching my nose up.

“I did it” he said, holding up a gold bar.

“No fucking way!” I shouted.

“You did not!” JJ said, looking back at John B.

“Oh my God guys, we’re gonna be rich!” Kie exclaimed.

“Full Kook!” Pope yelled.

We whooped and hollered the whole way down the road back to the chateau. JJ grabbed my hand and kissed it, his excitement warming my heart. We got back in one piece, Sarah cleaning the van where John B was. I took the liberty of hosing him.

“You got me messed up if you think you’re about to take one step in my house.” I said, forcing him to stand by the hose.

“Bubs come on” John B sighed.

I sprayed him thoroughly, JJ bringing him a towel. He stripped down to his underwear, tying the towel by his waste and threw me his wet clothes. I hung them on the porch before walking back inside. I closed the door in my room before looking back at JJ. He smiled so wide before running at me to pick me up and spun me around. I squealed, hugging him tight, and throwing my legs around his waist. 

“We’re gonna be rich baby” JJ said, looking up at me.

“It’s all real now J, I can’t believe we actually have it” I said, leaning my forehead against his. He fell back on the bed with me on top of him.

“I’m building us a big ass house, right on the beach.” JJ said, running his fingertips up and down my arms. 

“My only request is that we also have a huge pool, and a hot tub” I said, smiling down at him. 

“I’ll get you whatever you want baby” he said, sitting up to kiss me. 

I smiled into his kiss, putting both my hands on his cheeks. His hands going underneath my shirt. I shuddered at the contrast of his warm hands and his cold rings. He began to kiss down my neck, I tilted my head back to give him more space. 

“And you know the first thing we’re going to do after I build our house sweets?” he asked, his breath hitting my neck.

“What’s that my love?” I panted, threading my fingers in his hair.

“I’m gonna fuck you on every surface of that house” he growled, biting my neck and sucking at the spot. I gasped, moaning into his ear. 

“Properly christening it yeah?” I asked, pulling his head back so I could give him the same treatment. 

I bit my mark into his neck, licking up his neck. He grasped at my hips and flipped us over. We tore our clothes off, JJ rolling on a condom before thrusting hard inside me. I moaned loudly, throwing a hand over my mouth when I remembered my brother and Sarah were still here. 

“Shhh baby” JJ laughed, leaning down to cover his mouth with mine. 

JJ moved at a steady pace at first, thrusting in and out. I moved my legs higher on his waist, getting him to hit that special spot. I threw my head back, dragging my nails down his back. He moaned in my mouth, causing him to thrust faster.  

“JJ, baby, please, I need to cum” I pleaded.

JJ obliged, flipping me over on my stomach. Hoisting me up so I was on all fours, he grabbed my hips and started pounding into me. I yelped, throwing my head down to bite at the sheets. He reached under to rub at my clit, I could feel my orgasm coming. 

“JJ” I whimpered.

JJ grabbed my hair, pulling my head back to kiss me before starting to pound harder inside me. Silent screams escaped as my mouth hung open and no sounds came out. I screamed his name into my sheets as I collapsed on my bed, JJ being the only thing holding me up. I came hard, feeling JJ growing twitchy before he slammed inside me and stilled.

We went in the bathroom to shower, JJ sitting on the counter afterwords while I did my night routine. We went back into my room, collapsing on the bed. I laid on my back, JJ putting his head on my chest and snuggling into me.

“I love you baby” he mumbled sleepily.

“I love you honey bear” I whispered.

We both fell into a peaceful sleep huddled in each others arms. 

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[sif-the-tsunami]

Hello friends,

This is a small sample of the fantasy series I’ve been working on for a few years. I would love to get some kind of feedback. Positive, negative. Lay it on me. I want to know what you think.

This is a rough draft, barely edited. 

Summary: A young warrior starts the path to her destiny. 

Rated: PG-13, this will probably read like YA but there wont be any sexy times. Just talks about violence and death (this doesn’t mean that people under 18 can start interacting with my blog. I mostly post smut.)

The attack on Dawnforge came without warning. Raiders, dozens of them, descended upon the small community surrounding a rural temple. The invaders poured violently out of the woods. In the cool shade of the temple’s grove, Ellisif Thrace’s mossy green eyes shot open from her late afternoon nap when she heard the Keepers sound the alarm. The war horns had only been blown ceremonially for as long as she could remember. The second blast echoed off the stone walls and summoned her to action. The young woman sat strait up, and listened for another moment to see if she could find out what direction the alarm was coming from.  She thought she could hear the Keepers shouting towards the east although she couldn’t make out what they were saying just yet. Always eager to be of assistance, Ellisif picked up her belongings and started running towards the commotion. Ellie, as she preferred to be addressed, had been learning defense and fighting techniques since she was strong enough to pick up a sword. Her father had been a knight errant and thought it was important that his children should know how to keep themselves safe.

Another blast of the horn let her know she was running in the right direction. Soon she heard the sound of weapons being thrown and bashed into the thick wooden gate. The Keepers were directing the villagers to leave the area, a man that Ellisif thought was named Erik told her to go home. He couldn’t have been much older than she was, his skin was sun kissed, with a little pink on his temples and cheekbones. Erik looked scared, brushing his reddish blond hair out of his face.

“I’m here to help, give me a sword!” She shouted.

“Little Sister, you need to go somewhere safe.” Erik ordered. As he was saying this, the Commander put his hand on her shoulder.

“Erik, Ellie is to join the Order at the Feast of Lyria. Let her pick up a shield, if they make it through our defenses, she knows how to handle herself.” The older man told Erik. He handed their recruit a wooden shield with metal studs, “Ellisif, make your father proud.”

Erik rolled his eyes as the Commander went to go hand out more tools. “They are going to break through in a matter of minutes. Take an ax. If they make it past us, cut the fuckers down. And don’t you dare get killed.”

Ellie pulled the cord she had on her wrist to tie her hair back. Her thick dark chocolate brown curls were pulled back out of her face and she said a small prayer to her favorite Goddess. I don’t want to have to kill anyone, but if I do, please let me do it quickly. Her heart pounded in her throat, her trepidation rose with every new crack emerging from the gate. The wood finally gave way, and she watched the horde of mismatched heathens break into her town. The Keepers had set up as much of a barricade as they could. Carts where pushed on their sides trying to create a funnel and direct the invaders to the villages best fighters and war priests. The Archers were doing what they could to thin out the herd. Ellisif inched closer to the battle, she tightened her grip on the handle of her ax just in time for a raider to jump over the stack of crates that had been near where she was standing. She raised her shield to the long sword he was swinging at her and it became stuck in the hard wood. Then it was as if her brain shut off and her body took over.

The warrior would never truly be able to recall everything that happened that afternoon. The surviving Keepers would tell her that she was brave, surgical with her actions and moved like she had been doing this all her life. In her state of shock, she would just say she had really good teachers. They would congratulate her for surviving her first battle. They thanked her for saving lives that day. Not a single invader made it past where she stood her ground.

Ellie looked up at the white stone buildings that were beginning to glow pink with the setting of the sun. What would they do with the bodies, she wondered vaguely. She leaned against the warm stone wall and slid down. What should I be doing? She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to make the sickness in her stomach go away.

“Where is she? Where is my sister, where is my Ellie?” a familiar voice was shouting. A couple of the Keepers pointed towards where she sat with her knees tucked to against her chest, her head resting on the wall behind her. Sarah thought she look more pale than normal.

“I’m right here.” Ellie croaked. Her throat was so dry. The healers had looked at her briefly, said she would be fine but to be prepared that she would probably have some pretty bad bruising on her forearms.

“Oh my Gods, why are you covered in blood? We’ve been so worried! Mama is going to skin you alive. Are you hurt? What were you thinking?” The thin woman stammered together as she fretted over her younger sister.

“I’m fine, the blood’s not mine. At least I don’t think so.” Ellie said, “What was I thinking? I was thinking that this is what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to run toward the fight. Do you have your water on you? I need a drink...”

The Commander strutted over like the fine peacock he was and pressed a bottle of ale into Ellie’s open hand and said something about how proud he was. She didn’t care. Ellie just wanted to be able to swallow without her throat feeling like sandpaper. The strawberry ale was sweet and warm, it made swallowing a little easier but after the third mouthful it became clear that the ale was doing nothing for her nausea. There might have been something said to her about how he was looking forward to seeing her take her oath, he chuckled and walked off. Sarah started trying to clean the viscera from her sister’s face but before she got too much grime off of her face, Ellisif turned her head and wretched.  She groaned, “Let’s go home.”

They walked home, arms wrapped around each other. It wouldn’t be until they reached their little home that Ellisif would start talking. The words slipped out of the young woman, still dazed. She looked down at the ax she was still holding onto with white knuckles and whispered “The one who gave this to me, Erik… I don’t know. He was killed. I killed someone today, Sarah. I killed several someones…”

Sarah, as gently as she could, wiped the tears off of her sister’s face, “You did what Daddy taught us to do. You helped keep our family safe, you kept or town safe. Lyria would be proud. She would be thrilled to know you will be defending her temple. Daddy would be so proud too.”

The older sister took her partner in crime into their house, and tucked the battle wary woman into her bed. The ax fell to the ground with a sickening thunk, and Ellie rolled over and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Sarah went to the kitchen and put a kettle on to brew some tea. Their mother, Kyra, had gone to the temple to help bandage up wounds of the Keepers and anyone else who took up arms. She eventually grabbing the heel of the loaf of bread from the pantry and slather it in homemade butter, pulling out her book of herbs. If Ellisif was more athletically inclined, her sister was definitely more well read. Sarah propped the book up and began plaiting her silky hair as she read the well loved tome. The front door opened quietly, the family’s matriarch came back after a long night of bandaging up injured young people and comforting the loved ones of those they lost.

“The Pale Mother now has a few more attendants now,” Kyra sighed, she and Sarah’s looks were similar, though she had more silver in her hair now. They both had dark brown eyes, almost black.  “Those poor souls. The Council and the High Priestess has asked that we all gather tomorrow at the Temple. They found their leader and they are interrogating him. He seemed to not understand that the forge our town was named after has been closed for generations, thought he could arm his merry band of miscreants. I heard Ellisif did her duty. How’s our girl doing?”

“She might have gone into emotional shock. I put her in bed, she’s going to need something strong in the morning. I was just reading up on something that will sooth her nerves, she was covered, and I mean covered, in blood. Evidently none of it was hers, which is good. Daddy taught her well. The Keepers were saying she showed a lot of potential.”

“Your father was the best knight I have ever seen wield a sword, I can only imagine what he taught her. The Temple will have never been safer if she is half as good as he was.” Kyra grabbed another hunk of bread and helped herself to some cheese. “I wish you could have seen him. I’ve never seen anyone burn with righteous fury like he could. When he would swing his sword in the tourneys he fought in, I swear that it looked like it was on fire. It was beautiful and absolutely terrifying. Ells has that same spark. When she was little, I saw it in her too.”

“I told her daddy would be proud.”

“He would be. He would also be profoundly sad for her. Sweetheart, you should go get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be very long.”

Ellisif slept until nightfall the next day. Siggy and Kyra left her to her mild unconsciousness to attend the meeting at noon. The temple slowly filled with the mourning villagers. More than a dozen Keepers had died that afternoon, it had been a decade since there had been any attacks on Dawnforge like this. It would be weeks before the damage the raiders did to the town could be repaired. The surviving raiders were told they could bury their dead on the other side of the ravine outside of the walls and then to assist the town in its repairs to try to make amends. The Thrace women where given the instruction on how they could help by the High Priestess. As soon as they where able to, Sarah and her sister would be going to the schoolhouse. They thought that having a couple extra adults around the kids would help make them feel safer.

Most of the school age kids knew Ellie. Two years ago she had won the combat tournament on the Feast of Seraphina, the Scarlet Mother. Usually the winners give the bouquet of fire Lilies to their significant other, she instead pulled out individual flowers and gave one to every little one who was around the ring that day. Her father had done the same thing the last time he had won the tournament. She enjoyed being their hero that afternoon, Sarah remembered as she and their mom walked home with their orders. The night of the feast, Ellie was asked attend the dance that was be held in the town square. Sarah had never seen her sister so happy as when she came home giggling, barefoot and a little in love.

When they made it to their home again, they saw evidence that Ellie had been up and moving but she was no where to be seen. Kyra suggested that they leave her be for the time being, they were kind in letting the young woman try to recover at her own pace. After a few days of her sleeping more heavily than she ever had, Ellisif needed to be in the forest behind the temple. She wanted to feel the presence of the Green Mother and ask her for guidance. There was a small clearing there, where a large stone acts as an alter for Lyria. It was a large piece of granite that always seemed to be covered with moss in all the directions, not just north. On the morning of Lyria’s feast day, the sun would align itself with this slab perfectly, and that is where she would be taking her vows to join the ranks of the Keepers. They were originally called the Temple Keepers, as the community grew, the area they kept safe grew with it. Once Ellie joined, she would be binding herself to the fate of the town. She could get married and have a family if she chose, but traveling would be almost impossible. If the Empire of Oril ever declared war on any of the other kingdoms, they were almost always the ones that were conscripted.  

While Ellie had wanted to become a Keeper for as long as she could remember, as of this morning, the idea of joining gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her mother had always talked about how even masters of their craft could have their confidence shaken if the seeds of doubt had taken root in their minds. Was this a seed a doubt she had been warned about?

“Lyria, divine mother, I come here to beg you for forgiveness. I never wanted take someone’s life. I thought they would yield if they got hurt. How could I have been so stupid...” and for the first time since the attack, Ellisif’s strength gave out. There she spent the rest of the day sobbing and trying to figure out what she needed to do. Her body shook violently as the waves of emotions crashed over her. In the back of her mind, a small notion crawled its way forward, seeping into her thoughts likes a strong tea in hot water. Devoting herself to the temple may not be the right choice. Ellie cleaned her face of the mess that the sobbing caused. The moon had risen, her family would be worried.

She made it into her home moments before they would begin searching for their missing member. There were hugs and more tears. They remained silent as Ellie made her way to her bed, she prepared herself for the night.

[lettersfromn0where]

ZFAW: Self-Love Saturday

For the last day of @zkfanworkweek!

It’s no secret that I love writing more than almost anything in existence, or that I’m somewhat absurdly passionate about my work. I’m well aware that a handful of people probably think this is annoying (how many people who have had the misfortune to be in any kind of chat with me never want to hear the name “Hina Oyama” again? Probably most of them), and I was hesitant to do this at all because I know I can be self-centered and I’m trying to work on that. But I realized that I’m not doing this for feedback or because I want people to read my work - if I were to talk about my fic like this, it would be coming from a place of excitement about sharing something I love with others, not about finding new readers. (Have I done a little too much networking of that kind? Yes. Am I proud of it? Not at all. That’s why I had to make sure that that wasn’t why I was doing this.) 

So I’m going to go for it, and give you guys the background behind a few of my favorite things I’ve written. Stories below the cut. 

Story #1: The One That Taught Me That It’s Okay to Fail As a Writer

and I'll write you a tragedy (June 2020)

I wrote this back in June, when I was first getting into AtLA - I think it was my third or fourth published Zutara fanfic. I didn’t have many friends yet; most of the ones I talked to at the time, I've since lost touch with. So my participation in the fandom was largely isolated. I’d just write things and yeet them into the void without a care in the world - that’s what I did with “And I’ll Write You a Tragedy.” I had this grand idea that it would be ~the angstiest thing ever written~ and I was SO excited to get home (I was at the beach when I got the idea) so I could work on it...

Only to find that I simply wasn’t ready for the story I was trying to tell.

Oh, I wrote it, and it was...decently well-reviewed for something that caused me so much existential angst. But it fell so short of the concept that I had for it that, the moment I hit “post,” I was so frustrated that burst into tears. (Like a kindergartner. One can never say I deserve to be called an adult.) I wanted to establish myself in this new fandom so badly that anything I perceived as substandard was a crushing failure. And it was the process of talking myself through that frustration that taught me something I’ve tried to hold close ever since: every writer writes a dud every once in a while. No one is at the top of their game 100% of the time; those who appear to be probably don’t post the duds. Should I have posted this, then? Well, the jury is out on that. I still hate it. But it deserves a spot here just for the lesson it taught me. 

Story #2: the One That Broke the Angst Ceiling 

who lives, who dies, who tells your story (July 2020)

I have no idea how this took my angst from the coltish awkwardness of “sort of sad, but not very well-done” to genuinely depressing, but it did. Maybe I should blame quarantine and all of the difficulties that brought with it, or just the additional writing experience I had gained by that time. Whatever the reason, I remember this - even though it never got very popular - as an absolute triumph for me as a writer, because this is when I FINALLY learned how to write effective angst. For *years* I had thought I was simply incapable of writing anything sad, but this showed me that I wasn’t. I’ll never understood what flipped the switch (maybe it was @hiniwalay, whose help in forming this idea was invaluable...I love and miss you so much <3), but it’s a very important part of my writing journey even so. 

Story #3: The One That Got Inexplicably Popular

Tethered (Zutara Week - written in June 2020, posted in late July 2020)

Zutara Week 2020 was sort of the point at which I established myself in this fandom and I have super fond memories of the warm reception I received at the time. It was such a positive, encouraging experience - and perhaps the one and only time that people have actually wanted to indulge my somewhat ridiculous obsession with fluff. And this was sort of the peak of my entrance into the ZK fandom. 

And I am...not sure how I feel about that. 

Soulmate AUs are obviously super popular, so I knew that “Tethered” was going to be one of my better-recieved ZKW fics if I did it even marginally well. What I did NOT expect was that, by the time of this post, it would be exactly tied with The Waiting Game for my most kudos’d work. It’s almost insane to me that that is a thing, because, while I don’t hate how “Tethered” came out, I definitely don’t feel like it deserved the hype it got. It’s...just another soulmate AU, but seeing that I was capable of writing something that people would gobble up did wonders for my confidence - and, I think, for my reputation in the fandom as well. It was definitely a mile-marker on my journey, even if I would rather it have been a different ZKW oneshot (this one was my favorite).

Story #4: The Twitter Favorite

Four Days and Three Nights (written August 2020)

I will never, ever forget the day I posted this. 

I joined a Zutara group chat on Twitter just before Zutara Week 2020 began, and I quickly became...a little bit desperate for their attention. “The Waiting Game” (much more on that later) sprung from that desperation, but this was the one that actually did something about it. Which is funny, because it was actually a complete accident! 4D3N, as it is affectionately called on Twitter, was the result of my dumb butt reading “Five,” thinking “I want to write something that depressing!”, and just...going for it. I told myself not to overthink things as I desperately banged out the 3166 words of this story in two hours (because I needed to go for a run before it got dark and didn’t start writing until 3), and that is probably the one and only time in my entire life that telling myself something like that actually worked. Writing 4D3N was just sort of this rush that I barely even had time to recognize while I was caught up in it and the result was something I genuinely felt that I could be proud of - that’s pretty rare. My Twitter friends went slightly insane, half of them wanted to stab me (in a good way), and I finally felt like I actually belonged in this fandom - like I had done something to earn a place there. [Caveat: fandom is for everyone and you never need to “earn the right” to be in one, but my brain latched onto the idea that I didn’t deserve to be creating things for a fandom that didn’t want me and would not let it go. Figures.] Lately, I’ve been struggling with this one a little bit because it’s getting a lot of comparisons to “Five” in which it never fares favorably, for obvious reasons, and it was never actually my favorite fic to begin with, but it still means a lot to me. This is the one I recommend to people who are curious about my work and probably always will be. 

Story #5: The Sleeper Favorite

Lean On (written August 2020)

I have no earthly idea why I like this one so much, but it has to be my favorite oneshot I have up. It’s hurt-comfort and dives into the implications of the Agni Kai for Zuko’s health, both physical and mental - maybe it’s the uniqueness of that premise that endeared it to me, or maybe the personal-ness...is that a word?...of the narrative. The bare-bones summary: Zuko’s health is declining a year after the Agni Kai, Katara shows up to do something about that, and what follows is a year of Pain and Heartache for both of them as they try to navigate their conflicting feelings for each other. But really, it’s a story about healing: physically, yes, but also mentally and emotionally. I certainly relate a lot to Katara in “Lean On,” as I’ve been the friend caught in the crossfire of others’ battles with their mental health many times and I wanted to try to write from both sides of that conflict. But I think I probably wrote more of myself into Zuko than I originally anticipated, as well. Quarantine has not been good for my mental health...at all...and I’ve found myself lashing out at my family far more than I should without even knowing why, isolating myself and growing thorns so that no one would come near me. I hate seeing myself like that, and I hate that I can't seem to make myself do anything about it. So really, I was hashing out my own feelings both past and present, and what I ended up with, whatever you might think of its quality, came from the heart. I also, for whatever reason, really liked my writing here, so I have a special place in my heart for “Lean On.” 

Story #6: The Fluff I Didn’t Hate

Waffleosophy (written September 2020)

Look, there's not a lot to say about this, but it’s definitely my favorite fluff that I’ve ever written. I felt like I finally managed to hit the right note with this so that it came off as sweet without being saccharine, and it feels...I don’t know, wittier than what I usually write? I write a lot of fluff but something about “Waffleosophy” made it feel more polished and coherent than most of my other fluff. This was one that, as ridiculous as its premise was, I felt like I could truly be proud of; since I’m often a bit ashamed of how much of my work is fluff (it feels like “cheating” sometimes, as if I write this way because I lack the skill for real emotional beats), that’s saying a lot. 

Story #7: the Insanely Niche AU

Once In a Lifetime (ongoing)

This one gets updated at the speed of snail, but. ZK ice dance AU. It just makes me so HAPPY. 

Story #8: The One That Actually Did What It Was Meant To Do

Hanabi (written October/November 2020)

This heading is ironic because this was originally supposed to be an angsty slow-burn about surviving on an uninhabited island. Instead, it became as unerringly Sarah S---- as any fic ever has. Oops. 

Hanabi sprung from a desire to write something incredibly soft and wholesome. Seriously. That’s it. I had just finished writing a story that got a lot more violent and dark than I had expected it to, and I wasn’t comfortable with that; I wanted to return to my roots, if you will, and write something ~soft~. I wanted to write about good people, doing good things, being good to each other, with as much tender pining as I could cram in on the side. I wanted unique worldbuilding and a relationship that had to be built rather than handed over under the guise of Soulmateism (because this was the period in which I hated The Waiting Game and everything it stood for, aka...that. It was a weird time). And I actually? Did all of that? There’s this F. Scott Fitzgerald quote about how writers have to “sell their hearts” that I think about often, and I did that here. This has as much of my heart in it as anything ever will, I think, and if I had to pick a favorite thing that I have ever written, it would be “Hanabi.” I love it a lot. 

Story #9: The One You Knew Was Coming

The Waiting Game series (written July-October 2020)

I have so many feelings about this that I can’t even really articulate them all. Where would I even start? 

There was the fact that the first installment was written in two weeks (thirteen days, 94,832 words) to try to get the attention of a Twitter chat. There was the matter of Hina Oyama, my blog’s namesake, an OC who took on an absolutely massive life of her own to the point where she was quite literally my coping mechanism over the summer and I annoy everyone I know by constantly banging on pots and pans and screaming about her. There was the way this universe spiraled outwards from its original installment and now has three generations, two sequels, and a prequel in progress (Hina’s origin story, which I am writing for a friend but will most likely never post). There were the friends I made because of this series and all of the inside jokes and headcanons we’ve developed while discussing it. There were all of the existential crises I had (over negative comments, over whether or not this career-defining series is even decent, over the moral implications of writing about people getting stabbed in the sequel...please don’t ask). There is the fact that everyone I come into contact with now knows what Haang is, and that by a close-reading of any passage about Hina or Kya, you could probably learn a lot about me. 

But all I can say, in the end, is that I don’t know if I’ve ever written something that I fell in love with so quickly as I did “The Waiting Game,” or that had as much lasting impact upon me. (It has been five months, and I’m STILL writing in this universe, still talking about it constantly.) I know my TWG obsession is a little annoying, and I know that this universe isn’t really anything special - but it’s special to me, and it always will be. Will I shut up? Abso-freaking-lutely not. Do I care if no one knows what my username means because it refers to an OC in a fic not a lot of people actually like? Not in the slightest! I won’t pretend that TWG is a perfect story, or even that it deserves to be thought of as particularly good, but I will absolutely defy anyone who tells me that I need to “get over it.” (No one has, but my brain likes to tell me that everyone is thinking it.) 

I will never be over stories that move me, especially not ones I created.

And especially not Yangchen Oyama. 

~finis~ 

[malfoysmaybank]

So What?- JJ Maybank

Part Two

part one here

summary: JJ finds himself breaking his most mandatory barrier; falling in love with a kook. but hey, he’s never been one to follow the rules.

warnings: SPOILERS!!!, angst, fluff, underage drug and alcohol consumption, cursing, past heartbreak, possible typos (i have a broken arm, i proofread once it’s posted so i’ll find edit it and fix any) SLOWBURN

wc: 1,546

a/n: thanks for the massive support on the first part! i didn’t expect that but i got crazy good feedback! im so glad you guys are enjoying this and just lmk if you wanna be tagged! also i’m sorry if these lines aren’t correct i didn’t go back to watch it and write it the same as the show, just kept the main gist of the lines. Also, about halfway through there’s some perspective changes from you to JJ. Enjoy!

__________________________________________

“Whatcha say? Just a day chillin on a boat with me and my friends?” JJ said, hoping you’d agree. Ever since last night, he couldn’t get you out of his head and he didn’t know why. “Uh... sure! Sounds like fun!” you said. “Keep her safe, don’t do anything stupid.” Your mom whispered to the blonde with a laugh. “Will do!” he said with a thumbs up. “Thanks Mrs. Y/L/N, you’re the best!” JJ yelled behind him as you were getting in the van. The two boys you recognized as John B and Pope liked you almost immediately, a smile coming over your face. But you turned to the girl you knew as Kiara would be a tougher nut to crack. (a/n: get your head out of the gutter John B)

“So, the famous Y/N Y/L/N. Kiara spoke up. I don’t like many kooks and I know you’re close with Sarah..” Kie started, making you panic a bit. Her and Sarah had a fallout and some drama and you befriended Sarah a couple months later. “...but JJ could not stop talking about you last night and I trust him. Plus it’s another girl to balance us out. Welcome to the Pogues!” She engulfed you in a big hug, relief washing over you. You looked over at JJ who was beet red, embarrassed about the little detail Kiara said about you never leaving his mind. You giggled a bit and John B turned up the radio.

Screaming to Tounge Tied by Grouplove, you savored this moment that felt like it was straight out of a movie. “Take me to your best friends house, I loved you then, I loved you now ooooooh yeaaaah!” You and Kie were laughing and singing at the top of your lungs like you had been friends all your life, when in reality, it had been less than 5 minutes. Finally, you got to the dock and got on the HMS Pogue.

“Y/N, watch this!” JJ grabbed a beer out of the cooler Kiara brought and got to the front of the boat. “Oh no, not again.” Kiara said with a groan. “Hey Pope, can you go a little faster please?” he asked, opening the beer. “Here we go, I’m movin.” He said and made the boat go faster. JJ put the bottle up in front of his face and beer splashed all over Kiara and I. “Oh my god, you’re getting beer in our hair!” Kiara said. Pope put a hand up. “Alright, Alright!” he said. John B and Pope argued with JJ a little before the boat suddenly hit something and jerked forwards. JJ flew off in a front flip. You, John B, and Kiara all flew forward and hit the deck. You hit your head on the side of the boat. A chorus of “What the hell, Pope?”s and groans came from the deck.

“You okay, JJ?” John B asked. “I think my heels touched the back of my head.” JJ said with a hoarse voice. “Kie, You Okay?” John B continued. “I’m alright.” she said. “Y/N?” “I think. Just hit my head a little, I’ll be good.” JJ swam over and hoisted himself on the boat. “Pope, what did you do?” he asked while helping you up and wrapping his arms around your waist from behind you. It was a small gesture, yet meaningful and loving. You passed it off as platonic, you didn’t have to fall for him even harder and get your heart broken again. “Sandbar, the channel changed.” Pope replied. “Yeah, no shit.” JJ said. “You ok, Y/N? How hard did you hit your head?” He asked you, concern lacing his voice. “I’m ok, JJ.” You placed a kiss on his temple and pink dusted his cheeks and nose.

“Probably gonna mess this whole place up.” Pope continued. “Hey, I saved the beer, though!” JJ said, making you giggle a little. “Congrats, JJ.” John B said sarcastically. “Guys... I think there’s a boat down there.” Pope said. JJ let go of you and you both walked to the front of the boat where Pope was standing. “Holy Shit, he’s right!” Kie said. “Let’s go.” All of you jumped in and went to see the ship. Sure enough, there it was.

You all exclaimed in surprise when you came up for air. “That’s a Grady White, a new one of those is 500 Gs, easy. That’s a primo rig.” JJ said as he pulled you up on the boat. “Guys, I saw something in the boat when I was down there. Kie, come with me?” You and Kie jumped down for a second time and looked in the wreck. Finally, you found what you were looking for; the motel key.

“Be so careful John B! Just gimme that John D already- like when are you gonna jump in on that?” You, John B, and JJ were walking towards the motel room and you couldn’t help but overhear their converstation. “I don’t know, besides you’re the one who’s always hitting on her!” John B replied. “Of course I hit on her dude! She’s a rich, hot, hippie chick who’s slumming with us.” You couldn’t help but feel kind of hurt by that comment but you tried to ignore it. “I know that door is locked because I’ve tried it.” JJ continued.

Once you got to the room, JJ knocked on the door. “Housekeeping!” he said in a high pitched voice and you couldn’t help but quietly giggle at his antics. He looked over and smirked at you. God, that smirk killed you. Wait, no. No, you didn’t have a crush on him. You couldn’t fall in love. Not after freshman year. “We’re clear.” JJ snapped you out of your thoughts and you swung open the door.

John B was trying to get a safe open, JJ was in the bathroom, and you were looking under the bed. JJ was talking about stealing shit but you were tuning him out, still trying to get his words about Kiara and that damn smirk out of your head. Suddenly, John B opened the safe where there was a bunch of money, a gun, and some other stuff. JJ’s eyes went to the gun immediately. He was messing around with the gun and a wad of cash when there was a pang at the window and pounding on the door.

★ JJ’s Perspective ★

While I was messing around with the pistol I found, there was a tiny sound from the window and a harsh knock on the window quickly following. Cops. My first instinct was to lock the gun, put it and a wad of cash in my back pockets, and grab Y/N’s waist and pull her back against my chest. I could feel a blush creeping up her neck. I looked towards the window and had an idea. I let go of Y/N for a moment and starting to open the window, struggling at first but getting it open. I helped her on the ledge first, then John B, then myself, and closed the window.

As I got closer to Y/N, she almost slipped but I put my arm around her back, carefully holding her against the building. I felt her breath quicken. “You’re okay, I got you. It’s gonna be okay.” I gently whispered to her in an attempt to calm her down. Her breathing slowed back down and I calmed down.

Suddenly, the gun fell out of my back pocket and made a loud clang against the building. I held her closer with one arm and quietly kissed the top of her head. “Shhhh, it’s okay, just stay still baby.” I didn’t expect to call her that, but it felt natural. She nuzzled into my chest and I put my chin on the top of her head. By then the cops had finally closed the blinds, and I helped her jump down.

★ Your Perspective ★

You were still a little shaken up from the cops incident when they had gotten back on the HMS Pogue and took off, so JJ put an arm over you and let you rest your head on his shoulder. “Did you find anything?” Pope asked. JJ took his arm off my shoulders and I shivered at the loss of contact. He reached into his back pockets and pulled out a stack of cash and the gun. “Did we find anything? No, I don’t think so. Oh yeah, we did!” he said, laughing lightly and holding them up.

While Pope started freaking out about a scholarship and JJ was trying to comfort him, your mind went back to the cops incident. When he called you “baby”. You passed it off as platonic, you were falling in love and you had to keep your feelings hidden and ignored so nobody would question you.

“I copped a picture, check it. Dead bodayy.” a rando girl showed you all a picture of Scooter Grubbs’ body from her cell phone. “Insane.” Kie said. “What kind of boat did he have?” JJ asked curiously. “Somehow the dirtbag snagged a brand new Grady White. Everyone’s out looking for it.” You looked at JJ with wide eyes. God, you were in for a looooooong summer.

a/n: school is over for me tomorrow so no more distractions!!! Idk how many chapters this is gonna have but it’s gonna be pretty long. again, thanks for the amazing support on the last one and i hope you enjoy this one! if you wanna be tagged lmk! if you’re too embarrassed to ask in the comments (i get it bb) then you can message me privately and i will make sure to tag you, this is a shame-free zone!

Taglist- @agirlthatisbi @abrunettefangirlnerd

[possiamo-andare]

No More Divisions - Chapter Two: Trapped

JJ x Original Character

Hey guys, I'm glad you liked the first part. It's so cool to see that people were liking my post and even messaging me to give me feedback. If anyone would like to be part of my tag list so that whenever I post another chapter, you'll be notified, please comment or message me to let me know. Enjoy this next chapter!

~

When I see Rafe standing there, gun in hand, I almost want to laugh. I think it's because my brain can't comprehend that the guy that I loved some time ago is a killer. Rafe was a smartass and could definitely be cruel to his sisters but he never would kill anyone. Never.

For a moment, my brain takes me to the past. It's a couple months ago, when everything was still good between us and I didn't know he was sniffing crack behind my back. Before he killed someone.

I'm finishing up with Mr. Heyward and Rafe is here to pick me up. He's in a terrible mood and doesn't even have the decency to say hello to Mr. Heyward. Pope and the blonde haired boy I saw before are waiting behind Mr. Heyward and smirking at each other as Rafe glares at them. I say bye to Mr. Heyward and Pope and Rafe and I make our way to the dock before sitting down and talking. Before everything, Rafe and I could talk for hours about anything. Now, I'm sure there's nothing we could agree on. He tells me about the argument he had with his dad and how he felt as if he was a disappointment. I reassure Rafe he's not but then I hear him say something scary.

"Callie, I'd kill someone just to make my dad proud of me."

Suddenly, I'm being taken back to the present where Sarah is yelling at John B. to run and John B. is telling me that I have to take care of Sarah. I'm trying to hold onto that past memory because I don't wanna face the present right now but the pull is so strong that before I can go back to that memory, I'm back.

Sarah runs to the Sheriff who is still bleeding out. I can't comprehend what's happening. I know what my gut is saying so I follow that. My gut tells me to help Sarah, so I do. I get on my knees and take off the scarf around my hair apply pressure to the wound.

Ward is yelling at Rafe and Rafe doesn't answer. He's looking at me and crying. I can't look at him anymore and I focus on the Sheriff.

Tears are falling down my face so fast. I dont think I've ever cried this hard. People have died in my life. But not in front of me.

"Let's go!" Ward yells at us and tries to pick Sarah off the floor and away from the Sheriff.

"What?!" I scream, choking on my tears.

"What's wrong with you?!" Sarah is crying so hard that you can barely understand her.

I dont care what they do, I'm staying here with the Sheriff. They can hurt me all they want, I'm not letting her die.

But then Rafe intervenes and he comes for me, picking me up from the ground so fast that I feel as though I weigh nothing. I'm kicking and screaming to Sarah and the Sheriff. I twist my body enough for Rafe to drop me for a second and I run back to the Sheriff. Ward has a hold of Sarah and is already throwing her in the backseat of Rafe's car. Sarah's screaming for me and I do my best to ignore her because the Sheriff needs my help the most now.

"I'm -" I hiccup, my tears blurry from all the tears. I apply pressure again, more blood gushing my the wound onto my hands. "I'm sorry."

She's looking at me with wide eyes and gasping; from pain or shock I don't know. "...okay."

I know she's trying to say it's not my fault but I don't want to believe that these will be her last words.

Rafe grabs me again and this time I kick his shin harder and I hear him swear and tighten his grip. "Stop Callie!"

"You murderer!" I'm screaming so loud that my throat hurts. I want to claw Rafe's eyes out.

My disbelief has turned to anger.

Rafe opens the door to the passenger seat and throws me onto the chair where he struggles to put on my seatbelt. Sarah's seatbelt is on but she still manages to slap Rafe a few times and yells at him to get off me.

Rafe pushes my chest and gets the upper hand because I just got the wind knocked out of me and I'm gasping for air. He buckles my belt and slams the door closed. I try to open the door but that side is locked and before I can try the other side, Rafe has opened the drivers side and sits down to drive. He doesn't even buckle his seatbelt, he just puts the car in reverse.

I look in front of us and I see Ward using the radio to call the police. I pray to God that maybe the Sheriff will be fine. Maybe she'll live to say Rafe murdered her. If not, I know Sarah and I will.

"Why'd shoot her?!" I yell at Rafe as he drives down a back street, the airplane no longer in view.

"She was gonna kill my dad." Rafe says, very calm. It was like he was in a trance; almost not comprehending himself that he shot someone. "Ya, she was trying to shoot dad, so I protected him." It seemed he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"Are you insane?" Sarah yells from the back. "She was arresting dad!"

"No! Rafe looks away from the road and to Sarah. "If I wasn't there, dad would've died. I saved him."

This time, when I heard that, I looked away from the road. "Are you fucking crazy?! Your dad is a killer!"

Rafe looks at me and I can see the redness in his face. "I'm the boss now! You're gonna listen to me!"

I say nothing. He's crazy. I'm speechless.

"You hear me!" He pauses, but I say nothing. Rafe grabs my wrist and squeezes hard. I yelp, tears brimming in my eyes again.

Sarah yells at Rafe to stop but he's only squeezing tighter.

"Yes!" I scream, tears streaming down my face. "Rafe you're -"

"Rafe! Look!"

Before I can tell him he's crazy again, Sarah is pointing to the road. Rafe and I both look at the same time and we see that Rafe has shifted to the other side of the road. Rafe swerves back violently and Sarah and I both look at eachother. We need to escape. When we get to the house, we need to devise of a plan to escape.

"I'm the boss now!" Rafe yells at us. Again, it seems like he's trying to convince himself.

~

"I'm sure John B., Kiara, Pope, and JJ are coming to get us." Sarah says as she paces around her room.

We've been locked in Sarah's room for one hour and we still have not heard anything from Rafe or Ward on how the Sheriff is doing. Ward has not returned home yet but Rafe is downstairs packing up John B.'s clothes because apparantly he's not coming back. I wanted to argue with him and tell him after this neither am I, but I was scared of him. He had just shot someone and who's to say he won't shoot me.

"Yeah," I nod, reassuring Sarah even though I didn't know if that was true. John B. was running from Ward and Rafe, I don't think he'd want to come to them.

Before Sarah could go on, we both heard the lock of the door turn. We both turned around and sat on Sarah's bed, scared to know who was on the other side.

Ward opened the door slowly and then closed it quickly behind him. He looked tired. He had been obsessing over Big John's death and the Royal Merchant for so long, I'm sure he hadn't gotten a good nights rest in a year. Maybe more. Now with Rafe shooting the Sheriff, I didn't know if he was ever going to sleep again.

"What's gonna happen to Rafe?" Sarah asked, skipping her usual politeness.

I watched as Ward slowly moved closer to us and sat at the edge of the bed, sighing and rubbing his eyes before looking at us.

"Nothing." He said, looking at me for a moment before saying, "I called your parents and told then you're sleeping over -"

"I don't care." I cut Ward off, bitterly crossing my hands over my chest. My tank top was bloody and I only had time to wash my hands. "Why is nothing gonna happen to Rafe?"

Ward sighed. "Life is complicated. It's not back and white."

Sarah scoffed. "It's Rafe's fault that the Sheriff is shot."

"Actually," Ward got up and turned his back to us, walking closer to the door. "She's dead."

Sarah and I looked at eachother. We both knew what this meant. Rafe was now a murderer.

In the distance Sarah and I heard police sirens. I looked to the window. As Sarah continued to argue with her dad, I watched dozens of police cars drive past Sarah's house, as if they were looking for someone. Then it clicked.

I looked back at Ward, who now had the door opened. "You told them John B. did it, didn't you?"

Ward's eyes widened slightly. He then looked at me. "You girls need to rest. It's been a long day." And with that, he slammed the door.

I stood up from the bed and rushed to the door, praying that maybe Ward forgot to lock it and this was our chance out. I wasn't that lucky. I turned the doorknob but to no avail, the door was locked.

"Hey!" I screamed. "Let us out Ward!"

"Rafe killed her." Sarah whispered in disbelief.

I stopped turning the doorknob for a minute and looked to Sarah, who was still sitting on the bed, silent tears falling down her face.

"Sarah," I said, rushing to her side and hugging her. "We're gonna get out of here and save John B. and clear his name. Focus on that now."

Tap. Tap.

I looked to the where I heard the noise and saw Kiara crouching down on the roof. She had her hair back and was smiling at us as she continued to lightly tap on the window.

"It's Kiara!" I smiled, letting go of Sarah, who now was looking at the window.

Sarah and I got up from the bed and rushed to the window. We both took turns trying to open the window but it was glued shut. Kiara tried on her side as well but it was no use. She held up her finger as Sarah and I were trying again as a way of saying wait.

We instantly stopped and watched as Kiara turned around and called for someone down below. She then looked back at us and gave us a thumbs up.

In seconds, the blonde haired boy I had seen on the airplane strip whose name I now knew was JJ, was on the roof as well and was helping Sarah with the window.

It became apparent that this window was not opening and Kiara and JJ were out of options.

JJ looked to me and waved, and I smiled slightly and waved back. I had never spoken to JJ but now I was sure he looked familiar. He had been the idiot who was holding the gun on the beach that night at the party and scared everyone half to death. Rafe had told me what a delinquent he was and I believed him. Now, I wasn't so sure. Anything Rafe said now I couldn't believe.

JJ was trying to speak to me but I couldn't understand him. I knew he couldn't yell or else Rafe or Ward might find them so he could only whisper. I held up my finger to say wait and I quickly walked to Sarah's desk, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote we'll find another way out. Where do we meet?

I brought the paper to the window and showed it to Kiara and Rafe who then looked at themselves, spoke a few words to eachother and then looked back to us.

Kiara took out her phone, typed something in and then showed it to us.

7pm, JJ's house?

Sarah and I both nodded. JJ looked to me and smiled. I didn't know why but I could feel myself blushing.

Get it together Callie. This is not the time to have a crush.

Kiara and JJ then waved goodbye and jumped off the roof. Sarah and I watched as they met up with Pope and ran off, the darkness swallowing them whole.

"Do you know where JJ lives?" I ask. I had never been to his house but I guessed that Sarah did.

"Yeah." Sarah nodded, moving away from the ground and toward the center of her room. "We're gonna walk right out of here."

I followed Sarah to the center of her room and watched as she kneels down and pulls the vent off the floor. She then digs her hand into the vent and starts looking for something.

"How?" I asked, watching over her as she dig her hand deeper into the vent. I could not think what she could be looking for. What could she have hid in a vent?

Finally, Sarah pulls out a plastic cup with a string attached to it. She looks up at me and smiles for the first time all day.

"With my sister's help."

[heathert456]

Seeking Feedback.

As a class, we had a session to give each other some feedback. We printed our compositions out and put them on the wall at the back of the classroom. We paired up and were given a few minutes to give feedback on post-it notes to the compositions. I liked how quickly we moved through the session, we were able to say our first impressions and critique, then move onto another person’s work. I enjoyed seeing my classmates work and collaborating on giving feedback comments with another person. I think that this was an effective session and I felt that I really needed some feedback so it worked out well. Feedback Received: 1) ‘Although I like the negative space and having the characters slightly smaller, I think it could look cool if you moved the hill down and shifted that space to the sky.’ -Annecy & Reed 1) ‘There is a lot of unused space. The characters could be bigger.’ -JD & Hamish 1) ‘Looks slightly empty, could be really good with perspective. Characters could be a lot bigger.’- Xanthe & Nick 1) ‘Could look into creating an S curve with the composition.’ -Toby 1) ‘Swap the clouds around on the right side (for eye path). The road is a tangent.’ -Toby 2) ‘The trees around the side frame the title and character well, draws your eye to the center.’ -Annecy & Reed 2) ‘Good poses, could make them a bit smaller so a bit more background visible. Also could make both their poses a bit different.’ -Sarah & Hilla 2) ‘We like the second one because it shows the friendship and personalities of the characters off well. It also makes good use of the space on the page.’- JD & Hamish 2) ‘Presents a nice upfront view of the characters.’- Annecy & Reed 3) ‘The background is slightly confusing.’- Xanthe & Nick 3) ‘Presents characters as they would be at the beginning of the plot, leaves some mystery to the story that may intrigue viewers..’- Annecy & Reed 3) ‘Second character (Ensley) is a little small, maybe play with size and perspective?’- Sarah & Hilla 3) ‘Be careful that the title doesn't get lost in the background elements.’- Toby

Evaluate Feedback: I think the feedback I received was good, it helped me to see some other viewpoints, critiques, and opinions about my compositions. Some of these comments I already knew, for example, I knew that the first one looked quite empty, but I didn’t know how to improve on it. I had used the rule of thirds for it and that was why I made the hill and the cityscape so high up on the page, but I now see that the rule of thirds is a guide more-so than a rule, so I will edit that to improve it, I found it to be quite good feedback. Another comment that I had already thought about was on the third one, the composition tells the part of the story when the characters meet before they go on their journey, but I hadn’t thought of it as a way to create mystery and intrigue into the design, I like that as an idea and I am glad that it is noticeable that the composition tells that part of the story. Some comments that I hadn’t already thought of were on the second one, that the characters were mirroring each other and that I could try to change up their poses a little, I will explain this further in ‘clarify feedback’. Another comment for that composition was that I could make the characters slightly smaller so that more of the background is visible. This had kind of occurred to me but I wasn’t sure if others would pick up on it so I decided to leave it how it was to see what other people thought. I am glad that that was brought up in one of the critique comments because it confirmed something I wasn’t sure about. Some other new perspectives that I got was that the background on the third one is confusing, but I will also mention that when I clarify the feedback. I do agree with the comment and similar comments though, I think I could fix the perspective on that composition and make it clearer. It was good to see how multiple people thought similar things about my compositions, without reading other's notes, it helped me to make those things that I need to improve on clear. I was happy with the positive comments as well, it was good to know that someone else thought that the second one showed their personalities and the friendship because that is a strong feature that I wanted to bring across. Someone else said that it shows a nice upfront view of the characters which I agree with. That's why I’m not sure if I want to choose that composition or one of the other ones, because I like the front on view as well as the other views, especially the view of the first one, but the characters are quite small which is the downside of that one for me personally. Overall, I found the feedback extremely helpful to get other's perspectives and get feedback from a point of view that isn’t attached to the ‘knowledge of the concepts, almost like an outside view looking in. I think that I got a lot of good points from the feedback that I can improve on for each of my compositions. After I work on those improvements, I hope that I will have a clearer understanding of my final choice.

Clarify Feedback: Some of the feedback I received confused me at first when I first read them. These included; ‘the background is slightly confusing’ for the third design. At first, I wasn’t sure exactly which part of the background looked confusing. In general, I could see how, but not specifically, so I asked Xanthe what they meant, and she said that it wasn’t clear whether they were inside or outside. After she said that, I understood, the foliage on the inside of the room they are in could suggest that they are outside, and I hadn’t fully added detail to the window so I can see why that wasn’t clear as well. I added the foliage inside because the society the characters live in is highly advanced and has regenerative processes in place for sustainability, which includes indoor plant life, but without that knowledge, I do see how it is not clear as to why there is foliage indoors. I think that with some refinement of the background and the perspective, that these concepts could be clearer. I also think that if I were to make that composition into my final poster with added colour it might make more sense also, but first I need to improve the background as it is now. Another feedback comment which I was confused about was; ‘good poses, could make them a bit smaller so bit more background visible. Also could make both their poses a bit different.’ The second half of that comment is what I was unsure about, I could see why they thought the poses could be improved but it was not specified, I asked for clarification and I was told that the two poses are similar to each other because they both have a hand on their hip and an arm up. These mirror each other and the comment meant that I could make them have a little less of a reflection. I agree with this and I think I will alter the pose on Ensley’s character to make it different from Bristle’s pose. I am looking forward to ‘formulating action’ and making changes to my compositions. It will be interesting to see the comparisons of the before and after. Hopefully, it will help me make my decision on what composition to choose for the final poster.

[cutie1365]

The Family We Choose 1/3

Pairing: Sherlock x Reader Mini-Series

Word Count: 1.5k

Request: made by @agentmalfoy24601, I don't want to spoil the ending so I won’t post the actual request here but I’ve decided to turn it into a three part mini-series. It’s all written so I’ll get a solid update schedule for it, maybe one every other day or so.

A/N: Please let me know what you think and what you think will happen in the next parts!

Masterlist in bio. Taglist in the reblogs. MUST COMMENT/REBLOG TO STAY ON.

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“Alright miss?” Your seemingly intimidating interviewer asked with a raised brow.

“Carter.” You answered with a smile.

“Miss Carter, just some routine questions here to begin if you don’t mind.” You nodded and he continued.

“Your age?” He asked, pen in hand to jot down your responses.

“Twenty-six.” You answered.

“Education?”

“Oxford.” You answered, and you could tell he was impressed as he wrote that bit down.

“Parents?” He was really speeding through this wasn’t he. Must be in a rush, or he never really wanted to interview new assistants in the first place.  

“Orphan.” You answered with a somber smile.

“My condolences.” He apologized, although in this job the less family, the better, he thought.

“Of course this isn’t a normal job so a normal job interview would be unfitting. I’m going to ask you some questions to understand your capabilities of thinking outside the box and how quickly you can devise and apply ideas.” He explained, adjusting his position in his plush, black, leather seat.

“So you want to see if I’m clever or not?” You smirked.

“More or less.” He nodded.

“Mr. Holmes, I have an IQ of 170, I hardly think your little brain teasers will be necessary.” You spoke with a cocky smile.

“They weren’t brain teasers...” Sherlock said slightly offended and flustered. He mentally cursing John for telling him that would be a good idea for the interview.

“Of course they weren’t.” You laughed slightly, seeing his reaction to your previous words. “You know your best bet to see if I really am clever or useful would be to take me on a case.”

“Well I don't have anything on right now.” He lied, steepling his hands and examining you.

“Oh come on Sherlock, we both know that’s not true.” You raised a brow to him with a smirk, clearly he was testing you.

“Do we?” He asked, wondering how you knew and wanting you to lay it all out for him.

“Despite the fact that you’re a terrible liar, there are clear signs that you are in the middle of a case. You’ve attempted to clear them away before our little interview but I can still tell. You had papers and pictures tacked above the couch, you removed them in a hurry, ripping one away leaving the tack and remnants of paper.” You pointed above the couch behind you without turning around, meaning you either noticed them when you walked in or saw them through the mirror opposite you. “The couch cushions still are deeply indented in the middle, the last thing that happened to it was you standing on it moments before I arrived. Two computers are opened on your desk, you were doing research, and a lot of it. You keep glancing at your watch, you can’t wait for this interview to be over so you can get back to your case. You actually never wanted to do these interviews in the first place, you’d much rather keep your usual companion. I can be like him if you’d like- pointing out the obvious and constantly being baffled by your conclusions and amazed when you lay it out quite plainly for him.”

“Did my brother send you?” He asked through squinted suspicious eyes.

“No...” You said, curious as to who this brother was. You made a note of that for later.

“How come I've never heard of you before?” He asked, leaning back in his chair, clearly ruling you out as any sort of threat.

“Because I'm nobody.” You shake your head.

“Hmm.” Sherlock looked you over, there was something about you that he couldn't quite put his finger on, “Fine, one case.”

And the rest was history...

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You’d worked with Sherlock on dozens of cases now, to the point where he suggested you move into 221C to make work easier. Purely out of convenience you thought, but truthfully Sherlock enjoyed having you around. You were different, like him. You understood things like he did. You saw the world like he did: one giant puzzle waiting to be solved.

You agreed to move in downstairs, but you didn’t want to step on any toes with Sherlock and John’s relationship. Just because John started a new job at the hospital and was the reason for your recent employment with Sherlock, you didn’t want him to think you were his replacement in every sense of the word.

You suggested to Sherlock that he take John out, a guys night, so that he didn’t feel left out of all the cases the two of you had recently solved. He agreed it was probably a good idea, and remembered there was a new play showing: Terror By Night. A classic murder mystery that for him would probably be quite dull, but might remind John of the good ‘ol days.

Unbeknownst to you, Sherlock purchased three tickets.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked you with a raised brow, as you were making a cup of tea in the kitchen, clearly not dressed to be going out.

“Go where?” You gave him a confused look.

“Terror By Night, remember.” He stated as if it was clear as day.

“I thought that was just going to be you and John, a guys night?” You furrowed your brows.

“If I have to suffer through this, then you do too.” He smirked.

“It doesn’t sound like I have a choice.” You laughed.

“Please come, I’d... I’d like you to be there.” Sherlock muttered nervously. Your jaw dropped open slightly before answering. Was this Sherlock’s way of... flirting?

“Oh, ok. Um, yeah I guess I can go throw something on.” You nodded, looking down at your sweatpants and Oxford tee.

You made your way downstairs to throw on a nicer outfit and slap on a little bit of makeup.

Sherlock was waiting patiently for you, he stood when you entered the room with a nervous smile. You returned it, grabbing your coat off the rack and letting him know you were ready to go.

“John’s going to meet us there, he got held up at work.” Sherlock informed you after giving the cabbie directions to the theatre on the Strand.

Once you arrived at the theatre you saw John standing outside and waved to him.

“So what’s all this about?” John laughed, motioning to the title poster and Sherlock picking up the tickets.

“I just work here.” You shrugged, earning a laugh from John.

“How’s that going by the way?” John asked.

“Oh, you know, never a dull moment.” You smiled, as Sherlock approached the two of you, tickets in hand.

Once you took your seats, each of you on opposite sides of Sherlock, you began to look around the small theatre, examining it.

“You know, if you had told me I was going to be third wheeling I could have brought Sarah.” You heard John whisper to Sherlock, your cheeks turning bright red. So your suspicion from earlier had been confirmed. You didn’t think Sherlock went in for that sort of thing, you never saw him as the relationship type. He’s the definition of the ‘married to his work’ type.

As the play went on, in a very Agatha Christie whodunit fashion, you found yourself enjoying it. You had predicted the ending not too far into the play, but what happened next, none of you could have expected.

In the play the Detective gathered everyone to reveal the murderer, as he explained how the son murdered Lady Margaret Chaplette, in a fit of rage he struck the Detective with his prop crutch. Only it wasn’t a prop. As he struck him across the head, the blow killed him instantly. Your eyes grew wide and you turned to Sherlock as you both immediately realized this was not part of the play, and everyone in the theatre had just witnessed a real murder.

You and Sherlock immediately jumped up, following John who checked the vitals of the actor and confirmed his death. Sherlock gently picked up the prop crutch that was supposed to be made of rubber as you’d observed during the first act, only to find it was aluminum.

“Someone must have switched it during the interval.” Sherlock turned to you and you nodded.

“We need to shut this place down, no one leaves. The murderer is most likely still here.” You explained, Sherlock rushed off to the front of the house.

“Never a dull moment.” John muttered as you both stepped away from the body.

After a night of interrogating all of the cast members you’d discovered that it was ‘the Detective’ himself who had switched the props, causing his own death. He was trying to set up the son to injure him or break his arm so he could sue the theatre or make sure he got fired, after numerous stories of his misconduct and relationship with the director.

The man who played the son, an avid drunk, had had a bit too much to drink that night and when he swung the crutch, struck the detective in the head, unintentionally killing him.

“So our victim is also our murderer.” You nodded to Sherlock.

“I know, exciting right.” Sherlock said, a little too giddy for a crime scene.

“Well this isn’t exactly how I planned my night to go.” You laughed.

“Me either, but this is much better.” He smirked, and you rolled your eyes with a smile.

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Thank you for reading! There’s two more parts- what do you think will happen next?? Comment and let me know!

Taglist in the reblog.

Feedback is so important to writers, just a simple comment can make someone’s day. Thank you!