#[lewis voice] come *on* guys just THINK of the progress that he could make with this! [grabby hands in front of chest])

[dbphantom]

maybe i should have gone into practical effects instead of computer science...

[lvis44]

Sweet Escape Pt.7 // LH44

Lewis Hamilton x Y/N

Warnings: Swearing, Alcohol Consumption, Mentions of Abandonment, Secrecy, Angst, Not Edited

Word Count: 5.8k+

Summary: Paradise is supposed to be fun and relaxing... a Sweet Escape, but when unspoken feelings and jealousy rise to the surface, everything can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye.

Notes: The vote is incredibly close so I figured I would just go for it and split it up for you guys that voted for the 2 part split. The final part before the epilogue will be up in a few days, it's still a work in progress.

I am not a professional writer and all of this is a work of fiction and is strictly for fun. Enjoy! xxx

Previous Sections: Prologue - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six

“Hey.” Charlottes voice comes softly from behind you.

You’re sat out on the balcony attached to your room, grateful for the fresh air. You still haven’t left your room and the sun is beginning to set. Miles brought you a snack earlier in the day, still insisting that you eat but thankfully not pushing you on any details as to what happened with Lewis, he knows if you want to tell him you will, or Lewis already has and  he doesn’t want to make you upset.

“Hey.” You reply weakly, thoroughly drained from the last week, hell just the last few days.

She takes a seat next to you, placing a haphazardly prepared charcuterie board next to you, paired with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Charlotte has a knack for knowing what you need, and right now it’s some carbs and girl talk, even if that girl talk is a heart wrenching decision that has created world war three in your head.

“I figured you could use a little chat, you’ve been hold up in here for the entire day.” She says, a kind smile on her face as she uses the corkscrew to open the bottle of wine, not waiting for an answer.

All you can do is give her a grateful smile, not sure what to say as your brain continues to race.

“So, tell me everything that's going on in that mind of yours, nothing leaves this balcony.” She tells you, curling up in the lounge chair next to you as she pours the both of you a glass of wine.

“I don’t even know what’s going on to be completely honest.” You say, still keeping your gaze out over the ocean view.

“Well, how did your chat with Lewis go?” She prompts you.

“You haven’t talked to him?” You ask, finally looking over at her, rather surprised.

“No,” She shakes her head, “he talked to you, spent like four hours in his room, and then left. He still hasn’t come home.”

“Really?” You say, slightly shocked. You have never known him to disappear quite so frequently and it worries you that maybe he’s regretting your conversation from earlier, maybe he’s feeling like he shouldn't have been quite so honest.

“Well he said he was going to see Marina.” Charlotte says cautiously, still unsure of exactly what was talked about.

“Oh.” Is all you can say, still a million questions about what it is that is truly going on with them.

“I don’t know what you know exactly, but they’re truly just incredibly good friends.” Charlotte assures you.

“So you don’t know any of what Lewis said to me?” You ask, still unsure of the direction this conversation is going.

“Well if he was smart, he told you how he feels about you, but after the last week I think we can all confidently say that he’s not as smart as we would like to think he is.” She says, a sympathetic yet knowing look on her face.

“Charlotte,” You start, wanting to unload finally, she nods for you to continue, “he told me that he wants to do this with me. Like he wants me to be his girlfriend. He wants to try being in a relationship together.”

The second the words leave your mouth Charlotte has jumped up, her wine sloshing out of her cup, “Oh thank the good lord!” She exclaims.

You look at her, eyebrows high in the sky, not expecting that as a reaction.

“Sorry, sorry, not the time.” She says, settling back into her seat, aiming her attention back towards you, “Regardless of how happy I am that he finally got the balls to tell you, how do you feel?”

“So fucking confused.” You tell her honestly, shaking your head as you once again look out to the coast in front of you, just hoping to get lost in it, let the tide take your thoughts away with it.

“What’s wrong?” Charlotte questions, evidently more over the moon about his admission than you are.

“I just- it's everything I thought I wanted…” You trail off.

“Yeah? And?” Charlotte pushes you.

“Char, what if it doesn’t work out?” You ask her, finally looking at her with a sorrowful gaze.

“Oh hun, you know, no matter what, you’re stuck with all of us for life.” She says, reaching out to squeeze your arm.

“No offense but it’s not particularly you and Miles that I’m worried about. By the way Miles told me he almost punched Lewis last night?” You tell her, realizing you don’t have the full story about what really went down.

“Oh my god, yeah, so I told Miles a much less graphic version of what you told me about your… encounter with Lewis, and I told him a little bit about how you felt about it and, oh my god, Miles saw fucking red,” She pauses, stopping herself from laughing, “I’m sorry, it’s not funny, and it wasn’t in the moment but, my god, if you could have seen their faces. Lewis was so unsuspecting. Miles and I had been out on the back deck, he was so confused about everything and then when I filled him in he just sprung into action. Lewis was off in the kitchen brooding with a glass of whiskey or something and all the sudden Miles came hurdling through the doors, all muttering under his breath about how Lewis was a ‘piece of shit’ and ‘he was gonna find out what the fuck happens when you fuck with Y/N’, Lewis literally never saw it coming. Miles had him pinned up against the fridge before I could get him to calm down, I think the adrenaline and testosterone were running a bit too high.”

“Jesus Christ, he didn’t tell me all that.” You mutter.

“Anyway, what is it that you’re worried about, you’ve got us for life hun.” Charlotte says, finally coming back to the original conversation at hand.

“It’s not you guys I’m worried about, I feel pretty confident after the last few days that I’m never going to lose you guys,” You sigh, not wanting to speak what feels inevitable into existence, “I’m worried that I’m going to give into Lewis, have a few good months, and then lose him… for good.”

Charlotte stays quiet for a moment, letting your words sink in.

“First of all, just know, whatever you decide, you’ve got at the very, very least Miles and I behind you, we’ve got your back. Whether that’s helping you figure out a different path of friendship with Lewis, not having Lewis around, or keeping him in check in your newfound relationship.” Charlotte pauses for a moment, almost as if she’s contemplating if she should say the next bit, “But I also want you to know, from someone who has been incredibly close with Lewis for about a decade, I’ve only seen him feel this way about one other person, and to be completely honest, even though it didn’t work out, they’re still on good terms. Y/N… Miles and I have tried endless times to get him to try and meet someone… We’ve set him up on blind dates, tried to scout people out at clubs, fuck, we’ve introduced him to random friends of ours.” She pauses again, noticing the questioning look on your face, “No, that’s not why I introduced you guys, absolutely not. I like you too much to put you in that position.”

“Then why are you rooting for it now?” You ask, calling out the contradiction.

“Because, when I initially introduced you guys, I just wanted you to be friends, even just get along at the very least. Everything that he feels for you has come from his own experiences with you, it’s not contrived. It’s been a decade since I saw him have a true, human, emotional, romantic connection with someone. It may not seem like it, but him even admitting it to you is a big step on his part.” Charlotte explains, her words sounding beyond sincere, you can tell she’s hoping that you’re fully taking them in.

“How did the last time end?” You ask, unsure of yourself, not knowing if it’s really appropriate to be asking her something so personal about Lewis, especially because he’s never mentioned it himself.

“They dated off and on for a few years, they really liked each other but they wanted incredibly different things in life…” She shrugs before continuing, “We could all tell he had liked her more than anything we’d ever seen from him, but it was kinda toxic, they would break up, not speak, and then two months later she would be at a ‘family’ dinner or trip. We liked her, they supported each other but they were on massively different timelines and he wasn’t ready for what she wanted. It took him a long time to get over it, he would talk about her all the time, lurk on her social media, and then all the sudden he just hardened. He announced to not only us, but the whole fucking world, that he was swearing off true relationships and commitment to focus on his career. He hasn’t shown any attachment to anyone since then.”

“So why the fuck did that suddenly change?” You ask, not necessarily to Charlotte but more to the universe, hoping for some sort of guiding light, maybe even a shooting star,

“If it did, I would say it’s because it’s really true. He’s talked before about how he may have liked some hookup more than another one, but he’s never dwelled on it, much less told the girl.” Charlotte answers

“Then why the hell did he tell me? Why not just let it pass like all the others?” You ask, rather exasperated.

“Did you ask him that?” Charlotte replies, a knowing smirk on her face.

“Yes.” You mutter

“And what did he say?” Her voice holds a knowing tone, waiting for a response she already knows the answer to.

“He said he tried.” You say under your breath, like a kid trying not to admit that they’re in the wrong.

“Y/N, if Lewis tried and failed, that means it’s bigger than his abilities, and we both know his abilities reach far beyond the average human. I’m pretty sure I know when it all shifted for him, even if he doesn’t, and if it’s been as long as I think it has, he has no power on getting rid of those feelings, he would have by now if he really wanted to.” Charlotte says softly, almost as if she’s trying to break the news to you.

“When do you think it shifted?” You ask, ignoring everything else she just said, focusing in on the part you're most curious about.

Charlotte pauses for a moment, taking a sip of her wine

“Do you remember the first Grand Prix you came to?” She asks

You nod, it being ingrained in your memory for the rest of your life.

“You guys had known each other for only a little while at that point, I know you guys talked and kept in touch, but it was the first time you’d seen each other in a bit,” Charlotte paused as you took a large swig of your wine, if she was right his feeling had been around even longer than he had cared to admit, much more than sometime in the last year, “he won that race and the second he saw you his face lit up, he looked happier to see you than he was that he was on the podium. He looked at you like you were the best trophy in the world. I don’t know if you noticed, but ever since that night, he has kept you by his side as much as possible, he became more protective of you than even Miles, and that’s saying a lot. Y/N that’s when the heavy flirting started. Everything shifted that day, I don’t think he even really realizes that that's when it happened.”

You take in what she’s saying, thinking back to that day, something you think about frequently without the thought of Lewis’ feelings for you

-

“Holy shit! Lewis! Congratulations!” You say to him as he wraps his arms around you.

“Thank you darling,” He chuckles slightly, “M’sorry, I’m kinda disgusting right now.”

“I don’t care, that was amazing! Thank you so much for having me!” You exclaim, amazed that you got to see your racing idol complete such an amazing run.

“Absolutely anytime, you’re always welcome in this garage,” He says, still grasping you tightly, “Want you here more often, so glad you came.”

The second he lets you go you can’t help but notice that you were the first person he greeted. Now moving his way over toward your other friends that you had come with.

“Amazing drive, bruv.” Miles pats him on the back, evidently proud of his best friend.

“Well apparently I have a new good luck charm.” Lewis states to the garage, pulling you under his sweaty, champagne soaked arm. He’s beaming as he looks down at you and you can’t find a care in the world to pull away from him.

If you’re his new good luck charm, so be it.

-

“So what the hell do I do Char’?” You ask, letting out a defeated sigh.

“Well, what do you want to do?” She asks, not giving you the advice you so desperately seeked.

“I don’t know.” You groan, your head turning once again to the coast in front of you

“What do you have to lose?” Charlotte shrugs, as if it's the easiest question in the world.

“Lewis… I have Lewis to lose.” You sigh, not wanting to even think of the possibility.

“Okay, I wasn’t there for the conversation, but do you feel like he’s serious? Do you feel like he’s truly all in this with you?” Charlotte asks, genuinely prying

“I want to believe him,” You say, shoulders drooping, “but I know him, I’ve seen how he operates. Maybe he wants this right now but what if he gets bored?”

“Understandable, but in his defense, I’ve never seen him operate quite like this.” Charlotte reasons.

“What, you’ve never seen him fuck up quite this badly and then drop an emotional nuclear bomb?” You almost want to laugh as the words leave your mouth.

“Well, no, I haven’t seen this,” Charlotte chuckles, “but I’ve also never seen him actually tell someone he likes them, or that he wants more than a casual fuck.”

You don’t respond, just continue to stare out at the beautiful coastline in front of you. You and Charlotte sit in silence for a while, she seems to understand that you’re processing a lot.

“Hun, if you need to talk, you know where I am. Maybe a bad choice but I’ll leave the bottle of wine with you.” She laughs towards the end of her sentence.

“Thank you.” Is all you can say

“My advice? Just give it a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.” That’s the last thing she says before she makes her way off you balcony and out of your room

….

You once again don't know what time it is as you lay staring at your ceiling, a whole new battle to fight with your emotions. It’s not until a soft knock pulls you out of your thoughts do you even really know where you are.

“Hey,” Lewis has poked his head around your door, evidently fully dressed and showered, “can I take you somewhere in like an hour?”

You want to say no, you feel like it's a horrible idea, yet you find yourself nodding your head and getting yourself up to shower.

It’s not long before you find yourself in the passenger seat of his car. He still hasn’t turned on the ignition, as if he’s waiting for something.

“So, where are we supposed to be going?” You ask, trying to get any information out of him.

He pauses, staring at the steering wheel, “About seven years ago my cousin met this woman, they dated for less than a year and then they found out she was pregnant.” He stops, evidently gathering himself before continuing.

You just stare at him, unsure where this story could be going.

“They got married while she was still about six or seven months pregnant, he stuck around for the pregnancy, but it became pretty clear, pretty quickly he didn’t actually want to be a dad. He was around for maybe five months of his son's life. My cousin ended up completely leaving them, no divorce, no money, just left them in the middle of the night, he fell off the face of the earth. No one has seen or heard from him since. He was never a great guy, but she was always an amazing woman. We hoped maybe she had helped him clean up, get his life in order, she obviously hadn't been able to, not that it was her job to. He always hated me because I refused to give him money, the few times I did it all went to stupid scams or he gambled it away, so I stopped.” Lewis pauses, still staring at the steering wheel of his car, “A lot of my family immediately cut ties with her, they thought the baby was a bastard from the beginning and I guess they couldn’t look past that. She lived far away from them and I guess they felt she was just a loss cause, she was a single mother working in a bar. The few people that tried to stay in touch with her eventually failed, they just gave up, they wrote my cousin off so they wrote her off too. I was the only one that continued to check on her. She and I had always had a good bond, but it got even closer when my cousin left her, he left her with nothing. Since he left her I have tried to do my best to make sure she has everything she could possibly need, a safe car, make sure Leon, her son, is in a safe school, make sure she can pay rent, get groceries, anything she needs, I’ve done as much as possible to take care of them. I send her money every month, my family doesn't know, only Charlotte, and now you. Her son, Leon, he knows me as Uncle Lew, I’m really the only bit of a father figure he has around. I just want to make sure they’re always okay, I love them, and my family left them in shambles.”

You don’t know quite how to respond to the story, you can only assume this is who he was talking about with Charlotte the other night. It doesn’t take long for him to confirm your suspicions.

“I want you to meet Marina, the only person as important in my life as you are.” He finally looks at you, staring for a long moment before taking a deep breath.

“Okay.” You say just above a whisper as you lean over and squeeze his arm. You can see in his eye’s how much the story pains him and it makes your heart ache, not only for him but for Marina and her little boy.

The drive doesn’t take very long, maybe fifteen minutes. He stays quiet the entire time, occasionally glancing over to you in the passenger seat. The silence isn’t uncomfortable but it’s definitely weighted, carrying a million emotions that much to your surprise you are perfectly content with sitting in, almost needing it to process what is going through your mind. The house he pulls up in front of is small but in an endearing way. You can tell it’s well taken care of, the front yard nicely manicured with beautiful gardens surrounding the house. There’s a small front porch and the house doesn’t look like it could be more than two bedrooms large.

“Them being here is why I like this island so much,” Lewis finally breaks the silence as he stops the car, “I offered to help her move to the states or to the UK but she was quite intent on Leon growing up here. I rarely get to see them, so when I have time off I like to come here, spend time with Leon.”

“That’s lovely Lewis.” You say reaching out to place your hand over his on top of the stick shift.

He looks nervous, and you can understand why, he’s putting a lot of trust in you. He smiles at you warmly before moving to step out of the car. By the time you have unbuckled he has already made his way around the car, opening your door for you, a common occurrence with him. You take his outstretched hand, helping you out of the low car. He doesn’t move to pull away, keeping a firm grip on your hand, and you let him, hoping to ground him in some way. You walk hand in hand towards the porch as the front door swings open.

“Ah my dear!” The woman who is now on the porch exclaims. You recognize her as the bartender Lewis was talking with the other night, Marina.

Before Lewis can even respond a young boy is running out of the door behind her, yelling as he does, “Uncle Lew, Uncle Lew!”

This is when Lewis finally disconnects your hands, leaning down to the boy who has just about crashed into him, to wrap him in a hug.

“Hey buddy.” Lewis has a large smile on his face as he laughs at the boy's enthusiasm.

You watch on, unsure of what to do, but enjoying seeing Lewis like this. You have seen him interact with children before, his nieces and nephews, little fans, but there seems to be a certain fondness for this little boy. As he straightens up, the little boy just barely removing himself from Lewis, he looks toward you, beckoning for you to come closer to him. He places his large hand on your back, you can feel the warmth of it through your shirt.

“Marina, I would like to introduce you to the woman I was telling you about the other night,” He smiles at Marina before looking back toward you, a warm fond look to his eyes, “this is Y/N.”

“Oh hello my dear, I’ve heard so much about you, it’s so nice to meet you.” Marina greets you excitedly, pulling you into an unexpected hug.

“Y/N, this is Marina.” Lewis chuckles from beside you, well aware you weren’t anticipating such enthusiasm.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” You smile as you pull away.

You look toward Lewis to see him squatting down next to the little boy.

“Hey buddy, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” His voice is soft and sweet, making your heart melt, “can you say hi to my friend Y/N?”

“Hi Y/N.” The little boy says shyly, almost trying to hide behind Lewis.

Lewis looks up to you, a smile on his face, “Y/N, this is my buddy Leon.”

You squat down to match the boy's height the same way Lewis has, extending your hand out to the boy, “Hi Leon, it’s very lovely to meet you.”

“It’s okay.” Lewis whispers softly to Leon, rubbing his back, as he looks timidly at your hand.

Very carefully he reaches out and just barely grabs your hand, you shake it gently with a smile before letting go, that seeming like more than enough for the shy kid.

“Come inside, I have drinks and snacks.” Marina says, ushering everyone into her home.

The home is just as sweet on the inside as it is on the outside, the living room feels homey with a brightly patterned couch and a small coffee table, toys scattered everywhere. Just behind the living room is a small kitchen, a round table in the middle of it. Marina directs you into the kitchen, you and Lewis both taking a seat where she has all sorts of snacks and a pitcher of lemonade laid out. It doesn’t take long before Leon has run up next to Lewis, a toy in his hand. Lewis pushes his chair away from the table just enough so he can pick Leon up and place him in his lap, playfully groaning as he does so.

“You’re getting big lil man,” He laughs before flexing his arm up next to him, “big and strong.”

“Just like Uncle Lew!” Leon says excitedly, bouncing in Lewis’ lap.

Lewis laughs, tickling the kid's sides, making the boy squeal in laughter. Marina is sitting across from you, looking on at the scene with fond eyes, evidently pleased to see her little boy so happy. Lewis quickly becomes engrossed in conversation with Leon, listening intently as the boy shows him all the things he can do with his superhero action figure.

You turn towards Marina, “He seems like a really sweet kid.”

“He is, he’s pretty shy but he’s very excitable too.” She chuckles, giving you a warm smile.

You notice Leon getting down from Lewis’ lap, attempting to pull him towards the living room.

“Hang on buddy, I’m gonna stay here with your Mom and Y/N for a little bit, we can play afterwards.” Lewis tries to explain.

Leon evidently doesn’t appreciate that answer and you can’t help but feel for the kid. Everyone wants Lewis’ attention, you get it. You look toward Lewis, mouthing “It's okay.” leaving the decision up to him. He gives you a look of “you sure?”, leaving you to nod before he follows after the little boy who is very pleased with his win. You and Marina watch as Lewis settles on the floor with the little boy who is taking out little F1 model cars, something you’re almost positive Lewis gifted to him.

“You seem really good for him, you know?” Marina says, snapping you out of your admiration of the man.

“Pardon?” You can’t help but be a little confused.

“He talks about you quite a bit, whether he realizes it or not. I’ve been wondering when I would get to meet you.” She smiles.

You’re still a bit confused, surprised he’s mentioned you so much.

“It wasn’t until this past week that I really realized how serious it was, but he’s very fond of you.” She continues.

“Oh, we aren’t together.” You clarify. Yet, you think to yourself

“I know, it doesn't mean he can’t still love you. He’s a good man, you’d be lucky to have him.” Marina says.

Your stomach flips at the mention of him loving you. You love him too, you always have, but you wonder if she means in a different way.

“He is an incredible man.” You agree, leaving it at that.

“C’mere.” Lewis calls over to you, beckoning his head for you to come sit with them.

Marina nods towards you, telling you to head over to the boys.

“You know who else could name all the parts of the car?” Lewis asks Leon, who looks almost amazed that there might be someone other than Lewis who could do it, “This lady right here.” He points his thumb towards you as you sit down next to him.

“Well I wouldn’t go that far.” You laugh, amused by his over confidence in you.

“Oh I bet you could get pretty close darling.” Lewis smirks at you, almost daring you.

Within seconds Leon is handing you a small Mercedes replica, urging you to do it. You go through as many parts as possible, pointing them out to the little boy, Lewis correcting your terminology here and there. It seems that that is all it takes for Leon to decide that you’re okay. Almost immediately you’re being handed toys and instructed on how to play with them, Leons attention is mainly on you now, Lewis watching you two with a content smile. You see him and Marina exchange a look of absolute happiness, both enjoying how comfortable the little boy is. The three of you play for over an hour before Lewis is glancing at his watch, realizing how much time has passed. 

He leans it toward you, his voice quiet, “We should probably head out soon, I got signed up for dinner duty and I want to get at least a run in beforehand.”

“Okay, whatever works for you.” You smile, your voice just as quiet.

You play with Leon for a little while longer before Lewis is announcing that you two need to head out. You can tell Leon is disappointed but Lewis calms him, telling him he’ll see him again before he leaves the island. Leon seems content with that, ignoring the two of you as you make your way to say your farewells to Marina. She gives Lewis a tight hug, whispering something to him as she does. You see him nod with a smile, glancing at you, making you shift on your feet. She comes over to you next.

“It was so so nice to finally meet you, I hope I see you again soon.” She says, pulling you into your own tight hug. This time you’re expecting it, being able to reciprocate it much better.

“It was lovely to meet you as well, I agree I hope to see you again.” You say, meaning it very much, she seems like a lovely woman, you wouldn't expect anything less if Lewis cares so deeply for her.

As she walks you to the door, you stop and wave down at Leon where he’s playing, “It was nice to meet you Leon, have fun with your toys!”

“Bye bye.” He says, waving at you, the action making all three of you chuckle.

Once you say your final goodbyes you make your way back to Lewis’ car, him opening your door for you once again. Once he’s seated in the driver's seat he takes a moment, looking over at you with such a fondness you feel like you could explode.

“Thank you for doing that with me.” He says, his voice incredibly sincere.

“Of course, they were lovely,” You start, offering him a warm smile, “thank you for trusting me with them.”

“Always, I trust you more than anything.” He says, licking his lips before letting out a deep breath. Something he seems to be doing a lot recently, you worry he’s getting too tense, too much inside his head.

The drive back home is quiet once again, that is until Lewis speaks up.

“Marina really liked you by the way.” He tells you, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye as he shifts gears.

“I barely spoke to her,” You laugh, “but I’m glad, she seems like a wonderful woman. I liked her too.”

“She’s a good judge of character, she saw how you were with Leon and I think that’s more than enough for her. Or I guess really how Leon was with you, he’s not usually that comfortable with new people.” He explains.

“Well maybe he just trusts Uncle Lews judgment.” You say, lightly teasing him.

Lewis just laughs, shrugging, “Smart boy, what can I say?”

You once again fall into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's presence uninterrupted for what feels like the first time your entire vacation. When you arrive home, Charlotte is in the kitchen, doing dishes. Lewis comes up behind you, his hand on your back.

“I’m gonna go get a run in and then I’ll be back to start dinner.” He says softly in your ear before making his way down to his room, seemingly trying to avoid Charlotte for some reason.

When she turns to you and sees that he’s already disappeared she laughs, shaking her head.

“I think he’s avoiding me.” She shrugs, not explaining why, you don’t pry knowing that she’s also keeping your secrets.

You just laugh, grabbing yourself a glass of water.

“So where did you two go off to?” She asks, raising a brow at you.

“Um,” You start, not sure if he would want her to explicitly know, “we went to visit a friend of his.”

“Holy shit.” Charlotte whisper shouts, looking over her shoulder briefly, “He introduced you to Marina?”

You just nod, trying to contain your smile.

“Y/N, I’ve only met her by accident, none of our friends even know she exists and he brought you to meet her?” Charlotte looks baffled and excited all at once. 

“Yeah, he asked me this morning, he told me the story,” You pause for a moment, taking in just how big of a deal this is, “I got to meet Leon.”

“Oh my god, isn’t he adorable? Lewis shows me photos sometimes and my god that kid is cute.” She gets slightly sidetracked, gushing over the child.

“He’s so sweet.” You tell her.

“But holy crap, he told you the story and everything?” Charlotte seems impressed that Lewis opened up so much.

You nod, not even really sure what to say. Before you can think of how to respond Lewis reappears in the kitchen, shirtless with a pair of running shorts on. By the look on his face he can tell that you told Charlotte and that he doesn’t plan on sticking around for a game of twenty questions.

“I’m off.” He simply says, putting up a peace sign before jogging to the door.

Charlotte stares at his back, her eyebrows raised high, before turning back to you.

“He evidently trusts you Y/N.” She says, surprisingly leaving it at that, changing the subject as she moves on to fill you in on how Daniel almost got stuck in a tree while trying to take a picture while the two of you were away.

You stay and chat with her for a while as you help her clean up the kitchen. You end up deciding to go take a shower before dinner, getting into more comfortable clothes. As you stand under the stream of water you think back to the conversation you had overheard with Charlotte and Lewis. You remember Lewis saying that he hadn’t told Marina that he was coming to the island because he knew he wouldn’t be able to see her with Talia around. That he didn’t want to introduce Leon to someone like that that wouldn’t be around. It makes your heart clench, him introducing you to them has solidified many things. Not only does it show how much he trusts you, but that regardless of what you choose with him, you’re going to be in his life for some time to come. Enough time that he felt comfortable introducing you to the little boy that he protects with everything in him. In that moment, staring at the tiled wall ahead of you, you decide. You can’t risk losing Lewis.

[racinggirl]

Afterparty - DH1

(requested by anonymous)

Working at Redbull Racing as an engineer was a dream come true, especially since you never really got a lot of support from your home front. ‘Formula One is for guys’ or ‘engineering isn’t a very girly thing to do’ were comments you would often hear from friends, family or classmates. Being surrounded by guys in your college made you and your fellow female classmates work even harder to get there, and it paid off.

You were now one of the engineers at Redbull Racing and you couldn’t be more proud of your achievements. Whenever people would ask about your job you could proudly say you were an employee at one of the biggest motorsport company’s in the world.

However, you were still insecure about some things. Talking to guys for example, it wasn’t one of your most talented skills, even though you were surrounded by plenty of them at your work. Receiving compliments made you nervous, not knowing what to answer and it could create quite the awkward situation.

But you had a great team to work with, none of them seemed to be too bothered about your gender, unlike the guys at your college. And as you were surrounded by your male co-workers, you quickly became one of them.

They would greet you like they would greet the rest of the team, a strong handshake, which made your hand hurt after greeting your entire team, 20 guys, but it was all worth it. You were doing what you loved the most, and it being at a Formula One team made you love your job even more.

One downfall to being the only girl in the team was the fact the rest of the guys overshadowed you whenever it came to ideas. They were the ones with a louder voice, so you stayed silent and basically handed in your ideas on paper. You knew they would look into them, and it didn’t make you feel less worthy at all. You were confident about your ideas, just a little more insecure about actually defending them in front of this many people.

Monza, Italy, you loved this place so much, not because of the event that happened last year, the collision between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but the environment and the fact you had a week off after the triple header made you enjoy this race so much more.

‘’Y/N, you up for the party tonight?’’ You look up from your phone, smiling at the Dutch driver as he sat down next to you. ‘’Hey Max, not too sure, I think I’ll be quite tired.’’ You mumbled as you grabbed the bottle of water in front of you, taking a sip. ‘’You should come, the guys and girls from Formula Two will be there as well.’’

You eventually agreed, after arguing with the Dutchman for a while, him convincing you more girls would be at the party. ‘’Alright alright, fine, I’ll go.’’ You gave up and got up from your seat. ‘’You should get ready soon, I think the race is almost finished.’’ And with that you walked away from the restaurant, making your way towards the Redbull motorhome to go over some of the data.

You watched as the first driver from the Formula Two series crossed the finish line, smiling to yourself as you heard the F2 Redbull Team cheering. Working at Formula One took a lot of your time, and you didn’t mind it, being able to see different countries and explore different cities. You also enjoyed watching the other races, the non F1 races. Seeing the drivers work their way up to eventually be in Formula One, seeing the drivers make progress made you feel proud. Proud, because you were one of the reasons they would move forward in their career.

It was later in the evening, you just had dinner with your crew and were getting ready for the party. You never really attended parties, mostly because you knew you would be tired at the end of the day and would rather be in bed, watching some random YouTube video’s at 11 pm until you would fall asleep, but you promised Max you would come.

The blue cocktail dress you put in your suitcase, the one you would take with you every time just in case you would attend the after party, was now laying on your bed. You had already done your make up, nothing too much, just some eyeliner, mascara and lip balm. You took the dress from the hanger and put it on, smiling at yourself in the mirror.

Phone, check. Lip balm, check. Key, check. You double checked everything before you put it in your black bag that was hanging over your shoulder and you switched off the lights in the room. You heels clicked on the floor of the hallway, down the stairs and into the room the rest of your team was waiting.

You heard people whistling, heads turning your way as you just rolled your eyes at the reaction of your team. ‘’Save the compliments, let’s go.’’ You mumbled, not wanting to be the center of attention, because you didn’t know how to react to the compliments.

You arrived at the party, Max already waiting for you with a wide smile on his lips. ‘’Y/N, you came!’’ ‘’Of course, I told you I’d be here, I keep my promises.’’ You wrapped your arms around the Redbull driver and looked at the person standing next to him.

‘’This is Dennis, he’s a driver in the Formula Two series.’’ You shook his hand, a smile painted on your lips, as well as his. ‘’Dennis, this is’’ Max was cut off by some of his engineers who pulled him away by his shoulders leaving you there, waiting for Max to introduce you to the quite good looking guy.

‘’Oh, well.’’ You and Dennis both laughed at the scene that had just happened. ‘’Y/N.’’ You smiled.

The evening was great, and you mentally thanked Max for both the invite and the semi-introduction to Dennis, because the both of you hit it off straight away.

‘’Shut up, really?’’ You were laughing, your hand was resting on his shoulder as you watched how Dennis talked about some of his holidays. The way your hand was resting on his shoulder, slightly squeezing it every now and then whenever you made eye contact with him, was something that made him smile, enjoying this evening probably as much as you were.

Your insecurities simply disappeared as you talked to him, he made you feel at ease, complimenting your dress and even your make up. He noticed every single detail, from the wings of your eyeliner to the way you’d look down every time he or someone else complimented you.

‘’You look absolutely beautiful Y/N.’’ And yet again, you looked down, feeling your cheeks heat up at his comment. ‘’Hey.’’ He whispered, resting two fingers under your chin to make you look at him. The two of you had distanced yourself from the party downstairs, standing on the balcony as you watched over the track.

‘’Why do you do that?’’ ‘’Do what?’’ ‘’This, looking down whenever someone compliments you.’’ You felt your heart beat in your throat and you opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He noticed, and simply pulled you against his chest, his arms carefully wrapping around your shoulders as he rested his chin on top of your head.

‘’I’m just not used to getting compliments, I can get really awkward.’’ He let out a soft chuckle, one that sent shivers down your spine, goosebumps on your skin, as your hands rested on his back, your eyes closed at the soft embrace you felt from him. ‘’You better get used to them, because you can expect many more.’’

Once you were back downstairs, enjoying the party after your small talk on the balcony, you felt a hand grabbing yours and Dennis’. ‘’Drinking game!’’ And so you ended up not too drunk, but you could definitely feel the alcoholic beverages having an impact on both your actions and thinking.

‘’Come on, let’s daaaance!’’ Dennis sang as he reached for your hands, making you get up from the chair you were sitting in as he pulled you with him to the dance floor. Once you stood there, the house music slowly faded and got replaced by a slow song, which made Dennis’ eyes shine even brighter than they already were.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, carefully, just like he did every time he would hug or touch you, and you really appreciated a soft touch instead of the harder handshakes you’d receive from the rest of your team. Your arms made their way up to rest on his shoulder, your hands gently playing with the ends of his hair, which was perfectly done at the start of the party, and quite a bit messier as time passed.

‘’I like this, dancing with you.’’ He whispered, swinging your body side to side on the beat of the music. And instead of looking back down again, you now looked up into his eyes, thanking him for the compliment and returning the favor by pressing a kiss on his cheek, dancing with him, smiling to yourself as you knew you made the right decision by accepting Max’ offer to join him for the afterparty.

[husbandohunter]

Stardew Impact [Genshin+Stardew Valley/xReader]

Part 1/3 Kaeya, Diluc

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE YIP YIP)

Coming soon...

Albedo and Childe

Zhongli and Xiao

(A/N): So the brainrot was real in this one. I planned to add Albedo for a Mondstadt edition but kinda went overboard so I gotta split this one into parts too. Wordcount_almost 2k spspspsp

______________________________________________________

Diluc

• Already has the whole year planned in his head. Literally if Diluc were to play this game, he'd have a booming farm within year ONE. Calm and collected through and through, though the new environment raises alot of questions, as long as you were still with him, Diluc ain't complaining

• The town welcomes you two with open arms. It was all thanks to the attire. Diluc wore his usual dark coat adorned with regal gold while you had a dress made of Liyue's finest silk, one that he bought for you. Needless to stay both of you reeked the aura of rich aristocrats (Mayor Lewis is pleased that greedy bastard)

• Once the farm was permitted to your owndership, Diluc began to think of ways to turn it into a vineyard. He was a businessman afterall. Although the staff back at the Dawn Winery were the ones who tended the field, Diluc still knew a few things about planting due to his childhood days Master Crepus would bring him out to their yard and demonstrated the process of gardening. He still remembers those days clearly, doing the very same this moment with you.

• Occasionally works at the Saloon bar. It was the perfect opportunity. As you took care of the farm side, Diluc continues to look for more ways to increase the income while gathering information from the folks around town. Gus LOVES to have him over, like he's just so efficient and reliable! They soon become good friends saying if Diluc were ever to own a wine stock, he would gladly buy from him.

• This is why Diluc would stay a little later due to just chatting with the people from the bar. One time you walked into the Saloon only to the front desk with Emily alone. Turns out the others were in the other room, too busy playing a game of pool. You decided to leave him be since it was rare to have Diluc so relaxed in leisure activities. Thus in the end, you spent your time chatting with Emily until a whole hour has passed before your lover notices and apologizes for losing track of time.

• Everything felt like a dream because it was his dream. To live a life undisturbed from chaos, his duties and the dangers that lurk in Teyvat, Diluc grew fond of the domesticity. There was nothing he loved more than to spend his hours by your side, day after day, returning home to your freshly handmade meals.

• Spring: Already up and early planting the parnersnips (I'm very soft for gardener Diluc you see). What do you expect from a workaholic? Even during his leisure time you would often find him near some plant as he does consider this hobby quite therapeutic. But when it rains, Diluc would be standing beside you with an arm around your shoulder, smiling contently as you lean into his touch. He gazes through the dripping window and silently admires the current progress you both made on the farm.

• Between the two annual spring festivities, I would say the flower dance. Diluc is a private man and would prefer to take things where no eyes were on sight. But with a little bit of nudging from Gus (your wingman), he gives in and leads you to the center stage. Elegant. Graceful. The way you two moved together became the talk of the event. Though, Diluc was already used to people staring by now, all he needed to do was to ignore them and keep his focus on you.

• Summer: No blankets in bed. Nope, its bloody hot in Pelican Town. He tends to stay indoors or anywhere with shade, in other words, his work hours in the Saloon increased.

• Diluc always has a nice cold drink prepared for you if by any chance you were to pay a visit after a whole day of labour. It's a habit he's made subconciously as if it would be a natural occurance for you to enter the door. His colleagues would ask him who did he make that drink for? Honestly so cute i cri

• Moments like these remind him of Mondstadt, where he quietly wipes the glasses while listening to you talk. Your voice is soothing. Sun rays peek from the side casting onto the umber tables, reflecting a rich golden light as the radio plays a soft song in the background. It's so peaceful, the town was small hence not many people visited the bar, Diluc came to appreciate this warm privacy (plus no Venti and Kaeya which is a huge pog realization).

• Autumn: Harvest time baby. The kegs are full and the sheds are full of kegs. This season was huge stonks and the house ended up getting an upgrade. Diluc is the type of man who wants to make sure that his spouse wouldn't have to work another day of her life. I reckon this is why he's so ambitious because he wants you to have the best and you deserve the best. (Husband material. Slap a ring on him ladies).

When there was no more work left to do, time would be spend peacefully exploring the woods. While you skipped a few steps ahead as the leaves crunched beneath your feets, Diluc follows slowly from behind. He sees your back but his eyes stares somewhere far beyond whats in front of him: His future. 

It was such a stark contrast to the one he envisioned before. One filled with uncertaintly, blocked by darkness with no silver lining in sight, endlessly wandering as he drags the claymore against the ground. There was never a day in which the Darknight hero wouldn't think of Mondstadt. Leaving the city in the incompetent hands of Ordo Favonious while Abyss Mages continue to lurk fuels him to find a way to return as soon as possible and yet...

"Higher big sis!" Jas tightens her hold on the ropes as you pushed the swing with all your might. She laughs, like a child, it was full of innocence and joy. Later Vincent came in and nugdes you, asking when his turn will come.

"You wanna go too? Alright alright don't worry," waiting for Jas to come down, you lift the boy up so that he was seated safely on the chair, "3..2..1 go!"

He wonders if he could just be a little selfish for once.

• Winter: Best man to have in this season. Every morning Diluc would find himself restricted in movements due to a pair of arms around his waist and legs entangled with yours. Turns out you've been doing it subconciously because he's just so warm (Diluc keeps it lowkey and pretends to sleep longer cuz of it)

~~xx~~

Kaeya

• Haha looks like the portal is gone, guess we'll be stuck forever :)). No kidding Kaeya would be so down to stay here for the rest of his life and the best part is to spend it with you. He doesn't show a shred of concern regarding Teyvat, not like he's easily shaken by events that are abnormal, but you can see that Kaeya is truly and genuinely happy. (You're stunned).

• Oho we also have this marvelous landscape just for the two of us? And a cozy little cabin to go along with it as well? This should be fun~ 

• Of course Kaeya would also know a few things about planting, just the basics since he did grow up with Diluc. When they were kids, Crepus would give each of them their own pots so they can grow their own plants. It eventually became a competitive thing where whoever's plant grows the fastest gets to eat the other person's dessert for a year (no one wins. They end up sabotaging each other which Diluc started first, thinking it'll be funny as a joke).

• You are, and will be going on dates with him. In fact, the amount of dates you two went on increased since then. The townspeople would call you two "lovebirds" since he's practically by your side 24/7. 

• I mean he doesn't have the responsibilities as a Cavalry Captain anymore so what else is there to do?

• Would attend all annual events no matter what season. 

• Evelyn constantly gushes how much of a wonderful pair you and Kaeya make and often is the one who provides Kaeya a fresh bouqet of flowers for him to use as a gift. George on the otherhand just rolled his eyes mumbling something along the lines of "youngsters these days" and "crazy hormones."

• Befriends Pam. Love for beer plus somewhat cynical attitude? They get along real swell! She starts sending some recipes into the mailbox of course saying if yall ever need a hand, let her know.

• Spring: I can see Kaeya be switching back and forth between caring for the farm or taking quests posted on Pierre's bulletin board. He likes to keep things interesting, learning the ways of the new world while also getting to know the people around town.

• Would NOT return Mayor Lewis' shorts in which he found in Marnie's room. It's such high quality blackmail material. Kaeya is currently plotting what is the best way to use it to his advantage.

• He didn't tell you of course.

• Summer: There are no blankets because he is your blanket. Since your cabin was small so was the bed. That's why he has to hold you so that no one falls off when rolling over. Either he hugs you with your nose close to his neck, or your back against his chest while spooning you or holding hands if sleeping on your sides became too much. Yall need a serious house upgrade.

• For some reason Kaeya becomes more energetic in the summer. He lets you rest in the shade while handling the farm work for the time being. If you guys got a pet it would be a cat. Hes the first one to refill their bowl every morning outside.

Another day passes as summer comes to an end, the town’s Mayor invited you and your lover to see the annual Dance Of the Moonlight Jellies. Kaeya being the opportunist was delighted to come along. Locking the door of your house, you follow him down the path and made your way to the beach.

Everyone from town was already gathered by the docks when the sun had disappeared down the horizon. You stood by his side in a space far from the others, watching  the candle boats set off to ride the waves, lighting up a small ray of light for creatures to find. 

“Wow,” your tone almost above a whisper, “If only our friends back home could see this too.”

“Perhaps,” he says. Kaeya slips his fingers into yours and you shot him a curious glance, “But let us enjoy this moment shall we? Just the two of us.”

And there they were. A sea of luminescence radiating colours of brilliant blue with hints of green like a city of laterns floating in a world below. Their image reflects in the star of Kaeya's eyes as he wonders, where would they go? Where would the light lead them? They were so free with nothing to worry, so serene just like the sea and unknowningly, he squeezes your hand. It was a sense for confirmation. One to remind him that this moment was indeed a reality he wishes to keep.

Autumn: Finally a house upgrade and a kitchen!! Because it was harvest season, you guys end up making a set of delicious meals with all the recipes the townspeople gave you. Kaeya can cook since he lived by himself back in Mondstadt. Most of the stuff he learned to make were food that can be accompanied by alcohol though...

• Ahah remember Mayor Lewis' lucky shorts? He found a use for them. It was displayed on the stands during the Stardew Valley Fair (Oh my how did this get here? Must be the wind). Ends up buying a Rarecrow for the farm when Lewis bribes him not to tell this to anyone.

Winter: This was mostly an indoor season for the both of you. With the existence of television, nights would be spent until morning while watching movies at the couch. A blanket drapes around your shoulders as extends to his.  Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate! 

[sour--disposition]

Better Off

-

harry lewis x fem!reader

-

Requested: Hi been loving your stuff on Harry, was wondering if you could write smth where the reader is a singer and is best mates with talia and used to go out with an artist (idm who) a while ago and the break up was super messy and they write a diss track about reader and then reader responds with a diss track and announces her and Harry’s relationship and they just get an amazing fan reaction Lysm 💕

(The songs that inspired this (and I highly recommend listening to) are Do Rei Me by Blackbear for the ex-boyfriend and Fake by Conan Gray and Lauv for the reader and Talia)

You watched the screen as your ex-boyfriend danced around in over-priced designer clothes, hung off of half naked girls and sprawled over cars that you knew he could never dream of affording. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes as he made himself out to be the victim. Accusing you of cheating and playing games, wishing he’d never met you, when reality it was him who’d fucked up.

It was no secret that the song was about you. You’d had a ridiculously public relationship, every move the two of you made was documented by either him or his camera crew. Ultimately, that was the death of the relationship, long before the infidelity started.

As much as you were angry about being slewed all across the internet by a man whose fans would take his word as gospel, you were even more worried about the impact that it would have on your music career. You’d only released a few songs and without your best friend, Talia, you wouldn't have nearly as much exposure as you did.

Singing with Talia in some of her YouTube videos and featuring in a song on her EP were what kick started your career. People took interest in you and what you sang and what you wrote. People wanted to hear your voice and your words and you’d never been happier. You wouldn’t let him take all of this away from you before it was even firmly in your grasp.

Your phone rang beside you, a picture of you and Talia on a night out filling the screen. “Hello”, you sighed heavily. “It’s bad”.

“I know, but I have an idea”, she told you.

-

You sat back as the video uploaded onto YouTube, heart hammering in your chest as you watched the progress bar. The palms of your hands were clammy as you knotted them together over and over again. “It’ll be fine”, Talia assured you.

Logically, you knew it would be, but only you and Talia knew about this secret project. Not even Harry knew. As angry as he was about what was said about you by your ex, he knew that you meant it when you promised him that you were handling it and not to worry. You couldn’t, however, handle a barrage of hate from this project on top of the backlash from your ex-boyfriend’s performance.

Simon and Harry were waiting in the living room, Talia’s channel already loaded up on the screen, waiting for the video to go live to watch it. “Come on”, she encouraged you, nudging you out of the office and towards the living room.

You sat next to Harry, curling into him as he wrapped an arm around you protectively. Talia grinned and cheered when the video appeared on the screen, immediately selecting it to play. You watched as the black and white video filled the screen, the effect of old, damaged tape over the videos of you and Talia.

You and Talia writing, singing, dancing around the studio, laughing, smiling… The process of turning the idea into a piece of art and creating the perfect video to accompany it. There were videos and polaroids of you and the girls, the guys and some of you and Harry tactfully posed so that his face wouldn’t be revealed.

You’d finally gotten to release your anger, tell your side of the story, expose your ex-boyfriend for who he really was. It felt so good to get it off your chest, regardless of the reaction to the video.

You watched as it drew to close, as you belted the final chorus solo. The last frame was a video of you kissing Harry, your hand held up to the camera to obscure his identity once again. “But when the real you’s back, I won’t pick up my phone”.

“That was amazing”, Harry told you, pulling you closer for a tight hug. “The video’s amazing, the song is amazing. All of it”, he told you honestly.

“You really liked it?”, you asked.

“Of course I did”, he assured you, pulling you in for a kiss.

Both you and Talia had shared the link to the video on Twitter and Instagram. The views and likes were skyrocketing, and so were the comments on your socials. The love and support was flooding in for both of you, so much so that you felt overwhelmed. But if that wasn’t enough…

Your phone started vibrating like mad, followers and mentions and comments all hitting your accounts like a freight train. You opened Twitter to see what had caused the fresh onslaught, almost dropping your phone in shock when you saw.

Like the rest of the Sidemen, Harry had liked and retweeted the video. It was the “I love you ❤️” blazoned atop the link to the video that surprised you. Harry had always been such a private person, hence you’d made sure there was never enough of him in the photo to identify him, just allude to you being in a relationship.

“Is everything okay?”, Harry asked, taking in your shocked expression.

“You just… You-”, you cut yourself off, instead turning your phone around to show Harry his tweet. “Are you sure?”, you asked him.

“As I’ve ever been”, he promised you.

You read through the replies to Harry’s tweet. The support and love from his fans brought tears to your eyes. Not only were people loving your song, they were also loving your relationship. It really was the best case scenario.

“Why did you do it?”, you asked Harry later that night as his head pillowed on your chest and your fingers carded through his hair slowly. He snorted, thinking over his reply.

“Well, I had to make sure people knew you weren’t available”.

[dollfaced-erin]

Not So New Afterall (Sdv Sebastian x F!Reader)

A/n: Hi! Hi!! Rin here again! It’s been quite a while since I’ve written, and this may be one of my last chapters before I got on a hiatus. School’s opening up soon, and I’m a hostel student. Currently, this is my last year, so by the end of this year, I’ll be updating lots more! (And playing alot more Stardew valley hehe)

This chapter may be more Abigail centered, since the friendship between the two is really necessary for the plot.

Ah, one more thing, the clothing choices will be based on a mod in Stardew Valley, cute seasonal clothing for NPC’s

Oh plus, Sebastian’s gonna be that emo jerk, ya hear me? Don’t go coming at me for that please :’)

CHAPTER THREE

It’s been a few weeks since (Y/n) had moved in, and apparently, had been settling in just nicely. Not only was she doing well with the farm, she was starting to get along with the all the villagers of Pelican Town. Especially the bachelors and bachelorettes around her age. 

Namely, Abigail and Sam.

Speaking of the duo, they had been hanging out with (Y/n) whenever she was free. But she seldom was, since she had to maintain her income by doing other work such as fishing, mining for mineral goods and doing odd-jobs for those around the town and they respected her.

Sebastian too hasn’t seen her recently, except during the moments she come to his house to talk to Robin about the farm buildings when he comes out to get lunch (or breakfast, for his case), or when she passes by on her way to the mines when he was taking a smoke. She would always slip in a brief hello and the two would exchange a few words before she was well on her way.

(Y/n) wasn’t always one to take a breather, not when she has so many things to take care of. Harvey apparently told Maru who told Robin, who told Sebastian, who told Sam, who told Abigail that (Y/n) had passed out numerous times from exerting herself too much. So the two put their heads together to get her to relax a little. 

Abigail was staring out into the clear blue stream that flowed beneath the stone bridge she stood on. The fish were swimming happily beneath her and she smiled in delight. Oh how she wished she could be as carefree as the fish. 

“Ah! I got it!” a familiar voice exclaimed from behind her. 

Abigail whipped her head around, her purple locks swaying as she did, as she turned around to see her (h/c) friend with a bamboo pole clutched in her hands. 

“Oh, wow! It’s a big one!” Abigail shrieked in excitement, her green eyes shining with pure joy. “Come on, (Y/n)! You got this!” she cheered, her hands in determined fists as she watched her friend reel in the marine life. 

“Ah!” (Y/n) exclaimed, as she successfully reeled in a silver-grade Shad. 

“You did it!” Abigail cheered childishly. Then, she stopped as her face beamed red. It was quite rare of her to have an outburst like this, she was usually so reserved to people she didn’t really know. 

She glanced at the (s/c) girl next to her, who was quite pleased with her catch. But ever since this girl moved in, she, without a doubt had shared her interests with the said girl, leading to many long and exciting conversations. 

Abigail admits that (Y/n) is a worthy as a cool enough gal to hang out with the gang.

“Yo, (Y/n). Me and the gang are hanging out at the Saloon tonight. You down?” Abigail asked with occasional her city-girl slang. (Y/n)’s head whipped around to face her, her (e/c) eyes gleaming. “You and the gang? You mean Sebastian and Sam?”

Abigail nodded as she let out a slight chuckle. “You bet. It’s some kind of tradition for us, and I thought maybe you should join us sometime,” Abigail invited as she flashed a quirky smile with her pearl white teeth.

She was hoping so bad in her heart that the girl would say yes, she really wanted some girl time with another female after so long with only boys. Agh, that must have sounded so bad, she scolded herself. She was literally gonna die if (Y/n) said no after she had put up that ‘macho’ front.

“If the boys don’t mind me around, sure why not? I could use some sweet free time, with my bestie,” said (Y/n) as she nudged her elbow with the purple-haired lady, a similar teasing smile on her lips. 

“Great! Meetup starts at 5, game starts 30 minutes after,” Abigail said. (Y/n) nods her head, “Thanks, I’ll head on right over after settling my shipments for the day! Can’t go on without making progress on the farm, huh?” 

The two parted, leaving Abigail to look at her reflection one last time in the crystal clear river, before heading off to the game room of the Stardrop Saloon. Her smile was so wide, she got lots of odd stares from her parents, since she was such a cold and shut-out girl, and to see her like this really shocked her parents. 

“Honey, what’s got you in such a mood?” Caroline asked, as she passed her daughter as she lent Evelyn a hand whilst tending the community gardens. “Ah, it’s...it’s nothing, Mom!” Abigail said, her smile immediately morphing into one of shock.

“Is it Sebastian, Robin’s son?” Caroline teased, making Abigail shake her head furiously. “No, Mom! It’s not him!” she protested, her face getting slightly redder. 

“Hmm, then I don’t suppose it’s that charming farmer that hung out with you a moment ago?” the green-haired lady teased once more.

 “Uh-(Y/n)?! No! It’s really not!” Abigail protested more, more aggressively once more, realizing her mom was spot on. The woman laughed lightly at her daughter whilst the young woman stormed off in frustration. 

“I know it’s both of them,” Caroline smiled delightfully. Maybe the farmer’s presence really would bring a good change to the community, and most importantly, to her daughter.

“You said (Y/n) was joining us?” Sam said ecstatically as he plopped down on the red sofa in the corner of the arcade room. Abigail nodded triumphantly, since Sam had been trying to really hard to strike up an interesting conversation between the two before it fades down to awkward silence.

“I’m telling you, she’s this really cool girl type. She won’t let your conversation die down!” Sebastian heard the female tell, as soon as he stepped into the Saloon. 

“Yo, Seb!” Sam greeted, raising a hand, as the male responded similarly, before tucking his hands into his pockets of his hoodie once more. “So, who’s one to not let your story die, huh, Abby?” Sebastian teased, indirectly telling her just how loud she was.

“It’s not that frequent I hear you praising someone so generously,” he said, plopping himself right next to Sam. Abigail huffed and crossed her arms, “Oh, come on, Seb! You know she’s an out-going person,” she said before her expression morphed into one of teasing. 

“Oh, right. You don’t spend much time out of your room to know about the outside,” she teased, making an irk mark appear on Sebastian’s forehead. “Excuse me? I’m working my butt off from programming, mind you,” he said.

“Hey, (Y/n)!” Gus greeted, and a loud hello from Emily.

“It’s rare to see you here, but how’re you doing?” Pierre asked, as the said girl entered their vision. It seems that she had groomed and cleaned herself thoroughly before coming, her (h/c) hair slightly shiny from water, and her bright skin that was earlier much redder from heavy-duty. Her clothes also seemed to have changed from her dirt marred blue pants and black shirt to a white shirt with a light blue jacket and light blue skirt.

“I’m doing great! The seeds I got are sprouting just nicely!” the girl praised, earning a hefty laugh from Pierre.

After greeting those that have called out to her, she made her way over to the trio that had invited her over. “Wow, didn’t know she was this well-known since she’s new and all,” Sebastian muttered.

“Haven’t you heard? Mayor Lewis put (Y/n) in charge of mending the old community center, and everyone’s buzzing about it!” Sam said, quite surprised at his friend’s reaction. “She’s starting to get on great terms with my mom, and Vincent totally likes her,”

Abigail nodded in agreement, “Yeah, Dad has been boasting that (Y/n)’s been preferring our goods over Joja’s,” she said making Sebastian scoff lightly. 

“New and already a people-pleaser?” Sebastian said, quite sour with how easy (Y/n) managed to round everyone’s attention within a small time span.

Sam slapped his back in a friendly way, “Hey, sooner or later you’re gonna have fun with her too,” Sam said. Typical Sam, a cliche optimistic guy.

“I’ll see if she’s a good enough lass to hang around,” he said as he stood up and picked up his personal favourite cue stick. “Let’s see how well she plays pool,” he said, a slight smirk on his face making colour drain from Abigail and Sam’s faces. 

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late! I picked up a few things I wanted to hand out,” the girl said as she racked a hand into a small pouch. (Y/n) then approached Abigail and gestured a hand.

Abigail was legit scared that (Y/n) would put something she hated like...like spiders. But (Y/n) laughed it off and said she wouldn’t stoop that low. The said girl placed a fistful of cold small...things on the pale girl’s hand.

When she released her hand, turns out (Y/n) had placed a fistful of Amethysts in her hand. “I saw this in the mines and thought about your purple hair, do you like it?” she asked.

“Like it? I love it! You’re the absolute best, (Y/n)!” Abigail gushed before the multi-job farmer turned to Sam. 

“I heard from your mom you love this, and I got plenty,” (Y/n) said as she produced a tin of Joja cola and handed it to Sam. “Yo, thanks! I really like this! Thanks a whole bunch, (Y/n)!” 

“And, Sebastian!” she said, as she held her fist behind her back, her other hand fiddling with her pouch. “Don’t think you can be friends with me that easi--” he was cut off by a forceful pull taking his arm and stretching it out, the palm open. 

“Ah, you were already waiting for something?” the girl teased, making the other two snicker as the ravenette’s face turned red and looked away. “N-no,” he stuttered as he felt something warm then cold press into his palm.

He looked back into the open hand, a lovely crystal blue item resting on it, other than the slender body part that held his hand. A frozen tear. Sebastian looked at (Y/n) in disbelief. But the latter just smiled cheekily.

“I reached level 53 in the mines yesterday, and saw this little beauty. Looks like you, don’t you think?” she asked, a playful smirk on her lips as her gaze lingered to her feet. 

Sebastian’s eyebrow lifted, as he expected the girl to continue what she was saying. “Small, and cold, don’t you agree?” she teased as Abigail and Sam burst out laughing. 

Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed in slight anger but more to amusement and his expression turned into his sour one (y’know, like one of his sprite design). “Sorry, sorry,” (Y/n) laughed. “But no, actually, it just reminded me of you, no lie.”

“Thanks,” Sebastian said, his face reddening as he realized he hadn’t pulled his hand from hers. “I...I really like this. How did you know..?” he trailed off. “Instinct, truthfully. You look like someone who loves things from the mines, am I wrong?”

“Right,” Sebastian said, before picking up another cue stick, handing it to her. “(Y/n). Wanna play a game of pool?” he asked, or more like challenged, as the two cheered slightly in the back. Abigail clutching onto Sam’s sleeve and he clutched her hand in slight panic to (Y/n) answer.

A small smile graced her plump pink lips, as the maiden accepted the stick the male held out for her to take. “I’m not too good at this, but I’ll give it a shot.”

[janeykath318]

The Gardener Next Door

Darcy felt like she’d finally made it: finished her PhD and found a great job that allowed her to upgrade from her tiny apartment to her very own house in the suburbs. It needed a little work, but it had charm and personality and Darcy took several months making it her own. The neighborhood she lives in was mostly elderly people or young newlywed couples and the people were generally very friendly. Sweet Mrs. Messer brought her over baked goods regularly and shared the local gossip while Old Mrs. Richards brought her puppy over for regular visits. Before she’d lived there six months, she knew almost everyone on the block except for her next door neighbor on the left, who didn’t appear to be the sociable type.

Even Mrs. Messer hadn’t been able to find out much information, other than his name was something Grant and he liked to garden and preferred to be left alone.

“He must be one of those grumpy old hermit types,” Mrs. Messer sighed. “Never answered the door when I went to bring him a welcome to the neighborhood pie. I wonder what happened to the poor man to make him so wary of people.”

“I don’t know, but maybe you could try leaving some on his front porch with a friendly note. Once he’s discovered the glory of your chocolate chip cookies, he might just loosen up a little.” Darcy suggested.

This cheered up Mrs. Messer and she scurried off to start baking.

Mysterious Neighbor Dude clearly preferred a motorcycle as his form of transportation, but he always pulled right into the garage, so she was never able to get a glimpse of him without his helmet.

As spring went on, Darcy started spending more time outside in her cozy lounge chair, from which she started noticing her neighbor working outdoors. Even from the distance she could see by the way he moved, he was still in the prime of life and he appeared to be a workout fiend, judging by the size of his shoulders and arms.

He wore a big floppy straw hat that kept the sun off, which was probably a good thing because he was working in his garden almost nonstop on sunny days. It was kind of fascinating watching the progression from bare dirt to tiny plants. So far, their only interaction was a friendly wave when he caught her staring and Darcy was dying for more, but he’d never approached her and she didn’t want to invade his privacy.

But then she came home one day to find a big basket of lettuce and radishes on her front porch.

There was a note with them:

“Sharing some lettuce with you. It makes delicious salads. Have a nice day!”

The note was not signed and Darcy squinted at it for quite awhile like it would suddenly start talking and reveal its author, but alas, no such luck.

The lettuce did make excellent salads and she thought about her hunky neighbor with every bite.

Mrs. Messer came over very excitedly to report that the cookies had been taken and she too had been given a basket of lettuce.

“Looks like you were right, Darcy. The man just needed a little kindness. I wonder if he likes lemon bars…..”

As the weeks went by, the gifts of veggies continued, varying as different things came into season. Peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and green beans all arrived steadily and were either quickly eaten or given to Darcy’s vegetarian co-worker.

Darcy started replying to his notes on the fifth basket and soon they had a funny banter going back and forth, filled with vegetable puns.

“Lettuce be friends?” She wrote on the note left in the empty basket which had previously held plump red tomatoes and would be supplying her with BLTs for a long time.

“Yes, peas!” he’d replied on the next basket, which did contain the mentioned vegetable.

“Why are you so cute and unreachable?” Darcy murmured to herself, stashing the note away with a smile.

She laid out sunbathing in her favorite bathing suit the next day and since there was no fence between their backyards, the hot neighbor dude got a nice view. This time it was Darcy who caught him staring and waved happily, pretty sure he was blushing. Ugh. He was just too adorable. She wanted to March over there and plant one on him, pun slightly intended. He briefly took off his hat to wipe sweat off of his face and she caught a glimpse of dark hair and beard. Dang it, that was a GOOD look!!

The notes and vegetable puns continued, but now they were accompanied by cute sketches of cartoon vegetables representing the various neighbors. Darcy absolutely loved it and it proved her suspicions that the so-called hermit was much more observant than he seemed.

“So you’re an artist as well as a champion gardener? Is there anything you can’t do?” She wrote on the next note.

“Plenty,” he replied back. “I sure can’t bake and I can’t seem to be able to remember how to speak when my pretty neighbor is around.”

Darcy was floored, but thrilled, and wrote and rewrote seven replies before she finally figured out how to word her response.

“Here I was thinking you didn’t want to talk to me. Guess we’re both disasters at communicating.”

The response to this rang Darcy’s doorbell the very next evening and she opened it to see her neighbor, up close and personal, looking all kinds of shy and adorable and holding out a bouquet of gorgeous flowers that she knew came from his yard.

“Aww, how sweet!” She exclaimed, accepting the flowers eagerly. “They’re beautiful. Nice to finally meet you……….”

Her voice trailed off as she recognized the gorgeous and famous face in front of her.

“Steve,” he finished quietly, almost apologetically. “I’m sorry for the secrecy. I’ve been hiding out living the retired life and trying my hand at new hobbies.”

He looked even more nervous now, probably thinking she was going to either throw him out or go yelling to the neighbors.

“Please, come in,” she told him, heart pounding. “I’m Darcy Lewis, astrophysicist and former Avengers wrangler. I did NOT recognize you from across the yard with the dye job. It’s a good look, though. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks,” Steve sighed, relaxing a touch. “I think I remember seeing you yelling at Tony a few times. It was pretty neat, the way you made him cower.”

“I learned early on, Tony needed a firm hand or he would never eat or sleep and bad things happened,” Darcy recalled, with a pang of sadness. “You guys saved the world,” she added. “I think you’ve more than earned your privacy and a peaceful retirement.”

Steve cracked a crooked smile. “That’s very gracious of you. Some days, it’s a pretty big struggle for me to believe that, thinking about everyone we lost. Gardening’s been keeping me sane.”

“And you’re doing a fabulous job with it. I’ve never had such perfect tomatoes,” Darcy told him with a smile.

“I was pretty proud of them,” Steve admitted, then he grew serious again and looked at her very earnestly with those gorgeous blue eyes.

“Darcy, do you still want to…”

“Yes,” Darcy interrupted. “Heck yes. I like you, Steve. I didn’t really know you apart from Captain America before and I’m finding regular Steve to be more irresistible than Mrs. Messer’s lemon bars.”

Steve chuckled and started to turn pink, which was even cuter seen close up.

“Given how amazing those are, that’s high praise,” he remarked, with a twinkle in his eye. “Looks like I’ve got a lot of missed opportunities to make up for.”

They shared another long look and Steve moved into her personal space with intent-to-kiss written all over his face.

Darcy was very much down for that and nodded eagerly, wrapping her arms around him. The pent up feelings resulted in a pretty intense kiss, which left her weak in the knees and practically hanging onto Steve for dear life.

“Well that was worth it,” she whispered, when she’d caught her breath. “I’m so glad you didn’t actually go to the moon. There’s been rumors.”

Steve full on laughed at that, a joyous sight which she’d never witnessed before, but was very glad to finally see. His eyes crinkled, his face lit up and he looked so adorably cute, her heart turned into a puddle of goo.

“Don’t know where they came up with that one,” he remarked, shaking his head in amusement. “But I have no intentions of going to the moon. I’d rather stay here with you.”

“Good, because I need some more of those green beans, ASAP,” Darcy replied mischievously, barely refraining from making an eggplant joke. She didn’t want to be TOO forward.

“How about you come over and I can give you the grand tour?” Steve suggested.

“Yes, peas.” She responded, making him laugh again.

Before long, the neighbors were gossiping again, this time over the shocking sight of “Mr. Grant” making out with Dr. Lewis right in his backyard.

“I knew it!” Old Mrs. Richards chuckled, petting her dog gleefully.

“I’ll volunteer to make their wedding cake!” Exclaimed Mrs. Messer.

[seanfalco]

Girl Talk | Misfits Timeline Anomaly’verse

Word Count: 4.5k Warnings: smut, oral (f!receiving), voyeurism a/n: Happy Thirsty Thursday from @super-unpredictable98 & I 💚

——

Lydia stared at the Community Centre through the window, as she often did, her fingers dancing over guitar strings as she tried not to disturb the others still asleep in the bedroom. 

"I just wanna tell you that you're really pretty girl, I just wanna know if you will let me be your world.  I just know you got to taste like candy, candy girl.  I just wanna tell you that you're really pretty girl..."

Win stirred as she heard the faint sound of singing coming from the other room and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Looking down she noticed right away that Lydia was gone, both Nathans sprawled out snoring softly. Carefully extricating herself, Win gently brushed her fingers through her Nathan's curls as she slipped off the bed, grabbing one of the boys’ hoodies from the door handle to wrap around herself as she snuck out to the other room, drawn by the sound of Lydia's voice.

"I just wanna tell you... Jesus Christ!" Lydia yelped, clutching her chest when she noticed Win standing next to her. She immediately turned red as if somehow her girlfriend could read her mind through the song. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Win smiled at the sight of Lyddie's burning cheeks, sitting down next to her, and tucking her bare legs under her. "Yeah, but it's okay. Your lovely voice is the best thing to wake up to," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear as she leaned in to brush a kiss to Lyddie's cheek. "Were you perhaps, singing about me just now?" she asked innocently.

"Yes..." Lydia admitted, unable to look Win in the eye, but leaning into her touch. "I- God, I'm terrible at this, you're so charming and I feel like everything I say just sounds dorky." 

Another stolen song, she should probably tell Win that as much as she meant those words, they weren't hers, but maybe now wasn't the best moment for that…

"I don't think you're dorky, and you're far from terrible at this..." Win murmured, tilting her head. "You've thoroughly charmed me."

"Maybe you just have a soft spot for former nerds and delinquents," Lydia placed her hand on the back of Win's neck, closing the distance between them with a tender kiss.

Win sighed as she kissed Lydia back, savouring the moment.

"Don't you know, I'm a delinquent too," she teased, "and a closet nerd." At the skeptical look on Lydia's face Win's grin grew. "Oh yes, there's much you have yet to learn about me, Lydia Bellamy."

"That makes a lot of sense, I have a thing for bad girls," Lydia chuckled, putting the guitar away. "But why don't you tell me, then? What do I have to learn about Winrey Lewis in order to become an expert?"

Win smirked, "Oh jeeze, where to start," she mused, twisting a strand of Lyddie's hair between her fingers. "Well, I love a good horror movie... and the bad ones too," she said, thinking. "I read comic books, the dirty ones," she confessed with a laugh. "and I stole the yellow Fender that I use for all my shows," she finished. "What more do you want to know?" she asked.

"First of all, yes, bad horror movies are great. Second of all, I read the superhero ones, but I'd love to try yours. And third of all, that is so fucking sexy..." Lydia groaned, holding Win against her chest as she leaned against the window.

"Tell me a little about your family, how are they? I can't wait to meet them."

Win's smile faltered as Lyddie brought up her family and she went quiet. "Ahh, yeah... my family," she mumbled awkwardly, sighing. "You don't wanna meet them. Trust me."

"Oh," Lydia suddenly felt horrible for even bringing it up. "What's the deal with them? T-t-that is if you wanna tell me, if you don't that totally fine, I understand."

Win felt Lydia tense next to her and she quickly sat up, looking at her girlfriend. "My mum died when I was 16. She had cancer. She fought it for three years and we thought..." she shook her head, "It came out of remission and it took her quickly.”

“After that my dad, he... he changed. He remarried shortly after, like he couldn't even wait for my mum to be put in the ground. And my step mum... she's such a cunt. Just ask Nathan."

Win shook her head, a bitter twist to her lips. "And then there's my step sister, Delilah. She's a year older than me, and the reason I ended up in community service."

"I'm so sorry, Winnie," Lydia didn't even know how to react, she thought about her family all the time and lamented what happened when she left, but at least they were all alive and well. "I shouldn't have said anything, I'm really sorry..." Lydia suddenly stopped when she realized something. "Your step sister, you say her name is Delilah, isn't she the one who threw that party last year?"

"Yeah, you know about that?" Win asked, sitting up straighter, curious as to how Lyddie knew.

"That fucking bitch! She's friends with my bully's older sister, well... one of my bullies. After that fight in the bowling alley, your step sister and those two slags made my life a living hell!" Lydia groaned furiously. "They filled my locker with mice, they told everyone I had sex with our bio teacher, they dumped a bucket of piss on me... That was just the first month."

"Wait, what!" Win gasped, her brows drawing down, her mouth falling open. "That cunt," she growled under her breath. "Lyddie, I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, it was a difficult year... Jesus, I understand why you don't want me to meet them," Lydia shook her head, remembering all the laughs, the stares, and the name calling.

"Hey," Win murmured, slowly wrapping her arms around Lydia's shoulders, an idea coming to her. "Maybe we should go see them sometime, if only t'give Delilah a little taste of her own medicine," she laughed.

"Yeah... I would like that," Lydia smiled, the idea of avenging her younger self was tempting. "And I think your step mom is gonna have a fit when she knows you're in a quad, we can kill two birds with one bullet."

Win laughed. “My dad already hates Nathan, especially after the scene he caused the first time they met and then when we all went over to get my stuff when we got our flat he told him he’d knocked me up.”

"That is the most Nathan thing I've ever heard," Lydia snorted with laughter. "Oh my God, I wish I could've seen his face... I love when Nate pulls this kind of stunt, it's kinda hot."

“He looked like a fish,” Win laughed as she remembered how he’d open and closed his mouth several times, his face turning progressively redder. “And you’re right. It is kinda hot,” Win agreed with a sigh, feeling affection wash over her for her Nathan.

"I wish I could introduce you to my parents, my mum might... have some issues, but my dad would love you!" Lydia smiled sadly, a sharp sting in her heart from thinking about him. "He'd probably tell you my good taste in women comes from him."

“Tell me about him,” Win prompted gently, resting her head on Lyddie’s shoulder. “I mean, if you want. He just seems special to you.”

"My dad is the kindest, most caring man I know, that's where Simon gets it from. He's brave, and funny, and smart... my mum was almost never home because of work, so he basically raised us, he's the only person I regret leaving behind," Lydia's eyes filled with tears, and she looked away, not wanting to seem weak. "I see him from time to time, with Si, or on the street, I always have to remind myself that I can't run to him..."

“I’m sorry, Lyddie,” Win murmured, gently turning her face back toward her, running her thumbs under her eyes to catch her tears. “That’s gotta be hard to see him, but not able to talk to him. Is there any way you can tell him the truth? Or would that mess with the timeline more?”

"The problem is my mum, if she found out she'd go mental. Curtis told me when she found out about Simon having powers in an alternative timeline she freaked out so bad, he had to move out." Lydia sighed and tried to put on a smile. "But it's okay, it's not the end of the world... Maybe one day."

“Ahhh,” Win said, frowning slightly, a thought coming to her. Maybe if there was a way they could get Lyddie’s mom out of the house and distract her, give Lydia some time to talk to her dad without her mom there... It was a thought, and she’d need to refine it first before she brought it up, but it was there. “Yeah, one day,” she agreed, brushing Lyddie’s hair from her face.

"So... how was it that you stole that guitar?" Lydia draped her arms around Win's neck and dragged her lips softly along her girlfriend's jaw. She needed a distraction to forget all that sadness and maybe help Win forget hers as well. "I'm asking for research purposes... obviously."

“What, you gunna become a thief too now, hmm?” Win asked, humming at Lydia’s touch.

"I don't plan on it," Lyddie purred, kissing and nipping at Win's neck. "I just can't stop imagining you doing it."

“Ohhhh, that’s right, you like bad girls,” she moaned, grinning, her hands sliding down Lyddie’s sides. “I only nicked it from the pawn shop while the guy’s back was turned.”

"That's really hot, but then again... anything you do is hot," Lydia's hands snaked under Win's hoodie. "The boys are asleep, what do you say we have some fun? Just the two of us?"

“Anything, huh?” Win mused, her breath catching as Lydia’s hands slid under her hoodie. “I say that sounds good she moaned, arching into her girlfriend’s touch. “You’ll hafta be quiet though, if you don’t wanna wake the boys.”

"That won't be a problem, my mouth will be busy," Lydia giggled before capturing Win's lips in a heated kiss while her hands still roamed the other woman's body. "I wanna taste you..."

“Oh, really?” Win purred, a pleased grin curling her lips as she kissed Lyddie back, slipping her tongue in the other woman’s mouth.

Lydia hummed in response, hooking Win's legs around her waist. "You're so sexy..." 

"Am I still dreamin' or is this really happenin'?"

Nathan's voice made Lydia nearly scream in surprise, then huff in frustration.

Win groaned softly, pressing her forehead to Lydia’s shoulder when the other woman turned toward the Nathan in the doorway. She wasn’t sure, but she had a feeling it the was the Nathan from Lydia’s dimension.

"Don't let me stop ya, I'm- I'm not even here!" Lyddie's Nathan sat down on the couch. "Go on..."

"Usually I have to shake you awake and today is the day you decide to wake up on your own?" Lydia whined. "Brilliant..."

Win snorted, turning Lydia’s face back to her, a strange excitement filling her at the thought of being watched. “You did say you’d let him watch,” she mused.

"Yeah... I suppose it's fair," Lydia felt a weird embarrassment — is that what people call stage fright? "So, where were we?" She grabbed a throw pillow for Win to lay on and crawled between her legs.

Win settled against the pillow, lifting her hips so Lyddie could pull her knickers down, desire pooling between her legs. Noticing the nervous look on her girlfriend’s face, Win held her gaze. 

“Just focus on me, Lyddie,” she purred, opening her legs wider. She knew that nervous feeling all too well from when Nathan had first suggested making their own videos, but she’d soon gotten over it, finding it more exciting than anything. “Are you gunna touch yourself while you watch?” she asked, lifting her head to address Nathan.

"Me? Oh, I mean, it'd be a waste if I didn't, don'tcha think? Such a nice view..." Nathan leaned back with one arm behind his head and Lydia took a deep breath, focusing on her girlfriend as she lowered herself to kiss Win's thighs teasingly. 

Nathan would never judge you or your technique, he loves you, she thought, he's enjoying it, there's nothing to worry about.

Win tried to bite back her pleased smile. Something about the thought of Lyddie’s Nathan getting off to them made her feel even hotter. 

“Mmm, Lyds,” she whined softly, twitching as she felt her lips on her sensitive thighs, feeling herself get even wetter with the anticipation. “Oh please, I want you so much babe. I want that beautiful mouth, please Lyddie,” she moaned, rolling her hips and stretching, slowly unzipping Nathan’s hoodie to bare her chest.

"You look adorable when you beg, Winnie," Lyddie felt a wave of confidence build up inside of her, her hands traveling to Win's chest, rolling her nipples slowly. Watching as her girlfriend squirmed, Lydia bit her lip, moving back to where Win wanted her the most. "This is what you want?" she flicked her tongue on her clit, giving it kitten licks, looking up to catch the reaction.

“Oh yes, God, your tongue feels like heaven,” she moaned, already forgetting about Nathan, Lydia drawing her attention completely. Jesus, but the way she was looking up at her like that from between her legs, it was too much. The subby little Lydia was nowhere to be seen, and Win felt her whole body flush at the confidence that radiated from her.

"You taste so good, baby... my candy girl.”  She dragged her tongue along Win's wet slit, tasting her arousal, which only made Lyddie even more eager to please her. 

Nathan watched agape from the couch, his hand already stroking his rapidly hardening cock. He wanted to let Lydia know how hot that was, but he feared that would only make her feel shy.

Win moaned louder, stretching one arm over her head as the other tangled in Lydia’s hair, catching sight of Nathan for a moment, his lips parted beautifully, the look of pure lust on his face as he stroked himself hot as hell. “Oh, please,” she murmured, squirming, desperate for more. “Bring me undone, Lollipop,” she begged, hoping it was alright to call her that. She wasn’t sure if that was a Nathan only pet name, but it felt so good to say it.

"Oh, Jesus..." Nathan twitched, clenching his eyes shut. It was so sexy when she said it. Lydia felt her own arousal coating the inside of her thighs, this was turning out to be way hotter than she expected.

Without even thinking about it, Lyddie slid two fingers inside of Win and curled them as her tongue kept teasing her partner's clit mercilessly.

“Oh!” Win cried softly, not ready to be filled by Lyddie’s fingers and clenching around them tightly. “Oh, just like that,” she gasped, chest heaving, her hand in Lydia’s hair tightening unconsciously. “Oh, I’m getting close!”

"Yeah? Come for me, baby, give it to me!" Lydia pumped her fingers in and out of Win as her tongue moved at a steady pace, intoxicated by the feeling of giving pleasure. Nathan felt himself getting closer as well, low grunts escaping his lips, his eyes glued to the girls.

“Ahh!” Win cried, tensing, her back arching as she pressed her cunt to Lydia’s face. “Oh God, Lyddie!” she keened, whining softly as her muscles twitched and jerked as she came against her girlfriend’s eager mouth, her eyes squeezing shut as her mouth fell open.

"Fuuuck," Nathan moaned as he came, rolling his head back. "That was so hot... Jesus..." 

"So," Lyddie gave Win one last lick before moving up to face her with a hopeful look. "How was that, baby?"

Win collapsed back against the floor, trying to catch her breath. “You have—no idea—how hot you are,” she gasped, pulling Lydia toward her for a kiss. “God, you’re amazing. I’m so spoiled,” she teased lightly.

"I like spoiling you," Lydia mused at Win's beautiful post-orgasm glow. "I love to hear you moaning for me." 

"Okay, that was... Holy shit," Nathan panted, throwing one hand in the air. "High five, Lollipop, you've got some skills!"

“I agree with Nathan,” Win said, pushing herself up to her elbows. “You’ve got mad skills, babe.”

"Seems like I might have to do it again when your Nathan is awake then... I think he deserves it too," Lydia chuckled before pressing her lips to Win's

Win kissed her back, relishing the taste of herself on her lips. “Mmm, I won’t argue with that,” she murmured, sitting up further to slip her fingers over Lydia’s rather soaked panties. “But what about you, hmm?  You must be awful turned on, babe.”

Simply the feather-like touch of Win's fingers made Lydia gasp softly as her entire body tensed up. "I am, would you like to take care of that for me, Winnie?" Lydia gave her girlfriend an innocent look. 

"I'll never watch a porno again... this is so much better!" Nathan laughed with amusement.

“Hey, where is everyo—?” Win’s Nathan’s question cut off as he stepped out of the bedroom. “I need t’stop sleepin’ in so late,” he muttered, his eyes going straight to Win and Lydia on the floor, Win’s chest still bare in naught but his open hoodie. “What I miss?” 

Win flushed sheepishly, burying her face in Lydia’s chest, hoping he wouldn’t be upset that they’d let him sleep through that.

"Y'missed round one, but round two is still on..." Lyddie's Nathan said as if they were watching a fight. Lydia tried not to laugh, she felt bad for Win's Nathan, but she would find a way to make it up to him. She shed her jumper and threw it across across room, hoping he would be able to enjoy himself at least a little bit…

“Aw man,” he muttered, plopping down on the other end of the couch. As strange as it sounded, he was curious to watch someone else pleasure his girlfriend for a change, wanting to really be able to focus on the faces she’d make or the way she sounded as she squirmed with pleasure. But this was just as good. 

Win promptly ran her palms up Lydia’s bare chest as she leaned in to kiss her neck roughly.

“You don’t happen to have a strap on do you Lyds?” she whispered in her ear.

"Actually, I don't, but I know where to get one..." Lydia raised her eyebrows and looked over at the pair of Nathans. "Which one of you would be so nice to make a strap on for us?" 

"I got it..." Lyddie's Nathan nodded. With a snap of his fingers the toy appeared in his other hand. "There ya go, love." 

"Is this your cock?" Lyddie analyzed the dildo carefully. 

"'Course it is! I know how much y'love the beast..."

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” Win laughed, taking the toy from Lydia and standing to put it on, feeling both pairs of emerald eyes on her. “You like?” she asked, tilting her head with a smirk. For a moment she wondered if Lyddie’s Nathan had ever been pegged before.

Lyddie's Nathan uncomfortably looked away for a second, exchanging a look with his clone. He felt conflicted, because that was really sexy... 

"Mhmm..." he responded almost inaudibly. 

"You look so gorgeous like this," Lydia exclaimed, her chest heaving in anticipation.  She’d never done this before, but Win seemed quite experienced, so she felt safe.

Win noticed Lyddie’s Nathan’s hesitance and she had a feeling she had the answer to her question. But there had been a flash of want there. Her Nathan on the other hand smirked and nodded, eyeing her unabashedly. 

“Are y’nervous?” Win murmured as she gently pushed Lydia to her back and hovered over her, gripping the silicone cock to rub the tip teasingly along her glistening slit.

Lyddie's Nathan stared at the other one puzzled, why was he so comfortable with this? Had he...? Oh God. 

"A little, but I trust you," Lydia nearly whispered, letting her body relax, it couldn't be that different from any other cock, right? There was nothing to be scared of.

“Just let me know if you want me to slow down or go faster,” Win murmured, stealing a kiss before guiding the tip of the toy to her entrance and pushing into her slowly, letting her adjust. It had been too long since she’d fucked a girl like this, fuck but if it wasn’t turning her on again. 

Pulling out nearly all the way, she slid back in, slightly farther, working her way to sheathing the toy completely, her hips grinding against Lyddie’s pelvic floor, the edge of the strap rubbing deliciously against Win’s pussy. “Does that feel good?” she asked, holding in place, watching her girlfriend’s expression carefully.

"Yes!" Lydia moaned, throwing her arms around Win's shoulders as she felt herself deliciously stretching around the toy. "So good..." 

Lydia was wrong, it felt completely different from having sex with Nathan, but it was amazing. 

She fought the urge to shut her eyes, wanting to watch as Win thrusted into her. "Fuck me harder, Winnie, please..." Lyddie begged, bucking her hips.

“Sure thing, Lollipop,” she drawled, smirking as she thrust into her again, harder this time, her small tits bouncing as she found a rhythm, spurred on by the lovely sounds Lyddie was making.

"Wow, she's really goin' for it..." Lyddie's Nathan muttered under his breath, which was completely drowned by Lydia's whimpers.

"Oh, Win, right there! Don't stop, baby! I'm gonna... Oh fuck!" she watched Win hypnotized, her eyes, her tits, her hips, she didn't wanna miss a single detail.

“That’s right babe, I wanna hear you when you come. Be as loud as you want, love,” Win panted, not slowing, each rolling thrust only serving to send another jolt of pleasure through herself as well.

Lydia usually wasn't that loud, always scared to be heard, but something about the way Win said those words just made her want to be heard. "God, you're so fucking sexy!" she unapologetically shouted, letting her orgasm take over in what felt like an explosion inside of her. Lyddie's body relaxed, she collapsed still sighing Win's name like prayer.

Feeling her second orgasm from just the friction alone, Win shuddered as she thrust one last time into Lydia, nearly collapsing herself, feeling sweat roll down her face. “Oh, Lyddie, you did so well,” she murmured wearily. 

“Oh shit, that was hot,” Win’s Nathan groaned, quickly cleaning the sticky mess from his stomach.

"Come here," Lydia pulled Win closer, wanting to be held. "That was fucking incredible, you're you're good at this, lots of practice?" 

For once in his life Lyddie's Nathan was speechless, he didn't know to react, how to feel... Lyds would look good in one o'those, was all that went through his mind.

“Sort of,” Win answered, unbuckling the harness from her waist as she situated herself next to Lydia, wrapping her arms around her. “I’ve not used one on a girl in a while.”

"Oh..." Lydia understood immediately what that meant and giggled while hiding her face on Win's chest, thinking about it. 

"Um, okay, you guys hungry? I'm starvin'..." Lyddie's Nathan got up abruptly and left for the kitchen as quickly as he could.

Win watched him go, her stomach twisting with guilt. Had she said something wrong? Did she make him uncomfortable?

She nearly pushed herself up to go after him, but hesitated, unsure if that would even be helpful. Maybe Lyddie should be the one? Before she could make up her mind, it was her Nathan that pushed off the couch, stretching nonchalantly, though he flashed her a pointed look.

“Y’know, after that display I’m pretty hungry myself. You girls stay there, lookin’ pretty,” he said, following his clone out.

"Hey, man," Lyddie's Nathan tried to sound casual as he fixed himself a sandwich with whatever he could find in the fridge. "The girls are really goin' at it, aren't they?"

“Yeah, it’s definitely somethin’ else. I think we’re livin’ the dream, ain’t we?”

"Yeah, yeah..." he nodded trying to ignore the question lingering in his brain, but it was nearly impossible. "Did Win... Did she ever...?"

Nathan swallowed, clearing his throat. He had a feeling that was what was on his mind. “Uh, yeah... we, uhm...” he stopped to clear his throat again. As much as he found he enjoyed being pegged by his girlfriend, it was still something about himself he was getting used to. “It... it wasn’t exactly somethin’ I’d asked her to try, but she’d wanted to and... well would you be able t’say no t’her?” he demanded, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"I s'pose not... Lyds never brought that up, I just... It caught me by surprise, that's all. I never imagined myself doin' that."

Lyddie's Nathan felt a little lost hearing his clone talking about those things, because that meant he also had the potential to do the same. That scared him more than he'd care to admit. "But um... Is it good?" he said as quietly as he possibly could.

Win’s Nathan chuckled awkwardly. “I mean, I didn’t think it would be, but... yeah. I wouldn’t have let her do it more than once if it wasn’t,” he admitted, rolling his shoulders. “But hey, just cuz me an’ Win do a thing, doesn’t mean you and Lyddie hafta.”

"That's the thing, man... I know she'll want to, and that shit was really fuckin' hot, so I kinda..." Lyddie's Nathan stopped himself in the middle of the sentence, he wasn't ready to say it. He simply scrunched up his face, hoping his clone would understand, and why wouldn't he? They were the same person.

Win’s Nathan merely nodded, clapping his clone on the shoulder. “Yeah, I get it.” After a moment he looked thoughtful. “I could always ask Win t’give her some pointers, if y’want...” he offered with a shrug.

"I think she's askin' for it as we speak," Lyddie's Nathan chuckled, piling up the sandwiches on a plate, knowing the girls would be hungry as well. "Those two... Jesus."

“They’re certainly voracious,” Nathan agreed. Back in the other room, Win had moved her and Lyddie to the couch, the floor having gotten a little uncomfortable. “How you doing?” she asked, stroking her fingers through Lydia’s hair.

"Never been better," Lydia snuggled closer to Win. "You look so hot with that thing on. I kinda wanna try it one day..."

“I’d like that,” Win admitted, loving seeing her girlfriend be more dominant and confident. “I’m not sure, but I think your Nathan liked it too.”

"Yeah, he got a little flustered there... I should talk to him about it," Lydia mused, and then turned to very gently brush her lips on Win's. "But I might need to practice with you first."

“I like the sound of that,” Win replied, grinning against Lyddie’s lips. “Maybe sometime when we don’t have an audience,” she added wryly.

[themonkeycabal]

WandaVision Ep 4 SPOILERS

Yes, spoilers, 

Wherein I watch and say stuff that might or might not be worth reading.

After a little bit of a lackluster start, there was good story progress last week. An escalation of weird, which I appreciated. I'll probably have to relive it, because Disney doesn't want to let me skip the previously. Ever. Why are you the way you are, Disney?

Geraldine/Monica is made of whispery voices and swirling dust and such. Weird. She's sitting in a chair, sleeping, and apparently being reconstituted. She wakes to a hospital room but outside is chaos. Lots of yelling and people running about. There's like swirling dust or human confetti everywhere, and other people are being reconstituted left and right. Seems unusual. Not the sort of thing that normally happens in hospitals. Oh, are they being un-snapped? The great un-snappening. The un-snapapalooza. The fall of the snappocalypse. I'll stop. I guess we're in a flashback of sorts.

Dudes, Monica just like full on hip checked some dude into the boards. She didn't mean it, but, damn, that guy went flying. Nobody knows what's going on, it's madness. A doctor recognizes her and asks where she went and Monica's all "uh, what? I took a nap?" Napping and then snapping and then popping back into existence. Ain't that just the way? Oh, sad, her mom died while she was missing for five years. :(

Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division — please nobody expect me to remember that. They have a Cape Canaveral looking compound with multiple launch pads and a very large hanger smack in the middle. Gee how neat for them that they get to operate out in the open, Phil Coulson says (in my head) with a whole lot of sarcasm.

Oh, right, they called it the Blip. The Great Un-Blippening. That doesn't sound as good. What on earth with the massive monitors in the main lobby. Nobody likes watching the news that much. Monica is trying to brazenly walk through the front doors with a badge that doesn't work and wow, security guy is kind of a dick. Oh, she belongs there. Captain Monica Rambeau. Captain, good for her.

And now security dick is revealed to be even more dickish, since this is just after the Blip and she's trying to go back to work. Like, SWORD couldn't put out a memo "Be on the lookout for recently unblipped personnel. Don't be massive dicks to them when their security badges don't work, because of how they got blipped and all"? Also maybe a reorientation packet, or like a desk out front "Back from the Blip? Talk to Lt. Mandy Smith in HR about your reactivation options today!" I'm just spitballing here. I get it was chaotic, but that's no reason to let the unblipped get a rude welcome. It wasn't their fault Thanos was critically dumb.

Blip no longer sounds like a word.

Anyway, the acting director is fortunately there to meet her before she could drop her gloves and punch the security dick in the dick. Aww, Maria Rambeau is on the Wall of Valor, or whatever they call it at SWORD.

Things aren't going well at SWORD. The Blip put the hurt on the division. Their remaining astronaut trainees have chickened out. Oh, what if there was like crew up in orbit that got blipped and then when they unblipped five years later … yikes. Well, I'll allow the 'lost their nerve' may have a solid basis in horribleness that probably occurred around the Blip. I retract the 'chickened out' comment.

This is a very long walk-and-talk. Maria Rambeau built SWORD "from the ground up". Bless.

The Director has grounded Monica. Well, actually, her mom grounded her, making protocols in case vanished personnel one day returned. Lol. Though, I mean, I'd guess she'd know, what with Carol and all.  "I know it's a raw deal, but there is one positive takeaway. She believed you'd come back." Awww

So, she's off to deal with some sort of missing persons case in New Jersey overseeing the loan of one of their drones for the FBI. I guess Wanda will be the missing person. Yep, she's off to Westview. Which has seen better days.

Hey! It's Agent Woo! I like you Agent Woo! Did I know he was in this? I don't remember. Randall Park's great. A happy surprise.

Hmm, he has a missing witness. So, not Wanda, then. Hmm again. Agent Woo contacted known associates, family, friends — none of them have ever heard of the witness. A mystery!

Oh and there's another wrinkle.

"Pardon me Sheriff, would you mind repeating your claim about Westview to my colleague here?"

"No such place," he says, standing next to the 'Welcome to Westview" sign.

Hmmm, puzzling. Jimmy Woo can't reach anybody listed as living in town. So, wait, the town doesn't exist, except it does, but, nobody thinks it does, so where did he get the phone records for residents? The phone company was just like "here's your records for the imaginary city of Westview, all 3,000+ residents that never existed, and yet we have the numbers and we're just not going to question that". Weird.

"So you can't reach anyone inside and everyone on the outside has some sort of selective amnesia?" That does seem to be the case, Monica. Super odd. Agent Woo is very sanguine about the whole thing. He dealt with Scott Lang, I guess after that everything else is like, 'meh'.

"Why haven't' you gone inside to investigate?" A fine question, Captain.

"Because it doesn't want me to." That's just creepy, Agent Woo. "You can feel it, too, can't you? Nobody's supposed to go in." I guess this is where the drone will come in handy. Oh, it's the little helicopter that Wanda found in the bushes in the second episode. I'm going to pretend that super advanced SWORD drones would totally look like cheap RC toy helicopters. I guess that's a disguise?

Monica wants to know why she and Agent Woo are aware that Westview exists and nobody else is. Does that mean the Sheriff was standing next to the Welcome to Westview sign and just did not see it at all? He was just hanging out in the middle of nowhere with a weirdly laconic FBI agent who kept asking about the town that very clearly wasn't just right behind them? That's a little more than amnesia.  

Also, Agent Woo's hero was Elliot Ness. Of course it was.

Oh no, the drone vanished as it crossed the town line! There's an energy field around the town that looks like what happens when you push your fingers against an old monitor and get the weird pixelly rainbow. Agent Woo's all "please no touch" and Monica's all "yes, I think I'll stick my whole hand in there." And she got sucked in. Agent Woo's gotta be like "WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY EVER LISTEN TO ME?"

24 hours later. Darcy! Some sort of transport van. A trio of other suits in the back, plus Darcy. She tries to talk to one of the dudes and he's all "we're not supposed to talk to each other!" "Boy Scout leader, got it." Relax, uptight guy. Pfft, what sort of team is that? The rest give up their specialty. Aww, bless, she went into astrophysics. "We've got the full clown car." heh.

Boy Scout leader finally caving to peer pressure: "I'm a chemical engineer." Darcy: "No one cares." lol. Missed you, girlfriend!

And in 24 hours SWORD/FBI whoever have set up a little military camp. Oh a "response base". How banally euphemistic. There's like a whole bunch of agencies there, as well as Army and Air Force.

Dr. Lewis. Oh, I'm so proud. I bet Jane was over the moon. Saved from poli-sci!

Elsewhere another drone vanishes. Darcy darcys a lot at an uptight uniform who is breathing down her neck "make your assessment" and it's delightful. Darcy notices some high levels of cosmic background radiation and also something weird layered over the top of that. Hmm, she needs a tv. "An old one, like not flat." One with vacuum tubes, perhaps?

In another part of the camp, they send in a guy in a hazmat suit, down into the sewers, looking for Monica. I guess he'll be the beekeper Wanda tosses in ep 2. Jimmy Woo is not optimistic about that plan. He tells the SWORD Director all about it.

"Someone must really miss you back at Quantico." "No, sir, softball season is over." Lol.

All their high tech scanning is turning up nothing.

Uhoh, screaming. Oh, nevermind, it's the laughtrack. While everybody else was dicking around with the LIDAR, Darcy has tracked down the last tube tv in New Jersey and has tuned into the Wanda Dimension. Episode one is playing.  

Darcy is understandably particularly baffled by Vision. "Look, I know it's been a crazy few years on this planet, but he's dead right? Not blipped. Dead." Poor Vision. Alas.

Director wants to know if the broadcast is realtime or a recording. Or what? Darcy's like "how tf should I know?"

Jimmy asks the good question "So you're saying the universe created a sitcom staring two Avengers?" "It's a working theory."

Now SWORD fans out! And collects every ye olde TV on the eastern seaboard. Who doesn't love a good sitcom, amiright? (Me. Me do not love sitcoms). The Director storms off to wherever for whatever reason. I don't know, don't care. Jimmy and Darcy are on the case.

Darcy is IDing the other "characters" in the sitcom, who appear to be real people with NJ driver's liscenses, while Jimmy is wondering why the force field is hexagonal. You've got me there. And now we're montaging.

Jimmy ponders the big board of 'characters' and Darcy drops her cup o' noodles when she spots Monica in the second episode. He and Darcy discuss and he's like "is it an alternate reality, time travel, some cockamamie social experiment?" Darcy's all "it's a sitcom." A pure mystery.

Darcy comes up with the idea to reach out to Wanda via the radio in her kitchen. "Next time she's washing dishes — which by my count happens about once an episode, barf." heh. She tech babbles some and I'm very proud.

A minion agent runs up with the latest intel from the most recent episode, it's a picture of the SWORD drone that looks more retro (frankly it looks better than the 'real world' one.) Hmmm, such a puzzler. Why did it change, they wonder.  

Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo are a partnership I can totally get behind. Jimmy was the voice trying to reach Wanda. Darcy's watching the show while Jimmy's trying the radio thing. It's the second episode where Wanda's talking to Emma Caulfield and things go weird. Good. I'm glad they jumped us to the outside world by ep four. While I thought the first two eps were slow, I think maybe they'll work better once we can watch the whole thing at a go.

Dude is still crawling through the sewers. I completely forgot he was down there. And the field extends below ground and he just crawled through it and became a beekeeper, and his safety rope snapped and … became a jumprope?

And then Wanda wishes him to the cornfield. (I guess? We don't see what happens to him.)

SWORD is watching episode three.

"1950s, 1960s, and now 70s. Why does it keep switching time periods. It can't be purely for my enjoyment can it?" Guys, it's so good to see Darcy.   "I can't believe Wanda and Vision are having a baby." No really, Jimmy and Darcy, BFFS 4EVAH! They're eating chips and watching the episode. Delightful. Just delightful.

"Twins. What a twist." Jimmy gives Darcy a look. "I'm invested!"

Monica mentions Ultron and Jimmy and Darcy are like "Whoa!".

They notice the screen sort of glitches and then Monica is gone and it's the end credits. Like when Bee guy vanished. Darcy and Jimmy are confused. "Someone is censoring the broadcast." Yeah, Wanda. She's gone to the scary place, friends.

Alarms go off and they run off. But, we go into Wanda World the aspect ratio changes from 4:3 to 16:9 and it's a new angle on when Wanda went all scary at Monica, demanding to know who she is. And then, of course, she gets kicked out of Wanda World.

"Wanda, I'm just your neighbor." "Then how could you know about Ultron?"

Wanda brings up the glowy hands of scary. "You are a stranger and an outsider and right now you are trespassing here. And I want you to leave." And then she zooms Monica out through the walls and fences and fields and that looked like it probably hurt.

Oh gross. Wanda turns around and sees Dead Vision. The big hole in his head and his face all, you know, dead looking. She looks away and then he's normal when she looks back. Well, now this has turned all sad, you guys. "We can go wherever we want." "No, we can't." Sad. Poor Wanda. The aspect ratio goes back to 4:3. I’m sure Editorial was like “oh god, again?” 

"Don't worry darling, I have everything under control."

I don't think so, Wanda.

Good ep! My only real takeaway is that none of this is going to end particularly happily. 

So … Darcy and Jimmy, BFFS 4EVAH!

[gendercraft]

When I Fell Overboard [Chapter Seven: Don’t Get Your Hopes Up, Sebastian]

Read on ao3

Synopsis: Sebastian struggles with his relationship with Maru as she strives to get close to him. Meanwhile, he and Elliott get closer and closer.

Trigger warnings: Panic attacks, fighting, snapping, potentially unsympathetic Robin, crying, food mention, let me know if I missed anything please

“No way! The rumours are true?!”

    Sebastian rolled his eyes as he and Elliott ducked into Sam’s room. Abigail sat up in the bed, boots pressed into the covers and phone in her hand. She furrowed her eyebrows. 

    “Elliott?” 

    “Hello, Abigail. Sam. Just dropping Sebastian off.” 

    “Since when do you hang out?” Abigail stood and set her phone on the bookshelf, grabbing her drumsticks. 

    Sebastian shrugged. “About a month ago. I’ll see you later, El. Thanks for walking me or whatever.” 

    Elliott laughed as he was practically shoved out of the room. He waved and left. 

    “Alright, progress?” Sam held his hand out. 

    “Seriously, are the rumours true?” Abigail asked. “Are you dating Elliott?” 

    “Dating?” Sebastian spluttered. “N- no! Jesus.” 

    “Cool, Seb’s not dating Elliott. Songs?” 

    “Hold on, Sam, he’s blown us off for a month, I haven’t forgiven him yet.”

    “Well, I have.” 

    “Sam.” 

    He sighed and plopped on the bed. “Alright, alright.” 

    Sebastian slid into his spot behind the keyboard and busied himself with finding his sheet music. “We’re not… dating. We’ve just been hanging out. I’m sorry I haven’t been answering the group chat.” 

    Abigail narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. “You haven’t missed Fridays, so I’ll let you off easy. Are you into Elliott?” 

    Letting me off easy. Funny. “No,” he said dryly. Liar. You just lied. Why did you lie? 

    “Okay, so Sebastian’s not gay. Songs?” 

    “Yeah, I’ve got a few.” 

    Abigail blinked. “A few? Since when do you come with less than a half?”    

    He shrugged. “I had a good week. Ready to hear ‘em or not?” 

    They spent the next few hours going through Sebastian’s songs and, surprisingly, Sam and Abigail accepted them in almost their entirety. With just a few tweaks, they had enough songs to finish the set they’d been working on for ages. 

    “Goddamn, Sebastian,” Abigail said. “Good fucking job.” 

    He blushed and played a few notes on his keyboard. “Thanks. They’re not as good here as they’d be on a piano—”

    “We know, you’ve said.” Sam rolled his eyes and looked at Abigail, who nodded with a laugh. 

    Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “What?” 

    “Nothing.” Abigail held her hands up. “Nothing. You just haven’t played piano since middle school.” 

    “I haven’t wanted to,” Sebastian said. 

    Sam set his guitar back in its stand. “We know. We’re just wondering what the sudden change of heart is. As far as I know, Elliott’s the only one with a piano in Pelican Town.” 

    “And?” Sebastian asked harshly. 

    They laughed. 

    “Are we ready to go or not?” It just occurred to him that he had invited Elliott to hang out with them, and he bit his lip. He couldn’t well break it to them then, that’d be way too suspicious. 

    Why do I care so much? 

    It wasn’t because he was probably-definitely gay. They didn’t care about that and after the initial shock had worn off, neither did he. But there was something lingering in the back of his head, something that promised he’d regret it if he told them anything. 

    You have no idea where this is going to go. You could be completely wrong. 

    Don’t get your hopes up, Sebastian. 

    They made their way towards the beach. Sebastian stopped at the saloon to catch Gus before he left, ordering a shot. He downed it and turned. They stared at him with raised eyebrows. 

    “I can’t have a drink?” He asked. 

    Abigail raised her hand and headed over to the bridge. She hopped up on the rail and threw her arms up for balance as she tightroped it. Sam followed, ready to catch her even though she never fell. Sebastian flicked his hood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

    “You’re shaking, Seb,” Sam said after a minute, and Sebastian cursed himself. 

    “I’m fine,” he mumbled, and then, even though it didn’t make sense, “Drink must’ve went down wrong.”  

    When they arrived at the beach, pretty much the entire town was already there. Alex and Hailey were flirting on the docks, Hailey trying to convince him to let her wear his bomber jacket and him slowly losing resolve. Shane gently held Jas’ arm to keep her from getting too excited and falling in the water as he pointed out the ripples of fish underneath the waves. Vincent was already there, sitting at their usual spot with his feet in the water. He jumped up and crossed the docks with all the speed of a sugar eye the moment he saw the trio. 

    “SAMMIE! SAMMIE!” He threw himself into his older brother’s arms, who laughed as he caught him. “Sammie, something touched my foot!” 

    Sebastian went to talk about the sea monster that inhabited the waters, but Sam held his hand in the air and said, “Don’t, Sebastian,” so he shut his mouth. 

    They were about a half hour away from Mayor Lewis sending off the light boat and attracting the jellies. 

    It wasn’t much longer that Elliott arrived. His auburn hair caught the starlight, glistening down the long braid that laid down his back. He was dressed more casually, missing his coat, instead in an olive green button up with the top two buttons undone, and jeans. Had Sebastian ever seen Elliott wear jeans in his life? He guessed he didn’t pay much attention until a month ago. 

    “Someone’s coming this way,” Sam teased. 

    “What?” Abigail asked, then looked over her shoulder. “Oh.”

    “I invited him to hang out with us,” Sebastian mumbled. “I now realize that was a shitty idea.” 

    “No, it’s great! Can’t wait to freak him out.” Sam lifted Vincent over the water until he squealed. 

    Sebastian rolled his eyes. Elliott strode up to them with his hands in his pockets and smiled. 

    “It’s great to see you guys again. And hello, Vincent!”  

    Vincent kicked until Sam let him down, nearly actually dropping him in the water. “Hi, Elliott! Sammie, can I go play with Jas?” 

    “Yeah, just be careful. Don’t go out of Shane’s sight, okay?” 

    Vincent ran across the docks to where the two of them stood. Shane looked up and nodded at Sam, who nodded back. They were close in the way where Sam considered Shane a friend and Shane considered no one a friend, so Sam fell into that category. Still, Sam told Sebastian about the few times Shane had gone to him when his thoughts turned dark, and Sam stayed up all night playing video games with him just so Shane would see the sun again. Shane pretended he didn’t care, but someone had to be paying for all the pizza and drinks that showed up at the pool table on Fridays. It certainly wasn’t Gus. 

    “So why did you two start talking?” Abigail asked, stood on one of the pillars of the pier with her hand to her forehead, scoping out the ocean for any signs of the jellies. 

    “Sebastian had a bad day and I just happened to be there,” Elliott said. 

He rested one hand on the small of Sebastian’s back, and part of him burned under Sam’s raised eyebrow, but the rest of him felt completely at peace. He decided to leave it be. For now. 

Sam frowned. “Wait, bad day? How long ago was this? You always tell me when you have panic attacks.” 

Elliott looked to Sebastian in surprise. Sebastian looked away. 

“That’s not true,” he mumbled. “I can’t tell you every time I have a panic attack.” 

“Yoba, how many do you have?” 

Sebastian didn’t answer. 

“Lately?” Elliott asked. “At least once a day. On bad days, around three.” 

“And how often does he have bad days?” Abigail asked harshly. She jumped onto the dock, the wood creaking under her. She crossed her arms over her chest. 

Elliott looked to Sebastian, and he sighed, nodding for him to continue. 

“Maybe two a week?” 

“Yoba, Seb,” Sam said under his breath, then louder, “That must be exhausting. Why didn’t you tell us?” 

“I thought you knew,” he said honestly. 

“Obviously we didn’t know.” Abigail punched him in the arm. “You should talk to Harvey about getting a prescription.” 

Elliott lit up. “I didn’t even think of that! That’s a wonderful idea.” 

“No it’s not,” Sebastian snapped. “Do you know what Mom will say if she finds out I need a fucking pill to get through the day? She’ll call me a druggie or think I’m…” She can’t know how weak I am. 

“No, she won’t,” Sam sighed. “I get she’s not perfect but you realize how much shit about her you just make up, right?” 

Elliott’s eyebrows raised. “Either way,” he said after a moment of silence, “I think it’s a great idea. At least think on it, Bastian? I can go with you, if you want.” 

He hesitated. That would make things easier, weirdly. “I’ll think about it,” he mumbled. 

“Oh, the jellies! I saw one!” Abigail leapt back to her post, nearly falling over. 

“I want to push her so bad right now,” Sam whispered. 

“If you’re willing to go in after her,” Sebastian whispered back. 

“Uh oh,” Elliott mumbled. 

“What-? Oh.” 

Maru trekked up from the beach, shoes missing and one side of her overalls unclipped, and padded across the dock. 

“What are you doing here?” Sebastian asked, his voice missing its bite. He quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you were with Mom and Demetrius.” 

“I was,” she said, “but I figured they might want some alone time tonight.” 

“Alright…” 

“So can I stay with you guys?” 

“Yeah, Maru,” Abigail said, and Sebastian got very close to pushing her in the water. “Come over here, I think I see one!” 

Sebastian crept a bit closer to Elliott, who wrapped an arm around his waist. He sighed. Abigail helped Maru up so they were balancing one foot each on the post, arms wrapped around each other for support, and Abigail pointed out the jelly she noticed. 

“I take it you two are still fighting,” Sam said. 

Sebastian shrugged. “Not really. We’re just not talking to each other. It’s better this way.” 

Sam gave Elliott a look. “Riiiight.” 

Sebastian rolled his eyes. Maru had a look on her face Sebastian hadn’t seen before—at least, not in a very long time. It wasn’t smug, it wasn’t pure scientific interest, it was… excitement. She was spouting off every fact she knew about the moonlight jellies to Abigail, who listened intently, hanging on her every word. Her eyes were lit up, her grin wide, grip on Abigail’s denim vest tight. 

Abigail seemed happy, too. Sebastian always thought letting Maru into his life would be an utter disaster, that the two of them mixing would always be a chemical explosion, but this was… fine. The rest of them found a seat on the docks, squeezed together at the end with Elliott in the middle, as Lewis gently pushed the boat into the water. The waves were nearly non-existent tonight, and when Abigail remarked that she had no idea how that was possible, Maru was all too happy to explain. For once, her voice wasn’t grating. It was almost like background music, interspersed with Abigail’s “ooh”s and “oh, cool!”s and laughter. 

“Not too bad?” Elliott asked, and Sebastian sighed. 

“Not too bad.” 

The jellies came up through the water, dozens of blueish white lights coming to illuminate the docks. After a minute, Sebastian looked up to say something, and his breath caught. 

Elliott’s eyes were shining. A lock of hair had fallen loose from its braid to hang against his forehead, and Sebastian wanted desperately to reach up and tuck it behind his ear. The lights played perfectly over his face, glistening in his eyes, his hair. Then Elliott’s honey gaze flicked to his, and Sebastian wanted so badly to kiss him, to lace their fingers and pull him closer, closer, as the gentle water and sounds of wonderment sounded around them. 

He cleared his throat and looked away, face red. Elliott rubbed his back, and for a terrifying second, Sebastian figured Elliott must know what he was thinking. 

And that brief bit of fear was enough to let the rest in, to remind him of a simple fact: Elliott didn’t look at Sebastian the way Sebastian looked at him. Elliott was looking at the jellies. 

Will he ever be as excited to see me as I am to see him? 

Once the last of the jellies had visited and made their way south, everyone milled about for a moment before heading home. 

The five of them stopped on the bridge across from the beach. Abigail and Maru talked excitedly as they traded phone numbers, promising to go bug Hailey about getting pictures tomorrow. 

“It was good officially meeting you, Elliott,” Sam said with a lopsided grin. “Yoba knows why Sebastian hid you from us for so long—”

Sebastian playfully shoved him. “Shut up.” 

He laughed. “See you later, Elliott.” 

Elliott nodded with a smile. “See you later. And Sebastian.” He rested a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Sometime tomorrow? More piano practice?” 

Piano practice had become code for keep me company while I write. Sebastian loved it. “Yeah, I should be free.” 

Elliott headed back down to the beach, leaving Sam and Sebastian alone as the girls started walking towards the town. 

“So we need to talk a second,” Sam said, pulling them over towards the houses to get away from the stream of people leaving the beach. 

They stood under the tree they normally did on days that were too sunny. Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest and looked away stubbornly. 

“You know I don’t care if you’re gay, right?” Sam asked. 

Sebastian blinked, nearly choking. “What?” 

“I don’t care if you’re gay. Neither does Abigail. Do you care? Do you think Robin or Demetrius would care?” 

“Yoba, no! But that’s not-!”

“Are you gay?” 

Sebastian hesitated. “Maybe? I… I think so.” 

Sam grabbed his shoulders. “That’s fine.” 

He shoved him off. “Yoba, I know. That’s not…” 

“So what was your deal, hiding what’s going on between you and Elliott?” 

“Nothing’s going on between Elliott and I,” he said firmly.

Sam paused, then sighed. “Ah. Got it. I’ll let you live with this one for now, but let me know when you get your head out of your ass.” 

“What?” Sebastian snapped. 

“You know exactly what I mean,” Sam laughed, headed towards his house, “you’re just too scared to admit it. Check the fucking group chat, dork!” 

His door shut.

[shefanispeculator]

Blake Shelton has 28 career No. 1 songs on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, and another seven that have reached the Top 10. It'd be easy just to stick with the singles in making a list of his best songs, but who likes easy?

Find plenty of deep cuts on this list of Shelton's 50 best songs, including his spiritual songs. Those are sprinkled all over the playlist — The Voice coach is a rare singer who can sing about drinking and heartache with as much conviction as his relationship with God. Fans will find a new one called "Bible Verses" on his Body Language album. It does well on this staff and reader partnership.

Songs with ex-wife Miranda Lambert and fiancee Gwen Stefani make the list as well, but the Top 10 Blake Shelton songs are all solo efforts ... with one exception. Is it strange that his most convincing bedroom ballad was a collaboration with a different "Gwen"? Cover songs by George Jones and Conway Twitty, collaborations with RaeLynn and Trace Adkins, and a co-write with Earl Thomas Conley all make this list of Shelton's top songs. Which is your No. 1?

Top Blake Songs: His Greatest Hits + Best Deep Cuts

Taste of Country staff opinion, and the commercial success of tracks from Shelton's 12 studio albums were certainly considered in making this list of the top songs. More than anything, we sought fan input, via sales and direct input. What's your favorite Blake Shelton song, and does it agree with our No. 1?

Below are the The Voice coach's 50 best songs. Lyrical integrity and production were also considered in this ranking. Really it's hard to argue against any of the Top 5, but we understand if there's a debate about placement. Heck, we encourage it!

Warner Music Nashville

No. 50: "She's Got a Way With Words"

Songwriters Andy Albert, Marc Beeson and Wyatt Earp wrote a clever country lyric, but the problem is, it felt too personal from Blake Shelton in 2016. This is the song that stopped Shelton's impressive streak of No. 1 singles. Sonically, very few songs from this era stand apart from one another.

No. 49: "Gonna"

" isn't a bad song — a strong case could be made that it's better than some of the singles ranked ahead of it on this list of the top 50 Blake Shelton songs, actually — the love story from 2014 just isn't memorable in any way. Think about it: At best you said, "I remember that song" but more likely thought, "which one is that?"

No. 48: "The Wave"

" is a unique metaphor for how a good love can wash away all of your troubles. Blake Shelton's song from Texoma Shore is another fan favorite. The mid-tempo track displays his voice nicely.

No. 47: "When the Wine Wears Off"

," an album track from Texoma Shore that could have been a single. The song's structure and flow is very similar to so many hits from this era of Blake Shelton.

No. 46: "Anyone Else"

When asked which deep cut they like most, Blake Shelton fans chose "

," an album cut from Bringing Back the Sunshine. This ballad shows a bitterness that's rare across the singer's discography, and certainly this list of 50 songs. It's packaged in a fairly unoffensive arrangement, but his lyrics really sting.

No. 45: "Over"

Blake Shelton gives a great vocal performance of a fairly ordinary song during "

," his fourth straight No. 1 single from the Red River Blue album.

No. 44: "I'll Just Hold On"

Shelton relied on a sitar to make this song stand out. It only worked to get him a Top 10 hit. The remainder of "

" is arranged more conventionally, making the outsider instrument something of a gimmick.

No. 43: "All Over Me"

" will always hold a special place for Shelton, as he co-wrote it with an idol, Earl Thomas Conley. The piano-led ballad finds the singer doing something truly unique: Showcasing a timid falsetto during the chorus of this poignant, pure country single. Lyrically it's difficult to keep up with, but sonically it's bold, like so many of his early hits.

No. 42: "Every Time I Hear That Song"

In retrospect, very few songs from Shelton's post-divorce album stack up against his earliest and most recent singles and deep cuts. "

" relies on a vocal hook, but the performance lacks urgency. Still, it hit No. 1 easily.

No. 41: "Sure Be Cool If You Did"

Shelton's Based on a True Story ... album started with "

," but every single that followed is far better and more engaging. This love ballad doesn't hurt for warmth, but the arrangement is milquetoast at best.

Rick Diamond, Getty Images

No. 40: "Drink on It"

Real life couple Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall joined Rodney Clawson for this track from Shelton's Red River Blue album. While still a No. 1 hit, "

" gets a little lost among other more dynamic performances and arrangements on this list of his 50 best songs.

No. 39: "I'll Name the Dogs"

" cast Blake Shelton as a husband in waiting, something his fans and the world in general were hoping for in his real life. The No. 1 hit from 2017 went Platinum on the strength of a pop-rock chorus and a charming lyrical hook.

No. 38: "Happy Anywhere"

" — the second of two straight single collaborations with Gwen Stefani — hit No. 1 and is a total earworm. It's hard to criticize the feel-good jam, but we'll say "Nobody But You" is a superior duet for the country couple.

No. 37: "Neon Light"

In a vacuum, "Neon Light" — a No. 1 hit, released in 2014 — is a funky, country and hip fusion that works. Across Blake Shelton's full catalog of hits and album cuts, however, it tries to do too many things that this singer does better elsewhere. For that reason, this track rates a bit low on this list of Shelton's best songs.

No. 36: "Granddaddy's Gun"

Aaron Lewis' version of this same song was more convincing, but Blake Shelton's "

" wasn't trying to act tough. The more sensitive singer's rendition was more sensitive and polished. The two men were targeting different country audiences.

No. 35: "A Guy With a Girl"

Blake Shelton celebrates his woman during "

" a No. 1 hit from If I'm Honest. The song is a sweet gesture, made atop a radio-ready arrangement.

No. 34: "Nobody But You"

The first of two straight, Gwen Stefani duets to country radio finds the couple trading lines as they tell a love story that can only be described as genuine. The No. 1 hit reached a very pleasing one million downloads quickly. "

" should not be confused with another song on this list. It's a progressive, pop-friendly ballad that truly simmers.

No. 33: "When Somebody Knows You That Well"

Of all of Blake Shelton's official singles, "

" faired the worst. It barely cracked the Top 40, possibly due to an outdated, string heavy arrangement. But it's not a bad little song. Harley Allen co-wrote this ballad and Shelton does OK in finding the right perspective. 'A' for effort, big fella.

No. 32: "Doin' What She Likes"

This charming No. 1 hit is best remembered for a music video in which a bumbling Blake Shelton burns the house down trying to cook a romantic dinner for Miranda Lambert, who makes a vocal cameo early. Sans video, "

" is a warm love song that's fit for a squeeze.

No. 31: "Just South of Heaven"

Another fan favorite from deep in Shelton's catalog, "

" finds the singer relying on a familiar mood over a welcome acoustic guitar and fiddle combination.

No. 30: "Came Here to Forget"

If you expected Blake Shelton's post-divorce album to include some heartache, you were right. "

is a dark country lyric atop an R&B-infused guitar line. His twang keeps it country, but the song is among his most progressive No. 1 hits. Often when he stretches the genre, it's done with a wink — not this time.

No. 29: "Sangria"

Few songs on this list of Blake Shelton's best smolder like "

." The love song rides a warm melody that covers for a barely-there hook. This 2015 hit was one in a string of No. 1 hits for Shelton, most of which went Gold or Platinum.

No. 28: "Jesus Got a Tight Grip"

When Blake Shelton does sit down to write, what comes out is often spiritual. Deep love songs and reflections on a higher power make up his short songwriting catalog. Jessi Alexander helped him with "

," a plucky country-rocker from 2019.

No. 27 Draggin' the River

" tells a dark story of two lovers escaping together, and in that way, it's very Miranda. Shelton's polished vocals and a sweetened production make this track from the All About Tonight EP very Blake, however. While not a single, it was a fan favorite back when they were a couple. We still dig it.

No. 26: "Minimum Wage"

Blake Shelton's blue-collar love song is no "Friends in Low Places" but the spirit of this song still hits today. There's not a lot of love-conquers-all messaging across his catalog, at least not as much as that of storytellers like

" is a mainstream effort that did its job of introducing a new album, but it's hard to put it high on this list of Shelton's 50 best at this point.

No. 25: "Footloose"

Blake Shelton didn't deviate much from Kenny Loggins' original version. The country "

" wasn't a radio hit, but it went Gold and introduced the country singer to an all-genre audience that was just beginning to learn of him via The Voice.

No. 24: "Some Beach"

One could make a case for "

" as Shelton's most important song, as it saved a career that was spiraling after a trio of Top 40 country airplay hits. This is the first time fans got to witness his sense of humor and sarcasm — remember, there was no Twitter in 2004. A pre

Rory Feek co-wrote "Some Beach," showing how wide the singer reached for great songs early in his career.

No. 23: "Bible Verses"

" is the faith song on Blake Shelton's 2021 album Body Language, and it's truly a highlight on the project. The singer approaches the topic with genuine humility that feels as honest as any love or drinking song he has recorded. A great play on a phrase pushes the song higher up on this Top 50 list.

No. 22: "Hillbilly Bone" with Trace Adkins

Blake Shelton proved he's a dynamic duet partner with this partnership with Trace

" is among his most well-known songs, even if it's not a Top 10 song on our list. Amid a catalog of songs with sexy, delicate women, this rocker with tough guy Adkins stands up and demands you pay attention. Even the haters have to smile!

No. 21: "Nobody But Me"

Did you even know that Shelton has a hit song called "Nobody But You" and "

"? The former is his most recent hit with Gwen Stefani, but the 2005 love ballad is the one that deserves a celebration. A jazzy piano carries the country singer atop this pleading love song. It's both memorable and effective.

No. 20: "Savior's Shadow"

Jessi Alexander returns to this list of the best Blake Shelton songs to offer a gentle message about faith and peace. "

" is Shelton's only Hot Christian Songs hit, reaching No. 14 in 2016. He's rarely, if ever, performs the song live.

No. 19: "The More I Drink"

," a Top 10 hit for Blake Shelton in 2007. The singer's early rompers are unmistakably genuine. In his later years, a certain polish would change the raw messaging, but that doesn't exist in this Brent Rowan production.

No. 18: "Playboys of the Southwestern World"

This is a song about best friends. "

" is a critic's pick for this list because we can recall him playing it live. The song is largely shelved now, but it still cooks. As a storyteller, few artists do better than Shelton, as some of the highest ranked songs on this list will prove. Playboys (No. 24 in 2003) is a different kind of story.

No. 17: "Lonely Tonight"

Give Shelton credit: At a time when few solo females could break in country music, he was doing what he could to celebrate talent.

is just one example of the hitmaker looking past stars who would have furthered his career to support Nashville's best. This dark ballad about a one night stand is a provocative conversation that just burned in 2014, a time where Blake Shelton was king. During "

No. 16: "Turnin' Me On"

Blake Shelton hasn't written very many of the songs found on this list of his 50 best. "

" is a rare case where he set out to write a song that became a hit, albeit a minor one. The simmering love song only reached the Top 10 after its 2018 release, but charts aren't everything. Years later it really stands apart from the rest of the songs he released to radio. You can feel his passion as he sings a song that he clearly had girlfriend Gwen Stefani in mind for.

No. 15: "I Lived It"

This Top 5 hit for Blake Shelton seemed to come and go, but we wish it would have stuck around as a catalog cut for the singer. "

" is among his best late model songs as it treads into new, nostalgic territory for a singer who is so often singing of love and love lost.

No. 14: "The Baby"

Blake Shelton cemented himself as one of country music's most promising young storytellers with three of his first four singles, including "

." The heartbreaking mother-son story is a gut punch for older country music fans. Melodically, the chorus gives it wings. This song from The Dreamer would become his second No. 1 hit.

No. 13: "All About Tonight"

" for Blake Shelton, and it's a song that will forever hold a place in his live show. It's kind of the theme song for any country concert, isn't it? In truth, Shelton hasn't released too many all-out jams like this one in the last decade, so it stands out a decade later.

No. 12: "Boys 'Round Here" With Pistol Annies and RaeLynn

Every once in awhile Blake Shelton drops a song that reminds you he doesn't take himself too seriously. It's critical to his artistry and an integral part of his longevity. "

" was his early 2010s version of that song. It's a sort of hip-hop-inspired redneck stomp with callback lyrics and his then-wife's supergroup supporting him. The song is just so much fun to bop along with, even a decade later.

No. 11: "God Gave Me You"

Blake Shelton took Dave Barnes' "

God Gave Me You

" and turned it into a Grammy-nominated, chart-topping country song. But that's just part of the story. The emotive love ballad is also what gave the singer the kick in the pants he needed to propose marriage to then-girlfriend Miranda Lambert. This is a tremendous vocal performance and certainly worthy of a high placement on the singer's best songs list.

No. 10: "My Eyes"

Blake Shelton and

Gwen Sebastian

kept a brother-sister kind of relationship after her time on The Voice. She even joined his band. That changed with "

," a true bed burner that beckons, "Come a little closer, come a little closer / Come a little closer, love the way you look tonight / My eyes are the only thing I don't wanna take off of you."

"My Eyes" was the last of a trio of great male/female collaborations that truly put new female artists on a pedestal. RaeLynn and Pistol Annies joined him for "Boys 'Round Here," Ashley Monroe jumped in for "Lonely Tonight" and Sebastian for "My Eyes." This was a time when women struggled mightily at country radio, but the singer did what he could to help introduce new talent.

Warner Music Nashville

No. 9: "Home"

You see a real change in Blake Shelton's commercial success beginning with his cover of "

" in 2008. One could argue this is his most important radio release, and his vocals stand up to anything else he's put out. Prior to his version of the Michel Bublé song, Top 20 was where he lived. After that, he rattled off a string of No. 1 hits as long as anyone ever: Nineteen of Shelton's next 20 singles hit No. 1.

Warner Music Nashville

No. 8: "Goodbye Time"

There is more than one famous cover among Blake Shelton's 50 best songs. "

" was a

Conway Twitty

hit in 1988, and the younger singer did it justice with a piano-led arrangement that showcased him as a premier vocalist. This song also exemplifies why he was hit-and-miss at radio in the mid 2000s. It followed the chart-topping "Some Beach," which followed a Top 40 song called "When Somebody Knows You That Well." It's good to go back and forth between good times and heartache, but with Shelton, the pendulum swung too far every time. It was hard to figure out who he was for most of a decade.

No. 7: "Ol' Red"

" is not Blake Shelton's best song, but it's his signature song. He can't play a live show without telling this story of a prisoner, a dog and a warden who gets fooled. Early in his career, Shelton wasn't shy about covering other artists, including Conway Twitty and (in this case) George Jones. His tie to the past has loosened in recent years, which is a bummer because songs like this are far more interesting than anything on the radio today.

Warner Music Nashville

No. 6: "Honey Bee"

There's not an easier song in Blake Shelton's catalog to enjoy than "

," his slightly saccharine, but still grinning love song from 2011. The track went triple-Platinum and is perhaps his most recognizable song worldwide today.

No. 5: "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"

Joe Nichols

cut this song several years before Shelton would make it his best love song. Both versions are exemplary. It starts with the songwriting. Lyrically, "

" is more sensitive and poetic than anything else on this list. Each line is phrased as a question, and each question is one any woman can relate to. The magic is in this hitmaker's personal delivery. His range isn't needed for a subtle romancer that the greats would be proud of. Few country women will resist a warm smile when this No. 1 hit begins.

Warner Music Nashville

No. 4: "God's Country"

God's Country

" rejuvenated Blake Shelton's career. The country-rock song paints a vivid picture but it works so well because everyone who touched the song went for it 100 percent. The chart-topping hit is arguably his best of the last half-decade and an easy pick for Top 10 on this list of his greatest songs.

No. 3: "She Wouldn't Be Gone"

There's no song in Blake Shelton's catalog that paints a breathtaking picture with the same ease of "

She Wouldn't Be Gone

," his No. 1 song from 2008. He begins with, "Red roadside wild flower if I'd only picked you / Took you home set you on the counter" before his second metered stanza that goes, "Yellow sunset slowly dipping down in the rear view / Oh, how she'd love to sit and watch you / I could have done that a whole lot more."

The chorus of this song is where the tension lies, however. Shelton has told great stories before and delivered strong vocal performances plenty of times, but few songs find him so recklessly emotional as this ballad. It's almost unnerving to listen to.

No. 2: "Mine Would Be You"

" is a Top 5 Blake Shelton song because of the twist at the end that just crushes your heart. It's a love song, until suddenly it isn't. Jessi Alexander and company wrote it, but it's the singer's energy that makes the song special. As with "She Wouldn't Be Gone," there's a sense of panic so rare on the radio today. Shelton seems like such a cool character most of the time, but moments like this remind us of his gifts.

No. 1: "Austin"

Fans have, and will continue to, make a case for "

" as Blake Shelton's best song. It's certainly an all-time great debut single — one that would work in any era of country music. Early in his career, the Oklahoma native relied on veteran songwriters and producers like Bobby Braddock to shape his sound. These days everything comes with a little more polish, which is fine and probably even necessary.

You can't compare 20-year-old tracks like "Austin" with modern songs like "I'll Name the Dogs." Lyrically, his newest material lacks depth when held up against the rich tapestry of these early hits. So many songs from Shelton's first two albums make the Top 10 or even Top 20 of this list for this reason. "Austin" at No. 1? It's tempting to select another for the sake of being bold, but doing so would just be dishonest.

[sdvharveybby]

It’s all just a waiting game...

(F!Female farmer x Harvey)

Ha ha! Another angsty “farmer is missing and mangled” fic! Honestly I genuinely enjoy this scenario because its the trials between a husband and doctor and how he handles his emotions. 

I will be making a part 2 though, but it would help if I could get criticism or perhaps a bit of popularity for this post just to see if I did well. In any case, I hope you guys enjoy it! 

Words: 2338

“Mayor Lewis, please listen to me- she has been missing for four days now. That’s not like her at all. Something’s wrong- something happened to her.” With desperation in his voice, Harvey gripped the phone harder in his hand. There was a brief pause from the other line and finally, “Okay, I understand. I will contact Marlon and Gil now, and we’ll make up a search party to look for her.” With that Harvey whispered a thank you and ended the call. He paced the floor of the home that he and the farmer had been living in for several months now- he hadn’t showered, his clothes were disheveled, and he hadn’t slept. It was nightmarish and thousands of thoughts ran through his head, he could hardly hold back the worst thoughts. That the farmer could be gravely injured- or worse… dead. He felt hopeless and cursed himself for not being able to do more- besides wait. ‘Be patient, she’ll turn up’ rang in his head that Lewis had told him two days prior. ‘She’ll turn up- you know she’s a busy girl!’ “Just foolish.” Harvey spoke aloud as he sat down in a chair and held his face in his hands. The farmer had never been this late, sure, she may have gone to bed late or turned up early the next day, but nothing like this.

It was currently 7pm, just an hour after his phone call with Lewis, and he put on his jacket to go look around town and Cindersap forest for any sign of the farmer. He walked these areas many times since her disappearance, but he always thought, ‘What if I missed something?’ ‘What if she was lost?’ As he entered into town, attempting to wipe the sleepiness from his eyes, he saw a group of people standing in the center with heavy jackets and flashlights. As he approached, he recognized them as Jodi, Kent, Gus, Lewis, Abigail, Pierre, Caroline, and a few others. “Harvey… you look awful. When was the last time you slept?” spoke Pierre as he walked towards Harvey. Harvey looked to his feet through saddened eyes, “I don’t remember…” Everyone looked to him mournfully until Lewis broke the short tension, “Okay, everyone… Our farmer has been missing for four days now. Let’s split into teams of two and scan the area for any signs of her.” Everyone began adjusting their coats and checking if their flashlights worked. “I’m talking- Cindersap forest,” people began walking, “The beach, by the railroad tracks- we have to find her.” Harvey stood there, watching everyone disperse in their teams, and relief and stress both washed over him. If they find her, what state would she be in? He feared the worst as he had done since the first day she went missing. Lewis approached Harvey and put a hand on his shoulder, “I know you won’t like this, but please go get some sleep at your clinic. When we find her- we don’t need our only doctor exhausted. I have Marlon looking for her in the caves and Gil checking the quarry, okay?” Harvey nodded without saying a word- he was a bit crestfallen, but too exhausted to argue. “I will call you when we find her.”

           Approaching the clinic Harvey unlocked the main door and stepped inside. It was dark and foreboding as he tried to imagine the farmer in one of the beds passed out. He shook his head from his constant thoughts and began prepping the area in which he would work on her if they found her. ‘IF’ they found her is a thought that occurred to him continuously since the search party dispersed. And with that, he finally stepped into bed- passing out from his lack of sleep.

           Awoken by the sound of his phone ringing- Harvey shifted in bed. Disoriented and groggy he rubbed his face when realization struck him. It was currently 4:23am and he shot up from his bed- his blanket flying behind him as he stood and stumbled to his phone. Hastily grabbing it he put it to his ear, “Yes, hello?” “Harvey… It’s Lewis. Marlon found her in the mines on floor 107. Look… she’s really not in good shape- we need you to be ready to perform surgery right away.” Without a reply, Harvey slammed his phone down on the receiver and stood up. It was surreal. They actually found her! But a dark feeling entered his stomach and he tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. He felt sick to his stomach almost unable to move, “S-surgery?” he whispered- stunned and emotionless. ‘Sh-she’s so badly hurt I need to perform emergency surgery on her.’ He thought to himself- finally he slapped himself awake and tore open his door and down the stairs into his clinic.

           Turning on the lights and working on preparations for the surgery, the sting in his cheek from when he slapped himself hardly bothered him as adrenaline ran through his body- his nightmare may come true. Thoughts began in his head more profusely this time, ‘What if I can’t save her?’ ‘What if I have to watch the one I love die before me?’ ‘Why couldn’t I protect her?’ As he finally finished what he had to do- the door to the clinic burst open. Whipping around he stood to face Marlon holding the farmer bridal style with Lewis behind him- the darkness from the outside pouring in. Harveys eyes shifted to the farmer and he couldn’t breathe. The lump in his throat grew stronger, the dark awful gut feeling grew stronger, and he could hardly look at her. Her body was mangled, she was caked with blood, and she wasn’t moving. ‘She’s not moving- why isn’t she moving’ he repeated in his head over and over again. Harvey rushed to Marlon and motioned to put her on the bed, “Place her on the bed- I’ll get the IV’s ready.” With a deep gruff- Marlon shifted the farmer in his arms as he had carried her for quite a while- he placed her on the bed and moved her arms beside her. “Harvey… Harvey you need to make sure she’s still alive first…” Marlon sounded grave as he whispered words that rang through Harvey like a loud bell. “I- w-what? What are you saying?” Marlon turned to face him and opened his mouth when Lewis came to put a hand on his shoulder. He closed his mouth, looked away, and stepped aside- folding his arms as they were weak from carrying the farmer. Harvey almost threw up at the thought alone, ‘Make sure she’s still alive first…’ He walked to the bedside of the farmer and pulled out his stethoscope- he was slow- shaking as he put it to her heart and listened. His eyes were wide, and he began to sweat- unsure of what and how to handle the situation. She was the worst he had ever seen, using his eyes to navigate and analyze her body from the surface- he saw multiple fractures, broken bones, cuts, bruises, and a large laceration running down the side of her left arm. Along her left side was a large third degree burn on her upper thigh- having burned through her clothes and began to blister. Blood caked her hair and down the right side of her face- her eyes closed and pained. It looked like she hadn’t slept in days and her body was shutting down. Then… *thump… thump* Harvey cracked a small and worried smile, ‘She’s alive! She’s alive!’ he thought, and he quickly began grabbing IV’s, bandages, ointment, anything to help ease her pain. Harvey heard a short gasp from behind and he turned to face everyone form the search party standing behind him. They looked out of breath and tired, but also relieved that the farmer was found. He looked at Caroline who had given the short gasp and saw Maru fighting through the people to get to him. Through analyzing the farmer he didn’t even hear anyone walk in- and through teary eyes and cracked voice he spoke, “She’s alive, but as you can see- is gravely injured. I…” he gave a short pause and looked away- fighting back tears whilst also knowing he has a job to do, “-need to stabilize her and get her through the night. If she can make it throughout this day then I believe she’ll make it, but if not…” He couldn’t finish his sentence- Maru moved past him and began unwrapping the needles for the IV’s and rummaging through the drawers for antibiotics. Lewis cleared his throat, “We all need to leave and let them work.” Those in the search party were stunned and never broke their gaze from the mangled farmer- hardly hearing the words that Harvey spoke. It wasn’t until Marlon moved in front of them that they realized they needed to leave, and they all quickly herded out of the clinic.

           With just Harvey and Maru they both began disinfecting her words and sorting out her injuries. Maru began working on the farmers right side while Harvey began on the left- analyzing her head injury was his first priority. “Dr. Harvey… You may want to see this.” Pulling back the farmer’s burned clothes from her upper thigh revealed how bad the burn was, “Okay, once we put her on antibiotics and pain relievers, we need to begin debridement.” She nodded in response and began disinfecting the laceration on the farmers arm, instead, to prepare it for stitches and bandages. The blow to the head, Harvey surmised, seemed to be from a fall onto a rock from within the mines- the blow itself didn’t to seem bad, but the blood loss was.

           The process to stabilize the farmer took hours- it was a sigh of relief and her checking the clock that Maru said, “Dr. Harvey, it’s almost 5pm. D-Do you think she’ll be all right?” After scanning over the farmer several times looking for anything they could have possibly missed, satisfied, Harvey sat in his chair just bedside the bed and rubbed his face with his hands. He gave a long-drawn-out sigh, contemplating and reviewing all the steps they did in his head. “By this point,” he began, “It’s all up to her. With the feeding tube, IV’s, and bandages- there’s nothing more we can do but watch her hopeful progress.” He didn’t like the uncertainty towards the farmer and he silently cursed himself for allowing her in the mines time and time again. He felt like he could have stopped her, and this time- he really wished he did. Deep in his mind, he acknowledged that there was no way he could have known, but he tossed them aside. If only he was more persistent or sent her with more life elixirs or-, “Harvey- I know you’ve been in your head quite a bit, but we have done all that we can.” Maru broke through his unhealthy absorption of thought,  “Let her rest… and you should too.” Maru began grabbing her coat, “I’m going to head home. If there’s anything you need… Please call me. I want her alive just as much as you do.” Starring intently at the farmer, he gave Maru a silent nod and she left the clinic. Ever-so-hopeful Harvey wasn’t sure if he should scold the farmer or just be happy she came back in one piece. It was a mixture of both. As much as he loved the farmer with all his being- she continuously neglected the dangers of the mine. Always coming back with scraps and bruises that he’d see when he would give her a massage at night. Most of it he would ignore because they were easy to treat, but over time the scars on her body became clear- by this point, through all the physical therapy and treatment she’ll need, the farmer will likely never be able to go back into the mine again. The thought of that also saddened him though… He knew she loved going into the mine- fighting new creatures and grabbing ore or foraging for rare materials. It was just what she wanted to do and she enjoyed it- she sought out danger, but unfortunately it sought her out too. Looking up her body, it looked like the farmer was a mummy. Wrapped up in gauze with an IV in her arm and feeding tube in her mouth. Even for a doctor it was a rather scary and intimidating sight- it was all just a waiting game. It was all just seeing if she would decide to pull through- there wasn’t anything he could do by this point. Cracking the knuckles on his hands and stretching out his neck, he walked over to one of the nearby beds and scooted it as close to the farmer as he could get it. With the heart monitor in the way, it was a bit difficult, but her slow heart beats gave him a peace of mind. She was alive, and he was going to see to it that he sees all of this to the end. He laid down on the bed and finally took off his “doctor hat”- facing her and realizing the situation he… began to cry. It’s one thing to look at her as a patient, but another looking at her as his wife and the mess that she was in. He couldn’t do anything but watch and be patient- and that was his least favorite thing. Through his quiet sob he reached out his hand to gently stroke her arm, and spoke, “Honey… please come back to me….” He gave a pause to blink through his tears and continued, “It’ll be all right- I’ll take good care of you… Let’s just get through this together, okay? Please?” He kept his hand on her arm, gently stroking it with his thumb- blinking away the tears as best as he could. It’s all just a waiting game…

[chick-from-nz]

Paper, Scissors, Rank (Ch: 3)

CHARACTER/PAIRING: Modern!Carrillo x Army!OC (eventually) 

WARNINGS: maybe some swearing, military slang, spelling and grammatical errors. Could be very OOC/AU for some. Carrillo might not be cannon accurate for some as this is an AU. Flippy, floppy point of views (if it can be called that?), some oc x Army!oc 

AUTHORS NOTE:  hopefully y'all enjoy this chapter, sorry for the high amount of OC on OC content in this chapter, also i was writing this late at night so its probably a lil disjointed, but ah, yeah you’ll see why soon. More of the Colonel is this chapter, finally, but yeah. enjoy!

WORD COUNT: 2.8k

CHAPTER: 3 OF ?

TAG LIST (OPEN) : @girlpornparadise @1zashreena1 @xxidontwikeitxx @nicke0115 @allalngthewtchtower @lettherebrelight

It seemed wishful thinking really did not pay off for Cadet Greyson, the next two days of training went by without so much of a sighting of the Colonel, who at this point, was still nameless to her and her fellow cadets. Maybe he hadn't seen someone worth his while within the current platoon and had instead decided to leave for the main base to find a more adequate soldier. Greyson dismissed that thought as quickly as it came. Surely he would want a fresh little soldier to mold into his perfect team member, why else would he be sniffing round the training grounds if not for that reason. But as it seemed, no one other than herself had seen the Colonel around. So maybe he was really just a figment of her imagination then.

Pffft, as if, you can’t make THAT man up. He is pure sin of the utmost devine kind  Greyson giggled quietly to herself. She had definitely gone mad from the deathly amount of exhaustion they had faced since the assessment day.  That or maybe I hit my head when I fell from that stupid wall.  Again she giggled to herself. Nope , definitely gone mad.

Another thing that struck her as odd was that she hadn’t seen  LT. Colonel Sinclair since their less than professional interactions two days ago. Hopefully he finally came to his senses and decided she wasn't worth the effort and that her rank was far below anything worthy of his attention. For some reason though, that thought struck a cord inside of her, one that frightened her. She was in over her head with this guy, way over her head and rank. Even if he was drop dead gorgeous.  Definitely not as attractive as a certain handsome Colonel.  A little inside voice reminded her. God, that was the last thing she needed, falling for a guy with an even higher rank, if she wasn’t frowned upon already she definitely would be then.

Shaking the idea from her mind, she stood up and continued packing up her kit. The company was to head back to the training base today. A welcome thought for all the recruits within the area. The thought of sleeping on a bed that wasn’t below zero temperature to the touch and fully functioning warm showers seemed to be pushing them to move faster and more fluidly as a team than ever before. There is never a more motivated team than a team that has a single goal in common . Sometimes she hated her father but she never knew that saying to be more true than it was now.

It took the recruits approximately thirty minutes to have the campsite return to the pristine state it was before they laid camp only four days earlier, despite the fact said week had felt like a month long mission.  Despite all the recruits being overworked and their patience stretched thin with each other, all of the thirty recruits had passed their final assessment week, which would mean all of them would graduate together. An accomplishment for all and a first for a company of this size.  Yet, it was obvious from an outsider looking in, that this company was definitely not a team of thirty like they should be. The distinct scores between the top three recruits and the rest had seemingly made the company into two teams. The twenty seven cadets who had done enough to pass, and the three cadets who had excelled beyond all expectations in every single area of the training. The elite cadets of the company some might say.

The next few hours flew by for the cadets, a long bus ride back to base, stowing away their kit and polishing boots to get their rig from exercise standard back  to office standard. Rumors' had been passed around that tonight there was to be a big meeting for the cadets to attend. There was a palpable excitement coursing through the mess as everyone tried to guess what the meeting was about, many speculated that they would be introduced to the Colonel, while others thought it was a congratulations for completing their assessment week. Although, it was safe to say, that many of the recruits were hoping for the former of the two, and maybe if that happened one of them would be formally offered a spot on the Colonel’s intel squad.

Without even knowing the name of the Colonel there was already a bet running between the female cadets about the attractiveness of the foreign officer. Some girls bet that he was going old and undesirable due to his rank,  while others bet he was a “young stud”. Greyson had kept her thoughts to herself but would often scoff at the descriptions the girls came up with, not one of them was even getting close to what the Colonel looked like, which instilled a strange sense of pride within the cadet. But also a high level of confusion as not a single recruit in the platoon had ever mentioned seeing an unknown officer with the instructors a mere two days ago.

As the evening progressed the recruits waited for an announcement to be made over the speakers for them to move to the scran hall or into the common area for the meeting. By eight o’clock the recruits finally heard the speakers crack to live, waking most of them from an evening of well deserved rest. The recruits followed the instructions given to them and made haste towards the common area a short march away from their barracks. Upon arriving, dismissing and gathering in the space many recruits seemed to deflate at the lack of an unfamiliar face.

“Good evening cadets, as you know there is a Columbian Colonel on base observing the ins and outs of some squadrons so he can choose a select few members from different corps so join his intelligence team. Over the past week he was in and out of the training grounds observing most of you knowing. By the end of your longest day he had made a tough decision between two of the cadets sitting in this room, along with choosing your squadron leader, Lieutenant O’Connor here to be a part of his squad. In saying that, the colonel is yet to inform us of which cadet sitting in this room is the lucky new member of his squad. I shall take it upon myself, as the commander of the unit, to inform you as soon as I know” LT. Colonel Sinclair’s speech seemed to drone on for most of the cadets in the room. They were tired, beyond so, and were just wishing he would allow them to leave as soon as possible, but as it seemed, he wasn’t finished yet.

“I will be taking time this coming week to pull each of you into my office to discuss your future in the force and what corps you are now eligible to join due to your overall scores gained from the past twenty weeks of your training. Once you have all been assigned to a core you shall receive your patches and berets and be formally welcomed into your chosen field before you graduate. The last week of training will consist of core introductions and briefs and finalization of drill before your graduation day. I will offer you all a very big congratulations for making it through training and wish you all the best for your futures in the force. You are dismissed”

At the dismissal most of the cadets all but jumped from their chairs, having been given no more orders for the night it was to be a peaceful night ahead. And many of them would be heading straight to the barracks for sleep.  Greyson began to make her way from the room following slightly behind her fellow classmates only to be stopped by the LT. Colonel calling out to her. Stopping abruptly at the order she turned around and walked back towards him, the whole time wondering if this was gonna be another one of his ‘teasing moments’.

“Sir, not to overstep but I would like to get back to the barracks and back to my pit before I drop on my feet” Greyson said kindly to make it very clear to the LT. Colonel in front of her that she was suggesting and definitely not ordering him around, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“This will only take a moment Greyson, I assure you that...” the LT Colonel trailed off, waiting for his subordinate to acknowledge, before continuing on, “I wanted to congratulate you personally on you achievements over the cadets course, you have set multiple records with the scores you have obtained and I wanted to let you know that you are the top recruit from your intake”

Shifting on her feet awkwardly Greyson nodded in thanks, silently acknowledging her own achievements and also trying to stay awake for the conversation. The LT. Colonel took a step closer to her, again entirely to close from a professional standpoint, and placed his hand on her shoulder, steady and firm, making her whole body tense up at the initial contact before she subtly, or so she thought, relaxed far too much under his touch. She had, after all, had no contact from anyone since joining the army, as was protocol, but it had left her touch starved, and in her tired state, far too ready to throw rank out the window and do something that broke far too many rules.

The LT. Colonel noticed the way she relaxed under his touch and decided to push the boundary a little further bringing the cadet in front of him into a tight hug, to which she returned all too eagerly. While absorbed in each other's embrace they failed to notice one of the other cadets, Cadet Lewis, watching from the door. Lewis was Greyson’s roommate and had stayed behind when she noticed she wasn’t behind her like she should have been.

Greyson sank into the embrace, although knowing that this was highly against almost all rules put in place she couldn’t bring herself to care. Yes he was her commanding officer, and yes she was but a lowly cadet, but in that moment wrapped within his strong arms and snuggled closely into her chest, she had never felt more relaxed. She let out one long shaky breath, one that he definitely felt, and pulled away from him. She needed to keep the relationship professional till she graduated, and probably even after then, god knows her father wouldn't want her to disgrace his name.

As she pulled away from his warm embrace she dared a glance up, there was a look of what almost seemed like longing and affection in the eyes of the man before her, and a look of want, the emotions she found in his intense brown eyes made her shiver. She watched as his eyes glanced down towards her lips, then slowly back up to her eyes as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. Shamefully her own eyes were then transfixed on his mouth, and for a small moment, she pushed the thoughts of rank out the window as his head dipped down and his lips captured hers in a bruising kiss. The shock that came from the kiss had her gasping into his mouth, giving him the perfect opportunity to tangle his tongue with hers, she felt his hands start to wander down her back, and further still to her ass. The shock of this seemed to finally bring her to her sense, cause not a second later she was pushing him away and taking a few steps back for good measure.

Standing there staring at the LT Colonel, chest heaving in time with his, sheer horror overcame her sense. What had she just done? Wiping a hand down her face to clear her thoughts she knew she needed to end this before it started, even if the kiss was better than nay she had had.

“Sir, I..” Greyson trailed off, she was struggling to find the right words for the situation, she didn’t want to reject him in a harsh way, or reject him at all if she was being totally honest with herself, but she knew this was the only thing that would save her career from being a shit-fight. “I’m sorry Sir, I can’t do this, I’m sorry” and with those final words she dismissed herself and promptly left the room for the safety of her barracks. In her rush to get away from an awkward moment, she failed to notice the  LT. Colonel’s face fell and the way he had to refrain himself from reaching out to touch her.

Breathing heavily and overcome with emotion, Cadet Greyson finally made it back to her barracks, a room she shared with but one other cadet, the luxury of being an officer in training. To her shock her roommate, Cadet Lewis, was still awake, and by the looks of it, she had been waiting for her to get back.

“So, you're fucking the LT Colonel right? That's how you've made it to the top of the points board” Cadet Lewis hissed at her

“I... what the fuck are you talking about Lewis, I earnt my place on that board by beating the rest of you lazy fucks in the events fair and square. And what the fuck do you mean, fucking the LT. Colonel, what gives you that idea?!” In her already distressed state Greyson was finding it hard to process the accusation thrown at her by the cadet in front of her.

“Oh fuck off Greyson, don’t play dumb with me. All the cadets see the way he looks at you and how he treats you differently from the rest of us! And don't act like you weren’t just smooching up to him in the common room, I saw it all”

Greyson felt sick to her stomach, if Lewis had seen it all she could have just lost the right to be here if she decided to run her mouth. She forced herself to turn around before muttering, “I don’t know what you’re talking about Lewis”

Lewis just scoffed, “yeah right, what you think you are exempt from the rules because your daddy was in the force too? Fuck right off Greyson, you’ve got another thing coming if you think you’re gonna get away with this”

Greyson felt her stomach flip, god, the stupid cadet behind her really just pulled that card. She knew she came from an army background but she definitely was not sleeping her way to the top, no matter what the other cadets thought. But at the mention of her father, the sickness turned to anger and she rounded on Cadet Lewis, giving her the harshest glare she could muster, lips curled up in a snarl and a finger pointed in the direction of the other recruit she growled out, “You bring my fucking father into the mess that you’ve made up in that thick skull of yours and I’ll use my name to my advantage. I’m sure your family would love you to return home with Dishonorable discharge plastered all over your report, wouldn’t they?”

Greyson had to to hold back her smirk when she noticed the way the other cadet clammed up and how her face fell. Yeah that's right, bring my father into this and I’ll use it to my advantage you useless trash. And without so much as another word Greyson walked out of the room, slamming the door to their room for emphasis. She was sure almost all the recruits in the block had heard what had just transpired but she honestly couldn’t care less. She made her way out of the barracks building and towards the gym, she needed to get the tension out of her muscles and a workout would be the easiest outlet.

In her haste and far too deep within her own thoughts, Greyson failed to lift her head to see where she was going, and as she rounded the final corner that led to the gym she came to an abrupt halt, slamming into a wall, or at least that's what it felt like. It wasn't until a pair of strong hands moved to steady her did she realize she hadn’t in fact run into a wall at all, just the widest chest she’d ever felt the pleasure of being this close too. She presumed it was one of the infantry boys, they were usually in the gym this late so it would make sense. Except, as far as she knew, none of the boys had the last name  Carrillo.

[bforbbgirl]

Traqué

Summary - a young woman’s life is thrown into chaos when someone from her past comes back, showing that he will stop at nothing to fulfill his darkest desires.

Warning - slow burn, language, mention of drug use, death, violence, smut, themes of stalking, and other tw things.

1|chapter two

You haven’t left your apartment since Friday evening. 

After your call with your sister and the endless voicemails you’ve left your therapist, you shut all your curtains and checked the locks on your door almost every hour on the hour. You barely slept a wink of sleep, you could barely hold any food down without your stomach knotting in discomfort at the thought that he was out somewhere out there and you just knew he was looking for you. 

Lewis had called a few times but you couldn’t bring yourself to pick up any of his calls. How do you explain the reason you took off without seeming like you were losing your mind? Apart of you felt like he wouldn’t understand, maybe he’ll think you just took off because the date was going horrible which was far from the truth, so you left your phone to ring and after a notification would signal the voicemail left behind but you couldn’t bring yourself to listen too it, you were sure that you had ruined any chance of ever dating him now.

You hated this, hated that he had so much power over you even after all this time; thinking about all the steps you had taken to hide your identity and anything about your life back home. Your sister Mya being the only person you’ve told about your move to LA, wanting to be discreet for your own safety but that seems to have gone out the window.

On Monday, you had called into work, using some sick time you were able to get and knowing that you wouldn’t be able to focus on work, let alone be around other people, so you’ve taken the time to get dressed and go to your appointment with doctor Moorse.

“Good morning, Y/n!” Moorse, or Tammy as she told you too call her, offers you kind smile, holding her office door open for you as you take a step in. You take a few minutes, looking towards the windows with a few of the neighboring businesses and people walking along the sidewalk. 

“Would you like some tea?” She asked, walking over towards the mini coffee bar she had set up in the corner of the room. You shook your head before taking a seat slowly on the light brown leather sofa, rubbing your palms on your jeans as you try to calm your nerves. 

Tammy soon comes around and takes a seat across from you before taking off her glasses, a disappointed sigh comes from your lips. “Y/n, I just wanted to start off by apologizing for not answering the phone when you called.” You go to assure her that there wasn’t a problem but she shakes her head. “I think we’ve established a pretty good relationship here Y/n and I promised that I would always be a call away but I did not follow through on my end and therefore, I sincerely apologize.”

After accepting her apology, you dived into what happened Friday, you told her how you were nervous but still had a great time with Lewis but then you seen Matthew there and you ran, leaving Lewis there without an explanation and how you spent the remainder of your weekend in your apartment, afraid to even leave your apartment.

Tammy patiently listen as you spoke, her pen and pad sat in her lap her hands twisting the pen in her fingertips but she still waits a moment before speaking. “So, how does that make you feel now? ”

You haven’t thought about it, you didn’t know what you were suppose to do. “I-” a frown forms on your lips as you think more and more. 

“I’ve kept having this dream...after what happened that night I-I keep having the same dream that he was-was...that I was sleeping in bed but my eyes were open and I could see him standing over him. Not touching me or saying anything too me just-watching me and I couldn’t move and he’s just smiling and smiling and smiling at me and-” You quickly wipe the tears that had fallen from your eyes as you recall the same dream that’s been haunting you since that night, “and I can hear their voice-”

“From your parents?” Tammy asked to clarify what you meant, she’s heard this story a hundred of times by now but she still asked you questions. 

You nod your head, your mind replaying that unfaithful night over and over again in your head, the sound of the family dogs barking, the sounds of glass breaking, a gun firing, the sounds of your mother screaming, the smell of gasoline..you wanted to vomit, to erase your mind of that night completely.

 Tammy studies you, seeing you shutting down and caving into yourself again wasn’t what she wanted but she knew you needed to go at your own pace. “Lets go back to earlier in the evening Friday, you were on a date with a man from your work?” She asked, steering the conversation away from your thoughts from home.

“Uh, he’s a customer actually.” You sniffle, wiping away any stray tears. “I haven’t spoken too him since I left. I just...I wouldn’t even know how to explain it.”

“Do you see yourself being in a relationship with this new man in your life?” You had shrugged your shoulder a little, thinking about the possibilities. 

“I have only know him for about year I guess, not all that well but it was nice getting to know him..”

“You still can.” She state, in a matter or facts kind of way but you shook your head. “He probably hates me.” You state, sighing as you think about it.

“I hesitated when he first asked me and during dinner it felt like he was doing all the talking and I was just...there and then I just left like that.” Shaking your head, you glance down at your jeans, picking at the material. “He has tried calling and he’s left a few messages to see if I was okay and; he’s being so patient but how patient could a man be before he says ‘screw it this is too much work’ and just leave?” 

Tammy stops writing on her notepad, waiting for you to finish your thought but she finds you staring at her, actually looking for an answer. “Well, I always believe that actions speak louder than words and if someone shows you who they really are and where their intentions lie. In your case, even though you don’t know him from a fly on the wall, it seems like he’s always made his intentions known with you.” 

You sit back, listening to her words as she continues. “The best thing you can do Y/n, is to trust in your own gut. What is your gut telling you about this man?”

Your mind goes back to that evening, sitting across from him, feeling happiest for the first time in years and that brought a smile too your face. You liked how you felt whenever you talked too him, even if the conversation was no more than five minutes, you just liked him.

Tammy can’t help but feel happy seeing the small smile forming on your face as you process your thoughts, you have been her patient for little over four years now but has known you since you were a baby with both her and your mother being sorority sisters, so to watch your growth always brought a smile to her face.

“So, tell me more about your week.”

After your session with Tammy, you felt a better sense of clarity and a small grasp back on your sanity. You shoot your sister a text, keeping her up to date on the progress so far in your sessions as well as to catch up with her to make sure she was doing okay. 

You were wandering around Ocean Avenue, enjoying the weather as the cool breeze from the ocean cooling you from the California heat; you felt good after your talk with Tammy and knew that going back home would end with you locking yourself in your apartment again so you enjoyed your walk out. Stopping at a street vendor for some fruit and water you continue on your walk, window shopping a few outfits as you past, Tammy did mention that it was time for you to start making your apartment feel less like a prison and more like a home. You haven’t brought anything outside the standard furniture but there wasn’t anything there that scream you and you wanted to change that.

Stopping in front of antique store, a royal velvet blue love seat sat on display just in your price budget, you pull your phone from your back pocket, snapping a photo of it before someone clearing their throat, gaining your attention.

Lewis stood off too your right, offering you a small smile. “Hey, Y/n”

You were shocked for a moment, not expecting to see him but apart of you was actually happy to see him, “hi Lewis.” you smile back before you both fall into silence, you wanted to say so much but you didn’t know where to start.

Lewis finally lets out a sigh, scratching the back of his before he focuses on you. “I’m sorry about the other night Y/n.”

You quickly shake your head. “N-No, I should be the one to apologize.” You rush out quickly. “I shouldn’t of left like that..” you shift a little on your feet, feeling small under his gaze, you can’t help but think that he has to be upset at you or something so you brings your eyes back to his, “I’m sorry Lewis.” You say softly, holding each others gaze as unspoken words pass between you two before Lewis takes a step closer towards and you feel the warmth on his hands holding on to your shoulder gently.

“Y/n-”

A voice from behind calls out to Lewis, another male and woman falling behind break whatever bubble you were both in and you watch as something flashes in his eyes but its gone the moment he looks away, an easy going smile plastered on his face now as he turns towards the two.

“How’s it going guys?”

The woman following behind soon hurries over, throwing herself at Lewis before clinging on to his arm. “Where have you been? I feel like I don’t see you anymore, baby!” she whines.

Your eyes quickly shift to Lewis to see his jaw clenched tight but the easy smile on his face remains. The man that had called for him reaches for you hand, introducing himself as Marcus before placing a kiss on the back of your hand which you soon pull away quickly.

“Where you headed beautiful? You should come join us for lunch?” Marcus had ask, either being completely oblivion to Lewis death glares or simply ignoring him altogether, Marcus offers you a playful smile.

The woman finally speaks up, her hard glare on you, “I’m sure she has other plans Marcus, just like us.” she fits in, making it known you weren’t welcome to join the three of them for lunch.

You offer them polite smile, already feeling your eyes threatening to water with tears. “Actually, I’ve already had a few plans so-but thanks for the offer.” you spare Lewis another glance, his eyes almost looks like he’s pleading with you. 

For what? You didn’t bother to stick around and find out.

Lewis was in a bad mood.

If he had known he would of ran into you today then he would of had his schedule cleared and would of spent the whole day with just you. Instead, he was stuck sitting in a booth with Kim to his left and Marcus over on his far right ordering drinks for the table as they await their guest for the evening.

Waitress comes over, dropping off the drinks but lingering a bit for Lewis or Marcus attention before stomping away with a huff from being ignored. Kim takes a moment to glance over at Lewis who’s been tense sense they have left the strip, checking his phone every five minutes and she was getting annoyed.

“What’s your deal?”

Sparing her a glance, Lewis scoffs a little before taking a sip from his glass. “Why’d you have to do that earlier?”

Now it was her turn to scoff. “Do what?” she ask, faux innocent and all.

Lewis glares at Kim before shaking his head, “Never mind.” He says before pulling out his phone, scrolling through it and again she finds herself annoyed. 

“Are you upset because I scared off your little girlfriend?” A smirk plays on her face as she watches his jaw tense more, the veins in hands becoming more profound the tighter his grip goes around his glass and phone. 

Kim always knew just the right buttons to push to tick him off. They’ve been friends since they were kids, she knew Lewis better than she knew herself so she knew exactly what she was doing seeing him and whomever that other girl was, the looks Lewis was giving her; Kim hated it. So she did what she normally does, play the fake-girlfriend till the other women back off. 

Lewis may not be able too see it but she was doing them both a favor. Less randoms coming into this line of business and she gets to keep Lewis to herself.

Win-win.

Finishing his drink, Lewis slams his glass down hard enough on the table that she was surprised that it didn’t shatter on impact. Kim looks back at him, seeing that same unreadable yet easy going smile that sent a chill down her back.

“Kim, do you know how long DeMarco is going to take until he gets here?” He ask calmly, a little too calm for her liking but at last, she reaches back towards her phone, checking for any updates before sighing.

“Five minutes away.”

Lewis leans back in his seat, replaying earlier events in his head, he wanted to say so much too you and he knew that you felt the same, he just knew but there was something holding you back and he wanted to know what it was but now he was wondering if he had officially ruined any chances with you.

“Good evening, I hope I didn’t keep you all waiting.”

Glancing up, the older gentleman appears before them, DeMarco Esposito stood before them, making Lewis sit up a little straighter as DeMarco drapes his coat over the back of the chair before taking a seat, only then does Lewis notice the other male standing a few feet away, most liking keeping guard.

DeMarco glance back and forth between the three of them before a low chuckle leaves his lips, relaxing Lewis a bit. “Lewis, my boy, how have things been?” 

Lewis sighs a little, knowing he’s really not asking because he cares, DeMarco just wants to be sure that all his numbers and product are still good. 

“Thing’s have been good. We’ve been getting shipments in on schedule and as far as talking goes, no one is uttering a peep about what we’ve got going on.” Lewis knew that DeMarco was all about business so might as well get right too.

A moment of silence stretches out as DeMarco takes in all the information, nodding his head slowly before he speaks. “I’m going to need you too cut ties with Gomez and his people.”

“What!?”

DeMarco quickly cuts Marcus a hard glance, silencing him before he could continue. Lewis watches for a moment before he speaks, “Are you sure about that?”

DeMarco soon turns his attention back to Lewis, “Why wouldn’t I be sure that?” though he seemed calm, Lewis knew better and knew that questioning DeMarco may have some consequences but as of late, DeMarco has becoming more and more reckless with his decisions and that could cost them a more than DeMarco thinks.

“We’ve been doing business with the Gomez’s for decades now, it would be foolish to just cut them off especially with the heat finally off our backs.”

DeMarco chuckles lowly before shaking his head slowly, “Foolish? Young man, you wouldn’t even begin to understand how foolish things really are. Gomez and his little gang are selling to kids, over taxing their neighbors, blowing each others brains out and killing for sport; no care in the world but you think that I am being the foolish one? Son, you have no idea how foolish I can be.”

Lewis remains silent, his jaw clenched but he keeps his focus down on the hard wood table. Satisfied with the lack of responses, DeMarco is soon out of his seat and pulling his coat back on before tossing a stack of cash in an envelope on the table, 

“Take care of Gomez, quickly before I start losing my patience.” 

***********************************************************************************

A small sighs leave your lips as you settle back into bed with your laptop on your lap.

After leaving Santa Monica, you spend most of your day online shopping for your apartment, Travis and Nikki both reaching out to make sure you were okay since they believe you were out of work from being sick and you appreciated them checking in.

Now, after showering, you lay back in bed and start up where you left off at on Scandal. Only fifteen minutes in does your phone starts to ring, pausing your show, you reach over for your phone on your end table seeing Mya’s name and you soon pick up. 

“Hey Mya, what’s up?”

“Just calling to talk-uh-are you busy?”

You soon sit up, tossing your laptop on to your bed before cupping your phone closer to your ear. “Is everything okay? Are you alright?”

It’s quiet on the other end for a moment before you hear her sighing. “I’m fine, Y/n but I just want you too be fine.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“After you called, I did some digging with Ryan and we called Maywest Rehabilitation Center about Matt..Y/n, he’s been dead since last year.”

You grow quiet, hearing your name being called but it sounds so far away as you let the news sink in before speaking. “H-How?” 

“Suicide, they didn’t go into further details after that but they did say his mom came to pick up his things.” Mya says on her head, knowing that this is a lot for you to take in but it is what needed to be done.

“Mya I-I’m going to call you back.” After saying goodbye to your little sister, you sat on your bed, stuck on what you’ve just been told. After his trial, you had packed up and moved from multiple cities, the last being Seattle before you settled here in LA all because you were afraid that he would find you. 

Tammy had said that you would feel a sense of paranoia from time to time the first year Matthew was put away. The first week you were seeing him everywhere so maybe it wasn’t any difference but that night, he looked so real, you swore that it was him but given the news now, a sense of relief some have came over you but in the back of your mind you had a feeling that he was still watching.

He was always watching.

*************************************

Tag list: @honeychicanawrites @royallyprincesslilly @chaneajoyyy @munteanhorewrites @night-of-the-living-shred @fumbling-fanfics @crushed-pink-petals-writes @dc41896 @blackwomanwriter

A/N: Chapter two is out. Looks like Lewis maybe into some shady business as well as our Reader finding some shocking new information. Has everything really been in their head? What’s Kim deal? I hope you guy liked this chapter. Please let me know if you would like to be tagged (or untagged)

[hidetheteaspoons]

Secret Moments (In a Crowded Room) - Newtina

For @katisfania for the 2019 Newtina Gift Exchange! Apologies for the late post! This fic is based in part on Katy’s artwork found here. Happy New Year, Katy! 

Newt and Tina have kept their relationship private for months following the events of Paris. When an invitation to a Ministry ball arrives, Newt must decide whether or not to share with the world that Tina is his one and only. Lots of pining, fluff, and kissing.

Our secret moments in a crowded room They've got no idea about me and you

Newt and Tina had been inseparable for over three months. In the days and weeks following the tragedy at Père Lachaise, they, along with the rest of their group, had been broken beyond repair. Tina had graciously accepted a spare bedroom in Newt's London flat, while Jacob remained with Theseus. Yusef Kama and the young Maledictus, Nagini, had taken up temporary residence in Paris with Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle. Everyone had someone; no one was left alone in their grief.

Their initial weeks together in Newt's humble, but comfortable apartment had been torture for both of them. Tina spent quite a bit of time crying behind closed doors. When she did come out of her room, her eyes were red and her skin was pale. For the better part of a week, neither of them had an appetite. Meals were spent sitting at the table in silence, alternating stolen glances, and pushing food around their plates. Newt was perceptive enough to understand that if Tina wanted to talk to him, she would do so on her own terms, when she was ready. After everything they had been through together, Newt considered himself lucky to be in her presence. That was more than enough for him, for the time being.

Slowly, as the weeks dragged on, and everything seemed...slightly less horrible, Tina opened herself up to Newt. They cried together, went for walks together, and took care of his creatures together. Every waking moment was spent in each other’s presence, and neither of them would have things any other way. It was only a matter of time before their true feelings were revealed to each other and their relationship began. Newt was amazed that despite all the trials they faced, from the ashes, something wonderful grew between them. Things escalated rather quickly and the couple spent as much time as they could together, under the assumption that life was unpredictable and any moment could tear them apart. They wasted no time, but also kept their relationship to themselves, for now.

Tina had received a permit from MACUSA to remain and work in London and consult with Theseus’ team at the Ministry. Tina reported directly to Theseus regarding all matters directly tied to Grindelwald, Queenie, and Credence. By mid-December, there had been no new information. Tina threw herself into her work. Between searching for answers and spending time with Newt, she had little time to think of that September day when her life had changed for the worse.

One night just before the holidays, she pushed open the front door to Newt’s flat and shivered, letting the deep winter chill melt away from her clothes and her body. With a flick of her wand, her Auror coat flew to dry by the roaring fire in Newt’s cozy living room. Tina smiled when she saw the Niffler sniffing about in the hallway; the creature stopped and looked up to her, quickly scampering toward her in an excited greeting. “Hello you,” she cooed, taking the creature into her arms. “Where’s your mummy, hmm?”

Newt smiled warmly from the kitchen doorway, gazing at Tina with nothing but affection and admiration. He was reminded of the morning after Père Lachaise, when he and his companions had gathered at the fountain and Tina had so lovingly cradled the injured creature in her arms, as she would a small child.

Newt cleared his throat gently so as not to startle Tina, “I believe I was summoned?”

She smiled instantly when she heard his voice and approached him before placing a small peck on his cheek in greeting. She felt herself glowing from the inside out and reached a hand to her lips, where his warm skin had left a pleasant sensation.

Up until this point, Newt and Tina’s relationship had been less physical and more emotional. Though their relationship progressed quickly, they had explored other aspects on their own terms. Newt relished the feeling of Tina’s hand in his when they apparated to the Ministry together. Sometimes, they held on for just a bit longer than necessary. Tina would always greet Newt with a kiss on the cheek and he would affectionately push her hair away from her face, just as he’d done at the docks in New York. Yes, the physical aspect of their relationship was progressing nicely, but at times, they both wondered what it would be like to start something more; this was made difficult by the secrecy of their relationship. Their displays of affection were always private, and rarely public, so neither Jacob, Theseus, nor anyone else at the Ministry was aware of the true nature of their relationship.

“Hello there,” Tina greeted, placing the Niffler into Newt’s outstretched arms. “This fella was here to greet me when I got home.”

Home. Newt and Tina had been occupying the same space for weeks and yet he still shivered slightly whenever she referred to his flat as ‘home’. He’d never get tired of hearing that word on her lips.

“So I see…” he smirked, ushering the furry creature down the stairs toward his basement menagerie.

Tina noticed a gleam in Newt’s eyes that indicated that mischief was afoot. She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her foot impatiently. “Alright, Mister Scamander, out with it,” Newt felt a ripple of pleasure work its way down his spine when she addressed him by his surname in that commanding tone of voice.

Newt smiled shyly and threw his hands up, feigning innocence. Tina knew better. “I haven’t the foggiest-”

“Don’t you ‘I haven’t the foggiest’ me, you know exactly what I’m talking about. What are you not telling me?” She demanded to know, taking a step closer.

Newt sighed and pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his pocket, “We’ve received an invitation,” he informed her.

“Mercy Lewis, an invitation to what?”

“Read it,” he implored, handing the parchment to her.

Tina murmured quietly as she read the invitation aloud, “Mr. Newton Artemis Fido (she quirked an eyebrow at him as she read his full name...they’d talk about that later) Scamander and Miss Porpentina Esther Goldstein...presence requested...formal attire...a New Year’s ball?!”

Newt simply nodded as Tina rolled the parchment and handed it back to him. “So the ministry is throwing a party and we’re all required to attend, is this what I’m gathering?”

He once again nodded in affirmation.

“Does this happen frequently?” Tina asked, referring to the invitation.

“More often than I’d like,” Newt responded through gritted teeth.

“I suppose I’ll need to find a dress for this occasion then…”

Briefly lost in the image of Tina in a glimmering ball gown, Newt simply smiled and nodded in response.

She once again narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, laughing gently. “Come on Mister Scamander. Let’s see if we can scrounge up some dinner, shall we?”

***

The days followed quickly and the holidays passed in the blink of an eye. Newt and Tina secretly couldn’t wait for the last day of the year, as this would be their first official public event together. Though, for the sake of convenience, the couple had agreed to keep their interactions to a minimum so as not to arouse the suspicion of their coworkers and friends.

The night of the event, Newt dressed at Theseus’ house so that Tina could get ready and arrive on her own. With assistance from Jacob and his older brother, Newt dressed in a slim-fitting tuxedo and slicked back his unruly auburn locks. While giving his appearance a once-over in the mirror, Theseus came up behind Newt and clapped his hands down onto Newt’s shoulders. “She’s gonna love it mate,” Theseus said with a wink.

Newt turned to his brother, “What do you mean she…?”

“Don’t overthink it Newt, just trust me.”

Newt shook his head and the brothers turned to Jacob. “Alright youse guys, have lots of fun okay? I’ll just be sittin’ here, by myself, not enjoyin’ the festivities or nothin’.”

Newt matter-of-factly addressed their friend: “Jacob, did you really think you weren’t invited?”

The No-Maj nodded.

“You’re our guest Jacob, of course you’re invited,” Theseus chimed in. With that, the Scamander brothers outfitted their friend in a finely-tailored suit and the three men apparated to the Ministry.

***

At the same time, Tina was seated in her room at Newt’s apartment, wishing that Queenie was there to help her get ready. She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. With a wordless spell, she charmed the dress hanging before her to make its way over her head and down her lean body. Once the dress was in place, she tied the back, smoothed it out, and applied the finishing touches: a hairpiece, rouge, and dark lipstick. When she was finally pleased with her appearance, Tina apparated away, eagerly anticipating the moment when she would see her beau.

Tina gasped as she entered the Ministry, which had been transfigured into a stunning ballroom filled with chandeliers, candles, and beautifully dressed witches and wizards of all shapes and sizes. The Auror took in the sights, the sounds, and the smells as she sauntered through the crowd, in search of one man in particular. She smiled when she saw him from a distance. He was turned away from her, but she could clearly make out the forms of the older Scamander brother and Jacob facing her direction. When Jacob’s eyes settled on Tina, his jaw dropped open in surprise, while Theseus jabbed him in the ribs.

Tina approached the group of men and made her presence known to Newt by clearing her throat. “Evening gentlemen,” she paused, smiling affectionately at the three men in front of her.

It felt like an eternity before Newt finally turned around to face her. The look on his face was worth every galleon she’d spent on the dress...and more. The magizoologist looked at her with stunned silence while his companions greeted Tina and slowly moved away from the couple. Newt was nursing a glass of red wine but nearly dropped it upon seeing the love of his life. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and whisk her away from this place, away from the prying eyes of the other men in the room.

Newt would be lying if he said he hadn’t looked Tina up and down, but look at her he did. He worked his way from her hair, which was neatly coiffed with a red headband that matched her dress. Her eyes were dark and smoky and her lips were stained the darkest of reds; she was vixen-like. He then fully appreciated the dress she wore. It was fiery crimson in color and tied around her neck. Newt couldn’t believe that a simple set of strings was the only thing holding the dress to her long, lean body. It clung in all the right places, accentuating her breasts, her hips, and her exquisite legs. The dress fell low, low, low on her back and drew his attention to other parts of her anatomy that he’d not yet had the pleasure of being introduced to. Finally, the slinky number draped to the floor and skimmed over a pair of matching T-strap heels that only made Tina’s legs appear longer and more elegant. She was a masterpiece.

The Auror blushed profusely and her gaze fell to the floor in anticipation of Newt’s reaction. For a brief moment, she felt self-conscious, unsure if she should have taken things this far. After all, they’d been building up to more intense interactions, but never anything like this. Her head snapped back up when she heard Newt clear his throat several times before he could articulate his thoughts. “Tina you...you look...I can’t…bugger…”. Upon realizing what he’d said, Newt quickly covered his tracks so as to avoid trouble. “No Tina, that wasn’t directed at you...it was me...I...Merlin, Tina, you look stunning.”

Tina stepped closer, boldly placing a hand on his chest and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek in greeting. She whispered in his ear as she did so, her breath warm against his skin, “You don’t look so bad yourself.” Upon pulling away from him, Tina noted the lopsided grin and the pink blush that overtook his cheeks, causing his freckles to pop more than usual. Tina turned to walk away, but Newt quickly grabbed her hand and whispered to her, “I know we agreed to minimal public interactions tonight, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep my hands off of you so long as you’re near me.”

“Shall we put that theory to the test Mister Scamander?” Tina asked coyly.

“What do you mean?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Well, I suppose I could just -”. Tina was cut off by an unexpected voice from behind her.

“‘Scuse me, Miss Tina. I was wondering if I might be able to ask you for a dance?” A polished young man from the Auror department requested.

‘There was music playing? Bloody hell’, thought Newt. He had been so focused on Tina and her grand entrance, that he hadn’t even noticed the dancing that was taking place. Tina looked to Newt, eyes wide and questioning, waiting for him to make his move. Did he take charge and claim his lover? Or did he let the night slip away from them, with her in the arms of another man?

Newt broke eye contact with Tina and turned toward the gentleman. “I apologize, but Miss Goldstein is otherwise occupied this evening,” he stated matter-of-factly, as he gently slid his arm around her waist possessively, making sure to avoid contact with her bare skin. He firmly grasped her opposite hip and pulled her closer to him. Tina stared at him in awed surprise.

“So sorry Mister Scamander, I didn’t know,” the young man apologized, taking a step back from the couple.

“That’s quite alright...neither did I,” he responded as he turned to look at his love.

The young man faded back into the crowd without a second thought from Tina and Newt.

“Newt,” Tina whispered, “What about…”

“Shhh,” Newt responded, cutting her off. He moved a step closer, his arm still around her waist. His opposite hand reached up to gently cup her cheek. “I don’t want to hide anymore Tina. You’re not a prize to be won, but Merlin’s beard, I want to be the only man that gets the pleasure of dancing with you tonight. Especially when you look like...this…”

Tina smiled, and whispered back, “I don’t want to hide either...you’re the only one whose arms I want to be in tonight. Especially when you look like this…” she giggled, reaching up to run a hand over his gelled hair.

With that, Newt placed a hand on her lower back and guided her to the dance floor. Tina stood up straight and shivered when she felt his warm hand pressed against her bare skin. Other parts of her became keenly aware of the contact between them. Just like that, they danced, drank, and laughed the night away together, without a care in the world.

The end of the evening quickly approached and the countdown began. Just before all the muggle church bells clanged at midnight to usher in the new year, Tina led Newt to a quiet corner and apparated them to the front porch of Newt’s flat.

“Home,” she whispered as the bells sounded their last note, cheers of happy people rang out in the distance, and colorful lights filled the sky. There, in front of the space they shared, the couple had their very first (and certainly not their last) kiss. Newt leaned in and pecked Tina gently on the lips and pulled away to gauge her reaction. Tina’s eyes had grown dark and wanting as her arms wound their way around Newt’s neck and she pulled him back in for a longer, more passionate kiss.

Newt responded in kind and followed her lead. Ever the gentleman, he stopped and started again when she did. This went on for quite some time before Tina broke away breathlessly and murmured, “That was…”

Newt smiled and responded, “Wasn’t it?”, recalling a similar moment that had occurred not so long ago.

Tina laughed gently and leaned her forehead against his, letting her eyes fall closed. She felt the vibration in his chest as he spoke in a low rumble, “Happy New Year, my love.”

She kissed him gently and smiled as she did. As she pulled away, she responded, “Happy New Year, Newt.” He kissed her forehead in response.

“Now for the love of Mercy, will you PLEASE get me out of this dress, Mister Scamander?”

“I think that can be arranged, Miss Goldstein,” Newt said with a smile.

With that, he scooped her up, dress and all. He carried her to his bed, where they spent the rest of the evening getting lost in each other in the best possible way.

Say my name and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off

*NSFW sequel is a strong possibility? Let me know your thoughts!*

[emotions-in-a-book]

Endowed: Chapter 3 - Last of Routine

The clock hand slowly turns to 7:00am. I run down the hallway, late as usual to my first period class. I rush into the room and take my seat just as soon as the final bell rings and announces that all students should now be in class. Breathing hard, I look over at my neighbor Kayla. Kayla Evergreen was fifteen and had been at Creeds Home since she was two. She was blonde with her hair hanging down her shoulders like a curtain and had pale skin with no sign of a growing tan. Her eyes were natural green eyes but turned hazel whenever she used her power. She could heal any injury with the slightest touch of her pale skin. Kayla remembers nothing about how she came to end up at Creeds Home, she basically grew up here with our teachers and the other students as a family. Kayla is quiet yet charming, anyone who was shy or nervous would easily be able to speak to Kayla, her personality was welcoming for being so quiet so it made it easy to talk to her. Noticing the swift movements of her wrist, I look at the board and I too start taking notes as our history teacher, Mr. Hardwick sets the projector. As usual, my history class began with a lecture on the homework assignment from the day before. I hold my breath and prepare myself for the two-hour lecture on the Aztecs. As the lecture begins, I let my eyes roam around the room. The room was plain and was more like a bedroom because there were so little students. As my eyes reach the end of the room, they lock with Jacob Sky’s eyes, my fellow classmate. Jacob Sky was one of the top students in the class and the most charming and courteous male as well. He was tall and tan, brown wavy hair, and dark blue eyes. His endowment was wind; he controls it and becomes it. Jacob was a different case, he had been at the home as an infant. No one knows how, except that he was here at six weeks and has been raised.

We stare at each other for nearly a minute until our stare is broken by Mr. Hardwick’s thick voice, “Sparks and Sky stop starring at each other and pay attention.”

I quickly turn my face to the front and I feel my face go red with embarrassment. For the rest of the period I tried to pay attention to Mr. Hardwick’s lecture, but fail. My mind wanders receiving a flashback of when I used to play with my brother in our backyard, wondering what would have happened if my parents did not open the door that one day.

                 The bells ring and everyone leaves the room and heads for second period. I take my time walking to English and when I enter the classroom I sit at my usual seat. Once everyone is inside, my English teacher Ms. Kelsey announces that we will be changing seats. Great, there were only three tables for six students and I was sure I would get a seat next to Jacob. Ms. Kelsey puts the seating chart on the overhead and to my luck I am seated by the window next to Jacob. Why me? I’m a fifteen year-old who is barely able to understand her hormones and it seems like I am making a big deal out of sitting next to a boy. He’s just a boy. I stand and start making my way towards my new seat. Once there I put my books on the table and sit. We have to share a table and I think it would be better if I used as little space as possible. As the rest of the class settles down, I wait silently staring out the window and tapping my fingers lightly on the desk. To my right I feel movement and then hear a small sigh. I turn my head slowly towards Jacob’s direction. He is sitting next to me looking absolutely perfect, so good-looking, and appears to not have a care in the world. Jacob Sky, controller of wind, had a perfect light brown skin tone, brown hair and gorgeous dark blue eyes, which turned a bluish-grey whenever he used his power. I hear my heart beating rapidly and again I feel my face turn red. Class starts and he is sitting there right next to me, oblivious to everyone around him. To me it seems like this class is going to continue on forever. No one wants to learn about Shakespeare.

Towards the end of the class, Ms. Kelsey gives us our assignment for tonight and lets us leave early. As I put my things in order, I accidentally drop my binder. My binder falls and the papers inside fly out in every direction. I bend down and start picking them up. Suddenly, I see a pair of hands handing me a handful of papers. I slowly turn my face upward to see who was handing me the papers, when I am face to face with Jacob. He smiles and hands me the papers saying “Careful Sparks, notes are important”. I take them without a word and as I take my grip on them, I feel my skin and his skin touch. I feel an electric current go through my body and I take my hand away, papers in hand. I murmur a quick “thanks” and stand up abruptly shoving the papers into my bag.  I push away from Jacob without looking at him and head towards the door. As I reach the door, I look over my shoulder towards where I left Jacob. I see that he is still at the desk but was looking out the window with an expression that showed sadness yet with a hint of happiness. I turn and head out the doors and into the hallway as the bell rang for third period.

This day just seems to be dragging on and on. I head towards my geometry class as quickly as I can. Once there I sit and try to concentrate on the theorems that Mr. Lewis was trying to teach us, but somehow my mind travels off and lands on Jacob. What could he have been thinking about? Did he feel that electrical current through his body as well? The two-hour class goes by ridiculously fast and next thing I know, I am headed towards lunch.

Lunch is held in our rooms or in the dining room and it was always at the same time, 2:00 pm. I never knew why they liked to have lunch so late and they only gave us one hour of it. I liked to spend my lunch with my friend Kari Springs. Kari has been my friend ever since I matured and has always been there for me when I needed her help. Kari was the simplest girl I had ever met. She was pale-skinned; blue eyed and had black hair that was worn in a pixie cut. Nothing could have described her more but she looked like an evil Snow White, yet she was the sweetest person I ever met. She was only a month younger than me and today she was turning 15. I reach her room and go inside. She is practicing controlling her endowment for our class, Endowment Training. Water is her endowment. There were four of us here that had endowments that were the elements. My brother and I had fire, Adriana had water, and Jacob Sky had wind. Unlike like Kayla and Jacob, Kari was brought in at eight when her parents died in a helicopter crash, with no one else to care for her, she was orphaned and sent here.

I sit on the edge of the bed and take out her gift and my lunch. She is trying to make water morph into little blue round balls and then expanding them into large smooth disks for our next class but was failing. Watching her, I say, “Happy Birthday.”

She stops, turns to me and with her hands on her hips, says, “Thanks. Did you know that besides my roommates, you have been the only person in this entire place that has wished me Happy Birthday?”

She walks towards me and gives me a hug. I hug her back and reach around her to grab her gift. I give it to her and her face has a huge smile on her face. She gives me another hug and sits next to me.

Taking the small paper package, she opens the packaging and takes out the blue beaded bracelet I had made for her. Her eyes lit up and responds “Thanks! I love it!”.

She puts it on and continues “I saw how Jacob kept looking at you during history class. I think he likes you.”

I turn red with embarrassment.

Seeing my face, she laughs, “I thought so. You like him too but you don’t want to admit it!”

Before I can respond, the door opens and Jacob steps inside. My face turns redder because I knew he must have heard our conversation. He steps inside, sits on his bed and turns to both of us eyes staring at both at us.

Smiling, he says, “You know I have always been curious about what happens in this room when you guys are in here alone. And because it is your birthday, Kari, I have decided to spend my lunch in here to celebrate with you. I hope that’s okay with you and Stacy.”

Smiling she answers, “Of course you can stay.”

She winks at me and continues, “After all I can not stop you for it is also your room and because we would love your company.”

“Thanks. What did you guys have in mind?” He answered has he took out his lunch and leaned on the pillows on his bed.

“Oh nothing really. I thought we could just practice for Endowment Training class. I really need it even though Stacy here has already morphed fire into something.” She said as she walked over to the small fridge in the corner and took out a sandwich. The best part about lunch? We all have small fridges to stock up on snacks for when we stay in our rooms. The dining hall is an option to receive food and take it back to the rooms. The fridge was a nice perk in case we did not want to head to the dining room.

Turning to me, he asks, “Is it true, Stacy? What have you morphed fire into?”

Trying real hard not to stutter, I answer, “Yeah it is true. I morphed fire into a small figure of a phoenix. I just need to practice on controlling it, though.”

“Can I see it?”

“Um… Maybe in class.”

“Oh come on. Please, Stacy? I’ll show you what I morphed wind into and then Adriana can shows us her progress. Please?” He begs me and keeps looking at me that I find myself saying yes.

“Okay. I’ll do it, but like I said I need more practice and don’t blame me if I accidentally burn you or something.”

“Don’t worry. I think we can trust you.” He says calmly.

I stand up and distance myself from Kari and Jacob and place my self in the center of the spacious room. As I calm myself, I see them waiting patiently with curious faces. I slowly raise my right hand and set my mind on the figure of a phoenix. A small flame builds on my palm. I concentrate harder and the flame grows and grows becoming wilder with exotic colors of red, yellow, and orange. Taking my time so that I do not lose my concentration, the flame takes the shape of small ball and slowly wings spread out taking the shape of a small phoenix with small flames jumping off. Being no bigger than a tennis ball, I let it hover over my palm for a moment and then I close my palm making the phoenix disappear into thin air and only leaving smoke behind in its place. I hear Kari whisper “wow” in the background. I smile with satisfaction that I actually had some control of what I was doing and that I had been able to form the phoenix successfully even if it looked like a tiny bird. I turn and move back to sit next to Kari and turn to Jacob.

“Now it is your turn to keep your side of the bargain.” I said smiling as I opened a water bottle.

“Of course, but I don’t think mine will be as good as yours.” He said in return.

He stations himself in the middle of the room as I did and prepares himself. Kari leans over and whispers, “That was great. You need to teach me how you did it.”

“Just concentrate.” I whisper back.

I turn my attention back to Jacob and see that he has raised both arms. Without breathing, I see wind moving slowly and wrapping around both of his hands. I hear his deep breathing and as he expands his hands in the opposite direction slowly, I see a small figure of a wolf starting to take shape. With his hands expanding in the opposite direction the wolf increases in size with the wind whirling around it furiously. The wolf is now at least two feet long, moving its tail and sniffing around. The objects in the room begin to blow in every direction due to the wind but Jacob is cautious and notices the sudden disturbance that he is causing. He crushes his hands together with such force that makes the wolf disappear and makes the papers in the room fly around like a tornado. He smiles at me and starts to pick the papers up from the floor. Out of breath of what just had happened Kari and I also start to help pick up the mess that Jacob had caused.

We finish and Jacob says, “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to do that. I guess I need more control. Next time it will be better. Trust me.”

“It’s okay. Everyone needs practice. No one is perfect.” I answer back smiling.

We look at each other until Kari speaks up, “You guys need to teach me how you just did that! You guys make my disks look wimpy. I need an animal to morph water into. But like what animal can I morph it into? A horse is so cliche, I need something cooler. I mean y’alls aren't cliche but like I want mine to be different. Please can you guys help me within the next 15 minutes of lunch left?”

“Of course we’ll help you, but what animal did you have in mind?” Jacob said turning his gaze at Kari and sitting next me on the bed.

“I was thinking about that and I thought it would be best if I tried morphing water into the shape of a whale.”

“All you have to do is put your mind to the figure of the whale and extend your hand from your body so the figure can grow into the shape. Remember stay focus and concentrate.” He said sternly.

The first three minutes were a torture for her as she kept trying and failing as she got the whale made but couldn’t seem to make it grow any bigger than a foot long. It started as a watery blob but then Kari progressed as she slowly added fins and a tail. As Kari progressed and failed in making her figure grow, Jacob and I just watched, commented her, and ate our lunch silently not talking to each other. Within ten minutes passing Kari succeeds in morphing water into a whale. “Wow” she whispers to herself when the whale is three feet long is flowing with water non-stop through out its body. She had succeeded in adding details as well. How? We do not know but she was able to grasp the concept fast. She then closes her palm and the whale slowly disappears leaving no water behind. Without warning she screams with joy scaring us both with one of her bear hugs. Releasing us from her hug the bell rings for fifth period class, Chemistry. We throw away our trash, grab our bags and leave the room with Kari leading us out the room.

We walk to Chemistry class and take our seats. We never learned anything in the class but we just had to pretend we were paying attention for Ms. Christenson never noticed if we did or did not. Class goes by ridiculously fast again. The day had gone from dragging on to going by fast. Everyone in class heads out to sixth period class which starts at 5:05pm. We all headed to Endowment Training and this was the only time where everyone was together.