#the cheesy romance movie part - i had to laugh rereading it

[crownedwille]

Not me shading the show's ending months before in my fic, thinking they would never actually pull that 💀

thanks @the-words-we-sung for reminding me of this lmao

[wastelandcth]

Lay it On Me - cth

part of nation of two

summary: Petra stays up one night while Calum's away thinking back on all the happy moments she wishes she could relive. Meanwhile, Calum's dealing with the fear of loving someone after so long. 

author’s notes: I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one of Nation of Two and that you enjoy a closer look into Calum and Petra’s little world!

warnings: Not much, just two lovestruck fools missing one another. 

masterlist || request || previous part || next part

Sometimes, Petra’s life felt like it was something out of a cheesy romance novel, she felt herself craving to reread the pages that made her cheeks flush and heart race. The pages that had made up her life. She’d stay up at night when she was alone, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to relive the moments she’d treasured so much. She wasn't sure how long she'd been doing this, maybe she had done so her entire life trying to remember the little details of precious moments so they couldn't slip past her. 

Most recently, those memories included Calum and his soft laugh.

If she closed her eyes and focused, Petra could almost live through the flower shop exchange. She could feel her heart race as she turned the corner into the vase aisle and was met with a familiar face of a stranger. Calum had been wearing a shirt she'd remembered seeing him wear at some show online, the soft white shirt lined with red fitting his arms and chest so snug it made her lose her breath. His hair was blonde and cut short, making his jaw seem soft and the perfect place for Petra to kiss. His tanned skin was smooth and the tattoos on his arms decorated him like a piece of art. If Petra really concentrated, she could still smell his cologne, the woodsy scent that seemed to be mixed in with something sweet. It wasn't too strong, but she had been close enough to Calum that she could smell it over all the flowers in the store. 

When Petra opened her eyes again, the darkness of her room brought her back. The moonlight was filtering in through her window and gave a soft blue hue to everything. Her arms spread out at her side and she felt a pang in her heart as her left hand didn't bump into the warm body she'd gotten used to being there. Calum had been gone for almost a month now, leaving the side of his bed cold and empty. He'd been busy with work and Petra appreciated when he'd have the odd minute or two to call her so they could catch up, even if it had to be two in the morning and her sleep-filled brain could only come up with strange answers. Not that it mattered too much because before the conversations turned into anything meaningful, Calum was saying goodbye and promising to call when he could next. 

But Petra still loved him. She loved Calum and the short phone calls, where the only thing that mattered was that he ended them with a quiet I love you and kissy noises. She loved the Calum who was living his dream every night out on a stage in front of thousands of people. The Calum who at the end of every show would snap a picture and sent it to Petra with another cheesy pickup line or a joke he'd heard that day. Petra was in love with the Calum who would call her in a rush and babbled out some story where his brain worked faster than his mouth and his giggles warmed Petra's heart from halfway across the world. Even in the darker days, when they both craved to feel the touch of the other and their usual happy interactions were clouded over with a pang of sadness. Petra knew it would all be worth it when she was in the arms of her lover in a week's time. 

"Can't sleep?" Calum's groggy voice rang out into the darkness of the room. 

"I got too used to having you sleep next to me, jerk," Petra laughed, her eyes falling back onto the small screen next to her head, "You're seriously not gonna let me see your new haircut yet? I'll see it all over the internet by lunchtime tomorrow, you know that?" 

"Yeah, you might," Calum laughed, "It's a surprise though! You love surprises," 

"I also love running my hands through your curls," she snorted and shook her head, "I just miss your cute face."

"I miss your cute face too," Calum chuckled, letting out a sigh as Luke called his name out from outside the tour bus, "I've got to go, but I'll talk to you soon, okay? Try and get some sleep,  darling."

And with that, Petra was thrown back into the silence of her dark room. The sun would be up in a few hours and that would mean she definitely wasn't getting any sleep so she closed her eyes and begged her brain to let her drift off. Eventually, her breathing evened out and the pillow she'd been using as a replacement for Calum lulled her into sleep. 

Arpeggiated chords rang out from the room next to the entrance where Petra had been standing, the chill from outside hitting the back of her neck as she pushed the door closed with her foot. The house was warm and Petra could smell the soup that was brewing in the kitchen but her legs lead her towards the soft music that was playing in the living room. In the corner of the room, near the big windows that show the snowy landscape that Petra had been out exploring just a few minutes earlier, Calum was sat by the piano. His eyes were focused on the keys in front of him, his fingers working over them as if he'd played the piano his whole life. With every note he played, Petra felt herself drawing closer and closer to him, her hands landing on the softness of his shoulders with a soft squeeze. 

"How was your walk?" Calum asked, the soft music coming to a stop that left the house feeling empty and Calum was glad Petra's hands were on him, the shiver he'd felt earlier replaced with her warmth. 

"It was nice," Petra mumbled, her hands massaging his shoulders and working Calum as he'd worked the keys a few seconds ago, "I like it here."

"I do too," Calum mumbled and leaned back against her touch, "I like being here with just you and the snow and the piano."

"It's nice," she agreed, her eyes looking out the window as the snowfall began again, "Complete opposite of our beach dates,"

"We can just stay in and watch the snow, eat some delicious soup," he mumbled and hit a few more notes on the piano before standing up to wrap his arms around Petra, "Maybe watch a movie or read a book."

"That sounds lovely, we can keep warm by the fire and hope that no bears find this place too cozy and try to break in," Petra laughed.

In the haziness of her sleep and the sunlight hitting her face, Petra could still hear the warmth in Calum's voice when he'd read to her that night next to the fireplace. She could still feel the way his arms were wrapped around her as he read about the highlands of Scotland. How his voice felt like a warm blanket and how the grassy hills of the Scottish countryside filled Petra with the urge to explore them with Calum.  As the memory of her dreams slowly faded and the sunlight warmed her face, Petra found herself alone in bed, wishing she could hear Calum's soft voice and his best try at a Scottish accent. 

Calum had been staring out the window of the tour bus for hours, watching as the landscapes changes from desert mountains to a lush forest with trees that went back as far as his eyes could see. He'd been sitting in the backroom for so long the sun had gone down and the stars were twinkling above him, the room now dark and the bus silent as his bandmates slept the night away. Calum usually never had trouble sleeping on the bus, he was usually exhausted from the busy days tour had him working. But ever since the start of this tour, where he'd left Petra behind for a few months while he left to promote the latest album the band had released, he'd had trouble sleeping. 

The silence on the bus hadn't helped either, it had made Calum's thoughts louder and even the movie playing quietly in the back room hadn't stopped his thoughts from running faster than the cars that sped past them in the night. Calum was exhausted, how could he not be when the band had done back-to-back shows for the past week paired up with endless interviews during the day. The only time the band had a real break was during the drives between stops and even then, it was only a few hours spent sleeping or reviewing what that next week would look like for them as a band. 

Calum had noticed how tired he looked. He saw it every morning when he washed his face in the tiny bathroom, how his eyes were puffy and the darkness under them gave away just how exhausted he was. He saw it when the label sent them promo clips to approve and his smile didn't reach his eyes. He saw it when the other guys laughed and joked around with one another while he stood off to the side, quiet and yearning for a nap. He was pretty sure that if he could see how tired he was, the rest of the world could see just how far gone he was. And that meant that Petra could see how tired he was. 

Fuck, Calum missed Petra. She had been such a constant source of Calum's happiness in the months leading up to this promo tour that Calum hadn't realized how much he'd miss having her around. Petra's name meant rock, something Calum found ironic since she was the one who was always grounding him, and in many ways, Petra was his rock. She was the one that Calum found himself drifting towards when he needed to feel more like himself again. She was the one who would always hold his hand when he needed it and would listen to Calum's mumbling whenever he'd decided to let his brain talk. She was his rock and Calum missed the hell out of her. 

He'd been trying to write more while on tour, figuring he might as well put his insomnia to use. His old journal had been used up and Calum had been regretting having to buy another one. That was until Petra had shown up with a going-away present, the brown paper bag she'd been holding was decorated with flowers and hearts. At first, Calum had been confused, because he didn't know going away presents were a thing and he hadn't gotten Petra anything. But after she'd kissed his cheek and told him it was nothing serious, Calum's nerves settled and he opened the bag to find a leather journal, much like his old one, with his initials stamped on the side of the binding. 

"So you can keep writing those pretty songs," Petra had mumbled, her cheeks flushed as she played with the bracelet that Calum had given her a few weeks back, "Or just to keep your mind off of things."

Calum had been writing in the journal every chance he got, the unlined pages filling with song ideas and little doodles that Calum found helpful. He'd write about his day sometimes, whenever something memorable happened that he wanted to remember in order to tell Petra or his mom later on. He even sometimes sketched what he saw out the window of the tour bus, although those were never really any good. It wasn't until that night that Calum had been lost in the landscape that he noticed a page near the back of the book had been folded. It was only on the top corner, a fold so small Calum had wondered if he'd done it himself on accident and it wasn't until he turned to the page that he realized what had happened. The page, which had been filled with doodles and handwriting that wasn't Calum's, warmed his heart and made him smile for the first time in weeks. His fingertips traced over the words, almost as if he could feel Petra's touch through them, almost as if he could see her writing in the middle of the night much like Calum did nowadays. 

"I know you might be tired and stressed. That you might miss home and Duke and everything that brings you warmth. But your dreams will always be important to not only you but those who you make come true as well. I don't know when you'll read this or if you'll even find it while you're away but I hope it brings a smile to your face. The world deserves to see that pretty smile you reserve for only special moments. They deserve to hear your thoughts and that laugh that makes my heart race. I hope you don't mind that I stole one page from your notebook, it seemed like a fitting gift to give you, better than a piece of paper in your coat. 

Thank you for letting me into your world and letting me find your love. I'll forever be grateful. 

I love you to the end of the universe and even further. 

Petra."

Calum's smile, the one he'd reserved for Petra apparently, hurt his cheeks. He'd reread the note over and over, soaking in her words and if he closed his eyes and tried hard enough, he could almost hear her saying them to him herself. The promo tour might long and lonely, but that didn't mean that Calum hadn't had a piece of home with him the entire time. With a deep breath and his blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Calum walked back to his bunk. The journal was tucked under his pillow as if Petra herself had been captured between the pages and Calum could just open it and see her again whenever he felt alone. 

Calum's eyes felt tired and the more he relaxed on the bunk, the more he realized just how much his life had changed since finding Petra. He'd never had to deal with leaving a loved one while touring. He never had to deal with the time zones fucking up his calls or having to wait hours for a text back from someone because they were asleep as he was waking up. He never had to worry about whether his partner was missing him and much as he missed them. But then he met Petra and that all changed. Leaving her bed that morning had been hell, he'd dragged himself out of the apartment, trying not to convince himself to turn around as he hit traffic on the highway and go back to the warmth of her bedroom. He'd closed his eyes and held her a little longer as he'd said goodbye to her by the kitchen that morning and it was all so new and different that Calum hadn't expected to have it hit him so roughly. 

He hadn't expected to push all his defenses down and become so vulnerable for someone before. So when his plane had taken off and the city had become a blur of streets and then hidden beneath clouds, Calum wanted nothing more than to be back with Petra. But he had her note, safe in the journal with his initials and the page smelled like her perfume so maybe it'd be okay. Maybe Calum would smile a little brighter during the meet and greets and he'd chuckle a little louder during the interviews and make sure he spoke his mind a little more often. Even as his eyes squinted at the dim screen in front of him, his fingers typing out a message to the love of his life, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Petra in his life. With his phone set next to him and his heart happy, Calum's eyes closed and for the first time in weeks, he got some well-deserved sleep. 

Petra woke up a few hours later, alone once again, but her heart warmed at the sight of the notification on her screen. She knew that Calum had been having a rough time on tour recently and she was hoping that he'd find her letter soon. The message she'd hidden in the middle of a journal he'd held so close to him ever since it became his. Even the chilly air that was coming in from the window Petra had left open couldn't stop the warmth that she felt inside her, knowing that Calum had gotten her message. He was always laying down his love for her, showing it in different ways like how he held her closer whenever he was near or how he'd tell her all about his day even when the rest of the world thought of him as a silent man. Petra knew that it wasn't true, that the Calum she knew and loved would talk off her ear if given the chance, which she often did give him.

 She knew that he would have a hard time being away, he was a homebody and he'd be gone for a while, so with shaky hands and a heart full of love, she'd written down the words she'd so rarely had the courage to utter to him, the words she held so close to herself in fear that he'd slip away. But Calum was always surprising her and it hadn't been too much of a shock to know he appreciated the message. Calum's love was always finding her, even when the bed was lonely and he was miles away. She'd been staring at the message for while, her fingers ghosting over her screen as her heart raced and her smile widened with every reread of it. 

She'd reply eventually, once her cheeks stopped blushing and her smile stopped making her jaw hurt. But for now, the early morning sun lulled her back to sleep and her eyes closed slowly. She hoped that she'd dreamed about the snowy cabin and the hills of Scotland again, but really, any dream with Calum in it would be worthwhile. 

"Thank you for the beautiful words, you've always known exactly what to say when I need it the most. I love you forever, rock."

taglist:  @hoodhoran @finelliine @moonlightcriess @dinosaursandsocks @mxgyver @calpops @karajaynetoday @notlukehemmo @calumrose @devilatmydoor @lyss-xo @lowkeyflop  @notinthesameguey​ @hemmo1996-5sosvevo @ashtonsunflower @2fangirl4u @multistann @himbohood @in-superbloom @suchalonelysunflower @killmywildflower @sebsbrokentoe

[mgg-theprettiestboy]

cross my heart (pt. 2)

spencer reid x oc

cross my heart masterlist

word count: 2118

It was a week later that Spencer bumped into her again.

He had just gotten back from a four day case in New Mexico, and had hardly slept during the case, so he slept on the flight home. And when they landed at night, he was fully awake, despite it being 10pm. So, after hours of restlessness, he decided to go to his favourite little corner of the world.

This time, there was no chaos. There was no yelling, or cursing, or collapsing of books. There was the faint sound of music, and an overwhelming smell of coffee, and that ‘new book smell’, despite the fact that most of the books were in fact, rather old.

And the sight of Raye sitting cross legged on one of the sofas, reading. It wasn’t a Narnia book this time, but she looked just as invested in it.

“Reid, hey,” Tamara said, her voice strained. He dragged his eyes over to her, moving closer to the counter. It was only then that he saw her eyes were red and puffy, and she wasn’t making direct contact. He didn’t want to pry or overstep, but he was tired and he usually didn’t have a filter anyways, and concern drove his actions, “hey, are you okay?”

Tamara huffed a laugh, her eyes darting to Raye, before back to the doctor, “had a fight with my girlfriend. It happens, don’t worry. What can I get for you?”

It didn’t take a profiler to tell that she didn’t want to talk about it, so Spencer just ordered a coffee. Whilst she made it, he wandered over to the bookshelf to pick out a book. He had read them all already, but would happily reread them again. Tamara kept the book collection flawless, it was mostly classic literature, and older books, all of which Spencer would read. He didn’t think he would like there it as much, if it was all bad sci-fi and cheesy romances.

He glanced back to Raye, trying to sneak a peak at the title of her book. He was surprised to see her looking at him. They both looked away bashfully, Spencer trying to fumble with a book to make himself look busy, as Raye buried her face in her book, literally this time.

She thought he was kinda cute, obviously. Who didn’t? He had the kind of hair she wanted to rake her hands through, and these puppy dog eyes. Not to mention the fact that he was heads taller than her. He was wearing a purple dress shirt and tie, but last time she saw him, he had a cardigan on. And she couldn't help but notice the converse on his feet. That made her smile.

Plus, he had this wholesome vibe. He was always nothing but polite, and had such a kind face. Raye could bet he was a momma’s boy.

“Do you have any recommendations?” His voice broke her out of her trance, her eyes meeting his, “huh?”

“I trust your taste. Is that Austen?” Spencer said, tipping his head at the book she held, “between C. S. Lewis and Jane Austen, I think your opinions on books are solid, from my observations so far. So, do you have any recommendations?” As previous mentioned, Spencer had read all the books before. He didn't know why he was asking her. Actually, yes he did, he was just to embarrassed to admit it to himself.

“Have you ever read any Arthur Conan Doyle? Sherlock is one of my favourite characters to exist, like, ever. Movies and shows don't do him justice,” Raye said with a soft smile, her hand trailing up and down the spine go her book, as if it were a cat or something else comforting, “I think there’s a copy of The Hounds Of Baskerville on the shelf.”

Spencer didn’t even know he was smiling, until he realised it was border-lining a grin. He turned back to the shelf, scouring over the titles to find the one he suggested. All the while, Raye was trying to stomp at the butterflies in her stomach. She would squish them with her bare hands if she had to.

“Thanks for the recommendation,” he said once he found the book, turning to her, “I’ll be sure to give you my thoughts once I’m done.”

“Please, do. But if they're anything but positive, then I don't think we’ll be good friends,” she said with a smile. Spencer returned it, nodding at her before going to read a book that he had read 65 times already. But who was counting?

-

They continued doing this for weeks to come. If Spencer came back to the cafe at a ridiculous hour, she would be there. 96.4% of visits resulted in him seeing her. And he would give his thoughts on a book she had recommended, or vice versa, as he would begin to recommend books to her as well. 

They would never share a table, though. Never have a full, proper conversation. Spencer couldn’t figure out if he was being a chicken, or if he was picking up the right signals; that Raye didn't want to talk to him. She would always indulge his thoughts on literature, but as soon as the conversation would steer elsewhere, she would shy away. She wouldn't even look at him. Maybe she was shy? Nervous? Spencer understood that more than anyone. Still, he was nothing if not a gentleman, and never pushed any further.

But he figured that if he didn't push, he would never get anywhere with her. And did he want to get somewhere? He didn't know. But part of him was curious, part of him wanted to know more about her, more than just what she thought about writings. Was that odd? The last time he felt like this was with... was with Maeve. But this felt different. 

And he wanted to know more about her.

-

It had been three days since he saw her, and he was already getting antsy. It was a paperwork day for him, so he had no excuse to be awake, other than he was restless at the thought of her, alone, sitting in the cafe, completely absorbed in a good book, and content with a hot chocolate.

And his imagination was nothing if not accurate. She was reading Bronte this time, and an empty hot chocolate sat on the table beside her. She didn't seem as stressed, like she was last week, when reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. She seemed relaxed, and completely and utterly satisfied. A good book can work wonders, Spencer thought. 

Tamara wasn't working, which made this a little easier for him. One less set of watching eyes. Spencer ordered a cappuccino and hot chocolate, trying to steady his shaky hands as he brought the cups to her table. He couldn't even think of what to say, so he just simply sat the hot chocolate on her table.

“I didn't order-? Oh, Spencer, hello,” Raye relaxed at seeing him, before her brows furrowed in confusion, “what's this?”

“An apology hot chocolate, for my most recent recommendation. I know you didn't enjoy Frankenstein that much, I watched you as you read it,” he said, and she sighed, “was it that obvious?” “It was, yeah. Not a fan of the genre, I get it,” he said with a laugh, making her smile, “well, thank you. I owe you a coffee then.”

“No, don't be ridiculous, you don’t owe me anything. Except maybe another recommendation,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice making her smile, “uh. okay. I think I can do that. The Da Vinci Code.”

He gave her a deadpanned look, making her throw her head back and laugh, “c’mon, we agreed to read whatever the other one suggested, regardless.”

“I saw the movie. Seriously?” He grimaced, and she giggled. He was quick to stop grimacing.

“I think you’ll enjoy it, really. Besides, the only make a movie if the book is popular. And books are popular, ��cause they’re good,” she retorted. He nodded slowly in thought, “you pose a good point... fine. I’ll read it.”

Raye grinned in victory, before sitting up to rummage through her bag, “believe it or not, Tam doesn't actually have a copy of it in the shop, so I brought my copy from home. And whenever you're finished with it, just throw it on a shelf in here. Someone else can enjoy it, or I’ll find it again.”

Spencer took the book she handed him, smiling softly at seeing the worn edges and turned corners, “I’ll make sure to get it home safely, don't worry.”

There was a beat of silence, and before she could say anything, he spoke, “is it okay if I sit here?” “With me?” She asked, as if she was unsure of what he was asking. He replied, “with you.”

She nibbled at her bottom lip, but was quick to nod. Baby steps, Spencer thought. He sat down, sitting his cappuccino and newest read on the table, before smiling at seeing the book she held, “Vilette, huh?”

She smiled, holding the book close to her chest, “I’m a sucker for a good romance novel. Have you read it?”

“Years ago. I’ve already expressed my distaste for the romantics, but that is a classic,” he said, lifting his coffee to take a drink, “did you know that Charlotte Bronte’s first book was rejected by every publisher in England? They didn't approve of women authors. when she wrote to the poet Robert Southey, he replied saying that ‘literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life, and it ought not to be’.”

“Sexism’s a bitch,” Raye said with a sigh, resting her head in her hand as she looked Spencer over once, “how do you know so much? Every time you talk, its like you’ve memorised a million facts to support your own argument.”

He squirmed slightly in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck, “I, uh, I have an eidetic memory.”

“Whats that?” Raye asked. And for once, Spencer didn't hear any sort of confusion or disinterest in the question. She was curious.

Spencer stuttered, before he began to explain, “eidetic memory is a memory that retains everything you read. So everything I read, I remember. And I read a lot.”

“I watched you read one day, and I couldn't believe it. You finished a novel in like four minutes. That’s insane,” she said, and he blushed slightly, “I can read just over 20,000 words a minute.”

“Holy shit. That’s everything I’ve ever wanted! You–you can just binge read books in seconds, and then never forget them! You can memorise every amazing detail,” she exclaimed excitedly, before slumping back in her seat, “man, I’m jealous of you.”

He chuckled, “it does have its advantages, I’ll admit.”

She tilted her head, and Reid couldn’t help but compare her to a confused puppy in that moment, “are there disadvantages?”

He shrugged slightly, breaking eye contact to look at his hands, “sometimes I begin to ramble, because I just... I know a lot about something, and then I get excited because I think that people are like me, that they want to learn more about the world. They usually don’t. And then I feel so–“

“Then they’re assholes,” Raye interupted, and Spencer looked back to her. There was a slight redness to her cheeks now, “if someone shoots you down while you’re talking about something you’re passionate about, then they’re an asshole.”

He smiled softly, glancing down to his book bashfully, “thats nice of you to say.”

“Well, it’s the truth. I don't like bullies,” she said firmly, “and I think you're cool. And I think the things you know are cool too.”

He laughed softly, smiling down at his book. He felt all warm at her words, but was still to embarrassed to look back up at him.

“I like peonies,” Raye said randomly, before shaking her head as she realised how strange that sounded, “do you know any facts about peonies?”

Spencer looked up to her, before nodding slowly, “peonies represent wealth and honour. They’re the flower you traditionally receive on your twelfth wedding anniversary, did you know they’re native to...”

Spencer rambled on about peonies for another ten minutes, and talked about more and more flowers for the rest of the night. Raye clung onto his every word, smiling and nodding enthusiastically, responding when she could. And it was genuine. Spencer knew when someone was feigning interest, but not her. And for a brief moment, he let himself hope, that maybe, just maybe, she might want to know more about him too.

-

NEXT CHAPTER

yes, raye brought the book with her to the cafe, in the hopes that she would run into spencer and give it to him :)

taglist: @slutforthegubes @pinkdiamond1016 @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto @fallinallinmendes @beyonces-breastmilk @spencerlikesapplejuice @pastathighs @gcblers @hushfakebitches @ijustcomeheretoread @thelovelyrose @leam-2001 @madison-malfoy @averyhotchner @haylaansmi

[tellmealovestory]

Love Is All Around

Summary: Bucky surprises you on your favorite holiday Valentine’s Day.

Notes: Also posted on a03. This was difficult for me to write because I really, really don’t like Valentine’s Day, but this idea wouldn’t leave my head until I wrote it down so here it is.

Warnings: Badly written smut, oral (f receiving), sex, unprotected sex, USE PROTECTION, fluff

It was the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas. Valentine’s Day. The holiday that celebrated love in every way. It was the perfect holiday for an incurable romantic such as yourself.

Every store front was decked out in shades of reds and pinks and whites. Dark red hearts with white lace trim taped to store front windows, streamers and balloons, giant teddy bears, hallmark cards, romance was alive and well and it wasn’t just the stores.

Everywhere you went you could see happy couples holding hands, sharing kisses in the middle of sidewalks, in stores. It was beautiful and sweet and heartwarming.

The bakery you worked at was decked out the most. Every cookie was decorated in shades of red or pink and heart shaped. Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting with little hearts stuck to the top. Heart shaped cakes meant to be shared between lovers piped with pink and red roses, cursive piping with romantic sayings scrolled across the top of each frosting covered cake. Donuts with pink and red and white sprinkles lined the cases.

It was beautiful and wonderful and exciting, but utterly exhausting. Valentine’s Day may have been your favorite holiday, but working at the bakery meant one of the busiest times of the year. It seemed as if everyone in New York was coming in to request special made cakes and cookies and pastries for their loved ones. It meant that at the end of the day your feet were sore, your lower back aching, your eyes heavy with the need for sleep. It also meant that you could barely enjoy the holiday that you loved so much. By the time you were done at work it was all you could do to get home, grab something to eat and fall asleep before starting over the next day.

While you loved your job, loved being able to take ingredients from scratch and make them into something beautiful and edible that had people craving more sometimes you wished you could sit back and enjoy the holidays.

It didn’t help that between the holidays keeping you busy at work and your boyfriend an Avenger trying to schedule time to see him was becoming more and more difficult. Sure, sometimes when work was slow he’d stop in to see you which you always loved. And when the two of you had a day off more often than not you could be found with each other. But between the rush at the bakery and the bad guys not having anyone to love them down on Valentine’s Day the two of you weren’t able to spend your favorite day together.

When he had told you he was going to be away on a mission you had been disappointed. It wasn’t his fault. You knew what his job had been and what the risks were when you had started to see him, but you had still been bummed out, you had been looking forward to a nice romantic night in with him. No matter how hard you had tried to hide your disappointment he had seen right through you and had promised to make it up to you, a promise you were looking forward to.

Saying your goodbyes to your coworkers you pushed open the bakery door, listening to the bell jingle overhead as you headed out into the brisk February air of New York. The streets were crowded, couples holding hands, people looking disgruntled at the couples, people shoving and yelling and laughing and taxis and horns honking. After moving to New York the loudness of the city had been jarring, but now you couldn’t imagine being without it. In a strange way all the noise was a comfort to you, it meant you were home.

Tugging your scarf tighter around your neck you glanced up at the darkened sky watching the snowflakes fall. It was pretty and romantic and it made your heart ache knowing that you were about to go home to an empty apartment and spend your favorite holiday by yourself. At least you could comfort yourself with the box of red velvet cupcakes you had brought with you from work and you could comfort yourself with every cheesy romantic movie you could find on the hallmark channel without people making fun of you.

Not making it more than a couple of steps before you heard your phone ringing loudly in your purse you smiled when you saw it was Wanda texting you. The message was brief saying only come over for a girls night? You replied yes. It may not have been the romantic night you envisioned, but it was better than being by yourself.

Something was off as you entered the compound. It was quiet, which wasn’t that unusual when members were away on a mission, but it was still... weird. 

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up and you wondered if you should turn around and leave. What if it was a trap of some sort? Turning around you were about to leave when something caught your eye. Debating if you should go and investigate or leave incase this really was a trap your curiosity got the better of you as you took a tentative step forwards. Grabbing your phone out of your purse just in case your steps were cautious as you moved towards the large kitchen and the piece of paper that was sitting on the middle of the table. 

Your heart picked up speed thumping wildly beneath your chest, your hands were sweating and you were sure your phone and box of cupcakes were about to slip from your hand and drop to the floor. This was how you were going to die, by being the idiot who instead of running when something seemed off going towards it instead. 

There was still time to turn back, but your feet seemed to move on their own and as you reached the table your heart only raced faster, your eyes widening in confusion as you looked up expecting to see Tony telling you this was some elaborate prank. Your eyes reread the note that told you Wanda had run out to get popcorn and to go to Bucky’s room. Again, the sense of something being off washed over you, but again your curiosity got the better of you.

Your phone rang, the noise invading the quiet of the compound had you jumping, a yelp of surprise falling from your lips as the box of cupcakes crashed to the floor. Wincing at the ruined food you swore you were going to pass out the way your heart was thumping beneath your chest. Looking down at your phone you relaxed slightly for the first time since entering the compound when you saw it was another text from Wanda. Your eyebrows furrowed as you reread the message two, three times, your confusion only mounting as you tried to understand the meaning behind your friends words. Follow the note, Y/N.

This was getting weird. Could she see you? 

“Wanda?” You called, feeling dumb when silence greeted you. “If this is some kind of sick joke Tony set you up to it’s not funny!” 

Still nothing but silence. The fear was giving away to anger as you shoved your phone into your purse. Reaching down you grabbed the box of cupcakes not bothering to see the damage you had caused when they had dropped. Your heart was still pounding, warmth of embarrassment and frustration and anger climbing up your neck and cheeks as you stalked towards Bucky’s room. This was ridiculous. You were going to kill Tony. Slowly and painfully you thought.

“This isn’t funny anym-,” you started, your words getting cut off, lodged in the back of your throat. Your eyes widened, your lips parting into an o of shock and surprise when you threw Bucky’s bedroom door open not to find Tony or Wanda or any bad guys, but Bucky standing there.

“Hey, doll,” He said, his lips curling up into a smirk, before laughter tumbled from his lips as you dropped your purse and the box of cupcakes and ran to him, your arms wrapping around his neck. Thanks to his super soldier abilities he caught you easily, his arms wrapping around your waist as he held you tightly to him.

“What are... you’re not supposed to be... Wanda texted me... I don’t understand!” You sputtered, the sight of your boyfriend catching you so off guard you weren’t able to complete a full sentence. Burying your head in his neck you closed your eyes, inhaling the woodsy and leather scent that always seemed to cling to him. The surprise of seeing him, of being in his arms like this was almost too much for you to handle and you could feel tears pooling in your eyes. “Are you really here? This isn’t some joke is it?”

Bucky could hear the quiver in your voice, could feel the salty tears falling from your eyes as they hit his neck. “‘M really here, doll, it’s not a joke,” he murmured, his voice low, his hand coming up to rest on the back of your head.

Pulling back you searched his eyes, part of you still not believing this was real, that he was really standing in front of you like this. Pressing your lips to his you sighed, he tasted like mint. “I don’t understand,” you whispered against his lips.

“You didn’t really think I’d let you celebrate your favorite holiday by yourself did you?” Dropping his hand from the back of your head he brought it up to your face, the pad of his thumb brushing away the few tears that had managed to fall from your eyes.

“But... you had a mission? You said you weren’t going to be back in time? And then Wanda texted? And... where is everyone, Bucky?” You didn’t mean to bombard him with questions, not when you wanted to kiss him, not when you wanted to tell and show him how happy you were he was here, but you were so confused.

“The mission got done earlier than we expected. I uh... had Natasha and Wanda help me out. Wanted to surprise you,” he said, his words laced with a hint of shyness. “They’re out, it’s just us tonight, doll.”

You opened your mouth, closed it, opened it again as you struggled to comprehend what he was saying. “How long have you been back?” You asked, your eyes narrowing in suspicion. Making a mental note to thank Nat and Wanda for this surprise you pressed your lips against his again. The idea of it only being the two of you tonight sent a thrill through your body.

Bucky avoided your gaze not sure how to tell you the truth and when he felt your lips against his he sighed, kissing you back eagerly, it had been too long since he had done this.

“Bucky... how long have you been back for?” You whispered against his lips, your fingers trailing up and down his neck as you pulled back from the kiss.

“Couple days.”

Dropping your hands from around his neck you stepped out of his embrace as you glared at him. No matter how excited you were to see him, no matter how wonderful this surprise had been you weren’t going to let him off the hook. Not after he had been back for a couple days without saying anything to you.

“Excuse me?”

Bucky flinched at the icy tone of your voice. “Doll, let me explain,” he murmured, his voice velvety soft and when he saw your eyes soften he knew he had you. Taking a step towards to you he reached for your hands, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips when you didn’t pull back. “Wanted to surprise you. I know you’ve been stressed with work and I wanted to do somethin’ special for you tonight. ‘M sorry I didn’t tell you I came back early.”

You wanted to be mad at him, but you couldn’t, not when he had taken the time to go to such extreme lengths to make tonight special for you, not when he had enlisted the help of Wanda and Natasha. “Depending on what you have planned I might forgive you,” you teased, a twinkle in your eye.

“Oh, you’ll forgive me,” he said, his voice lowering causing you to shiver in anticipation.

“You sound awfully sure, Bucky.”

He didn’t say anything, his smirk only growing before he pressed his lips to yours. The kiss started out slow and sweet, but it didn’t take long for him to deepen it. A moan spilled from you and just as you were about to reach out for him he was breaking the kiss.

“Take your coat off and wait here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Dazed from the kiss it took a minute for his words to break through your fog filled mind and once they did you were left staring at his retreating back, a frown on your face as you wondered not for the first time since arriving what it was he was up to.

Following his instructions you unwound your scarf, unzipped your coat and kicked off your shoes. Folding your coat and scarf you placed them on the back of his couch. Crouching down you picked up your purse setting it by your coat before reaching for the box of cupcakes. Opening it up you frowned. Dropping them had resulted in them tipping onto the sides, large swaths of frosting sticking to the roof of the box. While they didn’t look as nice as when you had packed them they were still edible. Sort of.

“What’s in the box?” Bucky asked, his voice jarring you out of your worries over the dessert.

“Cupcakes.” You didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up or the way his tongue licked his lower lip and you couldn’t help giggling. “Red velvet, but I may have dropped the box. Once or twice.”

“They still look good. You made these?”

Nodding your head you held the box out to him watching as he dragged his finger through the cream cheese frosting that littered the top of the box. You wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to lie, you knew they looked like shit now, but when he brought his finger up to his mouth, his tongue darting out to slowly lick the frosting off any coherent thought left your mind.

“Delicious,” he whispered, his eyes roaming over you. Taking the box from you he placed it on the coffee table in front of his couch before grabbing your hand, interweaving your fingers he led you to the bathroom.

The lights in the bathroom were dimmed making the room appear cozy and romantic. The bathtub was filled to the brim with warm water and bubbles and the thought of Bucky dumping bubbles in there had you smiling. Inhaling you could smell the floral scents of roses and lavenders and a hint of vanilla.

“This is...,” you started, your words failing as your eyes drifted from the inviting bath to Bucky’s soft eyes.

“Use your words, doll,” he teased, his fingers grasping the hem of your shirt as he tugged it off of you, tossing it on the floor.

“This is amazing. I can’t believe you did this for me,” you breathed out, fighting the urge to cover yourself. You hadn’t expected him to be home so early so you had opted for something comfortable instead of sexy which left you in an older pink bra with straps that were always falling down and matching underwear. Bucky didn’t seem to care though because as he tugged your pants down you could hear him whispering about how beautiful you looked.

“Course I did this for you. Why wouldn’t I?” He asked, sounding almost offended at your words as his fingers unclasped your bra, sliding the loose straps down your arms before tossing it to the growing pile of clothes.

Shrugging your shoulders you bite your lower lip. “I don’t know. I guess because nobody has ever done something like this for me before. The most I’ve ever gotten for Valentine’s Day was candy... sometimes flowers. Never a surprise like this.” You gestured towards Bucky and the full bath as your fingers tug at the hem of his shirt. He gets the hint, pulling it from his body as you work on pulling his pants down his legs.

Standing in the bathroom, both of you in your underwear, the lights dimmed, you can’t help staring at him. The way his chest rises and falls with each steady breath he takes, the way his blue grey eyes seem to darken with lust as his gaze flickers between your own eyes and your lips. Standing there watching him you can feel your heart swell with love for him. Part of you is still upset that he’s been back for days without telling you, but standing here you can understand why he did it and you love him for it. So much.

Telling him without words you step forward closing the small gap of space, your arms wrap around his neck, your lips move over his in a kiss that starts off sweet before you deepen it.

Bucky rested his hands on your hips, a quiet groan tumbling from him when he feels your lips brushing over his. Almost a month without your touch, without your kisses had left him wanting to rip the last of your clothing off. When he saw you walk into his room earlier, saw the way your eyes lit up when you saw him, watched the way you ran to him excitement radiating off your frame he wanted to take you right there. Wants to take you right now. It would be so easy, but the way you seemed so surprised that someone would want to make this day, your favorite holiday so special has him melting in his love for you.

He’s never felt this way before. Never felt his heart swell when he sees someone, never had his thoughts consumed with one person and only one person. Never knew he could love someone. For so long after hydra he didn’t think he deserved to be loved, didn’t think he was capable of loving someone. Not after all the pain he had inflicted and caused over the years. Not until he met you did he even begin to realize what love meant.

Before you he never gave a second thought to Valentine’s Day. Sure, he knew about it, who didn’t? It was a day meant for lovers, something he was convinced he’d never get to experience. But now that he has you? Now all he wants to do is celebrate this day with you, celebrate it in a way that will make you never forget how much he loves you. You’ve managed to turn him into someone who didn’t care about this day to someone who wishes it was every day. You’ve turned him into a sap and he’s okay with that.

Sliding his hands from your waist down to the back of your thighs he picks you up easily, smiling into the kiss when he feels your gasp of surprise. Bucky lets out a soft groan when your legs wrap around his waist. Unintentionally grinding into you he groans again, the friction, the skin on skin contact almost too much for him, especially when your teeth are nipping at his bottom lip. He has to keep reminding himself to take this slow, but you’re making it incredibly difficult when all he can hear are your breathy little moans against his lips.

Carrying you into his room he places you gently down in the center of his bed. Your hair is spread out across his pillow, your breathing shallow as your chest rises and falls with each shaky breath. You look so beautiful, so fuckin’ beautiful he thinks as he hovers over you, one hand on your hip, the other resting on the pillow by your head. His lips are on yours, moving across your jaw, your cheek, down your neck. The needy little whines that spill from your swollen lips as he works over your neck has him groaning and grinding his hips in search of some kind of friction.

“Bucky, what about the bath?” You sighed, your head tilting to the side to grant him more access. Tangling your hands in his hair your fingers curl around his dark locks, tugging when he begins to suck on your neck. He parts your legs with his thigh as you grind against him, your back arching at the friction.

Grazing his teeth against your neck lightly he pulls back smirking when he sees the dark bruise he left on you. Trailing his lips lower he presses open mouth kisses down your chest before wrapping his lips around a hardened nipple. Digging his fingers into your hip he moans against your nipple enjoying the way your hands alternate between tugging and threading through his hair. “Later,” he mumbled, his warm, wet mouth moving to your other nipple to give it the same treatment.

Raking your fingers through his hair you let out quiet moan, your hips grinding against his thigh again, rougher this time and you can’t help the small smile that curls up your parted lips when you feel him groaning, the vibrations sending a thrill straight to your core. “I missed you, Bucky. So, so much,” you whined, neediness dripping from your voice, but you don’t care, all you care about is the act of his lips worshiping your body.

“Missed you too, Y/N,” Bucky murmured, pulling his lips away from your nipple as he kisses his way down your stomach. Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of your underwear he slowly tugs them down your legs, his darkened lust blown eyes locking on yours as he does so. Tossing your underwear to the floor he dips his head down pressing open mouth kisses along the inside of your right thigh. 

He takes his time allowing his lips to get reacquainted with your body. Ignoring your groans of frustration he smirks up at you watching the way your chest rises and falls as his lips move up higher to where you need him the most. His breath is hot as it fans over your soaking core and though he wants nothing more than to dive right in and taste you he simply presses a chaste kiss against your mound as he moves to the inside of your left thigh peppering your warm skin with more open mouthed kisses.

“Bucky... please,” you begged. Your breathing is heavy and uneven and you don’t know how much longer you can last with his teasing kisses along the insides of your thighs, you need more, you need him to touch you, you need his lips on you. It’s torture and just as you’re about to beg him to do something, to do anything his tongue is diving into your wet folds. You don’t mean to, but your hips thrust up and you want to apologize, but the only sound that comes out of your mouth is an obscenely loud moan and you’re so thankful that the two of you are alone.

The sound of your moans, your breathy gasps, the way his name tumbles from your mouth spurs him on and any pretense of taking this slow, of taking his time with you is forgotten. Setting a punishing pace he slides his tongue in and out of your wet folds, an occasional moan slipping from his mouth as he works over you. The continuous rising motion of your hips as you grind against his face as him smirking. You’re so needy for him, his needy girl. Moving his lips to your clit he alternates between kissing and sucking as he slips a finger into you. Groaning at the way your walls clench around him he easily slips another finger in. You’re so wet and warm and as he grinds his hips against the bed searching for his own form of friction all he can think about is being inside of you.

A month without Bucky made you forget just how talented he was both with his fingers and his mouth. Your eyes are clenched shut, your fingers curled tightly around his locks and for a moment you’re worried about hurting him, but then you feel his long fingers curling against you as his mouth wraps around your clit and any worries you had vanish. “Oh god Bucky don’t stop,” you cried out.

He can’t help chuckling against you at the sound of your needy cries. Slipping a third finger into you he sucks on your clit, groaning when he feels your hands tugging on his hair again. He swears you’re going to pull his hair out by the roots, but, fuck he doesn’t even care right now. You taste so good, so fuckin’ good and he almost regrets not telling you he came home early. His metal hand slides up your stomach, up your chest to cup your breast. Massaging you roughly he tugs on your hardened nipple, smirking when he hears the whines that he pulls from you.

The contrast of his cold metal hand against the warmth of your breast and the way his lips are wrapped around your clit and the way his fingers are curling inside of you hitting that one spot is too much for you. Everything is too much right now and as you clench around his fingers you let out a strangled moan, your back arching off the bed. 

“Bucky... Bucky I’m coming,” you moaned, your legs shaking, your heart pounding, a string of incoherent mumbles and whines and moans spilling from your lips as your orgasm wracks your body, your release drenching his fingers and his mouth.

Removing his lips from your clit he keeps his fingers inside of you as he kisses his way back up your body. His fingers curl against you, your walls clenching around him again and he knows it won’t take much to get you to reach your peak again. His hand massages your breast as he slips his fingers out of you slowly, his thumb rubbing circles over your clit as his lips meet yours in a deep kiss.

You can taste yourself on him, but you don’t care as you push your tongue into his mouth deepening the kiss. You’re so sensitive and though part of you wants to push his hand away from your clit you can’t, not when his thumb is moving a little faster and it feels so good, so much better than using your own fingers.

 “Bucky,” you moaned against his lips, your breath heavy and shallow. Nipping at his lower lip with your teeth you tilt your head back, whining softly.

His lips are everywhere, pressing kisses against your forehead, your cheeks, your nose, your throat, your neck, your ear. 

“You gonna come again, doll?” He whispered, his voice raspy, his thumb moving faster. “Come on, be my good girl and come for me. Show me how much you missed me.”

Nodding your head yes his words are all it takes for you to reach your second release of the night. Through the foggy haze of your release you can vaguely hear him murmuring good girl and those two words have you whining again. Guiding his lips back to yours you kiss him deeply.

“You okay?” He asked, his voice soft when he finally pulls back from the kiss.

“More than okay,” you breathed, your fingers hooking in the waistband of his boxers as you tug them down his legs. Chuckling he gets the hint as he pulls them off the rest of the way tossing them to the floor. Even though he’s brought you over the edge twice now you’re needy tonight and all you can think about is having him inside of you.

“Am I forgiven yet, doll?” He asked, his voice teasing as he repositions himself between your legs.

“Maybe.” Hitching your leg around his hip you sigh when you feel his tip pressing against your entrance.

He doesn’t say anything, his words getting stuck in the back of his throat as he pushes into you slowly. All he can think about is how wet and tight and warm you are. Giving you a minute to adjust he watches your face, watches the way your lips part, the way your head tilts back against his pillow, the way you’re fighting to keep your eyes open and on his as he pushes into you before bottoming out. 

The loving look reflected in his eyes as he stares down at you along with his slow pace has you melting underneath him. It’s everything you thought sex on Valentine’s Day should be; romantic and loving. You want nothing more than to keep your gaze locked on his, to keep staring into his eyes for the rest of the night, but as he bottoms out your eyes flutter shut, the pleasure mixed with slight pain too much for you. The stretch is only slightly uncomfortable as you adjust to him, but after a minute you’re more than ready.

 “Oh,” you sighed.

Licking his bottom lip he continues watching you, mesmerized both by the way you look so beautiful, but also by the quiet sounds of pleasure that you let out. Brushing his lips over yours he reaches for your hands, gently pinning them above your head as he interlaces your fingers together.

“I love you, Y/N,” he murmured, his lips pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth before working them across your jaw and down your neck. His pace is slow, his thrusts even and deep and on any other night the pace would be torture for him, for you too, but you seem more than content to keep things slow and loving and sweet.

“I love you too, Bucky, so much,” you moaned, your head tilting to the side as you gently squeeze his hands. 

Though you miss being able to run your fingers through his hair, miss being able to tug on his hair when he presses against that one spot, you like this, it’s sexy and intimate and perfect. Hitching your other leg around his hip you moan at the new angle as he’s able to push deeper into you. Arching your back you press your hands up against his whining as he sucks gently on your neck. 

“Don’t stop.”

Ever so slowly he picks up the pace of his hips, he can feel your walls clenching around him, can feel your breasts pressing against his chest every time you arch your back, can hear your breathing pick up and it takes all his self control not to slam his hips into yours. He presses a final kiss to your neck before moving his lips back over yours. Untangling his metal hand from yours he slowly slips it between your bodies, his thumb rubbing small circles over your clit.

With one hand free you reach up to cup his cheek, the skin beneath your hand is warm and flushed and as your eyes flutter open you offer him a small smile. You know that neither of you are going to last long, not after so long apart and as you stare into his eyes you commit this moment to memory. The way that he’s staring down at you as if you’re the most important thing in his life. The way his lips are parted, the way that his breathing is uneven, the groans that occasionally tumble from those perfect plump lips. The way his thrusts are deep and slow and oh so perfect for a holiday that celebrates love. The way that a light coat of sweat clings to his forehead. The way that your heart feels like it’s going to burst out of your chest from love for him.

“I love you,” you whispered again, your smile growing when you feel his lips brushing over yours. You don’t think you’ll ever tire of saying those words to him, of hearing him say them back to you. Arching your back as he pushes deep into you you whine against his lips. “I’m so close.” 

"I love you too.” 

His kisses are sweet. The way he’s rubbing your clit in slow, easy circles, the way his hips have picked up the pace, the way his teeth are nipping at your lower lip before swiping his tongue to ease the slight stinging, the way the bed is gently creaking underneath your rocking bodies and the way the headboard rhythmically bangs against the wall has you coming undone beneath him. 

Digging your nails into the back of his neck you break the kiss gasping. His name falls from your lips in a series of breathless chants as your body quivers and shakes beneath his. The pleasure coursing through you is so intense you don’t think you’ll ever climb down from the high.

“Fuck,” Bucky called out pressing his forehead against yours. 

His thrusts are sloppy, but between the sound of you chanting his name and the feeling of your walls tightening around him he doesn’t stand a chance. A couple more thrusts and he’s spilling inside of you with a low moan. Giving your hand a gentle squeeze he unlaces your fingers. Removing his thumb from your clit he kisses you softly, once, twice, three times which has you giggling. Worried about hurting you he slowly pulls out of you, taking note of the way you whine at the loss of him.

Unwrapping your legs from around his hips you sigh at the loss of him, it takes you a minute to gather your senses, your mind still foggy. “I think I forgive you now,” you teased, a twinkle in your eyes.

“I figured when you kept chanting my name,” he shot back, his voice playful as he gets up from the bed. Leaning down he presses a soft kiss to your forehead. “Stay here, ‘M gonna go run you that bath.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Letting out a happy sigh you watch as he disappears into the bathroom. Faintly you can hear him moving around, can hear the soft sound of water running and the promise of a hot bath where you can soak your tired muscles has melting into the comfort of his bed allowing your eyes to drift shut for a moment.

You’re not sure how long he’s gone for, but when you hear his footsteps you crack an eye open, a small smile on your lips as you watch him make his way towards you.

“C’mere, doll.” Hooking his hands underneath your knees he picks you up bridal style carrying you into the bathroom as you giggle, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“You know you could have just said the bath was ready,” you teased.

“And miss the chance to pick you up and hear you laugh?”

Setting you down gently next to the tub you unwrap your arms from his neck watching as he steps into the bath. Extending his hand you accept following his lead as you also step in. The water is hot, the bubbles overflowing and sloshing over the side of the tub landing on the tiled flooring as he lowers himself down into the water. Once again you follow his lead lowering yourself down you sit in between his legs, your back pressed flush against his chest.

The conversation is kept light, the kisses kept sweet and the laughter almost a constant as the two of you bask in each other’s company and the relaxing bath. His movements are slow and loving as he takes extra care to wash you. It isn’t until you start to shiver when the water begins to cool off that he suggests you get out and go back to bed. Helping you out of the tub he wraps you in a soft, fluffy towel drying you off before slipping one of his tee shirts over you. Drying himself off he slips into a pair of boxers.

Though it’s only a short walk back to his room the two of you can’t keep your hands off each other. His hands are on your hips, yours are on his shoulders as he walks you backwards to his room. I love yous are murmured in between sweet kisses and quiet giggles. When your knees hit the edge of his bed he tightens his grip on your hips, his lips pulling back from yours, the loss causing you to sigh.

“Get comfortable, I’ll be back in a minute,” he murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips.

Dropping your hands from his shoulders you do as he asked. Settling yourself back into his bed you pull the sheets around you, smiling as you watch him walking back towards you with the box of ruined cupcakes.

“Have I told you how much I love your cupcakes?”

“Have I told you how amazing you are?”

“Once or twice tonight,” he teased. Climbing into bed next to you he places the box of cupcakes on his lap. Picking one up he hands it to you before grabbing one for himself.

“Then have I told you how perfect tonight was? Seriously, Bucky tonight was everything I wanted and more,” you said softly.

“Ya know, doll, the nights not over yet. We still have a couple hours left to celebrate.”

“What’d you have in mind?”

Plucking the cupcake from your hand he tosses it back into the box ignoring your laughter as he places the box on his nightstand. His lips are yours in an instant as he pulls your body on top of his.

It was definitely a perfect Valentine’s Day and you couldn’t wait to see what he had planned for next years celebration.

[xenolithium]

Oooh I’ve always wondered how the MM characters (excluding Saeyoung, Saeran and Vanderwood) would react to meeting Saehyun (I’m sorry I love him so much ;w;) !! I know this sounds like a weird request but I’m super curious lolol

Dude, weird? This request completely destroyed my heart and made me reread it multiple times in a state of pure bliss. Thank you so much! To know someone is interested in my OC means a lot to me. >w<

For those of you who don't know, Saehyun stars in a "what if" fanfiction that answers the question on if the Choi twins were actually triplets as well as how'd they'd react to meeting a brother who they didn't know about; and had been raised in a completely different environment, separate from them. Check it out here! (Unless you're a minor, 'cause it's pretty intense.)

-----

Yoosung + Saehyun:

Wait, Saeyoung, how many brothers do you have? Are you secretly hiding them? Are you being cloned?!

After the initial weirdness over their first meeting, these two get along pretty well. They're both in similar fields of study (medicine), so they constantly help each other out at school (mostly Saehyun, helping Yoosung, but let's just gloss over that fact). They're not going to the same university, however, but that doesn't matter in the slightest.

"Hey, Yoosung, would you pay attention?"

"Ah - ah sorry, what?"

Saehyun groans in irritation, "you should already know this..."

Though despite Saehyun's seriousness in his studies, he has no problem doing childish things and hanging out together when neither is busy. They go out to the movies, cry together like children, enjoy a trip to an amusement park, and other such things.

They're both very openly emotional and that gives them someone to vent to.

"Have you ever baked before?" Yoosung asks.

"No, but I should be able to do it!"

"Ahh, Saehyun it's burning!"

"The recipe told me to put it in for two hours!" It's not always Yoosung doing the learning, they learn from each other.

Also finally, Yoosung isn't the shortest in the group (aside from Jaehee). "I'm taller than you~"

"Shut up..."

They're both hugely into cheesy romance, so prepare for the constant fan filled chatter between these two. "What did you think of that final confession?" "I thought it was so cute!"

Saehyun buys him a lot of extremely expensive gifts that really overwhelm him sometimes. "Ah! Why?!" "Because I thought you needed it?"

He also sucks at video games, so you can bet Yoosung coerces him into trying LOLOL with him.

"Ugh, this game is stupid!"

The blonde laughs at his failed attempts to defeat a boss monster.

Is it possible to be the lowest ranking player on a server? Because that's probably where he is.

Zen + Saehyun:

He's a little weirded out and maybe slightly nervous. He thought after the whole fiasco with Saeran, that would be the last time something this crazy happens. But no...Saeyoung, that guy...

Saehyun ends up chatting with him amicably and he finds his initial hesitance has disappeared. Oh, he seems like a pretty normal person, except for the fact his (adoptive) family is rich...

That fact kind of irks him for a while, but usually he can look past it when the two share a beer (or maybe four) and a ton of laughs.

They hang out on occasion and go for a few drinks every so often and Saehyun totally adores his musicals. He's also nice eye candy, how could you blame him?

Saehyun also constantly feeds Zen's ego with constant compliments and acknowledgment of his comments towards his appearance. Hey, this dude isn't half bad. He has good taste, anyway.

"You looked really handsome in the selfie you posted today," the redhead says.

"I know~" for some reason it feels nice when he hears it from a friend. The word narcissist is never tacked on to Saehyun's sentences.

Jumin + Saehyun:

Jumin takes everything in stride so although underneath his stoic exterior the information of a third Choi is a surprise, he doesn't outwardly show it.

These two are like opposite sides of a coin. Jumin keeps his emotions bottled away and Saehyun is so forthright with displaying them that it's startling sometimes. But they sort of fit together in that sense.

Both of them have similar backgrounds so they can relate to each other on that level.

And a night of sipping wine and chatting, sounds lovely for these two.

"I read this romance novel recently..."

"hmmm..." They don't necessarily agree on everything, but they get along just fine in the chatroom.

Jaehee + Saehyun:

The first meeting was a surprise for sure, in fact she had mistaken him for both of his brothers before it dawned on her.

"What?" With a clear look of surprise.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too," he laughs.

For the most part, she's pretty neutral in regards to him. He seems normal enough to her and she worries about him just like any of her other friends (RFA members).

Though they sometimes "fangirl" over Zen together, so they've got that; and Saeyoung occasionally joins in for funsies.

"Hey, Jaehee, I bought you some of the exclusive merchandise from Zen's last performance."

"Really?"

----

Thank you, so, so much for this request @random-fandoms-afv2! It's just a small list of HCs but I had so much fun doing this! Thank you again for showing interest in my OC and my fanfic!

Got your own request? Feel free to send an ask over to my ask box. Multiples from the same person are more than welcome!

[signourneybooks]

February was a weird short month where Merijn went to his grandparents for a week and husband had his vacation a week later (this week actually). It went a little up and down for me personally. Depression is no joke. But at least we had some Spring weather. Now March will bring back the snow, lol. (I joke, I hope.)

The Numbers

# Read 60 Books Read this month: 12 Total: 24 /60

King of Scars (Nikolai 1) by Leigh Bardugo / 3,5 stars // Sapphicathon read // Devour Your TBR read

Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children 2) by Seanan McGuire / 3,5 stars // Novella // Sapphicathon read // Devour Your TBR read

Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children 3) by Seanan McGuire / 4,5 stars // Novella // Devour Your TBR read

Second Star (Neverland Transmissions 1) by J.M. Sullivan / 2 stars // ARC

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries 2) by Martha Wells / 5 stars // Novella X Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History 1) by George R.R. Martin / DNF

Wildcard (Warcross 2) by Marie Lu / 4 stars

The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One (Woman Are Some Kind of Magic 3) by Amanda Lovelace / 3,5 stars // ARC

Firestarter (Timekeeper 3) by Tara Sim / 4 stars // Devour Your TBR read

The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate 1) by J.Y. Yang / 3,5 stars // Devour Your TBR read

Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal 1) by Zen Cho / 5 stars // Reread // Devour Your TBR read

Ceremony in Death (In Death 5) by J.D. Robb /  4 stars

Vengeance in Death (In Death 6) by J.D. Robb / 4 stars

Average rating: 3,87

Fire Breathing Dragon: 6/20 Prompts Completed This Month: Shapeshifters / Portal Fantasy / Gods

Complete Alien: 4/20 Prompts Completed This Month: On a different planet / A.I. Point of View / Virtual Reality

Generic Robot: 5/12 Prompts Completed This Month: Novella

Total: 15/52

Read more about my own reading challenge here.

Level: Mt. Vancouver (36 books) Read this Month: 6 Total: 14/36

Rules: Books Owned Prior to 2019 / No Library Books / Rereads can count (but not in the last 5 years read)

⌘ My whole semi-hiatus thing didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to (and only messed with my stats). I honestly couldn’t find the motivation to fix the broken photos. It is so much and boring work. I did end up doing some when Merijn was at my parents for a few days. But now I need to do more. Meh.

⌘ Also photobucket was being stupid with new rules for free accounts, when trying to delete a sub album I deleted all the photos of the whole blog album and I couldn’t download whole albums anymore. I ended up cutting my losses and deleted my account.

⌘ This month was also a bit hard with the group therapy course. I was awake a lot of nights or I dreamed weird things. I rarely remember my dreams/nightmares but now I did so that is a bit weird… But apparently it is also a good thing in relation to the therapy so yeay.

⌘ My friends twins turned two. Yeay~

⌘ On the up I worked ahead to about May and for my bookshelf tours I’d like to do an intro post with a FAQ. If you have any questions pleave leave them in the linked form. I’m probably going to bug you guys about this in the next few months in quite a few blog posts #sorrynotsorry

⌘ I won a book from The Reading Hobbit’s giveaway. ❤

Reviews

⌘ Cogheart (The Cogheart Adventures 1) by Peter Bunzl // ARC ⌘ Down Among the Stick and Bones / Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire ⌘ The Ingenious by Darius Hinks // ARC ⌘ Second Star (Neverland Transmissions 1) by J.M. Sullivan // ARC

Top Ten Tuesday Five 2019 Releases I Am on the Fence About / Some of My Favorite Couples / Some Books I Read in 2018 With Less Than 2000 Ratings  / Places Mentioned In Books I’d Like to Visit

Other Posts Dancing out of January 2019 / Best of the Bunch // January 2019 / What Could Possibly be My Favorite – This Is My Genre, Tell Me Yours / Six Reasons to Pick Up Sorcerer to the Crown NOW / Book Haul #41 – The First Two Months of 2019 / Books I’d Like to Get From the Library in 2019

⌘ The Passage / Season 1 / Ep 3-6 They are drawing it out a little now…

⌘ Zoo / Season 2 / Ep 5-7 I mean, it just keeps getting weirder…

⌘ Daphne & Velma / Movie This is a weird prequel to Scooby-Doo where Daphne and Velma met each other before the others (so no scooby here). It really doesn’t fit in with any of the other live action movies so that is just weird. It was cheesy, awkward and I laughed hard. Its not a good movie but it did have some good bits.

⌘ Aquaman / Movie While Merijn was at my parents husband and I went to one of the last viewings of Aquaman here in the theatres and we really liked it. Jason Momoa ❤ But seriously, that kissing scene ruined a lot. Like who kisses for 30 seconds on the battle field???

⌘ Beautiful Creatures / Movie I was bored. This was free on our On Demand so I watched it. Sometimes I do watch cheesy romance things lol. I never read the book though.

⌘ Ready Player One / Movie Another one I found free on our On Demand and where I haven’t read the book (lost my interest because Ernest Cline bleh). It wasn’t too great to be honest. There were only a few good moments for such a big movie.

Blogs

⌘ Aentee from Read at Midnight designed some pretty phone wallpapers inspired by The Gilded Wolves. ⌘ Jackie B. from Death by Tsondoku talks about YA not being a genre. ⌘ Ely from Of Wonderland asks where she fits in the book community? ⌘ Greg from Book Haven talks about cloning. ⌘ Michelle from The Writing Hufflepuff shared some blogs to love for Valentine’s Day. ⌘ Kaleena from Reader Voracious has been doing the Read Around the Globe feature and this month I answered some questions. ⌘ Rachel from Rec-It Rachel sorted some books into Hogwarts Houses. ⌘ Fadwa from Word Wonders created a book rec list based on Emoji. ⌘ And Imyril from x+1 continues with the rec list for my reading challenge. You can find part two here!

Dutch Blogs

⌘ Sue from Boekenz let me show my bookshelves on her blog.

Booktube

⌘ Hailey in Bookland did a relaxing book shelf tour.

⌘ March is going to be the month I focus on some of my middle grade as you can see from the photo above. Certainly these. I am also finishing The Darkest Legacy (my buddy read with La La in the Library) and The True Queen. At the end of the month I had a hard time focusing and I wanted to take my time with The True Queen. Other than that I have one more review copy and a bunch of other books like Legendary

⌘ I also really need to work more on fixing the broken photos. I am on my way with the reviews. I have all the photos uploaded somewhere new and now I just need to replace the broken links.

This monthly wrap up will be linked up with the monthly one by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction. This so we can blog hop to each others wrap ups easier.

Dancing out of February 2019 February was a weird short month where Merijn went to his grandparents for a week and husband had his vacation a week later (this week actually).

[cassiejade]

Oh my, what a month! September seemed to fly by and October felt like it just dragged by. Octobers a great month so I didn’t mind., but I’m looking at this list of 20 plus books and I’m just in disbelief at myself. Apparently, I didn’t do anything this month other than reading. Again, not a complaint, just disbelief.

  Wildcard by Marie Lu my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this, I wasn’t expecting the direction it went in and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn my rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I was very disappointed by this, I found the story to be very slow paced and all the characters were just terrible. I also wasn’t shocked by the big plot twist that happened.

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The biggest issue I have with this is that nothing happened for the first 250 pages and then you got some semblance of an idea of what is going to happen. I also started to not like Darrow and I was hoping for a POV from Mustang but that didn’t happen.

The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien my rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I loved this even though it took me so long to read, I just wasn’t in the mood for it for the longest time. I loved seeing more about the Ents and always wanted to see more of them in the movies. There was this hilarious line about the Ents wives that had me cracking up for so long, I can’t find the quote right now but it was that they put the Ent Wives somewhere and now they can’t find them, I was dying when I was reading it.

  Dracula by Bram Stoker my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I am happy I finally read this even though I had some problems with it. I loved the journal entries and Mina Harker, everything else kinda bored me.

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I actually really liked this, I enjoyed the story and how everything came together. Plus Poison Ivy makes an appearance and she is my favorite of all time, and I was very pleased with her portrayal.

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake my rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, I wasn’t blown away by this yet it was a fun twist. It’s not a retelling it’s just set in modern times. I wish there had been more gods introduced though.

Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake my rating 4 out of 5 stars

This one is probably the best in the trilogy, in my opinion anyways. I loved seeing Ares come in and the direction of the story was great.

  The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need by Susan Thurman my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I think the information discussed was very helpful, however, the delivery and the way the pages are set are incredibly overwhelming. I do think that this will be very helpful to refer to when writing but I don’t recommend as a sit-down and read.

Emma by Jane Austen my rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite Jane Austen book. I didn’t like a lot of the characters and had a hard time with the plot, it was very slow and seemed to drag on at points. I will be giving this a reread maybe next year, just to see if my feelings change.

Ungodly by Kendare Blake my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I am so happy this is over, this wasn’t bad but I just hated one of the main characters, Cassandra was just the worst and she was so frustrating to deal with.

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this but it didn’t blow me away, I loved the characters and thought that they were hilarious, especially Alastor, he was making me laugh so much.

  Sea Witch by Sarah Henning my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this a lot, it was so dark and the mystery unfolded at a great pace.

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death by Amy Chu my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I loved this so much and I am so sad that it seems to just be a standalone! The art in this is just gorgeous and I want to thank the artists for making Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn look like real women, not cartoon pin-ups.

Darth Vader Vol 1: Vader by Kieron Gillen My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I loved this so much! The story has a bit to be desired but the art was so fun and just felt very accurate to star wars in a visual way. Darth Vader is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

Spider Gwen Vol 0- Most Wanted by Jason Latour (Writer), Robbi Rodriguez (Artist) my rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I was so disappointed in this, it was a reread and while I love the artwork I hated the storyline, I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with the series.

  Atheists Who Kneel and Pray by Tarryn Fisher my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I love new adult romances that have musicians and artists and this romance between an artist and his muse was delightful. I feel head over heels for both David and Yara, well more for Yaras lifestyle. I liked her nomadic and mysterious ways. I was very annoyed by everyone’s lack of communication though.

Daughter of The Burning City by Amanda Foody my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This was very slow at first but the descriptions of the world kept me feeling intrigued to learn more and the mystery slowly started to envelop me. This kept me guessing and it didn’t go in the direction I thought it was going to go, which is good, it wasn’t as predictable as I thought it would be.

Little Monsters  by Kara Thomas my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this, I found myself absorbed into the story right away and I would sit down and just fly through 80 pages. There were thriller tropes that I don’t love especially the spotlight effect, I don’t usually care for that one. It just doesn’t seem realistic to me and in this case, everything was circumstantial at best.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman my rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I’ve got some mixed feelings about this, on its own it was fine, but Goodreads says that this is an installation in a series with American Gods and I just don’t see where any kind of connection is, it feels like a standalone novel and one of the characters makes an appearance in American Gods. Aside from all that, the story was fine, the plot points were all tied together nicely enough, the characters were great, it was just lacking something to set it apart from other books with similar tropes.

Hocus Pocus by A.W. Jantha my rating: 2 out of 5 stars

This book is divided into two parts. Part one is a novelization of the movie and I think it translated well enough, it was basically a play by play of the movie and I did enjoy it. But then. Then we come to the sequel and the trainwreck that follows. It started off well enough but I did have some issues with the timeline and how Max and Alison were able to graduate, go to college, get their law degree, get certified to teach and have a 16-year-old daughter in 25 years, just seems to be cutting it close to me. It was also incredibly cheesy and it didn’t need to be that way. I also had some issues with the narration, there was a lot of “this character walked up to the door and they opened the door and walked through the door” Everything was spelled out and could have been massively improved with a few rewrites.

It by Stephen King my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I am so proud of myself for reading this, it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would, there were moments where I had to set the book down and just take a minute or two. These characters were so fleshed out and felt so real along with the town, it feels like I could pack up and move to Derry it feels that real.

Shattered Blue by  Lauren Bird Horowitz my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this well enough while listening to the audiobook but thinking back on it, I feel underwhelmed by it overall. Everything just felt average, I did love the play on colored Fae, that was a fun twist and there was not enough poetry throughout the story.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux my rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I really liked this, I actually went into this thinking it was a reread but I dont think I’ve read this before! I enjoyed the writing style, there was this kind of investigation feel that gave the book a crime drama feel to it. There are moments of frustration but overall I thought it was pretty good.

Quite a “meh” reading month for me, a lot of 3 stars, a few 4s and more 2 star reads then I was expecting.

Favorite of the Month: The Two Towers Least Favorite of the Month: Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel

    October Wrap Up 2018 Oh my, what a month! September seemed to fly by and October felt like it just dragged by.