#some shirtless rain to cap the night off

[qyuubu]

homicipher human au hcs part 2 (the other humans that live in town):

mr. machete

he’s a skater boy, see ya later boy. he navigates the streets pretty fast because he’s always on his board.

his machete takes the form of an electric guitar. he’s the personification of what boomers believe the ‘disturbed youth’ looks like.

he’s perpetually shirtless, if you don’t count the countless bandages and bandaids on his body as clothing. he gets nicked often. if not because of fights, because of skating.

he also wears a backwards baseball cap and tinted shades to look cool. if he’s not feeling it, he’ll wear a bandana to keep the hair out of his eyes. weirdly enough, the bandana also covers his eyes a bit. but even if you do get close enough to see his eyes, you get whopped by his guitar so quick that whatever you remember from his face just comes up as a blur.

all anyone remembers is his wicked smile. he always smiles. it’s a little disturbing, to be honest.

he’s a goddamn rebel. always making a mess of things and is just itching for an entertaining fight.

he’s notorious around town for ending up in gruesome squabbles, which he wins.

he hasn’t lost yet, not because he’s infallible, but bc he doesn’t fight if he knows he’ll lose. some people call it cowardly but if you live his lifestyle, it’s more about self preservation.

doesn’t care about the rumors surrounding the abandoned apartments and the monsters in it, but whatever is in there, he hopes is a good fighter.

he won’t go in. he minds his own business like that. but when the mc so happens to stumble into his territory at the skate park, all bets are off.

he’s throwing hands.

mr. hood

he’s the town’s community safety volunteer.

though, he opted to take the most difficult shift, which is night shifts. he’s especially active during the rain. he believes he isn’t really needed when the sun is out and the weather is well. but he’s eager to help when times are tough.

he’s always sporting a big hoodie that’s all brown and dirtied up for fetching cats in trees and finding lost items in the rainy night.

he also wears a face mask for safety, and googles to protect his eyes from the rain. no one knows what his face looks like. his entire body is armed with black protective gear so he can perform tasks safely, especially in dangerous weather.

when he sees a frantic girl wearing a white rain coat, clutching onto her clear umbrella and running in the slippery streets during a heavy rain, he insists on helping her out.

once he sees she is safe, he will promptly take his leave.

he has no idea who she is and why she was running, but what matters is that she’s safe. he will keep an eye on her though, just in case she needs his help during a rainy storm once more.

mr. gap

he’s a runaway. he lives in abandoned buildings is known around town as the unconventional beggar.

he asks for anything you have on hand: food, clothes, even your trash so he can sell it. people are initially scared of him, but he never takes anything without consent.

he may not be a thief but he is sort of a creep… while he doesn’t have a lot of ill intentions, he’s always just… staring.

if you catch his reflection, best believe his eyes will be staring right back at yours.

if you pass by his abandoned building, he’s probably looking at you through the sunken-in hole in the wall.

he’s helpful sometimes too! as long as you give him something in return. he does fulfill his promises. if you think about it, he’s kinda like an odd jobs establishment.

for entertainment, he looks through garbage and takes back the things he likes. maybe an old magazine or a broken trinket.

one day, he picks up a discarded paranormal magazine and reads up about the white coat wearing monster that murders all sorts of people in town.

he’s pretty intrigued! a few days later, he meets her as she walks by his abandoned building to get to hers.

he asks for the bloody hand she’s carrying in her plastic bag, in exchange for the information he found about her in that magazine.

part 1:

other homicipher human hcs:

[bishopgirl98]

Love Bug

Summary: Follow up to "A Series of Gentle Touches". More details about how this version of the reader met the duo and where they are now.

Pairing: Sierra Six/Court Gentry x F!Reader

Rating: General. Mainly fluff, shirtless Six, and a flustered reader. Honestly, fluff fest, courtesy of yours truly

A/N: I appreciate all the love for "A Series of Gentle Touches"! it has lit a fire for me to keep going and write more in general. As an important note, this won't be on my master list. I am developing a new, cleaner master list that isn't one long post. So, please bear with me on that as I am back in school full time.

Btw, this song plays a part of the story, I feel like listening to it adds on. And if you have not listened to this album, I highly recommend it :)

Rain begins to clatter against the window, when you find yourself lost in thought. The last time you interacted with Six was almost two months ago. Between you teaching again and Claire getting into a routine, your time with them slipped away as October began. You stand at the sink, washing the dishes as your mind begins to linger on the past few months. 

When you first met Claire and Six, you stumbled upon them. They were moving in during the night time, but they were so quiet anyone would’ve missed them. You happened to be restless that night, so, you threw on a matching sweatsuit and grabbed your wallet and keys. Hoping to get a midnight snack to ease your mind. 

You locked it from the inside and when you stepped outside your door a roll of film came to a stop at your feet. You had crouched down to pick it up, and when you looked up, he was there. Bent over in front of you with a cap on his head, clad in a tracksuit, and beautiful blue eyes staring into your own. “Sorry,” he muttered and he extended his hand to help you up. You took it and the second you were back on your feet he made some distance between you two. 

“No worries, I’m y/n, by the way.” You said, offering a smile. He hummed and nodded his head. He parted his lips to speak, when she came out. 

“Six, have you seen…” her voice trailed off as she looked at you and smiled. “Oh, hi.” You smiled shyly and waved to the young girl. 

He cleared his throat, “Sorry for interrupting your night, y/n. We were trying not to disturb anyone.” He turned and looked at the young girl who scrunched her nose at him forcing a giggle from you. She’s pretty funny.

“No problem,” you said. “I’m heading out, but I’ll see you around.” You waved to the pair and the girl waved back and he gave you a curt nod while you waited for the elevator. You could hear a light pair of footsteps shuffle back inside. But you were nailed to the spot, while he watched you. Clearly waiting for you to leave before heading into the apartment. The elevator beeped and you rushed inside. You leaned back against the wall and exhaled a bit as questions ran through your mind. Who is the girl? She seems nice. Much nicer than the man she's with. And his name is …Six? You shook your head and hurried to make your trip as quick as possible. 

Then three days later you would need help making it to the elevator. You piled up all your groceries into reusable bags, thinking you’d be able to get everything in one go. You almost didn’t. You were balancing them, catching a bag of potatoes before they could tumble, but you weren’t fast enough to catch the apples. You expected them to slam to the ground, but the sound never rang out. “Need help?” 

You peered over one of the bags, Six. You chuckled slightly, “I need more help than I thought I did, huh?” He gestured towards one of the bags, and you released your grip as he took the bag from you.

 He looked down at the young girl, “Claire, can you get the elevator?” 

“On it,” she said, striding over to the elevator. You followed the pair and waited for the elevator to arrive. The girl looked up and smiled at you, “I’m Claire by the way.” 

You smiled back and replied, “Y/n, how are you two liking it so far?” 

The elevator beeped and you all piled inside, “It’s nice, but we don’t know much about the town.” She paused, pressing the button for the fourth floor, before turning back to you, “Do you know where we could find a record store?” You beamed at her excitement, and chatted the rest of the ride up about her favorite records. While he listened, only humming or nodding in response to Claire’s comments. 

Once on your floor, they follow you to your door, waiting until you open your door. Once your things were settled, you turned to them. “Thanks for your help, and the company on the way up.”

Noticing how little time was left Claire blurted out, “Would you want to go to that thrift store you mentioned?” She looked up at Six, who was silently processing the question.

He looked between you two, he strengthened himself out, resting his hands on top of each other “We still have some things to figure out, can we raincheck?” he asked. You nodded.

“Absolutely, take care,” you said. 

Then you think back to that last time on your couch. He was … gentle. Kind. He would smile at something you did, when he thought you weren't looking. He took care of you when you were sick and … And now this. Radio silence. You shake your head. I’m overthinking this. They're still getting their bearings. I’m working again. And, I know little about their lives before me.  

Three knocks bring you out of your thoughts, then you hear, "Y/n, it's me, open up." Smiling, you drop your dish rag and hurry to the door. When you open it Claire is standing outside with books in hand and gazing up at you. "Hey, can you help me with some homework?"

"Of course, come in," you say, stepping aside to allow her in. Smiling, Claire comes in and sets down at your kitchen table. 

While unloading her books she asks, “How’s teaching going?”

“Pretty good. My kids are good so far, but their seventh graders. Much like yourself, but most likely you’re more focused.” You say and quick an eyebrow before asking, “Well, you are right?”

She laughs, before responding, “Well, I’ve got a homeschool teacher and she says I’m doing alright. But I’m doing lessons on my own today.” On her own?

“Why?”

“Six is sick. Doesn’t want me or her to get whatever he’s got. We talked on the phone, went over what I should study for next time.” She’s taking her notebook out and you join her at the table. 

“What do you have to do?” Looking over the papers, The Outsiders and The Westing Game. “Ah, this is a great selection. I’m teaching The Westing Game soon.”

Claire perks up, “Ms. Ashlee did say I could pick which one we do first.” Her eyes light up as she says, “You could test run the book with me.” 

You pretend to think about it for a moment, before smirking and saying, “Why not.” You sit down and gesture for her to join you. You both read through the first two chapters when you start talking, it is clear Claire is more than interested.

Her face lights up as you guys start talking, “Okay, so, can we agree that Turtle is the best character in the book?” Gee, I wonder why?

Six doesn’t get sick. His body is his temple. Was his job. His way of survival and how he protects Claire. Until now anyway. He lets out a deep groan as he rolls over to check his phone. 

Claire: I’m at Y/n’s. She’s helping me with my homework. We’ll come check on you soon :) 

At least she’s safe and happy, he thought. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s with Y/n.

He’s filled with unfamiliar sensations that he hadn’t experienced since he was a child. It started out of nowhere three nights ago. He had a headache, but he assumed it was because he hadn’t slept for the past few days. By this morning, he became nauseous. So, not only was he worse, but he was at a loss as to how this happened. 

It can’t be -- No that’s silly. There’s no way I can get anything done like this. 

Claire needs to be protected, around the clock. He has to be on his toes, and yet, he was more off his game than ever. Without a second thought, he slowly rises from the bed and picks up his phone again.  And called  Doctor Fetzer to make a house visit. He had been helpful in checking up on Claire. 

About thirty minutes later, three knocks get Six out of bed. He grunts with each heavy step towards the door before looking through the peephole. He opens the door and invites Fetzer in, “Hi, Doc.”

He nods before entering, “Hi, Mr. Foster, so, what seems to be the problem?” He follows Six into the living room, setting his bag on the coffee table.   

He sighs, taking a seat on the brown couch. “Well, it started with a headache, then some loss of sleep. And now I'm nauseated. But I haven’t had any issues like this before, I don’t usually get sick.”

The doctor nods and takes out a stethoscope and thermometer. “Can you lean forward for me?” Six listens, scooting forward on the couch. “Breathe in and out slowly for me.” A moment passes, before he speaks again. “Everything seems normal here, but let’s check your temp and examine your throat for any illness.” 

After about five minutes, Dr. Fetzer sits down on the couch beside Six. “So, nothing physical seems to be wrong with you. While most would associate your symptoms with a cold or another common sickness, I think that this may be more mental or emotional.” Six raises an eyebrow at that response. 

Mental? Emotional? No it can’t be. 

Dr. Fetzer looks down at his hands before asking, “Is there anything new? Or someone new?”

He lets his guard down, “What are you saying?”

“What’s happening could be stress, mental exhaustion, maybe even,” he pauses, choosing his words wisely. “Longing for someone or something. Either way, you need to resolve the issue. While nothing physical is wrong, the mental and emotional are just as important.” 

Six nods, before standing up, “I’ll take your advice, Doc. Thanks for coming to see me.”

He stands up and shakes Six’s hand, “Take care and do call me to set up Claire’s next check in.”

“Of course, take care.” With that the Doctor leaves and  Six is left with his thoughts. Head pulsing, stomach clenching as he settles back on the couch. He takes out his phone and calls Claire. She picks up on the second ring. 

Her voice chirps through the phone, “Hey, feeling better?” 

“A little, how’s the homework going?”

She hums, “Good, Y/n and I got a head start on one of my books for next week. Quick question, when can I come back? I know you’re not feeling well and I couldn’t turn down a game of Mario Kart with Y/n.”

His stomach clenches again and he lets out a quiet groan. Leaning forward he says, “Give me an hour. I’d rather not be -- well, as sick as I am when you come back.”

She’s silent for a moment longer before asking, “You sure you okay?”

He sighs as a smirk pulls at his lips, “Just another Thursday, Kid. Remember, one hour. Oh, Claire?”

She hums again.

“Tell Y/n I said thank you.” 

She laughs and Six can tell that her signature smirk is on now, “Will do.” She hangs up and Six slumps back on the couch. The Doctor said to resolve this, so he had to think. 

He and Claire have been laying low, but no signs of danger so far. Sure it had him weary, but Claire was safe and healthy. She was going to ease into the idea of going to public school, so long as they were safe. 

They lost Fitz. They were healing -- together. Trying to find their footing in this new city. But, Y/n was of huge help. She had provided comfort to Claire, and admittedly, himself too. One neither of them were familiar with. Sure, Claire had a live-in nanny when she lived in Hong Kong, but she was more like a friend and caretaker than motherly to Claire. 

Because of you she had a friend that wasn’t him and could get her excited about life, in general. For Six, well she- and that’s when the nausea hit again. Shit. 

Six gets up, and against the will of his body, rushes to the bathroom. Groaning, he shrugs off his shirt, tossing it into his room as he goes to his personal bathroom. Stumbling over his own feet, he manages to get to the toilet and flip up the lid. 

He silently heaves over the toilet. That was a reaction. 

A telling reaction in the fact that. The pieces are falling into place as to what the doctor had mentioned earlier. Six has changed too, not just with Claire, but on his own. He was, as the doctor put it, longing for someone. 

She had been a huge help. Not just with Claire, but with Six. He felt more human, normal almost. Especially that night you had been sick. It was natural in the way that he felt he had known you for a thousand years. His hand skimming over your forehead. The amount of tension his body held whenever you passed by him. Or how that left corner of his mouth would twitch up into a genuine, beautiful smile that’d reach his eyes, when you and Claire would dance to records in your living room before she had to go to bed. 

But that night. He had given in to those feelings. Nurturing you, the way he hadn’t been taught or experienced. Like it was the air he breathed. Taking comfort in helping you, holding you during movies. The contrast of your soft skin compared to his marred skin and calloused hands. He is enamored by you so much that he’s been driven to sickness as a bodily response. 

He lets out a deep sigh and slumps against the wall. Pushing his hair back, for the first time in his life, free to feel confused about his own feelings. What now? 

“Oh no, you look worse than when I left you.” His eyes shot up at Claire in shock, to see her face painted with worry over him. Has it been an hour already?

He rubs his eyes, trying his best to focus, “Aren’t you supposed to be at Y/n’s?” 

She slightly grits her teeth and that when he knows. Before he can have time to react you are walking into the bathroom. “Is everything -- oh sorry.” You cover your eyes and step back. Confused, Six looks at Claire. Who is pointing to chest and mouthing, “Shirt.”

Six clears his throat and turns his attention to Claire, “Hey, why don’t you go order some pizza for dinner tonight?”

Claire smiles at that, “Do you need anything else?”

He notices her smile and responds, “A moment, with Y/n, alone.” Claire is still sporting her smile as she walks out of Six’s room without so much as a glance towards Y/n. Who has her eyes covered to give Six some -- privacy. He smirks at this kink in her armor. She can teach young kids all day, but can’t handle him being shirtless. He sits up, quickly, and holds his head. But, it doesn’t. 

Still shirtless, Six gets up and walks past you to his dresser.  Where he can feel your eyes scanning over his back. No doubt noticing the scars there. “They don’t hurt. They're old and healed.”

Your voice is soft as you finally speak up, “You feeling better?.”

He hums in response, “Much better.” Now that you’re here. “Thank you for taking Claire earlier.” He grabs a gray shirt and shrugs it on. He’s about to turn back to you when he sputters out, “Stay for dinner?”

Your mouth hangs open for a moment and you turn to face him. Relief floods your body at him wearing a shirt, you clamp your mouth shut and push a strand of hair back. “Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.” He nods, and for a moment, you think you notice the corner of his mouth twitch up. No, stop that. 

“Claire says you two got a lot done, will you show me while we wait?” he asks. You knew he was heavily involved in Claire’s progress, but not enough to ask. 

“Of course, we put everything at the table when we came in.”

He gestures towards the door with his sun painted hand, “Lead the way.”

All you can muster up is a meek okay, before walking past Six, his hand ghosting the lower half of your back, but never fully touching you. The feeling of his eyes raking over you making your cheeks tingle. 

When you enter the kitchen you hear a quick shuffling sound and notice Claire on the couch. Body leaned over the arm on the opposite side of the couch, her face hidden from you and Six. The sound of a chair moving across the floor brings you back to him. His broad frame is settled behind a chair waiting for you to sit down. Your footsteps are quiet as you pad over to the wooden table. “Thank you.” Wordlessly, he pushes your chair in, and takes the seat beside you. 

You flip open Claire’s notebook and your copy of The Westing Game. “So, we talked about the mystery genre, worked on the first three chapters, and started clue gathering.”

He smiles at that last bit, so much that it reaches his eyes. And for once, he’s the one asking questions. For the next forty minutes you fill Six in on the wonders of The Westing Game and, well, fuck. He is completely entranced by everything you’re saying. He leans in every few minutes, closer, and closer to you. Being less glib, holding his side of the conversation, engaging with the text. And that sun painted hand, just maneuvers across the table each time you get ready to turn the page, always just grazing your fingers, never touching. 

You’re both resting on your forearms, turned towards each other, as you talk about some of the character’s. He sighs, “Grace, ugh where do I start?” You let out a chuckle, and wave a hand for him to continue. “I have worked for some miserable people, Y/n.”

You lean in, a twinkle in your eye, “Please, count the ways.” He cocks an eyebrow up at that, but the knock on the door pulls him away. He grunts slightly, and pats your hand as he gets up to answer the door.     

Claire is on the couch reading her copy of the book. Glancing over at you and Six. Smiling every so often at the closeness and the happiness on Six’s face. It was the first time she saw anything like it on him. Normally, he would keep someone like Y/n at a distance, but he was different. Maybe -- She smiles, he’s got the love bug. 

“Claire, Y/n, pizza’s here.” Six calls. Claire sticks her bookmark in and hurries to make her plate. “What’s the rush, Claire?” 

“I want to finish this book, and I don’t see myself doing so out here,” she explains in a taunting tone. You gasp and turn to the girl.

“Are you saying we’re disruptive?”

There’s a glimmer in her eye as she says, “In fact, I am.” 

Six scoffs at that. “Says the girl with the record player.”

“Calm down, gum chewer, and don’t pretend you don’t hum along every now and then.”

You hum, “Please tell me more.”

Claire laughs, “He won’t say it, but I’m certain he loves Imagine Dragons. Alright, I’m in my room.” She tucks her book under her arm and takes the plate and glass of water to her room. 

You turn to Six and laugh, “The nerve of that one.”

He playfully rolls his eyes, “Unbelievable that kid. I was going to cut on a film and eat. Do you want to join me?”

Maybe- “I’d like that, what movie?” His mouth twitches again. Did I see that right?

He hums for a moment, thinking while making you a plate. “I don’t really have any ideas. I uh- I didn’t grow up watching many films. Any ideas?”

“How do you feel about classic films?” You turn your body towards him as he fills up your favorite mug with water. The water lily mug. Claire insisted on keeping for when you watched over her at their place. He remembered?  It was a beautiful blue, with a light green curved handle. Inside was a water lily in the center of the mug. 

“Are there any with Bogart?” he questions as he walks to the living room balancing the two mugs and singular plate. 

You join him on the small couch, sparing him some space. You think you know what’s going on, but it’d be easier to let him fill in the gaps. Picking up the remote, you flip through the guide for TCM and find one. “You’re in luck. “The Big Sleep” is about to come on.” Grinning, you turn to him, “So, why Bogart?”  

He picks up his mug, shrugging his shoulders slightly, “I relate to him, his characters anyway.” 

You pick up your mug and adjust so you’re facing him, “How so?”

He chuckles a bit, “I’m a bit of a fixer. All his characters seem to help others before they help themselves.”

You try to give him a small smile, “Even in life, love?”

He nods his head, “Even then.”

“It’s a good thing you have Claie then, even Bogart wasn’t lucky enough to have a plucky sidekick.”

He chuckles and nods, “You got me there. What about you?”

“I can’t relate to Lauren’s character at all. I mean, I have my kids at school and they make me want to come in for work everyday. I live away from my family. My mom is a single parent, and my sister is in college. I have no kids of my own.”  And no one to come home to. “But I’m not half as feisty as this character is.” You chuckle out. 

The tv rings out with the opening theme of the movie, causing you and Six to adjust your attention. Once the film gets going, you dig into the lukewarm pizza until it’s gone, slowly burrowing yourself further into the couch. 

As the movie goes on, you cast small glances over at Six. He’s moved a bit closer since the movie started. He seems better than when you first came over. You nudge him, and he hums, shifting his eyes between you and the screen. You whisper, “Are you feeling better?’

“Much, thanks for asking.” He looks at you and winks. You simply nod your head and let out a little cough as you turn back to the movie. He didn’t hear the squeak you almost let out at that and rub your arms. Get it together, Y/n. It’s just him. “Are you cold?” Not wanting to make him notice your reaction, you nod. Wordlessly, he walks over to the kitchen with your dishes from earlier. 

A moment later, he’s back to you with a soft knit sweater, holding it out to you. It’s army green, with multicolored boxes, and smells of , well, you can’t put your finger on it at first. 

“Thanks,” you mumble. He sits back down, closer this time making the previous gap nonexistent as he knee sways back and forth towards your own. You’re watching the movie - fuk it. Spontaneously, you snuggle your head in his shoulder, just like you did months ago. He slightly flinches and stops swaying his knee at the sudden action. Slowly, he resumes swaying his knee, and rests his hand on yours as you lean into him. He tilts his head up, the scruff of his bread lightly brushing your hair as he allows you to bury yourself deeper into his touch.

The swirling in your stomach from all that time ago returns in full force. Almost affirming that night. Almost. The man is so glib that having him verbally confirm something would be more than helpful. But, right now, you guys are in the final scenes of the movie. And watching Bacall and Bogart sends a lightness through your chest that can only be described as a sense of longing for something like love. 

While the credits roll, you stay tucked in the crook of Six’s neck. And for a few moments, you can feel his eyes flick between you and the screen. And he lets out a low hum, as if to communicate how content he is in this moment and maybe he’ll find the words, but first -- “Thanks for this, Y/n.”

You move your head to look at him, “Of course, you’re not feeling sick though?”

He shakes his head, knocking a few strands of dirty blonde hair loose, “No.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what was wrong?”

He grunts, “I uh, hadn’t been eating or sleeping. Caused some nausea and headaches on my part, but really, I’m better.”

You chuckle. “Of course, I mean it could be worse. You could have been love sick,” you joke. He nods his head, and the wheels seem to be turning. “We didn’t make much of a mess this time, but I have to do the dishes.” You lean forward to let him move. 

“You wash, I’ll dry?” You offer. He nods his head and leads the way back to the kitchen. You push up the long sleeves of the sweater, putting away the previous dishes from earlier in the day. You both work in silence. The sound of the water filling the sink and the light clatter of dishes filling the room as you think. Does he feel what I feel? And -- more importantly -- was he love sick? Was that even possible for someone like him? 

You didn’t know, but it was and it was so much more than you thought or knew for that fact. The sound of light piano sounds and dull voice slowly stream out from the back of the apartment. Claire’s playing her records again. You grin, thankful for a little music to your evening. You join Six at the sink, and start rinsing the dishes. Taking them from his painted, calloused hands into your own. 

As you're drying the dishes, your elbows slightly brushing Six’s, you hear Claire’s record player as it begins growing in volume, the lead voice and backing vocals becoming clearer. And in a moment, he’s humming along with the song. He doesn’t break his stride, it’s clearly a favorite. A smile rises upon your face as you watch him, suddenly he looks at you as he hums. And he smiles for the first time, while holding eye contact. You smile back, biting your lip as you break eye contact. The words become clearer. 

So take my word, I promise you, I’ll come through

The humming has stopped, Six puts his hand on your shoulder. Turning you towards him, his hands out, hand open for yours. You push the sleeves of the sweater back down and take his hands. He wraps his arms around you and starts humming again as the song picks up and sways you with him in a tiny circle. 

Do, pray, tell. Of beauty that inspires you. It’s something of a miracle, when you do what you do. Give me faith again. I’ll follow you blindly. Pray you don;t deceive me. 

You take a deep breath and close the gap between you as the song intensifies with meaning. Bringing you and Six closer in this moment, burrowing your way into his arms as his hands grip you tighter.

I promise you, I’ll come through. I’m your continual truth. 

Six reaches down, and gently pulls you from the comfort of his chest. His eyes searching your own as you look at him. He brings one his hands up to cup your face, running a thumb across your cheek as his bright blue orbs flick between your eyes and your lips. "May I?"

You push up on your toes to meet him halfway as his hand cradles your face. His lips leading yours in a slow rhythm, that could knock you off your feet. You move your hands to wrap around his neck, when he breaks the kiss to rest his forehead against yours. "Dove, I've been sick about you.”

As usual, let me know what you think. And any feedback is helpful, especially with dividers and how some stuff comes off.

Another reminder, my master list, will be deleted in the next week or so. There will be a new one. If you saved it, I may tag you in a new post letting you know that the new one is up. But only those who have it saved as of today (9/19/22). Also, my tag list is still open, the link is in my bio :)

Tag List: @bval-1 @danielle143 @uwiuwi

[fangirlovestuff]

Rumor Has It - Chris Evans x reader pt.2

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a/n - hey lovely people!! I’m sorry it took me so long to get it out but i really wanted to finish up my requests first, I really hope you like it!! i made a playlist for this fic if you wanna check it out! also, i’d love to hear your thoughts about this chapter please come talk to me:) enjoy!!<3

Summary:  “ I don't know what to say / Since a twist of fate, when it all broke down / And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now”  (from The Story Of Us by Taylor Swift)

Disclaimer: there’s a flashback montage thingy in this chapter, and it’s written in italics. once the italics are done, the flashback is done, i really hope it’s not too confusing because i really like it:)

Word Count: ~1.2k 

Warning: like one curse word, slight mentions of smut if you really squint, angst

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The next day you arrived to set with your eyes red and puffy, which you hid with big sunglasses. You went straight into hair and makeup, who did an excellent job at getting you to look as good as any other day, and didn't ask any questions as to the cause of your poor state, which you silently appreciated.

Apparently, some things really couldn't be covered by makeup though.

"You alright?" David asked upon seeing you.

"Yeah," you answered airily, taking a sip from your paper cup. "How about you?"

"I'm okay, but are you sure you are? I saw the article yesterday, and I know your boyfriend m-"

"Look, we were keeping it quiet for a reason," you cut him off. "He can deal with it. Or so I thought," you added in a low mumble that didn't escape David's ears.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We had… a fight. Look, it's nothing, I'd really rather we don’t talk about and just-" you shrugged off your jacket, "Let's just do our jobs, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded. Before you had the opportunity to say anything, he pulled you in for a tight hug. You were too upset to push him away, and you received his comfort gratefully.

"Okay," you let out a breath and put on a smile. "So, what are we doing today?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You parked your car in the parking lot close to your friend's house, which you supposed was your temporary house for now. Leaving the car, you were just locking the doors when you heard a familiar voice calling your name.

"Hey," Chris breathed, quickly catching up to you. Which wasn't hard, considering you were pretty much rooted into your spot with shock, rapidly turning into anger.

"What the fuck?" you said. That was the most your brain could come up with right now.

"I was just… look, I just wanted to-"

"Oh, that's not what I wanna know. Why are you here? As in, next to my friend's apartment whose address I never gave you, nor the permission to come by?"

"I asked around an-"

"You know what, save it," you cut him off impatiently, "The point is, go away. Now."

"Please just listen to me, sweetheart," he grabbed onto your wrist and you quickly shook free from his grip.

"No," you shook your head and turned your back on him, starting to walk away in the direction of the building.

"Oh come on! Don't be like that! After all we've been through, you're gonna let this be the final straw?" he yelled, walking quickly after you.

"See, that's exactly my problem with you, Chris," you turned around, fuming, "You talk a big game about how we've been through so much together, yet the minute you don't like one of my friends, you push me away and say I'm a cheater!" you struggled to keep your voice level, not wanting to cause a scene yet unable to stop your frustration from seeping into your tone.

"That's not how it was, I swear that's not what I m-"

"Yes, that is how it was!" you were fighting the urge to physically slap him. "My god, Chris, grow up already! You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

"I don't want anything, I just want to explain–" he fumbled over his words for a second, his mouth opening and closing, "I just want you."

Before you could register his words, his lips were on yours, softly moving against you, hands cupping your face. And you couldn't help your muscle memory, you couldn't help –

You were laying on the bed in your pajamas, which were really just one of Chris' shirts, scrolling on your phone, when you heard soft footsteps from the hallway. You smiled to yourself before closing your phone, turning around just in time to see Chris coming into the bedroom, sweatpants on but shirtless. He smiled before coming to hover over you, softly bringing his lips to yours before traveling south, peppering kisses onto your jaw, neck, and collarbone. You tilted your head back to grant him better access. Your lips parted in a soft gasp as he brushed over a particular spot, and your fingers tangled in his hair, tugging slightly.

You were also out in the yard, playing with Dodger, laying on the grass to enjoy the last days before winter comes, but apparently winter was very impatient. Suddenly, drops of rain were coming down on you, causing you to blink in surprise. It was getting increasingly stronger, Dodger running around trying to catch the water with his mouth while you and Chris laughed in surprise. You looked over at him, smiling, and he pulled you into his arms, kissing you in the rain.

You were looking at groceries in the shop when he came and wrapped his arms around you, leaning his broad chest against your back as you tilted your head back to peck his lips.

You were dancing at a friend's wedding, laughing breathlessly as he spun you around, his eyes twinkling and the edges of his mouth pulled up in a smile before bringing you close, pressing a kiss onto your smiling lips.

You were pouting after an argument when he bent down to kiss your lips, knowing you both already forgave each other.

And then you were there – that night.

You were just about to give up and go home, your friends could do well enough on their own. The bar was dimly lit, and any other day that might've been mysterious or fun, but today it just made you want to fall asleep even harder than you already did. You were just about to make some excuse about needing to work tomorrow and leave, when you saw him.

He was sitting a few tables away from you, a baseball cap sitting fairly low on his face, his flannel-clad body slumped over the table as he took a swig of his beer. His eyes didn't leave yours, and a slight smile was playing on his lips as he gave you a slight wave. You were sure you didn't know him, but you smiled and hesitantly waved back.

He motioned towards the bar and you got up, making your way towards the bar and sitting down on one of the stools until he got there as well.

"Do you wanna get a drink? On me," he smiled. Up close, you could see his blue eyes glinting in the low light.

"Sure, but… do I know you? You just, you waved at me back there and I-"

"Oh no," he laughed, "No, if I knew you, I'm sure I'd remember it. I just thought you were looking a little miserable, so…"

You chuckled. "Thank you, stranger."

You talked for what could've been minutes or hours, you weren't sure. At the end of the night, you exchanged numbers, and when he walked away you had to stop a dreamy, schoolgirl-like sigh from falling past your lips. He was perfect.

But he wasn't. That illusion, along with your relationship, crumbled down in front of you yesterday.

You vowed you were done with him, yet you couldn't help but kiss him back, your tongues clashing in an all-too-familiar dance. Your heartbeat was pounding in your ears as you forced yourself to break away from him, opening your eyes. Panting, you stared at him, your mouth opening, then you closed it and swallowed heavily before opening it then.

You didn't know what you wanted to say. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, running his tongue across his bottom lip.

You didn't know what you wanted him to say either.  

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okay, so maybe i ended it on a bit of a cliffhanger... sorry not sorry;) would you like to see reader and chris get back together or do we want an ultimately angsty ending? i would LOVE to hear your thoughts!!

Taglist:  @horny-nd-bored​ @shannon124 @perfectlyharolds​ @wintersoldierslut​ @iceebabies​  @sleepingpapermouse @steverogerswasalwaysworthy @holtzkinnon @angelicl-y @stydia-4-ever @thatoneperson5000 @fangirlfree​ @kaitcordx25 @bequeening​ @steve-barry-damon-logan​ @itscrazycherryblossomcollection​ @hollandxmarvel​ @stargazingfangirl18 @readsreblogsfics @onetwo3000 @beritmetal @harrystylesholland @jazbot2000 @anobscurename @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @peggycarter-steverogers @evansphnx12

Rumor Has It Taglist:  @sushiinmidnight @thummbelina @captainchrisstan @mrspeacem1nusone @mayafatimakhan @idowikeit @evansphnx12 @thefallenbibliophilequote​

if you wanna join / be removed from a taglist, comment/message me! much love <3

[impaladolan]

Capture - Grayson Dolan [3/-]

summary: everything has started to whirlwind around Y/N as she realizes what predicament she’s in, but is consoled by her captor.. her nameless captor..

warnings: smut & slight fluff :/

a/n: hey, this is part THREE of this little series! if you haven’t, check out part one and two before reading this, or you might be a little confused :) enjoy!

"Don't you make one fucking sound.."

To his hoarse words, your teeth instantly clamped shut around your bottom lip and you closed your eyes in anticipation. You expected to be ruthlessly grabbed and shoved into by his cock, but the slowness of your panties being pulled down your legs and the ever so soft touches of his long fingers against your inner thighs brought you a surprise. And suddenly, the world began spinning around you the moment you felt his thick, and warm tongue glide against your soaked folds. The pit of your stomach shuttered in the overwhelming pressure he had against your extremely sensitive nub, something you have been day-dreaming about ever since you first saw him.

He was slow— almost passionate with the way he moved his pleasureful tongue around your pussy, slurping your arousal like it was a glass of ice water on a hot day. Your hips slowly rolled against his mouth, unintentionally, and your head fell back against the soft mattress beneath you. Your hot breaths filled the absence of sound, as well as his lapping and frustrated groans from underneath you. It seemed purely magical when he creeped one of his thumbs to your bundle of nerves, swiftly rubbing it in small circles. It made your breath become caught within your throat and had your own fingers running through his heavenly soft hair. The way his gruff groans and grunts vibrated through your core and up your spine made it excruciatingly difficult to keep your sounds to yourself.

You had had it when his only free hand crept up through your gown and wrapped itself around your breast, caressing the tenderness and softness. When your hips began to buck a bit more violently and the small, quick intakes of breaths that had queued your soon dispatching, he stopped.

He lifted his head from you and licked his lips, flashing a grin your way. "Such a pretty girl, already fucked out and you've barely been touched." He chuckles as he turns back to his little pile of clothes on the floor, snatching them and leaving the room in a hurry.

You were infuriated.

So much so, that you led your own little hand down there and began to rub at yourself, trying to finish off whatever he had started before he could notice anything. You just circled your clit quickly until your high came, and went, before slipping into your comforting bedding, yet again regretting your day's decisions and falling into a deep and useless slumber.

-

When you first wake, you quickly notice the weakness between your legs, like it was missing something, but soon after you feel the stretching of your esophagus. And then you're hit with the reoccurrence of the night before. Again, you had let this unknown man take full control of you and liked it.

How disgusting were you? To enjoy something superbly disturbing? What would your mother think?

You shook your head to your own thoughts, sitting up against the pillows and reaching for the newly placed water bottle on the nightstand. You unscrewed the cap and chugged the liquid until there was no more to be gained from it. It at least soothes the aching you felt in your throat, but nothing could stunt the aching and needing pains that your pussy was currently throbbing with.

You didn't feel an ounce of drowsiness at the beginning of the day, like you had the days prior. You felt fully regenerated and well awake. Maybe now you'd be in touch with your morals and mature senses. It has become terribly boring in this room, staring at the walls and ceiling for what seems like hours doesn't help the fact. You would've gotten up and explored your confinement space, but you were terrified he'd make an appearance the moment you step on the ground.

You actually haven't seen him at all today.

You didn't really have a source of time, but by the way the sun was sat in the sky, you had gone a whole entire day without a thing to eat or drink, which angered you. He should at least have enough courtesy to provide meals for your famished self if he's gonna keep you hidden in this place for so long. But then again, you were forcefully kidnapped from a bench only days ago, and could be kept in much worst conditions than you are now. With that simple thought, a tear had formed, watering and blurring your eyesight. Without any consent from your own self, tear after tear began to trail down your frozen cheeks, staining them a darker red. You didn’t even realize you were crying until an explosion of hiccups began to sound from your mouth and send you into a sobbing mess. Your throat began to burn as well as your eyes and your stomach began to lurch within its self, while your head became pained with all the activity that’s happening. You grab one of the pillows laying behind you and squeeze it against you roughly, trying to soothe the discomfort and agony of your new coming realizations. The flow of your tears and whimpers only strengthened, like your body was combusting with the amount of held back frustration you had. The streams of tears began to pool at the bottom of your chin and roll down your neck in thick waves.

You weren’t too sure why you were crying, but it made you feel a little better.

Your sobbing hadn’t come to a stop when the door soundlessly opened and closed. You didn’t even hear him enter, let alone sit beside you. When his large and warm arms wrapped around your small, shuttering frame, you helplessly fell into them. You let go of the pillow and snuck your arms around his muscular torso, squeezing him tighter than you did the pillow as you uncontrollably cry in the crook of his neck. “Why? Why’d you trap me here?” You hardly whispered, but his heart sank deep in his chest the moment you acknowledged him.

He didn’t have an answer. He just swayed the two of you back and forth, easing you into a peaceful sleep that you truly didn’t want, or need. You weren’t awakened when he had easily lifted you up, and carried you away from your enclosed space, leading the two of you down the hallway until he was at the threshold of his own door. He didn’t need to think twice before quietly opening it and settling you on his much more comfortable bed, leaving the lights off and classical music on in the background. He understood your saddened questioning, but he just couldn’t do anything about it quite yet..

-

You awoke for what seemed like the fiftieth time in a place you didn’t recognize. Instead of the boring grey walls and the one gold-trimmed painting, you were surrounded by pristine white walls with a few different posters of musicians you didn’t really know, except Tame Impala. Your heart almost skipped a beat as your eyes scanned the poster that had tour dates and the songs from the 2015 Currents album.

What a coincidence?

You drew your eyes away from it and settled them on the man sitting in the chair in the corner. Again, your heart leaped out of your chest from slight terror. You hadn’t noticed him before, but he seemed harmlessly asleep. Though his presence slightly angered you, he really did look peaceful and almost cute, snoozing away in the little recliner. A smart person would’ve ran to the door and exited the house as quick as possible and make it to freedom, but your head really wasn’t in the right place for the moment. You just sat there, silently interrogating the nameless man snoring in the corner.

He hasn’t been anything but nice to you, except for the lack of food and water. You faintly remember him saying something about knowing you, but everything’s truly a fog and you can’t tell whether anything is a dream or real life, since you’ve been sleeping entirely too much. Hell, you can’t even recall how you were placed in this room, or why.

But you liked it a lot better than the original room you were in. It’s not freezing cold in this bedroom, it’s comfortably warm and soothing with some sort of autumn smelling candle. Even the few little Halloween decorations around the room, which are slightly early, made this place feel a lot more homely than it should. Because honestly, you shouldn’t be “enjoying” being kidnapped/stolen by some nameless hot guy.

Speaking of, what the hell is his name?

Suddenly, the so-called nameless man begins to shift in his seat, his eyes slowly opening and widening as they adjust to the small light surrounding him. The only light within the room was the window, which displayed the day’s dark overcast from the soon-coming rain. Once he’s familiar with his own room, his eyes land on yours, a sheepish smile covering his lips compared to your stern one. “Good morning, sweetheart.” He firstly says before stretching his arms above his head and letting in a deep yawn.

“Cut the shit, sweetheart. I want to know why I’m here and when I’m allowed to leave, now.” You mock with a darkened voice, just to get your serious point across. He exhaled a large breath and stands to his feet, shuffling over to his dresser, probably finding a shirt since he feels the need to be shirtless all the time..

“Listen, I want details. I’m tired of fucking waking up and falling asleep in a strangers home. So if you could politely drop me off at my own house within the next hour, I won’t press charges. Fair and simple.” You almost plead as he takes his time looking through the drawers of his dresser. His silence and slowness was beginning to get in your nerves. It’s a large pet peeve of yours when you aren’t directly answered.

“Love to, but can’t.” He just simply answers with that, throwing a white shirt over his head and fitting it upon the rest of his body. You internally groan to his statement, shifting your eyes to the doorknob that looked very much enticing. Your head began forming a plan b, if bribing him doesn’t go too well.

“Please..?” You surprised yourself with the stupidly seductive voice you used, something you do to get what you want with men, and it most generally works. “Maybe.” He shrugs, carelessly. He seemed so disinterested and distracted to care about any of the words you were uttering. He strides over to his connecting bathroom, slightly closing the door to piss and brush his teeth.

I guess we’re going straight to plan b, huh?

You hobble out of bed and quietly walk towards the door, successfully letting yourself out without notice. Holy shit. You sprint down the somewhat familiar hallway, around a corner and through the kitchen and what seems to be a living room, until you see a front door looking exit. You immediately scram towards it and unlock the handle and the two deadbolts, successfully pulling it open and letting the outside air smack you right in the face.

Freedom at last.

You run outside, not even caring to close the door, and sprint straight towards the tall fence, the eerie tree-covered surroundings offsetting you slightly. Nevertheless, you ran as fast as possible to the nearest fence sticking your foot in one of the holes to begin your climb. “Hey, get back here!” His low, demanding voice rang through your ears, but you didn’t stop there. You kept climbing, as fast as possible, nearing the top of the fence. You didn’t have the heart to look back and see where he was, you just kept climbing to what would hopefully be safety. The moment you make it to the top to swing your other leg over the fence—

You feel a hand attach to your bare foot..

(masterlist)

[tortleofwar]

Valentine's Cherub Pt. 2

The noises from trucks clearing the road, I can sleep through that. Sunlight blaring through my eyelids, I can easily turn over. But the smoke of a cigarette catching in the back of my throat is something I can't ignore. I bolt upright pounding my chest as I cough up the carcinogens. Smoke stings my eyes as a fresh puff is directed towards me.

"Good morning my little warrior." She took another drag and blew away from my face this time. "I assume you aren't a smoker then?"

"You got me." Finally settled from my coughing fit I roll off the bed and walk to the bathroom. My bladder was close to bursting and a conversation was the last thing I wanted to have right now.

"I guess I can't call you little after your display last night." She let out a school girl giggle as she walked into the bathroom. The cigarette was absent from her hand. She reached a hand out and held me as I ejected my urine into the posh toilet. "Got some power behind this thing. Wish I could have exclusive access to this."

"Not gonna happen." I forced it out to get her hand off of me quickly. "Last night I was snowed in and my cards were all declined. I'm thankful for your help but what happened last night was a fluke."

I skipped the shower hoping to get away from her before something else was instigated. She turned it on and walked out behind me. Her hands wrapped around my waist to grab at my dick again. This time I stopped her and proceeded to my clothes.

"If you are going home you're gonna need a shower." She gave my ass a swift slap and licked her lips hungrily. "Besides, your bar tab hasn't been paid off yet. Last night was the release I needed after my recent dry spell. But that was only the tip. I bought your drinks and provided you a room."

My heart dropped at the realization that she was right. This hotel was top notch. Red carpet throughout the room, a bidet in the bathroom, and the thread count was higher than my monthly salary. I could end up indebted for a while. Sky wouldn't like it so I had to find a way out of this. I swiped to my bank app and checked the balance. My check cleared and $1850 was showing. It wasn't much but it would cover the rinks I had.

I turned to find her on her knees mouth open and eyes closed. The hormones and attraction couldn't be denied but this was wrong. At least last night could be blamed on the drinks and need for a place to stay besides out back by a dumpster. But now was entirely different. I could walk out right now and leave her on her knees as I shut the door.

"I don't normally offer this to anyone." As I was looking at the door her eyes looked up to me and it felt like my soul was ensnared. As she stood her hand trailed up my thigh to cup my balls and then get a firm hold of my hardening shaft. "We get dirty while getting cleaned up and then I will consider us square. No money, just sex."

My answer should have been hell no, all caps with about five exclamation marks behind it. However those eyes and that plump booty slowly walked me to the shower and I was stuck. My tears washed away by the shower as I surrendered to her once again. I could say it was to square the debt but I honestly wanted more.

As we kissed images of my wife flashed in my head. The good times, the bad, and the sex. True, experience was one hell of a teacher but my heart could never betray her. My mind arguing that this was just a release, purely physical. But the betrayal was there.

I dove into the deep end, pulling her closer and adding carnal passion to the kiss. I began to kiss down to her neck and she whispered into my ear.

"Use me. No limits just go crazy." Her voice husky with desire. "Please."

I'd pressed her against the wall and teased her with one hand while nibbling on her tit. The harder I bit the slicker she got. True to her words she didn't deny anything as I chomped down with force. Her yell turning into a muffled moan as she bit her bottom lip. My finger finding her inner folds while my thumb strummed her clit had her body trembling. This was something Sky relished and hated with a passion.

This woman welcomed the body trembling climax as I kissed my way down ignore the plea in her eyes. I scooped her up onto my shoulders giving full access of her lower extremities to my mouth. My goal was to keep it going as long as possible and possibly even give her another. Licking inside and out made her thighs squeeze as she pulled at my short dreads. Denying her the release of rolling my tongue along her clit until I felt her juices flowing down my chin.

An explosion went off in her body as I applied steady pressure to her clit. Her nails scratched at my scalp and her thighs blocked all sound as she locked them over my ears. As her climax came down she released her vice grip on me and breathed heavily. As I back away I flicked her clit one last time and felt her back away.

"Was that resistance?" A wicked smile spread across my face as she looked down sheepishly. I grabbed a towel from the rack and grabbed her hands. "I hope you can cover the damages."

I ripped the towel into several strips and soaked them with water and the hotel provided soap. With each one I would slowly slide them over another erogenous part of her body. I decided against the soap for the final strip. Opting instead to blindfold her with it. As I stood admiring this soapy piece of art I'd made her hands reached out for me. I sidestepped them and whispered into her ear.

"Not yet my pet."

She froze in place as the stream of water rained down on her. I quickly grabbed a cloth and bathed her body gently. Cleaning her from the neck down. She relaxed the longer this went on until she could no longer feel my touch. I watched as she tilted her head to listen for the faintest sound of me, searching for the smallest notion that I hadn't abandoned her.

As she reached for the blindfold I bound her hands and quietly shushed into her ears. These were the things I'd wanted to do with Sky but she didn't trust me to care for her this intimately. But here was this stranger willingly surrendering herself to me. Rubenesque body presented to me with no hesitation. I took her hands and placed them on my cock moving her hands to instruct her to stroke me.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and she instinctively went to her knees. Her face hovering inches away from me I pushed forward penetrating her lips. Her warm tongue swirling around my dick as I pushed in and out of her mouth.As her rhythm became steady I pulled back, forcing her to lean forward for me.

My deep chuckle was drowned out by the water. Her nose was pressed into my naval as she choked on my length. I forcefully pushed her off of me and watched as the water cleaned the spit and saliva from her face. I turned her around and pushed her onto all four. The water pounded on my back as I slowly eased inside of her. Building a steady motion and feeling her push back into me.

As I took over grabbing her hips and slamming into her the wet sounds echoed inside the bathroom. As much as I was enjoying this I needed to remember why I was doing it. I focused wholly on busting my nut and raising up out of here. Her clenching helped speed the process up and she could tell. She began to beg me not to pull out and I complied.

Exhausted I stayed in place as the water washed over me. I slowly pulled out cleaning my shaft as it shrank back to its flaccid state. I untied her and removed the blindfold. She eagerly fetched a washcloth to clean me up. I stood in place as she moved around me cleaning every inch. When she tried to get me hard again I swatted her hand away.

"That should square up our debt. And this hopefully remains a secret." I was rushing to get dressed and out of this blissful nightmare. "Please don't come looking for me."

"That's going to be hard considering how good pets are at finding their masters," she joked. "But I understand."

I winced at the nickname and bolted out of the door. With cleared street I cautiously steered to my home shaking my head at what I'd done. It couldn't be justified and I would be damned if she left me because of this. As I pulled into the parking garage a familiar powder blue Pontiac drove by me. The shirtless passenger was laughing as he turned to leave.

Shaking it off I walked through the halls of the apartment complex and fished out my keys to the door. Slow music could be heard through the door and the smell of fresh candles could be heard. I scrunched my brows in confusion because this was her post-coitus routine and I wasn't here last night. Then the realization hit me. He was here last night, snowed in with Sky, and we had just had our biggest fight ever.

My keys dropped to the floor as I slid down the opposite wall in dismay. I shook my head with doubt but the evidence was there. I couldn't accuse her after what I'd just done but for her to sleep with MY boss was a whole other level of betrayal. That smug bastard would probably be smiling every day just thinking about this. The rage took a hold of me as I forced myself up.

Shoving the key into the door I burst through it and saw her look of joy. It slowly faded as she saw the anger on my face. Her confused expression only made me feel worse.

"So I just saw Michael on his way out." Her realization didn't show as I began to explain. "He looked extremely happy considering he was snowed in 45 minutes away from his home. Any idea why that is?"

"He probably knows someone else who live nearby. I did tell you I saw him a few times in the neighborhood while I was out."

This brought up another realization in me. He was on lunch calls for two hours on those days. My apartment was 15 minutes away. Those lunch calls started when I got my promotion four months ago. She quit her job because I didn't want her to have to work again after she put me through college.

"I have all the addresses and contact information of all of his associates and sneaky links. None of them live near here. What was he doing HERE?"

Her face lost all expression as she shook her head. "You were gonna find out one way or another. Michael and I have been seeing each other and I think it's time you moved on as well."

There it was. The dagger through the heart I'd been waiting for. I clinched my fists as I paced through the front room. All the while she stood there with no expression or words. The tornado of thoughts going through my head landed on hurting her but I held it in. Looking back at her I could only ask one question.

"Why?"

"You're too nice to me. I need a man who can handle me, put me in my place and treat me how I want to be treated in private," She explained walking to the door. "He spoils me in public and uses me in private. Something a BOY like you wouldn't understand. And that's what I need in my life. Not someone who worships everything about me or is my every beckoning call."

"So I treated you like a queen and this is what you've wanted all along?" I slumped onto the chair shaking my head. The smile on my face scared me. "All this time and you said nothing."

"You're a great guy. And I'm sure someone out there would love to be with you." A bit of fear had entered her voice as she noticed the smile. "But I'm not the one you need. I'll be by to get my things later."

"So you hurt me and you're not even going to apologize?" I asked looking up at her.

"I'm pretty sure after last night we both knew this was where it was heading." She looked at me with a sly smile. "Although I may have broken you for the next poor girl."

The door closed behind her as I sat shaking my head. Her laughter should have done something to me, made me feel anything, but I could only think about the cougar. How I could use a stress reliever at this very moment. At that moment my phone buzzed. I sighed as I checked the notification.

An ad for therapy made me laugh to myself. After all of this I could do with some venting to help me get back to normal. I scrolled down and my jaw dropped. Dr. Clarice WIlliams had a picture of brunette hair flowing down to her shoulders and a pair of captivating green eyes hidden behind glasses. Was God sending me help or was the Devil tempting me? I shrugged and turned on my PS4 to play Paladins.

[moonscarsandstars]

reference for welsh

here you go @sirrriusblack (it was way too long at this point, don’t ask me why), but I finished it! also idea credits go to her too.

~~~

"What the hell?!"

The heavy sound of rain that came from outside the door- where James was standing- almost muffled his voice. Sirius blinked, his expression blank, and his bright, beaming smile faltered in confusion.

"You heard me, didn't you? I'm going to learn Welsh," he said, as if it was the most normal thing.

"I'm really not sure if I heard you well," deadpanned James, brushing a hand through his soaking wet hair. He rubbed his shoes on the welcome mat of Sirius and Remus’s flat, and leaned a little closer as the thunderstorm outside raged heavily.

"Oh shut up," quipped Sirius, propping his elbow up onto the door frame next to him. "I'm going to do it."

"First of all, this was your midnight emergency?! I came all this way to help you learn Welsh?!"

“How was I supposed to learn it without you? I wouldn’t last five minutes, now, would I?”

James seemed to ponder that for a moment. Then shook his head in agreement. “Good point. Can I come in now?”

“Oh, right,” said Sirius bemusedly, moving out the way as James shuffled inside hastily. He flicked his wand, and his raincoat was off him in a second and on the hanger at the side. He shook his head quickly, letting water splatter all over Sirius, who yelped loudly.

“Shit- he’s upstairs,” whispered Sirius, almost dramatically. “He’s not allowed to know.”

“Why?”

“Whisper!”

“Why?” Whispered James, a small, familiar grin on his face. “A prank?”

“You wish,” quirked Sirius. “It’s going to be a surprise.”

“Moony’d be darn surprised that you managed to learn anything,” said James with a chuckle.

“Oh shut up,” retorted Sirius, a feign frown on his face as his voice returned to normal. “You and McGonagall both know that I am a star pupil.”

“The only thing star about you is your name, Pads, shut up.”

“How dare-”

But James cut him off before he could finish his sentence. ”Why are you learning Welsh? Really?”

Sirius gave a defensive look, before sighing. “Y’know how we’re meeting his parents tomorrow? Well, I wanted to impress them, ‘nd...”

“That’s adorable, Pads, gee, I didn’t think you had it in you,” cooed James, though a certain part of it was genuine. “You really have it bad for him, huh?”

“Oh, do I,” mumbled Sirius, his voice heavier than he wanted it to be.

~~~

An hour, four cups of hot chocolate, almost waking Remus up and lot of procrastination later, the two of them got to work at around three thirty in the morning.

“So I bought this book to help-”

“You can read?”

Sirius shot a glare at James before continuing. “It’s supposed to teach me the basic phrases and daily communes.”

“Daily whats?”

“Uh- um- that’s not the point! The point is, I should be able to frame at least one sentence to impress them.”

“Padfoot, mate, you can’t even phrase a proper sentence in English. How d’you suppose you’re going to do this?”

“Effort, Prongsie, not that you’d know.”

James opened his mouth, but Sirius continued with a smirk on his face.

“So the first phrase is- uh- um- Prongs, how d’you pronounce this?”

Lifting the book, Sirius pointed his finger at the words on the page.

SU’MAE

“Uh, you’re on your own there, Pads, I have no idea.”

“Soo- may? That- I- what?”

“Isn’t it soo-mye?”

“But-” started Sirius, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Actually- is it?”

“Ask Moony, he’d know.”

“The reason I called you at this ungodly hour is to make sure Moony doesn’t find out!”

James smirked. “You won’t last without him.”

Ignoring James, and trying to fight back James’s contagious smile, Sirius continued. “It means ’hello’.”

“Mkay, what’s next?”

“I- I think the next one is- uh-” Sirius pointed at the page again, and James tilted his head over to read it.  

SUT DACH CHI?

“It means ‘how are you’, and it’s the formal version. I use the formal version with his parents, right?

“Yeah,” responded James, looking back to the word. “How d’you pronounce it though?”

“Is it soot or sut?”

“Soot, I think. Right?”

“I don’t know...?”

“Let’s make it sut, how ‘bout that?”

“That works,” said Sirius, studying the paper hard. “S- sut duk chee?”

“That’s way too British. It has one of those-” he made a throaty, hoarse noise- “-for that part, don’t they?”

“What?”

Sirius blinked, his expression extremely confused. James laughed loudly, making the corners of Sirius’s lips twitch up.

“Oh come on, we have to be serious- no don’t you da-”

“YOU’RE ALWAYS SIRIUS!”

Cringing, as James burst into a fit of giggles, Sirius gently slammed his head against the book on the table. 

“Prongs, is that you?” 

The familiar voice from the other room scared Sirius. Hastily, he threw the book halfway across the room, and got it to rush under the sofa with a flick of his wand. He stuffed his wand into his hair, only to realise it was out, and threw it away from him.

Just in time, as Remus appeared tiredly in front of them.

“What’s happening?” Mumbled Remus, rubbing his eyes. 

The suspicious glint- the one he’d used as a prefect in Hogwarts- was still sharp in his voice.

“I- nothing- I- James came to drop this-” Sirius hastily picked up a pen “- this off, he- I left it at his,” stuttered out Sirius, trying to put on a smile. 

Remus didn’t look the least convinced. “I’m not thick. What’s he really doing here?”

“I- um-”

“I came to help Sirius-”

“He came to help me-”

“We- we were-”

“Practicing!”

“Yeah! Practicing- uh- practicing-”

“The salsa?”

“What the-”

Eyes wide and lips tight, Remus’s eyes darted between the two of them, before he burst out in laughter, louder than Sirius expected. But he couldn’t help the smile that came with watching Remus chortle, and before he knew it, he was laughing along too.

“Honestly, I don’t find that hard to believe,” he said, bemusedly with a grin on his face.

“Heh, yeah,” trailed off James with a smile and a chuckle that was oh-so-obviously fake. Sirius pursed his lips at him.

“I’m turning in. You two-” he waved his hand vaguely “-carry on whatever it was you were doing.”

~~~

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius tiredly propped himself up on his elbows, squinting as the light in the room blinded him. For a split second, last night was merely a haze, before it all came back to him.

As well as the inevitable meeting of Remus’s parents.

Fear and some form of dread hit Sirius like a brick. His chest seemed to tighten, and any knowledge of Welsh that’d been drilled into his head by a bemusedly irritated James seemed blurry. What if it didn’t go as planned? What if it was too much? What if-

“Hey Pads? You awake already?”

Meeting Remus’s gaze, Sirius’s nerves settled. It was going to be okay. That was, until they raised at Remus’s shirtless torso.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, smiling as he stretched his arms away from him, yawning slightly.

“You ready?”

That smile. The way the corners of Remus’s lips tugged up to the left, and wrinkled just a little. Sirius could spend years staring at it.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” replied Sirius sleepily.

“What were you doing with Prongs? Last night?” Remus slumped down onto the bed next to Sirius, pulling his jumper on.

“Nothing, Moons,” drawled Sirius lazily, pulling Remus into a long, deep kiss. His hands travelled up Remus’s jumped, and his hazy mind focused on Remus’s smooth skin.

“As much as I love this,” started Remus, breaking away. “And trust me I do,” he added hastily. “We need to get ready. My dad’s setting up the portkey for nine.”

“Nine?”

“Yeah. He was always an early bird,” said Remus with a small chuckle.

“Too early,” whined Sirius. “Even for me.”

“Don’t you want to impress him?” Asked Remus bemusedly, with a small, almost challenging smirk.

“Maybe I have some other tricks up my sleeve,” quipped Sirius, staring Remus in the eyes with an equally challenging smirk.

Remus raised an eyebrow, before getting up and heading towards the bathroom. “’M taking a quick shower, yeah?”

“M’kay,” mumbled Sirius, dozing back off into his pillow.

The next time Sirius woke up, it was to Remus frantically shouting at him. At first, the words made no sense, until they did.

“Are you seriously not awake yet? Oh come on! At least put something decent on if you aren’t going to- are you awake?! Oh come on, you’re supposed to be the early bird here, aren’t you?!”

“SHIT! ‘M awake! I’m awake, sorry Moons,” mumbled Sirius, eyes growing wide and trying to pull off his shirt. He attempted to grab something from the closet nearest. Pulling the shirt he’d planned to wear, Sirius rushed to the bathroom.

Ten messy minutes later, Sirius was sitting with a frown, as Remus smiled sadistically.

“You could’ve told me he’d postponed it.”

“Watching you panic was so much more fun,” said Remus with an infuriating grin, chuckles bubbling in his voice.

“Oh come on!”

“You forget who really planned the banana cups prank, don’t you?”

“Moons, we’ll forever be in your debt,” said Sirius solemnly, though the small grin tugged at his lips as his mind swept back to the memory. 

“Wait,” started Remus, his eyebrows creasing as he picked up the tattered cap from the seat next to them. “I think it’s now.”

Sirius felt his stomach clutch. It was really happening. Now.

“I- I-” started Sirius, unable to get words out. Some sort of nervousness travelled through his veins. But a giddy type of nervousness; the type people got before  roller coasters and quidditch matches. 

“It’s going to be okay,” said Remus with that smile of his. 

And before he knew it, a pull behind his bellybutton twisted through his body, giving him a sick feeling as he was being pulled through the air. With a large thud, he landed on the paved driveway of the Lupin residence.

This was it he thought with a small, less mischievous grin.

Intertwining his fingers between Remus’s, Sirius squeezed his hand softly, and nervously tapped his fingers against the other’s knuckles. 

They walked up the path, both nervous, even if in different ways.

A soft knock on the doors revealed Hope Lupin. Her brown hair fell in soft, straight bangs falling above her eyes, and fell down past her shoulders. A kind smile occupied her face, and soft, blushed skin wrinkled at the corners of her eyes.

“Welcome home, cariad! Collais i chi gymaint, sut wyt ti?” She turned to Sirius before continuing. “Sirius! You must be his boyfriend,” she said with a wink. “I’ve heard a lot about you!

“Ma!”

“Come in, come in,” she said, lovingly.

The two of them shuffled in, Remus red in the face and Sirius smiling shyly.

“Hello boys!” Came a gruff, warm voice. Lyall embraced Sirius in a small hug, and engulfed Remus in a bigger one, ruffling his curly hair. “You’re his- his partner, huh?”

Sirius could hear the way Lyall’s voice faltered just a little, but decided to stay calm. After all, they were all trying.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Remus, his voice calm.

“Neither would we, cyw, we love you,” said his mother, in a loving voice that seemed far from fake, settling Sirius’s nerves.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Exclaimed Sirius, almost forgetting last night. “Soo ’may! Sut dach chi?”

Hope’s confused expression melted into an endearing smile as she responded with a small chuckle. “Rwy'n gwneud yn dda iawn, diolch, beth amdanoch chi?”

“Uhh...” trailed off Sirius, meeting Remus’s amused gaze- though the love in his eyes was something Sirius would learn the entire language to see. “E-wawn, dioh-l-k yn fawr e-wan!”

Hope burst into warm-hearted chuckles, and trailed a finger over Sirius’s cheek lovingly. “You’ve really hit a jackpot, huh cariad?”

“Ma!”

But both their eyes looked at Sirius with the same love and affection Sirius had craved all these years. He couldn’t help his cheeks growing red, and the smile that grew on his lips.

“I didn’t actually know about this,” admitted Remus, sneaking a little kiss on his cheek. “He surprised the both of us, didn’t he?”

“I promise you, Prongs and I weren’t learning the salsa last night,” drawled Sirius, unable to keep the happiness out of his voice.

“You- I-” stuttered Remus, eyes growing wide. He kissed Sirius passionately for a second, and both of them forgot where they were, before hastily breaking apart and blushing profusely under Hope and Lyall’s gaze.

“Oh cariad...”

“He really loves you, son, doesn’t he?”

Lyall’s voice was thick, and something about him was less stiff.

“I love him too,” said Remus, snatching a quick look that lasted forever at Sirius, who was smiling, eyes glassy.

[bebepac]

The Dishwasher

I am participating in @wackydrabbles​​ prompt # 58 “Where are you going? It’s not safe out there!”  which will appear in bold.

I also used a prompt from @wonder7pickle​ 45 OTP prompts, # 45, “If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop” which will also appear in bold

This is also chapter 12 of Pop’s Place.  To catch up on what you’ve been missing so far please check out Pop's Place Masterlist .

Summary:  Mia and Jaiden start to get closer.   Liam and Mia hire a dishwasher.  A bad storm hits the area.  

Warnings:  I’m gonna say profanity, because I love a good curse word.  But that’s all, and these these two are too stinking cute.  You know what I say right.   When I have a fluffy fic, that means another story gets hit with the drama rain. 

Word Count:  1994  

Song inspiration for this episode.  Another Jaiden  Brooks pick.  I really kinda love his eclectic music selections, and this week he’s really feeling this one.

 “To Be  With You” by Mr. Big

https://youtu.be/L6-uJLteKek

I don’t own rights to the music.  This is a great song by the way, forgot how much I used to love it!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

Tagging: @queenjilian​ @dcbbw​  @bbrandy2002​ @indiacater​ @janezillow​  @islandcrow​ @mom2000aggie​ @gkittylove99​ @gabesmommie1130​ @sophie-and-shizuku​ @kingliam2019​ @queenwalton​ @cordonia-gothqueen​ @texaskitten30​  @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @queen-arabella-of-cordonia​ @lodberg​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @kimmiedoo5​ @sanchita012​  @mrsdrakewalkerblog​ @cordonianroyalty​ @batgirlassociationofgothamcity​ @hopelessromanticmonie​ @marietrinmimi​ @blueaster-blog1​ @lovablegranny​ @ac27dj​ @classylady1234​ @loudbluebirdlover​ @atha68​ @nikkis1983​ @furiousherringoperatortoad​ @sevenfuckslefttogive​ @ladyangel70​  @annekebbphotography​ @iaminlovewithtrr​  @jared2612​ @cordoniaqueensworld​​ @choicesficwriterscreations​​ @burnsoslow​ @axwalker​

Mrs. Jones was kind enough to make him a plate for breakfast before he started cutting their grass for them.

Jaiden sat at the table eating  turkey sausage, eggs, grits, toast and juice, when he saw Mia walk into the kitchen.

Jaiden raised an eyebrow. Even though Mia looked like she had just woken up, she looked really cute to him.  Her hair was up in a wild ponytail on the top of her head.  She was wearing  a white tank top and some blue pj shorts.

She looked at the stove seeing the cast iron pan her mom cooked eggs in empty. She opened the fridge bending over. Jaiden leaned in his chair to get a better look at Mia. Jaiden bit his lip as he watched her. 

Gloria rounded the corner with another carton of eggs. She followed Jaiden's  line of sight,  catching Jaiden blatantly watching Mia.

When she called Jaiden's name he jumped, losing his balance, causing the chair to topple over, with him in it.

The sound caused Mia to jump. Standing up as she saw Jaiden jump up, his face bright red.

Gloria gave him a look; he knew he had been caught.  

"You alright there Jaiden?" Gloria said with a smirk.

"Yeah that chair was a little wobbly or something. Weird."

"Mom why didn't you tell me he was here?" Mia mumbled.

"I did, you apparently didn't check your phone." Mia touched her hair.

"Well he's seen you at your worst, and he's still staring at you, like you are the most beautiful girl in the world. I think you're okay. He fell out of his  chair, staring at my beautiful girl."

He was beet red now. Even his ears.  His face was downcast eating.

She smiled at Jaiden. 

"You can handle cooking more eggs, just don't let Pops see them! Check if Jaiden wants more eggs."

Gloria left the kitchen.

"Jaiden, do you want some more breakfast? I'm about to make some more eggs."

"Sure."

"I put cheese in my eggs is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's great."

He watched her cook the cheesy eggs.

He brought his plate over to her. She fixed him more breakfast.

"Thank you Mia."

"You're welcome."

Even though he was full, he ate another plate of food, just so he could sit there and have breakfast with Mia and talk to her.

"So why are you here this morning?"

"Our moms are apparently best friends now. Your mom was talking about hiring someone to cut the grass for you guys, and my mom volunteered me. Since it came with a free breakfast, and I get to spend time with you, I don't mind at all."

Mia smiled looking at him.  They continued talking and laughing for a bit.

"Well I better get started." Jaiden took both their plates and rinsed them putting them in the dishwasher.  Mia bottles of water in the freezer.  

She showered and got dressed for the day.  She checked on Jaiden a few times out the window.  It was now the heat of the day and he was sweating, and now shirtless.  Mia’s heart skipped a beat.

She decided it was the perfect time to take out  one of the bottled waters, she was freezing for him.  When she came out of the house, she saw Jaiden drinking  from the water hose.

Mia got a mischievous idea.  

She carefully picked up the hose, and bent it with her hands slowly stopping the stream of water.  Jaiden fell right for it.  Holding the hose end closer to his face.  

Mia unbent the hose, the water hitting Jaiden in the face full blast.  He yelped in surprise.

Mia was doubled over in laughter.  

Jaiden’s eyes shot to her. “YOU!!!!” he screamed, quickly putting his thumb into the hose causing the stream of cold water to hit Mia. Mia screamed.

Gloria glanced out the window when she heard Mia screech.  She watched the pair running across the yard, screaming and laughing. Mia kicked off her sandals, so she could run faster.  Jaiden still caught up to her, spraying her with water.  He had a tight grip on Mia.  He dropped the water hose.  

He pulled Mia closer to him and kissed her.  

“ She was right.  That boy ain’t shy… when he knows what he wants.  Go ‘head on Jaiden Brooks.”  

They finally came up for air.  Mia slowly opened her eyes, seeing Jaiden staring down at her.

“Wow.”  she softly whispered.  “I feel like I wasted almost my whole summer on the wrong guy.”

“It’s okay Mia.  You have me now.  And I’ve been waiting patiently for you all summer.”

“When did you know?”

He smiled.  “When I was driving home from the party that night we first met.  I was thinking about you.  It really annoyed me that you were with Drake.  My family isn’t crazy religious.  But, I asked for a sign to know you were the one for me.  Not even a minute later I saw you pulled over with the flat tire. I was your Superman."

"You also nearly scared me to death."

"Definitely not the type of scream I want to hear from you Mia."

Jaiden winked at her.  

Mia laughed.

"Is that for me?"

He pointed to the slightly frozen bottle of water in her hand.

"Yeah, it is."

"Thanks. I better get back to it."

"Come see me before you leave okay?"

"I will."

He watched Mia walk away. Her clothes were sopping wet. He had gotten her good with the water hose.  

He smiled at her. "That's my girl."

Pop's Place had been so busy Mia was on her roller skates almost every day.

The public outcry to help Pop's small business stay open even with shorter hours and closed for the weekends had humbled Pops. They were actually making more than with them being open every day.  Pops was loved by the community.

"Hey Mr. Brooks!"

He gave Mia a hug.  "How are you sweetie?"

"It's been busy. We've been running like crazy,  and now our dishwasher is our cook! So it's been a mad house but we're making it work."

"Jaiden said he's worried about you. Is there anything you need? Your family needs Mia?"

"Me and Liam are basically running this on our own. Liam is placing the food orders doing all the cooking,  and I'm running the floor.  Mom handles the books. She can't help much, she has a full time job.  If you know a dishwasher, that would save my life right now."

"You know what? I just might be able to help you out with that.  Can I get this coffee to go sweetheart?"

"Sure Mr. Brooks."

"And Mia…. "

"Yes Mr. Brooks?"

"Jaiden is very tenderhearted. You bring out something in him that I've never seen before.  I'm really happy you two found each other.  Tell your father he owes me $20.  I called this, when I saw you two at the hospital.  You two have a connection."

"Glad everyone knew before I did."

Jason smiled. "The same thing happened with me and Ren. I was in love with her, long before I was a blip on her radar."

"Jaiden isn't in love."

Mr. Brooks smiled. "I'll see you soon Mia."

The next morning Jaiden came in with Mia’s favorite coffee and what looked like two folders.

Hey Mia, can I talk to you and Liam for a few minutes?"

"I'd like to apply for the dishwasher position. Here's my resume."

"This looks like a term paper." Liam looked at the folder.

"No, this is going to be an audio and visual experience!  Audio On!!!!!”

Jaiden’s phone comes to life.

Jaiden’s voice blares over his phone sounding like a crazy extreme announcer.  

“JAIDEN BROOKS DISHWASHER!”

Mia opened the folder.  The first page was a full size photo of Jaiden giving a thumbs up, with a clean plate in his hand.

(Author note:  Crazy announcer Jaiden’s voice from his phone will be in all caps) 

“Reason number one why I would be a great dishwasher.  I wash myself every day, sometimes more than once a day depending on what I get into.”

“GO AHEAD TAKE A WHIFF…. I’ll WAIT.  DO IT!!!!”

Mia leans forward sniffing Jaiden.  She nods in approval.

“SMELLS GOOD RIGHT?!? SEE?!?!? TOLD YOU SO!!!!!”  

Mia laughed.

Liam looked at Mia.  She was eating this stupid shit up that Jaiden was doing.  Liam didn’t think he was funny at all.  

Jaiden saw Liam wasn’t amused.  Mia was almost crying from laughter.  He had to win over Liam.

Jaiden went on to talk about a  picture empty sink in his house that had no dishes in it.   A video of his mom saying “Jaiden washes dishes without being told.”  

Lastly, Jaiden talked about his Jeep. He had it parked so it  was sitting almost glistening in the spot. “Would you check out the shine on that Jeep?”  

“LOOOK ATTTTTTT ITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!”

Finally Liam burst out laughing.  

“Jaiden, I did not know, you were this crazy and this funny as hell.”  

“Because I’m the underdog.  People always underestimate me.  So did I get it?”

Mia looks at Liam.

“Want to start like right now?”  

“I need to go home and change, but I can come right back. Walk me out Mia?”  

Liam watched Mia walk out to the car with Jaiden.  He slipped his hand into hers.  

He leaned into her.

“If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” he whispered, kissing her.  

Jaiden felt Mia’s body melt into his arms.

When Jaiden finally pulled away.  He softly whispered.  “I’ll be back soon.”  

“Okay,” Mia whispered.  She stared deeply into Jaiden’s eyes.  How had she not seen him before? 

"Hurry back it looks like it might storm."

“You worried about me?”  Jaiden smiled.

Mia nodded.

“I like that.  I’ll hurry.”  

Mia watched Jaiden drive off.

Liam watched her when she came back in.  Mia had a dopey smile on her face.

He knew neither him nor Drake had made Mia ever look like that before.  Mia really liked Jaiden.  They had something special.

The restaurant was dead, and the storm coming looked bad. Jaiden made it back just before the rain.

They had been laughing and fooling around in the kitchen.

They hadn't even noticed how bad it looked outside as they were all in the kitchen until their phones started going off.  TORNADO WARNING!!!!!

Mia's phone started ringing.

She put the phone on speaker as Pop's asked.

"Are there any customers?"

"No."

"Close and lock up and go small interior office, there are no windows in there.  Come home after the storm.  Supposed to be bad on and off all day.

"Okay Pops."

When she got off the phone Liam headed towards the door.

"Where are you going? It's not safe out there!"

"To check the generator. We might need it."

"Not worth it, look at that wind and rain." Jaiden said.

They waited out the storm talking in the office.

When that storm cell had finally passed they walked out to their cars. Liam hopped in his R8 and was gone in a second. Jaiden was waiting for Mia to pull off, when she didn't he pulled over to her.

Jaiden jumped out to check on her.

"My car won't start."

"I'll take you home."

He opened the passenger door.

“See, I’m your Superman.” 

Mia smiled.

"You worried about me?"

"I worried about you Mia, even when you weren't my girlfriend."

Mia smiled. She took Jaiden's free hand and held it in hers.

"So you’re my boyfriend now?"

"Only if you want me to be."

In that moment Mia felt incredibly bold.  “Yes, I do.” 

Mia's hand gripped his tighter. "I want you Jaiden Brooks."

At the stop sign, Jaiden turned to Mia. His voice was soft. He licked his lips before he continued speaking. "And I want all of you, Mia Jones.”

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Secrets and small talks (White Demon’s Love Song, Part 6.)

Series description: A new job was what the reason you found yourself on a lonely roadtrip on the western coast, ending up in the woods of Olympian Peninsula. Yet a sudden car malfuction was what cause your unplanned stay in Forks. To your surprise, there was a lot of sinister things going on under the veil of fog.

Part summary: The secret was finally out - many questions were about to be answered. Yet no-one said it will be enjoyable for either of you. 

A/N: Okay, I am 100% positive that Seth would believe there’s something wrong with Jacob before realizing that she just means the wolf thing (IT’S JUST A WOLF THING). Also, I am sorry (not sorry) for the lenght of this part, but I got a bit carried away.

Tagging: @missdictatorme​

Word count: 5.5 K

Twilight playlist: ✨ Twilight Crackheads ✨

Series masterlist: H E R E

The wolf turned around to look at what caused the loud thud behind him. His blood froze in his veins when he realized what was he looking at - you've been laying on the damp, hard, and ice-cold ground. He could smell it in the next second - the iron-like, dry smell in the air. The vampires would most likely describe the smell as sweet, just lovely - yet Jacob's stomach was turning upside down as he felt it. No - you didn't hit your head so bad you'd be bleeding out. There was just a small amount of blood dripping out of a small wound on your forehead, the drops were slowly soaking into the soil. Jacob wasn't panicking, he was just surprised to find you there - you were just fine, your breath didn't even hitch, he could still feel the warmth coming out of you, your heart was beating steadily. Don't worry, you were just fine.

But Seth, who saw the view through Jacob's eyes, started to panic at the sight of your unconsciousness - while Jake found the expression very funny, the boy started to freak out. - 'Jacob, help her, why are you staring at her?!' - Seth cried out to both Jake and Quil's heads, he wasn't sure about what was happening. - 'Jacob can't change back now, Seth. She's bleeding a bit, what if the leeches will smell it?' - At that, Seth breathed out; Jacob and Quil felt the decision Seth made the very moment the boy realized it himself. In the next moment, he was running to meet Jacob just to help him. - 'Seth, don't leave your position!' - At the same time, Quil took a deep breath and howled loudly for the others to know something had happened.

The members of Sam's pack and Jacob's pack couldn't hear on the same wave - only Jacob and Sam themselves could communicate. Every time something unexpected happened, a member of either pack howled and changed into their human form to describe the issue. It was extremely time consuming and also a bit exhausting, but they didn't have a better solution.

It was too late for Quil to stop Seth from running your way. Jacob's bitterness could be felt in the mental web, yet he didn't tell a word - he just watched the perimeter, ran around, and made sure that any of the bloodsuckers was after you. While Seth was on his way and Jake already looked around, he started to move you around. If you'd be awake, he knew you'd freak out - his teeth bit on the cap of his raincoat as he dragged you closer to the garage, not having a problem with lifting you. The tops of your feet were sometimes touching the ground as Jacob scampered around in the direction of Forks. Thank God, you were barely a minute away when taken from a wolf's point of view.

Suddenly, Jacob couldn't tell what Seth was thinking, neither he could see what Seth was seeing - which meant just that Seth was close. And soon, the huge animal turned its head at him. It was looking quite funny, seeing Jacob running around with you hanging out of his mouth... Without a context, it would sure make Seth laugh hard. - "Hey, Jake." - Seth mumbled and tried to flatten you inside his arms. - "Let go of the cap, I have her. Jacob. She won't fall to the ground. She's breathing... I can hear her heartbeat. It seemed that she did something to her brain for a moment." - And there Seth was, rambling about a ton of stuff that meant... Nothing.

If he'd stop himself from acting up, just for a second, he'd know that you were alive the whole time. Jacob heard you breathing and your heart beating... Before Seth brought it up. And seeing the way the wolf was staring at Seth, the boy immediately knew he did something wrong. But Seth didn't care at all - he just moved your body in his arms a bit, smiling at you. - "Don't worry. I'll stay here and make sure Y/N's good, okay?" - The sunshine boy grinned at Jacob. - "Maybe some of them will appear here... They've been here before and now, there's the stench of blood in the air." - Slowly, Seth walked backward to the door leading inside the house, letting Jacob disappear between the trees.

Seth has done just like he told Jacob he would - the boy made sure to tug you into the big, super-warm blanket after taking the coat and boots off. Like a nurse, he cleaned your forehead with disinfection, taping it together with white medical tape. While happily strolling around the flat, Seth turned on some of the heating, made sure the place will be ventilated, and... Because Seth was Seth, when there was nothing left to do, he started to clean around - doing the laundry, folding clothes... When Seth was done and looked around the place with a satisfied smile, you wouldn't know that you were at this place before.

Jacob... He was a messy person. He was one. The whole flat was the perfect reflection of said behavior. And you weren't there to change that - most of the time, you even weren't inside the flat, for the love of God - at least, he was doing the dishes and his bathroom was tidied up and smelled very nice. It was all you could ask from a person who had offered you a stay at their place in exchange for buying the food. Yet after Seth spending an hour there, the flat turned into a place you hadn't seen before - the boy swept both the dust and the floors, he tidied the sofa from all of the dry soil and carefully re-arranger a fluffy blanket over it so it would be looking presentable. When Seth was done with the flat, he made sure the door to the guest room is opened, just before he sat down to watch some TV. He made sure to listen to the rhythm of your breath - before he fell asleep himself. The boy had an undoubted skill of falling asleep everywhere and anytime, snoring almost unison with how you breathed. The boy was a light sleeper, he'd sure wake up if he'd heard something he would not perceive as 'normal'. Just like when you started to stretch in the bed, growling unpleasantly.

The dream you had was... Fucking crazy. You dreamed about walking to the woods behind Jacob, following him around. At one point, the man stopped - you did so too, watching him, hidden behind a tree. You remembered that in your dream, it was raining and it was pretty darn cold. Your breath hitched as you watched Jacob falling on his knees, grunting in pain. And then he turned into a fucking wolf. Into a huge, unnatural wolf. Jacob was nowhere to be seen. With that, you woke up - just as your head hit a root which was peeking out of the ground.

Your breath was above normal rhythm as you sat up and looked around to understand where you were. Fuck. You were just in your bad and this was just a bad dream. Jacob was most likely on his late-night walk and you fell asleep instead of following him. There was something wrong with your blood pressure because the room was gently smudged in your peripheral vision and it was shaking a bit. The colors weren't right either. And why was the pillow full of dirt?

Trying to shake the strange headache, you gently smoothed your temple, just to hiss at the feeling. Fuck. Your head hurt as if someone took you out with a damn frying pan. Was this Jacob's found? Without a problem with recognizing the material, you brushed over pieces of medical tape with your fingertips, wondering at what the hell had happened. You didn't remember hitting your head anywhere, this didn't make sense. Or, maybe, the dream...

"Hey, there!" - A young boy exclaimed in a happy tone. He was standing in the doorframe, shirtless, having a grin on his face. Who on Earth was this? And why wasn't he properly dressed for the cold weather? There was a strange tattoo on his shoulder and... He wasn't wearing any boots. Yet his feet, when compared to Jacob's, were nicely clean. - "Nice to see you up and well. Name's Seth, I volunteered to take care of you while Jake's off." - Without any further explanation, he offered you his palm. Confusedly, you held it in yours while the boy did the shaking. - "I have two simple questions. Why aren't you wearing a reasonable amount of clothes and why is there tape on my forehead?" - Seth was kind of surprised when you didn't ask something like 'also, why did Jake turn into a huge ass animal in front of my very eyes?'. Either you didn't connect the dots yet, or you knew something about all of this.

"Oh, sorry. I'll borrow a shirt if it makes you uncomfortable," - Seth smiled even more widely than before, disappearing for a bit before he put on an old, flannel shirt he borrowed from Jacob's closet. It didn't even cross his mind that he's not properly dressed. Most of the La Push boys just walked around shirtless for the most part. It was kinda nice to talk to someone... Normal. - "But my physical temperature is a bit higher than yours. I won't get cold... And I don't feel cold. I haven't felt cold for the last couple of years." - Seth explained to you as if you were supposed to know what the hell he's talking about. Most of his friends were used to his happy ramblings, but you weren't local. Seth was a stranger to you - and for the dearest God, you didn't know what was his point. - "And the medical tape? Oh, don't worry, I cleaned the blood and the wound first. It was a horror to get it out of your hair, I tell you that. I was worried that I might just... You know... Tear some hair off your scalp. Jake neither would be too happy about that." - Tearing hair off your hair? What was the boy on about? You were just as confused as before the boy started answering your questions. Maybe even a bit more.

Even though he answered both the questions, he hadn't told you anything. Maybe he was being dodgy, maybe he just really didn't know he's rambling about nonsense. Honestly, you couldn't tell. - "I was bleeding?" - "Well, not like bleeding... It was a few drops here and there, but it stuck around the wound and then it kinda dripped down your face." - Seth answered with an honest smile. Okay, so he just wasn't aware of misleading you even more, cool. Now you knew. - "And I hurt myself... Or..?" - You needed to be more direct with the questions to get a proper answer out of the boy. - "Oh, yeah, you fainted in the woods and fell on a root, that's what happened." - Oh, so that was why the dirt was in the bed. And why your forehead was taped together carefully. Sure. And that also meant...

Seth could heart your heartbeat picking up and your breath getting irregular as you realized something. Suddenly, your hormonal balance had changed as your body started to sweat. You were stressed. And also, this was the reaction you should show before. - "Seth, you need to help me." - You mumbled, climbing out of the bed. The room suddenly spun around and you barely stood on your feet - the boy's arms caught you and he carefully helped you stand straight. - "At first, I thought that Jacob is a killer. Don't ask me why I just got that vibe." - What the hell were you now on about? Seth watched you packing your stuff in a state of total panic, you were running around the room, picking every piece of clothing you could find. You didn't care what will you leave there, you needed to run away as soon as possible. - "A killer?" - The boy answered with confusion - suddenly, you pushed all the clothes you found into his arms, picking up the rest. Where was the bag, goddamnit?

"But it's worse, much, much, MUCH worse." - "It is?" - He asked back and for a moment, you managed to get him distressed as well. Seth was one of the people you shouldn't be having this type of conversation with at all. Even if Seth knew about every thought that ever went through Jacob's brain, he was now on the same ship of panic as you. - "What is he, then?" - "Trust me, if I'd tell, you'd think I'm crazy. And we don't want that. I'll take you out of there with me, what do you say? We can... We can try to ring at Charlie? Jacob always leaves his keys in the car, so the tow truck is a fairly good chance." - Your brain started to put together a situation. The chaos was too much for both of you - for a moment, Seth was thinking about actually escaping with you from the menace that Jake was supposed to be in your eyes. - "He can... He can... He can..." - Slowly, you looked him in the eyes, trying to get the words out. The boy was hanging on your lips with his eyes, curious to hear about what the hell Jacob was. - "He can turn into a wolf. I saw that with my eyes and I swear I'm not crazy. You need to trust me on this, Seth." - At that moment, every sign of suspense in Seth's face faded away as a grin replaced it. Oh, okay, so this was the late response Seth was expecting when you've woken up. - "What are you grinning at? I didn't lose my marbles! We need to go, now! Or he comes back, turns into that... That animal and tears us apart!"

"I know you're not crazy." - Seth whispered carefully, which made you stop for a moment as you looked into his face, searching for hints of sarcasm or something like that. You thought that maybe, Seth will tell you that you hit your head too badly or something like that. - "And I know that... Because I can do that too." - What was he saying? Was he also walking to the woods in the late night, turning himself into an animal at will? That couldn't be... Again, the room around you spun - one time, two times, three times... The third time, you've been already laying on the bed, passed out. The man let you lay there for a second as he put your clothes back in place. This time, you've been quicker to wake up.

It didn't take you even five minutes to gain consciousness and this time, you did not doubt in your mind about what happened. As soon as you heard someone standing next to the bed, your eyes flew open as you gathered to stand up on the bed, trying to get away from Seth, who was standing there with a glass of water and a small smile. One of your hands rose high to keep Seth away from you, but the boy wasn't on planning at all. - "If you'll come just a step closer, I am going to scream." - Yeah, who would hear that? It was your last defense. Your phone was in the raincoat you've borrowed from Jacob, Seth was standing next to the door and... You could still jump out of the window, but it was pretty high, to be honest. You could hurt yourself pretty bad if you'd be considering jumping out and you would not run too far if you'd break your leg. - "Be careful and reasonable, come on. You hurt your head pretty bad." - The boy seemed to be nice, yet it could easily just a mascarade. Just when he mentioned your head, the whole room spun and you had to support yourself by putting your palm against the wall.

Jumping out of the window suddenly seemed like an even worse idea than before. - "I think you might have a concussion, so, can you just sit down?" - Seth stepped forward and in response to that, you started to wave your hands around more wildly than before. The boy grunted in frustration, rolling his eyes back. For the most part, you've been acting like the child out of you two. After calculating the situation once more, you told yourself it might be better to co-operate. For now. Until you get a better view of the flat door. Just as you were climbing down the bed, the room spun again. Great, so now, you had a fairground amusement just from walking around. - "Will you let me go?" - You asked quietly once you've given up on any resistance. Without any further theatrics, you took the glass from Seth and even the painkiller coming with it.

"It's not safe out there... Listen, no-one's holding you here against your will, but it wouldn't be smart to leave now." - That was all he could say without giving away too much. Seth couldn't just straight away tell you that most probably, you're on the vampire menu now and that they will have a hard time trying to get you out of that trouble. Not like he couldn't talk about it, he just didn't want to give you more reason to go into a full tantrum. - "Why? Are there wolves in the woods?" - You grinned at your own, not-so-funny joke. It didn't make Seth even smile. - "There's something... Different out there. So, please, just don't do anything unplanned, dumb, or dangerous. Jake wouldn't thank me if you'd just do a bunk." - "He asked you to keep an eye for me?" - Then, there was the question if Jacob just wanted to keep you in the flat or if something was lurking in the woods for real. Both answers sounded more or less probable to you.

"Well... Not entirely, I volunteered to be here. I would be grateful if you'd just... Tried not to do anything crazy. Jacob should be back by six, he decided to do a longer one today." - And with that, Seth let you be with your thoughts alone, which was worse than when he stuck around and stared you down like a baby, that was dangerous to everyone. After the conversation ended, he was highly reluctant to tell you any information - he kept telling you that Jacob should be the one talking you through it when he was the one you've seen... Doing it. Not even when you circled a different conversation back to the topic - Seth was smarter than just giving you what you wanted.

In the meantime, you've cooked something for yourself and Seth, you even went as far as to let something for Jacob as well. Precisely at six o'clock, Seth's head turned in the direction of the forest as he got up from the couch and simply... Disappeared. You could hear a long, painful howl, but you couldn't bring yourself to move. You just closed all of the windows and curtains, hiding under your blanket on the couch. The whole time, you've been watching some animal planet, until you simply fell asleep. It was Sunday and the garage would've been closed anyway. After some super-long document about mantises, you've fallen asleep - in that state, any danger was lurking behind the windows and you've been safe, laying on the couch.

Jacob came home late that day - Seth was nowhere to be found, which was understandable. Sam has found one of the vampires and tried to catch it... Embry, of course, ran after Sam to support him - yet the leech, it was a man this time, was quicker than them and broke Embry's leg. Embry, being the fighter he was, twitched the man's palm. That sure as hell won't make the bloodsuckers happy. The palm was now burned to ashes, yet it was almost 100% sure that the vampires will come for their revenge soon. And honestly, instead of talking to you, he slept under the trees, in the cold outside, just to make sure the confrontation will wait for a bit.

As a means of reconciliation, Jacob brought you some take-out from the steak, just like you talked about it - and there was a momentary relief when he found you dead asleep while watching a David Attenborough documentary about ants. All it took was to wait for a bit - and while you slept, he decided to work on your car again. The sooner it would be done, the sooner you could leave the town. It wasn't too hard for you to understand Jacob was back and working again - the noise was undeniable. You crept behind him, your face was colorless and you didn't feel good at all while doing it... But you two needed to talk - the sooner, the better.

"Good to see that you're... Human again." - You could hear him freak out under the car - his forehead banged the chassis with a loud bang and after a moment, Jacob rolled out with a violet bruise above his eye. - "I didn't know you were spying on me." - "You're doing weird, suspicious stuff and expect it to go unnoticed? No way in hell." - At this accusation, Jacob put his arms crossed over his chest, sending a raster nasty gaze. - "If I remember correctly, I'm not the one who thinks I am a serial killer and I don't stalk you when you want to be alone." - For a moment, you were opening and closing your mouth, trying to figure out some kind of an answer. Yet solid got a solid argument. - "I'm sorry, but you have more than six feet, you're not a very nice person and sometimes, you're kind of weird. I thought you were a serial killer and it turns out you can turn into a wolf! That's some Harry Potter shit right here, come on. I don't know which one's worse." - "Like you aren't. Who meets  someone for the first time and immediately goes 'That guy will kill me the first chance he gets'?" - "I'm just paranoid!" - You exclaimed all over the garage and looked Jacob in the eyes. Heavy rain started outside as you stared each other down. The silence was intense.

"I suppose you'd like to know more... About what you've seen, huh? Now you've seen it, there's no point in hiding things." - Jacob sighed as he wiped his dirty hands in a rug, his expression and stare were blank. - "Yeah, that would be nice." - A similar blank sigh left your lips. When you were on your way up, you've picked up some of the papers declaring all the gigs he had done, since you've been mistreating your work in the last couple of days. The man left the TV play while he heated the food he brought from the steakhouse, putting it on the small table in his living room/kitchen. Your eyes sometimes slipped to a documentary about lions and their prey as you chewed on the food. It took Jacob quite some time to start the conversation. - "So, what are you interested in? I mean... Regarding the wolf things?" - "That's what you call it?" - You fired back instantly, not even looking away from the TV. The food was tasty - it would've been even better if you'd just eat it right after Jacob brought it.

"Yeah, that's how we call it. I thought you've been dying to know more." - It was a subtle callout, yet it didn't make you even furrow. - "If Seth had told you so, he had been lying like a pre-schooler. You shouldn't be trusting that boy." - Once again, your eyes had barely left the TV screen. A small sting of the past had stabbed him close to his heart as he remembered how... She was eager to learn everything. Your attitude to the unknown was more Charlie-like: the less you knew, the better. - "Okay, okay, okay." - With that, you looked at him. - "How comes that you're a werewolf?" - Suddenly, you were staring him down like an eager interview. And you were saying that Jacob was the one with a split personality disorder?

"That's a start. We were born with it..." - "You and Seth? He told me he can do this tomfoolery as well." - "Not only me and that boy. There are around fifteen werewolves in La Push and Forks now. I can't tell since I've separated from the other pack a long time ago." - The man was talking while eating, so you had slight trouble understanding everything he had to say. - "That's quite a number. Everyone's as big as you or..?" - "No. Most of them are smaller." - For a moment, you've been just eating. - "Are you going to hurt me? Or other people? Or... What does a normal wolf do in these woods? This town, no offense, doesn't look like a place where shit would be going down." - Now, it was Jacob, who looked away from you for a second.

This was his chance to repent, to show you that he isn't the killer you thought the whole darn time. But... Should he tell you about vampires? He knew how paranoid you were. Knowing about the unnatural situation Forks found itself in might won't do the best for you. On the other hand... Maybe you'd finally believe something is happening and therefore, you wouldn't try to escape. Seth showed the whole pack how did the night at Jake's looked like making the others laugh uncontrollably, Maybe, you would finally believe that he's not that insane. - "We would never hurt people... Voluntarily. That's not what the Protectors are here for," - "You call yourself the Protectors? What?!" - At that, you started to laugh. It was so loud that Jacob widened his eyes in surprise. - "What kind of boyband name is that? Holy fuck!" - You got out of yourself whilst crying from laughing so hard.

Jacob was looking at you the whole time, waiting for you to stop laughing - but in the end, you've been laughing so long that it made him smile as well. - "It's a name Sam came up with. You'll get used to it, eventually." - "So, Sam's a member of your boyband?" - At that, Jacob rose is eyebrows as he thought of the answer, but right after that, he shook his head. - "No. He's the leader of the other pack. I have one and he has one." - "But what are you protecting this sleepy town from? From having fun? From sunny weather? From warm days?" - Sure, now, you were joking, but something in his face told you to take it just a bit more seriously. There was this... Blank, subtle flame inside his eyes as his expression went flat again. - "The cold ones." - Jacob said. At first, you thought that he might be joking - but... He turned into a huge animal in front of your very eyes. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't making things up. - "Will you tell me who are the cold ones? Never heard of them."

"You're wrong. You already heard of them, everyone did. Bram Stoker did, the movie directors did... Let it go through your head. Who's werewolf's natural enemy, hm?" - You did know which mythical creature Jacob was talking about, but come on - it felt so dumb to say it out loud. A smile slowly crept on your face as you grinned - rather than answering, you've been concentrated on stabbing your steak with a fork. - "I know you know who am I talking about..." - Jacob whispered as if he was just asking you not to sit there in silence. - "The thing in the woods, the one chasing me... That wasn't a mountain lion, was it? The cats don't jump that high up on a tree. It was a cold one." - Dear Lord, you refused to say the word 'vampire' out loud. It felt stupid to even thinking of that. Inside your mind, you've been saying the word again, again, and again, but your mouth couldn't make the sound because of its utter stupidity. - "That was why you let me drive to Charlie, wasn't it? And then to La Push. Does he know?" - "Bits and pieces here and there. The less he knows, the better." - Jacob admitted quietly. That was why Charlie told you to call him as soon as something would be happening.

"And La Push? I don't believe that Charlie Swan, the police chief, is some secret... Vam-pi-re slayer." - Ugh, the word didn't want to leave your mouth on its own, goddammit. - "I was born in La Push. You can call it werewolves' natural habit because most of us are the children of mythical, legendary Quileute chiefs, who could turn into their spirit animals... And then to wolves." - "Wow. But why was I meant to go there?" - You asked again. Oh, you didn't catch what Jacob was saying... Never mind. - "It's the smell. It's the strongest in that location, quite literally soaked in it because we live there." - "The smell?" - With that, you took in a huge load of air to your lungs, smelling only the freshly cooked food. It hadn't done anything to you, but it made Jacob relax a bit more. - "Our smell, not yours. To a leech, the wolves smell like... A wet dog. But for them, it's almost unbearable. They can stay in our company only if they are a bit used to it." - "And what about them? Can you... Smell the cold ones too?" - And this was the moment Jacob understood you've been wrapped inside the conversation and its topic.

"Yes, naturally. It's like... Damn rotten tomato. It's so sweet, but it smells like a burnt body at the same time." - "Do I smell like that?" - It was a genuine question in combination with a genuine tone which made Jacob roar with laughter now. - "Of course you don't smell like that. You're human. Dear Lord." - Once again, you took in some smell and smiled at the man. - "Well, you don't smell like wet dog to me either... I can smell a bit of soil, something woody... A bit of orange... And sweat and oil. You need a shower, man." - "Flowers and something sweet. But your smell is nice." - Jacob answered immediately, now he was looking at the TV screen. Suddenly, he was the one stabbing his mashed potatoes with a nervous expression. Of course, he smelled your scent, hell, the workshop and the flat, especially the bathroom, and the guest's room were full of you. Literally.

"Thanks, I guess. So... Tell me more about the wolf thing, will you?" - It didn't seem that you're scared when you smiled at the man, cutting another bite from your steak. Honestly, you've spent a few hours sitting at the table, just talking about the werewolves. Jake told you some of their legends, why did they turn, what did even mean to be a werewolf. - "And are all the cold ones bad? I mean, do you have to kill all of them? I think..." - A quick growl escaped your lips. - "I think I know they did something to Bella." - At the sound of her name, Jacob visibly stiffened and for a moment, it seemed that the conversation was over. - "No. Some of them try not to kill humans. Like the Cullens." - The man muttered out the name with the biggest amount of self-denial you've ever seen on anyone. - "They're what happened to Bella. And don't bring her up ever again, I don't want to talk about her."

"But the ones that are in the woods now... They are bad, right?" - You changed the topic quickly. So... Bella became a vampire? Was she now hanging from the ceiling, did she have fangs? Was that why they broke up? Was the man on the photo also a vampire? And the small girl, presumably their daughter, who the hell was she? - "They are bad, yes, that's all you need to know." - But that wasn't everything. And you weren't stupid to figure it out on your own. The bad vampires were hunting you, they knew you were a human... Which meant that they won't let you be until you'd leave Forks... Maybe not even after that. They will try to harm you, and not only you - they won't stop until the wolves will kill them.

Now, you understood that the wolves weren't bad as it seemed at first sight. But you still needed to get used to the idea that person with whom you've been sharing your living place for some time now was a mythical creature. You wanted to know more... As you thought about it, you started to bite your lip, which made Jacob look at you once more. - "Something else on your mind?" - It made you jump on your chair as you got back to reality. - "Yes... Do you think you could... You could show me what happened again?"

[cake-writes]

Little Lies (Part One)

Pairings: Steve x Reader x Bucky // Steve x Reader // Bucky x Reader

Chapter Warnings: Angry Sex, Threesome, Punishment, Praise Kink, Oral (Giving & Receiving), Fingering, 18+

Other Warnings: Angst, and I mean A N G S T

Summary: You went to Bucky when you wanted punishment. He’d be rough with you because he understood your self-loathing, and he’d leave bruises on your hips that wouldn’t go away for a week. You loved it. He didn’t.

You went to Steve when you wanted reassurance. You went to him because he liked to whisper sweet, sweet things into your ear as he made love to you. He’d tell you that you were perfect and amazing and beautiful. Then you’d get your fill, just far too much of it. He cared too much.

It all came to a head when the three of you went on a mission together. You’d done it a hundred times, even during this mess of a situation, and still neither of them was any the wiser. Your little lies always slipped right through the cracks - until one night, they didn’t.

Master List

July 2015

The first time for Bucky was in Romania.

To say the mission had gone poorly was an understatement. The two of you went in guns blazing to a situation you hadn’t had time to fully investigate: a last-minute human trafficking transport. If you hadn’t jumped onto the ship at the very last second, there would have been no way to track it down and all of its victims would have been lost to the world.

The landing couldn’t have been worse. The gap between the platform and the ship was almost too far for him, let alone you, and he’d literally had to hoist you over his shoulder before jumped. While the harsh landing knocked the wind out of you, there were bruises, too, where his shoulder slammed hard into your abdomen.

It wasn’t exactly the best way to start a fight. 

Somehow, though, the two of you made your way down through the ship and after a tedious few minutes, the crew was either dead or captured – but not without a price. The victims had been killed as retaliation. Every single one of them.

He’d been relatively fine, all things considered – bothered by the end result, of course, but he was resilient. You, on the other hand, blamed yourself for not being able to save them. You’d managed to save the ship, but not its cargo and definitely not your dignity.

Bucky didn’t report back to HQ that the mission had been a failure just yet. Instead, he said it was a minor setback and that you were following up on another lead. It was a lie, of course. There was no lead. He’d seen the horrified look on your face when you realized what had happened and he knew that you couldn’t handle going back just yet. Being confined to the compound was the last thing you needed. You needed space. You needed to breathe. 

He could spare you an extra day for that.

You’d dealt with failures like this before, but they always got to you. They bothered you in a way that haunted him. He’d seen the effects a handful of times over the last couple of years you’d been working together, but he’d never gotten used to it. Not really.

It rained that night. The water was loud on the tin rooftop, a rapid cadence that kept him awake. There were two beds in the small motel room, one for each of you. Your belongings were sparse: one shared duffel for clothes, another for weapons and armour. You’d been working together off and on for so long that it wasn’t unusual to share, but efficient. Even so, his breath still hitched in his throat every now and then when he accidentally pulled out a pair of your panties by mistake.

You were sleeping soundly on the other side of the room, or so he thought – but he couldn’t see your face. At some point, he did manage to nod off, but only for a couple of winks.

Sometime in the middle of the night, his sheets shifted just slightly, and then he felt the bed dip. Bucky’s eyes slowly opened, vision blurry until your soft leg brushed against his and then he was wide awake in an instant. You’d climbed into his bed – got into bed with him – and all you were wearing was a tight tank top and a pair of tiny little sleep shorts that drove him insane.

This summer was particularly hot. Muggy. No air conditioning. That was your excuse for wearing so little when he’d teased you about it in recent days.

“What are you doing?” Bucky whispered, his voice rough from sleep. He was looking up at you in awe, blue eyes wide, cheeks flushed from the heat.

You lay down next to him, facing him, and slowly trailed your fingers down his bare chest. When you spoke, your breathy voice made his cock twitch. “You know what I’m doing, Bucky.”

His thoughts immediately started to race. He couldn’t do this. Not with you. Steve had been in love with you for months. He’d confided that to him because he knew how frequently the two of you got assigned together. He trusted Bucky not to do exactly this.

The only problem was that Bucky was in love with you too. Maybe even longer than Steve. He didn’t think it was worth sacrificing Steve’s happiness to pursue you - not for him, with his tortured past, with so many deaths caused by his hand - and he’d done his best to quell his feelings for the sake of his best friend. It hadn’t worked, and it wasn’t working now, either.

“Why?” was all he could manage to get out. Your fingertips felt like pure fire on his skin.

“Because,” you breathed into his ear, before your tongue traced the shell of it and he shivered, “you’ll make me forget.”

Then your perfect lips were on his, and he melted like butter. Your body was so soft, so warm, so pliable for him that he couldn’t stop. Bucky worshipped you with his fingers, his mouth, and finally his aching cock until you were spent three times over and he’d made a mess all over your stomach.

When he started to get up to fetch a wet washcloth for you, to help clean you up, you pulled him back to bed and said you’d do it yourself. You always had to do things yourself. You didn’t want him to take care of you. You didn’t want his aftercare.

Despite that, it was rare for you to seek help like you’d just done with him, and in some twisted way he felt wanted.  

Bucky fell asleep with you in his arms, but when he woke, the sheets were long cold.

August 2015

The first time for Steve was in Small Town, USA.

The two of you had been undercover for the last three weeks acting as newlyweds.

You put on a perfect southern drawl for your cover, and it drove him crazy in the best way. You were nothing like the sweet southern belle you pretended to be. You’d always preferred tee shirts and jeans – not that there was anything wrong with that – but the cute floral dresses and heels you wore here in this quaint little Kentucky town were dainty and ladylike. Seeing you in such pretty, delicate things was such a stark contrast to your usual attire that it made him see you in a whole new light. Where he’d always tried to treat you as a soldier first and a woman second, this mission blurred the lines.

That being said, Steve had always known how attractive you were. Every now and then, he’d catch the slip of a bra strap, or you’d lean over and your shirt would accidentally reveal far too much cleavage. Other times, the hint of your thong peeked out of the top of your tac pants. Not often.

He tried not to look.

While he very much appreciated your curves, whilst on a mission he usually focused on your beautiful face. He loved to see your eyes light up when you landed a particularly good blow, or when he saved your ass at the last minute. He loved the way you licked your lips before you fell into your preferred boxing stance. He loved the way your hair was mussed in a fight, the excited flush that came over your cheeks, the mischievous look you got when you fought alongside him. He loved you. Every part of you. He had for months.

And now, having you here with him in this tiny two bed, one bath safehouse, it was absolutely stifling. You cooked and cleaned and acted every bit the new wife – his wife – you pretended to be. You kept the house tidy for when the nosy neighbours popped by to welcome the two of you to the neighbourhood. You used a sweet southern drawl and shared your recipe for the best lemon bars in existence because darlin’, they’re to die for, while Steve searched their homes. The two of you were looking for intel that had been downloaded somewhere in this suburban, one block vicinity, but even Tony’s satellites couldn’t pinpoint the exact location. Steve’s theory was that the satellites were malfunctioning, because he didn’t trust technology. Yours was that whoever downloaded it had a secret underground doomsday shelter.

They were good guesses, but both were wrong.

Your cover was blown when you popped by the corner store for some groceries. Steve often came along in a baseball cap and sunglasses, just to keep an eye on the area while you quickly shopped. The guy in charge of the entire operation just happened to be there on one particular morning, and he’d recognized you both.

What happened next was a rookie mistake.

You’d both noticed them, of course, the two guys trailing you – so you went back to another house, some random residence, to throw them off your trail. It worked.

Around dinnertime, the two of you heard the explosion and, within an hour, it was on the news being blamed on a gas leak. Steve had gone to check out the scene quickly and discreetly. He was much faster than you, and it was much easier for him to get in and out unseen whereas you had been too shaken up to even try. He wanted to do this for you, so that you didn’t worry. He didn’t want you to worry. 

When he returned, his face was grim. Neither of you spoke for the rest of the evening.

Steve woke to the feeling of your soft lips on his bare abdomen. He was a heavy sleeper and it took him a little while to rouse. When he finally did, he found that you’d snuck into his bedroom; you’d pulled back the sheets to press kisses to every inch of his shirtless torso, from his stomach to his chest and neck and he just couldn’t hold back the groan you wrenched from him so easily.  

A few blissful moments gave way to the realization of what you were doing, and he took your hands in his, to stop you from doing something you’d regret. 

“Wait, wait,” he spoke quickly, hoarsely, barely able to resist your touch, “Talk to me, doll. Please.”

You didn’t.

His cock was rock hard when you straddled him, and he could only protest half-heartedly. He’d been wanting this for so, so long and he loved you and, fuck, he could feel how wet you were through your peach-pink panties, not to mention the way you held your lovely floral dress out of the way drove him crazy.

You laced your fingers with his and leaned down so that your breasts nearly spilled out of the cups of your lacy bra. He caught a well and proper glimpse of it through the unbuttoned front of your dress and, with your lips brushing ever-so-slightly against his, you sighed against his mouth, “Make me forget.”

Steve stopped holding himself back. He made you forget.

And in the morning, he knew he’d done his job well. You were gone.  

It was anyone’s guess who kept the secret longer.

No strings attached. That was the agreement. You’d made it perfectly clear that first morning, to both of them – when you’d left them to wake up without you, when you left their calls and texts unanswered, when you barely even glanced at them in the hallway at the compound until, in the middle of the night, you got them to make you forget all over again.  

You never got too close. Never spent more than one night at a time. You alternated between them too easily, like you couldn’t decide between two ice cream flavours. It was painfully casual and casually painful how easily you disregarded their feelings.

They never discussed it with each other. Not Bucky, because of the guilt he felt for betraying his best friend like this; and not Steve, because he well and truly felt used every single time but it was you and he dealt with it because he loved you. You were a dirty little secret that neither of them would ever admit to.

You didn’t, either. You were too selfish, too broken to do the decent thing and fess up to it. No one knew the extent of your secrets, especially not them.

It continued on like that for weeks.

The only real thing they knew about you was that you got nightmares so terrible that they drove you to use sex as a crutch. In each of their own ways, they tried to help you heal.

Sometimes you went on missions with Bucky and he left bruises on your hips that didn’t go away for a week. The one time he was gentle, you snapped at him, told him that if you wanted gentle then you’d get someone else to fuck you. He wasn’t gentle with you again. Instead, he slapped your ass until it was raw and you were crying, burying your tear-stricken face in a pillow. He hated himself for it.

When you went on missions with Steve, he was gentle. He was devoted to your pleasure, to loving every inch of your body, to making you come at least twice before he did. He liked to whisper sweet nothings into your ear as he made love to you. Eventually, you’d get fed up and kiss him to shut him up. Every now and then, when he said too much, you rode his face until you came.

Weeks turned into months, and your nighttime escapades became more and more frequent. You started sneaking into their beds at the compound almost on the daily. At some point, you stopped caring about getting caught.

You went to Bucky when you wanted punishment. Some nights, your nightmares made you remember that you’d fucked up too many times in your career. You’d gotten people killed. You’d murdered in cold blood. You went to him because he understood your self-loathing. He had lived it.

You went to Steve when you wanted reassurance. Some nightmares made you realize that you’d done as much as you could, but you were useless. You went to him because he liked to whisper those sweet, sweet things into your ear, to tell you that you were perfect and amazing and beautiful. Then you’d get your fill, just far too much of it and he made you feel like you were suffocating. He cared too much.

It all came to a head when the three of you went on a mission together. You’d done it a hundred times, even during this mess of a situation, and still neither of them was any the wiser. They both had their reasons for not saying a thing, and so did you. The fact that the three of you often shared a single room during these missions made it impossible for anything to happen, anyway, even if you wanted it to. Your little lies slipped right through the cracks.

Until one night, they didn’t.

Your nightmare was different this time. Louder. You thrashed. You screamed. You cried.

By the time Steve woke, Bucky was already at your side, gently patting your cheek to wake you up. His quiet whispers were the first sign that something was off. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

Then, when he noticed that Steve was up, Bucky explained far too casually, “She gets nightmares.”

As if Steve didn’t know.

“Yeah,” Steve said uncertainly, slowly coming over to switch on your bedside light. The brightness tended to work pretty well in his experience when he tried to rouse you from your nightmares, and at your soft grumble, he felt a little proud that it had worked.

He missed the unreadable look Bucky shot him for it.

When you cracked your eyes open, all your dazed mind saw was Bucky. He was sitting at your bedside with his warm hand on your cheek, looking at you with concern. He was close. He was there.

He’d make you forget.

Your fingers curled in the fabric of his shirt before you dragged him down to kiss you, your lips moving with the rough familiarity you’d grown used to with him. Your lips were so soft and your mouth was so pliable and as much as he loved the taste of you, he tensed up.

You had an audience.

When you pulled back to look at him, you remembered that fact. Steve was here, too.

Your eyes immediately shot from Bucky to Steve in horror.

Bucky muttered a curse under his breath before he went to finally explain what he’d been doing with you for the last several months – but he didn’t get the chance.

“You’ve been—” Steve started, looking between you and Bucky, not sure who to focus on first. He wasn’t even sure how to finish the sentence.  

You automatically went on the defensive. “Steve, it’s not what it—”

Steve said your name in a tone you’d never heard before. Angry. Upset. “How long?”

You swallowed, throat dry, unable to find an answer. It wasn’t often that your web of lies fell apart.

“Six months,” Bucky answered for you, calmly, but inside he was stunned and hurt that you’d even tried to cover it up to begin with. Fuck, of course you had. You’d always had too many secrets. He was one of them.

When Steve’s face fell at the admission, Bucky wasn’t surprised. Steve had been in love with you for over a year now. It made sense. He felt terrible, because he’d betrayed his friend for – for whatever the hell it was he had with you. Maybe it wasn’t love, not really, but it wasn’t just lust. It wasn’t even comfort. He didn’t know what it was besides a complete fucking mess.

“You’ve been fucking him this whole time?” Steve’s question was hushed, and when you nodded slowly, his voice steadily rose. “The entire time you’ve been fucking me?”

“What?” Bucky was caught entirely off-guard. He looked at you, dumbfounded. “You’ve been what?”

You swallowed thickly, putting on a brave façade. You had stopped caring about being caught, but that didn’t mean you wanted to deal with the fallout.

“Why does it matter?” you countered. “No strings attached. You both knew that from the very beginning.”

Steve let out a long, shaky breath. He didn’t get angry often, but even Bucky could tell he was downright pissed.

He was too.

“Do you even hear yourself?” Bucky asked you incredulously. “You—You led us on for months and you expect us to just be okay with that?”

You stared him down, doing your best to keep your features neutral. “Why not?”

The way Bucky said your name made it sound like a curse. “What the hell is wrong with you?”  

“You know what’s wrong with me,” you responded, irritated, crossing your arms over your chest.  “Why the fuck else do you think I come to you—”

“And me,” Steve interrupted. The vitriol in his voice didn’t suit him.  

You pressed your lips together in a thin line, glaring daggers at both of them. They knew what the arrangement was. No strings attached. They knew that there was no commitment expected on anyone’s part, and yet, because you’d done exactly that – not committed to either of them – they were angry. They were jealous.

You scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re in love with me.”

It was directed at both of them. The room went so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The way they were looking at you told you all you needed to know. They had. Of fucking course they had.

“Alright, that’s it,” you announced, stooping to collect your strewn clothing from the floor before you started shoving it, along with your other belongings, into your duffel bag. You’d each packed your own this time, because this mission was long and there were three of you. “I’m done with this.”

“No, you aren’t,” someone snarled from behind you. You didn’t care who.

What you did care about was that the door was slammed shut the moment you opened it. Steve was standing there, his palm pressed firmly against the door. It wouldn’t budge. You couldn’t leave.

“Move,” you hissed at him.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “No.”

How petulant.

“Christ, Steve, don’t be a child—”

You were cut off, startled, when a metal arm snaked itself around your front from behind you – between your breasts, to grab your throat. Bucky’s chest was pressed against your back, and his lips were at your ear. “You don’t like it when I’m gentle, do you, sweetheart?”

Then Bucky shoved you roughly against the door. It hurt. Your cheek pressed uncomfortably into the wood, but his metal arm was a barrier, keeping from you from being too injured. The fingers of his flesh hand ripped – literally ripped – away your short pajama shorts and your panties, leaving your perfect ass bare and exposed.

When his grip tightened around your throat just a little, you got dizzy. You could still breathe, but he knew exactly where to compress your arteries to make you see spots.  

“Bucky, please,” you choked out, wanting to tell him to stop, that you’d had enough of this, but he shoved one of his hot fingers inside of you and it effectively cut you off. Instead, a strangled moan escaped you at the sudden intrusion. You weren’t too wet, yet, but your body was on fire and it was only a matter of time. You loved it.

A harsh slap to your ass made you wince in pain. That was Steve – sweet, kind Steve who’d always been gentle with you. Not tonight, he wasn’t.

“You lied to us for months.” Steve was beyond pissed, but his fingers sweetly slid into your hair until he gripped it in his fist, and you gasped at the sudden sharp pain in your scalp. “And you’re begging for it rough—”

When he slapped your ass again, you whimpered.

“Is that why you fuck him? Because he treats you like this?”

You started to protest, “No—”

But Bucky shoved another finger inside you at your obvious lie, and you squealed.

“Tell him,” Bucky whispered into your ear, biting the shell of it just hard enough that you shivered with delight. “Tell him what you told me, sweetheart. Tell him how much you love it when I’m rough with you.”

“I—” you began, when Bucky hooked his fingers against your g-spot and you leaned back into him with a moan. Cue another slap to your ass that sent you reeling. You were barely able to form a sentence, but you did your best, “I said if I wanted gentle, I wouldn’t have gone to him—”

Steve’s fingers tightened painfully in your hair. “No, that’s what I’m for. Right? Isn’t that why you use me?”

The way he spat those final words made your core throb.

“Yes,” you moaned. “Yes, I use you. Both of you. I’m sorry.”

They both released you, then, and you crumpled to the ground, legs shaking. It wasn’t that you were scared, no. You were ridiculously turned on by it. You knew how fucked up it was, but you didn’t care. You were selfish.

When you looked up at the two of them from the carpeted floor, you nearly forgot how to breathe. You were familiar with the way Bucky was looking at you, his features hard as he used you as much as you used him – but not Steve. Never Steve.

They were furious, rightfully so, and your apology hadn’t helped at all – not that you expected it to. It wasn’t genuine. You weren’t sorry. Not really. The only thing you were sorry for was getting caught.

It barely registered that you’d been yanked up off the floor until your back hit the sheets.

The tip of Bucky’s cock was at your lips, and you opened your mouth for him without a second thought. The way he shoved himself down your throat was brutal. It was a punishment. You coughed and gagged, but he didn’t relent, even when tears prickled at the corners of your eyes. You hated how much you loved it.

What made it a little more bearable was when Steve started to devour you. He didn’t use the sweet, gentle kitten licks like you’d grown used to with him. He didn’t whisper words of praise. Instead, he ate you out with a fervour you’d never seen from him; desperate, as if to prove that he could do it for you, too. He forcefully held your hips down to prevent you from pulling away, and as he suckled your clit, he slid two fingers deep inside you, causing your back to arch into his touch.

He left bruises. Steve never left bruises.

You came in seconds, not even able to moan, let alone breathe around Bucky’s thick cock. They could still tell. They recognized the way your fingers curled in the sheets, the way your thighs shook under Steve’s strong hands.

As you came down from your high, you didn’t miss the look they exchanged – as if they were trying to figure out who should fuck you first. It stoked the fire within you that, just a moment ago, had nearly been snuffed out by Steve’s talented mouth. Now it was back in full force.

Bucky was the first to relent, to offer you up to his best friend like you were an object. It made Steve grit his teeth. He didn’t want pity.

He accepted anyway.

Steve manhandled you in a way he’d never done. He was beyond caring. If you wanted it rough, then that was what he’d give you. His cock was larger than average, and he knew it, too; he’d always warmed you up for it, used his fingers to stretch you out, prepare you. Not this time.

His tight grip on your hips left more bruises as he dragged you to your knees. You were soaked for him, absolutely dripping, and he slid inside way too easily. You gasped and buried your face in the sheets, thoroughly humiliated by the entire ordeal. You couldn’t meet their eyes. You were ashamed. For what, you weren’t entirely sure.

His other hand in your hair yanked your head back and away from the sheets, brought you closer to his body.

“Look at him,” Steve demanded. When you didn’t listen, he slapped your ass again, way too hard, and you shuddered at the excruciating pleasure. “Watch him while I fuck you, doll.”

Doll. That was the only semblance of sweetness you’d get from him tonight.

You finally did as you were told, obediently cracking open your eyes to meet Bucky’s. The look on his face was dark and mystified as he knelt on the bed, sitting back on his heels, his hand wrapped around his spit-slickened cock as he took in the sight of you being thoroughly used by someone other than him.

“Fuck, Steve,” you whined. “Let me touch him. Please.”

There was a certain desperation in your voice that neither of them had heard from you before.

Steve released your hair and shoved you forward, then, to let you do what you so desperately wanted to. You lay flat on your stomach, Steve’s hands spreading your ass just enough for him to watch himself disappear again into your slick heat. He had to focus on that, not on the fact that your hands were on someone else. It hurt too much.

That didn’t last long.  

Bucky took in a sharp breath the moment your lips wrapped around him again. Awful as it was to see you with someone else, it was also hot as hell and he knew something was wrong with him to think so. Those thoughts disappeared the second you willingly took him – all of him – down your throat. He didn’t need to force it down this time.

“Jesus,” Steve breathed, unable to look away from the two of you. The way you went down on Bucky wasn’t anything like he’d ever seen. It was hot and messy, with wet, sloppy sounds and choked gasps as you worshipped Bucky’s cock at the same time Steve fucked you so brutally.

After one particularly harsh thrust that sent Bucky’s cock all the way down your throat again, Steve pulled himself from you. He didn’t have to say a thing; Bucky already knew.

Your body was shifted and you were moved around like a sex doll, an object, into whatever position they wanted you in. Your back was on the sheets again, now, as Bucky hooked his arms around your thighs to pull you to him. His first idea was to shove himself inside you, but then he saw how red and swollen and glistening your perfect cunt was from Steve’s brutal treatment and he couldn’t help but lick a long stripe from slit to clit, making you shudder and writhe under him. You tasted good. You always tasted good, even now.

The stubble on Bucky’s face burned your thighs as he savoured you, pulled gasps and whines and moans from you that made him want you even more. When they became muffled, however, he peered up from in between your legs to see that Steve was kissing you, all teeth and tongues and he damn near blew his load at the sight.

Instead, Bucky finally buried himself inside you all the way to the hilt in one single motion. You didn’t need any further preparation, but there was still a slight burn from the stretch. He was thicker than Steve; not much, and you only noticed from having the two of them in such rapid succession.

You broke away from Steve’s mouth to hiss, “Shit, Bucky!”

Hearing his name on your lips made him swell with pride.

He didn’t get to hear it again, because Steve used his now-familiar grip on your hair to force your mouth down onto his cock. He made you taste yourself, but you readily complied, using your hands and your mouth in the same messy, sloppy fashion that he’d so admired. It made Steve’s toes curl.

It was like your roles had been reversed, almost. Steve was rough with you tonight. Bucky was gentle – or at least some semblance of it.

Bucky’s flesh hand held your waist, keeping you in place, but he didn’t leave bruises. He didn’t want to. Steve had already left plenty. The fingertips of his metal hand trailed slowly, teasingly from your neck, to your breasts and nipples, to your navel, leaving goosebumps in their wake. When the chill of his metal thumb met your clit, you let out a choked sound around Steve’s cock that brought him closer to the edge. Both of them.

Bucky’s thrusts became a little more frantic as he chased his release. There was something about the feeling of it, knowing you were being completely used by them, for their pleasure only, that kept you on the brink for what felt like hours. When Steve’s cock throbbed in your hands, you knew that he was close, too.

“God, sweetheart,” Bucky groaned as your walls fluttered around him. He knew the feeling all too well. You were nearly there. Being treated so roughly like this – even if he wasn’t the one doing it this time – was going to get you off like the masochist you’d always been for him. “You gonna come for us?”

A muffled moan was all you could manage with Steve so far down your throat.

“Christ, she’s so—” Steve started to say, but one particularly hard suck made him buck his hips into your mouth. “So good.”

Bucky couldn’t help but grip your hips harder, then. It was almost ingrained at this point for him to slam into you, to make the bed creak and almost break under his strength. Your body absorbed it all until the coil finally broke within you, and you pulled your mouth off of Steve to let out a sharp, strangled, unintelligible cry. The pleasure cascaded over you in waves as you rode out what was probably the best orgasm of your life, your fingers tightly squeezing Steve’s cock with each wave.

Bucky was next. He was babbling things – breathy whispers of your name, saying what a good girl you were, how good you’d been for him and Steve, how you’d taken them both so well, how much he needed to fill you up. In a hoarse, sexy voice you egged him on, rolling your hips in the exact way you knew he loved until he shoved himself as deep as he could go, spilling hot inside you, marking your insides like a brand.

It was in that moment that you took Steve back into your hands. You spit on his cock – dirty, nasty, wet – before you took him back into your mouth, your hands cupping his balls, your tongue licking every single inch of him. It was so sudden and he played into your hands like putty, his hips stuttering as he was brought to the edge—

Then you pulled off of him again, skillfully pumping his cock in your hand, resting the head of it on your tongue as you looked up at him through your lashes. The look on your face, so absolutely wanton and slutty and unlike anything he’d ever seen from you was what did him in – and when you begged him so desperately, “Come for me, Stevie,” he actually saw stars.  

The sounds he made were like nothing he’d ever made before, sounds that didn’t even register in his brain and he said things to you that he’d never said aloud. “Love you,” he gasped, “Love you so fuckin’ much.”  

Hot ropes of his cum painted your lips and your tongue before you took him into your mouth again, where you quite literally sucked the life out of him. You milked him dry. He’d been on his knees, but his legs shook and then actually gave out, making him fall back onto his heels and you – you greedily chased every fucking drop.

As you slowly regained your breath, the three of you collapsed onto the bed, the sheets a tangled mess beneath you. You lay on your stomach in between the two of them. Bucky was splayed out on his back, warily allowing you to rest your head on his arm and Steve was laying on your other side, facing you, with one of your legs draped casually over his.

It wasn’t aftercare. It was exhaustion.

When the silence became too much for you to bear, you said quietly, “I’ll request a transfer.”

They both shifted to look at you. It wasn’t a true apology, but it was the best they’d get.

Bucky’s eyes were soft, and he resisted the urge to reach out and stroke your cheek, to whisper that he wanted you to stay.

Quite the opposite, Steve looked alarmed, like he couldn’t bear the thought of losing you even now which was insane considering, well – everything. You were toxic. That unspoken truth lingered in the air.

“No,” he rasped, sliding his arm over your lower back.

It wasn’t aftercare. It was possessive.  

That only seemed to solidify Bucky’s resolve, and he gently brought your head closer, more into the crook of his arm and shoulder. When he buried his face in your sweaty hair, Steve stroked the bruised, tender skin on your hips.

That was aftercare.

You were toxic, but you were theirs.

Part Two

[scarlettswxtch]

Darkest Side of Me | 2

Characters: Bucky x Reader / Steve x Reader

Summary: You’re recruited as a new Avenger with powers unlike any other. With a tragic past blurred from birth, who will be at your side when you realise who you truly are?

Word count: 2,400

A/N: I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED THE ORIGINAL POST. Lol. So sorry to anyone who wondered what happened but please let me know if you enjoy the Bucky and Steve thing or if you’d prefer a Bucky x Reader only fic. I apologise for any spelling mistakes in advance.

On another note, I’m terrible at summaries 😬. It’s changed from my first one if you remember it, just felt like it didn’t describe it well enough. Hope you guys enjoy anyway!! (P.S. I’m SUPER sorry for the late posting I’ve been so busy). Message me if you’d like to be on the tag list :)

Warnings: This fanfiction is M Rated, and the men (really only Steve and Bucky) will all be dominant guys, if you’re into that sorta thing. So..beware cause some chapters may be smutty ;)

DARKEST SIDE OF ME

PART 1

You woke as the sun rises like a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the stars to take their nightly rest. As darkness surrenders, every colour changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy.

 A third cup of coffee was now nestled perfectly into your hands as you stood outside the compound’s kitchen balcony. The avenger’s facility was truly impeccable with its finely trimmed grass fields and blue coastal views. When you had returned from your encounter with Bucky, you sat in bed restlessly, wondering what was so magnetic about him. After millennia of being alive, encountering countless beings, human and alien alike, none of them had made you feel such a strong state of wonder as that damned soldier. There was something about him - his gaze, how it so daringly held yours, the way his presence could make your heart skip, mind wonder. It was ridiculous. He was a stranger you had met merely 24 hours ago. Yet, it was intriguing, made you want to know more. It was seldom someone made you feel this way and you wondered what the fates were trying to tell you.

 You closed your eyes to the lullaby of the ocean, breathing in its poignant salty breath, sighing in silent content. Quiet mornings were your most cherished part of the day.

 “Mornin’.” You hear behind you. Startled, you whirl around and almost spill your coffee everywhere. A splash of it lands on the floor and thankfully not on you. You’d think a goddess would have a little more grace than this, you think to yourself and scowl at the now brown spot on an otherwise perfectly pristine floor.

 Your eyes turn to meet a lovely pair of wonderfully azure orbs now shining with amusement. You gather yourself, your scowl deepening...which apparently only adds to his amusement because he chuckles.

 “Good morning, Captain.” You say, unimpressed with his humour. Inner you squealed at his sudden presence. Steve Rodgers was like a GQ model with all the charm in the world.

 He sauntered over to your side, keeping a friendly, and (unfortunately) professional distance. “How you settling in?” He says, his eyes level to yours.

 You didn’t miss his loose grey t-shirt, which quite frankly did nothing to hide his very obvious god-like build. The muscles of his biceps flexed with every slight movement and damn if you didn’t want to reach out and take your time tracing each ridge with your fingertips. Maybe even your tongue. You wouldn’t be opposed to either. Jesus Christ this guy was hot.

 Your eyes snapped to his. If he noticed you checking him out, he gratefully didn’t show it. Although, you assumed he was used to swooning women. “Fine,” you said, your voice holding a hint of hoarseness that he didn’t miss. “Might take a little getting used to, but everyone seems great” you finished, with a smile.

 Steve nodded and gave you a smile of his own. “Yeah it can be tough, first coupla days”.

 “The whole welcome committee made me feel more at ease”

 “Yeah, you stick around long enough they’ll start to feel like family” he said sympathetically, correctly guessing family was a sore spot for you.

 Your eyes turned to him, unsurprised “You read my file.”

 “Always do my homework on new recruits” he explained “Fury runs files through us before approval...it’s not often someone gets recommended for the team. When Fury found out about you, and what you could do, he wanted you on board ASAP. We didn’t protest.”

 You raised a brow “So I got the Tony and Cap stamp of approval? I’m flattered”

 He grins “No doubt your file is quite impressive, the team could definitely use someone like you on our side. Thor didn’t seem thrilled with the idea the idea, though. He protested to say the least.”

 You chuckled, but there was nothing but bitterness behind it “Yes. I can imagine” He raised a brow and you looked away from him in memory. It didn’t go unnoticed that he wasn’t part of your welcome party last night. Odin disliked you for reasons unbeknownst - Thor and you were the best of friends, once upon a time. He took pity on you, swearing to convince his father to allow you refuge on Asgard. Days later, he returned with a wary look on his face, claiming to know ‘who you really are’. You never saw him again.

“Long story,” You told Steve.

His hand gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze and his next words were said like velvet, “If you ever need to talk, I have all the time in the world. Literally,” you appreciated Steve, he was like a beacon of safety and warmth. The kinda guy that would take your deepest, darkest secrets to the grave because he promised.

You smiled at him warmly. It was unlikely you’d take him up on that, but you were grateful for his sincerity. “I’ll keep that in mind” He simply nods in response.

Moments later, he sighs loudly before downing all his coffee, placing the cup on the table beside him and turning to you with a mischievous look in his eyes. “Wanna spar?” He asks, both hands on hips and lips tipped up in challenge. You raise a surprised eyebrow and he grins “What? Scared you’ll lose?”

 You chuckle, appreciating the change of topic. “I see you didn’t do all your homework on me, Captain” you say, placing your unfinished coffee on the table. You levelled his challenging gaze with your own, “Both know I could beat you with my eyes closed” you retort, teasingly, and he smiles with wonderful curiosity.

 “I did read your file. Thoroughly” he retorts, stepping closer to you. You suddenly felt very small against his ridiculously tall frame. “You’re enhanced. Healing powers, fast reflexes, better than any Soviet-trained assassin according to SHIELD” he stopped with pointed humour “although I’m sure Bucky and Natasha will contest that”, that made you scoff. “Besides, new recruits need training”

 “I’m impressed. Although I think you’ll find your time as a popsicle has nothing on my literal thousand-year-old experience.” You said with a grin

 “Oh, so that’s how we’re playing it?” He asked with a hearty laugh and right then you were certain no galaxy in the world could show you anything more pleasant.

 “Hey, you started it Cap, I’m known for my retribution”

 “I’m sure you’ll go easy on me” he adds.

 You gave him a smirk “No promises”

 ~~~

 “You okay down there, Cap?” You say, your voice trembling with humour.

 Steve Rodgers looks up at you from the hard floor of the training room. Salty droplets flow down his face like soft summer rain, dripping onto the concrete as he sits to regain his breath.

 He lets out a huffed breath and repeats your earlier words “I’m impressed”

 You tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, eyes shining with obvious pride. You had just taken down the world’s favourite golden boy with nothing but a few fight moves. Needless to say, Cap had some good moves of his own and had almost got you down a few times. Then again, you are of a completely superior alien race, so you’d give him some credit.

 “Well, not like Fury to employ any average gal- “you began, before a strong hand wrapped around your ankle and you were suddenly falling down, moments away from head butting the floor before strong hands wrapped around your waist, guiding you to land quite snug on Steve’s lap.

 He gave you an amused look “You were saying?” Suddenly, you were very aware of his warm hands against your waist and you couldn’t think of a better feeling.

 Actually...maybe you could...because right now your hands were resting on his chest and holy hell does it feel nice. All you wanted to do was rip off his shirt and set it ablaze. In fact, you wanted to march to his room and set all of his shirts ablaze. It would be a blessing to all humankind to watch Steve Rodgers walk around shirtless, all the time...24/7...would definitely add years onto someone’s life. Especially if they had their hands on him, just like this.

 He squeezes you as if you gain your attention, his eyes twinkling with amusement because he had very obviously caught you checking out his chest. You blinked, sure enough your cheeks were now stained pink. Thank god mind reading wasn’t on his resume.

 You cleared your throat “You distracted me, that’s cheating. Besides, I’m not using any of my abilities on you. Fair game and everything” you finish with a smirk.

 “Thought you weren’t going easy on me?” He said teasingly.

 “You could’ve let me fall and you didn’t.”

 He grins “Yeah, I had a good reason”.

 You raised a brow “And what would that be?”

 You feel his hands softly squeeze your bare waist and your breath hitches. “Didn’t wanna ruin that pretty face of yours, darlin’” he says, and inner you sighs in upmost content. Well...damn. Safe to say Captain America could charm anyone’s pants off. You were just happy this time they were yours. His hands move lower, thumb now drawing circles against your back and you feel your mind wonder to places it shouldn’t. Gosh his eyes are nice, and you’d be damned if his face wasn’t even more beautiful up close. You were dazed, and if you weren’t mistaken, so was he because his eyes glazed over with a very familiar look of lust. Perhaps if you just leaned a little clo-

 “Well don’t you two look cosy” you hear from the doorway and your head whips around to meet an icy cold stare. Bucky Barnes. What terrible timing.

 You promptly lift yourself off Steve, almost giving yourself whiplash, hand shooting out to hold the bars of the ring. You clear your throat. “We were just sparring” you explain, and frown to yourself. Why did you feel the urge to justify yourself to this man?

 He lifted an eyebrow “If that’s how you spar, doll, you’ll have the whole house lining up for a piece of that”

 Your eyes narrow. Did he just -. Your mouth opens, but before you can reply he cuts you off: “Stark wants us at the conference room in 5. So, when you two love-birds are done ‘sparring’” he says, pointedly air-quoting the last word and your eyes narrow further “we’ll be waiting for you”. And with that, he turns on his heel and leaves.

 You turned to Steve and your look of disbelief must’ve been evident on your face because he chuckles as he lifts himself off the floor. “Don’t mind him, he’s always grumpy.” He walks out of the ring, suddenly turning to you all Captain America like as if he didn’t just have you on his lap 2 minutes ago. “Get cleaned up”, he throws a towel at you “I’ll see you in the conference room in 3” and with that, he leaves, and you’re left wondering if all super soldiers are this perplexing.

 ~~~

 The conference room was nice to say the least. Tony Stark did nothing half-way. You were watching him with all his authority and confidence, but your thoughts were a million miles away. Cap sat at the head of the table and you could see his lips form words your mind wasn’t quite registering. Probably not a great idea considering this was your first mission debriefing. Your thoughts were in fact on the man opposite you. His metal hand tapping restlessly on the table, you could tell he was paying as much attention as you were. You tilted your head in silent wonder and observed him with careful consideration. If the hard line on his lips and slight frown were anything to go by, something was bothering him, and you could tell.

 He doesn’t look any less gorgeous when he’s annoyed, by the way. If anything, it added to the masculinity of his features; hard jaw clenching deliciously, eyes miraculously darker, that perpetual murderous look in his face magnetised by a million. Jesus Christ you felt like a teenager. Why are these stupid, gorgeous super soldiers taking up all your damned thoughts?

 You didn’t know what it was about Steve either. His in-your-face all-star golden boy beauty was fucking gut wrenching. He was sweet, ever-so welcoming, he joked, had this calm, comforting aura that made you feel warm and lovely. Like you knew him all your life - as if he were your long-lost best friend your soul wanted to hold onto with every ounce of her being. Your eyes flickered to him and you watched as his mouth made yet more unheard words. Your interaction earlier had been unprecedented. Sure, you were attracted to him, but who wasn’t? Steve Rodgers is Adonis embodied and every woman knew it. He was blinding and warm like the sun.

 And Bucky...he was different. The complete paradox of Steve. Bloody beautiful in all the rough ways. There was nothing in-your-face about him, no. He was mysterious, extraordinarily so. There was nothing light about him - just stormy, agonising beauty. You could tell he was that intense guy. The kind women would look at and want just because he looked dangerous. Just because they knew he’d give them the ride of their lives and probably break their heart on the way, but it didn’t matter cause that was part of the adventure. The guy that would wrap his hand around your throat and squeeze until you were on your knees, clawing for breath while telling him how every inch of you belonged to him. Then he’d fuck you bloody just to prove it.

You watched him with a calculated gaze. You had only brief interactions with him but every one of them felt like eternity between you and those icy blue whirlpools of his. There was much more to the Winter Solider than his cold, broody exterior and you wanted to dive deep inside that ocean of his mind and uncover them.

 His eyes turned to you then. He had obviously felt you staring. He raised an annoyed brow in question, and you said nothing, just looked away in silent consideration.

 Natasha poked your thigh from beside you and you turned to her, her green eyes held a mischievous glint as her eyes flickered to Steve, then Bucky, and then you in silent questioning. You rolled your eyes; she had clearly sensed your distraction and your very obvious staring at the two soldiers probably confirmed whatever thoughts she was having. Damn Widow always noticed everything. She smirked, mouthing “Later” and her eyes promised an incoming, post-brief interrogation. Metal note to nicely ask Natasha to debrief you on the debriefing too.

[madamslayyy]

Log Cabin and A Brewing Fire Part II (Trevante Rhodes x Reader)

Pairing: Nebraska Williams ( Trevante Rhodes) x Reader

Warnings: none for this chapter

A/N: here’s part two. This will be a series and it is SLOWBURN. If you haven’t please read PART ONE HERE just so it’ll all make sense. Thank you guys so much for tuning in!!!

~*~

Knock, Knock

You were currently in your favorite snow boots, bubble rain/snow resistant jacket, and a pair of black jeans knocking on Nebraska’s door. He never kept it locked but you were trying to enforce some boundaries on yourself. Even if he was a guest, you couldn’t just barge into his room whenever you felt the slightest inclination.

He’d been here a total of three days already and if you were being honest, you could hardly feel any change since he’d arrived. His presence was so small and mute, most times you forgot he was even there. You figured whatever it was that was plaguing him mentally, it couldn’t help that he was by himself so much here.

So you were actively going to try and work with him. Get him out and talking, maybe even about why he feels the way he feels. Which is what brought you outside of his door now. You woke up with the brilliant idea for the two of you to take a walk in the snow, hoping it would give you both a chance to at least get to know each other.

Knock, knock, knock, kno-

Nebraska opened the door midknock and you wanted to sink into the ground at the sight of him. He was shirtless, chest and abs glistening with water droplets, his face, neck, beard, etc, were also soaking wet and there was a towel hanging loosely around his hips. It was obvious he’d just stepped out of the shower.

“Yes ma’am?” He said lowly, snapping you out of your shocked state.

“Oh you don’t have to call me ma’am! You really don’t even have to be formal at all! Unless that’s what you’re comfortable with. Then by all means do whatever you like but calling me ma’am isn’t... like.... necessary or uh any..... thing....” you trailed off. He said nothing, silently waiting for you to continue with whatever brought you to his door.

“Well anyway, I was wondering if you’d like to join me for a hike this morning. The weather is beautiful at the moment and I thought it’d be nice for you to see the area. New England has some of the most beautiful woodland areas around.” You smiled, forcing yourself to look at his nose and not search for a print below.

“Alright,” he said.

“Great! Amazing! Um, I’ll just meet you downstairs then whenever you’re ready!” You chirped and walked away leaving him to get dressed.

You went and sat on the sofa of your living room, watching the snow gently drift down through the huge window looking outside. You couldn’t have been sitting there for even ten minutes when you heard his heavy boots trudge downstairs, fully dressed in jeans, combat boots, a long sleeve shirt, snowcap and a thick winter jacket. He dressed in all black, as did you and it almost looked like the two of you were matching.

“Ready?” You quipped and he nodded. So the two of you set off.

The walk began quietly as the two of you headed out the back door, through your yard and out to one of your favorite trails. The sun was shining bright, providing a little warmth to the two of you as you trudge through the snow.

“So tell me about yourself Nebraska,” you started, shoving your gloved hands in your coat pockets to keep warm.

“Not much to tell,” he said solemnly. You’d anticipated such an answer and thought ahead.

“Well then let’s start in the beginning, where are you from?”

“Born in Louisiana, moved to Nebraska when I was 7.”

“Oh so that’s where you get your nickname from huh? Pretty cool,” you smiled. He said nothing.

“So what made you join the army?”

“It fit. I was strong, followed directions well, thought I was making a difference.”

“Well my Uncle thinks the world of you, raves about you all the time.” You saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile.

“He’s always looked out for me..... probably even when he shouldn’t have,” his tone dropped and you could hear a hint of sadness in his voice. Well more sadness than usual.

“Hey, it’ll be alright,” you said and you decided to take a big risk and pat him on the back. You might as well have been patting a wall with how hard it was.

The two of you walked a bit more in silence before a loud ringtone broke the quiet around you. Nebraska reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone, answering it immediately.

“Aye. Yeah? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah..... yeah. Mmhm. Okay. See you then.” He hung up the phone and you looked at him curiously, the unspoken question hanging in the air.

“Mind if we cut this hike short?” He didn’t really seemed to be asking but looked at you expectantly anyway.

“Yeah sure, that’s fine,” and with that the two of you began to walk back. You were quiet but you couldn’t help your mind from wandering. Your curiosity was literally burning in the back of your brain and you were dying to know who it was he was meeting.

But if he’d wanted you to know he’d have told you. So you kept the inquiries to yourself.

The two of you made it back to you house and in your driveway was a gigantic red flatbed truck with a tarp in the back. A white man with blonde hair and an equally blonde blonde mustache hopped out of the vehicle. The first thing you noticed was how tall he was. He was clearly one of Nebraska’s army buddies.

“McKenna,” Nebraska grinned and this had to be the first time you’d seen a genuine smile on his face since he got here. It was absolutely breathtaking, he had slight dimples that flared and his teeth were perfectly white and supremely straight. His eyes crinkled in the smile and you could see he was genuinely happy to see him.

“You’re hard to track down. General (Y/L/N) really put you in the middle of no where huh? This his niece?” McKenna said turning to you.

“Yeah. Y/N this is Captain Quinn McKenna.” The Captain extended his hand to you and you took it lightly.

“Pleasure to meet you ma’am. Not staying long, just stopped by to drop off this old hunk of metal,” he laughed, winking at Nebraska.

“Hunk of metal?” You questioned. McKenna pulled back the tarp on the back of his truck to reveal the sleekest motorcycle you’d ever seen. You didn’t know much about motorcycles but this was was big, black and shiny so you had to assume it was well taken care of.

“Couldn’t let this baby rot away on the base, now could I.” McKenna quipped then he and Nebraska lowered it down on the ground together.

“Thanks Cap,” Nebraska grinned.

“Don’t mention it, Williams. To anybody. Ever. Especially the General, he’d have my head if he knew I handed you your mobility.” McKenna said tossing Nebraska a helmet.

“Be careful on that thing. And hurry up and get your ass back to base, we need you.” McKenna slapped Nebraska’s back and then headed back to get in his truck, pausing before he got in.

“Y/N,” he nodded throwing you a curtesy wave before taking off. That left you and Nebraska alone again and the silence fell over you two once more.

“Well that was awfully nice of him,” you smiled. Nebraska nodded once but said nothing, turning his attention to his bike.

“Well I’m gonna go start breakfast. Would you like anything?” He shook his head no and you continued on the the kitchen.

You made yourself a bowl of sweetened granola and oats then sat on your windowsill languidly picking at the meal, only really stomaching a few bites before tossing the rest out. You had work in a couple of hours and decided to go ahead and start getting ready for that.

~*~

You got home from work much later than you usually do, sinking into a chair in the living room as soon as you stepped through the door. You were exhausted and it seemed the museum was always more popular this time of year increasing your work load. That and the fact that you had three new exhibits coming in and two old exhibits moving on had you more stressed than usual.

You were too tired to eat dinner and decided to just head to bed. You were almost to your door when you heard the undeniable sound of someone grunting. Specifically a male grunt. There was also a lot of heavy breathing and the headboard squeaking as it tapped against the wall. You felt your veins ice over thinking the worst.

Of course you’d never outwardly told Nebraska he wasn’t allowed to have female.....’company’ but with him only being here a total of four days even you could admit that was moving pretty fast.

You couldn’t control your feet as they slowly made their way to his door. It was cracked and you gently pushed it open a smidge, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl he was with. This New England town was only so big and you pretty much knew almost everyone here, so whoever his partner in crime was, you were bound to at least know who she was.

You peaked through the crack, your moral conscious screaming at you otherwise. What you found before you couldn’t have shocked you more.

He was doing crunches on the side of his bed. His force and bulk making the bed squeak as he did one after another. He was shirtless yet again and his body was glistening with sweat.

You couldn’t help the sigh of relief from washing over you and he heard it, causing him to pause. You pushed the door all the way open and began walking in before he had he chance to turn around so it wouldn’t look like you were spying (even if you obviously were).

“Heyyyy..... what are you still doing up?” You asked nonchalantly as you leaned against his open door.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He said out of breath.

“Really? Because you actually look pretty sleepy,” you noted, finally getting a good look at his eyes with him on the ground. Upon further inspection, he almost looked like he hadnt slept in days.

“I, uh, I don’t sleep at night.” He said, standing up.

“Why’s that?”

“Can’t seem to catch it.” He shrugged, grabbing a towel off his nightstand. It looked like he was about to take a shower.

“You know I used to be the same way then I- HEY! I’ve got an idea! Why don’t you sleep in my room. There’s fairy lights, an oil defuser, rain sounds, who knows maybe that’ll help you get to sleep. That’s what I do instead of counting sheep.” Maybe swapping rooms would help him feel a little more at ease, plus you didn’t mind sleeping in his room if that meant he’d get some proper rest. You always enjoyed the window view from his room better anyway.

“Umm... I don’t know..... Let me think on it,” he said hesitantly and you know he wasn’t really going for it but at least you tried.

“Okay well let me if you change your mind. Good Night,” you said turning towards the door.

“Night.”

~*~

A nice long hot shower later and you were in bed in your t-shirt and underwear on, languidly reading your latest novel when you began to drift in and out of sleep, finally sub-coming to your own slumber.

You could vaguely register Nebraska’s massive frame entering the room and laying down next to you.

“You changed your mind?” You asked groggily.

“Yeah,” was all you could remember he said and then you fell back asleep, too tired to make the trip over to his room. Even though the bed had plenty of room, Nebraska was all the way at the opposite edge, once again trying to make his presence barely know, as if he were trying to disappear.

~*~

A/N: Hey y’all, thanks for reading!! Let me know what y’all think so far!!! As always I’m tagging my Trevante Gang!!! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged as well!!

Taglist: @chaneajoyyy @queen-of-the-jabari @queennanayaa @clydevevo @queennanayaa @chaneajoyyy @killmongerthiskoochie @theunsweetenedtruth @blackgirloneshots @blmforeal @erikkillmongerstan @jozigrrl @quietstorm-73 @sailorsenshi420 @wakandamama @mxearth h @chefjessypooh @macfizzle @chasingsunlight @dameshaemonique @rubiesandravens @raysunshine78 @melaninmarvel l @melanisticroyalty @softnani @vibranium-soul @itstaliaduh @cinki-the-black-goddess @thehomierobbstark @darkangelchronicles @bartierbakarimobisson @doublesidedscoobysnacks @blackpinup22 @tchokemedaddy @clydevevo @amirra88 @labelletemps @wawakanda-btch

[marvelliz]

Flirt or fight (Bucky Barnes)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avengers!Reader

Warnings: Some fighting, mentions of a daddy kink (no smut tho)

Word count: 2560

Summary: You and Bucky have a rather weird way of flirting with each other, and some friends might want him to finally admit his feelings. 

This is set in a universe were Civil War never happened and everyone lives happily together in the Avengers Tower.

A/N: This is my piece for @propertyofpoeandbucky‘s mysterious writing challenge! (The prompt is bolded) I wrote this a while ago in the middle of the night and honestly completely forgot about it until now. Some of these parts are based on my self defense class (the daddy thing actually) and it was so hilarious I had to write it down. Hope you enjoy my sleepy ass writing style;) ~Liz

Clint had a smirk plastered on his face when he joined Natasha and Tony in the living room, with a coffee in one hand and making sure his precious drink didn’t spill on the ground, a bagel in the other. He had considered making popcorn, but he didn’t want to risk missing anything.

“So tell me. What are they fighting about today?”

You swung your leg in the air, and if Bucky hadn’t had such damn fast reflexes, he would’ve been hit in the head. Lucky for him, he was quick to take a step back, grabbing your foot in one swift movement and pulling it hard to bring you out of balance. But you wouldn’t have been the great fighter you were if you hadn’t found a way to take him down with you.

Nat sighed as she watched both of you continue your fight on the ground, but her friend knew her well enough to know that she secretly enjoyed the entertainment you and Bucky brought to the Tower. “Honestly, I don’t even know. Something ‘bout Bucky finishing Y/N’s leftovers.” Never taking her eyes off the fight, she reached for Clint’s bagel and took a bite. “That, or Y/N stole Bucky’s shirts again.”

Tony chimed in. “I bet it’s the latter. Or he’s just fighting shirtless because he knows that’ll turn her on.”

“Nah, he’s too clueless for that.” The archer was practically beaming with excitement. Sometimes life started getting a little boring at the Avengers Tower, but luckily you and Bucky never let it come that far. And if your fights had been really hostile, no one would’ve let you two be in each other’s presence anymore without being chaperoned, because you both were skilled enough to kill one another and not even flinch about it. But everyone knew you were practically best friends. And everyone, except for clueless Bucky and you, knew that you were head over heels in love with each other. And that fighting was basically your way of flirting, since you were both pretty much cowards when you weren’t on the field and thus didn’t really talk feelings with each other.

“By the way, shouldn’t Cap be here to try to keep them apart?”

A chuckle escaped Nat’s mouth. “Steve gave up two fights ago, where were you?” With raised eyebrows, she turned to Clint. “He left immediately when they started again today. Something about ‘little children who needed to learn how to flirt like normal human beings’.”

“Well, can’t argue with that.” Clint shrugged, returning his attention to the fight. “Hey Stark, wanna bet on who wins today?”

Bucky was a lot stronger than you, and you both knew it. But you wouldn’t have been world’s best assassin if you couldn’t take him on. You knew exactlyhow to make his weaknesses play in your advantage.

The thing was, Bucky was a great fighter too. He relied too much on his strength though, whereas you were a more tactical player, and touched your opponents where they least expected.

But since you and Bucky fought all the time with each other, your attacks weren’t as surprising as they used to be. Bucky knew you better than anyone, and you were certain that he only had to look at you to know which move you would pull on him next. That’s what made you such an amazing team on the battlefield, but it also meant that you had to find new tricks every time you guys fought.

Now at the moment, thinking was a little hard. You’d managed to get up to try and take the upper hand in the quarrel, but the Winter Soldier was quicker and took you down with one swift move of his leg. You would’ve fallen straight on your back if you hadn’t learned how to turn your body in that way that you would not only land safe, but also be immediately ready to attack or defend yourself.

Bucky was faster though, and he knew what you were gonna do before you knew it yourself. As soon as your body touched the ground, he hit you right in your waist to keep you from doing the move you wanted. With strong hands, he held your hands tight pressed against the ground above your head and quickly moved to straddle your hips, preventing you from moving any further.

His body weight pressed you down, and though you knew his strength had the upper hand in this situation, it didn’t stop you from trying and wiggling as hard as you could to escape his forceful grip.

Bucky watched you with a smirk, loving to see you struggle underneath him. “Guess you were too slow this time, doll!”

You grunted again, then decided to give up and let your head rest against the soft carpet – God thanks for the carpet, at least you were trapped in a comfortable pose this time. Last time he’d managed to get you, it’d been on the roof where it’d just stopped raining and puddles were spread all over the surface. Your clothes had been soaked, but in all fairness, Bucky’s were too and you couldn’t say you didn’t enjoy the view of his wet shirt clinging to his chest.

Especially when he was hovering over you with that sexy smirk of his.

You threw him a sassy wink before he would notice how turned on you were. “Please, Buck, I’m never too slow. It’s all part of the plan.”

Bucky simply raised an eyebrow at you. You knew he thought you were bluffing, but he still asked. “What plan?”

“This one.” As hard as you could, you threw yourself forwards, using his surprise to your advantage. But Bucky really was strong, and he was holding you too tight for you to move enough to do any harm. The only thing you could move was your head, but Bucky quickly took both your wrists in his metal hand, while his flesh hand pressed down on your throat to keep you from head bumping him.

He chuckled at your poor attempt to get yourself free, and you felt him add a little more pressure on your throat. “So what, that was your plan?”

Bucky should’ve known you better. Something dark clouded your eyes and your lips fell into a flirty smirk as you let out a moan. “Mm, choke me, daddy.”

His eyes widened noticeably at your words, and almost imperceptible his grip on your hands loosened a little. Something you had counted on, because as soon as you felt it you yanked your hands free and in a swift but powerful motion, you pushed his arm on your throat away. You took advantage of his loss of balance to firmly grab his flesh arm and push his shoulder with your other hand, bucking your hips to your side to throw him off you.

As soon as his back hit the floor, you moved to sit on top of him. You pressed your forearm against his throat before you leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.  “No, this was my plan.”

Natasha was roaring with laughter in the distance.

Bucky’s eyes were still wide as he stared at you. You looked back, panting a little from the fight. Bucky, who was now laying under you, was breathing just as hard, you could feel it. Your eyes travelled down his face to his heavily rising chest, sweaty enough to make your breath hitch in your throat. You’d forgotten he was wearing no shirt.

“Like what you see, doll?”

Your eyes snapped back up to his, amusement shining in them. You didn’t even miss a beat.

“I like to see me beating you, so yeah.”

He tipped his head back and laughed, and your heart skipped a beat when you felt the rumbling under you.

“I guess you win this one, doll.”

“That’s what I thought.” You rolled off him and stood up, smoothing your – or rather Bucky’s – shirt and extending your hand to help him up. Then you walked up to Clint, who held out two bottles of water, and threw one his way. “Daddy.”

With another wink, you walked out the door. You didn’t see how Bucky again froze at that last word and how the water bottle you threw at him hit his head.

Clint and Tony were arguing in the background while Natasha joined Bucky on the couch. The Soldier was quiet and kept glancing at the door through where you’d just disappeared.

“Hey, wanna tell what that was all about?” Nat nudged him gently, and a soft smile appeared on his face.

“Nat?”

“Buck?”

He chuckled, because he was pretty sure that what he was gonna say was gonna sound stupid. But Nat had seen him in more embarrassing times, and he trusted her. “Is it possible to get a boner ‘cause you’re so in love with someone? Like a boner, but for your heart?”

Nat stared at him for a moment, but then she grinned widely.

“Oh you’ve got it bad, loverboy!”

The next time you had Bucky pinned under you was only two days later, and this time it was for training purposes. Of course it helped that you fought all the time already, but that didn’t stop you from feeling victorious whenever you won. But to your surprise, this time Bucky didn’t struggle to get free.

“You’re smiling. Why are you smiling?” You were still a little breathless from the fight as a frown took over the triumph on your face. Instead of the usual wrestling, Bucky was just laying there, defeated but with a small smile on his face as he looked up at you. The smile felt endearing, almost loving, but that didn’t make any sense.

He shrugged as best as he could, with you hindering even his littlest movements. “I don’t know. You always have that fire in your eyes when you win, and I never really noticed that before.” He shrugged again, as if he was just stating facts. As if his words didn’t make blood rush to your cheeks. It was almost embarrassing how easy it was for him to make you blush.

Which was why it occurred to you that it probably was just another way to make you feel stunned, to make you weaken your grip on him so he could still overpower you. Like you did with him a few days ago. You grounded yourself by making your grip on his forearms even stronger than it already was.

But Bucky didn’t seem to notice. The smile playing on his lips was nothing but gentle, no glint that showed that he was up to something. “It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

You scoffed. “I’m sweating and in my sports clothes. I doubt that’s anything of a beauty norm around here.”

“Guess I must really like you then.”

More abrupt than you would’ve liked to admit, your eyes rose to meet his, and you were surprised to see him staring back - more sincere than you’d ever seen him before. Though the words felt real, you couldn’t help but look for the lie in his features. “You … what?”

“You heard me.” He chuckled at your perplexed expression. How could you not know how amazing you are? “I have for a while now, in fact. I mean, what’s not to like about you? You’re kind, but you also stand up for what you believe in, and you’re so strong. And I don’t mean only physical, although you really are very strong.”

He threw you wink, which made you break out in a disarming smile. “Since when are you this good with words? You could’ve told me this much earlier, you know?”

“I’ve got some help.” Bucky flinched when he thought back at the awkward conversation he had a few days before. “Nat encouraged me a little. No, actually she said she would kill me if she had to watch the apparently thick tension between us for one more day, and she’s terrifying sometimes!”

You broke into a fit of giggles when you imagined the much smaller Nat lecturing Bucky about talking emotions. But you knew first-hand how terrifying she could be, so you completely understood what he meant.

Then you realized he had just told you he liked you, and you had yet to say something back. You’d never been one to talk about your feelings either, but with Bucky’s expectant blue eyes looking up at you, you knew what you had to say.

“I like you too.” Also for a while now, but you never dared to say anything because you didn’t want to mess up your friendship. And you were pretty scared of being rejected, even if you had regularly the gut feeling he felt the same towards you – a feeling that was apparently right.

Bucky grinned at your confession, as if you just made his entire day. “So –“ He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and you almost laughed out loud because it was a pretty comical sight, seeing him completely defeated under you but still acting all cocky and confident. “Can I kiss you now?”

Your eyes flickered down to his lips and back to his eyes, and you nodded in anticipation. “I’d say go for it.”

He kept looking at you. Your eyebrows raised in question when he didn’t move, which made him chuckle. “You’ve trapped me, remember? I can’t move if you don’t let me go.”

“Oh.” Right. You immediately loosened your grip on his forearms, and as if he’d waited for that, he instinctively grabbed your shoulders and rolled you over, so he was now on top.

Your back hit the ground hard, but you didn’t feel it when you saw him hovering over you, that goofy smirk you had fallen for plastered on his face. Eyes widened when you realized that he was now in complete control, that you were the one trapped now, but somehow that realization only made the anticipation  in your stomach grow. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have him holding you down for once.

When he kissed you, it was with the same tension you and him fought with, but the passion in the touch was a whole new feeling. This was a battle you could both win. Bucky smirked against your lips. “Gotcha.”

“I told you I could get him to confess.” Natasha grinned up at Steve, who did his very best not to look at the security footage of two of his best friends making out with each other. One kiss he was okay with, but he really didn’t need to see how the two of you kept rolling each other over to take control and deepen the kiss.

“Who confessed to whom?” Tony walked in on them, his eyes curiously looking from Steve to Nat and back.

Steve just motioned to the images. “Bucky did. Now they’re busy making the gym unsafe.”

Clint walked in at the moment Steve shut the videos down. “Hey, no, I wanted to see that!” He pouted like a young boy who just was told he couldn’t have candy anymore.

“Gross.” Tony shook his head, then grinned widely. “Hey Clint, I still get 50 bucks from you!”

“What now, Bucky confessed?” The archer groaned and took out his wallet in defeat. “Come on, Y/N! I counted on you!”

Permanent taglist: @tonystarkswhoremain @spideychronicles

[layesica]

2019: It was a year that ends tonight.

2018 was rough, right? Well, so was 2019!

I did not feel like writing this, but it’s a tradition now, so for the fifth year in a row, here’s what I did all year with some of the crappy crap that made it not the greatest. I can’t promise an unwavering sense of optimism, but it’s okay. I’m okay. Here we go!

JANUARY Went to The Not Inappropriate Show at UCB curated by the Odenkirks, then Spent New Years Eve at Dynasty Typewriter with Ian & Emily. It was fun, but... eh. Home is better, y’all. Home is always better. Did a couple performances of a show at Second City – A Fonzie Scheme. It was fun. I was in an improv class at The Pack. I think it was Improv 4. The last weekend of January, Very Famous went to Sketchfest, which was super amazing. That’s, like, a goal. And even though it had pretty much nothing to do with anything I did, it was cool. And it was fun. And I was at a party with Neil Patrick Harris and I was SUPER cool about it.

Went to stuff: LA Times screening of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. It was free, and I would have never seen it otherwise. I enjoyed it. It was good.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Toasted Coconut Milk & Cookies (V)

FEBRUARY Made a return trip with Ian & Emily to San Francisco. Well, Oakland with an SF jaunt. I don’t have any cool stories, but Emily fought a seagull for her cookie and won, and that was pretty badass. On the drive back, there was a ton of snow just on the other side of the Angeles National Forest. I wasn’t excited enough to get out of the car, but snow is nice to look at. Oh, I had lunch with one of the head writers on my dream show that my old roommate met at the gym. I am terrible at networking.

Went to stuff: LA Times screening of VICE. It was free, and I would have seen it... eventually. It was... a bit... self-indulgent.

Salt & Straw Flavor: “The Chocolatier Series” = Jeni’s Coffee & Sweet Cream

MARCH Auditioned for a house improv team at The Pack. I didn’t mention working with a practice group all of February & March to prep for that. The biggest bummer about not getting on a team may have been the loss of that practice group. It was fun while it lasted.

Went to stuff: Saw comedy dads, Bob & David, at Largo. They asked for volunteers, and I almost passed just thinking about it. Ian & Emily jumped up there. Good for them!

Salt & Straw Flavor: Smoked Sea Salt & Chocolate Crack

APRIL Interviewed for a new job at one of the guilds. HEY! I owe the government $3700. That’s fun! I went ahead and added a good purse to my new 0 APR card.

Went to stuff: Dana Gould Podcast at Dynasty Typewriter. Panel with Conan Writers at Lyric Hyperion. For some reason, I saw Avengers: Endgame. I dunno. I feel like I should see it through for some reason. Deadline did their day-long FYC event, The Contenders, at Paramount, so I spent all day seeing so many people from TV and eating so much yummy food in between. Amazon FYC at Hollywood Athletic Club – went mostly for the building. Prime seat at Conan taping.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Wildflower Honey with Ricotta Walnut Lace Cookies – I wait all year for this to roll around again!

MAY We were supposed to have a call for a travel show on Buzzfeed, but they ghosted us. I went camping with a huge group at Idyllwild, which would have been fun, but it was FREEZING and I got SUPER sick on the second day. After a few days, I got better and got the guild job. Free insurance, baby! (More on that later.) Bought a Universal pass.

Went to stuff: A UCB show with people from Chicago. Free Booksmart screening with Q&A. Such a good movie! LA Times panel for Broad City. I never really watched it, but I would love to have a partnership like that! Netflix FYSee for Nanette. Guys, people are like vultures for the passed trays. Adam Sandler at Dynasty Typewriter. Attended the actual red carpet, fancy-pants premiere of Amazon’s Late Night. It was enjoyable and not at all realistic, and I could not stop staring at John Early in the theater. He glows!

Salt & Straw Flavor: Pear & Blue Cheese

JUNE Went to stuff: FYSee for Dead To Me. I had not seen it yet, but then I watched it and it’s good. JV show at UCB with Paul F Tompkins. Did a lap at the AT&T Shape event that is always free. I only go to be on the WB lot where I would like to be more often. Like, 40+ hours a week more often. That’s it. I just went to stuff.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Campfire S’mores (with Brian)

JULY SO. MANY. EARTHQUAKES. After the third one, it stopped being cute. Went for a drive to the Angeles Forest and hiked to a waterfall. Did a sketch with Very Famous at Packcon. It was a small group, so I got a part! Huzzah!

Went to stuff: Saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at the Cinerama dome. (First visit!) Not a great idea because I kept trying to pick out the scenery and got a bit of motion sickness. Shirtless Brad Pitt on a roof in the ‘70s is nice.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero (2x)

AUGUST Went on a random overnight to San Jose. Time to get panicky about Pack Sketch Teams! I did what I should have done last year and requested to be moved. I loved the people on my team, but I wasn’t getting a return on investment for myself. And that’s no fun. Did a show called Gibberish with Duckboi as Sharon Osborne and wore a great wig. Sketch is fun. Fell off my bike & got bruised legs.

Went to stuff: Mike O’Brien & Friends at Lyric Hyperion. Saw some Pack shows to be a supportive. Put up a sketch at GSY.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Green Fennel & Maple

SEPTEMBER Started working tech at UCB. It’s pretty easy. I get to see new faces... and old faces, too. I have no more comedy theaters to work at. Well, unless someone is going to pay me real money. My vision has been getting blurrier, so I went to the eye doctor to get new glasses. Ended up getting referred to a specialist for a “freckle” in my eyeball, but had to wait a month to go. Submitted a character video for Pack Sketch performer auditions. Got a callback! That’s one step further than last years attempt, and I actually came up with characters and I was pretty proud of it. Came up with more characters, then faced the fear of being on a stage all by myself while trying to be funny. I felt good about it. It used to take a day to find out, but not this time...

Link to Character Audition Video

Went to stuff: Got an AMAZING ticket (location & price) to see Skintight at the Geffen with friggin’ Idina Menzel. She is a queen! It’s a cute theater I should go to more stuff at. Saw Scott Thompson as Buddy Cole at the Lyric Hyperion. So good! I think I’ve seen the evolving show every year I’ve lived here. My face hurts for several days after. Lyndsey got a fancy job and invited me to the Dreamworks Friends & Family screening of Abominable. Would not have seen it. It was cute. Thanks, Lyndsey!

Salt & Straw Flavor: Forgettable

OCTOBER Flew to Denver for my cousin’s wedding. I almost typed, “weeding.” That’s Colorado for you. It was my first time to see my family all year. The time just got away from me. I got a late flight out and spent the day walking around Denver on my own. Went to a good bookstore. Ate some Giordano’s. Left my luggage in a van. Found out I got cut from Very Famous – also, Very Famous got cut from sketch night – and I didn’t make a new team. Started watching new season of Mr. Robot and felt so lost, so started it from the beginning. The new Almodóvar came out, so I bought one of those expensive Arclight tickets. It was very, very good. Maybe my favorite Almodóvar film. Worth it! Saw the specialist about my eye. They dilated it, took a bunch of pictures, did a closed-eye ultrasound (Yeah, they use jelly for that!), and refereed me to another specialist. Hunter picked me up, and I ate at Canter’s for the first time. The specialist’s office made the appointment for me at an oncologist. Guys, I just wanted new glasses and now can’t stop Googling some pretty scary stuff! Lyndsey took me to USC & hung out with me for a while. They dilated my eye, took a bunch of pictures of it with a bunch of different machines, performed an OPEN EYE ultrasound, saw two trainees and then the doctor. She said she is not diagnosing me with melanoma. BUT it has the orange color and a sliver of the fluid that are “concerning.” The pictures of the tumor weren’t as large at the ophthalmologist’s pictures made it look. So... bright side, I guess. I go back in January to check for changes. Margot scooped me up and brought me home. Baby’s first root canal! 

For our very last Very Famous show, everyone got to put up a sketch they wrote. My favorite had too much production, so I did a black out. It turned out great, and I felt loved. It was a very nice way to go out.

Went to stuff: Two weeks after the Arclight screening, the LA Times invited me to see Pain & Glory with a Q&A, so I finally got to be in a room with my favorite director. I may have cried... slightly more than I did just seeing the film.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Black Cat Licorice & Lavender (2 cones, 1 pint)

NOVEMBER It was time for Penelope’s annual visit to the vet, so I rented a car for the weekend and took her. She had lost quite a bit of weight. I sprung for all the tests, and she has kidney disease. Her numbers aren’t terrible, but there’s not really treatment for it. We switched to a new kind of prescription food. All I can do is be good to her and try to keep her hydrated & happy. So... yeah... September – November have been... uh... not so great. On the bright side, I got invited to be in the Night Cap with Stacy Rumaker show as a character! I love this show so much - and when you read a thing in December, this show is the exception to that. I was so nervous, but I pulled it together and think it went very well. It felt good! Also, I am so emotionally invested in Mr. Robot! Mom & Dad came to visit for Thanksgiving and that was a nice relief. It rained most of the time, but we got out at about a bit.

Went to stuff: Vulture Fest screening of MacGruber with Will Forte & John Solomon.

Salt & Straw Flavor: Spiced Goat Cheese & Pumpkin Pie (with Mom & Dad)

DECEMBER Fell off my bike, bruised my legs, and scraped a chunk of skin off my hand. Finally: I left my mark on this town! I was not in the mood to plan a birthday thing, but rented a car to take Penelope for her health certificate she might need to fly home with me, then went on a showtune-belting drive on my birthday. Not the best drive ever, but it was nice to just drive aimlessly. Margot went with me to dinner at an Italian place in Los Feliz. In other news, Penelope gained some weight. Then I flew home for Christmas. I’ve just been sitting around with Mom & Dad, and it has been great. I had lunch with Justin & traditional margaritas & Tex-Mex with Lindsey. I finally did an entire month of morning pages after 4 years, so I may be done with that. Oh, and I (temporarily) quit comedy.

Went to stuff: Saw CATS (can’t hate on a bad movie with bad source material) & Little Women (I cried so much!)

Salt & Straw Flavor: Apple Brandy & Pecan Pie (with Brian), but I’m in Texas now, so I’m ending the year with some Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla. Do better, Tyler!

So, that’s it. I was not looking forward to this, but it did make me feel a little better since the crap at the end has just felt like it has beaten me down. I’m not a quitter, but a breaker is maybe a good idea for a bit. I don’t have any resolutions for 2020.

If you’re still here, THANK YOU for reading my yearly download. I hope that you are doing well.

You’re great!

I love you!

Have a great 2020!

[caffeineivore]

M/N fic for Wils!

For @nelwynp aka The Ebil Enabler. I actually wrote this longhand on a notebook as is my habit during long plane rides and so on. Recently got back from a two week vacation to Spain and Portugal so... there was a lot of plane time. Also chilling time post-evening sangria. I managed to write a few ficlets during this trip, and will tag them all under “travel ficscribble”.

Set in a ficverse not yet really published, but the same as the last few things I posted. Will eventually compile everything after the main fic is published for the @ssrevminibang.

Prompt: M/N, “Buffoon”, “I hope you’re miserable”

**

“You great buffoon! Why in the names of all the saints would you attempt to keep up with me Uncle Murphy, then? It’s tea and dry toast for you this morning, and possibly into this afternoon, too.”

There’s an army of mad leprechauns doing an Irish step dance in the space in his skull where his brain used to reside before it was pickled to death by a gallon of Guinness last night. His mouth tastes like the Sonoran Desert, scorpions and lizards and all, and Noah is pretty sure that if he attempts to move his limbs, they might fall off. Had it been any other person than Mary Kathleen talking to him and breaking the silence of the room, he might have cussed them out. Or at least made plans to do so sometime in the near future once the room stopped spinning. 

“Your Uncle Murphy was the one who kept refilling my cup! I wasn’t trying to start anything with him! Does he hate Americans or something? I mean, we are kind of a bunch of assholes, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t personally do anything to him.”

Mary Kathleen tsks at him, but sets down the tray of toast and tea on the nightstand by his bed. Noah is not above admiring the glimpse down her shirt as she bends over. He might be suffering the Hangover From Hell, but the day he couldn’t find the wherewithal to appreciate Mary Kathleen’s incredibly fabulous boobs, he’d have to be blind, dying or both.

Not that he thought of her in some sort of sleazy, disrespectful, sexual object type of way. And certainly not anything he’d admit to, aloud. Mary Kathleen was a friend-- they’d kept in touch since meeting each other at her graduation two years ago-- and besides, he wasn’t going to discount the fact that she could quite possibly kick his ass. Or at least make his life a complete living hell. Nor was he about to make things awkward, particularly on her home turf.

It’s his first time in Ireland and certainly it’s a pretty big departure from America. Mary Kathleen’s family comes from a tiny village that looks like something out of a postcard, and just the other day, they were stuck behind the local idea of a traffic jam-- a flock of sheep taking their sweet time to cross the road. The land is a bit hilly, but lush and green, with a great deal more rain than he was accustomed to. But he could hardly complain. Not when it never came close to the downright dangerous temperatures of a sweltering Arizona summer, and especially not to Mary Kathleen’s exceptionally friendly family.

She’d told him, perhaps a year ago, that she’d lost both parents in her teens to a plane crash, and that she’d been taken in by an aunt and uncle afterwards, who’d lived in London at the time. They’d since moved back to Ireland after Uncle Murphy had retired, and though the sleepy little village of her youth certainly offered less by way of employment opportunities, there was no other place she’d rather be in the summers between school terms.

And so, as her friend, and as Zack’s unofficial babysitter, here he was. At least, that is to say, he got Zack safely into the UK and dropped him off into the competent hands of Amy, then embarked upon this little detour. And though he hadn’t exactly done anything super exciting thus far, it was worth it just to see this side of Mary Kathleen’s life, in her natural habitat, as it were.

He was never going to spend an evening at the pub with Uncle Murphy again, however. Everything that people said about the Irish and their alcohol tolerance was true.

About two hours later, Noah is roughly human again, after about four slices of dry toast, three cups of tea and two cat naps. He blearily makes his way towards the direction of the bathroom, which is tiny and adorable and had lace curtains on the windows, but also a shower about the size of a shoebox. The water pressure leaves something to be desired, but at least it does get good and hot. He sweats out the last little bit of alcohol left in his system, gets dressed, and wanders outside in search of his elusive hostess.

He finds her-- or at least a pair of very long and shapely legs that definitely look like hers-- sticking out from underneath a rusted, ancient jalopy of a car in a shade of brown-green usually associated with bird droppings or guacamole past its prime. The car is parked in a neighbour’s yard, and the neighbour in question seems to be a fairly ancient man wearing a sweater and a cap, who calls out when he sees Noah approaching.

“Yer Yank’s here, Mary Kathleen, and sure and he’s looking a lot more lively now than last night.”

“Me Yank’s a great buffoon who can’t handle his drink, but at least he conducts himself well enough when he’s half-pissed. I remember the time when Fergus McLean ran bare-arsed through the village singing ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, and if he wasn’t a walking advert for the evils of over-indulgence, I’m sure I can’t think of a one who’d suit it better.” Mary Kathleen, butt wiggling in her well-worn jeans, shimmies out from underneath the fugly car, a streak of black grease on one cheek, and grins up at him from her prone position on the ground. “I’m changing the oil of Flynn Malone’s car for him. He’ll be giving me some fresh eggs and a loaf of his wife’s soda bread for tomorrow’s breakfast, and perhaps if he’s feeling particularly generous and kindly, a pot of fresh butter as well, for none make better bread and sweeter butter than our Bridget Malone, aye?”

“‘Tis why I married her, to be sure,” Flynn Malone says agreeably, even as he gives Noah an unmistakable side-eye. “Now, my Bridget’s Da was fit to string me up by the bollocks, he was, when he caught me singing for her at her window in the moonlight before we were married. Our Mary Kathleen’s quite the prize herself, and I’d be happy to stand in for her Da if a lad comes sniffling after her and doesn’t do right by her.”

“I’m pretty sure if I did anything untoward in her presence, let alone directed at her, Mary Kathleen’s completely capable of kicking my ass herself,” Noah remarks in as polite a tone as he can muster, considering the conversation topic. “Therefore, I’m not going to try anything funny. I want to live.”

“Oy, yer smarter than ye look,” Flynn Malone guffaws as Mary Kathleen ducks back under the car to finish up. “We had our doubts. A body who makes a living getting pictures taken of his naked chest doesn’t always have a great deal going on upstairs.”

“The Yank’s working on his post-graduate in Physics at his Uni, and I’d thank you to be nice to my company, Flynn Malone.” Mary Kathleen reappears out from underneath that car. “Don’t be troubling him too much, or I’ll be tying a knot in your fuel line.”

Mary Kathleen wipes her hands and face clean with a damp towel, and Flynn Malone hands her a covered wicker basket full of the agreed-upon bread and eggs and butter, and after bidding her neighbour farewell, she and Noah head back to the house of her Uncle and Aunt.

“So, you never answered my question.” Noah carefully steers clear of any implications of his intentions towards Mary Kathleen. Not that they’re dishonourable, per se, but why bring a beautiful friendship into an awkward and potentially disastrous direction? Mary Kathleen, he knew, would never consider getting on a plane to even visit the United States, let alone move over there. “Do people here hate Americans, or do they just enjoy messing with me? I mean, I’m not mad. Just kind of curious.”

“Oh, you’re not from around here, and moreover you’re a male non-relative visiting my home. This part of Ireland is still quite traditional with things, so me neighbours probably want to make sure you’re not here to shag me and whistle off on your merry way, leaving me pregnant and unwed.” Noah’s eyes go wide at the last part of her explanation, and to his chagrin, Mary Kathleen blithely misinterprets his expression. “Not to fret, lad. I know you’ve no interest in such a matter. You’re quite safe from the parson’s trap. In the day and age of Flynn Malone, a man and a woman could scarce smile at each other without threats of the Banns being read, but I’m expecting naught from you of that sort.”

“Sure. I’m safe with you. Just not with any other number of people who’d like to see me miserable. Sounds good.”

“Maybe you should improve your constitution before we visit the pub again.” Mary Kathleen smirks up at him. “At least you no longer look like you’re fit to go to the Devil. You’re not quite to shirtless kilt standards, yet, but perhaps a nice walk in the fresh air will help you.”

“As long as I don’t step in any more cow shit.”

“I make no promises. You should have been more careful and watched your step.”

Noah says nothing about the fact that he’d been distracted staring at the freckles on her nose, and the glint of gold in her green eyes, and the way her t-shirt clung to her in a way white cotton had no business doing to anyone at any time, and follows her down the lane. He’d perhaps die in Ireland, but at least he’d die happy.

[craft-rose]

change (pt. 3)

Title: change

Pairing: Seokjin/Reader

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Smut.

Description: One ordinary night, your friend Seokjin approaches you with a surprising matter and a rather unorthodox solution.

PART 1  PART 2  PART 3

You knocked gently on the bedroom door. “Everything okay in here?”

Seokjin bounced a look at you, quickly draping the covers over Taehyung’s drunken form before meeting you in the empty, dimly lit hallway of the Bangtan dorm.

“Thanks for your help tonight,” he uttered to you quietly, keeping his voice down as to not wake the other members. “I had no idea anyone Taehyung’s size could consume that much alcohol and live to tell the tale.”

You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing, quietly following him through the hallway and into the kitchen. Given the fact that the boys had spent the past three months preparing for an album, their dorm was in a less than presentable state. There were clothes, phone chargers, shoes, hats and all sorts of items scattered all over the place.

With immense effort you avoided stepping on anything, leaning against the kitchen counter after, bouncing a quick, unnoticeable look at your friend as he grabbed two bottles of beer, popping the caps off of them before handing one to you.

Although you had work in the morning, you were already too far gone to give a fuck.

Leaning against the counter opposite you, Seokjin tilted back a mouthful of beer, exhaling after. “What a crazy night.”

You nodded. “I’m sure Taehyung’s going to have fun at practice tomorrow.”

Seokjin chuckled into his beer, using the back of his hand to wipe the dribble from his chin after. “That’s what he gets for not staying at home like I told him to.”

“Yeah, absolu — wait, what? He told me that you asked him to go to the club with you tonight,” You interjected, suddenly confused. “That’s the reason I came out in the first place. He said he needed company while you were hanging out with that girl from the bar.”

The idol raised an eyebrow at you, thinking for no longer than a moment before the answer came crashing down on him. “Ah.”

“Ah?”

“He did this on purpose,” Seokjin explained, nodding to you, cheeks flushing with colour. “I, uh, I told him what happened the other night, after I dropped you off, and I guess this was his way of trying to mend the situation.”

You gulped down some beer. “I had no idea the situation required mending.”

“__________-ah, I propositioned you,” Seokjin reminded you with a small laugh at the end.

Covering your mouth to keep from dribbling beer, you quickly nodded, chuckling. “Good point.”

“I’m starting to wonder if he’s even that drunk,” the idol voiced, pointing a look into the hallway as if contemplating whether he should check.

The silence that followed lasted only a few seconds. You leisurely glanced around, allowing your gaze to shift towards your friend as he knocked back another mouthful of beer. His hair was all messy and out of place, his cheeks were flushed from dancing and drinking all night and his shirt was untucked, clinging to his broad shoulders as he lifted the bottom part to wipe the sweat from his face.

You felt your skin turn hot at the sight of his abdominal muscles, the image of them burned deep into the depths of your subconscious as you quietly drank, allowing the beer to cool your insides.

“I’ve been meaning to apologize,” he suddenly said, breaking your train of thought.

Glancing up at him, you felt your eyebrows twitch upward. “For what?”

Seokjin rubbed the back of his neck. “For avoiding you these past few weeks.”

“Ah.” You nodded, quickly catching on. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing we have Tae. And beer.”

“To Tae and beer,” he announced.

You smiled, clinking bottles with him. “To Tae and beer.”

Swallowing another mouthful, you slowly found yourself thinking back to what Seokjin had said to you at the club. I’ve always felt a spark with you. At the time you had chalked it up to alcohol, a drunken confession in the corridor of a crowded, smoky club.

You pressed the opening of the beer bottle to your bottom lip, discreetly glancing over at Seokjin before you asked.

“Do you still want to?”

He looked to you, a brush of uncertainty in his gaze. “Want to what?”

“Do you still want to have sex with me?” You furthered.

Seokjin fell silent for a good, long moment, the uncertainty in his eyes slowly tapering away. “If I say yes, I’m a shitty friend, a creep and an opportunist,” he uttered into the quiet of the kitchen, the others fast asleep in their bedrooms. “And If I say no … well, then, I’m a liar, too.”

Ignoring the rapid beats of your chest, you emptied the slender glass bottle between your lips and then released it with a gentle pop as Seokjin watched.

Within moments, the atmosphere had changed completely.

The distant hum of traffic faded so deep into the background, you could barely hear it anymore.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” You said to him. “About everything you said to me the other night, your reasoning for why you want me to be the one, and I-I’m honestly surprised that you would even think of something so stupid and reckless, let alone suggest it to me.”

His face fell, but only briefly. “I-I understand.”

Sparing only a few seconds, you swallowed the nervous lump in your throat before uttering the rest. “I think I’m in the mood for something stupid and reckless tonight.”

He bounced a look at you, his expression unreadable. You weren’t sure what you expected out of him in that moment, but it certainly wasn't what came to be.

“_________-ah, I’m not going to have sex with you on a whim,” he said to you, unexpectedly.

Your cheeks flushed red. “But I-I thought you wanted t —”

“I do, but I don’t want you to wake up sober in the morning and regret it.”

“That’s assuming I wouldn’t want to sleep with you sober,” You countered.

“We both know you wouldn’t. That’s why you said no the first time.”

“It sounds to me like you’re the one saying no.”

His fixed his lips to the side. “You know I want you. That’s not the problem here.”

“Then what is the problem?” You asked. “I’m not drunk if that’s your concern.”

“Prove it.”

You snorted. “What, do you want me to recite the alphabet backwards or something?”

He folded his arms. “If that’s what it takes.”

“Fine,” You uttered, stepping up. “Z-Y-X-W-V-U-T-S-R-Q-P-O — this is seriously the most dull, unsexual thing that any guy has ever asked of me by the way — N-M-L-K-J-I-H-G-F-E-D-C-B-A. Happy?”

“Not quite,” he decided. “I’m going to need you to walk in a straight line, one foot in front of the other.”

You frowned for just a second, turning around and doing as he asked in perfect, undeniably sober fashion. “There. Are we good now or do you have a breathalyzer handy?”

“__________-ah, you know I’m only looking out for you.”

You absolutely did know that and you appreciated the fact that he was making you jump through hoops, but you felt embarrassed anyway. In the past, all you had ever had to do was vaguely hint at wanting to have sex with a guy before he whipped out a condom and got to work.

As expected, Seokjin was different.

His expression softened in the seconds that followed. “Come here.”

“What? Why do I have to go there? Why don’t you just come h —”

“__________-ah, get your ass over here right now.”

Your eyebrows bounced up, and you simply looked to him for a moment, shocked that he would use such a tone with you. The shock lasted only a second before your lips twitched with laughter at the same time as his did. You slowly came forward, stopping within a few inches of him as he tilted his head down and brushed your hair back, behind your ears.

“I’m sorry for embarrassing you,” he apologized to you, rather sincerely.

He was close enough now that you could smell hints of his cologne. The scent itself was soft and cool, like the rain, and the second you breathed it in, you felt your eyes flutter shut. On that same wavelength, Seokjin titled his head even further down, burying his head into the curve your neck and brushing his lips along your pulse.  

You sucked in, startled by the feeling of it. “Are you sure you’re a virgin?”

“Pretty sure,” he quipped, slowly and carefully coming back up again to meet your lips in a kiss.

It was light at first, tentative the way first kisses are. You almost weren’t sure where to place your hands, whether it was too soon to part your lips for him or to tell him how badly you wanted him just then and in how many ways.

Seemingly having read your thoughts, Seokjin pulled back for only a second, brushing his thumb down the middle of your bottom lip and then leaning in again, kissing you so deeply that you felt it everywhere.

Within seconds, you felt his tongue and your body ached for it elsewhere.

“S-seriously,” You panted, pulling back to catch your breath. “Are you sure you’re a … a …”

He kissed down your neck, chuckling. “I promise you, I am.”

“B-but virgins don’t kiss like this.”

“Maybe you were just kissing the wrong ones,” he teased.

You bit down on your bottom lip, tugging gently at his clothes and then grasping his shoulders as he lifted you up, carrying you out of the kitchen and onto the large couch in the living room.

Given that he shared a room with Yoongi, you figured it wasn’t going to happen on a bed. Either way, you didn’t care. The second he dropped you on the couch, you tugged him close, creating a tangled mess of clothes, limbs and body heat.

The silence was quickly interrupted by the sound of zippers and torn threads.

In a matter of seconds, he was shirtless, his jeans undone but still on, and you were on top of him in nothing but your bra and underwear.

You felt it all in that position, his size and how badly he wanted you.

He sat up very briefly, popping your bra open and taking your nipples into his mouth one by one, licking around them and sucking just hard enough to leave you grinding on his lap.

Okay, so he’s a virgin, but maybe not a full virgin.

You quickly regained control, pushing him back down, taking a second to enjoy it before shifting down the length of his body. Going by the way that he held his breath, he knew what was coming and you could see in his eyes that he wanted it badly.

Without a word, you slid your fingertips inside the waist of his jeans, and gently tugged at them, taking his boxers off at the same time. Slowly, every last inch of him was revealed to you. In all honesty, you had never really enjoyed giving blowjobs in the past. You enjoyed the control and you enjoyed giving your partners pleasure, but the actual act of having a dick in your mouth, had never really appealed to you beyond those two things.

But the second you grasped his dick and wrapped your lips around the tip, his leg and abdominal muscles tightening and then releasing, you loved it.

You decided to take it slow, lightly swirling your tongue around the tip while rubbing him up and down with your hand. The deeper you took him in, the harder it was for him to remain quiet.

Once you found a comfortable rhythm, gradually picking up the pace, releasing the tip from your lips with a gentle pop like you had the beer bottle, and then taking it all the way in again, Seokjin tilted his head forward and watched, biting down on his lip, inching closer with each second. He twitched and squirmed and panted so loudly, it was a miracle the others didn’t come rushing out to see what was going on.

You sucked and licked all the way down to his balls and back up his length, your eyes watering and the back of your throat contracting as you took him all the way inside.

“__________-ah,” he gasped, barely managing to get the words out. “I-I’m g-going to —”

You could pulled away but you didn’t. Instead you sucked harder and deeper and allowed him to come into the back of your throat as you hurriedly swallowed.

When you finally came back up to collect you breath — hair a wild mess, eyes bright and cheeks flushed as if you had just finished a workout — he shifted his body upright and met you face to face, brushing your hair back and kissing every inch of your face before making his way to your lips.

You knew he could taste himself on you, and you were really turned on by the fact that he didn’t care.

The moment he guided you back down onto the couch, tugged your underwear off and settled his mouth between your legs, you could sworn you blacked out from anticipation alone.

You were considerably wet already, and going by the way he groaned with his tongue and his lips grazing your clit, you could tell he loved the taste of it. His movements were slow and steady, in a way which proved to you that he had never done this before. He had never used his mouth on a girl before. This was the first time for him, and the more he tested you and teased you and tasted everywhere, the better it felt.

After only a few seconds of exploration, he slowly came to focus all of his attention on your clit, gently sucking and flicking on it as you tugged gently on his hair and squeezed his head between your thighs, mostly without meaning to.

Lips shaking around each moan, you gasped as he slid a finger inside you, and then another.

In a matter of seconds you were twisting and coming, and he kept going, making you twitch and  choke and squeeze until he finally stopped, his lips glistening as he lifted his head up to look at you.

“How was that?” he asked, as if he didn’t already know.

You resisted the urge to wipe that smirk off his face, far too breathless to think straight, let alone speak.

You weren’t sure when it happened, but at some point he got up and ducked into the kitchen, two glasses of ice cold water in he returned moments later. He handed one to you as you sat up, your insides thanking you the moment the cool liquid touched your mouth.

After a moment of thought, you decided to ask. “You’ve never done that before, have you?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Not in a bad way. Honestly, I-I’ve never come that like from just oral before.”

He blinked his eyes wide, but only briefly. “Really?”

You nodded, thinking back to how it felt just a moment ago. Granted, you hadn’t slept with very many guys, but you had slept with enough to know that it felt different with Seokjin. There was a rush of feelings inside you that couldn’t explain.

The second you met eyes with him, you knew he felt it, too.

Setting your empty glass aside at the same time as him, you looped your hair up, allowing a few strands to fall loosely around your neck, and he grabbed his jeans from the pile of clothes on the floor, tearing open a tiny foil packet a moment later.

Once he rolled the condom on, his dick hard and ready again, you climbed on top and breathed in  as he gently kissed you.

“I don’t want this to be over,” You quietly confessed.

He deepened the kiss, pulling back but only to speak. “Neither do I.”

Within moments of that, you lowered yourself onto him, holding your breath as he gently pushed inside you.

Gasping at the last second, you felt yourself squeeze around him, tightening and then relaxing as you slowly began to ride him. As hard and as fast as you wanted to go, you held back. Although he had come not five minutes prior, you could tell he wasn’t going to last very long.

His lips were on you the entire time. On your mouth, neck and around your nipples, causing you to ride faster and harder, and to bring him so close to the edge, he could taste it.

“Y-you’re going to m-make me c-c —”

You timed it perfectly, using the upward curve of his dick to hit your spot with every motion, and after only about a minute or two of sex, you came at the same time he did, smothering your moan against his lips as the two of you kissed through it. His body felt hard everywhere, softening only as he released the breath that he had been holding in.

He couldn’t even speak properly. “That was … that was … you … we …”

I completely agree. 

“We … we might have to do this … again,” You managed to say, chest rising and falling as you tried to collect your breath. “Just to … just to make sure you get the … full … experience.”

He lifted an eyebrow at you, choking on a sudden burst of laughter at the same time you did, that same rush of feelings bubbling inside you as he cupped your cheeks and left a trail of kiss from your forehead to the bridge of your nose to your lips.

The End

[pkmncoordinators]

ACLU Commission #3

Summary: Juniper decides to surprise Fennel for their wedding anniversary. Notes: Thank you so very much to @makomaragi for your donation!

“… Thank you for your time. Good night.”

A polite—but loud, given the size of the crowd—applause rose up with full admiration, then fell as Aurea Juniper exited the stage. She dabbed at her forehead, upon which the slightest bit of perspiration had gathered. The stage lights were hot, and she never was one for public speaking.

She was greeted at the steps by several hands and she spent several minutes exchanging courteous words with her scientific colleagues. Although presenting research could be nervewracking, conferences such as this were always a delight. And this was the biggest of the year: The Interregional Meeting of Pokémon Research. Fennel once affectionately called it the “Super Bowl” of science, and Aurea was honored when the board asked her to speak at this year’s event in Alola.

As her admirers dispersed, Aurea decided it was actually time to find Fennel. The day had been long, and she was about ready to go back to the hotel, order some service, watch some television or maybe a movie, and generally wind down before the conference’s continuation tomorrow.

“Alola!” a voice called out from nearby. “Professor Juniper!”

Aurea turned. Normally, she would be alarmed by a shirtless man running toward her, but this was an—and perhaps the only—exception. She recognized him as Professor Kukui, the local Pokémon specialist.

“Hello—Alola,” Aurea corrected herself. The region’s traditional greeting was so unusual and she was not quite used to it yet. “What can I help you with?”

“Oh, I just wanted to offer my thanks for such a great presentation. You don’t see too many people who research the origins of Pokémon, and I found it really interesting. I learned a lot,” Kukui said. “Oh! Sorry, I should introduce myself.” He stuck out his hand. “Abe Kukui. You can just call me Kukui, though.”

“Then you can just call me Aurea,” Juniper said, shaking his hand. “I know you though. I saw your presentation yesterday on Pokémon moves. I learned a lot as well.”

“Thank you,” Kukui said proudly. “Well, I don’t want to keep you, but just know if there’s anything I can do to help you while you’re here, please let me know.”

Aurea was prepared to thank him and graciously exit—but she stumbled.

“Actually,” she started, “now that you’ve brought it up…”

“Oh?” Kukui perked up.

“You see, it’s my wife and I’s first time in Alola,” she said, “and our one-year anniversary is tomorrow. We agreed that the… expenses of traveling to this conference together in such a beautiful region would be our celebration. Still, I’d like to surprise her after the conference breaks in the afternoon, but I’m not sure with what.”

“Well, I’ve got the perfect thing for you.” Kukui grinned. “An Alolan specialty: Battle Royal.”

“Excuse me?” Juniper raised her brow.

“It’s a special kind of battle where four trainers fight against each other,” Kukui explained. “And it just so happens that Royal Avenue, the location of the Battle Royal Dome, is here on Akala Island and not far off from Heahea City.” He lifted his hand to his firm chin with practiced thought. “It’s also the arena where the very strong and very handsome trainer, the Masked Royal, appears…”

“Is that so?” Aurea asked, amused.

“Oh yes.” Kukui nodded reverently. “Even my wife admits he’s a real stud. I know him personally, so I could get in contact with him and get you comp tickets for the front row.”

“Would you really?” Aurea straightened up.

“Sure!” Kukui nodded eagerly. “If you give me your email, I’ll be able to put you in touch.”

“That would be wonderful,” Aurea said. “Thank you very much!”

They exchanged information and a few more pleasant words before Kukui was called away.

“He’s handsome,” Fennel purred from behind Aurea once Kukui was out of earshot. Juniper nearly jumped in surprise and turned just in time to see a questioning look fall across Fennel’s face. “Do you think he ever gets cold not wearing a shirt all the time?”

Aurea stared through her.

“What’s with that look?” Fennel frowned.

Her pout caused Aurea to break into into a laugh; she shook her head tiredly and smiled.

“Well, I’m sorry to report he’s married,” she said. “And for that matter, so are you, Therese.”

“Hey, I can still appreciate the aesthetic appeal of muscles,” Therese said with teasing nonchalance.

They laughed together at that.

Hours later, after eating, Juniper holed herself up in the hotel bathroom, managing to sneak her laptop in with her. (Fennel believed she was only showering. If Aurea was on her computer with her wife in the room, there was no chance her surprise would stay secret. Therese had a habit of… hovering). For good measure, Juniper turned on the shower head as she booted up her computer.

To her surprise, she already an email from whom she could only assume was the Masked Royal, given the address was maskedroyal@hotmail.com, and the sender icon feature a shirtless man wearing a colorful mask.

It read, in all caps:

ALOLA!

MY VERY GOOD FRIEND PROFESSOR KUKUI TOLD ME YOU AND YOUR WIFE WANT TO COME SEE ME TOMORROW NIGHT.

I CALLED THE ARENA AND TOLD THEM TO OFFER A PAIR OF FRONT-ROW SEATS TO AUREA JUNIPER. THEY ASKED YOU SHOW YOUR ID AT THE TICKET BOOTH.

WOO!

MASKED ROYAL

Therese was watching the news when Aurea came out of the bathroom, fully showered and dressed. She tied up her damp hair and climbed into bed beside Therese.

“Anything exciting happening in the world?” Aurea asked.

“It's wedding season in Alola, apparently,” Therese said.

Juniper hummed. “Well, in retrospect, maybe we ought to have held our wedding here. It probably wouldn’t have rained, and my hair and make-up wouldn’t have run, and your dress wouldn’t have gotten all gray and frayed at the ends,” she remarked.

“No way,” Fennel refused. “Our wedding was perfect for those reasons. It was messy, but we had so much fun, and the photos were fantastic. Plus, with all that flooding, we mostly had to stay inside for the honeymoon.” She lowered her voice playfully when she added, “That was even more fun. It was like college all over again.”

“Cheeky,” Aurea tutted. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

“Not yet,” Therese reminded her.

“Splitting hairs,” Aurea yawned. “It will have been after we sleep. And speaking of which…”

The lights were out minutes later. Juniper fell asleep quickly, especially with the secure warmth of Fennel beside her.

… But the sweet reverie ended in what felt like only minutes—even though, when Juniper checked the clock, it was hours later.

“Come on, get up,” Therese said excitedly into her ear.

“It’s 4 a.m., go back to sleep,” Aurea groaned, rolling over.

“Exactly,” Therese said. “Which means it’s 10 a.m. in Unova, which means it’s been a year since we got married.”

“Well, happy anniversary,” Juniper yawned, to which Fennel hit her arm. “Ow.”

“Get up! Come on, I want to take you somewhere,” Fennel implored.

“Okay, geez, fine,” Aurea grumbled as Therese dragged her out of bed.

They didn’t bother to change, even as there was a light drizzle outside. Aurea remarked that she supposed it wouldn’t have mattered if they held their wedding in Alola; it would have rained anyway. Therese, however, didn’t reply as she hurriedly led her wife down the dark, puddled streets. Juniper was about to ask where in the world they were headed when suddenly they turned the corner, and in the damp haze there stood a small bakery with its bright yellow lights shining down the street.

Juniper’s hair was sopping, and the ends of Fennel’s pajama bottoms were heavy and dark when they stepped inside. The woman behind the cash register looked very surprised to see them as Therese marched up to her and said, “Two sweet Malasadas please!”

“O-Of course!” The woman rang them up and handed them two sugary confections. Aurea stared down at hers as Therese led her to a booth.

“What… is this?” Aurea asked just as Therese took a bite out of hers.

“It’s—” Fennel paused to chew and swallow. “It’s Malasada. It’s an Alolan specialty. It’s a little bit like a donut. Try it! It’s good.”

Juniper glanced down at the warm treat in her hands before taking an experimental bite. A sweet, Pecha filling oozed out.

“Mm, it is good,” Aurea said. “Where did you get the idea for this?”

“Well…” Therese trailed off. “Do you remember Professor Burnet?”

Juniper paused to think. “Oh!” she then exclaimed with remembrance. “Kukui’s wife. She presented on her dimensional research two days ago.”

“Yeah, her!” Fennel nodded. “Well, I had a moment alone with her yesterday, and… I know we agreed not to do anything else for our anniversary, but I wanted to surprise you. She suggested this place.”

Juniper was initially touched—and then she laughed.

“That’s funny,” she said.

“What’s funny?” Therese inquired, her face twisting with confusion.

“I wanted to do the same for you,” Aurea explained. “I asked Kukui for advice, but he suggested going to see a Battle Royal match. I have front-row seats reserved for tonight.”

Therese’s jaw dropped.

“What! Ugh!” She snapped her fingers. “Outdone again by the brilliant Professor Juniper.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Aurea began, amused, “I didn’t pay for them. Kukui, apparently, has connections to the shirtless Masked Royal and got me the seats for free—so you can enjoy the aesthetic appeal of muscles all you want tonight.”

“Oh,” Therese hummed. “So my gift is technically more valuable.”

“Technically.” Aurea smiled. “By $4.29.”

They laughed, and Aurea leaned across the table to kiss Therese, catching some of the sugar on the edge of her lip.

“Thank you for this,” Juniper said. “Happy anniversary.”

“Happy anniversary,” Fennel repeated back before leaning forward to kiss her again.