#the way nico just. gets in position so jack can lean on his back is so | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jeanie-g · 3 months

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hello the way I dashed over immediately when I saw your prompts post!! could I please request #14 - “If you do that one more time I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself.” ?

I'll leave the setting up to you! sweet, spicy, silly, emotional, angst, anything goes. I'm always defaulting to jacknico but I also see trevor/jamie on your blog so feel free to choose either!

(& good luck with your fics! 🍀)

as requested!! thank u <3

• Nico can be all talk sometimes. Sometimes, Jack has to be the one to make him take action. Behind closed doors, he's so affectionate—and wicked. He says things that make Jack's knees go weak and his brain go fuzzy. The boy-next-door he is not. Don't let the pretty face and cute accent fool you. But in front of the guys, he keeps it capped. It's like pulling teeth getting Nico to show any kind of PDA, but the thing is: Jack knows he wants to. He knows he runs hot with want just as much as Jack does.

• So, Jack has to be the one to go for it, to force him to shed his captaincy complex for one minute and just touch him back. Jack loves to push Nico's buttons as it is, so it's not too difficult. What is difficult is figuring out what will make Nico bite. Tonight, it starts with an innocent hand on Nico's thigh under the table at their twelve-person booth. At first, Nico doesn't react to it, and Jack seizes the time they have before their food arrives to gradually slide it upwards. Nico, in the middle of a story, chokes when Jack wraps his fingers around his hip and squeezes. He blames it on spit, and Jack has to hide his smile.

• He keeps it up all night, just these little touches searing Nico's skin like a brand. His legs draped over Nico's thighs after they've finished their meals. Falling against his back as Nico lines up a pool shot in the guise of bettering his aim. Rubbing his hand up and down the small of his back as they stand by the bar, chatting with Luke. And every new touch, their close proximity—Jack can tell it's driving Nico insane. But every time, he doesn't reciprocate. Every time, he holds himself back. Jack never understands why. Because when they meet each other's eyes, Nico's looking at him like no one else ever has, and Jack knows how much Nico wants him.

• It's because they're in public, and Nico is always worried about what the guys will think, even though they've been dating for months now. "Keep things professional" he always says—in the locker room, on the ice, in their hotel rooms because God forbid the walls are a bit too thin for his liking. But Jack doesn't want to be professional. Jack wants to be reckless, and he wants Nico to know that he can be reckless, too.

• Because Jack's favorite move of the night, and arguably his most outwardly slutty, comes from a bowl of cherries the waiter dropped off at their table that no one else has been touching. Jack pops one into his mouth, tying the stem with his tongue absently. And then he catches sight of Nico just a few feet away. He slowly grins, popping the cherry between his teeth like a fox to a grape, and Jack swears Nico's pupils dilate. He pockets several, eating the cherries around Nico over the next hour, making sure to tongue the stem, pop the thing, and then lick the juice off his red lips. Jack can only imagine all the nasty images he's conjuring in Nico's mind right now.

• Eventually, when Jack has to piss, he heads to the bathroom, and when he comes out, Nico is there outside the doorway, crowding into his space. He can only smile as Nico boxes him in. His face is so close to Jack's, his sandalwood cologne mixing with the whiskey on his breath in a way that makes Jack's heart stutter. He fumbles in his pocket for a cherry, and before Nico can stop him, pops it in his mouth.

• "Jesus," Nico says. "You're impossible."

• Jack takes his time rolling it around in his mouth before answering. "You know I have a sweet tooth." He positions the cherry between his front teeth.

• Nico leans closer. "If you do that one more time," he says, rumbles into Jack's ear. "I don't think I'll be able to control myself."

• Jack's belly goes warm with the thought, and he has to hide how pleased he is. When Nico pulls back, his eyes are dark, his tone all business, but when Jack looks down, he swears his hands are shaking ever so slightly. It's all the confirmation Jack needs; he's got Nico right where he wants him. He knows this game, and he plays it well.

• His smile widens, snapping the cherry between his teeth with an audible smack. Then, he leans forward, his lips tickling Nico's ear. "And what makes you think I want you to control yourself?"

• And then it's like all the air in the building funnels down to the two of them alone. All Jack can feel is the distant pounding of the bass from the neighboring club; all he can hear is the rapid beating of his heart in his ears. Nico's mouth parts, and his eyes drop to Jack's wet lips, and Jack only has a second to prepare before Nico's mouth is on his, hot and demanding. The atmosphere is thrown back to him as Nico pushes him up against the wall, cupping his jaw and kissing him senseless.

• "All night, fuck, all night you've been torturing me," Nico growls between kisses.

• Jack bites out a laugh. "I'm the one being tortured, baby. I just want you to touch me."

• "Well, isn't that what I'm doing?" Nico says, and his lips leave his to trail down Jack's neck.

• Jack hums contentedly. "Mission accomplished, then."

• "Shut up," Nico whispers against his skin, and Jack laughs.

• Nico can be all talk, but in the end Jack always gets what he wants.

#hope you like it!!!#first time using the bullet format lol #alpineshift #jeanie's mailbox #jeanie-g #jacknico #fic request

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ladylooch · 1 year

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Timo meier X team photographer smut please

Coming right up! This story idea came to me pretty quickly after I read your message. Thank you for the request!

Nailed it with Timo Meier

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: 18+ Content, injury including blood.

As the Devil’s team photographer, I know angles are everything.

I’m in a crouch, down on one knee with my camera facing up. The Devil’s take their cue, dashing onto the ice to my left as I watch, waiting for the exact moment that Dougie Hamilton’s stick connects with the assortment of pucks. My camera clicks, getting several bursts of the pucks spiraling in the air.

“Nailed it.” I grin to myself, coming back up from behind the camera.

Tonight, the Devils are facing off against the Hurricanes in a red and black show down at The Rock. I brush my hair behind my ears, smiling as my boyfriend, Timo Meier, skates by, slapping his stick against the boards in front of me. It’s an acknowledgement and a good luck ritual- at least for the home games.

Timo and I have been together for awhile. At this point, most of the players and staff members are used to it. We were forthcoming about our relationship from the start, feeling like the openness was the right way to approach the deep feelings we have for each other. We agreed to keep a low profile at the rink. We acknowledge each other, but avoid any aggressive PDA. Still, we regularly leave the rink holding hands and sharing a soft smooch or two. Timo skates another few laps, hitting pucks into the net at lightning speed. I snap a few more pictures, zeroing in on a few notables like Nico Hischier, Miles Wood, and Jack Hughes. Jack sticks his tongue out at me in one of his laps.

“That one is definitely going to Instagram!” I yell after him. His giddy laughter follows his wake.

Timo skates over to the bench, grabbing a red water bottle in front of me and dousing himself with the spray. I step more to my left to avoid any water on my camera.

“Ah! That is cold tonight.” He wiggles his shoulders at me as the droplets race down his neck and back.

“You say that every night.” I respond from behind my camera. I bring it down, looking at the screen to see if I need to adjust my settings. The arena lights seem a bit brighter than I’m used to. I look up, realizing the graphics are whiter than last home game.

“Yeah.. I like that it’s our thing.” He cheeses at me.

“Go skate some laps ya slacker.” I love him, but he’s distracting me from my job. I start to work my way into the camera settings, pressing the arrow buttons to adjust the shutter speed and aperture settings. I think I’ve got it just right, bringing the camera closer to my face.

Then, everything goes black.

When I come to, it’s because of smelling salts. I jolt then immediately start gagging.

“Stay down.” Mike, the assistant athletic trainer, tells me. The smell of sweat and wet rubber meets my nose next. I’m laying on the mats in the Devil’s bench. The bright lights of the arena are blinding from this position and I grimace in discomfort. My eyes slowly work their way around the group hovering over me. I see Nico, Miles, and Timo, who’s complexion is ghostly white.

“Babe.” He sputters out.

“Ow.” I whine, reaching for my head. Mike grabs my hand to prevent me from touching it.

“I’m so sorry!” Miles yelps to me. Nico turns to give him a look and gestures with his head for Miles to hit the ice again.

“You’re going to need stitches.” Mike warns me when I try to touch the tenderest part of my head. Awareness of the towel and pressure has me feeling woozy. “Let’s sit her up slowly.” Timo moves behind me and together with Mike, they sit me up. I lean back into Timo, my head feeling too heavy to support on my own. “We’re gonna sit here for a minute.” Mike says, watching my eye movement. He brings out the pen with the light and shines it in my eyes.

“I think I’m going to throw up.” I tell them, feeling my mouth get wetter and my throat tighten up.

“Okay, let’s see if we can walk you to the training room.” Mike says.

“I’ll get her.” Timo insists, reaching his hands under my arms and gently helping me to my feet. I wind my arm around his back then gingerly move forward. Mike is in front, making sure I don’t fall forward. There’s no way Timo would let me. He’s holding me too tight.

We work our way to the locker room after a few encouraging pats from Nico and Miles.

“I’m so sorry!” Miles calls after me. “Fuck…” I hear him start talking to Nico as we disappear into the hallway. I still don’t know what he is apologizing for. Several Devils’ staff members are hustling around, still preparing for the game. One of those people is Steve, the head athletic trainer, who looks at Timo concerned.

“What happened?” He asks, moving around to my other side and wrapping an arm around me. “I’ve got her, Timo.” Steve insists. “You can head back to the ice.” Timo hesitates in dropping his arm around me.

“I… want to make sure she’s okay. She got hit by a puck from Miles.”

“Go warm up. She’s in good hands.” Steve tells him.

“It’s okay.” I whisper to him, releasing his body to transfer completely to Steve. Timo pauses, watching the drooping of my eyes and the blood pooling on the BioSteel towel.

“Come get me if it’s bad.” He says to the two trainers. They nod in agreement. Timo gives me one last look before begrudgingly following the black mats back to the ice.

“Where is my camera?” I mumble to Mike.

“It’s on the bench. We will send someone to grab it.” I send a little prayer up that it’s not broken.

“Did someone catch me?” I wonder as they maneuver me onto the table.

“Yeah, Timo did.” I nod, remembering our teasing before the world disappeared.

“He’s good at that.” I murmur to Mike.

Steve sticks around as they pull the towel off. It’s not deep but it will need stitches. They decide they can do it without shaving part of my hair off, which I appreciate. They begin to line the tools up and start just as we hear the players coming back in from warmups. Mike insists he’s got it, so Steve leaves, pulling the door shut behind him.

Timo struts in a minute later. He says nothing, just comes to lace our fingers together.

I wince slightly at the dull throbbing beginning to pound in my head. Timo takes it as the stitches.

“You’re hurting her.” He snaps.

“Timo, I’ve got it. Let me work or you’ll have to leave.”

“Go get ready for the game. I’m fine.” I mumble to my boyfriend. Its a total lie; I feel like garbage, but his help is needed elsewhere tonight.

“But-”

“Timo.” I sigh, closing my eyes in pain and exasperation. He’s making this whole thing worse by fussing over me. Yes, it’s sweet, but I need him to focus on the game. I don’t want to be a distraction when this is an important match up with a division rival. “You’ll have plenty of time to take care of me after the game.”

“Okay.” He says quietly. Mike pauses the stitches so we can share a kiss. It’s tender and a bit tortured, like he’s trying to heal me with his mouth. I reach up to cup his chin, deepening the kiss until I slowly pull back. Our lips catch together for a moment before his blue eyes open to meet mine. “Love you.” Despite the pain and anxiety, I smile.

“Love you.” He gives my thigh a squeeze before disappearing beyond the door to rejoin his teammates. When the Devils are about to begin the game, each one of the players strolls through the trainer’s room to give me fist bumps. Timo is the last one.

“Kick some butt.”

“Just for you.” He taps my thigh on the way out, face turning serious with his game mode activated.

After Mike is done stitching me up, the team arranges for me to go home in a town car with strict instructions to stay awake until Timo gets home. I nod in understanding, but the request gets harder and harder the later it gets. By the time Timo rushes through our apartment door, my droopy eyes are almost closed.

“No, no, no.” He murmurs as he tosses his keys in the bowl by the door. “Baby, no sleeping yet. We have to call Steve. He asked for us to check in with him.”

“No.” I whine, tossing the blanket over my head. “I just wanna go to bed.”

“And I want you to be safe.”

We talk to Steve and he seems to think I’m doing well enough to go to sleep.

“Reminder to take it easy for the next few days. Rest up.”

Timo agrees that I will and clicks off the phone. He tosses it on the end table, then gathers me into his arms.

“I was so scared. Like I saw it happen and there was nothing I could do.” He shakes his head, swallowing loudly.

“It was an accident. I hope Miles is okay.”

“He’s fine.” Timo says, massaging my back with his strong fingers. “He’s going to send over cookies as an apology tomorrow.” I chuckle, shaking my head.

“That is not necessary.”

“Shhhhh.” He pats the uninjured side of my head gently. “We will let him send the cookies.”

“Mmm interesting priorities, Meier.” I tilt my head up to look at his face. The adjustment in position makes my head spin in protest. I close one eye, trying to get my senses steady again. Timo picks up on the discomfort and frowns.

“Are you okay?”

“I could use a distraction.” I tell him honestly. After being alone for a few hours and the trauma of what could have been settling in, I’m feeling edgy. I know Timo can be the cure. His blue eyes are wary.

“That’s… probably not a good idea.”

“Make me feel better.” I lean up to speak against his lips.

“Steve said-“

“I don’t care. Help me focus on something besides the pain.” My tongue melds with his. He continues to resist until I skim my fingers along the zipper of his designer pants. “Please.” I breathe into our kiss. He surrenders to me, wrapping his arms tighter around my body to hold me closer.

I maneuver up to straddle his large thighs. My fingers trail up his chest and neck to his cheeks, deepening our kiss. Timo’s hands move from my back to my ass cheeks, digging his fingers into my leggings. He rolls my hips, helping to build the thickening in his pants. A pleasure filled sigh wraps between us when he hits my folds just right.

“I’m standing up.” He says in warning, then does so. I pull back to look at his face while we walk. My fingers come to his silky, black tie, tugging on the fabric until the knot releases. Timo’s fingers dig further into my ass, holding me up tighter and closer to him. “You okay?” He checks as he lays me on the bed. I nod as he works his hands along the waistband of my leggings to get them down my legs. My panties come with. Timo moves between my spread legs, pushing my knees wider as he looks down at me. My inner muscles pulse, causing a smile from him. “You need something here?” He asks as a finger circles my opening. I wiggle against his hand.

“Don’t tease tonight.” I whimper. “I’ve been through enough.” His thick eyebrows pull down in sadness then he slides his middle finger into me. His thumb comes up to stroke my clit in sync with his in and out motion. I bite my lip, lifting my head to look down and watch him. The room vibrates and I fall back onto the bed.

“Stay there, baby. Just feel me.” He encourages. I note his hot breath dancing on my wet folds. His tongue comes out to do a gentle lick, nudging between my outer lips to stroke my clit. I reach my hand out, letting it fall on his forearm. He moves so our fingers can lace together while he buries his mouth deeper into me.

His mouth slurps me greedily, working me closer to the edge. He interjects gentle nibbles to build pressure and impatience. Then, when he’s sure he’s got me, he creates a wet, hard suction with his mouth. I come loudly, gripping his fingers and grinding against his mouth. When I come to, I realize he is still completely clothed. He reaches down for the hem of my t-shirt, pulling it up my body until I’m naked.

“Watch me.” He murmurs, reaching for the tie swinging down his chest.

He tosses it to the floor then shrugs his suit jacket off. He begins to work on the buttons of his dress shirt, alternating between looking there and at me. I slowly run my tongue along my bottom lip, gaining more of his attention. I drag my finger tips up my body to my nipples, swiping my fingers along them and moaning. Timo’s fingers pause as I take another pass at them. It feels so good that I widen my legs further, wanting him right there. His eyes stay pinned on my chest while working his belt apart. His pants fall down, then his boxer briefs until his hard cock pierces the air. Our eyes meet, hard and hot desire twisting in our gazes.

My blue eyes drink him in when he leans over me, pressing our lips together. Our tongues connect, lazily eating each other up as his head nudges my entrance. I groan into his mouth as he pushes in. He tries to pull back to watch my face, but I hold him tight where he is.

“Just feel.” I remind him, kissing the corners of his mouth. My smooches lead me to his jaw, then to his neck where I sink my teeth into him. He becomes gooey, then increases his thrusts into me.

“Fuck, I love that.” He moans. “Love everything about you.”

His hips snap and buck into mine. I feel his cock stroking my walls just right, building the tension in me. I moan into his ear, gnawing at his ear lobe to hear him sigh my name. His lips kiss down my chest, then over to my nipple, circling it with his tongue. He sucks it into his mouth as I arch my back. Timo presses me back down so I’m laying flat again. His mouth widens on my breast, getting a tight suction that has me clenching hard around him.

“You feeling better?” He asks me, kissing my nipple, then moving to the other one. I weave my fingers into his hair. My other hand stays on his ass, enjoying the feel of the muscle twitching as he pumps deeper into me.

“So good, babe.” I whimper, swallowing as I feel the first flick of orgasm. My eyes close and my mouth opens wider, no sound comes out as I crash into the white hot heat. I tighten around him, making him swear, then shoot into me. His head slams into the mattress next to my cheek. A soft laugh falls from my mouth, fingers trailing up to thread through his dark hair again. “So much better.” I confirm to him, turning to place a kiss on his cheek. He turns his face to capture my lips for the second press.

“I don’t know what I would have done if tonight had ended differently.” He murmurs, blue eyes deepening with worry.

“Guess it’s good we didn’t have to find out.”

“True.” He ghosts his fingers close to my stitches, wincing for me. “I think I’m the one who is supposed to have stitches in this relationship.”

“We could ask Miles to give you a matching pair?” We both chuckle.

“And we have found where my love for you ends.” I scoff, slapping at his shoulder.

“In that case, get out of me!”

“No. Just a little longer.” He presses his lips to my shoulder while I wrap my legs around his body to hold him in place.

#timo meier #timo meier smut #timo meier fan fiction #New Jersey devils #NHL fan fiction #nhl writing #my writing #writing request #hockey writing #hockey fan fiction

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devils-pirate-crew · 11 months

Text

"All good?" Nico tilts his head slightly, closing his notebook, where he'd been writing down things to remember and drawing flowers in the margins.

Arber flicks his gaze down. "He should be waking up soon," he replies - repeats? - with what he hopes is a smile.

Dawson merely groans to that, lifting his torso and head up - he bangs his head hard on the bottom of the table and his elbow gives out a moment later so that his head snaps back onto Arber's thigh again. "Fuck," he curses, long and low.

Everyone seems to scramble up at that. Nico's eyebrows raise and he pulls himself up to lean on the table, trying to peer over at Dawson. Dougie shakes off Jack, who's got his nose buried in the pilot's hair, and similarly leans over the table, shoulder knocking into Nico's. Jack, for his part, whines and sits down in Dougie's seat. Nick glances over as well, one hand reaching up to cradle Cole's head so he doesn't fall over as the captain shifts.

Arber shakes his head quickly, but to no avail. "Give him a minute," he instructs. "You're making it harder to breathe."

The Jersey Devil crewmembers rock back into their seats, Dougie yelping in surprise as he ends up squarely in Jack's lap, then apologizing profusely as he scoots to the next seat over. Jack merely giggles at the pilot's actions.

It takes another minute for Dawson to pull himself up to a sitting position - when he does, he collapses onto the table, banging his chin on the wood with a long sigh. "Fuck," he repeats.

"Are you okay?" Nico immediately asks.

By the cacophony of Voices in his head, Dawson's pretty sure the answer is no. He nods anyway. "Sorry 'bout that, Captain," he gets out, hopefully less pained than he thinks it sounds.

"As long as everyone's okay," Nico replies. "Don't worry about it."

"I do, though," Dawson mumbles into the table. "Sorry."

Dougie now pipes up from his corner of the table, fidgeting with a small golden pin self-consciously. "Is it something we did?" he asks, so quietly it almost gets swallowed up by the sounds of Brady and Trevor engaging in a drinking game in the background.

"No, no, no - " Dawson shakes his head again, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "You did nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong."

By the way Dougie looks guiltily to the side, Arber somehow doubts he did nothing wrong. But he'll let it go, for now. Dougie's only a liar. He's not a fighter. He's probably too high-class for that, Arber figures with a smirk. "You know you can talk to me about it," Dougie murmurs, reaching out to touch Dawson's elbow. "I'm here for you - not just as your mentor, but as your friend, too."

Dawson pulls away almost immediately. "It's okay. I'm okay."

He is, needless to say, not okay. The kid looks like he hasn't slept in a week. As he finishes speaking, he yawns, as if to underscore that point, rubbing an eye with a tired smile.

#storyline #d.mercer|91 #n.hischier|13 #a.xhekaj|72 #d.hamilton|7

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wendystales · 3 years

Text

Memories - lrh (Chapter Thirteen)

Memories (also on Wattpad)

Chapter Twelve ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Chapter Fourteen

I position myself in the center of the panel, making the 104th pose that morning. Brandon guides me from one shot to the next, making everything easier.

Six makeups. Six hairstyles. Six changes of clothes, even though the focus was on my face. Why did I get into this?

The photo shoot was for a cosmetics brand, for which I was the cover girl. It wasn't a 7-headed bug, as I had been thinking all night, which resulted in an irritating insomnia. And even though I arrived shy and lost, when I saw my look all produced, I felt like a great hottie, which gave me the confidence to go to that studio and rock.

I was having fun, as Leah advised me. I threw my hair, made faces and danced. I shifted my attention between Brandon's camera and my cell phone, where Nico, one of the helpers, was filming behind the scenes and stirring up my social medias.

It's fun, but after the fourth change of clothes, I was exhausted. After all, that spotlight doesn't leave me and the light gets too hot.

“For you.” Nico hands me a pink lilies bouquet. I open a smile, confused.

The team that was with me today, the agency, the brand and my parents had already sent me some bouquets earlier today, congratulating me and celebrating my return to the fashion world. So whose would it be?

I hunt for the card, opening it in a rush. Nico rested his head on my shoulder, wanting to read along with me. The handwriting didn't make me doubt, they were Luke's.

“To make your day more beautiful.

Congratulations on your return.

Love, Hemmo.”

I open a smile completely shaken by that. I burst out laughing when I see under his name “and the rest of 5sos” written in a different hand.

I ask Nico to take a picture of me with the flowers and send it to him, who quickly responds with a Petunia figure with heart eyes. I know I need to drop the bouquet and go back to the photos, but it feels so difficult.

Finally, I leave the flowers to the dressing room and I focus myself. Brandon praises my goofy smile and begs me to keep it up.

I knew everyone wanted to come today and watch the photo shoot, but I begged so hard not to. If without anyone I was already terrified of, seeing everyone there, staring at me, I wouldn't leave the dressing room.

[...]

Leah and Kiki were at my house, getting ready for Ashton's birthday, and of course, to gossip. They were both super curious to know how my first shoot was and how I was feeling.

besides telling about work, I comment about Luke's flowers and, finally, I tell about yesterday's dreams that still haven't left my head, taking root in my mind, blooming when I least expect it and leaving me out of breath.

“Oh, you naughty one!” Hastings tosses me the pillow. "Are you going to tell him?" she sits up in bed.

“No! How do I tell this?” I question, not understanding.

“Luke, I remembered when we were like two pervert rabbits and we were always having sex in the corners. Simple.” Kiki shrugs, going back to making up her eyes.

“Kiki!" I reprimand her. I hide my face, laughing embarrassed. "We weren't like that…I think…were we?" I look quickly at both of them.

Kiki looks at Leah, holding back her laughter. The brunette stares at me in disbelief. Oh my God, we were! It takes time to sink in, because with Stephen, I avoided sex at all costs. It was so cold and awkward, that most of the time I was bruised and, in all cases, unfulfilled.

I remember the touch of the dream and how it felt so soft and intense, and so good. However, I still find it hard for me to have been so turned on that I started having sex everywhere.

“Are you sure?” I ask suspiciously.

"Oh, honey! I will have to tell you about my dad's birthday, have I?" Leah hugs me, making Kiki laugh.

"What about your father's birthday?" the same way I was feared of Luke when he started telling me about the day I threw up at his feet, I get with Leah.

“Well, it was my dad's 50th birthday. A big, big party and of course I invited all of you. We had just got back from Milan, you were away from Luke for a couple of weeks, so you’re kinda getting crazy by missing him.

"Make it crazy." Kiki comments.

“The plan was for us to arrive in the morning, you'd have time to see each other, and then in the evening we would go to the party. But our flight was delayed and you didn't have that time. So you decided to open the bathroom.” Leah gives a fake smile.

I took a few seconds to understand, and then I widen my eyes, wanting to sink into the ground. I can't believe we did this.

“Calm down! She didn’t told the best part”. Kiki leaves the bathroom, joining us.

“Oh, that's cool, is there a better part?” I look at them both desperately.

"Of course, there is a best part. Leah escorting you guys out of the bathroom" Kiki throws herself on the bed, laughing. “Oh God! Your faces were the best.”

“Was after that our friendship beat all the limits and you know, we got really close.” Leah smiles to me.

What was my problem? Oh Lord, I never, ever, in my all life, thought I'd give one of those. If anyone asked me, who would be most likely to do this, I would definitely say Leah, Kiki, and even Bethany, but I would never say my name.

What did Luke do to me?!

I look at my friends, shocked. They both start laughing, amused by my reaction. A few seconds later, I give up, starting to laugh too.

"Is there any other similar situation that I should know about?" I inquire with fear.

"Yes, but we don't have time right now." Kiki gets up from the bed, slapping my foot, asking me to get ready.

We turned on the music and continued to get ready. Leah goes down to the kitchen, returning with three beers. The subject changes and we start to gossip.

After hours of producing us, I come down wearing my silver sequin jacket, finding Leah with another beer in her hand.

“Well? Good? Great?” I take a stroll, showing off the leather pants and black tank top that valued my tattoo.

"I definitely would ask for your number!" she replies, making me smile.

"Do you think people will like it? I mean, isn’t that much?” I stop in a few poses while she watches me.

“Rephrase the question.” she leans against the table. I stare at her without understanding. “What you want to know is whether Luke will like it." I open my mouth a few times.

“Perhaps.” I answer softly. Hastings snorts, hiding her face.

“You two should pay for my therapy. Because it's not easy to take it.” she takes a deep breath.

I give a guilty smile. I head to the bar, grabbing a shot of tequila and flipping it quickly. I would find Luke in a few minutes and I still don't know how to face him. I close my eyes, letting the alcohol burn my throat and warm my body, along with the memories. The flashes come back to my mind, clear as water. I can hear the girls' voices again, telling them about Mr. Hastings' 50th birthday.

“Let's go?” Kiki's scream brings me back. Standing near the door, they wait for me to down another shot of tequila before we go.

Along the way, we took several photos, already moving our social medias. At the door of the restaurant, the swarm of paparazzi was already in place and as soon as we got off the car, they surrounded us. Hands and arms linked, the three of us entered, being saved by the huge walls that didn't let them see anything that happened inside.

We went to the back of the restaurant, in a more reserved space, where a long table took up half the back wall. Right away I spot Luke, laughing as he chats with Jack and another guy I don't recognize. I analyze your look, social pants and a black t-shirt.

How can someone look so beautiful, so simple?

I swallow hard when he notices our approach and looks directly at me. I look away, unable to hold on; the images screamed in my mind.

Irwin approaches, already quite excited, trying to hug the three of us at the same time. When Leah and Kiki go to greet the other guests, I calmly hug my best friend, congratulating him once more.

“Make yourself comfortable and behave” he leaves a kiss on my forehead, going to welcome other guests who have just arrived.

I turn in time to see Hemmings approaching, one glass in his hand and the other in his pants pocket. How? I hold my breath, giving a terrified smile. He opens his smile even more.

“Hey!” he says excitedly, close enough for me to hear. Those lips… what have they done… I close my eyes quickly, shutting my mind.

“Hey!” I answer awkwardly.

“How are you doing?” he hugged me, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. I close my eyes again, feeling it radiate with amazing speed throughout my body. I let out a breath in a sigh. I manage to catch his eyes as he walks away, hiding a more mischievous smile.

“Well!” my cheeks catch fire and the jacket starts to bother me. "Thanks for the flowers earlier today." I thank, while Luke leads me to the bar. His hand firmly on my waist reminds me of that hotel room. I bite my lip, holding back the urge to bang my head on the counter. "A shot of tequila." I ask desperately.

Luke raises his eyebrows in surprise but says nothing. I turn it over without a single thought, asking for another one, just in case. The heat that spreads through my body is the result of three doses ingested. I take off my jacket and, through the bar mirrors, I see Luke shamelessly sweep my body.

“It was nothing!” he says after clearing his throat. "I'm glad you liked it. So, how was your first shoot?” he leans his elbow on the counter, propping his head on his hand, visually interested.

The effect of the alcohol starts to kick in, and so I feel lighter in his presence, not bothering with the memories between the two of us, nor the fanciful situations that my mind starts to create. I tell about the rehearsal and how fun it really was to do it. In the middle of the answer, I get enthusiastic, telling everything in minute detail. Luke looks at me smiling and interested, without interrupting me.

“I’m sorry!” I cover my eyes, laughing. “I'm talking too much.”

A few more people had already arrived, but the two of us were still there, sitting at the bar. The most interesting thing was, everyone who arrived didn't dare come here and interrupt us.

“No! I love hearing you talk.” he smiles before taking another sip of gin. I lower my gaze, totally ashamed.

"I think we'd better go sit down." I comment, seeing everyone settling into their chairs.

“Let's go?” he offers his hand, helping me off the stool. I hold into his arm, walking to the table. "Should I keep an eye on you today?" he laughs. I repress the urge to say yes, but that's not the answer to his question.

“No! I won't drink that much.” I press my lips together in a thin line, embarrassed by Ash's party.

We sat next to each other, with Calum and Noah in front of us. Luke leans his arm on the back of my chair and I'm not shy about getting close to him, even with everyone in our group staring at us curiously. We embarked on a lively conversation with everyone around us.

Michael rushes in and apologizes for being late, taking his seat next to Hemmings.

"Was she with her?" I hear Luke ask, taking my full attention.

“Yep!” Mike gives a shy smile.

“Who she?” I almost walk through the body of the australian beside me, wanting to get close to Mike.

“Nobody special.” he shrugs.

“Yeah! Go for it.” Hemmo lets go, laughing. Michael slaps him on the head.

“It's nobody special. Just a friend. I swear!" he closes the matter, but he doesn't convince me.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about it." I whisper, complaining to the blonde at my side.

“Sorry, there was no time. Also, I didn't even know it could lead to anything.” he shrugs. I stare Luke, waiting him to continue, but he is easily distracted by the napkin holder. I slap his head like Mike. “Ouch! What was it?” he looks at me shocked.

“Tell me!” Luke turns to face me, rolling his eyes.

“Her name is Sophie. They met at a Fortnite stream. She beat him and he went to congratulate her on the match, so they started talking and apparently it’s hitting something.” Luke shrugs, finishing the story.

“This is so cute. I hope it works!” I see Michael laughing over Luke's shoulder. “Is she pretty?” I question.

“This is a dangerous question.” I look back at him, confused. "Is there a chance you slap me?" I laugh.

"No." I don't get why I would hit him for finding someone pretty.

“She is pretty!" I hit him. “Hey! You said I wouldn't be hitten.” he accuses me.

“Sorry, it's just funny.” I defend myself by laughing. Luke turns forward, annoyed. I wrap my arm around his, which were on the table and come closer, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Are you going to be mad at me?" I question laughing.

"And I can do it?" he turns to me. His eyes drop to my lips and mine to yours. It would be a perfect time for a kiss, but I don't feel comfortable with all these looks on us.

Hemmo seems to understand my internal battle and just leaves a kiss on my forehead. I open a grateful smile and once again guide my attention to the conversation between Noah and Brian.

After a couple of hours of eating and drinking. We started to spread out through space, forming several conversation circles. I was having a blast with everyone. We sing, dance and record videos that we'll definitely regret later.

After starting to eat, I stopped drinking alcohol, after all, trauma still reigns inside me. So I wouldn't feel like the only sober one at the party, Hemmings decided to join me, stopping drinking too.

Relieved, of course, is the word to describe this night with him. I thought it would be hard to look at it with everything I remembered, but it was so light and fun, I admit I freaked out over nothing. As usual!

All through dinner, I try not to pay too much attention to everyone's eyes on us. We simply could not do anything that someone just needed to die of love. Luke was amused, while I just wanted to sink into the ground.

Yes, I may have had a clue as to how much I feel about Luke, but I still want to take it easy. I want to be sure, and for that, I need to stop being afraid. I know he's been realizing how I've changed and I'm letting him get closer and closer.

Our kisses, touches and smiles. Everything is falling into place and the fact that he doesn't put pressure on me helps me a lot. I already totally trust him, it just makes stronger.

Considering it was easy to stay close to him, without letting the shame take me, I didn't pull him away for a second, because most of the time he pulled me along and I liked that. I like being close to him.

“One round. Just one round.” Jack pleads, hands clasped under his chest.

“No! I've had too much today.” Luke denies it again, making his friend fake a dramatic cry.

"You drank when you arrived. A beer and a shot of gin. That's nothing.”

“I'll drive later and I'm keeping Marnie company.” he squeezes me tighter to his chest.

"Can't you drink?" Jack looks at me confused.

“Of course I can, I just don't want to, you know, make a scene. Or something like that.” I shrug. Jack rolls his eyes, turning back to Luke.

“One round.” he begs, making me laugh.

The boys were preparing a round of Answer or Drink with 10 different types of drink. So, they played and still got drunk.

“No!” Luke responds with a laugh.

For a few seconds, I leave the two of them arguing and go to the table to get my coat. With the lack of alcohol, I start to feel the cold of the air conditioning. On my way to the table, a voice stops me.

“Look what a wonderful surprise.” I turn quickly, feeling all the blood freeze through my body. "What a coincidence, isn't it?" I watch his smirk, knowing what his presence there would do.

“What are you doing here, Stephen?” I take a breath deep, controlling the urge to fly at him. Just like I did with Pam.

It's the first time we've seen each other since the diary report and I couldn't feel more disgust and loathing.

“It's a public place, Lizzie, and don't worry, I didn't come chasing you. I'm with friends.” he points to a table. “I just came to say hello.”

“Don't call me Lizzie, you know I hate it and why don't you take your fake education and stick it in your…”

“What are you doing here?” Luke walks past me, coming face to face with Stephen. "I already told you to stay away from her."

Soon, all the boys approach, ready to intervene. I grab his arm, trying to keep him close to me.

“Let him.” I beg, not wanting it to explode in the middle of the restaurant.

“Calm down, Hemmings.” the name comes out acid and full of poison. “I just came to say hello to Lizzie.” he laughs, hands in his pockets. "Don't worry, I'm not kissing her."

I close my eyes, feeling that hit both of us. That's low, very low. Luke steps forward, taking me with him. Noah and Jack are already starting to put their hands between them. Ash, Mike and Calum begin to put their hands on their friend's shoulders, pulling him along.

“Do not worry. I'm not going to spend my time punching him. But I'll just say one thing, Stephen.” he uses the same acid tone to say his name. "In case you're still dumb enough not to understand. It’s over! What you and Marnie had is over! So stop coming after her, because she doesn't want anything to do with you. She is with me.”

His tone of voice and body postureme impress. I've never seen Luke like this, so nervous, holding back so he doesn't explode, the veins in his neck bulging, proving how much he's controlling himself. I tighten your arm more tightly around my body. I bring my hand down until it's entwined with his, deceptively hoping that it will calm him down and bring him back to me.

“Funny. Cause from what I heard, you guys broke up, didn't you? What? You couldn’t stood the cheat?” he laughs, like he's made a great joke.

I don't know if he intended to hit Luke again, but without realizing it the words hit me. My blood boils and the words written in my diary take shape in my mind. Damn imagination.

I let go of my hand, putting myself in front of Stephen, who takes a step back. His gaze, full of curiosity and mockery, fixes on me.

“That’s enough, Stephen! I don't care about you. Pretend I never called you, just like I was before the accident and disappear from my life. I know you cheated on me and I don't want this torment in my life anymore. Go away.” I let go of everything contained, trying not to fly off his neck.

"Are you really going to believe their bullshit?" Stephen crosses his arms.

“Nobody had to tell me. I remembered." I see his eyes lose their mocking sparkle and he lose confidence. It's a lie, but he don't need to know. “There are at least twenty people here and they all want to hit you, including me, who wouldn't mind breaking my cast on your head. So if you don't want to get out of here on a stretcher, get out!”

I take a step back, feeling my heart pound and trying my best to keep myself from crying. Luke's agitated breath pulses against my spine. I lean against him, feeling his hand intertwine with mine, squeezing it delicately. Amazing how I feel safer, just with that touch.

Stephen passes his eyes around everyone and walks away without saying anything else. When his body pulls away, I release all the air I didn't even know I was holding. The boys start telling us to go back to the table.

I turn, pulling Luke, who is still standing there, facing my ex, who is sitting at the table with a group of friends. He turns around, pulling me easily into his arms. His hands tighten around my waist and I feel him exhale against my neck, giving me goose bumps. I stroke the back of his neck, trying to calm him down and show him that everything is fine.

We walked back to the table, striving for the mood from before. Ashton orders his birthday cake and we ourselves lull into the music, excited, mocking Irwin. While we devoured the cake, no one broaches the subject and I thanks for that. I know Hemmings and I will probably talk about it, but I don't want to involve the guys in this.

Gossip reigns at the table again. The entire group is engaged in conversation about the most disastrous trips ever made, minus the blonde and me. I watch him with his jaw still set and his gaze filled with rage, fixed directly on Stephen, who is across the room, staring at me.

It's a cycle: Luke stares at Stephen, who stares at me, while I stare at Luke.

I feel terrible for making him go through all of this. My amnesia, our breakup, my ex's return. Lucas doesn't deserve any of this. I need to reward him, but how?

“Hey!” I whisper, resting my chin on his bicep, but he doesn't hear me. "I want to leave, will you take me?" I question, hoping to gain any sign of him.

He looks at me nonchalantly, then blinks back to reality. Luke stares at the bleached on the other side, wanting to see if he's still trying something. I drop a small kiss on his shoulder, gaining his attention again.

“Of course! Let's go?” I nod, getting up.

Nobody is opposed to our leaving, I believe as much because of what happened as because it was the two of us. We walked across the room hand in hand, and with me clutching his arm, just to make sure he didn't fly into someone.

But I need to remember that Luke is just as classy as I am. Not just for the fame or the spectacle it would be, but because he was brought up that way. Educated not to go into violence, even if there was someone on the other side who deserved to be slapped.

I'm scared by the frantic flashes that start to pop when they notice the two of us. I cling closer to Luke, who makes room for his car. The delay for the questions to start is just for them to reason that it was the two of us there, together, after announcing our break up.

I keep my head down, focused on his thumb moving up and down, stroking my skin. Luke opens the car door and I settle in, still feeling the flashbulbs burst above us.

With great difficulty, we got out of that sea of people. We remained silent until we reached the intersection of the main lane that led to my house.

“Do you want to go home?” he asks, softly.

I can't identify any feelings in your voice. He is neutral, indifferent. Apart from the isolated fact, this night has been amazing and I don't want it to end, not in this mood.

“No!” I turn in the seat, facing him. "Isn't there anywhere I'd love to go? Or that we both went a lot?” for the first time, I see a glint run through his eyes.

“Yeah! In fact, there are two.” he cracks a smile, causing me to smile too.

Luke takes the other path, heading to some place I couldn't even imagine. The subject comes up between us and so the mood softens. As we talk, I list a number of places I've always liked in Los Angeles, wanting to guess where it would take me.

We turn onto Wilshire Boulevard and I guess where we're going. Hemmo parks his car near the Urban Light and I look forward to getting out of the car.

Before we exit the vehicle, he pulls two caps from the glove compartment, giving me a dark gray one. I look at that accessory, wondering if it was always mine, if we always wore it when we went out.

“Why am I not impressed that this would be the first place?” I question, holding his hand.

By the time, the sculpture was a little empty, with only a few couples taking pictures. Luke and I went unnoticed, walking between those huge poles.

We walked around, with me admiring those lighted poles. I've always liked this sculpture, I've always found it romantic because so many people are proposed here, and I love the lighting.

“Oh no!” I push Luke, finding your phone pointed at me.

"This one got blurry." he laments, pointing again.

“Luke!” I exclaim laughing. I try not to scream so as not to draw attention to both of us.

“Sorry about my behavior at the restaurant.” Hemmings says after a while, surprising me. I lean against a pole, watching him.

“Why are you apologizing?” I frown. Luke leans against the same post, shrugging.

"I didn't mean to spoil your night." he answers.

“You didn't! If there is one responsible, it is him! Stephen knows he shouldn't have shown up there.” I comfort him.

His blue eyes meet mine. I take a step toward him, standing on tiptoe, reaching for his lips, leaving a simple kiss there. Without pulling away completely, I see a goofy smile appear on his face, which also appears on mine.

"What's our second place?" I whisper, next to him.

“My bed.” he lets go.

“Lucas!” I push him away, laughing again. His laugh is contagious. If he knew about the memories…

“Just kidding." Uh-hm… "Ready to get full of sand?" he asks, holding out his hand.

“Always!” I grabbed, leaning my head on his arm as we made our way to the car.

Follow me on Twitter: aquela_wendy

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doc-pickles · 4 years

Text

never thought i’d see it break

okay listen.... i am sorry for this fic, mainly because i know some of y’all are going to drag me into the ground for this. but i wanted to write some angst and while it might not be super angsty in theory it definitely counts because our favorite idiots don’t end up together. like at all. so once again, sorry for any mental anguish i may cause, i promise i’ll make it up to you guys tomorrow.

also i cried writing this so good luck

Halloween 2020

She really didn’t think that the day would hit her so hard. The days leading up to it had been uneventful, the decorations lining the halls at work not fazing her in the slightest as she went about her daily routine. But when Jo woke up on Halloween morning, it felt like the past year of her life was slapping her in the face. The cold harsh reality of her husband up and leaving her sat deep in the pit of her stomach, her mind reeling as she laid in bed.

“Are you getting up today,” Levi looked at Jo from his position on the couch, eyeing her warily. “Because I had plans but I can cancel them.” “Get out, go away,” Jo’s monotone voice was barely above a mumble as she stared menacingly at Levi. “Let me wallow once again in the realization that my marriage has failed and I will probably die alone. Or with you. Can’t tell which of those is worse.”

Levi blew out a short breath, gathering his things and letting Jo know he was going to hang out with Nico for the day. Once the door to the loft was closed and locked, Jo reached beneath her bed and pulled out a large black box. Pulling the lid off, her breath caught in her throat as she took in the contents of the box.

Laying on top was a ratty tshirt, one that Jo had once religiously worn as she climbed into bed every night. The faded Iowa State logo stared up at her with a menacing aura, the memories that came with it too painful for Jo to relive. She set it aside and reached for the photo album below it, the dusty jacket brandishing a name she’d wished she could forget but rang through her mind everyday.

The Karev’s.

She knew it was torture, opening the book up to look at photos of a day that was once happy and beautiful but now filled her eyes with tears, but she did it anyways. The shades of blue and yellow that graced the pages, the smiling faces of their friends, of him, were like a glowering unwanted sign that her life had taken a detour that she had neither wanted nor anticipated. It didn’t help that there was a Polaroid tucked into the back page, her and Alex grinning at the camera with fake blood and vampire fangs adorning their faces.

Hastily shoving the photobook and shirt back into the box, Jo ignored the numerous photos, ticket stubs, letters, and other memorabilia from the years she’d spent with Alex and shoved the box back under the bed. Why she’d thought taking it out was a good idea she would never know, but the feeling that had been blossoming when she woke up was now taking over her entire chest in a painful display.

How had her life been so different a year ago? Sure it wasn’t ever picture perfect, her and Alex had their differences but they’d always worked through whatever was thrown at them together. His dad, DeLuca, Paul, him getting fired, her mom… every single problem they’d faced in their seven years together had been done exactly like that, together. Whether by choice or by reluctant agreement, the two were always there for one another, but apparently ex wives with two children she kept a secret for five years was where they drew the line. Where Alex drew the line.

Knowing she wouldn’t be doing the laundry that was piling up or scrubbing the sinks that needed some TLC, Jo settled back into bed, eyes watering as she scooted to the right side of the bed and clutched the now unused pillow that lay there. It didn’t smell like him any longer, but the comfort of holding the fabric to her chest still held.

That’s where Meredith found her hours later, tear stains across her cheeks as she slept through the afternoon. A heavy sigh left the blonde as she settled onto the edge of the bed, one hand patting Jo’s shoulder affectionately as she woke.

“Schmitt texted, he said you were wallowing in misery so I figured that was a cry for help,” Meredith let out a chuckle at Jo’s angry expression. “Come on, you can come take the kids trick or treating with me, it’ll be a good distraction.”

“I don’t want to move,” Jo mumbled into her pillow, eyes barely moving to meet Meredith’s. “I want to lay here until I sink so far into the mattress that no one can ever find me again.” “Jo, it’s been months. And I know it’s not easy, but you’ve been so strong through all of this, I’d hate to see one day ruin everything for you,” Jo sighed at Meredith’s words, knowing her friend was right. “If you get up now I will pour wine into a tumbler for you to drink while we walk around.” “Fine,” Jo rolled out of bed, glaring at Meredith as she did so. “But I’m only getting up for the wine.”

Halloween 2023

“You know I don’t normally interact with other humans on Halloween.”

Jo stood in the doorway of her apartment, a grin on her face as she looked at the man in front of her. His grin was threatening to overtake his face as he leaned down and kissed her sweetly, one arm wrapping around her waist, “I brought beer and scary movies, will you let me in now?”

“Okay fine, only because of the beer and not because I like you so much,” Jo rolled her eyes and opened the door fully, letting Jack into the apartment and locking the door behind him. “Please tell me you have Scream in your collection, otherwise I don’t think this is gonna work out.”

Jack pulled out the aforementioned DVD case, eliciting a cheer from Jo as he set up the movie. She really didn’t think she’d been this happy in a long time, the feeling of happiness bubbling in her chest as she grabbed popcorn an altogether new experience.

When she’d picked up a Safe Haven baby from Station 19 four months ago, she hadn’t expected to have an hour and a half long conversation with Jack Gibson, who’d been sitting with the little girl before she’d arrived. Their conversation flowed so easily that the two had picked it up over dinner that night and the rest was history.

She hadn’t seen anyone since Alex left, she hadn’t wanted to waste time on something that was going to leave her heartbroken again because she just couldn’t do that. But the connection she felt with Jack was real and exciting and something Jo hadn’t realized she’d needed until she had it. It almost distracted her from the fact that today her and Alex should be celebrating four years of marriage together. Almost.

“Are you dazing out again over there,” Jack’s voice was light and cheery, but Jo could see the concern etched on his face as soon as he took a good look at her. “Hey, what’s wrong? We can watch Poltergeist if that’s what you want.”

A heavy sigh left Jo as she realized that she’d have to tell someone else exactly why today was one of her least favorite days of the year. Of course Jack knew that she was divorced, he’d met Alex once or twice when bringing in patients but he didn’t know everything. It wasn’t something that you should burden your partner with four months into your relationship, the ways that you failed in your previous marriage.

“I was married. Obviously. And we got married on Halloween, so that’s why I don’t like being around people today, because it still sucks,” Jo’s gaze was concentrated on her fingers as she spoke, not wanting to see the pitiful expression on Jack’s face as she relayed her tragic backstory. “And I didn’t really wanna bring it up because you… you are the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time and I don’t want to ruin that by talking about my failed marriage.”

Eyes finally flitting up to look at Jack, Jo was startled to find empathy instead of pity in his expression. She knew he’d had a rough upbringing like her, that neither of them had been handed anything they had in life, but the unexpected compassion and Jack showed her always took her by surprise.

“You are a badass. And for the record, you’re the best thing that’s happened for me in quite awhile too,” Jack wrapped his arms around Jo and brought her into his chest, pressing a kiss into her hair. “Would it make you feel better if we played a drinking game and got ridiculously drunk?”

“You know me so well,” Jo giggled as her eyes met Jack’s, his green eyes sparkling with that same sense of compassion that he always wore so brightly when he was around her.

The two settled in for a night filled with laughter, shots, and scary movies as Jack cracked jokes all night, making sure that the smile on her face never left. For once Jo didn’t feel like the day consisted of her replaying all of her past mistakes. Instead, for the first time in a long time, Halloween felt like a new beginning.

Halloween 2025

“Oh man it is too early to be awake,” Jo’s groans echoed through the empty fire station, her feet leading her towards the soft voices she heard. “Hello? Anyone here?”

“We’re in here,” a smirk played onto Jo’s face at the sound of her boyfriend's voice, not expecting to see him today. “Hey there.”

“Hey yourself, who do you have there,” Jo walked further into the room that Jack sat in, a tiny bundle settled in his arms. She peeked over his shoulder, taking in the dark curls and soft features of the baby he held. “Well aren’t you a cutie. How long have you had her?”

“Just an hour or so, she’s been perfectly calm,” Jack looked up to Jo, gladly accepting the kiss she placed on his lips. “Usually by now they’re screaming at me, but this one hasn’t wanted anything except snuggles.”

“Maybe you’ve just got the magic touch with this one,” Jo settled into the chair across from Jack, giggling at the faces he pulled as he tried to entertain the baby. “She seems content there.”

“It sucks, she’s got no family and she doesn’t even get to celebrate her first holiday,” Jack’s finger ran across the baby’s cheek, eliciting a quiet coo from the little girl. “Oh I know sweetheart, maybe if you’re lucky the nice doctors will sneak you a lollipop.”

Jo’s heart leapt at the sight before her, fingers twisting the silver chain across her neck. She’d been to the fire station to pick up babies more than she’d like to say in the past few years, but seeing the tiny infants cradled in Jack’s arms always made her heart burst.

“How do you feel about stealing a baby,” Jack’s eyes widened as they met Jo’s, a grin taking over her face at the shocked look he wore. “Cmon, trust me on this one. It’ll just be for a little bit, plus you’re off now right?”

“Yes, but now I’m concerned about what my girlfriend has planned for this poor innocent baby.” +

“I give you about ten minutes of this before someone calls you out and we get arrested,” Jack’s eyes nervously flitted around the bustling Peds ward. “I will give you props though, she looks pretty cute.” Jo turned from the sight of children running down the hospital halls to the infant in Jack’s arms. They’d stopped at Target before coming to the hospital, grabbing a pumpkin costume to put on the newborn before they took her around the Peds ward to trick or treat. Jack and Jo both knew that they were being a little silly, but they wanted the little girl to have at least one day where she felt loved.

“Of course she does, she’s the cutest little baby in the world. Aren’t you Hallie? Yes you are,” Jo grabbed the infant’s foot, looking up to Jack who was staring her down with an unamused expression. “What? She needed a name and I watched Parent Trap last night. Plus it’s kind of fitting, Hallie… Halloween… Oh you’re just a party pooper!”

“Jo! What’re you doing here,” Link sauntered up to Jo and Jack with a smile, sleeping baby strapped to his chest. “Woah who's baby is that? Did you hide a pregnancy from me for nine months?”

Jo’s eyes widened as she stared her best friend down, lightly slapping his arm, “No you idiot, this is Hallie. She’s a Safe Haven baby, but we wanted to dress her up and let her have some fun before we turned her over.”

Links gaze floated from the baby still cuddled against Jack to Jo who was perfectly settled into his side. He held his hand out, a knowing smirk on his face, “Give me your phone, I’ll take a picture of you guys.”

Without hesitation, Jo handed the object over and both her and Jack wore bright smiles as Link snapped the picture. He handed the phone back, both adults leaning in to look at the photo in awe.

“I give you about a week,” Link chuckled, both Jo and Jack too caught up in the infant with them to notice his words. “I’ll see you guys later!”

Jo absentmindedly waved her friend off, grabbing Hallie from Jack’s arms and bringing her to her own chest. The little girl blinked up at Jo before settling contentedly against her, eyes closing in a matter of seconds.

“You know, she seems pretty content with us,” Jo looked up from the baby to her boyfriend with wide eyes, not believing the words she was hearing. “What? She does, she’s barely cried since I got her this morning and looks so comfy snuggled up with you.”

“You are pretty cute, I’m just gonna sneak you out and take you home,” Jo squeezed the hand of the infant, looking up at Jack who was staring at her with an awed look. “What? Do I have baby spit up on me?”

“Nothing, you just look good. You’re a natural,” Jack brought Jo back into his side, pressing a kiss to her head. “I love you.” “I love you too,” Jo laughed as the baby burped loudly before settling herself back against Jo. “And I think she likes you too.”

Halloween 2030

“Bailey, I just finished my charts and I am heading out,” Jo sighed as she set her arms on the nurses station, head leaning warily against one hand. “I’m off for the rest of the day, I’m just going to check on Mr. Olsen in the ER before I duck out. Pretty sure my kids are driving their dad nuts and the addition of sugar tonight won’t help with that.”

Bailey let a laugh out, dismissing Jo for the day and letting the younger woman know she wasn’t needed the next day. A sigh left her as she climbed into the elevator with her purse in tow, Jo finally feeling a small sense of relief.

“You are not making my job easier, you’re much more troublesome than your brother,” Jo settled one hand onto her growing baby bump, a strong kick meeting her hand as she rolled her eyes. “Typical. You’re going to have your sister's attitude aren't you?”

The elevator dinged loudly, bringing Jo away from her conversation with her unborn child and into the real world. As she stepped off the elevator, her hands dug into her purse in search of her phone. She’d finally dug it out when she ran straight into whoever was walking in front of her.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I was ju-,” the air in Jo’s lungs left suddenly, as if it had been sucked away by a vacuum as she met the eyes of the person she’d bumped into. “Oh my god. Alex.”

Alex Karev, ten years older than when she’d seen him last, was standing not even two feet in front of Jo. Her heart was hammering as she stared at her ex husband, his presence the last thing she’d expected, especially today of all days.

“Hey Jo, good to see you,” hearing his voice almost brought tears to Jo’s eyes as she stared dumbly up at Alex. “I’m working on a case with Hayes for the week. You look good, happy… round.”

A small laugh escaped Jo then, her hand falling to her bump as she finally found her voice again, “Yeah, this one kinda popped out right away. Between that and my constant morning sickness, I couldn’t hide being pregnant for very long.”

“I’m glad, that you’re uh happy, that’s good to hear,” Jo watched Alex’s eyes flit to the wedding set on her left hand, then back up to her.

“Mama!”

Both Alex and Jo turned toward the excited voice sounding down the hallway, a head full of black curls flying past Alex as the little girl they belonged to wrapped her arms around Jo’s legs. A second shorter head of messy brown hair crashed into Jo’s legs, laughter escaping her as she tried to wrangle both children, “Okay you two, mom can’t breathe!”

“Sorry, they escaped as soon as I walked through the door,” Jack appeared next to Jo a second later, pressing a kiss to her cheek before turning to Alex. If he was shocked to see the man, he hid it well as he extended his hand towards him. “Hey, Jack Gibson. Alex, right?” “Yeah, nice to meet you,” Alex shook Jack’s hand with a small smile, Jo’s heart skipping a beat at the unusual sight. “You guys have some good looking kids.”

Jo laughed, her face lighting up as she looked at the two children now preoccupied with a game of tag, “I can’t take all the credit, Max is Jack’s clone and Hallie just kinda… fell into our laps. She’s got my attitude though, if that counts for anything.” “That counts for everything, you know she uses that to get whatever she wants,” Jack slung his arm around Jo’s shoulder as she leaned into him, her hand coming back to her burgeoning stomach. Jo could tell Alex was watching them, but she didn’t have the words to verbalize how odd it made her feel.

“I gotta go, but it was nice to meet you Jack,” Alex waved his hand at the other man, before turning to Jo. Their eyes met for a second and it almost felt like that day eleven years ago standing in a courtroom in the most ridiculous costumes. Jo’s throat tightened as she offered a watery smile to Alex, his own eyes glassy as they finally broke away from hers. “It was good to see you again Jo, it really is good to see you happy.”

Jo could only nod, lifting her hand in a wave to Alex, “You too Alex. Have a good stay.” Alex turned and left then, Jo’s eyes watching him until he turned a corner and was out of her view. The sight tugged at her heart strangely, her mind bringing up the image of him walking into an airport so many years ago and never turning around. She doesn’t realize there’s tears floating down her face until Jack nudges her lightly.

“You okay?” “Yeah,” Jo swipes at the tears that have pooled on her cheeks, turning to Jack with a smile. She leans up to press a kiss to his lips, holding on a bit longer than she normally would in public before pulling and meeting his green eyes with her brown. “I’m perfectly fine, just another Halloween. You guys ready to go?” Jack pauses for a moment, holding Jo’s stare before turning back to their kids who are still running around the hallway, “Yup, we just came to pick you up before we headed to Meredith’s. Hallie! Max! Let’s move it!” The two kids followed Jack and Jo out of the hospital, a string of laughter following the family as they made their way into the chilly Seattle air. Jo’s eyes lingered on the trauma bay as they left, remembering a day so long ago it felt like another lifetime when she’d first met the man she’d been married to. A swift kick to her ribs pulled her out of her thoughts, her fingers squeezing Jack’s as they made their way through the parking lot.

Just another Halloween….

#jolex #jolex halloween #alex karev #jo wilson #jo karev #jo x alex #jolex fanfic #jolex fic #greys anatomy #greys anatomy fanfic #nina writes

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dearophelia · 4 years

Text

gonna set your flag on fire - chapter 9

chapter 09: the house don’t fall when the bones are good

operational security [read on AO3]

it’s been a hot minute with this one, whoops. eternal and forever thanks to @tarysande and @nightingaleseeking for their cheerleading through this.

“Olivia?” Garrus calls. The audible panic in his subvocals makes him wince.

“Bedroom!” comes the answer.

Garrus takes a moment to breathe. The Normandy won’t be here for hours yet and packing won’t take long. He can spend these thirty seconds to breathe now, before walking upstairs and seeing Olivia. He might not have them later.

Good air in, bad air out.

He allows himself to take a full minute in the silence of their home for a moment of calm and quiet. The hour since Olivia called him has been pure chaos: reschedule his week, call the Primarch, don’t forget the dinner party tonight for the new quarian economic delegation or tomorrow's breakfast with the forensic auditors from Irune Galactic, find suitably-important people to replace him at both events (and everything else this week), have someone pick up his gear, avoid looking panicked while doing any of this.

The silence is overwhelming and welcome. He closes his eyes and takes another breath before going upstairs.

He finds Olivia kneeling on the floor of their bedroom, packing.

Thirty years ago, chasing Saren across the galaxy, he’d watched in awe as his commanding officer stood firm and stoic in the face of utter mayhem. Nothing rattled her, nothing shook her steady posture. He’d never had a CO before who was that calm.

He knows her better now. The calm is how she gets through things. The calm is how she’s made through to the other side of trauma and crisis in one piece over and over again. Her voice doesn’t shake and neither does her resolve, but there’s a certain fragile steel in her spine that betrays the façade.

She may look calm to anyone else, but Garrus knows that Olivia is fucking terrified.

She’s thrown a sheet on the floor and laid her armor out on top of it. Shiny black and purple, with a scratch she never bothered to buff out on the left thigh. Her Black Widow and Avenger lay next to it.

“Vega’s letting you on the ground team?” It’s not the first thing he anticipated saying to her. He’d planned to say something idiotic, like are you okay. Of course she isn’t. He’s so far from okay that it doesn’t sound like a real word. Olivia can’t be closer.

She pauses, hand on her visor. “I’d like to see him try to stop me,” she says, slow and low and even.

Garrus would too, but Vega’s not that stupid. Olivia may not have seen any action outside the Arena in twenty years, but she has standing platinum matches three times a week; if he’s available or any of their friends are on the station and willing, she’ll pull them into it – otherwise, she goes solo. Last he checked, her stats were 7:1 extracting.

His are 6:1 and his assistant picked up his armor this afternoon. “He’ll have to go through both of us.”

She finally looks up at him.

He swallows. The expression on her face is identical to the one she wore while staring down a reaper. “I’m going.” Olivia isn't the only unstoppable force in their family. There are a million reasons he shouldn’t even be on the ship, let alone groundside, but not one of them stands up against Cerberus having control of his daughter. This mission is too important to leave solely in the hands of other people.

Olivia sits back on her heels and sighs. “Wasn’t gonna stop you, Garrus,” she says softly. “Vega's meeting us at Soyuz-Janiri tomorrow with whatever resources he can scrounge up.”

Garrus steps around her, letting his hand briefly brush against her shoulder. He ducks into the closet to change out of his robes. “Good.” That was the last part of the plan, the only piece she didn't have locked into stone when she called. He exchanges his council robes for a pair of comfortable loose pants and a tunic. “When does the Normandy arrive?” he asks, stepping out of the closet. She told him the rest of the specifics this afternoon, but everything is a dull roar after Cerberus has Nora, Garrus: they activated the chip. Some part of him thinks he should be upset that she waited to tell him last. Another part of him knows that he'd call her last, too.

“4:45 in the morning.” She closes and locks her armor trunk and then stands, gathering the sheet. She balls it up and drops it in their laundry basket. “So we have,” she checks the clock, “ten hours to kill.”

Garrus takes a step forward and draws Olivia close into the hug he’s needed to give her – and needed to get from her – since she called. He wraps his arms tight around her, flattening his hands across her back as she tucks herself against him. He feels her breath shake and her arms circle around him just as tight.

After a few moments, he bows his head and kisses the top of her head. “We’ll get her back,” he whispers into her hair. They have to. They’ll rescue Nora and her team from that facility. And then they’ll turn the chip off again, this time for good. There is no alternative.

“I know,” she says quietly.

Tugging her closer, Garrus hums softly, a low, gentle, calming rumble he knows she likes. He ghosts his hands over her, slowly rubbing her back in soothing circles.

After a few moments, Olivia briefly tightens her hug and then takes half a step back. Garrus looks at his wife, keeping his arms still loosely wrapped around her. His heart twists in his chest. The lines on Olivia’s face, earned from decades of smiles and laughter, now look hollow and haunted.

He remembers the night in their quarters after Thessia, when the light hit just right and he thought for the briefest of moments that she was becoming a ghost before his eyes. She’d shattered in his arms, wild and feral and desperate, in a way he’s so grateful he hasn’t seen since. But as Olivia looks up at him tonight, twenty-five years of motherhood in her spine, Garrus knows that the night after Thessia fell will pale in comparison to how both of them will shatter if this doesn’t work.

So it's going to work.

Leaning down to bump his forehead against hers, he lets his subvocals shift a little deeper into a tone that will settle them both. “Let’s get some food.” Ten hours is a long time to have nothing to do. Neither of them will spend any of it sleeping.

As if on cue, her stomach growls. She laughs softly at herself and steps away.

“Have you eaten since breakfast?” Garrus asks as they walk downstairs to the kitchen. Food is the first thing Olivia always forgets during a crisis, followed very quickly by sleep. He can’t change that about her, but he can encourage her to get both.

“I had coffee?” she says, half a question, as if the whipped cream on her afternoon frozen coffee might qualify as food.

“Coffee hasn’t counted as food in the thirty years I’ve known you, Liv,” he gently chides. “It’s not suddenly going to start counting now.”

Olivia ignores him and opens the refrigerator, only to stare blankly at the levo side. "Takeout," she decides. Neither of them are in the right headspace to make anything. She sits down on the middle stool at the counter and opens the delivery app on her omnitool. He sits beside her and does the same.

“Oh,” she says after a moment. “You should order for two.”

Garrus raises a brow plate.

“Nico’s coming.”

The plate rises higher. Nico’s been working at the bakery for the past eight years. He officially took over from Hannah two years ago when she and Zaeed moved to Earth. Out of their two sons, he is not who Garrus would guess if asked who was coming on this mission.

She sends her order off. “We need a decryption specialist and he’s the best one I know.”

Garrus can’t fault that logic; Nico’s knee kept him from an active combat position and his entire deployment was spent in intelligence programs so classified Garrus didn’t even know they existed until he became councilor. He quickly orders for himself and his youngest son and then looks back at Olivia. “He’s staying on the ship though, right?” While their other two children took to combat like it was in their blood, Nico counted down the days until basic was over and he could get away from gunfire.

Olivia nods with a smile. “That’s the first thing he asked me, too. Yes.”

“Good.” Worrying about one kid is enough; he’d rather not have to worry about two. Or three. He wonders if Quentus has somehow found out and is currently badgering Solana to divert their current mission to Zorya.

***

James blinks as the airlock door opens to reveal not only Liara, Miranda, and Wrex, but also Deck and her entire team. “Thought you were on the other side of the galaxy,” he says, stepping aside to let everyone past him.

“I cashed in a favor,” Deck says. “Incidentally, the Blue Suns have some pretty wicked experimental quantum drives.”

He holds up his hand before she can continue. “I don’t want to know,” he says. “Find a bunk downstairs. Briefing’s in thirty. We’ll debrief on your thing once this is over.”

“Roger,” she says and gestures for the other three to follow her through the CIC to the elevator.

Wrex nods as he passes, revealing Jack and Tali standing in the space behind him. James looks over at his wife. Liara shrugs and gives him a small smile. He’s not sure whether the extra reinforcements are a good thing, but he’ll never turn down help. Tali hugs him, Jack gives a curt nod, and then he’s finally alone with Liara.

“Hi,” he says, drawing her into a hug. He wraps his strong arms around her shoulders and kisses her forehead. Nora’s family to him, but so are the other five trapped in that base. He’s had to mount rescues before, but this keeps getting worse the more he learns about it.

Liara hugs him back, just as tight. “Hello,” she says, giving him a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “I thought you might need the extra backup; I did not realize you’d have Anubis back.”

“Neither did I,” he says, walking side-by-side with her through the CIC to the war room. “The more the merrier.” He nods at the crew they pass. Everyone looks so young. He supposes he’s gotten old.

James feels the Normandy shudder as the docking clamps release, followed by a brief wobbly moment before the inertial dampeners kick in. He gestures for Liara to go through the war room security checkpoint first. Three days. He takes a deep breath. He needs his guys to hang on for three more days.

“You’re the reason I have children,” Wrex is saying when James enters the room. “You think I’m not gonna come help you get your kid back?”

Shepard looks like she’s about to cry.

Jack crosses her arms and shifts her weight; the red holographic display casts angry shadows across her face. “Cerberus doesn’t get to fuck with kids as long as I’m alive.”

“You’re my friend,” Tali says. And then she shrugs. “Plus, I was already on the station.”

At that, Shepard laughs. “I’m glad you’re all here, thank you.” And then her eyes settle on Liara.

James doesn’t know what it is that Liara sees, but she lets out a soft, sad sigh before making her way down the stairs and over to Shepard.

Liara hugs Shepard tightly and doesn’t let go. Everyone talks around them, letting the two of them fade into the background and share their quiet little hug in the corner alone.

Out of the corner of his eye, James sees Garrus step into the room and stand beside him. He turns. Garrus is watching Shepard and Liara in much the same way he was.

“How’s she doing?” James asks. He wishes he could just ask as her friend. But Shepard's on the ground team and he needs to know.

“Not good,” Garrus says.

The understatement in Garrus’ voice is crystal clear and James looks up at him. “How are you doing?”

Garrus slowly turns and looks at him. “Not good,” he repeats, with the same clipped tone.

Exhaling, James nods. If their positions were reversed, not good would be an understatement for him, too.

***

“Why do I always have to be the one to do this?” Rachel asks with a sigh. It’s almost time for them to come collect the empty lunch trays. She’d actually enjoyed lunch today; there was an apple.

“Always?” Micah asks. “You mean this is not the first time you’ve done this?”

She shakes her head.

“It always has to be you because you look the least intimidating,” Jonah says.

“People underestimating me is largely how I've gotten this far,” Rachel says cheerily. The door opens and a single guard enters while another stands at the door. “I hate this part,” she murmurs to herself.

Rachel waits until he’s deactivating her forceshield and then bends over, her hair hiding her face from them. She dry heaves a few times and then makes herself throw up the remnants of lunch. She stands up straight, stumbles a little and pushes her hair back out of her face. “I don’t feel good,” she tells the guard.

“Sorry,” he says.

She gags again, making sure to aim in his direction. She wipes the back of her hand over her mouth when he looks up at her in disgust. “Told you.”

The other guard sighs. “We should take her in to medical. Turner says we need these guys alive for the time being.”

“Fine,” he says, gesturing for her to come out of the cell.

Keeping her hands up, showing that she has no intentions, Rachel follows the guards out.

“Hey!” Carlos shouts after them. “Send someone to clean this up! It’s gonna smell!”

Rachel counts guards and doorways and turns, making a mental map of the immediate area around the cells. They pass a stairway marked roof access, and there’s noise coming from the closet next to the stairs. It’s quiet, but definitely music. She listens as hard as she can without revealing herself.

Love beyond moons, love beyond stars!

They walk past the closet and take another turn to the left, but Rachel bites back a smile as the song fades. She’s found their gear.

***

Her caffeine load inevitably crashes and Olivia stumbles into bed beside Garrus. Though she’s exhausted, and even took a sleeping pill, sleep eludes her. Olivia rolls onto her side, then her stomach, then her back. She waits twenty minutes and then tries the whole cycle again. After three attempts, she gives up and stares at the ceiling while Garrus snores softly beside her. He's always been able to sleep anywhere, anytime, as long as he knows someone's keeping watch.

She could lie here in bed and get increasingly more annoyed about being awake, or she could do something useful. She brushes a kiss to Garrus’ forehead and then noiselessly slips out of bed.

Tugging a blue Alliance-branded sweatshirt over her head, Olivia stuffs her feet into her boots. Her black pajama pants get stuck in the cuffs and she pulls them out, wishing she’d had the foresight to bring sneakers. She really ought to change into BDUs since she’s going to be out of quarters, but she’s a civilian now and it’s the middle of the night.

She and Garrus are in a two-bunk officer’s quarters, sharing only with James and Liara. It’s small, but it isn’t sleeper pods and it isn’t the barracks-like atmosphere downstairs: with fifteen extra passengers, there aren't enough bunks for everyone and they've thrown every spare couch and chair and pillow into the lounges for impromptu sleeping space. Olivia tiptoes around the other bed, noting that James is the only one in it, and grabs her tablet before slipping out.

Yawning, Olivia steps onto the elevator and presses the control panel for Deck Four. If she’s not going to sleep, she’s going to need coffee. They still have two days; she’ll properly crash later. She runs her fingers through her hair and yawns again before the elevator doors open. The Normandy’s nighttime lights are dim and soft, and she’s in the galley with her hand on the coffeemaker before she notices the figure sitting at the table, hunched over a glowing tablet.

She starts a fresh pot and then walks over to him. “What are you still doing up?” she asks quietly, softly rubbing her son’s back.

Nico sighs and looks up at her. “Trying to break this. I think I’m close to the second decryption level.” He blinks. “Didn’t you and Dad go to bed?”

Olivia slides into a chair opposite him. “He did,” she sighs. “I gave up.”

He looks at her, then over at the coffeemaker burbling happily as it drips into a mug. “Going the Nora route of staying up until your body can’t take it anymore?” He lifts a browplate.

She shrugs and curls a little into her sweatshirt; she’s not proud to say Nora didn’t develop that habit in a vacuum. “Works every time." She reaches across the table and clasps his hand. “I’m sorry I pulled you away for this.” Nico chose a non-military life and it was for a reason. Desperately needing his decryption skills doesn’t change that she feels guilty pulling him away from his own life and back into one he left.

He smiles as she stands to get her coffee. “She’s my sister,” he says simply. “I have people who can handle the bakery for a few days and Lucien can feed my fish.”

Smiling, Olivia returns to her seat, steaming mug in hand. She takes a sip; Alliance coffee hasn't gotten much better in the years since she left, but it’s still tolerable. “Have you two found a place yet?”

“We have a few in mind,” Nico says. “But trying to find something that’s close to the bakery and his precinct and in our price range is harder than we thought.”

Olivia nods. “Apartment hunting sucks,” she commiserates. She does not miss it; designing their home from scratch was one of the best decisions she and Garrus ever made. “What are you going to do with the one above the bakery?”

His tablet beeps with a sad noise and he sighs. He types a few thing and then looks up at her. “I’m thinking about keeping it for when my brother needs to drink himself silly again.”

Olivia winces. “How’s he doing?” She’s had a few emails from Quentus since he left the Citadel. He’s excited about his new assignment, but rejection has always stung strong for her eldest.

Nico shrugs and pushes his tablet aside while the program runs. “He’s upset. But the new assignment’s helping. Solana has him leading a ground team and they have some crazy new tech he can’t tell me about.”

“It’s stealth,” Liara says around a wide yawn. She drops into the chair next to Olivia. “The Hierarchy’s working on no-discharge zero-emission stealth drives.” She picks up Olivia’s mug and takes a sip.

“Get your own,” Olivia says, sliding the mug out of Liara’s reach once she’s set it down. “What are you doing up?”

Liara yawns again. “Talking to vorcha.”

Olivia silently slides her mug back toward Liara. She gets up to pour herself another. “Anything useful?”

“Updated topographical maps, a weather report, and a headache.”

Nico’s tablet beeps, happy and successful this time. “Finally.” He looks up to find both his mother and Liara looking at him expectantly. “Updated base schematics, guard rotations, rolling door codes.”

“Nicely done,” Olivia says, leaning against the counter.

"The base is definitely central ops for Project Damocles, but I'm also finding something about a Project Gemini. No assets on base, just some bio metadata in cached email."

Olivia glances at Liara. "What are the chances that's not what I think it is?" Under normal circumstances, hearing about a Cerberus Project Gemini would cause her stomach to drop all the way through the ship and out into space. As it is, she's not sure her stomach has been inside her body since she got the call from Vega.

"Slim," her friend confirms.

Sighing, Olivia shakes her head at Nico's raised browplate. "Way above your clearance level," she tells him. "Forward all of it to Alliance Central Intelligence." Leave it to Cerberus to keep that particular project going. She never thought she'd label her clone a Tomorrow Problem, but a lot of things she never thought would happen have happened in the last 48 hours.

"And me," Liara says.

"And her."

The observation bay door opens, and loud, excitable indistinct conversation filters out before being silenced again as the door closes. Ashley walks into the mess and straight for the coffee. “We’ve officially given up on stealth,” she says, pouring herself some coffee and setting it to brew more. “Just rush the gates.”

“Blowing the door down has always worked well for us,” Olivia muses.

“That’s what I thought,” Ashley says, sitting down beside Liara. “They’re still working on a way past the AA guns that doesn’t involve a two-day hike through the jungle, though.” She looks at the clock and then back in the direction of the observation bay. “Were we ever that young?"

"No," Olivia says.

“Speak for yourselves, please,” Liara says with a grin.

Laughing, Ashley lightly shoves Liara’s shoulder.

“Uh, Captain?” Joker’s voice crackles over the comm.

Ashley sighs with a distinct tone of I don’t want to hear it. "Yeah?"

“We’ve got a ship on intercept course. Unknown configuration.”

“Keep us quiet,” she says. “I’m on my way.” She gestures for Olivia to follow her.

Olivia stands and takes one last sip of coffee. "Keep working on the AA guns," she tells Nico before following Ashley.

“What’s the likelihood this is just a coincidence?” Ashley asks once they’re both in the elevator and rising.

There’s math she could do to figure out the exact probability, but Olivia knows a rhetorical question when she hears it. “First time for everything,” she says.

“They’re hailing us,” Joker says when they walk into the cockpit. “Unknown frequency.” He turns in his seat and looks at Ashley. “What do you want me to do?”

"They shouldn't even be able to see us," Ashley says.

"And yet." Joker gestures to the communication panel and its blinking light.

Ashley waits a moment, shares a long look with Olivia, and then shrugs. “Here’s hoping no one’s dumb enough to fire on us,” she says. “And here’s hoping today isn’t the day that logic runs out. Answer it.”

The viewscreen flickers on. Olivia smiles.

“Heard you were on a rescue mission,” Solana says, Quentus standing behind her. “Anything we can do to help?”

#oh lord on high how was i tagging this #s:set your flag #i know that much???#anyway it's been a hot minute since this got updated so whoops here we are

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dylan-o-yumm · 5 years

Text

ABC's - Nero (DMC)

ABC’s of Nero (these have been done for Nero a few times I think but I wanted to have a go lol)

To the people who sent in request, I'm in the middle of writing them out! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you!

A = Aftercare (What they're like after sex)

Nero will help clean you up nice and softly before wrapping you up in his arms and pressing delicate kisses on your head and shoulder… probably a fan of pillow talk.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners)

He isn't very self conscious when it comes to his looks (besides his arm) he is very confident with his chest and abs. He loves your thighs and hands, loving to either pinch your thighs or hold your hands while being intimate.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I'm a disgusting person)

Nero is a smart boy. He'll make sure to use protection therefore always cumming inside a condom. However, if you're on the pill and he's comfortable enough with you, he'll cum inside you. Not a fan of cumming on your face but will release all over your butt and stomach depending on the position.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory,a dirty secret of theirs)

If Nero is away from you, he won't shy away from masturbation. He'll even go as far as humping his pillow while thinking of you. Also likes having his hair pulled but will never admit it out loud.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they're doing?)

He might be a little awkward when it comes to romance (dates, first kiss, holding hands, etc) but when it comes to sex, his confidence comes out and his cockiness makes him seem like he knows what he's doing, even if he doesn't. He is actually very skillful and will have you a moaning mess within seconds

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably exclude a visual)

Missionary. Likes to be able to see your face and hold your hand while pounding you. He likes a little romance in bed so these little things make him feel warm and safe. Also likes pinning you against walls with your legs wrapped around his waist and his hands gripping your thighs...

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment or are they humorous, etc)

More serious than goofy but won't shy away from tickling you and getting you to laugh. When he hasn't shaved in a while, he'll rub his prickly face against your neck when kissing you, loving how you giggle and attempt to tickle him back.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc?)

For some reason I like to imagine he's very smooth… maybe a little hair on his chest and maybe a little happy trail that will tease you anytime he's walking around shirtless, as if drawing your eyes towards his crotch… but other than that he is pretty much hairless everywhere else

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

He will shower you with compliments and maybe give you a little massage to get you in the mood. He wants you to be very comfortable with him, more than anything. Not really a fan of flower petals and music though, much preferring to get you in the mood himself.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcannon)

Nero prefers to be comfortable in his bed when he jerks off, but somehow always ends up in the shower instead. He'll lean against the wall and let the water clean up his mess afterwards. He will surprisingly do this a lot when you're not around...

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Loves having his hair pulled, praise kink (both giving and receiving), little bit of roleplay but not too much… and secretly loves being dominated, so that includes being blindfolded, teased and doesn't like to be restrained but also does???

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

Bed… and that's about it. He isn't one for any kind of public places cause if someone else sees you naked he'll get pissed off cause you're for his eyes only. He'll shower with you some times though… So yeah, bed and shower.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

When you wear anything that shows off your thighs. If you wear his clothes. If you rub your hands over his shoulders and/or waist. If you kiss his neck. If you are in charge and tell him what to do/what not to do (specifically in the bedroom) A lot of things get him going…

N = NO (Something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

Anything that hurts you, is a BIG no no. He doesn't mind a little bit of pain on his end, but he can't stand the thought of anything hurting you, let alone himself. The only time he gets a little too rough is with his thrusts when he can't control himself (probably from you teasing him for three days straight). He also isn't into inviting other people into the bedroom, so threesomes, foursomes and all that are off limits for him. Also isn't a fan of humiliation.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Prefers to be the one giving rather than receiving. He knows how much you love it so he won't do it too often, making it feel a thousand times better when he finally does. He's very skillful with his mouth and knows it, so if you're in a bad mood he'll cockily say something about how his tongue can help you feel better.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

I mean… he always starts out slow and sensual. But if you've been teasing him for a while or if he's just feeling really needy then he'll let loose a little and accidentally get a little rough. He will apologize for being so rough with you afterwards but you have to remind him that you're not made of glass. And if you happened to like it a little rough, then you should definitely let him know…

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

He isn't against quickies but definitely much prefers to be more intimate in a bed rather than quickly catching a release in the back of Nico’s van while she's out. However, if he hasn't had alone time with you for a while he will definitely pull you into the small shower inside the van and have his way with you there. Anywhere that isn't the van or in his own home is a big no no for him though.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Literally only okay with taking the risk of getting caught inside the van. He knows Nico would never let him hear the end of it, but if it's a chance to piss her off while having a little fun with you… then he'll take it.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they last for, how long do they last...)

Okay this depends on who's in charge. If it's him, then he can go about 4-5 maybe even 6 rounds before he is struggling to keep himself on top of you without crushing you. If you're in charge (that includes teasing him constantly and maybe having denied his orgasms previously) he'll only last about 3 before he's almost in tears from over stimulation. But he secretly loves that…

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

I feel like Nero wouldn't have toys, but he'd find things around the house the use instead. You wanna blindfold him? He's handing you one of your scarfs with a cheeky grin on his face. He wants to be gagged? Why not use your panties? So yeah, things like that… Among other things ; )

U = Unfair (How much do they like to tease)

Not a very patient guy, so he knows that if he wants to tease you, he's also teasing himself because he has to wait. That doesn't mean he doesn't like to tease you constantly. He loves when you tease him though, thinks you're very rude whilst you're doing it but afterwards he realises just how good you are at it.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make)

He is pretty quiet, biting his lip to stop himself from being too loud otherwise he'll get all flustered if he moans too loudly. But, if you're riding him with him pinned under you, exactly where you want him… he'll be very loud, unable to keep quiet. Make sure to fulfill his praise kink by telling him how much you love the sounds he makes.

W = Wildcard (Get a random headcannon for the character of your choice)

Teared up the first time you had sex with him because it felt so good. Which he pretends was just allergies because he's got a reputation to uphold. Heaven forbid Dante or Nico ever find out about that fun little fact…

X = X-ray (Let's see what's going on in those pants, picture or words)

He is pretty average in length but makes up for it in girth. Pink tip, veins along underside of his shaft with a slight upward curve.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Wants to have sex with you at least once a day, maybe more. He'd go as many times as you want because he wants to please you, no matter who's in charge.

Z = ZZZ (...how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

No matter how tired Nero is, he'll always make sure to clean you both up with a wet towel before he even let's himself lie down to relax. He will talk with you while you cuddle up to him and it isn't until he's sure you're sound asleep that he will let himself doze off.

Should I do one of these for Leon?

308 notes · View notes

bookloversreviewer · 5 years

Text

We're celebrating the release of Light My Fire by Jessica Ruben! One-click yours now!

Light My Fire (Sex. Rock. Mafia. #1) by Jessica Ruben

Cover by: Okay Creations

NA Contemporary Romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46641148-light-my-fire

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2noGWkE

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2nppUD7

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2oYFC8L

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2nfSJlz

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2mrEKIU

From Amazon bestselling author Jessica Ruben comes a hot new Romance…

He saved me from war.

Fed me when I was in too much pain to eat.

Smuggled me and my family into America when it became too dangerous to stay.

But, Nico didn’t flee with us.

While I began elementary school in the United States, he was building the greatest and toughest Mafia of the century.

The Mafia Shqiptare.

Nico is now King of all underground trades.

Sexy. Aggressive. Brilliant.

After years of nothing but silence, he’s back in my life,

Ready to do whatever it takes to bring me into his universe.

He isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

EXCERPT:

“It’s your brother,” he says matter-of-factly. “But you probably knew that already.”

My stomach drops. Agron.

“It seems he’s been stealing from some of my associates.” His voice is completely devoid of any feeling. “He was dealing for them and keeping a little bit of product for himself. Sometimes, he used it; other times, he sold it. But after a while, people began to notice. He ran to the Shqipe for help.”

I want to blink, but I cannot move.

“I gave him the money to pay those debts. And now, I’m the one he owes. I figured I could use him to do some small-time work, get my money back that way.” He takes a sip of his wine, completely unfazed. “And then I hear, Agron wants a firm spot in my world. Gave one of my men a whole story that the Mafia Shqiptare is where he’s meant to be.

“As we both know, your brother has always been a loose cannon. Arguably, untrustworthy. I knew him when he was a kid, but I’m a firm believer that people don’t change.” He stops speaking, continuing to dig into his food.

Meanwhile, I’m worried mine is going to come back up. Hearing this about my brother isn’t a surprise, but it’s painful nonetheless.

I take another sip of my wine, hoping it will calm me or at least give the illusion I’m relaxed. Unfortunately, my hand trembles, and the glass shakes, giving me away. Nico notices, of course.

He clears his throat, putting his fork down. “There is something I need from you. And if you give me what I want, I’ll protect your brother from the other gangs by giving him a spot in the Shqipe. You do not have to agree to the arrangement. But if you do, there is no end to it until I decide it’s over.” He settles into a forward-lean position, big arms resting on the glass table and shirtsleeves pulled up to the center of his strong, corded forearms. Everything about him, from his body language to his words, spells dominance.

I open and then shut my mouth.

Nico looks me up and down, his gaze stormy and hot.

Is Nico going to ask me for sex? It wouldn’t be unheard of in these crazy circles. But I have a limit, and whoring myself out for the sake of my brother is a no-go. No. Impossible. Never.

“What I need is simple,” he continues casually, the look in his eyes extinguished. “There is a new family I’m aiming to do business with. They’re the type who like to work with men who are … settled down. I know how loyal you are to your word. We share a language and customs. You will act as my wife when I request it.”

“I have school.” I lick my lips. I can’t let go of my future. Not for Agron and not for anyone. I won’t!

“You can go back for your studies”—he nods—“finish your degree. But when I call, you must come.”

“This arrangement,” I start, pointing between himself and me, “it’s just for public purposes, r-right? Nothing private you’re expecting or illegal?” I can’t help my stutter. I want to stay strong in the face of all of this, but it’s getting difficult.

Nico looks over my shoulder, and I turn my head, finding no one behind me. When I refocus on him, he’s fuming. He knows what I’m insinuating.

He grits his teeth. “You aren’t my whore, Elira. And I’m not going to ask you to do my dirty work either.” His eyes are hard.

Is he offended?

“Take my proposal at face value.” He finishes his drink. His huge hand places the delicate crystal glass on the table. “There is no hidden agenda. You pretend to be my wife, come when I call you, and act as I expect, and in return, I will bring your brother into my fold, making sure that no outsider kills him. If you walk away, he’s on his own.”

“He wants to work for you. He will do a good job for you.” I swallow hard.

He cocks his head to the side, like he’s calling bullshit. “Agron’s best asset is that he is related to you.”

I shift, but the weight of my body feels like it’s doubled. “And if he’s within the Shqipe, the other groups won’t be able to touch him?”

“That’s right.”

Quiet descends upon our discussion, but my mind shrieks. The skeptical part of me is on questioning overdrive. “What kind of events would be required of me?”

He takes another bite of food. “We’d travel. Dinners. Things like that.”

I wait to hear more, things along the lines of dungeons and sex slave, but thankfully, it doesn’t come. “So, all I have to do is pretend we’re married?”

He nods. “Yes. Exactly.”

“But what about when this business thing you need me for is complete? What will happen to Agron then?”

His lips quirk up. “You’re very loyal, Elira.”

“He’s my brother.” What else can I say? I want and need Agron to stay safe and alive. This is clearly his best shot.

“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I would take this offer then if you are so keen on making sure he stays out of trouble.”

“You’ll swear to that?”

“My oath is my bond.”

I know he’s telling the truth. For people like us, honor is everything.

I wait for him to elaborate some more, but he doesn’t. Surprisingly, I feel my nose twitch. I was expecting him to mention something, anything, about before. About what we had. But he doesn’t. And I’m not about to either. I just want to get the hell out of here. I want to go back in time and tell myself not to have that damn cigarette. I wish I’d flagged Jack down when he was circled by those girls and claimed him for myself. Instead, I made one fucking choice, and now, here I am, in front of Nico, my life on crazy ground.

“It’s late.” Nico shifts in his chair. “You’ll stay tonight and think. Tomorrow morning, give me your answer. Regardless of what you choose, I’ll have my car bring you back to school.” He stands up, twisting the fancy gold watch around his wrist. “When you’re finished eating, Maria will bring you back to your room.”

“I want to leave tonight.” Some of my bravado from before is gone. Beneath the strong girl is plain me—a college kid from Tobeho. Here is the last place I want to stay.

“Until I have your answer, you aren’t allowed to take one step out of my sight.” He stands up to his full menacing height, and in this moment, he truly scares me. He doesn’t give a shit about what we had—that much is clear.

I force myself upright, refusing to cower.

Seemingly satisfied, he walks away.

“What an asshole,” I curse under my breath.

He snaps, “What did you call me?” His stubborn jaw gives him a stony expression.

My stomach drops to my knees.

“Something to remember.” He saunters back to where I sit. “I will not be seen with a woman who doesn’t look polished or well-raised. I know who you are and where you come from. Act like the woman you ought to be or forget the deal.” And with those final cutting words, he’s gone.

About the Author:

Jessica Ruben lives and works in New York City, where she spends her days dominating in the court room as an attorney. Come nightfall, she writes romances centering on gorgeous alpha males and the intelligent women who love them.

Jessica is an insatiable reader, and will devour a few books a week without batting an eyelash. Books have always been her drug of choice, and she has no plans on detox anytime soon. She has three wildly delicious children and a husband who, for reasons unimaginable to her, loves her brand of crazy.

http://jessicarubenauthor.com

0 notes

bookloversreviewer · 5 years

Text

We're celebrating the release of Light My Fire by Jessica Ruben! One-click yours now!

Light My Fire (Sex. Rock. Mafia. #1) by Jessica Ruben

Cover by: Okay Creations

NA Contemporary Romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46641148-light-my-fire

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2noGWkE

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2nppUD7

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2oYFC8L

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2nfSJlz

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2mrEKIU

From Amazon bestselling author Jessica Ruben comes a hot new Romance…

He saved me from war.

Fed me when I was in too much pain to eat.

Smuggled me and my family into America when it became too dangerous to stay.

But, Nico didn’t flee with us.

While I began elementary school in the United States, he was building the greatest and toughest Mafia of the century.

The Mafia Shqiptare.

Nico is now King of all underground trades.

Sexy. Aggressive. Brilliant.

After years of nothing but silence, he’s back in my life,

Ready to do whatever it takes to bring me into his universe.

He isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

EXCERPT:

“It’s your brother,” he says matter-of-factly. “But you probably knew that already.”

My stomach drops. Agron.

I want to blink, but I cannot move.

Meanwhile, I’m worried mine is going to come back up. Hearing this about my brother isn’t a surprise, but it’s painful nonetheless.

I take another sip of my wine, hoping it will calm me or at least give the illusion I’m relaxed. Unfortunately, my hand trembles, and the glass shakes, giving me away. Nico notices, of course.

I open and then shut my mouth.

Nico looks me up and down, his gaze stormy and hot.

Is Nico going to ask me for sex? It wouldn’t be unheard of in these crazy circles. But I have a limit, and whoring myself out for the sake of my brother is a no-go. No. Impossible. Never.

“I have school.” I lick my lips. I can’t let go of my future. Not for Agron and not for anyone. I won’t!

“You can go back for your studies”—he nods—“finish your degree. But when I call, you must come.”

Nico looks over my shoulder, and I turn my head, finding no one behind me. When I refocus on him, he’s fuming. He knows what I’m insinuating.

He grits his teeth. “You aren’t my whore, Elira. And I’m not going to ask you to do my dirty work either.” His eyes are hard.

Is he offended?

“He wants to work for you. He will do a good job for you.” I swallow hard.

He cocks his head to the side, like he’s calling bullshit. “Agron’s best asset is that he is related to you.”

I shift, but the weight of my body feels like it’s doubled. “And if he’s within the Shqipe, the other groups won’t be able to touch him?”

“That’s right.”

Quiet descends upon our discussion, but my mind shrieks. The skeptical part of me is on questioning overdrive. “What kind of events would be required of me?”

He takes another bite of food. “We’d travel. Dinners. Things like that.”

I wait to hear more, things along the lines of dungeons and sex slave, but thankfully, it doesn’t come. “So, all I have to do is pretend we’re married?”

He nods. “Yes. Exactly.”

“But what about when this business thing you need me for is complete? What will happen to Agron then?”

His lips quirk up. “You’re very loyal, Elira.”

“He’s my brother.” What else can I say? I want and need Agron to stay safe and alive. This is clearly his best shot.

“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I would take this offer then if you are so keen on making sure he stays out of trouble.”

“You’ll swear to that?”

“My oath is my bond.”

I know he’s telling the truth. For people like us, honor is everything.

“I want to leave tonight.” Some of my bravado from before is gone. Beneath the strong girl is plain me—a college kid from Tobeho. Here is the last place I want to stay.

I force myself upright, refusing to cower.

Seemingly satisfied, he walks away.

“What an asshole,” I curse under my breath.

He snaps, “What did you call me?” His stubborn jaw gives him a stony expression.

My stomach drops to my knees.

About the Author:

http://jessicarubenauthor.com

0 notes

bookloversreviewer · 5 years

Text

Take a peek inside Light My Fire by Jessica Ruben! Don't forget to add it to your TBR!

Light My Fire (Sex. Rock. Mafia. #1) by Jessica Ruben

Cover by: Okay Creations

NA Contemporary Romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46641148-light-my-fire

From Amazon bestselling author Jessica Ruben comes a hot new Romance…

He saved me from war.

Fed me when I was in too much pain to eat.

Smuggled me and my family into America when it became too dangerous to stay.

But, Nico didn’t flee with us.

While I began elementary school in the United States, he was building the greatest and toughest Mafia of the century.

The Mafia Shqiptare.

Nico is now King of all underground trades.

Sexy. Aggressive. Brilliant.

After years of nothing but silence, he’s back in my life,

Ready to do whatever it takes to bring me into his universe.

He isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

EXCERPT:

“It’s your brother,” he says matter-of-factly. “But you probably knew that already.”

My stomach drops. Agron.

I want to blink, but I cannot move.

Meanwhile, I’m worried mine is going to come back up. Hearing this about my brother isn’t a surprise, but it’s painful nonetheless.

I take another sip of my wine, hoping it will calm me or at least give the illusion I’m relaxed. Unfortunately, my hand trembles, and the glass shakes, giving me away. Nico notices, of course.

I open and then shut my mouth.

Nico looks me up and down, his gaze stormy and hot.

Is Nico going to ask me for sex? It wouldn’t be unheard of in these crazy circles. But I have a limit, and whoring myself out for the sake of my brother is a no-go. No. Impossible. Never.

“I have school.” I lick my lips. I can’t let go of my future. Not for Agron and not for anyone. I won’t!

“You can go back for your studies”—he nods—“finish your degree. But when I call, you must come.”

Nico looks over my shoulder, and I turn my head, finding no one behind me. When I refocus on him, he’s fuming. He knows what I’m insinuating.

He grits his teeth. “You aren’t my whore, Elira. And I’m not going to ask you to do my dirty work either.” His eyes are hard.

Is he offended?

“He wants to work for you. He will do a good job for you.” I swallow hard.

He cocks his head to the side, like he’s calling bullshit. “Agron’s best asset is that he is related to you.”

I shift, but the weight of my body feels like it’s doubled. “And if he’s within the Shqipe, the other groups won’t be able to touch him?”

“That’s right.”

Quiet descends upon our discussion, but my mind shrieks. The skeptical part of me is on questioning overdrive. “What kind of events would be required of me?”

He takes another bite of food. “We’d travel. Dinners. Things like that.”

I wait to hear more, things along the lines of dungeons and sex slave, but thankfully, it doesn’t come. “So, all I have to do is pretend we’re married?”

He nods. “Yes. Exactly.”

“But what about when this business thing you need me for is complete? What will happen to Agron then?”

His lips quirk up. “You’re very loyal, Elira.”

“He’s my brother.” What else can I say? I want and need Agron to stay safe and alive. This is clearly his best shot.

“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I would take this offer then if you are so keen on making sure he stays out of trouble.”

“You’ll swear to that?”

“My oath is my bond.”

I know he’s telling the truth. For people like us, honor is everything.

“I want to leave tonight.” Some of my bravado from before is gone. Beneath the strong girl is plain me—a college kid from Tobeho. Here is the last place I want to stay.

I force myself upright, refusing to cower.

Seemingly satisfied, he walks away.

“What an asshole,” I curse under my breath.

He snaps, “What did you call me?” His stubborn jaw gives him a stony expression.

My stomach drops to my knees.

About the Author:

http://jessicarubenauthor.com

0 notes