#he said i am STANDING on a FIRE TRUCK

[loosethreadsofyoursoul]

bobby nash, 9-1-1 8x03 final approach promo 🚨

[andy-15-07]

Another request 🤭… this one is about Javier Peña x gf/reader in which they’re both DEA agents and she’s goes to investigate something along with other policemen but the cartel ambushes them and when Javi finds out he thinks she’s dead and feels aghast until they reunite and make up for the time they went apart.

Only You Make It Home

PAIRING:Javier Pena x reader

WORD COUNT: 1275| requests are open (send requests, I will gladly answer them all)

Pedro Pascal Masterlist | Pedro Pascal Masterlist II

Joel Miller Masterlist

You’d told him not to wait up. Just another routine sweep , intel about a stash house on the outskirts of Medellín, a couple of local cops to back you up, an easy in and out.

But Javi knows better than to trust easy.

He’d watched you shrug into your Kevlar, tucking your hair under your cap, the stubborn set of your mouth when he’d told you to be careful. Always am, Peña, you’d tossed back at him with a grin that didn’t quite reach your eyes.

Now it’s been four hours past when you said you’d be back. Four hours of him pacing the embassy floor, chain-smoking on the balcony, radio static fizzing in and out with chatter that never says your name.

When the call finally comes, it’s worse than he expected.

Ambush. Cartel got wind of it. Bodies down. No confirmation. Stay put.

The words buzz in his ear like hornets. He barely hears Messina barking at him to stand down as he’s shoving his gun into his holster, grabbing the keys off the table.

He drives like he’s chasing the devil himself through the dirt roads, gravel spitting under the tires, the headlights cutting through the thick, wet dark.

The house is still smoking when he gets there. Flashing blue and red lights flicker against the jungle edge. Police radios crackle, men with rifles stand in knots by the burnt-out shell of a truck. He doesn’t see you. He doesn’t see you anywhere.

A local cop tries to stop him at the tape , Javi shoves him aside with a snarl, ignoring the shouts behind him. He steps over shattered glass, scorched papers, bullet casings glinting under his boots. His heart slams against his ribs so hard it makes him sick.

God, please. Not you. Not you.

They tell him what they know , not much. It happened fast. Automatic fire out of nowhere. A truck on fire. Two officers dead. The others scattered. Nobody saw you go down, but nobody’s seen you come out either.

He feels like he’s floating outside his body when he kicks through the wreckage, calling your name over the hush of the jungle. Nothing. He calls again. Louder. Then softer. Like maybe if he whispers it you’ll answer him back.

He’s halfway to dropping to his knees in the mud when a voice behind him croaks his name.

“Javi?”

He spins so fast it makes him dizzy. And there you are , half-limping, half-dragging yourself out of the trees, hair stuck to your forehead with sweat and blood. Your vest is hanging crooked, one shoulder strap blown open, your lips cracked and trembling.

For a second, he thinks he’s hallucinating.

Then you’re stumbling forward, and he’s running, catching you in his arms so hard it knocks the wind out of both of you.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he rasps, burying his face in your hair, his hands skimming your arms, your ribs, your neck like he doesn’t know where to touch first. “Fuck , I thought , baby, I thought,”

“I know,” you breathe into his neck, voice raw. “I know. I’m here. I’m here, Javi.”

You’re shaking so hard you can’t stand on your own. He sinks with you into the mud, holding you in his lap, rocking you against his chest while the sirens flicker and someone calls your name over a radio.

Back at the safe house, the adrenaline wears off like a slap. You let him peel your filthy clothes off, his big hands gentle on your bruised arms, your scraped knees. He patches you up in the yellow kitchen light , disinfectant stinging, your soft hiss swallowed by the way he kisses your shoulder, your hairline, the shell of your ear.

“You could’ve been dead,” he mutters, voice hoarse as his thumbs brush ointment onto a shallow cut on your temple. “Fuckin’ Christ, baby, you could’ve,”

“But I’m not.” You catch his wrist, pressing his hand to your cheek. “I’m not, Javi. I’m right here.”

He leans in, forehead to yours, eyes closed like he’s praying. Or cursing. Or both.

“You don’t get to leave me like that. You hear me?” he growls against your mouth. “You don’t ever get to fuckin’ leave me.”

You end up on the bed before either of you really decides to. One minute you’re wiping tears off his jaw with your thumbs, the next he’s kissing you like he’s furious you’re alive but more furious you ever almost weren’t.

Your back hits the mattress, his big hands pinning your wrists above your head. His mouth is all teeth and heat, the scrape of his mustache making you shiver when he licks into your mouth.

“Javi,” you gasp when his knee nudges your thighs apart, his hips pressing down heavy, solid, safe.

“You don’t know,” he pants into your throat, his voice cracking on the edges. “You don’t fuckin’ know what that did to me. Thinking you were, gone, fuck,”

“I’m here,” you breathe, wrapping your legs around him, pulling him down harder. “I’m right here. Take it, baby. Take what you need.”

He curses, tearing his shirt over his head, dragging yours up until you’re bare under him. He kisses you everywhere , your collarbone, your ribs, the bruises blooming purple on your hip where you hit the ground.

“Should kill you for scaring me like that,” he rasps, licking a tear off your cheek, his hand sliding between your thighs.

“You’d miss me too much,” you tease, gasping when his fingers find you wet and aching.

“Damn right,” he growls, slipping two thick fingers inside you, thumb brushing your clit until you’re arching off the bed, the sound of your slick filling the room. “Gonna remind you who you fuckin’ belong to.”

“Always you,” you gasp, your hips bucking into his hand. “Always you, Javi,”

He hushes you with his mouth , biting your lower lip, sucking your tongue into his mouth like he can’t stand to let you say anything else that doesn’t start and end with his name.

When he sinks inside you it’s deep , punishing but sweet, every thrust driving that panic and fear right out of both of you until there’s nothing left but you and him and the soft creak of the bed.

You come first , a sharp, bitten-off cry muffled by his lips. He fucks you through it, chasing his own high like a man starved for it, for you, for the feel of your heat wrapped tight around him.

When he groans your name against your throat and spills inside you, it’s not rough , it’s relief. It’s worship. It’s I thought I’d lost you, but I didn’t. You’re here. You’re mine.

After, you lie tangled in sweat-damp sheets, his chest warm under your cheek, his hand spread wide over your back like he’s holding you to the earth.

“You know I’d tear the whole fuckin’ jungle apart if I had to,” he murmurs into your hair, his voice softer now, raw around the edges. “Bring you back. Every time.”

You smile, pressing a kiss to his chest, right over the steady thud of his heart.

“I know,” you whisper. “And I’d crawl through hell just to come home to you.”

He laughs, low and tired and warm. His hand slides to your jaw, tilting your face up so he can kiss you soft, slow , nothing to prove, nothing left unsaid.

“Good,” he murmurs against your lips. “Then we’re fuckin’ clear.”

And you are. You always will be , so long as he comes for you, so long as you come home to him.

[etheries1015]

We all always do General Lilia with Human Reader but NEVER

General Lilia and Fae Reader

What you gon do? Spit out another angst right in my face? Come fight me coward

My first thought to this was to raise an eyebrow and inquire: "How could that possibly be angsty? Fae Lilia falling in love with Fae reader, they could live their lives out the way they want, and have ample time to bask in one another company! Doesn't this sound like the perfect win-win scenario?"

But then it hit me like a truck.

General Lilia X Fae! Reader - The fae with a dream

General warnings: Gender-neutral reader, angst w/ no comfort. Not proofread. slightly rushed ending..? let me know if you have suggestions and I can update and edit accordingly.

TW: Morbid descriptions of Death, emetophobia. Please make me aware if I missed anything and I shall update this section.

General Lilia was used to seeing death all around him. Humans and fae alike fallen into the fire of war losing their lives for...what? Power over one another? A battle of whose race is superior? Seemingly meaningless in the end, for why should the fae fight to prove their worth to live equally in a world where humans simply feared their magic and mystery? That's what made Fae beautiful, after all. And if the humans could just come to understand that their magic isn't all that heinous, perhaps they could find peace with their existence.

That was what you had said, at least.

"All this fighting is just so...pointless," You sighed to the general in your shared camp, "If all they fear is our magic, don't you think we should have some sort of civil conversation to-"

"(y/n)." Lilia sternly said, a scowl on his lips telling you all you really need to know with his displeasure of the topic, "Humans will never understand us. They fear us, and that's all the reason they need to kill our people. Do not try and speak words of peace when they obviously have no interest in hearing us out." You bit your lip to hold back the words of disagreement, something so like you. Always a peace maker, not wanting confrontation, especially not with him.

But he also knew better than anyone just how reckless you can get to obtain that peace, every day that passes by he wishes you spoke to him first before jumping into the noble idea that ultimately took your life.

He noticed the way you fought became sloppy, he could tell you were holding back your magical abilities in some sick and twisted mercy for the humans. He admired how strongly you dreamed of a world where the two races could live in peace, but he was disappointed in how naive and stupid you were to hold back during a battle for your life and the lives of your comrades. The general made certain to make you aware your actions had consequences, breaking your heart in the process.

The long-haired male looked down at you in distaste, blood red eyes squinting in authority and lips tilted in a disgusted frown as he grabbed you by the back of your hair and roughly pushed you into the tent. You let out a feeble cry mix of shock and pain, tears pouring down your mud-stained cheeks as the rough force of his push left you plummeting to the ground.

"Your actions as of late have been incredibly foolish and put the entire army at risk, (y/n)," He growled, "What were you thinking? Sneaking off with a human?! Do not think I have not noticed this past month what you have been up to," His voice raised in fury, a low growl the back of his throat, "Why can't you understand that they don't-"

"They do care!" You cried out, "Lilia, please! T-they just need-"

"They need to back down from the war and stop slaughtering our people. If they cannot do that, then I need you to fight by my side, as my subordinate. Do not forget who your leader is here. I am your general, and you abide by my orders. If you continue to deliberately go against what we stand for, I have no choice but to remove you from this battle and banish you to scullery work. Humans do not care about peace, they do not want peace, and they have no intention of doing so. What in your right mind makes you think you could change that outcome? You are nothing but an easy target for them to potentially squeeze information out of. Nothing less, nothing more. Do you understand?"

Lilias heart broke at the sight of you remaining on the ground, slowly sitting up and nodding with the light in your eyes fading. He felt a knife twist in the pit of his stomach and thought back to a conversation he had with Baul the previous night.

"You give (y/n) far too much leeway! I'm sure you've noticed, but the past month they have been participating in sneaking away to talk to some...humans.

"I'm aware, Baul. I've been following them and listening in on their conversations from afar." Lilia grunted, prodding away at the fire. His companion scoffed at this revelation, raising angry eyebrows and pointing an accusing finger towards the General.

"You were aware of this?! Why have you not stopped it sooner? Are you agreeing with their silly fantasy of changing the hearts of humans and making peace with those...things?" His voice raised in agitation. Lilia avoided his gaze, for he knew Baul had a point.

"I understand your concerns, however, They truly have the intention of changing their hearts, and if anyone could, I want to believe in (y/n). They are very persuasive, and perhaps this war..."

"Will never end until the humans surrender. Lilia, You are allowing your feelings for (y/n) to severely cloud your judgment! We both know that stupid fae is too trusting for their own good. This could compromise our position, and I don't trust them to keep their mouth shut."

"I have it handled-"

"Do you?" Baul interrupted, standing up, "Because it seems to me you are failing your duty as the general of the fae army right now. Failing our queen, failing Meleanor. Have you forgotten which side you are on? How many of our people died by their hands? And you wish to believe a singular fae with silly dreams could possibly persuade them to put this war to an end?" Lilia kept his mouth shut, staring at the fire before him, hunched over as his partner walked past him.

"The general I follow does not show mercy for humans, nor allows his heart to be swayed by such drivel. I sincerely hope you take care of this issue before I handle it myself."

Lilia had told himself it was better this way, to straighten you out with harsh words in hopes to dissuade you from becoming overzealous and taking advantage of his obvious favoritism towards you. He had to draw a line; you were an important part of his army and to him. He couldn't risk losing you, someone who has stayed by his side from day one.

Sighing with frustration for himself and the situation, Lilia walked up to your silently crying figure and bent down, pressing his forehead against yours attempting to pull your gaze towards his own.

"I can't lose you," He whispered, eyes peering into yours wide with concern, "Please, please understand where I am coming from. You are the only family I know. Think of Levan, and Meleanor. Think of the Valley. Think of our home, our people, and...our future together," His voice trembled slightly, coming out almost in a begging tone. You bit your lip and swallowed a sob, taking a shaky breath in and reaching your hands up to cup his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," you whispered back, a moment of silence reigning.

He knew something was wrong the second you said that. You apologized, not as if you were guilty for your actions, but as if you were saying...goodbye. He could feel it deeply in the pit of his stomach that if he let go in this moment, if he allowed you to leave, he would never see you again. in a final desperate attempt he breathed in sharply before in a boost of confidence roughly pressing his lips against your own, ignoring the yelp of surprise escaping your mouth. You soon found yourself kissing him back with equal force, the sob that you held back coming to the surface as you cried into the kiss and salty tears pouring down your eyes and mixing with the passion. Lilia pulled away and pressed his forehead against yours once more, interlocking his fingers with yours. You continued to cry.

"We're going to make it out of this war together, right?" His voice cracked, "We-we're...we're going to live the rest of our lives together and happy in the valley with Levan and Meleanor, and we're going to meet Malleus together, right?" When you didn't reply and simply dug your head into the crook of his shoulder, the general held you tightly with his rough embrace and simply allowed silence to overcome. There wasn't anything left to say.

It was inevitable for him to let you go and return to his duties. He was general, after all, which meant plenty of meetings and strategy planning had to be done, as well as updates to the queen. You had said your goodbyes, stars had completely painted the sky and the sun fully set to rest. While returning to the camp, Lilia had a strong uneasy feeling as the events that transpired prior to his departure left his heart in a state of unrest and beating frantically, as if trying to tell the General something.

That unsettling feeling was confirmed when you were nowhere to be found, and you hadn't been seen for the past few hours when he had left. Angered at the lack of information and of the unknown variables, Lilia barked orders for everyone to disperse and try and find where you might have wandered off to. Many disagreed with this; stating that fae wandering off was not uncommon, that you were able to protect yourself, that perhaps in the morning they would search. Baul, in respect of Lilia, had been the only one to agree although reluctantly to involve himself in the search of where you had gone.

Light touched the forest before you were found.

dead.

I could go into gruesome detail, but I shall spare the details. All you need to understand is how it stood; a truly disgusting and unruly sight. The way you were placed was almost as if they were being taunted, and mocked. You were almost used as a morbid warning from the humans, it was a disgusting and disrespectful way to die. Baul and Lilia stared in absolute horror at your lifeless body, jaw ajar and heart racing faster than it ever had before. He thought about how mere hours ago his lips were upon yours, you were safe in his tight grasp, nodding in understanding as he listed off the ways in which you would live your long life together, making it past this horrible war.

Even the General could not hold back the urge to vomit, doubling over in pain and anguish as his throat burned and eyes blurry with tears. Baul had to look away, tears pricking the side of his eyes and biting his bottom lip to prevent himself from sharing the same fate Lilia had. You were gone, and there was nothing else to do but scream.

The second to worst part of this was returning to the camp, without you following him as you normally would. The generals eyes were truly dark and empty this time, heading directly to his tent. The same tent he had chastised you in, hoping to avoid this exact situation. He kept repeating in his head the ways in which the two of you would have lived together. He was supposed to propose to you after the war ended, he was supposed to build a home for the two of you to share your lives together, you were supposed to stay by his side and experience new places together, you were supposed to die together. There was nothing to explain just how badly his heart yearned for you in the many years you had known each other, the way you accepted him while most fae turned him away, you were a part of his circle of most trusted people in his life. And now you were gone, and he could not stop seeing flashes of your smiling face soon replaced with your lifeless display. A truly revolting truth of war, a war he was determined to end.

He then noticed on his bed, a letter. With shaking hands and blurry vision, Lilia weakly picked up the paper with penmanship clear as day to be identified as yours, and read it carefully.

Lilia Vanrouge,

I presume if you are reading this letter at this time, it means I failed to return from my mission. I'm sorry. I understand this is the part where you tell me "I told you so" and chastise me for being naive, and maybe so. Nonetheless, I have to do this. I plan on meeting with knight of dawn, the human I spoke to said he would be able to get me an audience and plead our case.

"that fucking idiot..." Lilia muttered, tears dripping onto the letter.

I know you are probably thinking to yourself; "that stupid idiot." And I suppose you wouldn't be wrong, even I know the high possibility of not returning. But I like to believe the good in humans, and believe that their fear could be placed at ease if we simply...talked. I understand not everything can be solved that way, but how are we to know the outcome if we do not try? You have your way of fighting, and I have mine. With my words. I love you, Lilia Vanrouge. I truly do. I wish we could spend the rest of our lives together, but I cannot see that happening if this war does not resolve with a peaceful ending. I implore you to find love in your heart for all- and love others the way you loved me. Give them your blessing, for I know you have a lot of good in your heart and room for growth. As the years pass, remember my sacrifice was for the pursuit of peace for our people, and you continue on that mindset. I believe in you and trust in you, Lilia, you will go on to do amazing things.

your love,

(y/n).

You soon became the foundation of what he believed in and continued to live on doing. After the war had ended, losing his dearest friends and beloved, Lilia stood strong in his resolve to make your sacrifice worth something. From hatching Malleus, to even becoming a father and giving the blessing to a baby human. Something you would have surely smiled at him for. With every milestone you were there with him; guiding him, parenting with him, and placing those very values you trusted into everything he had done. He had come far and liked to believe it was your words that strongly influenced him. You were right, your choice of fighting was with your words rather than your magical abilities, and it worked wonders.

Thus, there he was... Lilia Vanrouge, vice housewarden to Diasomnia of Night Raven College, watching as his three underlings sat at a table in the cafeteria enjoying a meal with a mix of races. He felt a surge of proudness and pride fill his heart with sentimental joy, sitting in the shadows re-reading that same hundred of years old note from someone he cared for deeply.

I believe in you and trust in you, Lilia.

A voice interrupted his thoughts, the short-haired fae folding the letter and tucking it safely back inside his pocket. A familiar figure walked towards him with excitement and a comforting twinkle in their eyes.

"Lilia~!" The curious human called out, The red eyed fae smiling in return and flashing a toothy grin.

"Ah, why if it isn't our precious prefect from Ramshackle. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He chuckled, floating upside down.

"I'm doing this project-" You said, holding up a notebook, "And I have to interview a few students about who impacts their lives the most. Can I interview you?" Lilia raised an eyebrow and floated down to meet your gaze, a gentle smile planted on his lips.

You were always a curious soul to him, and in many ways, he found solace in the way you spoke so cheerfully and hopefully that he had almost deluded himself into believing perhaps the fae he had once known had come back as the thing they held credence in the most; a human. That you had come back to give him a second chance to have confidence in you, come back to see what the world has accomplished in your absence, to give him peace of mind that the world has truly progressed and you were there to witness it flourish. Perhaps it was the shared name or the same sparkling eyes, but he couldn't help but have a soft spot for this human who had come into his life.

"I'd be delighted to assist you! Now, where to begin...? Ah! I know,"

"There once was a fae with a heart as noble and pure as gold, with a beautiful dream for peace across all nations..."

[loveesiren]

Champagne & Sunshine (Pt.1)

JJ Maybank x Reader

Synopsis: Y/n celebrates six months in the OBX with her best friend JJ and the rest of the Pogues. Although Kiara isn't overly happy about it.

Warnings: Alcohol, language

Word Count: 3.8k+

Y/N's POV:

You pulled up to the beach in your dad's '95 Benz Truck. The one you had just inherited for your birthday. Your dad offered to buy you a new car but you wanted this one. It was your favorite.

"There's Barbie!" You hear JJ holler as you get out of the car.

You smile, holding up two bottles of champagne. You swayed you hips, your long hair draped over your shoulder. JJ was practically drooling at the sight of you in your booty shorts and crop top, belly ring dazzling in the sunlight.

"Well if it isn't miss Kylie Jenner, ladies and gentlemen." Kiara scoffs.

"Good to see you too, Kie." You smile at her. You didn't hate Kiara. But she had a thing for JJ and it was quite literally impossible for JJ to focus on anything else when he was in your presence. You remained friendly to her. You were friendly to everyone.

"What's the special occasion, mama?" JJ asks as you approach him and wrap your arms around him. He grabs your hips and pulls you into him, his arms snaking around your lower back as he takes in your scent.

"I've officially been in the OBX for 6 months and I've made some amazing friends!" You say happily.

"Weren't you like the Kook Queen of LA? How'd you even end up with us again?" Pope asks playfully.

"Cuz this one here wouldn't leave me alone," You chuckle, pointing to JJ.

"I'm sorry, am I supposed to not be obsessed with you?" JJ smiles.

You can feel Kie rolling her eyes but you couldn't care less.

"I don't think stalking the new girl and somehow managing to fall flat on your face every time she speaks to you is the best method to getting the girl." Pope laughs.

"She's here isn't she?" JJ says, motioning to you standing right beside him.

You laugh at their exchange. "Here," You hand Pope a bottle of champagne. "I have more in the cooler," You motion to the G-Wagon. "JJ, help me out?"

"Anything for you, m'lady." He says, following you closely back to your car. You open the trunk and JJ grabs the cooler. You grab some towels and walk back over to where everyone sat on the beach.

You lay a towel down a bit further from wherever else sat and you and JJ sat down.

"There she blows!" JJ said as he popped off the cork to the champagne. You giggled as some of it spilled onto your tan skin. "Ladies first," He says, offering you the bottle.

"Such a gentlemen," You tease before pressing the bottle to your lips and taking a sip.

JJ watched you, smile wide on his face.

"Hey, if you're sick of being hit on by the Kook Klan you can come slum it with the Pogues."

You turn around to see a shaggy haired blonde boy smiling widely at you. You return a smile. "Pogues?"

"Yeah, ya know, we aren't all rich and pretentious like those ones," He nods towards Rafe and Topper, the two boys who had been on your tail all night. "But we know how to have a good time."

"Uhm, yeah, that sounds good. Kind of sick of hearing about golf." You chuckle.

"Well you're in luck, Princess! All we do is surf."

"I love surfing!" You say excitedly. "I haven't been out here yet."

"A woman after my own heart." He smiles. "I'm JJ."

"Y/N," You respond, offering your hand.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the Pogue life!" JJ says as he throws his arm around your neck and guides you down to a small fire his friends were sitting around. "Guys, this is Y/N! Y/N, this is John B, Pope, Kie, and Sarah. Sarah is Rafe's sister but she's way cooler."

"Hey guys!" You say sweetly. Everyone offers you a smile, Kie's smile was less that genuine but you didn't let it bother you.

"Holy shit, where are you from and why did you follow JJ over here?" Pope asks jokingly as he takes in your features.

Your long hair extensions, bright pink claws, your mini skirt and heels, you were obviously not from the Outer Banks and you were definitely not a Pogue.

"California! Calabasas." You smile. "You guys seem cooler than those douche bags." You laugh, turning and pointing to Rafe and Topper who were glaring in your direction.

"So sorry you had to be subjected to my brother and my ex," Sarah giggled. "They are both douchebags."

You laughed. "Yeah, I gathered that almost immediately."

You and JJ sat down. "So, Y/N, you surf?" John B asks, almost expecting you to say no. You were nice, but you definitely seemed like you'd rather spend a day at the mall than on the water.

"Yep!" You say, shocking everyone. "Used to go every day back home."

"Think you can keep up here?" JJ teased.

You turn to look at him with a flirty smile. "Barbie, eat your heart out."

Ever since you and JJ met that night, he'd been head over heels for you. You grew incredibly close to him and his friends. You'd spend your days surfing, absolutely schooling them almost every time. Days out on the Pogue, fishing and drinking. It was a whole different life than you were used to and you couldn't be happier. Truth was, you had it bad for JJ too, but you loved teasing him.

You laid down in JJ's lap, letting the sun kiss your bronze skin. He twirled your hair around in his finger. "Did you get new extensions?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was about damn time. Mine were so grown out."

"So soft..." JJ mutters as he works on braiding a small part of your hair.

"Want me to get you some extensions, J?" You giggle.

"Absolutely," He chuckles.

You take another sip of champagne before reaching your hand up and stroking your nails down JJ's leg. You could feel goosebumps form on his skin under your touch and you smiled.

It had been six months of dancing around the obvious with JJ. The way he was constantly hanging all over you, making you laugh. The way his eyes lit up when you entered the room. The way he'd stumble over his words whenever you offered a flirtatious remark.

And your actions didn't go unnoticed either. The way your long legs were always draped over his lap. The way you beamed up at him when he was goofing off. The way you blushed whenever he called you Barbie or Princess.

Never in a million years did the island of Kildare think they'd see what could be the sixth Kardashian sister pine over a "loser" like JJ Maybank but that's exactly what happened. No one ever made you feel so happy and free like JJ Maybank did.

The Pogues were happy for you both, well, except for Kiara. She was civil, but her jealousy was obvious. The Kooks, well, the Kooks hated it. Whenever they got a minute alone with you at a party they'd talk shit on JJ and your friends, saying you're too good for them. You'd just scoff and go find your best friend, grinding against him and hanging on his neck while you looked them dead in the eyes. You left your fake, pretentious friends back in Calabasas. When you moved here and met the Pogues, you became a whole new person. You finally felt like you belonged.

"Are we gonna surf or what?" Kiara asked, eyeing you and JJ being overly friendly.

"Hell yeah we're gonna surf!" You shoot up, running to your car and grabbing your board.

The waves were fierce today and you were the first one in the water, catching the first wave immediately and riding it out perfectly before the others could even catch up.

-

"She's way too good at this. I still can barely stand." Sarah says to Kie and John B.

"Yeah, when we first met her I thought there was no way she could keep up." John B replies, watching you ride out another wave.

"She's not that great," Kie scoffs.

"Come on, Kie. I know you've had a thing for JJ but Y/N is cool! And JJ seems happy, that's what's important right?" Sarah says.

Kie watches as you and JJ take on a wave together. She chews on her lip, admiring the boy she'd been in love with for so long. But Sarah was right, JJ really was happy. Happier than he'd ever been since you came into their lives.

"I am happy for him. I just wish she wasn't the only thing he cared about." Kie responds.

"He still cares about you, Kie. About all of us. He's just...he's never had...that." John B says, motioning to you. JJ had some hook ups, of course, but he'd never had a girl that was so obviously into him the way he was in her, even if they still were too shy to admit it.

"Just didn't think he'd fall for a girl like her," Kie says quietly before paddling out into the water.

-

After a long day of surfing, and finally helping Sarah ride out a full wave, you headed back to the Chateau.

"You did so good, Sarah!" You say, clanking your glass to hers before slurping down more champagne.

"I literally cannot believe I did that," She chuckles. "Thanks for teaching me."

"Any time babes!" You says, swimming over to her and kissing her on the cheek.

John B and Sarah sit across from you and JJ in the hot tub, the champagne coursing through your veins was obvious as you and JJ got more and more touchy, as you always did when the liquid courage took over.

-

Kie and Pope sat in the lawn chairs just outside the hot tub.

Kie watched as you sang the lyrics of Champagne and Sunshine, clinging to JJ as you did. The way his face lit up at the way you smiled made her frown.

"I'm sorry, Kie." Pope said, placing a hand on her knee.

"What does he see in her?"

"I don't know, I mean, she's goofy like him. She surfs. She's always happy-"

"Not helping, Pope." Kie cuts him off. Kiara had trouble seeing past the fake hair, fake nails, and fake lashes. As if those things meant your personality was fake. But you weren't fake. You were nothing but kind to everyone you met. Your feelings for JJ were genuine. You were more than happy to be a "Pogue". Even if you looked like a Kook, you wanted nothing to do with that side of the island.

"Sorry," Pope says. "I just mean, I think she's a good match for JJ. And I know that's not what you want to hear but he's happy. And you'll be happy too."

Kiara offers a small smile and nods.

"If it were me, I know who'd I choose." Pope says.

Kiara looks up at him with wide eyes. Pope offers a sympathetic smile and Kie quickly looks away, hiding the pink that was spreading across her cheeks.

-

You were all tipsy, laughing and singing along to the music. JJ's hand squeezed your hip as he brought a lighter to the joint between his lips.

You straddled his lap and he looked up at you with wide eyes. "Hey, princess!" He says, really enjoying the feeling of your clothed pussy hovering just above his member.

You looked down at the blue eyes you'd fallen so madly in love with. You smile and take the joint from between his lips. You bring it to yours and inhale deeply before passing it off to John B without taking your eyes of JJ's.

You smile, placing your hands softly on either side of JJ's jawline and pull his lips to yours, exhaling the smoke into his mouth. He inhales as he grabs the back of your neck and pulls you into him.

Your lips lock together and you can feel the electricity course through your body. Six long months of waiting for this moment. Six months of falling head over heels for your best friend.

His lips were soft, the kiss was gentle, but hungry. You could tell he'd been waiting for this minute for as long as you had.

The world disappeared around you as his tongue slipped into your mouth. Yours danced with his as you felt his arm grip your waist tighter and his fingers gently pulled at your hair.

"Ow! Ow!"

"Fucking finally!"

You smile against JJ's lips as you hear your friends holler around you. You flip them off as you continue lose yourself in the one man that's ever made you feel at home.

You don't notice Kiara storming off into the Chateau and Pope following her.

"Shit," You hear Sarah whisper.

You pull back slightly and and lock eyes with JJ, biting your lip as you try to contain your smile.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for that." JJ chuckles.

"I think I might have an idea," You tease, leaning into him and wrapping your arms around him, burying your face in his neck.

JJ places kisses along your neck and shoulder. You could feel him smile against your skin.

JJ's POV:

I can feel her smiling against my neck. Did that really just happen? I thought to myself. My absolute dream girl was clinging to me as tightly as I clung to her. Pinch me, I must be dreaming.

"You're so perfect." I mumble against her skin.

She chuckles and leans back, her Y/E/C eyes studying my face. "Shut up," She teases. I smile and bring both my hands to her hips, brushing my thumb over skin as I looked up at her. I think I'm fucking in love.

"Hey guys," John B's voice ruins the moment.

"What?" I ask, not taking my eyes off Y/N.

"Uh, don't get me wrong. I love this for you guys. But I think Kiara is upset."

Y/N's expression changes as she slides off my lap and moves away. The loss of her touch left me feeling cold even though I was immersed in the hot water.

I groan under my breath. I didn't want it to seem like I didn't care about Kie but I didn't have those feelings for her. Y/N was everything I've ever wanted. And Y/N was far too sweet. If Kie was uncomfortable, of course she was going to back off.

"I'll go talk to her," I say, hopping out of the hot tub and placing a kiss on Y/N's temple.

I see Kie and Pope on the couch when I enter the Chateau. "Kie, can we talk?" Kie looks up at me with tear stricken eyes. "Pope, scram!" I say as I sit on the coffee table across from Kiara. Pope does as he's told. "Kie, what's going on?" I ask, taking her chin and forcing her to look at me.

"Doesn't matter, JJ." She said sourly.

"It does matter! You're my best friend. Why are you upset?"

"Just go back to your valley girl," She mutters. I clench my jaw. Kiara was constantly judging Y/N for not being Pogue material. She'd never taken the time to get to know her.

"Why do you hate her?" I ask, standing up from the table and walking around the room. "What has she done to you?"

"I don't hate her JJ," Kiara begins. "I just...she's not a real Pogue! She's fake as fuck!"

"Fake hair doesn't make her fake, Kiara. You haven't even tried to be her friend."

Kiara just scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Look Kie," I sigh. "I love you. You're my best friend, okay? But I really, really like Y/N. It would mean a lot to me if you could get along with her. She's nothing but nice to you."

Kiara purses her lips and nods as she stares at the ground. "I don't think that's going to happen."

Y/N's POV:

"Fuck, I feel bad." You say, grinding your acrylic nail between your teeth.

"Don't feel bad, Y/N. JJ is obsessed with you, and it's obvious you're into him too. You guys deserve to be happy." Sarah reassures you.

"Kie's never liked me. I feel like I just came in and fucked everything up."

"You didn't," John B says. "JJ's never been happier. We all love having you around. Kie will come around in time."

JJ and Kie come out of the Chateau. They both looked unhappy and it made your stomach turn. JJ came over to you and pressed his lips to your ear. "Can we go to your place?" He asked.

JJ stayed at your house often. It wasn't a weird request. But you could tell something wasn't right in his voice.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." You say as you climb out of the hot tub. You dry yourself off with your towel and grab your bag. "We'll catch you guys tomorrow!" You say as you and JJ start towards your car.

"Hope she's still pretty when you fuck all the fake off her!" A tipsy Kiara yells after you. You and JJ stop in your tracks. You'd been nothing but nice to Kiara since the night you met her. You tried to be her friend and she always shrugged you off. You were honestly sick of it.

You turn on your heel and start back towards her. "What the hell is your problem, Kiara?!" You spit.

"I just think JJ deserves better than some Malibu Barbie who will turn on him as soon as shit gets hard." She hisses back.

"You don't fucking know me!" You yell. "You've made no effort in getting to know me! Everyone else seems to like me. I've never given you a reason to fucking hate me aside from the fact that you're obsessed with JJ and he doesn't feel the same towards you!"

She scrunches up her face at your words.

You'd been nice for too long and you could feel the California version of yourself coming out. You approach her calmly as you cross your arms over your chest. You lean towards her, tongue sliding across your bottom lip. "You can hate me all you want. That won't stop JJ from absolutely losing himself inside me tonight." You whisper with a smile.

You chuckle before turning around and heading back to your car. You hop in the driver's seat. You watch as everyone is silent. JJ stares at Kiara for a moment, you can see her trying to hold back tears. JJ shakes his head at her before turning and climbing into your car.

The car ride was silent as you headed towards Figure Eight. You couldn't help but start to feel guilty the longer you drove. You didn't want to hurt Kiara. You were just so fed up with her treating you this way.

"Hey you two!" Your mom gushes as you and JJ walk into the kitchen.

"Hey mom!" You say.

"Hey, Mrs. Y/L/N!" JJ says.

"Are you guys hungry? I made pizza!"

You and JJ exchange a glance. Neither of you really had an appetite after what just happened. "Maybe later," You say. "We're gonna go watch a movie."

"Okay, Sweetie. Your father and I are meeting some friends at the club. We'll be home later."

"Sounds good!" You say, dragging JJ up the stairs to your room.

Your parents loved JJ. Back in California there were no Kooks or Pogues. Your mom and dad grew up working for everything they have now. They were the last people to judge. They knew about JJ's home life and insisted he stay at your house whenever he needed. He was nothing but respectful to your parents and your little sister, Marley.

Your parents were rich and boujee and well respected but as soon as they got home and kicked off their designer clothes, they were stoners at heart. You came from a long line of hippies. Your parents wouldn't forget that. However, they still loved life's luxuries and wanted the best for you and Marley, so they put on a Kook front for the new island you now called home.

Once you and JJ were in your room, he flopped onto your bed and groaned.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said to Kie. I-"

"Don't be sorry, Y/N." JJ said. "She's been such a bitch to you since you moved here. I don't blame you for getting upset."

"Still. I shouldn't have said what I said." You moved to your closet, slipping out of your bikini and throwing on a t-shirt and panties. You grabbed some gym shorts for JJ and tossed them to him. He had left many clothes at your house over the last six months.

"I tried to talk to her. Tried to ask her to be civil," He said as he slid his shorts on. "She's just fucking stubborn."

You nodded, heading to your bathroom to take your make up off. JJ followed you, snaking his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder. You smiled at the gesture.

"Can I do it?" JJ asked as he saw you reaching for your lashes.

You giggled. "Yeah, JJ, you can do it."

You sat down on your closed toilet and looked up at JJ, closing your eyes. He took your lashes between his fingers and slowly began pulling.

"Just yank it off, JJ!" You laugh.

"I don't want to hurt you!"

"It won't hurt, just rip it."

JJ does as he told and you smile at the instant relief your eyelid felt.

"So weird," JJ says as he fiddles with the lashes in his fingers, flicking them to the side like they are a spider.

"If it freaks you out why do you always want to do it?" You giggle.

"Cuz it's satisfying," He tells you as he leans down to pull your other lashes off. Once he does, he grabs your make up remover and a cotton pad, slowly removing all the make up from your skin. You relax under his touch, enjoying the way he knows how to take care of you.

Once he finishes removing your make up, he ties your hair back, careful of you extensions like you showed him. He washes your face and puts on you moisturizer.

"There. So fucking pretty." He says as he admires your bare face.

You smile up at him, begging for him to kiss you but you know he's too shy.

JJ leads you back to your bed and you both climb under the covers. "What episode were we on?" He asks as he scrolls through Kardashian reruns.

"Uhhhh, Khloe divorcing Lamar." You say. JJ finds the episode and throws the remote to the side. He wraps you tightly in your arms and your throw your arm and leg over his body, nuzzling against his chest.

You felt your eyes growing heavy as JJ ran his fingers over your arm. You couldn't help but smile as you thought about your life. Last year you were stuck in a place full of fake ass people who didn't give a shit about your well being. Now, you were laying in bed watching the Kardashians with a boy who literally couldn't get enough of you. A boy who took the time to learn everything about you. How to care for your hair extensions, take off your make up properly, what colors you liked your nails. A boy who knew you were petrified of spiders and heights. A boy that could make you laugh for hours on end. A boy who'd bring you your favorite food at 2am just because you texted him that you were hungry. A perfect boy.

You couldn't deny the fact that you were absolutely in love with JJ Maybank.

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged! :)

[apomaro-mellow]

Built for Loving 6

Part 5

Steve was still unresponsive but Eddie was firing on all cylinders and brought him back inside his apartment. 

“We gotta get out of dodge, quick!”, Eddie said, pulling a suitcase out and starting to pack.

He tossed clothes randomly into it and then stared at the toiletries in his bathroom for about ten seconds before sweeping it all from the sink into his suitcase. As he was fretting about, Steve stood still by the door. Eddie was too frazzled to notice at first.

“Someone definitely saw that and someone definitely uploaded it to the web. I’m not just fired. They will put my ass so deep in the ground-shiiiIIIIT!” He hastily closed the suitcase, pressing down on it. His phone rang and Eddie didn’t dare look at it, knowing that while it was after hours, it could only be Owens. Or worse, Brenner.

“Fuck, they’re gonna bury me and scrap you if we don’t get a move on!”

“Maybe they should”, Steve said. 

Eddie froze and realized that Steve was still standing by the door. His tuxedo still looked perfectly. Eddie bemoaned how he was never getting the deposit back for that tux or his own waiter’s outfit but they had more pressing matters. He went before Steve, gazing deep into his eyes. The eyes that he had picked out personally, remembering how the real Steve’s seemed brown but were actually a beautiful hazel when you got up close.

“I’m not gonna let that happen to you. I promise.”

“I am unable to accomplish my prime directive. I deserve to be scrapped.”

“Don’t say that!”, Eddie said as his phone rang again. And again he ignored it. He couldn’t talk to anyone. They had to hit the road. “We’re gonna go to my uncle’s and then we’re gonna figure this all out.” Eddie wasn’t good at planning ahead. Clearly. But if they got somewhere safe, he could slow down and properly strategize their next steps.

Eddie went back to his room and tossed some clothes at Steve, telling him to change. It wouldn’t truly hide his identity, but at least he wouldn’t be in the same clothes as he was last seen in. Eddie changed too. He then corralled Steve back into his van and took off for his uncle’s. Eddie had moved to the city for this job but his Uncle Wayne still called the small town of Hawkins his home.

Eddie didn't know exactly how to tell his uncle that he had made an android that looked like his high school crush and he stole said android and was now on the lam. Fuck, Brenner Bots went for a huge wad of cash. Steve probably cost thousands of dollars. Eddie didn't know the exact price tag, but he knew what his parts were worth.

Grand theft charges were really the least of his problems right now.

When they were about fifteen minutes away, he realized he should probably call Wayne and let him know he was headed his way with a…guest.

“About time you picked up your phone, boy”, Wayne’s voice rasped on the other side.

“Have you been calling me?”, Eddie asked.

“For the past hour. What’s going on with you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. And I will, once I get to you. I kinda…need to lay low awhile.”

Wayne just hummed. Then he said, “I’ll be here, waiting on ya. Let me give you more of a heads up than you gave me - we’ve got company.”

“Okay”, Eddie said, not even thinking to ask a follow up question. He figured his uncle had some guys over for beer and cards or something.

He pulled up to the trailer that was more home than anywhere else in the world. Eddie sighed in relief, feeling just the tiniest bit more at ease. The lights were on inside but his eyes went to the car parked next to his uncle’s truck. He didn’t recognize it, but he didn’t recognize every person’s car in town anyway.

“Come on. My uncle will take a real shine to you, I bet.”

Steve had been quiet the whole ride, but Eddie didn’t question it too much. He didn’t have anything to do right now and he thought of himself as useless. A love confession had been on the tip of Eddie’s tongue, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. Together they approached the door and because it was his true home and Wayne was expecting him, he didn’t even knock. 

Eddie opened the door and standing on the other side was Steve.

Like Steve-Steve.

Real flesh and blood Steve.

Eddie’s flight response wasn’t quick enough to stop Android-Steve from coming through the door and entering. Human-Steve’s eyes went right to him and Eddie couldn’t tell if he was angry, confused, or scandalized.

“He’s real”, Human-Steve breathed out. 

Someone else came out at the sound of his voice and while her hair was shorter now, Eddie recognized Robin Buckley from high school. She too stared at Eddie’s creation with wide eyes.

“Holy shit…”

Wayne appeared then, looking at Eddie, then at Android-Steve. “Well”, he sighed, “Come on in, don’t leave the door open.”

Eddie obeyed, stepping to the side to let Android-Steve in before closing the door. He kept his head down, unable to look at either Steve, even as he went into the living room. Android-Steve stood against the wall. He’d be like a statue if it wasn’t for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest with his automated breathing. Robin sat on the loveseat and Human-Steve sat on the arm of it. He had yet to take his eyes off of Android-Steve.

The only sound for a while was of Wayne fiddling around in the kitchen. Eddie started biting his nails. It was Robin that broke first.

“What the hell Munson!?”

“I can explain!”, Eddie held his hands up.

“Why does he look like me!!?”, Human-Steve shouted, standing up.

“I can explain!”, Eddie reiterated.

Robin stood up then. “Start.”

Eddie wrung his hands for five seconds and bounced his leg before beginning. Starting with how he got a job at Brenner Ventures and then the assignment given to him. He groaned, pulling his hair up out of his face as he continued. “So I work on the project and I make….him. But the client called in these complaints.”

“‘Complaints’?”, Human-Steve echoed.

Eddie put his hands on his hips and paced about the room. He was really reaping what he sowed. Why did he think it was a good idea to model Android-Steve off of Human-Steve? He heard a snapping and looked up to see Human-Steve’s fingers in the position.

“Focus! You made me a sex doll and I need to know why!”

“He made you into a sex doll. Saying he ‘made you a sex doll’ sounds like he made it for you”, Robin commented.

“Saying he made me into one makes it sound like he turned me into a bot”, Steve countered. 

“Hey”, Robin snapped her fingers this time. “Now YOU focus! There’s a blow up doll with your face in the corner!”

“Have you used him?”, Steve accused Eddie.

“No! No, he’s not for me. I built him for someone else!”

“That’s worse! You know that, right?”, Robin asked.

Eddie nearly pulled his hair out. “How’d you guys even get here?! How did you-”

“That bot going crazy went viral on the web!”, Human-Steve jabbed a finger in Android-Steve’s direction.

“Hey!”, Eddie shouted before following it with a softer, “Hey, let’s all just relax. This isn’t his fault.”

“Hey! Bot!”, Robin shouted. “What were you made for?”

“We already know. He was made to be someone’s sex slave!”, Human-Steve started to stomp towards his clone.

“I wasn’t made for that!”, Android-Steve said, causing his twin to freeze. “My prime directive is to be loved. I was built to be loved.”

Steve was shocked but for a moment and opened his mouth to reply when Wayne came in and blew a short whistle.

“Stop quarreling. Never solved anything. We eat and talk. That’s how we do things in this house.”

Eddie was the first to move, grabbing Android-Steve by the shoulders and guiding him to the kitchen table. Robin and Steve followed. The five of them sat around the table. Both Steves ended up sitting next to each other and side by side, Eddie was able to see where his design didn’t account for the years spent apart. The mole pattern on their face and necks were just ever so slightly different. Eddie had lovingly captured them pretty well in his high school sketches. 

Human-Steve must have gotten a haircut because it swooped slightly different and didn’t reach his neck anymore. 

“This is so fucking uncanny. I’m literally seeing double”, Robin said.

No, Eddie thought. They look so different. Before he could catalogue any more differences, he got himself back on track. “I know this is weird as shit and I know I need to fix it but I could really use your help.”

Part 7

Taglist

@dreamy-jeans137 @glittergluekintsugi

[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

10 Things I Hate About You

Pairing: Eddie Diaz x Reader

Word count: 3.7k

Notes: What am I doing right now?? I have THINGS TO FINISH. Also it IS established later but reader is Mexican lmao

Bobby stops the truck outside their usual coffee spot and puts the brakes on. He lays his head on the steering wheel and looks over at Chimney who’s bobbing his head along to whatever the hell he’s listening to in his AirPods 

You know what he’s not listening to? 

“Oh my god. Can you just shut up- can you please just shut up!” Eddie is seething as he stares at you across the truck from him and you roll your eyes, your arms crossed over your chest 

“That is literally so fucking childish you can’t tell me to shut up just because you don’t like what I’m saying!!” 

“Actually I can? And oh yeah I did! Shut the fuck up short stack” 

You two had been going back and forth ever since you’d gotten into the truck before the fire. 

Hen looks at Buck, giving him a “you better fix this shit” face and he sighs loudly because he’d definitely accidentally started this fight. He just wanted to know what you guys wanted him to order for lunch. 

“Hey? Are we feeling Chinese today? Maybe Mexican?” He’s got his DoorDash up as he scrolls through the restaurants 

“Chinese” you mumble as you turn the page in your book 

“Mexican” Eddie says from his seat next to you as he studies the word search Buck gave him (he couldn’t find porterhouse) 

“You have Mexican at home Eddie, go make some tacos and we’ll get Chinese” You snuggle down more into the couch and he looks at you 

“Ha-ha very funny. Just order me some tamales please” he tells Buck 

“How many do you-“

“Hey!” You look up over your book “Who said we were getting Mexican?” 

“Uh, I did? Just now?” Eddie gestures and you take your feet off the couch and sit up 

“Did we miss the whole I want Chinese?” 

“Did we miss the whole I don’t care?”

“Do you want me to make your freaking tacos? Because I will if it means that much to you”

“First of all, you’d poison them. Second of all I don’t want tacos, I want tamales. And you of all people should know I can’t just go home and make those so there” he sticks his tongue out at you and you roll your eyes 

“Buck order me orange chicken please” You bat your eyelashes sweetly and Eddie scoffs 

“They don’t have orange chicken at Catalina’s”

“You’re right! They have it at Panda Express! Which is what we’re getting. You like teriyaki right?” 

“Guys I can just-“ Buck tries to break it up but now Eddie is standing over you 

“You can’t just freaking bat your eyelashes and think you’re gonna get your way? That’s not how it works”

You’re standing up now too, it doesn’t do much, you’re only five feet

“Okay well-“ you grab a chair and drag it over to him, he holds his hand out for you and you take it before stepping onto the chair 

Safety first 

“Thank you. Anyway, You can’t use your best friend status to get your way!!” 

“Oh, and you think “trying” to be cute is going to get you your way, tiny??” 

“I am cute! First of all, and second of all, he likes me better so yeah being cute is gonna get me my way. Third of all, quit finding ways to call me short!!!” 

“Buck?!” Eddie laughs cruelly “You think Buck likes you more than me?! Oh sweetheart you’re stupider than you look”

“Eddie” Buck groans loudly (and orders himself Subway) 

“Did you just say I was stupid?!” 

“No, I said you looked stupid! But since you wanna go there…”

“Eddie Diaz you are the most-“ 

Before you can begin to curse him out the alarm bells go off, you glare at him and he smiles innocently as he grabs your hips and sets you down on the floor, Buck clocks the way his hands linger a bit longer than they should, he sees the way his fingers flex and he pulls you just a little closer

He also sees the way you look at Eddie, because there’s a fire burning within you… but not for the reason you’re pretending it is 

You two had been fighting since the moment you met. Buck remembers it like it was three months ago (because it was) You’d caught him and Eddie talking, and Eddie was talking mad shit about you. Saying a pretty little thing like you would never make it in this line of work, you were probably going to cry if you broke a nail and how would you even reach the higher stuff on the truck. You’d totally have to jump! 

You didn’t hear, however, how Eddie had used all of that to avoid Buck’s question of 

“Isn’t she the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen” 

Which brings all of you to now. No one is really sure how you got onto the topic of where Eddie could go throw himself but you’ve been spewing insults back and forth the entire ride, needling at each other 

“I will actually pay you to shut your fucking mouth,” He says unbuckling his seatbelt and looking for his wallet 

“You’re not paying me like you pay for more than your hand” 

Buck snorts and both Hen and Eddie’s heads snap to him, he slaps his hand over his mouth 

Rule number one. Never get in the middle of you two 

“Are you kidding me?!” Eddie says and Buck shakes his head fast 

“Wait, wait, wait!!!” No, I wasn’t-“

“What was her name again? Diamond Honey?” 

Bobby turns in his seat “Wait Eddie did you act-“

“Fuck no!!” 

“Hell yes!” 

“She’s lying!” Eddie stabs his finger in your direction and you giggle in your seat 

“Y/N this isn’t really a topic to be discussing-“

“It’s not true!” Eddie practically whines and Buck can’t keep the giggles back 

“I can’t fucking stand you” 

“Good thing you’re sitting”

“Oh that is-“ He lunges for you and Hen holds him back, Chimney finally pulls an AirPod out to see if you’ve stopped. Buck holds you back from pouncing on Eddie and Bobby whistles loudly, causing all of you to freeze 

“Y/N and Buck go get the coffee, Chimney and Eddie switch places. As soon as we get back you’re both on probation” 

“What?!? She star-“

“He star-“

“If you two don’t want to be fired you’ll shut up and do what I say! Now go! Everyone!” 

You and Eddie both angrily hop out of your side of the truck, and even if he wants to toss you into an abyss he helps you down

“I can do it my freaking self” You may be arguing with him, but you let him grab your hips and help you out anyway

“Yeah whatever pipsqueak, just get the damn drinks” 

“You could say please” You glare at him and he backs you up toward the truck, his chest is pressed into yours, and his hands are still on your hips

“Are you gonna make me?” 

“If you wanna fight let’s fight” you hiss at him and he pins you back against the truck fully now, his leg slotting between yours. 

“I would love nothing more than to slap that stupid look off your face, but my Tia raised a gentleman. I don’t hit women”

“What in the sexual tension” Buck mumbles under his breath as he comes around the truck. He takes a picture and sends it to Hen “Look at this shit” 

“This is all your fucking fault” you spit and he rolls his eyes 

“Now who’s the childish one?? This is your fault! You couldn’t just be normal for one day?”

“You literally started this!!!” You thrash in his arms but he holds you even tighter now

“I started this??” He scoffs and laughs “Yeah whatever helps you sleep at night Princess” 

“Don’t call me that!” You scowl and he grins widely

“Oh? Don’t call you Princess? Like the spoiled fucking brat you are??”

“Are you kidd-“

“Oh I’m sorry did I hurt the little princess feelings?” He’s talking in a baby voice now “Did I hurt the little itty bitty babies feelings?” 

You have no response to that, you’re absolutely fuming at his stupid little baby voice and his stupid smirk and Princess?! Is he fucking serious? 

He stays like that for a minute, looking down on you in a completely condescending way. You shift uncomfortably, accidentally grinding down on his leg and he raises an eyebrow. Your cheeks flush as you glare at him 

“Do you two need a room? Because my apartment is actually really close to here” Buck clears his throat and you shove Eddie away. He straightens out his jacket and scoffs 

“I wouldn’t go near her vertically challenged ass with a 10-foot pole”

“Oh yeah well I wouldn’t go near with you a 20-foot pole!” 

“Really? Because you guys were just-“

“Shut up, Buck,” You say in unison. Eddie rips the door open and trades places with Chimney and you storm into the coffee shop 

“Operation closet is a-go” Buck winks as he follows you into the coffee shop. 

True to his word, you and Eddie are stuck at the firehouse cleaning the place. Bobby says you have to work together on every task. Maybe it’ll teach you two to act like adults and work together.

It goes horribly wrong. 

Bobby nearly has an aneurysm when he comes to check on you both and Eddie is spraying you down with the hose and you’re screaming at him to stop, he’s also soaked to the bone with the empty soapy water bucket at his feet… that you clearly dumped on him. He shuts off the water and yells at you both to go get changed and then clean out the old supply closet. 

He has no idea why he went along with Buck’s stupid plan. But he’s desperate at this point. He signals Buck when he notices you both heading over 

“Ladies first” Eddie opens the door and you walk in past him, he sighs as he reaches over you and turns on the light, it just barely flickers to life, illuminating the room in a soft yellow glow 

“How do you want to do this?” You ask as you peruse the shelves and Eddie shrugs 

“I dunno maybe we can start with-“

He’s shoved further into the room and he stumbles into you, nearly knocking you both over 

“I’m sorry guys this is for your own good!! I love you!!” Buck slams the door shut and you and Eddie bang against it 

“Let us out!!!” 

“This is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done!” 

“No!! Not until you two come to a truce!!! No one can stand either of you!” He shouts back through the door and you hear his feet running away

“What the fuck do we do now?” You toss your hands in the air and Eddie lays his head against the door 

“Wait him out? He can’t keep us in here forever our shift ends in six hours”

“He wants us to sit here… for six hours”

“It’s Buck, do you expect anything less?”

“I expect him to let us out!!” You shake the door handle harshly and Eddie slaps your hand away 

“Quit it before you break it!!”

“I’m not gonna break it!” 

“If you break it we’re fucked, shrimp”

“News flash, jalapeño boy! We’re already fucked!!” 

“Jalapeño boy? Are you shitting me?”

“Would you prefer enchilada brain?? Tortilla face??” 

“None of these even freaking make sense”

“They’re not supposed to!! They’re just meant to bother you” You smirk at him, your hands on your hips and he slams his fist against the door. You jump a little as he steps closer to you 

“You do realize you’re Mexican too?” 

“Yeah and,” you say a bit quieter “Look I’m the only one who can call you these things. Anyone else does, I’ll karate kick them in the face. It’s our thing! I call you names and you stand there looking stupid” you bat your eyelashes at him and he blinks slowly 

“I’m going to throw you through this door” 

“He’s not gonna let us out” Eddie has fully given up and is now sitting on an overturned bucket while you’re trying to get the door unlocked. Which in a firehouse you think would be pretty easy 

“Hey, Captain Obvious? Yeah, you maybe wanna help me out instead of sitting on your ass over there??” You turn to him glaring and he sits back against the wall, putting his hands behind his head 

“I dunno, pretty comfy here” he sighs loudly “Gettin a great view watching you struggle”

You’re a bit glad at how dark it is in here, the light went out about an hour ago, it definitely wasn’t meant to be on this long. But still, you’re glad he can’t see the way your cheeks flush at his little comment 

“Can you please stop hating me for five seconds so we can think of a way out?!” 

You rummage around in your corner of the room, sighing when all you find is an extra hose. You and Eddie had eventually taken a roll of tape from one of the bins and drawn a line across the room, you got the side with the door because he wasn’t going to keep trying anymore 

“I don’t hate you” he’s standing over you now, god he’s quiet. You look up at him, blinking slowly

“What?” Your mouth is dry, too dry in fact 

“I said, I don’t hate you. You just…. Get under my skin really really easily” 

You stand up slowly, and he takes a step forward, his chest almost touching yours. The air is sucked from the small space as his cologne invades your senses. Has he always been so… fit? And his lips? Were they always so full and pink… and downright bitable 

“I’ve never hated you Y/N. Honestly” 

“I don’t hate you either” You mumble distractedly and he looks surprised for a second before smirking 

“You just really really get under my skin” 

He puts his hand on the wall behind you, you roll your eyes and look away from him, but he gently grabs your chin, turning you back toward him 

“Wanna know somethin’?” His eyes flit down to your lips and yours do the same to his. Your eyes meet again and he leans closer, tilting his head 

“I actually think you’re really pretty” You feel his words ghost across your lips before he pulls away a little, kissing your nose instead 

“Y-you wha-what?” 

“I said-“ He kisses your forehead “I think-“ He kisses your right cheek “that you-“ he kisses your left cheek 

“Are really fuckin pretty” 

Eddie is sure he’s lost his damn mind the second he has you up against that wall, your eyes roll back as he kisses your neck and you rip his shirt open. He shrugs it off and starts working on yours next. 

It had just started as an intense make-out session. You grabbed him by the collar and smashed your lips into his, he growled against your mouth and kissed you back just as eagerly, he won that fight for dominance, wrapping his tongue around yours and sliding his hand behind your head so he didn’t kiss you right through the wall. It’s sloppy at first, all tongue and teeth, but then his other hand finds its way to your chest, cupping your breast in his hand and kneading it softly and he knows he needs you right this second when he hears the way you moan his name 

“You’re so hot when you’re mad” he whispers in your ear and you blush “Every single time you got me all worked up… I wondered if you felt the way I did” 

“And how did you feel?” 

You gasp as he bites down on your pulse point, causing your hips to jerk against his. He pulls away to look at you for a second, taking in your body underneath him. He stares at you like you’re a work of art, your heart races in your chest, and your body trembles against his. His hand comes up your bare side, enjoying the way your skin feels under his fingertips 

“Horny as fuck” 

You fumble with his belt buckle, getting it off and letting his pants drop to the ground 

“I’m not going to be gentle” He warns you, pushing your pants down over your hips. He groans frustratedly as you pump his cock in your hand teasingly, smearing the precum over his tip with your thumb. You lift your leg and he holds onto it while you drag his cock through your folds and line it up with your dripping entrance 

“I don’t want you to be” 

The wind is knocked out of you as he sets a bruising pace. He drops your leg spins you around to pin you to the wall, thrusting himself nearly all the way in, before pulling it almost all the way out. His cock pistons in and out of you and he has to slap a hand over your mouth before you shriek his name. Your eyes roll back as you moan into his hand, and he grins wickedly 

“Who knew you’d be such a slut… getting fucked in a supply closet. How easy are you?” 

You shake your head back and forth a bit trying to get him to let your mouth go and he just laughs, lifting your hips to fuck you at a deeper angle. You’re balancing on the toes of your boots as his strong arm wraps around your waist to keep you exactly where he wants you 

“Fuck that’s good” he pants heavily as he pounds into you, the wet slapping noise just makes you clench around him harder 

“So wet for me Princess, whole stations gonna hear what I’m doin' to you. Gonna hear what a dumb slut you are” 

You melt into his arms, the degrading words he uses causing your brain to short-circuit. Because fuck you didn’t know you liked that, but oh boy apparently you do 

“I knew you’d like that. Being fucked like a whore… being called Princess. Maybe that’s why I argued with you so much… because you like it when I’m mean to you, don’t you honey? You know how many times I would jerk off to the idea of you on my cock?” 

It’s like he’s reading your mind, which is great because you aren’t even in your own head right now. All you can think about is the way his hips piston in and out of you, the way he stuffs you over and over until you’re sure he’s perfectly imprinted himself in your tight cunt and no one else could ever fill that spot 

“Shit” he slows down for a minute “Holy shit do you feel that?” He takes one of your hands you’re bracing yourself with and puts it over your stomach. You feel the way he stretches into your guts, thrusting torturously slow so you can feel every single inch of him 

“O-oh my g-god” Your thighs shake and you feel your pussy clench tighter around him

“So fucking tiny” He chuckles darkly in your ear, kissing the tip of it “Jesus look at the way you’re gripping me”

“Y-you hav- thing ‘bout s-size d-don’t you?” You can barely speak with the way your body bounces on his, all the little names he’d been calling you these last three months, all the times he’d press himself against you when he was reaching something for you, or when he’d help you from the truck which was completely unnecessary. Oh it made sense now

He fucks you harder, your toes aren’t even on the ground anymore as he drills into you. He takes his shirt and hands it to you and you cry into it, trying to muffle your moans as best you can. He bites your shoulder and kisses along your neck leaving harsh love bites in his path as he tries to keep himself quiet. But you’re too good for him, too tight for him. 

You can feel his thrusts becoming sloppier and you know what’s coming 

“Don’t- ple- please don’t-“ 

He knows what you’re asking him to do and fuck you really don’t have to tell him twice 

He’s just as blissed out as you are, lost in the way you feel as you squeeze around him. He has to slap his hand over your mouth when you cum, your body writhes violently against his as he shoves his cock in you as far as he can and you feel the way he paints your walls with his hot seed. He pins you up against the wall, his cock stuffed balls deep in your aching cunt. He takes one of your hands again, putting it back on the bulge in your stomach 

“You feel that Princess?” His chest heaves against your back as you both pant together and he pulls you flush against him. He takes his hand and places it over yours, stroking it down your soft skin 

“Wanna take you home and keep it there” he kisses the back of your neck and across your shoulders softly before nuzzling his head against you 

“Take me home huh?” You’re fighting to keep your eyes open, he can hear the sleepiness in your voice. He pulls out slowly and your eyes roll back at that distinct little sucking noise 

“Mhm… if you want to” he sounds a little hesitant as he turns you around and pulls you into his arms 

“I want to” You blush and he kisses your nose 

“We done arguing?” 

“Probably not” you giggle and he rolls his eyes and kisses you softly 

“At least I know how to get you to act right” He smirks and you narrow your eyes at him playfully 

“More like I know how to get you to act right” 

“Are you joking? I just wrecked your shit” he scoffs and sets you down carefully, reaching up behind you and grabbing some clean towels to clean you up with 

“Are you joking? I’m the best you’ve ever had” you say in a sickly sweet voice while batting your eyelashes, just messing with him 

He looks up at you, wiping the cum that’s dripping between your legs. He knows you’re just joking… but 

“Can’t argue with that one sweetheart” 

[emeraldcosmos1]

Steel and Sunrise pt. 10

It started with pressure.

Not a cramp. Not a slow-building ache like you’d felt for weeks now. This was deep. Low. Crushing.

You shot up in bed with a gasp, hands on your belly. The clock on the nightstand glowed 3:41 a.m.

You froze. Then moved.

A warm rush soaked the sheets beneath you.

“Rafe.”

He jolted awake like you’d fired a gun. “What—what is it? You okay? Baby?”

You were already swinging your legs off the bed. “I think my water just broke.”

Rafe was on his feet in half a second, tripping over his own pants and knocking his phone off the nightstand.

“Okay, okay—hospital. We gotta go to the hospital. Wait—where’s your bag? Where’s Milo?”

You clutched the bedpost and tried to stand—only for a contraction to slam into you like a freight train. You doubled over, breath ripping out of your lungs. “Oh my god.”

Rafe was at your side instantly, his voice cracking, hands not sure where to land. “What do I do? What do I do, baby?”

“Call my mom. She’s staying with Milo. The bag’s in the coat closet. My pants. Get me pants.”

Rafe ran to the closet and came back with a hoodie and his sweatpants.

“These are mine,” you panted.

“I know. You said they’re the comfy ones. I remembered. Come here.”

You were both a mess by the time you got to the truck. The entire neighborhood was dark, the sky heavy with stars. And your grip on the dashboard was leaving dents in the leather.

Every bump on the road made you swear.

Every minute that passed made the pain sharper, more urgent.

“I’m timing them,” Rafe said, glancing between the road and the app on his phone with wide eyes. “They’re—shit, they’re, like, two minutes apart already. That’s fast, right? That’s bad.”

“I told you this baby wanted out,” you growled.

“You’re doing amazing,” he breathed, reaching across the console to squeeze your thigh. “Just hold on, okay? I’m getting us there.”

You grabbed his hand like it was the only thing tethering you to Earth.

The hospital lot was nearly empty. A nurse met you with a wheelchair, and Rafe nearly flipped it trying to help you in.

You were wheeled through a maze of fluorescent lights, your eyes barely able to focus, everything too bright, too fast. Rafe followed like a shadow, repeating your name to anyone in scrubs.

“Her contractions are close. Her water broke. She’s—she’s in a lot of pain.”

A triage nurse pressed cold hands to your belly and checked your dilation.

“She’s already at eight centimeters,” she said, turning to Rafe. “This baby’s coming fast.”

Rafe turned pale.

“Sir, if you’re staying with her, you need to change into scrubs.”

“I am—yeah—I’m not leaving her.”

He was shaking as he pulled on the paper gown.

When he walked into the delivery room and saw you in that bed—red-faced, eyes wild, body arched in pain—he went very, very still.

“Don’t just stand there!” you screamed.

He was by your side instantly, grabbing your hand, brushing your damp hair from your forehead.

“I got you. I got you. I’m here.”

Time stopped meaning anything.

You were roaring with every push, sweat slicking your skin. The pressure was unbearable—burning, stretching, primal. You didn’t care who heard you. Didn’t care how much you screamed.

It felt like your body was cracking open.

Rafe’s voice cut through the haze.

“You’re doing so good, baby. So, so good. I love you—I love you—just breathe with me.”

You snapped your head toward him, breath heaving. “You love me?! You did this to me!”

He looked startled. “I—I mean, yeah—technically, we—”

“Shut. Up.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The room swirled in and out. Nurses barking orders. Your OB showing up with gloves already on. Monitors beeping. A metal tray clattering to the floor.

And Rafe—always Rafe—kneeling beside you, tears streaming down his face, kissing your hand between pushes.

“I’m right here, baby. One more. Just one more.”

“I can’t—I can’t do it—”

“You are doing it. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

Then came the burn. The crowning.

You screamed—a sound that didn’t even feel human—as the doctor shouted, “Here comes the head!”

Rafe had his forehead pressed to yours.

“One more,” he begged. “Push one more time for me, baby. Please.”

You gave it everything.

And then—

A sound. Small. Piercing.

The cry.

The air went still.

And suddenly, there was a slippery, warm weight placed on your chest.

You looked down.

She was screaming, furious, covered in vernix and kicking like she was ready to take on the world.

Rafe’s hand was shaking as he touched her back.

“It’s a girl,” he whispered, voice breaking. “We have a daughter.”

You looked up at him, and he was crying in that open, broken way he did when he couldn’t speak.

“She’s okay?” you asked, voice hoarse.

He nodded. “She’s perfect.”

It wasn’t calm. It wasn’t peaceful. It was war.

But when it was over, and she was in your arms, wrapped in soft hospital blankets, her cries fading into hiccups—you’d never felt so whole.

Rafe sat beside you, eyes never leaving your daughter’s face.

“Welcome to the chaos, little girl,” he murmured.

[sylusonychinus]

Girls Only

The house was quiet… too quiet.

Sylus arched a brow as he packed up a duffle bag near the door. “You sure?” he asked Nezu. “Both Amelia and Shu?”

Nezu grinned, already zipping up a tiny pink backpack. “One is chaos. One is calm. It balances out.”

“Balanced,” Sylus snorted. “Like fire and rain.”

From the living room, a shriek: “MAMA, I CAN’T FIND MY LEFT SHOE! THE COW ONE, NOT THE BEAR ONE!”

Nezu sighed, looked at Sylus, and deadpanned: “Rain’s taking over.”

🧃 9:47 AM — Coloring with Crayons and Sippy Cup Drama

Nezu had laid out a peaceful little table by the window. Coloring books. Juice. Some peace.

Shu sat quietly, holding her crayon with both hands, tongue slightly out in concentration.

Meanwhile, Amelia had already snapped two crayons and was drawing a very detailed dinosaur princess battle scene.

“Amelia, baby, don’t drink Shu’s juice—”

Too late. Amelia grinned with her blue-stained lips. “I was thirsty! She’s not even talking about it.”

Shu, across the table, simply blinked at her sister, then slid her own sippy cup over to Amelia like a dignified queen surrendering her throne.

“Shu, no—baby, you don’t always have to give in!” Nezu protested.

But Shu just signed a small heart with her hands and continued coloring.

Amelia blinked. “…She said she loves me.”

Nezu sighed. “And you bullied her for juice.”

Amelia paused. “...I'll give her the dinosaur sticker later.” Compromise achieved.

🧸 11:58 AM — Toy Store Mayhem

In the mall, they visited a toy store "just to look."

Shu gently hugged a new bunny plush, her eyes twinkling. Amelia? She wanted everything.

“Mama, can we buy this doll? Also this truck. Also this…” She was now holding a sword. Where did she even get a sword?

Nezu narrowed her eyes. “One toy each.”

Shu looked up, signed one with her finger, and patted her bunny.

Amelia narrowed her eyes back. “I’ll trade you one bunny and one little sister for three toys.”

“Excuse me?” Nezu choked.

Amelia beamed. “Kidding! I love Shu! But also… can I have just two?”

Shu patted Amelia’s head, then held up a toy pony. Nezu gave up and let them both keep their peace offerings.

🍱 1:21 PM — Bento Picnic in the Park

They found a shaded bench under a big acacia tree. Shu nibbled on heart-shaped rice, while Amelia narrated her entire week’s drama.

“Mama, did you know Daniel said my drawing was a blob? So I told him he was a blob and then I—"

Nezu handed her a strawberry before she could finish the story. “We love our siblings, Amelia.”

“Even if they insult my dinosaur princess army?”

“Yes.”

Shu reached into her bento, picked the last strawberry, and offered it to Amelia.

Amelia stared.

Then took it.

Then leaned over and smooshed a kiss onto Shu’s cheek. “You’re my favorite person who doesn’t talk.”

Shu smiled, held up a heart.

Nezu sat back, full of food and love, and whispered, “Best lunch dates ever.”

☔ 3:10 PM — Rain, Puddles, and Chaos

The sky cracked open just as they were leaving the park.

“Mama, rain!!” Amelia yelled excitedly, arms wide.

Shu held tightly to Nezu’s hand, eyes curious as the droplets fell.

Nezu pulled out a small umbrella. “Let’s get to the tricycle stand, quick!”

But Amelia had other plans. “I WANNA STOMP THE PUDDLE!”

Shu tilted her head. Then very carefully, she stepped into the puddle and made the tiniest splash.

Amelia cannonballed in beside her, drenching all three of them.

“Mamaaaaa I’m wet! Shu’s wet!”

“You jumped into it, what did you expect?!” Nezu huffed.

Shu just pressed her wet cheek to Nezu’s shoulder and smiled.

Nezu sighed, soaking, but laughing. “Rain and fire, just like your Papa said.”

🌙 7:03 PM — Pajamas, Story Time, and Sleepy Snuggles

After a warm bath and fresh clothes, the girls snuggled in Nezu’s bed, each one curled into one of her sides.

“Mama, can I sleep here forever?” Amelia asked sleepily.

“You have your own bed,” Nezu said softly.

“I know, but this one smells like Mama.”

Shu hummed and pulled her new bunny close, pressing her palm to Nezu’s cheek.

“I love you,” Nezu whispered to them both. “Even when you steal juice. Even when you stomp puddles. Even when you cover me in glitter and snot.”

Amelia giggled.

Shu blinked slowly, pressed her finger to her lips, then to Nezu’s cheek.

Her version of “I love you.”

And as the rain tapped gently against the windows, Nezu held both girls close— her chaos, her calm, her storm and her quiet, her fire and her sky.

wife @nezuswritingdesk

[lightdancingwords]

Second Chances - Part One of ?

Pairings: Beau Arlen x Y/N Female reader Series Summary: A chance meeting in a grocery store brings a second chance for you and for Beau. The only thing standing in your way are your respective pasts... and a tiny little roadblock.

Word Count: 2377

Tags/Warnings: None, unless toddlers/children and parenting bother you.

A/N: Comments, Likes, Reblogs, Kind feedback are always highly appreciated. Please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! I couldn't resist--I gotta have me some Beau while writing Dean! This is a brand new story of Beau and female reader!

Divider: credit to @sweetmelodygraphics

Chapter One: Upon First Sight

All in all, it was a lousy day. Beau’s truck got a flat in the middle of nowhere and the tire proved impossible to take off. He had to pay a small fortune for a tow, additional labor for a replacement, and work was a headache and a half. He was ready for a cold beer, a nice nighttime fire, and the quiet.

But first, he had to get the beer. He’d run out the other day... which meant facing the sheer torture of the grocery store after hours. It was like all of Big Sky decided to go shopping during that time and the sheer crowd drove him insane.

Not to mention everyone and their parents suddenly had to talk to Beau, introduce him to a likely female prospect. It was as though he wore a sign over his head: ‘ATTENTION BIG SKY, SUITABLE SINGLE MALE’. Absolutely maddening. He hated it.

Ever since he and Carla split, he hadn’t been up to dating. Sure, Carla moved on, remarried—god, what a douchebag—and moved to Montana. Which meant he was coming too, because he'd be damned if he missed the last few years of Emily’s life as a teenager.

Somehow, that made him more appealing to the female population. Add to that the ‘exoticness’ of the Texan drawl, the allure of being a cop, and goddammit, he was pursued daily.

He wanted none of it.

“No, honey,” he hears some woman say, presumably to one of her offspring, judging from the harried, exhausted tones. “Now put that back.”

Yep, offspring. He heard the telltale signs of a young whine from the child and had to smile sympathetically. Then he heard something that caught his attention and raised his adrenaline: cans crashing.

He whipped around and narrowly dodged being smacked by a number of Chef Boyardee meals in a can. “Whoa!”

“Eliza!” The mother snatched up her child—maybe a little older than a year?—and popped her back into the shopping cart, buckled her up so swiftly he was impressed. “I am so sorry! You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Nope. I'm all right. The cans aren’t, though,” he said ruefully, observing the mess.

“Oh fu-fudge,” the mother said, catching herself before she could cuss in front of the kid.

“Here, I’ll help ya,” Beau offered, using his cart to detour traffic around the cans and began moving the cans away. “Wyatt,” he said, catching the eye of one of the employees. “Go get help.”

The mom raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You know everyone here?” she asked, doing her best to stack the cans against the shelf.

“Benefits of bein’ the sheriff,” he said with a smile. “Sooner or later, I meet them all.”

“You’re—“ she broke off in astonishment.

“Sheriff Beau Arlen,” he said by way of introduction. He shook her hand and was surprised by her firm grip. He hadn’t expected that from her. Maybe it was because she seemed so soft, motherly.

“I’m Y/N,” she said with a smile. It turned wry as she introduced her daughter. “That little hellion is Eliza.”

He chuckled. “Might need a little wranglin’, huh?”

“Either that or a wolf pack.”

Beau laughed. He couldn’t help it. Little Eliza actually grinned at hearing her mother say ‘or a wolf pack’, as if angling for that very purpose and existence. “You know, I know it don’t seem like that right now, but she'll get easier to manage.”

Y/N paused and lifted a brow. “You sound as if you speak from experience.”

“I guess I do,” he said, rising to his feet. He offered Y/N a hand to help her up as he said, “My Em wasn't really difficult, just stubborn. Had a mind of her own and goddamn she knew how to use it.”

He saw her eyes flicker for a moment, and wondered what it was that caused her react so. “Em--I'm guessing that's your daughter?”

He nodded with a fond smile. “She’s 18 now and in college.”

Y/N smiled, returning to her little hellion child. “Now you have new worries, whether she’s learning well, making the right friends, and handling peer pressure.”

“Well, thanks for the nightmares,” he said wryly.

Her smile turned amused, her eyes sparkling. “Just pointing out it never gets easier,” she said with a fond ruffle of her daughter’s hair. “Just changes in difficulties.”

He regarded her thoughtfully. “Ya ain’t wrong,” he said at last.

For a moment, they regarded each other in companionable silence. Beau was reluctant to let her go, enjoying this conversation. She seemed equally hesitant to let the moment end.

“I… I, um, thank you, for your help,” she said at last. “It would’ve been kinda hard to do all that while minding my little wolf-child.”

He grinned, appreciating her humor in handling an energetic toddler. “You’re welcome.”

Just as she turned to leave, Beau stepped forward, stammering. “Ah, wait. I hope this ain’t forward of me, but…” God her eyes killed him. “Ah… can I ask you out sometime?”

She looked so surprised he wondered what she was thinking. Y/N glanced at her daughter, and he got it. She wasn’t expecting anyone to want to date a single mom.

Luckily for her, Beau wasn’t just ‘anyone’.

“I’d like that,” she said with a slight smile. She took out a little memo pad—god, she was organized, he loved it—and scrawled a number on it. She handed it to Beau.

“You know, we could’ve traded cellphone numbers,” he said teasingly. “Didn’t need to kill a tree for it.”

“Are you saying you don’t think you’re worth a tree?” she retorted with a smile.

That caught him off-guard and he laughed. “Oh, you got a sense of humor there, darlin’.”

“I try. My wolf-child forces me to very creative,” she said with a trace of wry humor.

He chuckled and approached little Eliza in the shopping cart seat. “May I?”

A look of surprise followed by an expression of gratitude. How many would ask before approaching a child? “Yes,” she said simply.

“Heya darlin’,” Beau said to Eliza. He regarded her with the solemn mien he would give a senior citizen. He held out his hand to her and added, “I’m Beau Arlen. I’m a friend of your mom’s.”

Eliza stared at him with wide, wide eyes, taking him in. He had the sense she was seeing more of him than an adult would, weighing and measuring him. Damned if he didn’t feel shaken. “Bo-bo!”

Y/N let out a laugh, then clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling giggles. Beau grinned, his green eyes dancing. “As long as you ain’t adding something to that nickname, I’ll take it.”

Eliza giggled at her mother’s reaction. She peered at Beau’s hand, then wrapped her tiny fingers around his index and middle finger, her hand too small to take his whole hand. It was so damned adorable. “Bo-bo,” she said solemnly.

He cleared his throat to hold back the laugh and nodded. “That’s right, darlin’. And you’re Eliza.”

Eliza nodded, then dragged his hand over to her mother. “Mommy!”

Something shifted in Y/N’s expression, shuttered. Beau felt the warmth from her withdraw, and found himself confused. “Y/N?”

”We should go,” she said suddenly. “We’ve taken up enough of your time.”

Without giving him a chance, she gently freed her daughter’s grasp from his hand and pulled away with her shopping cart, leaving him staring after them in utter confusion.

As luck would have it, he chanced upon them in the parking lot. Little Eliza went into full-blown meltdown, wailing while her mother was desperately trying to get her to calm down enough to get buckled into the car seat.

“Eliza, please!” Yep. Sheer desperation, mother ready to hit tears.

Beau headed up to them, set his bags of groceries and pack of beer on the ground, and said, “Hey… why don’t I take her for a moment? Give you a breather?”

Y/N looked back at him, and yep, tears in her eyes, a look of overwhelming parenthood. Beau felt for her. She hesitated for a breath, then nodded, forcing herself to step back. “I just… can’t her to calm down,” she said, her voice quaking.

”Ah, it happens to the best of us,” he said gently, taking Eliza from the car seat. “First year we had Emily, I think between Carla and I we must’ve cried in the closet a dozen times.”

Y/N was startled. “The closet?”

“Yep.” He gently bounced Eliza in his arms, the little toddler still full on wailing. “We felt embarrassed, ya see. Didn’t want each other know we had no idea what the hell we were doin’. Or how hard it had been for us.”

“How did you two find out about the other?”

Eliza was beginning to sniffle and hiccup, which Beau took to mean she was starting to calm down. He kept bouncing her as he spoke to her mother. “Came upon her in the closet. Carla had been feelin’ sick, Emily was all over the place and nothin’ was workin’. I came home and found her there, tears everywhere.”

Beau shook his head. “We had a good long talk. We were lucky. We could lean on each other. Even then, it was damned hard.”

Eliza let out a big yawn and Beau smiled. He shifted her in his arms and she immediately slumped against him, evidently prepared to fall asleep then and there.

Y/N’s brows swooped up in astonishment. “I.. can’t decide if I should be offended or relieved you got her to calm down that fast.”

“Relieved, darlin’,” he said with a rumbly chuckle. “Go with relieved. Why don’t ya take her and I’ll get your groceries in the car?”

”Absolutely not. You hold her, I’ll do it. I don’t want to risk her waking up again,” she said with a chuckle. “I knew she was getting tired. I just had to finish shopping. Just my luck she got overtired and that was it, she didn’t want to cooperate anymore.”

Much to Beau’s amusement, Eliza let out a tiny snore. He patted the little toddler’s back soothingly, swayed in place. God, memories were coming back, of late nights trying to get Emily to go down so they could sleep, of trying to get her to hang on a bit longer so they could go home.

He’d do it again in a heartbeat. He loved his daughter so damned much.

”When they’re that age, all we can do is roll with it,” he said as she moved bags into her trunk. “We’re just lucky they’re cute enough to forget what it’s like as they get older.”

Y/N smiled a bit, but it faded quickly. “Beau… I owe you an apology.”

“What for?” he asked, his hand still patting Eliza’s back.

“For leaving as abruptly as I did earlier,” she said, her voice low and ashamed. “I… Eliza bringing you right over to me had me…” She hesitated, then finished with, “scared. It scared me.”

Beau paused in his swaying, caught off guard. Then he kept moving, considering that confession. “I imagine your daughter approving of a man you just met might be a bit difficult,” he said carefully. “Especially one who just asked you out.”

“Most men I meet… if they’re interested in me… tend to run when they hear ‘single mom’,” she said slowly. “No matter how well we got along.”

Ah. Beau nodded slowly. He couldn’t imagine how that felt, being constantly turned down because of certain circumstances. “Ain’t my place to judge,” he said at last. “You’re a package deal, far as I’m concerned. If I wanna see the momma, I gotta accept the kid, too.”

Y/N stared at him for a moment, astonished by his level of acceptance. “That’s… thank you.”

“No need,” he said with a smile. “It’s the way it is.” He glanced at Eliza and his smile widened, took on warmth. “‘Sides, she’s hell of a kid.”

Y/N chuckled, her expression softening. “She is. Thank you… for helping out.”

“More than happy to, darlin’,” he said, rubbing Eliza’s back. “I think she’s ready to go into the car seat though.”

“Do you mind?”

He shook his head and gently set Eliza into the car seat. He adjusted her comfortably and made sure to snap her in tightly. Then he grabbed a blanket in the backseat and tucked it around the little toddler. Damn, she’s adorable.

”There ya go,” he whispered to Eliza. “Sweet dreams, kiddo.”

He straightened and nodded to Y/N. “Precious cargo is all secured, ma’am.”

Amused, Y/N smiled. “Thank you, Beau.”

A part of him resisted the urge to kiss her, she looked so soft and warm. It was too soon, he knew. They haven’t even been on a date yet.

“You’re welcome.” He reassured himself the paper with her phone number was still in his pocket, then asked, “Would it be desperate or premature of me to ask you out now?”

Her smile widened, and she shook her head. “No. Go for it, Beauregard.”

He quirked a smile at hearing his full name. He hadn’t given it to her; she must’ve made some educated guesses. “All right then, darlin’. I’d like to take ya out to dinner tomorrow, if you’re willin’.”

“I’d love to,” she said with a smile.

“What time works for ya?”

She glanced at the little toddler in the car. “Is 6pm too early for you?”

”Not at all. I’ll reach out to you later, if that’s all right, arrange your address and all?”

She blinked, then smiled. “You’re picking me up?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a nod. “My mother would skin me alive if she knew I wasn’t being a gentleman.”

That clearly charmed Y/N. “Okay. Yes… text me later and… we’ll get that sorted.”

He tipped his head at her, scooped up his bags and beer. “Drive safe, Y/N.”

She glanced at him as she got into her car. God, he loved her smile, a touch crooked with a sweetness that was killing him.

He never imagined a trip to the grocery store would net him a date—let alone with a single mom. Yet, here he was, asking one out and utterly charmed by her kid.

What a life.

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[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Rebuild & Restore - Chapter 10

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤ 

All OC Characters belong to me

All Falls Down (Prequel)

Series Masterlist

Thank you to my friend @paigereeder for helping me through my brain rot!!

“Josh!” Kiyanna called out, struggling to keep up with his long strides. Kaiden was also struggling so she let go of Josh’s hand to pick him up. “Slow down!” 

“He put his damn hands on you, Key! He lucky he not a patient in this damn hospital!.” He gruffed out as they made it to his truck with Joe trailing behind them with the stroller. “Come on, get in the car.” He muttered as he took Kaiden from her and placed him in his booster seat before grabbing Kairo out of his stroller and placing him in his carseat and turning the car on. Kiyana shook her head as she looked at her watch for the time. Josh beating Elijah’s ass had damn near taken up her whole lunch break. 

“Josh, I have to go back to work.” Josh snapped his head towards her and looked at her incredulously. 

“Key, you ain’t going back to that damn hospital. Not while he in there.” Kiyana arched one of her eyebrows and opened her mouth to most definitely curse him out but Debra and Arin running up to them stopped her. 

“Oh my god! Are you okay?!” Debra asked her, grabbing Key cheeks in her hands turning her face side to side to inspect it. 

“Debra, I’m fine.” 

“We heard what happened, Dr. Daniels is on the L&D floor trying to get you fired and press charges.” Arin spoke up, nibbing her bottom lip in worry. She hadn’t been working at Pensacola Memorial for long but Debra and Kiyana were the only nurses who actually helped her and took their time training and teaching her. It would suck if Kiyana lost her job over this. Arin’s eyes quickly shifted over to the behemoth of a man standing to the side of Kiyana and the other man. She quickly looked away when he looked towards her and smiled, feeling her heart stutter in her chest. 

Hearing that Elijah was trying to get Key fired, sent Josh into another fit of rage. “Getchu’ fired for what?!” Josh grunted out, face all balled up as his eyes narrowed on the hospital. “He put his hands on you! His ass should be fired.” 

“Josh, please calm down.” Kiyana calmly said as she moved out of Debra’s grasp and moved closer to Josh, taking his face in her hands, making him look her in her eyes. “I am fine. Please calm down.” Josh nodded his head and took a deep breath, staring into her eyes trying to calm himself down. 

“Ohh, that’s Josh.” She heard Debra whisper but Kiyana paid her no mind. 

“Key, look at the damn bruise he left on you. You are not fine.” Josh said as he gently took her arm to inspect the bruise. “What he do this for anyway.?” 

“I found out about his wife, his pregnant wife.” Key whispered and Josh froze, flickering his eyes up to heres.  “His wife is my patient and she asked me to call him to the L&D floor. When I told him I was gonna go tell her the truth , he snapped and threatened me.” 

“Key..” Josh trailed off in a whisper. 

“Ironic huh?” She muttered back, flinching when he reached his hand up to wipe her tears away. She quickly gathered herself, wiping her own tears and leaning into the car.  “Mommy has to go back to work okay.” She said to Kaiden, plastering a smile on her face, that didn’t reach her eyes. 

“But, we didn’t eat yet.” He said softly, tears filling his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his mothers neck tightly. “I don’t want you to go back in there with the bad man.” 

Debra, who overheard, gently placed a hand on Kiyana’s lower back. “Take the rest of the day and tomorrow off. I’ll go talk to Chuck and report what happened for you.” 

“Okay.” Kiyana nodded her head with a deep sigh. 

“I’ll see you on Wednesday. “ Debra smiled at her before doing the same to the two men before walking back towards the hospital with Arin following her. 

“I can just take them home with me.” Kiyana muttered, wanting to get as far away from Josh and Joe. 

“What? No. I said I was gonna take y’all to lunch and that’s what I’m gonna do before we have to go pick up Kamari from school.” Not in the mood to argue, Kiyana nodded her head in agreement before shifting her eyes to Joe. 

“I just wanted to talk to you.” Joe spoke up. “I don’t have to go to lunch with y’all.” Kiyana looked at Josh who nodded and got in the car leaving the two of them alone. 

“Wassup Joe?” Kiyana muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. Joe put the stroller into the trunk before turning to face Kiyana, his expression a mixture of regret and guilt. 

“I just wanted to apologize.”  Kiyana arched her eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. “I fucked up. I was selfish and -” 

“It’s fine Joe.” Kiyana interrupted him with a slight shake of her head.  “You weren’t the only one at fault. I wanted to get back at Josh and you were there. I’m in the wrong just as much as you are.” 

“I shoulda never called him though. I was being petty and vindictive.”  Kiyana shrugged, 

‘Look, it was a fucked up thing to do but I don’t need the apology, Josh does. You’re his blood and I'm just some girl y’all met twenty-something years ago. I should be the one apologizing to y’all. I feel like a slut for messing up y’alls  relationship.” Josh, who was definitely eavesdropping, called out 

“Bullshit.” at the same time Joe said, 

“You ain’t just some girl we met in highschool. You our family now and forever. Whether or not you and Josh get back together we will always look at you like family.  I already apologized to Josh but I still feel like shit and imma do everything to make it up to you and him.” 

“I mean, I wouldn't mind using the P.J whenever I feel like it.” Josh called out to them from the window he just rolled down making Joe and Kiyana laugh. 

“I’m still hungry.” Kaiden called out and Kiyana laughed again. 

“Alright I won’t take up more of y’alls time. I wouldn’t want Kai to start eating his toes.” Joe said, reaching into the window to tickle his nephew.  He then opened the passenger side door for Kiyana, who gave him a smile as she slid in and shut the door behind her. Joe and Josh stared at each other before Joe broke the silence.  “I love you Uce.” Josh nodded and started up the car before driving away. 

author's note~ : kinda a short chapter. I wanted this to be a filler with Joe's "apology". Next chapter Josh will try his hardest to get his family back.

What did y'all think if Joe's apology though?? Hopefully it came off how i wanted it too 👀

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[darklydeliciousdesires]

Dreams of Arcadia - Chapter Two.

Thanks to those who have offered feedback on this so far! I'll update it quite frequently, twice a week perhaps, to get the ball rolling with it so people can settle into the story :)

Summary: Everyone harbours their own ghosts, the lingering pains that shadow them through life. For Dr. Marla Krane, an accomplished trauma surgeon, these burdens have grown almost insurmountable, the emotional toll compounding with each passing day. One evening, following the loss of a patient and reeling from turmoil in her personal life, the mounting pressure becomes overwhelming. 

On this pivotal night, as Marla wanders the streets of New York barefoot and in despair, she finds herself the victim of a tragic accident. This event transports her to Arcadia, a mystical and verdant realm whose tranquil beauty stands in stark contrast to the chaos she has left behind. 

Within Arcadia, Marla encounters an enigmatic figure known as the dark god, who extends solace and understanding in her moment of deepest confusion. With her fate delicately poised between two worlds, she must confront a profound choice: to return and fight for the life she knows, or to surrender to the mysterious embrace of Arcadia’s guardian, where perhaps, at last, she may find peace. 

Words - 2,827

Warnings - AU!Vessel, mentions of death and injury, eventual smut, 18+ only. Minors DNI!

Previous Chapters - One

Allowing his words to sink in a little, her mind absorbing them like a sponge, Marla remained unconvinced by his statements. She could neither believe that she wasn’t dead, nor that she now found herself in this place he named as Arcadia.  

“I know I’m dead,” she began, gesturing all around, “because this isn’t real, and neither are you! Mere figments of chemical releases into a rapidly dying brain.” She scoffed a little, lips pursing slightly. “Jesus fucking Christ, I wish it would hurry up and snuff me.” 

“Words I have heard countless times before with those who arrive here,” he spoke, his drawl smooth, yet deep and rumbling. He neither looked nor sounded fully human. “You should be thankful, this realm you have been transported to, as I come to understand is much preferable to many of the other destinations of afterlife.” 

“You said I’m not dead, though,” she stated. 

“Correct.” 

“So why in god’s name am I within this afterlife? Explain that to me!” 

He chuckled, a flash of teeth splitting the black of his skin like a comet streaking through an ebony sky. “You currently teeter, neither fully here nor back in the realm of mortals.” 

She regarded him warily, uncertain if her nerves were frayed by disbelief or by the inexplicable serenity this place bestowed upon her. She wanted to argue, to reject the notion that she was suspended between worlds, but the air in Arcadia was so thick with tranquillity that even defiance felt softened.  

The figure’s eyes - if indeed they were eyes behind the mask - studied her with an ancient patience, as if he’d waited for her questions since time began. “Think of this as a threshold,” he continued, gesturing to the luminous landscape, “a kind of antechamber for those whose souls aren’t quite ready to go forward, but aren’t yet able to return. It’s rare, but it happens when the pain that binds you is as fierce as the life that tries to reclaim you.” 

Marla, torn between a longing to believe and an urge to flee, weighed his words. “So, what comes next?” she demanded lightly.  

“That,” he answered, his tone now gentler, “depends entirely on the courage with which you face what you’ve left behind. As a doctor, you know well exactly the damage that a fire truck hurtling into the body of a slight young woman such as yourself would wreak upon it.” 

Indeed, she did. How on earth she’d survived it at all was a mystery to her. Somewhere, deep within the body of a woman whose zest for life had all but been depleted to nothing, a small spark must have flared into existence, a flame glinting in the dark. Her will to survive, somehow, was not yet fully extinguished. 

“And who are you?” she then questioned, folding her arms. 

He knew she wouldn’t take her arrival with any of the peace or acceptance she was meant to. He’d seen it before she’d even appeared, that the newest resident of Arcadia – whether permanent or not – would pester him until her thirst for knowledge was sated. 

“I go by many names,” he began, lifting his chin a little. “The dark god, the serpent, the guardian of Arcadia, the vessel, to name but four.” 

“So, you are god then, yes?” 

“One of them,” he replied, his voice measured and calm. 

“How many are there?” 

“So vast are they in numbers that you would run out of paper before you could write down each of their names.”  

She nodded, thoughtful for a moment. “Why the vessel? Why the serpent? The other two are quite self-explanatory, taking in your black skin and attire, plus the fact you are armed with a sword.” 

He was much used to this, the constant stream of questions. “The vessel because within me I hold all the shadows that follow the people of earth to Arcadia, and the serpent because, well, for that I must be demonstrative.”  

His form began to shift then, rippling, until before her no longer stood the statuesque, godlike creature. In his place, a giant, black serpent slithered and coiled, moving slow over the ground, circling her feet a few times before his form returned to that of the one who had greeted her.  

She was just about to speak once more when the sound of a deep, foreboding series of groans permeated the air, the dark god turning his head sharply.  

“What are they?” she asked, following his line of vision, her heart jumping at the sight. There, a cluster of shadows began to grow, rushing over the gardens, their moans morbidly eerie. Unsheathing his sword, he moved swiftly, running across the terrain to where they reared up and screamed. Suddenly, the cease of internal pain she had experienced returned to her, Marla doubling over in an instant.  

Effectively and with barbaric precision, he cut them down in turn, watching the remnants of them mutate into smoke. He then drew a colossal breath, that black smoke rushing through the air and into his mouth, the dark god seeping them up. He slumped, his body heaving, making a noise like a mighty, wounded beast.  

Her first urge was to go to him, but he soon straightened, the thick, rigid muscles of his chest heaving under the duress of taking them within himself before he walked back to stand in front of her once more. 

“Those were the shadows who followed you here,” he replied, replacing his sword within the scabbard upon his back. “You will undoubtedly feel better without them.” 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” she gasped, witnessing the effect it had upon him, literally swallowing back the shadowed manifestations of her pain. “And what about you?” Her tone was soft then, wanting to reach for him, unsure if she should or not. Was she allowed to touch a god? This place, it was one she barely believed herself to truly be existing within, let alone understanding the etiquette of.  

“I am used to it by now,” he spoke succinctly. “How do you feel?” 

She took a moment. “Unburdened, at last.” 

“Good,” he nodded, “as you should be. Arcadia is no place for that which haunted you prior to your arrival.” 

“And if I return to where I came?” she questioned, her voice guarded with trepidation. 

He sighed. “That, I cannot answer. It depends upon your will to walk in the light, or once again welcome the shadows which once beleaguered you.” 

Was he serious? “I didn’t exactly welcome what depressed the shit out of me, you know.” 

A deep rumble sounded, not unlike thunder, Marla realising that in fact, it was laughter echoing through his chest. “Lying to a god is a futile exercise. We see all. I hold your shadows within me, Dr. Krane. I am able detect much about you from their essence.” 

Shame coiled within her, her cheeks tingling as she winced a little. “Oh. Shit.” 

“There is no place for embarrassment here.” Reaching for her, his thumb rubbed softly down her cheek, and the touch felt like nothing she had ever experienced before it. “You were blameless in everything that darkened your soul, except for choosing to hang onto it. It is, ah, a very human trait, though. I have witnessed it countless times.” 

“It wasn’t conscious,” she muttered, the dark god inclining his head. 

“True. Human nature is much more instinctual than most would believe. Nobody would willingly choose to cling to the darkness within them. You only did so because that was all you were left with. Yet one more thing to lose, and any loss, whether it would be beneficial or not, was surely beyond what you could cope with.” 

The man would make a truly gifted therapist if nothing else, should he exist within a realm where such skills could be applied. He was right; she had clung to her grief as if grasping a security blanket of some sorts. And it had taken him seconds to deduce that. Alas, there was not much merit to therapizing the dead, or the in-between, such as her.  

She realised then that she’d referred to him as a man in her wonderings. Was he one?  

“No, I am not. Male, yes, but not a man. To be a man would mean I am human, and I ceased to be such a long time ago.” 

Her head shot up. “Please, don’t read my mind! That’s damned disrespectful.” 

“I didn’t,” he sniffed, “I read the way you view me quizzically. Human faces are not difficult to measure.” 

Eager to learn more about the enigmatic figure before her, she tried her luck. “You were once human then, yes?” 

He nodded deeply. “Indeed, I was.”  

“How did you find yourself here, guarding Arcadia?” 

He drew a deep breath, his jaw tightening as the ancient memory scraped over his bones and rattled against his soul. “Penance.”  

The obvious lament over what he now seemingly served out for an eternity halted any further questions, Marla tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked down at the tufted moss, thick and soft beneath her bare feet.  

“Gotcha, I shan’t broach that further,” she replied respectfully, “but could you tell me how a mere mortal becomes elevated to the status of a god?” 

Touching a hand to her shoulder, he guided her into forward motion, walking along at her side. “Perhaps I will reveal that to you one day, Dr. Krane.” 

“Please, call me Marla,” she insisted, “Dr. Krane is much too formal.” 

Reaching for one of the branches above them, he plucked a handful of fruit from it. “As you wish, Marla.” Taking one of the small, purple fruits, he popped it into his mouth, letting the other fall to his fingertips, extending his hand to her. 

“What is it?” she asked, receiving it softly onto her palm. 

“They aren’t unlike small figs, but much sweeter.” He gestured around himself then, pointing to the vast canopy surrounding them. “All of the fruits and berries within Arcadia are edible, in case you wondered.” 

Sustenance was still a requisite of the afterlife, then. Taking a little bite, the juice hit her tongue, flavour bursting forth, luscious and rich. No fruit she was familiar with tasted quite as divine. “I didn’t know eating was included within the afterlife. Then again, I didn’t pay much attention to it while I was alive.” 

“You remain alive,” he interjected with, “just about.” 

Her mouth thinned, still unsure whether or not to accept the words from the dark, hulking figure at her side to be anything more than a hallucination. “What else can be imbibed here?” 

“All water is drinkable, and most of the foliage edible.” Pointing ahead, his finger picked out a line of small shrubs with huge, deep red leaves. “Avoid those. They’re bitter. Try not to deviate from leaves of purple and green.” 

“Ixnay on the red leaves, gotcha,” she spoke, “good to know.” They continued to walk, a silence falling over them for a few moments, Marla quite taken in with the serenity of her surroundings. Even the trees seemed to whisper healing incantations, the cool breeze fluttering against her cheek like the caress of an old friend.  

Arcadia was a truly magical realm, but was it real? The suspension of disbelief needed for her logical mind and little reverence for spiritualism to believe such truly was a very big ask. 

“Is there anything else which you wish to ask of me?” the dark god questioned, reaching for another tree and plucking what appeared to be an apple. It was unlike any other she’d seen before, though, a deeper green in hue, her companion merely holding it instead of taking a bite.  

“Yes, there is, actually,” she began, her eyes still touring her surroundings, taking it all in as every new part of the vast paradise came into view. “Why am I here, in Arcadia specifically?” 

“I thought we had established that upon your arrival?” 

“No, sorry, I probably wasn’t explicit enough. What I mean is, why here, and not one of the other afterlife realms you alluded to?” 

He lifted his head skywards before looking down upon her, coming to a stop. “Arcadia is a realm reserved for the very best of humanity. You should feel honoured to have been chosen.”  

“Who chose me?” Cocking her head to the side, she wished she could actually see more of his face than the lower visage visible. The mask served as a mysterious barrier. “Was it you?” 

“No,” he confirmed, continuing to walk, “I am merely a guardian.” 

“Who chose me?” 

“That is a question I am not capable of answering, Marla,” he lamented, shrugging.  

“I thought as a god, you saw all?” 

He narrowed his eyes at her slightly beneath his mask. She was certainly one of the most tenacious arrivals he’d dealt with recently. He couldn’t deny that he enjoyed that, though.  

“Alas, I am not omniscient.” 

She looked accepting of this, nodding as they continued to walk. Again, a silence fell over them, Marla suddenly picking out something in the middle distance that made her gasp lightly. “There’s horses here?” 

“Celeste is no mere horse.” Puckering his lips, he let out a sharp whistle, the beautiful, brilliant white beast lifting her head, whickering with pleasure before turning and trotting to them.  

Marla’s mouth dropped wide, the previously obscured head of the “horse” revealed to her fully. “That’s... that’s a fucking unicorn!” 

Celeste slowed her approach, halting and greeting the dark god with a sniff, receiving the apple he held out for her happily. 

“Hello, lovely girl,” he spoke fondly, looking to Marla and chuckling at her amazed awe. His hand stroked over the creature’s gleaming coat, her glittering horn shining in the sun with an ethereal radiance, his movements reverent, as though tending an ancient secret.  

“Legends are often rooted in truth,” he then murmured, inviting her to step closer. Tentatively, she reached out, fingertips trembling as they brushed the unicorn’s satin-soft muzzle, and a fragile joy flickered in her chest. It was a sensation almost foreign after so much suffering.  

“She’s beautiful,” she whispered in wonder, looking up into her eyes, inky indigo, truly the most magnificent animal she had ever encountered. “Can she be ridden?” 

“She allows me upon her back,” he told her, smiling as Celeste gently nibbled at his fingers, “but she would likely take offence to anybody else attempting it.” 

“You talk like others have tried,” she began, looking all around, “but I can’t see anyone else other than us. I take it there are more people here other than me, right?” 

“Correct,” he replied, hand smoothing beneath Celeste’s sparkling, white mane before she turned to amble away once more. “Arcadia is unfathomably vast, though. Witnessing others is not always a regularity. Especially not while you linger within the gardens.”  

He pointed to her right, and she followed his finger. “Beyond those hills lies the halls of Arcadia, a place not yet permitted to you. Not until it has been decided whether you are to remain or return.” 

She was about to question how long such usually took when suddenly, a sharp pain hit the centre of her body, the familiar clinical scent flooding her nose, the sounds of machines she was well acquainted with filling her ears.  

“We’re losing her!” 

Faith Walker, chief of surgery at Sacred Hope. One of her dearest friends. She could hear her as if she was right there at her side. 

“What’s... what’s happening to me?” she gasped, clutching her chest, her other hand reaching to grasp the powerful arm of the dark god. 

His hand covered hers, and he steadied her, providing a rocklike ballast in which to root herself to as she felt like her very being was being yanked out from within. “It’s your mortal body fighting to survive. If you see a light, follow it back. It will take you where you are destined to be.” 

She did see a light, her eyes blinded by it, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. The ordeal, although only lasting a few moments, left her breathless and frightened. Somewhere between the ache of her mortal wounds and the ethereal gentleness of Arcadia, she struggled to reconcile the world she’d left behind with the one unfolding before her.  

Looking up at her dark companion, she straightened with his help. “All this, it’s really real, isn’t it? Shit.” 

Finally, she was starting to accept it. It often took new arrivals a little bit of time. “It is. You must emphatically remember what I said, though. These moments will happen; your body will call out for you to rejoin it. If you are destined to, you must follow the light back there.” 

Except, surrounded by a utopian paradise, Marla wasn’t entirely sure that returning to a life filled with such crippling pain was truly what she wished for. 

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Chapter Three

[cherryblossomcowgirl]

my tears ricochet

Inspired by Taylor Swift “my tears ricochet”

MASTERLIST PINNED

WC: 1.4k

Warnings: cheating; breakup; fighting; angst; swearing

.

.

We gather here, we line up, weepin' in a sunlit room

And if I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too

Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe

All the hell you gave me?

'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you

'Til my dying day

.

.

It took him 4 minutes to walk away from the last 2 years. 240 seconds to say goodbye. He didn’t even come inside. He stood on the front porch, like a coward. I followed him as he walked to his truck. I screamed his name between sobs. He started the engine and drove away.

.

.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace

And you're the hero flying around, saving face

.

.

*2 months later*

I take a deep breath and call Bradley. He is outside 10 minutes later, ready to drive me to the bar. “Thanks, B. I didn’t want to walk in alone, but I really miss everyone.” He smiles, “I told you I am always here for you. I mean it. They all miss you too.” I mentally prepare myself to see Jake for this first time since that night. We haven’t spoken. He hasn’t even come to pickup his things. Bradley parks the Bronco and we walk into the Hard Deck. The team immediately spots us and waves us over to the pool table. Phoenix wraps me in a hug, “Y/n! It’s been too long!” “Hey Phe.” I smile and Bradley brings me a drink. The evening is nice. Everyone is chatting and shooting pool. I see Bradley’s posture stiffen and I turn to see Jake walking towards the group. He puts on his big old smile and greets everyone. His eyes meet mine and he just smiles. I roll my eyes and watch him put on his show. Darts, pool, his general asshole demeanor. Bob comes over and pats my back, “Happy you’re here, Y/n. I was so sad when Jake told us you left. Thought I wouldn’t see you around anymore.” I laugh, “So that’s his story, funny.” Bob raises his eyebrow and I notice the rest of the group getting quiet, trying to listen. I speak a little louder, not caring who hears, “I’m saying it’s funny because he just stood outside the door one night and said he ‘couldn’t do this anymore’. Then he drove away. Like a coward.” The group is silent and I see Jake’s cheeks go red. I raise my glass towards him and take a sip of my drink.

.

.

And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?

Cursing my name, wishing I stayed

Look at how my tears ricochet

.

.

*4 months later*

Phoenix decides to throw a party for me officially finishing my residency. We end up at the Hard Deck, like always. Bradley and I spend most of the night dancing. I’m not sure what is growing between us, but I like it. He is sweet. He is thoughtful. He is gentle. He is the exact opposite of what I am used to. We finish our dance and head back to the group only to see Jake playing pool. His eyes meet mine and I see something in them I haven’t before, heartache.

.

.

We gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean

Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring

You know I didn't want to have to haunt you

But what a ghostly scene

You wear the same jewels that I gave you

As you bury me

.

.

*6 months later*

Things with Bradley moved fast. He officially asked me out right after Phoenix’s party and we have been inseparable since. He had always been such a good friend to me that it just felt natural. It felt safe. And now here we are, celebrating our engagement at the Hard Deck. I came home after doing my first major surgery without my mentor and he was there waiting for me. “B, you didn’t have to! I know you wanted to go see everyone.” He kisses me, “I wanted to wait for you! How did it go?” I tell him about the surgery in great detail. He stands in the bathroom as I shower to listen to my story. He hangs on every word. I start to get ready and realize my lucky scrub cap isn’t on its hook. He watches as I look for it, seeing it on the foot of the bed. I pick it up, “Can’t lose this.” He smiles. I feel something cold and metallic. I turn it around to see a ring. Bradley gets down on one knee, “Y/n, it’s you. You’re everything I want. Everything I need. I need you by my side until my dying day. Will you marry me?” I nod my head yes and get down with him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He kisses me, “I’m really happy you said yes, it would’ve been so awkward going to celebrate with our friends if you said no.” I laugh and follow him to the Bronco, glancing at the beautiful ring on my left hand. We walk into the Hard Deck to see that Penny has put up banners and balloons to celebrate. I hug her tight, “You are the sweetest. Thank you.” She kisses my cheek, “You deserve this.” I walk over to our friends and they is a chorus of congratulations. Bradley heads to the bathroom and Jake walks over from the dart board. He is wearing the St. Michael necklace I got him for his birthday. The patron saint of the military and doctors. The saint of protection. Of courage. Of leadership. He clears his throat, “Congratulations, Y/n. I am happy for you.” He smiles but his eyes look dreary. He isn’t clean shaven and his hair is disheveled. I put my hand on his shoulder, “Thanks, Jake.”

.

.

And I can go anywhere I want

Anywhere I want, just not home

And you can aim for my heart, go for blood

But you would still miss me in your bones

And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky)

And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)

.

.

I notice Jake distancing himself from the group slowly. When he is around, he keeps to himself. Part of me feels bad for him, but then I remember what he did. How he threw us away. I remember the messages I got from a random instagram account. A woman who apologized. She didn’t know he had a girlfriend. He hadn’t told her. My heart feels heavy remembering the pain. Then there’s B. B who writes me letters every day he is deployed. B who puts little post it notes of encouragement in my lucky scrub cap. B who loves me with everything he has.

.

.

I didn't have it in myself to go with grace

And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves

You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same

Cursing my name, wishing I stayed

You turned into your worst fears

.

.

Bradley is deployed and I miss him so much. I start drifting off to sleep on the couch when the doorbell rings. I turn on the porch light and open the door. Jake is standing there, looking at his feet. I step out onto the porch so that Bradley can see whatever this is on the Ring camera. “Jake? What are you doing here?” “I wanted to tell you that I am PCSing. Norfolk. Next week.” “Oh. Okay. Well, take care of yourself Jake.” He sighs, “I am sorry. For everything.” I cut him off, “Jake you don’t have to-“ “No, please. I need to say this. Y/n, I became the guy I never wanted to be. I could barely face you after what I did. And then Bradshaw, I saw how he looked at you. How he treated you. I had that. I threw that away. Y/n, I am going to regret what happened between us for the rest of my life.” My eyes water and he continues, “I wish you nothing but the best, okay?” He hugs me and I sniffle, “You too, Jake. Be safe up there.” He starts walking towards his truck and looks back, “I spent so long competing with Bradshaw and I thought we were just alike. Now I can see he is so many things that I will never be.”

[bleedingcoffee42]

May 27, 1945, Chuck Grant is shot in the street of Saalfelden, Austria. Although the JAG review of the case summarizes what happened, the court-martial goes into way more detail and includes maps, testimony, statements and medical reviews. There are many versions of what happened that night from it happening in the afternoon, to Chuck being in a warehouse, to going for the gun, to it happening at a roadblock etc etc.

Christenson. Malarkey. Heffron. Carson. Foley. Lipton. Webster

and the version that was in Band of Brothers:

The Court Martial says - he had one private with him. There was one dead German and he was on the road to Zell Am See. There was no 'resisting' anything, the German Captain was told to drive off and then Craver shot into the back of the car and it went in a ditch. The Major and his SHAEF staff stopped because they saw a car on the street, there are literally Seven people in that street before Chuck drives up. SEVEN. Craver doesn't take his gun out until Chuck walks up and they argue. Craver shoots in front of the truck when Watkins tells Chuck to go ahead, they are helping. The German Doctors got Grant on a stretcher and took him to the hospital they worked at in Saalfelden. The Doctors put him in surgery immediately, Harrison okayed it. Craver walked up to the hospital, that's where they grabbed him. He saw one month in combat as a replacement in I Company in April.

Testimony and witness statements seem to indicate a different story, still confusing as hell. Summary of Chuck's shooting under the cut, full analysis of that night and those involved in progress with the CSI Saalfelden Team, and I'm not posting the official reports because I'm SO TIRED of seeing youtubers/social accounts/reddit/monetized accounts reposting people's research for views and pay. Been 80 years, go to the national archives and get the damned paperwork and get the facts straight yourself if you want paid.

May 27, 1945- The Night Chuck Grant is shot.

So here we are in Saalfelden, at night on a Sunday with a SHAEF car filled with Major Watkins, his Warrant Officer Dodd, a Sgt Harrison, and two Polish guys are coming back from a party thrown by some local polish DPs.  They see the car, stop to investigate.  As soon as the Sgt gets in the car, Craver comes out of the house saying it’s his. There are now at least seven people standing in this street in Saalfelden at around 2300 at night on a Sunday where curfew was hours ago. ----  A SHAEF vehicle with a Major Watkins, Warrant Officer Dodd, US M/Sgt Harrison, 2 Polish DP men, emerging from the farmhouse is Pvt Floyd Craver and his German chauffer. There are three people in the farmhouse. Naturally, we could use more people here right before midnight on a Sunday evening-enter Chuck Grant, his 2nd platoon medic, and two Russian girls in the back of their truck.

Chuck stops and asks if they need help- Watkins says they are going to push start the car.  Chuck says fine and continues on his way.   Craver shoots twice at the truck, Chuck stops, comes back and asks who shot at him.  Craver said “I did. So What!”  and the Polish guys both say Chuck reached for Craver and said “You —” before the fastest gun in the ETO whips out his pistol and shoots him in the head.  Chuck falls to the ground, bleeding.  Craver then turns and keeps his finger on the trigger and fires at Watkins and company.   Craver takes off running. Watkins heads to the left down an alley where Craver went.   Dodd goes right.  Harrison is in the SHAEF party wagon and ducks down and tells the Polish guys to do the same.   The German Chauffeur is standing by a house, with a cigarette and just watches.    The Medic comes over from where he was left at the truck and sees Chuck is shot. He wants to call an aide station. He does the best he can by heading back to CP to ask for help with Dodd.  

How this evening began-- Floyd Craver and his fellow I Company man Dewey Hogue decided to go for a drive and tapped a German Chauffer to do the driving for them in a car they found. He's not just a Chauffer, this man is the world's greatest Uber, he has been through Craver shooting at cars, shooting a German Captain and now is standing there watching the recreation of the OK Corral. He's fixed this car more times than I can count. Hogue wasn't that level of ride or die and chose to walk and live, separating from this hot mess after the German Captain was shot. (and yes they did run out of gas, but there was only one body in the car). He went to Saalfelden, went to Easy CP at 2230 where Ron Speirs and a first sergeant were present. The First Sergeant at this time was Floyd Talbert, earlier this day he had been up in the mountains hunting with Dick Winters, and apparently didn't spend the night in Kaprun. Speirs leaves with Hogue to go to the crime scene, brings 6-8 of his men and checks out the dead guy. Calls for an ambulance from Zell an See, they pick up the dead Captain, and he sends his men to look for the killer. Goes to Zell am See himself, to bring Hogue back for arrest in quarters and see if Craver went back to his room, and reports to the CO about the murder.

Meanwhile in Saalfelden....

Speirs is not back from Zell am See yet, and the first Sergeant (Tab) is in CP.   This is the first stop for our poor 2nd platoon kid and the SHAEF warrant officer. They report and get a very unhelpful response from the first sergeant- He says he’s called the aide station again and IDK maybe they should just go grab some doctors from the hospital ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Chuck is still laying in the street, by the way.   And off these to go to grab two amazing doctors from the local hospital and head back to the scene of the shootout.  They arrive, Watkins is dead and Chuck is loaded up and taken to the hospital and Harrison gives the go ahead to do what they can to save him.  Which is good, because the Battalion Surgeon doesn’t show up until 0230-0300 and barely looks at the bodies and X-rays and says ‘Great job, keep it up’ and nothing more.

Speirs gets to Easy CP hears there is another shooting, says’ turn out the company and find the killer’, then goes to the hospital.  Can’t see Chuck, he’s in surgery.  He looks at Watkins who is dead.  Heads back to CP where Craver is brought in.

Craver, who had disappeared only to reappear when everyone was standing around at the hospital and he came staggering up the road.  The hospital is 400-500 yards from the shootout scene.  He is apprehended by 2nd platoon Lt. Alexander Hamilton and Pvt Eugene Ivie.  He has an unfired .32 caliber on him.   Yes, they sniffed it.

Next day the German Chauffer comes in to report.  Why the next day?  Well Harrison, who remained at the crime scene to watch the bodies, told him to get back in the house so he found an inn somewhere to take a nap and did.  Then Speirs drives him to Zell Am See to file his report.

“I couldn’t be sure we got the right man.” Speirs has said for decades and he had access to all three men involved that night. Believe this man who has been in intelligence and interrogated men, seems to be the only guy not drunk and working this night, and is damned good at his job.

Things of note:

- Foley is not mentioned at all in these records or testimony. Hamilton is the LT at the hospital, McCutcheon was also picked up at CP. They drove around looking for the killer with Harrison. Is he probably here? Sure. But doesn't seem to be in a Jeep with Speirs carrying Chuck around. He should still be in the ETO, he returns to the US on the same ship as Speirs.

-Per Speirs letter to Guth on June 11th, Tab stepped down because he didn't want to be First Sgt anymore. Perhaps it's because 'IDK, maybe find a doctor ¯\_(ツ)_/¯' isn't the best response when your men come to CP to report your SGT is bleeding his brains out in the street. Tab is sensitive, Speirs likes to yell. Tab put up with him since Bastogne and they move out to Kaprun- the most wonderful place in the world where Dick Winters is located---the next week or so. Speculation. But I think he quit because of this night. Could be when he was ordered to shoot someone in Kaprun, but timing is convenient here.

-Craver wandered up to the hospital, he wasn't found in a warehouse or inside a girl, at around 0100. A girl he asked to sleep with him was in that farmhouse and she told him she had to work tomorrow and went to bed with her Mom. Everyone acts weird this night.

-The German doctors saved Chuck Grant, period. They picked him up, took him to the hospital, relieved pressure, took out chunks of his shattered skull, did X-Rays and saved his life. MSGT Harrison stayed in the hospital to okay the surgery. Medic stayed with his SGT.

-Chuck, for some reason, does not have a gun.

-The battalion surgeon doesn't have a medical license in the states and when he was in ROTC his entire squad tossed his ass in a river, a testament to his character. He doesn't even touch Chuck, just says he lost bladder control and was moaning in pain. He shows up around 0230-0300.

[darlingyougotthis]

Love In The Sky

Jake “Hangman” Seresin Fanfic

Part Six: The Fallout

Secrets are fire — they always burn when they get out.

Cora didn’t even wait until morning.

She strutted straight from the parking lot into the Admiral Brooke’s office like a woman with purpose — no knock, no hesitation, just the sweet scent of vengeance on her perfume.

And she knew exactly where to go.

Admiral Brooke’s door slammed open.

“I thought you’d want to know,” she began, feigning a sorrowful tone, “your daughter was in a truck outside the Hard Deck tonight. With Lieutenant Seresin. Doing… well. Enough to make quite the show.”

Admiral Brooke’s face hardened. The veins in his temple twitched. He didn’t ask questions. Didn’t demand proof.

Because he knew.

He had seen the shift in Nova. The glow. The quiet rebellion. He just hadn’t had the proof.

Now he did.

And by God, he was going to end it.

The next morning, Jake was up early — already out the door by six for a gym session with Coyote. Nova, still warm and lazy in bed, had smiled and kissed him goodbye, sleepy and soft, thinking she had time.

She didn’t.

At 07:14, her front door shook under the impact of fists.

The knock wasn’t a knock. It was a warning.

Nova opened the door still barefoot, her hair down, wearing a faded tee and pyjama shorts. When she saw him standing there, jaw locked and eyes blazing, the air rushed from her lungs.

“Dad—”

“Who is he?” Admiral Brooke demanded, his voice thunderous.

Her stomach plummeted. “I—what?”

“The man you were grinding on in the front seat of a truck like some reckless teenager.”

“Where did you—?”

“Don’t you dare try and lie to me.”

Nova tried to regain her footing. “You’re overreacting.”

“Am I?” He stormed past her, scanning the space like he was clearing a room. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like my daughter — Lieutenant Brooke — has completely lost her goddamn mind.”

“Dad, please—”

“You have a career, Ava. A reputation. And you want to throw it away for what? For some hotshot pilot who doesn’t know how to keep his hands off you in public?”

“There’s no one here—”

But he was already moving.

Nova followed him in a panic, trying to block his path. “Stop! There’s nothing—!”

He shoved open the bedroom door.

And there it was.

Jake’s sweater.

Still on the bed. Crumpled, familiar, undeniably his. The collar stretched. The scent unmistakable. He might as well have found Jake himself.

Admiral Brooke picked it up and turned to her slowly.

His voice was quiet. Too quiet. “You’re letting a man sleep in your bed?”

Nova stood straighter, pulse racing. “It’s not what you think.”

“No? Because from where I’m standing,” he said coldly, “it looks exactly like what I think. You’re compromising everything I raised you for. All that discipline, all that focus — thrown away for him.”

“Stop it.”

“I told myself you had better judgment than this.”

“Dad—”

“I knew Seresin was arrogant, but I didn’t think you were stupid.”

The slap of that word hit harder than anything else. Her spine straightened like a steel rod.

“Don’t call me that,” she said, her voice sharp. “Don’t ever call me that.”

“I gave everything to get you where you are—”

“I never asked for that!” she shouted. “I didn’t ask to be raised like I was in boot camp! I didn’t ask to be your soldier, or your legacy, or some perfect little doll you can parade around!”

“You ungrateful—”

“I’m not ungrateful,” she snapped, tears threatening. “But I’m done. I’m done letting you dictate my life. I love him. And what we have is real.”

Her father sneered. “You’re a goddamn fool.”

“And you’re a coward,” she hissed. “So terrified of losing control that you’d rather tear me down than see me happy.”

They stared at each other across the room. Unmoving. Unforgiving.

Then he dropped Jake’s sweater to the floor like garbage.

“You are not the woman your mother would’ve been proud of.”

Nova reeled. That one… that one broke something.

Admiral Brooke didn’t wait for a reply. He turned, walked out, and slammed the door hard enough to shake the glass in its frame.

The silence left in his wake was deafening.

Nova dropped to her knees. Her breath caught in her throat, body trembling as she reached for Jake’s sweater and pressed it to her chest like it could hold her together.

Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook. She didn’t make a sound.

And then, slowly, she stood.

Wiped her face. Walked to her phone with Jake’s sweater still clutched in one hand.

She hit his name.

Jake answered after two rings. “Hey, baby,” he said, soft and bright. “Miss me already?”

The second she heard his voice, everything fell apart.

She couldn’t speak. Could only let out a single broken sob.

“…Jake….”

“Nova?” His voice shifted instantly. “What’s wrong?”

She gasped for air. “My father… he knows. He came here. He—he saw your sweater.”

Jake didn’t hesitate. “I’m coming. Stay where you are.”

He arrived in under twenty minutes, sweat clinging to his shirt from the run, worry etched into every inch of him. When he saw her — tear-streaked, pale, curled on the couch — he didn’t say a word.

Just dropped to his knees and wrapped her up in his arms like he could shield her from everything.

She let him hold her.

“I’m here,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

Nova’s hands clung to his shirt like she was drowning.

“He was so angry,” she whispered. “Said I was ruining everything. Called me stupid. Said Mom would be ashamed of me.”

Jake pulled back slightly, cupped her face. “No. No, she wouldn’t.”

“I told him he was wrong. I told him I wasn’t letting him control me anymore.”

Jake’s hand slid down her cheek to her neck, steadying her. “You did the right thing.”

“We shouldn’t have to hide,” she said, voice firmer now. “I’m tired of trying to please him all the time.”

He watched her. “What are you thinking?”

Nova looked at him, eyes steady.

“I want to go to the Dress Blues Ball with you. As a couple. Not a secret.”

Jake’s eyes widened — then softened with something deep. Fierce.

“I’d be honoured,” he said. “I’ll be by your side. Through all of it.”

She leaned in, her lips brushing his. “I know.”

And she kissed him like it was a promise.

[minniethemoocherda]

Iridescent: Chapter 39

A/N: Omg can't believe this fic turns 2 years old in two weeks!???!! Xxxxxxx

Ao3

"I am here to pick up Bluestreak's ointment for her-"

Prowl cut himself off at the sight of the mech he had been trying to avoid.

Thankfully, Inferno must have figured out what he had planned to say.

"Sure thing Commander!" The fire truck said. "Just let me put Jazz's servo back together first!"

Either deciding not to mention or not noticing the tension between him and Jazz, Inferno went to grab the ointment and welder. Prowl calculated that it was most likely the latter.

Prowl couldn't not notice how Jazz was perched on a near-by berth, lounging like he was a guest on a late night holo-show. Minus the missing finger, he looked as carefree as he always did, apparently unaffected by everything that had, didn't and could've have happened between them.

Of course it could all be an act. Prowl was probably one of the few people who knew how often the spy hid behind a mask of his own face. That didn't mean Prowl could tell of he was or not. For all of Prowl's many talent, being able to read other people was not one of them.

Another thing Prowl had never been skilled in was the art of casual conversation. So he had no idea what to say to the bot that he had never confessed his feelings for.

Mercifully, for once Jazz didn't appear eager to open his big mouth. Instead appearing content to entertain himself by fiddling with the remains of his finger like Bluestreak would do with one of her fidget toys. Despite everything, Prowl couldn't help but hope whatever was wrong with the servo wasn't serious. Then Jazz placed the missing middle digit down on the berth so that it was directed towards him and Prowl decided that the spy could go fuck himself.

"There you go!" Inferno cried, holding out a bottle towards Prowl whilst the other wielded a lit up welder. Prowl was about to mention what should have been an obvious fire hazard to the former firefighter now front-liner, when an alarm screeched.

Prowl snapped his hands into a fighting stance. Despite a dismembered finger, Prowl spotted Jazz do the same. A second later, Prowl realised that the alarms weren't blaring from the bases speakers but from Ratchet's birth.

Prowl rushed over, his calculations fearing the worst. However instead of Ratchet's spark flat-lining, the slits of the CMO's optics flickered open.

"Why does my med-bay look like the empty hanger on floor three?" Ratchet grumbled.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Doc!" Jazz smiled, having rushed over to the berth as well. Whilst they weren't touching, Prowl could feel the subtle heat radiating from Jazz's frame. Prowl forced himself not to think about the last time he had felt the warm feeling of Jazz's frame under his fingertips.

"Don't call me Doc." Ratchet said his response automatic, if still slurred as he slowly came online.

"I'll go tell Optimus!" Inferno shouted.

Prowl was about to remind Inferno that whilst he was still on duty as a medic, he had to stay in the med-bay but the fire truck rushed off before he could. Even though Prowl knew that it would upset Red Alert, he made a mental note to later write up a formal reprimand.

At least with Ratchet now awake, even without their temporary medic, the CMO should be able to diagnose his own problems. That was if he didn't do himself anymore damage first.

Something Ratchet apparently determined to do as he tried to stand up after just waking up from a coma.

"There-there was a fire! Bluestreak and Bumblebee! I need too-"

"You need to remain still." Prowl told him as he and Jazz tried to push him back down on to the berth.

At Prowl's words, Ratchet seemed to wake up enough to recognise who he was talking to.

"You." He hissed. "You should've saved the sparklings instead of me!"

Suddenly all the guilt that Prowl had thought he'd over come came crashing down again as his processor was bombarded with all the arguments and simulations he'd pushed to the back of his mind. The building pressure behind his optics warned of an upcoming system crash when the sharp cry of Jazz's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey! Don't worry about it mech! I got the kids out and they're recovering fine! So don't go blaming Prowl for following the protocols that you agreed too. Also he did save your life so you could at least pretend to be a little grateful."

Prowl blinked, surprised by Jazz's sharp and sincere defence of him. With how often people mocked his decisions as an act of a sparkless drone, Prowl couldn't help but feel flattered that Jazz had thought himself worthy enough to defend. Something he then felt angry at himself for feeling after the spy's sparkless demeanour the last time they had spoken.

All the conflicting emotions and experiences and evidence threatened to crash Prowl's circuits. Jazz had always been an enigma. But even then, Prowl couldn't put the information of the spy's actions together in a way that made any logical sense. He had no idea how Jazz felt towards him. If he even felt anything at all. He was a liar and an actor. And Prowl could not trust a single moment of their time together.

Ratchet mumbled something under his breath that may have been an apology which was probably the best response Prowl could hope to get. But the tactician barely paid attention, already turning towards the doors.

"I have reports to finish." Prowl said, feeling like a coward as he stalked away.

[purple-heart-teenwolf]

by multiple requests, my first author shout out / spot light, will be *drum roll please*.

the wonderful @ksbbb . ksbbb has been writing teen wolf fan fiction since 2021, writing many many thiam fics in that time. I will be linking a few of my favorite of her’s. i highly recommend checking out her beautiful books, you will not regret it.

Love is a Twisted Dance of Shadows -

“Theo gently places his hands on Liam’s cheek, wiping away the tears that have stained his face when he was ready to die a painful death.

It’s a shocking gesture and Liam is disoriented by it and the gentle smile from a man that just so easily took someone’s head off minutes ago.

Or the chimera mafia fic”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51678280/chapters/130641826

this one is not finished yet but it is still being written and it is amazing, highly recommend checking.

my next suggestion is my favorite of ksbbb’s

"Where no Hope is Left, is Left no Fear" ( No mere Human can Stand in a Fire and not be Consumed)

“What an unlikely partnership.” Liam hums and closes his eyes.

“It’s not. I can still throw you out of the truck.” He argues, but Liam winks at him, and aggravates him even more.

Or when Liam convinces Theo to help out even though werewolves and vampires don't get along.”

(this book is completed and it is amazing)

if the description of these books has not sold you yet, let me try one more book.

Call Out My Name (I am up in flames while my soul burns and longs for you)

(this one is a one shot)

“Why do you smell so fucken good?” He bites his lip while his eyes widen in horror at what he’s just said, but Theo’s eyes only darken and he licks his bottom lip suggestively at him. All nervousness is seemingly gone now. Theo’s cocky attitude starts to ring through, and Liam can’t help but let out a groan at wanting to tug at Theo’s bottom lip and see if it tastes as good as it looks right now.

Or when the full moon hits and you need your anchor

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46489318

go give @ksbbb some love, they deserve it.

please continue to send me the @ of your favorite authors / editors . that is how i know who should be posted next 💜💜