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averagewriter-inthedark · 1 year

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Queen of the Halfpipe 🏂 | Jake Seresin Imagine

Takes place before, during, and after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x pro snowboarder!reader (romantic), the dagger squad (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, profanity, | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 10k

Requested 📨 yes/no—for @gizmodear 🤍 (rules for requests)

Premise: Dedication, determination, blood, sweat, and tears. That’s what athletes put in when they say they want to compete on the world’s greatest sporting stage. Years of hard work that come with sacrifices. At a young age Y/n L/n knew she wanted to be the best when it came to snowboarding, devoting herself to the Olympic dream. Love wasn’t something she thought would happen for her as she was so focused on her career. But, as someone once pointed out to her years after she did in fact find her happily ever after, she was living in her own little Hallmark movie.

Note: ah I’ve finally finished and I’m so happy with how it turned out! @gizmodear I apologize for the long wait (i think you sent this request at the beginning of February) but I hope you like this and I delivered with everything you could’ve imagined 🥹 I really love writing the athlete!reader x dagger squad paring fics so this was so fun to write. I did so much research to be as accurate as I could since I am not familiar with snowboarding. I did watch Chloe Kim in 2018 & 2022 so a lot of what reader accomplishes in this fic was inspired by her so I hope you don’t mind that I did that (except the ending since the 2026 Olympics hasn’t happened yet obviously 😂). Please let me know what you think!

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“So one last run, huh?”

“One last one,” she confirmed, hoping he couldn’t pick up on the slight sadness in her tone. All good things must come to an end.

“Better make it count,” he encouraged her. “You got this, okay? Don’t think about it-like I always tell you: don’t think, just do. That gold medal is calling your name.”

“I better go claim it then.”

“We’ll be cheering when you do, babe. Go show them who’s the Queen.”

Some people like the heat. Going to the beach and riding the waves of the ocean. Others enjoy the rain. The soothing sound of water hitting the pavement brings comfort to their ears. Then there are those who prefer the cold. Not as popular as the other two. People feel the only way to enjoy it is by staying indoors to sit by the fire and watch the snow fall through the window.

Y/n L/n loved the snow. Having grown up in the mountains of Colorado, she was used to blizzards and snowstorms. But she loved it mostly because of the sports associated with it. You know, the ones millions of people gather across the globe every four years to watch at the Winter Olympic Games. Athletes who’ve spent their entire life working to achieve their dream of glory. People who are not even patriotic rep their colors. Children watching for the first time think, “That’s gonna be me one day.”

That’s how it was for ten year old Y/n Ln watching the 2002 Winter Olympics on the small tv screen in the living room of her home. It was a special year of the Games. Hosted on US soil in Salt Lake City, Utah. Taking place in the months after the country was met with tragedy following the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001. Not a dry eye in the stadium or on those watching from home as the flag that flew on Ground Zero was brought into the arena by members of Team USA along with the NYPD & FDNY.

The Olympic torch was passed by members of the 1980 gold medal winning hockey team, coach Mike Eruzione lighting the cauldron. One of the most notable teams in US Olympic history. They were just college students up against the number one team in the world in 1980, which ironically enough, was also on US soil in Lake Placid, New York. Anyone who watched them play could recall the chills they felt when the buzzer counted down to zero with sportscaster Al Micheals yelling, “Do you believe in miracles? YES!” Winning that game didn’t deliver the gold medal, no, it only secured their place in the final match. There they defeated Finland 4-2, shooting themselves into history.

Y/n was familiar with many of the sports she grew to love watching. Her family owned and lived on a ski resort, so the art of skiing and snowboarding came to her at a young age. She was around four years old the first time she went down hill with her father. By the time she was around eight she could do it on her own with little help.

While her parents enjoyed skiing, Y/n was drawn to snowboarding. More specifically, the halfpipe.

At a whopping 11 to 22 feet in the air and slopes between 16 to 18 degrees, the halfpipe brings fast momentum to snowboarders allowing them to perform difficult spins and skills as they pass from wall to wall. For the Olympics, 22 feet was the typical height of the walls.

The first time Y/n attempted to drop in on the halfpipe was at the age of ten. After watching Team USA sweep the medals in the mens and watching Kelly Clark win gold for the women, Y/n was determined to one day stand on the podium and be crowned the queen of the halfpipe. Nerves were present, as they usually are when one tries to do something they’ve never done. With her parents and a snowboarding instructor present, Y/n became the little daredevil she was and tried her best.

Of course she couldn’t be bold and attempt spins and jumps just yet. Surely that would end her career before it could even start. No, instead they would work on getting used to traveling down the slopes first. On top of that Y/n would have to unlock her inner gymnast so she could do the flips when she got air.

Her preteen years were dedicated to training. Homeschooling became a thing. Everyday she was out working tirelessly to the point her legs would ache. Often there would be a bad run where getting up from the snow would take an arm and leg to do. Balancing a social life as a teenager was impossible. Y/n pretty much sold her soul to snowboarding. But that’s what one has to do when they dream of Olympic glory.

By the time Y/n was 15 she was already making a name for herself after joining the U.S Snowboarding Team. She won titles left and right that people were coming to her family's ski resort just to watch her train. A competitor of the Winter X Games at age 16, Y/n secured the gold after her second run in the women’s superpipe final with a score of 83.75. Rumors speculated she was going to go for the 2010 Olympic Trials. Having just turned 18, Y/n was a leading contender for the Games.

But you know how there are always bad runs? Yeah….the Trials seemed to give her that.

Y/n was hoping to be the first woman to land the 1080 in competition since no one had done it before. Men had been doing the trick since 2002, not as difficult as some of the other moves they were keen to do. While practicing Y/n had successfully landed it a handful of times. So once she felt she was confident, she planned to put in her trial runs. Her coach insisted she’d wait, but Y/n was determined.

And unfortunately it was going to cost her.

After failing to land on her 1080 on both attempts, Y/n was left at the bottom of the leaderboard even with the lowest and highest dropped from her scoring. Embarrassed and humiliated, Y/n made no effort to hide how devastated she was. Tears fell from her puffy cheeks, the cold doing nothing to help. She tried to avoid the cameras but they followed her everywhere she went.

“Y/n, what does this mean for you going forward?”

“Are you going to train for Sochi?”

“Can we expect to see you at next year’s Winter X Games?”

Returning home from the trials, Y/n spent the first week watching the footage back to see what went wrong. Her coach of almost ten years was with her, scribbling furiously on the white board the error and how to fix them.

“You opened too late,” he told her, circling the area in bright red where Y/n messed up. It made her glare at the spot. “When you do that you come in contact with the snow much quicker than you want—that’s why you lost your balance and fell. You didn’t give much time to stop the momentum from spinning. You need to hit this mark—,” another red circle appeared just above the marked one, “to land on time on your feet without losing balance.”

“You��re gonna make me run this at least twenty times today huh?”

“You bet your ass I am,” he flicks the cap at her, “Now go get ready—we’ve got work to do!”

And so for the next four years Y/n worked harder than she ever did before leading up to the 2010 trials. She’d been snowboarding almost fifteen years at that point, nearly seven at the competitive level. 1080s were what kept her up at night. One of the most difficult moves in women’s halfpipe, Y/n spent the four years working to perfect it. Kelly Clark, the 2002 Gold medalist and 2010 Bronze medalist, ended up becoming the first woman to land it at the 2011 X Games, Y/n taking second place and becoming the second woman to land it the following year.

“Remember what I told you,” her coach squeezed her shoulders just before her turn at the 2014 Winter Olympic Trials. “Let the snow and air guide you, don’t guide them. Keep steady and eyes open—you’ve trained for this and you can do it, Y/n. Just do what you’ve been doing the last four years.”

Taking the advice sure as hell paid off. When Team USA marched into the dome of the opening ceremonies at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Y/n was amongst the 222 athletes representing the red, white, and blue.

Qualifications were nerve racking, but Y/n put her blood, sweat, and tears into the competition. The 1080 had everyone buzzing since it was to be the first time competed in women’s snowboarding at the Olympics. “Just get on your feet,” she told herself, placing her goggles down as she prepared to drop in. “Don’t think about it too much, just do it.”

“And here is 22-year-old Y/n L/n from Aspen, Colorado gearing up for her first run in the women’s halfpipe qualifications. This has got to be a big moment for Y/n, having missed out on the Olympic team four years ago for Vancouver. Here in Sochi she’s a favorite to make the podium after great runs at the Winter X Games, becoming the second woman to land the 1080–which we’ll see her in a moment. Y/n’s been snowboarding since the age of four—as one does when their family owns a popular ski resort. We’re excited to see what she’s got for us today.”

“For those of you watching at home who are new to competitive snowboarding, here’s how the scoring works. The athletes are given two runs—or attempts to score big by doing tricks between each wall as they go down the slope of the halfpipe. A team of six judges will then determine the scores through amplitude, another word for height, difficulty, variety, execution, and progression. The highest and lowest score are then thrown out and the remaining four are averaged together for that run. The highest of the two runs is what will determine their position on the leaderboard.”

With her first run of 90.00 and second a 86.75, Y/n advanced to the semifinals along with Kaitlyn Farrington, and Hannah Teter. Kelly Clark secured her place in the finals as the top qualifying score after qualifications. During the semifinals Y/n brought in a 92.50 and 93.50. Her coach was jumping up and down, her parents screaming and Y/n ran over to them when the results came in.

She was heading to the finals.

A silver lining moment was what she was met with after claiming a score of 91.00 following her two runs. Team USA sweeping the podium: Kaitlyn with the gold, Y/n taking silver, and Kelly the bronze.

At the press junket following the podium ceremony, Y/n could not stop smiling. Even when she was asked the question, “How does it feel to be wearing the silver medal after what happened at the trials four years ago?”

“It feels amazing as you can imagine,” chuckles erupt from all sides. “I try to erase the 2010 trials from my memory, but ultimately that is what made me determined to work so hard these last four years. Being able to represent Team USA and bringing home the silver medal alongside my teammates Kaitlyn and Kelly, who I’ve admired my entire career—and watching Kelly win gold in 2002 is what kickstarted my dream of going to the Olympics…” Y/n pauses, grin growing wider, “It’s truly an honor. I-I’m still coming down from the high of it all.”

“Y/n over here!” The athlete points to a lady, who proceeds to stand from her chair to ask, “I know you’re going to be asked this a lot so let me be the first to, are we going to see you in four years for Pyeongchang?”

Biting her lip, Y/n gave a shrug though her smile remained, “I’m gonna train so the hope is you will see me in 2018, but you never know in sports. Anything can happen. For now I’m gonna celebrate with my coach and my family who traveled all the way from the States with me and then get back to the snow when I get home.”

When one already has established themself as a name in their sport, with an Olympic medal, several national and world titles under their belt, then going bigger is to be expected. Higher difficulty in tricks, more air and speed, fighting with gravity to not fall on your ass. Y/n felt the pressure.

“You want me to do back-to-back 1080s?” She nearly dropped her granola bar, staring at her coach dumbfounded.

“You can do it,” he said as if it were obvious. “You’ve been getting so much momentum on the landing that you’re getting massive height on your 720. You can easily go for the 1080 on that.”

It seemed tricky, but Y/n wasn’t one to say no to a challenge. “Fuck it, let’s do it.”

The first time resulted in a face plant in the snow. The second time she lost balance and skidded the rest of the slope on her ass. Finally on the third attempt she managed to catch her feet, exclaiming “Holy shit! I did it!” Off to the side her coach was fist pumping, in a heap of joy for the athlete. Never had anyone successfully landed a back-to-back 1080. But Y/n did in a fucking practice run. “Pyeongchang, here I come!”

When Y/n landed the movements at the 2018 Olympic trials, she was the highlight of the competition.

“The 2014 silver medalist in this event, Y/n L/n dropping in. Great start—setting up for her 1080….beautiful landing—she’s been working hard to perfect and—-OH! Oh my gosh she just did another one!! Did we just witness what I think we did? Holy moly folks I don’t believe it—Y/n L/n has just done the impossible with back-to-back 1080s in a single run!! That’s gonna have a massive score I can already tell.”

Adrenaline was pumping through her veins like never before when Y/n came down from the slope after her final move. Giggling like a maniac, her hands covered her mouth as the crowd roared around her. Her coach was going crazy, as were her friends and family who came out to support. A score of 95.00 sent the audience into a frenzy. And even with her second run, there was no doubt in anyone's mind.

Y/n was heading for Pyeongchang.

“It was a successful Olympic Trials this past week with 241 athletes from across the country qualifying for Team USA in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team USA will be competing in 15 sports, with many returning to the stage—including two time gold-medalist in the Men’s halfpipe, Shaun White, and 2010 Olympic champion of the women’s downhill in skiing, Lindsey Vonn. The women’s hockey team is looking to return to glory after not having won the gold since Nagano in 1998–the team claiming either silver or bronze in the past Games. There’s been a lot of excitement among supporters for returning Olympian Y/n L/n, who will be competing in the women’s halfpipe once again—L/n was the 2014 silver medalist in the event and became the talk of the trials when she completed back-to-back 1080s in her first run of the final competition, securing her place on Team USA with a massive score of 95.00. L/n has stated she will be attempting the 1080 duo at these Games. If she can pull out a score like she did at the trials of even higher, we could be looking at a new Queen of the Halfpipe.”

For the Games in Pyeongchang, each competitor would do two runs in qualifications and those who make it to the final will get three chances to produce a big score. It was smooth sailing to the finals for Y/n. Both runs received a score of 90.00, making her the top qualifier and securing one of twelve spots in the final.

February 13, 2018 was the best day of Y/n’s life.

It was a beautiful morning in South Korea. Sun beaming down with clear skies making the snow sparkle. Y/n was the last contestant in each rotation, spending the time in between her runs to keep her mind at ease. The playlist she made was blasting through the headphones she wore, a mix of genres that included artists like AC/DC, One Direction, and Beyoncé. Sometimes the cameramen would catch a glimpse of her dancing while mouthing the words to the songs, making viewers at home and the NBC commentators chuckle. Throughout the competition people were tweeting about the athlete:

@ sassycassie: @Y/nlikesthesnow is such a mood at the @Olympics. I wonder what’s on her playlist.

@TeamUSA✔️: we’re all jamming with @Y/nlikesthesnow.

@Marvelicious: Petition for the @Olympics to include music in the halfpipe from here on out.

When it came time for her run, Y/n rolled her neck, said a mental prayer, and dropped in once she was given the green light. Her heart was racing by the time she finished her first run, which did not get a good score due to falling on her second 1080. A rocky start to her competition, the number came back a 41.00.

Quickly the athlete brushed it off. “There’s still two more,” she told herself, approaching her coach who voiced the same thing. Two more chances to score big. All she needed to do was land the 1080s and get high altitude on her 720 and backside 900. Once that happened the gold medal was practically hers.

And she did just that.

On her second run, Y/n delivered what everyone was on the edge of their seats for. She screamed in victory going into her 720 because she had landed the second 1080 perfectly. Letting the remainder of the slopes guide her, Y/n finished her run with a beautiful 900 and shot her arms into the air, the people in the audience cheering. When she crossed the line she fell to her knees, board still attached to her feet and let out a cry of joy.

“Wow, wow, wow! That was absolutely incredible! She completed the back-to-back 1080s—I know we already saw it in the qualifications, but seeing it today was even better—and that 900 was massive, she could’ve thrown in a third! Look at Y/n, she’s taking it all in—the fans are going crazy, Team USA are already celebrating. And we still have one more run left! Remember the judges drop the highest and lowest scores and it looks like it’s gonna be……A 98.75!!! THAT IS HUGE—THE HIGHEST WE’VE SEEN YET!!”

Y/n was doing her best not to cry when her coach and parents hauled her into a group hug. There was still one more run to do, but it would be her victory lap no doubt. No way would anyone be able to touch her score.

Smiling the entire time, Y/n was effortless in her final attempt. One couldn’t even call it an attempt when she was already the gold medalist. The remaining competitors had already gone, none close to the number she produced in the second run. Tears finally flowed when she finished her 900, coming to the end of the slope and unclamping her board before dropping to the snow. The sound of the cheers was so loud she could feel the vibration.

Cameramen surrounded the athlete. Feeling giddy she made a snow angel, laughing the entire time.

When the score came back a 93.50, Y/n was officially named the Olympic champion of the women’s halfpipe. She wasn’t the only member from Team USA on the podium, Arielle Gold claimed the bronze, pushing out 2002 Gold Medalist Kelly Clark by nearly two full points. Liu Jiayu was the silver medalist.

At the podium ceremony Y/n felt like she was in a dream. Even when the announcer said, “Gold medalist and Olympic Champion, from the United States of America, Y/n L/n!!” With the medal placed around her neck and the sound of the national anthem echoing for all ears to hear, Y/n thought she’d wake up in her bed and it would have all been a dream.

But it was far from a dream. The press conference assured that. Reporters and journalists from sports magazines and media swarmed the place, Y/n more nervous about answering their questions than performing tricks in the air that were life threatening if landed wrong. Several questions were to be expected:

“Y/n, how are you feeling after your big win today?”

“Can you tell us anything about your plans when these Games come to an end?”

“Is it true you and actor Dylan O’Brien have been getting rather close?”

“Y/n, are you going to train for Beijing in four years?”

Exhausted and in need of food, Y/n kept her answers simple and minimum. “I feel like I could run a marathon—but mostly I could use some snacks. Oh thank you so much—,” A volunteer brought over an apple they had, and a reporter gave some crackers. “I feel even better now, thank you.”

“Well for one I’m gonna sleep at least a whole week,” chuckles rang out. “Then I’m gonna go see Black Panther since it comes out in three days—anybody gonna go see it? The trailer looked amazing.”

At the question of Dylan O’Brien, Y/n refrained from making a face, “Dylan is a good friend of mine—we met at the 2015 ESPY’s and he’s been to my family’s resort. Not to mention I was a fan of Teen Wolf when it was running. There’s nothing more going on, he’s a great buddy of mine and that’s all.” Internally groaning, Y/n could already picture the internet reacting to her answer. No doubt would they start shipping the two. Dylan would likely get a kick out of it, but like she said they were just good friends.

Responding on the topic of Beijing, Y/n said, “I’m very lucky to call myself a two-time Olympian and would love to continue my Olympic career so yes, I do plan to train for the next Games.”

The rest of 2018 was memorable for Y/n. She was invited to award shows and movie premieres, including Avengers: Infinity War, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure (which only fueled more speculation about her and Dylan) and Spider-Man: Into The SpiderVerse. She even filmed a cameo in the upcoming remake of Charlie’s Angels with fellow athletes Aly Raisman, Rhonda Rousey, and Danica Patrick. At the 2018 ESPY’s, Y/n was nominated for four awards: Best Olympic Moment, Best Female Olympian, Best Female Athlete and Best Female Action Sports Athlete. She took the latter three, in disbelief each time her name was called.

Her personality drew people in and many young girls were interested in snowboarding because of her. Within weeks she accumulated 500 thousand followers on instagram. People begged her to start a YouTube channel, wanting to follow the journey as she trains for Beijing.

“Hello friends of the interweb,” she waved to the lens of her camera. “You’ve been shouting from the rooftops and I’ve heard you loud and clear. Today is my first attempt at…vlogging? Is that what you call it?” Shrugging, she starts to walk down the hallway of her home. At age 26, Y/n moved out of her parents home shortly after her first Olympics—-having went pro—and bought a cabin on the resort so she could remain close with her family and coach. Plus it was where she trained—a nice little plaque on the entrance of the resort reading, “Home of Olympic Champion Y/n L/n.”

Fans loved seeing a more in-depth look at the Olympian. Y/n would do Q&As, give snowboarding 101 lessons, collaborate with Olympians from other sports she grew to become close friends with, and do daily vlogs of training.

“Hi, I’m Y/n L/n,” she smiled at the camera from where she was sitting, a pale pink background behind her. “And I’m here with Buzzfeed where I’m gonna be answering some questions while playing with puppies.” Clapping her hands excitedly, she grinned, “Let’s do this!”

“Was Snowboarding always your first choice when it came to sports?”

“Yes it was,” there was a tiny bulldog in her lap, drifting off to sleep while an excited lab pup was trying to chew at Y/n’s shoes. “When your family owns a ski resort in the mountains of Colorado, usually snowboarding or skiing is going to be the first sport you’re introduced to. In my case it was just like that and while my parents were more for skiing, I loved snowboarding because it was like surfing….but on snow.”

“Where would you be if you weren’t a professional athlete?”

“You know I haven’t really thought about this,” she makes a face that reads, ‘is that bad?’. “I’ve always loved animals so….probably a vet or a career that involved animals. Since I’ve started my YouTube channel I’ve grown to love creating videos and editing them—that whole process. I would not go as far as to say I’d be an Internet personality but I would maybe use those skills to go into film work. But in all honesty, I’d probably be running the resort with my parents. It’s the family business after all.”

“Do you have any tattoos?”

“I do,” flashing her forearm, the Olympic Rings inked her skin with tiny lettering that read, Sochi and Pyeongchang. “I got the rings shortly after returning from Sochi—already set on where it was going to go. The names were done after Pyeongchang. I have other tattoos on my legs and back, but this one is my favorite because it represents the dream I achieved.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Ooh we’re getting to the hard questions now,” she laughed, grabbing a puppy that was tugging on her sleeve to hold. “Ummm…..not really. While I’ve been in relationships I don’t think any has made me feel what love is supposed to be like. It’s probably why they didn’t work out,” again she makes a face. “I had a genuine care for them, but there’s a certain way people describe being ‘in love.’ And from what I’ve heard, none of my experiences would be like that. I hope that doesn't make me sound heartless,” Y/n shrugs, not embarrassed at all by being honest. “I got too much going on right now to be worrying about love though. When the time comes, it will.”

Well she was right on that. However she wasn’t expecting it to be sooner than what she thought.

Around December of 2019, Y/n had returned to Colorado after being in New York for a couple weeks for a friend’s wedding. Since becoming a bigger name in the world of snowboarding and in popular culture, the resort got more attraction throughout the year where bookings were full. During this time Y/n would help run things to get some stress from her parents. She’d train early mornings and late at night, leaving the middle of the day to assist in any way she could. Regulars who’d been coming before she was an Olympian would treat her the same, whereas tourists coming for the first time were usually starstruck.

Y/n loved interacting with supporters. Every smile she received and autograph she sighed was met with love. Kids would ask questions, the Olympian kneeling to their level to answer with full transparency. Adults would shake her hand and say they can’t wait to hopefully see her in Beijing. Those moments are what motivated Y/n to do her best with each session.

“Y/n, could you come here for a second?” her mother called out one night after Y/n finished her final run for the day. She’d just entered the lobby to say hi to her parents before heading back home when she spotted them with a group of people. One of whom looked very familiar.

Removing her scarf from face and pulling the hood down, Y/n was met with several pairs of eyes that immediately went wide. She could imagine why, considering there was a huge photo of her with the gold medal framed on the wall dedicated to the gallery of famous visitors the resort had.

Moving closer, she noticed that the group consisted of about eight people, seven of which were guys and one lady. The older gentleman who appeared to be roughly her father’s age was beaming at her. Quickly he was introduced by her mother.

“Y/n, I don’t if you remember since it’s been so long, but this is Pete Mitchell. He and your dad go way back and he’s visited a few times since we took over this place.”

Now the face brought memories with the mention of his name. Grinning, Y/n shook the hand that was extended to her, “Yeah, I remember. Maverick, right?”

“That’s right,” he smiled. “Wow, it’s great to see you again. Congrats on everything you’ve accomplished, Y/n. I’ve been watching you compete since your first trials.”

“Thank you,” she tries not to look flustered. “Sorry for looking so busted—I just finished a run and was not expecting a reunion so soon.” The words have the older adults chuckling. Glancing behind Pete’s shoulder, Y/n nodded to his companions, which had the pilot scurry to introduce them.

Pointing to each person, he lists off, “these are my lieutenants and members of my Top Gun striker team. Bradley Bradshaw, Natasha Trace, Robert Floyd, Mickey Garcia, Reuben Fitch, Javy Machado, and Jake Seresin.”

As he calls their names they each go to shake Y/n’s hand, saying, “nice to meet you.” When she gets to the last person, Jake, Y/n feels a light spark as their skin touches, making both of them flinch.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” the tinge of a southern accent nearly makes her knees go weak, a dazzling smile to compliment the pilot.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” she returns before moving back to stand beside her parents. “Thank you all for your service. What brings you to Aspen?”

“Well we’ve seen enough of the beach and ocean—now that we’re all stationed in Miramar—and thought we’d like a scene change,” Pete explained, gesturing to her parents. “I called your folks up after our assignment to book us a getaway since these guys were in need of a break. We’re here for the weekend to hit the slopes—and teach some of them how to ski.”

“Fun,” she hums, glancing to see some nervous eyes among Bob, Javy, Mickey, and Jake. When she caught Jake’s gaze he smiled at her, making her look away before she blushed. “Who all knows how to ski?”

“Reuben, Nat, and I do,” Rooster answered, “this is the first time those clowns are seeing snow.”

“I’ll have you know, Bradshaw,” Jake lifts a hand, giving a mocking glare. “I have seen snow, but seeing as I am a Texas man we don’t get it down there.”

“I get snow where I’m from,” Bob interjects, blushing a bit, “But I was the type to stay indoors when it did. I’ve never skied though.”

“Well there is a first for everything,” Y/n beams, “and once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. Although I’m probably not the best judge…..since I pretty much live on the snow.”

“I personally wanna try snowboarding,” Nat admits, smiling when Y/n gives her a thumbs up and mouths, “good choice.”

“I’ll do it if you do it,” Mickey says and the two high five.

“Maybe Y/n can give you some pointers” Y/n’s dad suggested, glancing at her with a tilt of the head. “She’d be the best teacher here.” The Olympian smiles, offering a light shrug.

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Mickey and Nat nearly turned into school children right there, but where Nat was calm on the exterior, Mickey was unleashing his inner fanboy.

“If it’s not out of your way—.”

“Oh my God, to be trained by an Olympic gold medalist? Life goal complete.”

Y/n couldn’t help but giggle at the man, “That settles it then. I hope to see you on the slopes first thing tomorrow morning. How does ten sound?”

“Shit that means we get to sleep in,” Reuben said in relief, the others making the same expression. At Y/n’s confusion he adds, “we normally all get up at four in the morning. Ten o’clock is a dream.”

“I know what you mean—I get up at five for training. So I would definitely want you all to get a good night’s rest. Hours on the slopes will have you running to your bed,” checking her watch, Y/n lets out a yawn, chuckling when she finishes. “Speaking of running to bed, I am beat if you haven’t noticed.” She goes to shake their hand once more, “It was so nice meeting you all and I look forward to tomorrow. Pete, it was great seeing you again.”

Saying goodbye to the group and her parents, Y/n waves one last time and heads to the door. The entire short drive to her home, her mind wanders to Jake. A warm feeling she couldn’t describe boiled in her chest, not sure if it was a little crush or just that she was attracted to him. With his green eyes, sun kissed skin, blonde hair, and dazzling smile, the man was a looker. She definitely could see him being a charmer, maybe even a playboy.

She didn’t want to think about that possibility.

Compared to her snowboarding career, relationships were something Y/n didn’t have the best record with. Yeah she dated, shared a kiss or two with someone she was interested in, but she never saw someone more than five to six months. It wasn’t easy to balance time and energy for a partner. Snowboarding was her life and she permanently lived in Colorado. She stopped dating people in Aspen because they usually were driven by what Y/n could bring them. Relationships with fellow athletes were more difficult since they were dedicated to their sport just like she was to hers. The one time she did get involved with an athlete lasted less than two weeks.

Then you had the people in Hollywood. Since winning the silver in 2014, Y/n made plenty of friends in the film and movie industry. Anytime she was pictured with someone it sparked rumors. Even when they were with a group of friends it didn’t stop the gossip. Y/n did, however, get involved with an actor that was a friend of Dylan O’Brien. He introduced them at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards where they hit it off. It only lasted five months but it was enough to get the internet buzzing with excitement.

Since then Y/n hadn’t been serious with someone, focusing solely on training for the Beijing Olympics. As the defending Olympic champion in the halfpipe Y/n was determined to defend her title. There wouldn’t be any time for romance.

But that weekend left Y/n with a newfound feeling. One she wanted to keep the more she got to know Jake. Each night he was at the resort they’d meet at the lounge to have a drink, sometimes with a group, or by themselves. They’d catch each other in the mornings to get coffee, Y/n feeling the giddiness rise each time with every conversation. The boys caught on quickly what was happening, going as far to joke with Y/n about his history with women.

Her confidence dropped a bit, but Jake shut it down instantly, “I haven’t been with anyone in about a year. And I wouldn’t want something with you to be one and done, Y/n. I want to get to know you better and see where this goes.”

“Jake, how would this even work?” The two were sitting on one of the lounge couches the night before he was set to return to California. It was a good point to bring up. With him being in San Diego and her in Aspen, it would be difficult. “I like you and have enjoyed our time this weekend—a-and I’d love to see where this goes….but being with me isn’t easy.”

“Why’s that?” He asked, oblivious to her concern.

She gives him a knowing look, “Well first there’s the distance like I mentioned. But also I’m in a career where I prioritize that more than anything. I have to go out of the country for competitions several times a year,” her hand makes a motion to show emphasis. “This is where I train—and I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. My goal is to make it to the Olympics again.”

Jake is quiet for a moment. It worries Y/n, thinking that he was going to get up and leave without another word. But then he gently places a hand on top of hers that was resting on her lap, “I admire and respect you for being honest with me. Not many people are like that—hell, Lord knows I wasn’t five years ago. But even though it may be difficult, I don’t want to avoid it just because of the ‘what if’s’. So it doesn’t work out, that’s okay, but I’d like to at least try.”

Biting her lip, she looks at their hands, “You sure?”

“I’m sure,” he smiles, “plus it gives me a reason to continue coming out here. I think I’ve fallen in love with this place,” glancing around the building, his smile gets bigger at the sight of the sun setting making the mountains look beautiful from where they were. “Being from Texas, we don’t get this type of scenery. I thought I wouldn’t like the snow but it seems to have grown on me in the few short days.”

“Well, Lieutenant, you’re gonna have to get used to it if you roll with me.”

“I think I can adapt well, darling.”

When the squad left the next morning, a little piece of Yn’s heart left with Jake. She didn’t believe in love at first sight but there was no denying the feelings swarming like butterflies each time they were together. FaceTimes became their thing. Usually a couple times a week with casual texting since both had busy lives. Jake then flew out a couple weeks later to spend New Year’s with Y/n, the two sharing their first kiss that sparked like the fireworks in the sky.

Y/n traveled to San Diego in February with Jake returning to Aspen in March. What was supposed to just be a weekend turned out to be Jake having to stay for nearly three months due to the world shutting down. The pandemic was something no one could’ve predicted. Both Y/n and Jake had to scramble to figure out what to do, her parents offering him a cabin to reside in since they had to close down the resort. The competitions Y/n was set to compete in were canceled, Jake having to work remotely with meetings through zoom. There was no indication if he’d have to return to San Diego and frankly he didn’t know how he would since airlines were shut down.

It was a blessing in disguise, however, because it brought the two closer. Jake and Y/n were able to do things together despite being confined to the resort. Since it was only them, her parents, and her coach on the premises, Y/n was able to still train and even taught Jake how to snowboard downhill. He told her about his career and what it was like being in the air competing against the speed of sound.

“It’s an adrenaline rush most of the time,” He explained one night as they laid by the fire, a random movie on the Tv mounted above the mantle. “You can probably relate when you do your runs. Not being able to really think and just let your body take over. Feeling a high that’s indescribable and praying it will end how you think it will.”

In the mornings Y/n would drop off breakfast and coffee to his cabin on her way to training. After his meetings he’d bring her lunch or dinner since she was practicing most hours in the day. The 2020 season was canceled, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t prepare for 2021. Athletes training for the Summer Olympics would have to wait a whole year, meanwhile the plans for the Winter Olympics in 2022 remained. Speculations already arose that by the next spring things would slowly go back to normal with the implementation of a vaccine. Jake returned to San Diego as soon as the green light was lit, mostly because the Navy was ordering him to. Airlines only allowed certain people to fly with regulations set to accommodate social distancing. It was a bittersweet goodbye for the couple, Jake promising to return as soon as he could.

Their relationship continued to be long distance for a long time. San Diego locked down several times preventing either from traveling to see each other. Y/n kept busy by training from sunrise to sunset, Jake running missions the Pentagon tasks the Dagger squad with and the two FaceTimed consistently. Luckily by spring of 2021 things did in fact calm down. A vaccine was introduced, both wasting no time to receive it, and making plans for Y/n to fly out to San Diego.

When she landed she was met with the clear skies and warm rays of the sun, catapulting into Jake’s awaiting arms after exiting the terminal. “I missed you so much!” She giggled as he spun her around.

“I missed you more, darling.”

Everyone welcomed her with smiles, the pilots excited to see Y/n again after so long. They took her to The Hard Deck to celebrate her and Jake’s one year anniversary and for her qualification in the 2021 Winter X Games.

“Excited to get back in the pipe, Y/n/n?” Reuben asked her.

“You bet your ass I am,” she clicks her beer glass with his. “Can’t wait for the world to see what I’ve been practicing.”

The squad cheered on Y/n from Fightertown during the Winter X Games, watching her claim the gold of the women’s Superpipe for the sixth time. Jake was the loudest, his reaction to her win captured by Rooster, “That’s my girl!!”

Flash forward to January 2022. The team rang the year in, Y/n joining festivities where she and Jake celebrated their third New Year’s before they all traveled North to Mammoth to watch Y/n compete in the Mammoth Grand Prix. The first completion of the year, it would be where the Beijing Olympic Team members were named.

By the end of the competition, Y/n was going to have to set an appointment with her tattoo artist to add Beijing to the list of Games.

“YEAHH!!!” The scream released, arms shot into the air as her name shot to the top of the leaderboard following her second run, the score a 96.00. On the ground Jake, her coach, parents, and friends were losing their minds. Rightfully so, they just witnessed Y/n make her third Olympic team.

“And there you have it folks, the defending Olympic champion in the halfpipe is heading to Beijing in her third Olympic appearance. Y/n L/n has shown greatness this whole weekend, proving herself as one of the best in the sport. There’s been so much improvement in her form—the Winter X Games this past year was the last time we’d seen her since the pandemic shut everything down, but that didn’t stop Y/n from getting ready for Beijing. She is unstoppable. It'll be an exciting Games next month, not just for the women’s competition—Shaun White will return to the stage for the fifth time in an attempt to defend his gold model.”

A celebratory party was in store for the Olympian. Champagne was popped and music blasting in the restaurant the members of Team USA rented together. All their friends and family were there having a grand time. Y/n and Shaun got pictures together, the internet calling them the king and queen of the halfpipe. Pretty much all of the dagger squad, minus Jake of course, were chatting up with the Olympians—Bob received a thumbs up from Y/n when she spotted him talking with Mikayla Shiffrin.

Halfway through the night, Jake pulled her aside, “How you feeling?”

“Good,” she breathed, still coming down from the high of excitement. “Excited, nervous, internally dreading the long flight but overall I’m happy.”

“I’m happy for you, darling,” he kissed her head, “You deserve this. After watching you bust your tail these past two years, I can’t describe how proud I am of you.”

Y/n felt a wave of love course threw her, kissing him softly as a thanks. When they pulled away Jake asked what was next to which she replied, “What do you mean?”

“Well…I hear Italy is hosting in four years.” She made a sound of ‘Ahh,’

“That’s what you mean.”

Jake quickly explains, “I just wanted to know if that’s in your sights. You’re gonna get asked plenty next month, so see it as me wanting to be the first to know……and because I’m already planning on being there if you do.” Unfortunately due to covid restrictions, Jake and her family are unable to attend the Games in person. Only her coach was allowed to travel with Y/n, meaning everyone else would have to cheer from home.

Italy wasn’t even on Y/n’s mind. After a career of over fifteen years and having celebrated her 30th birthday, the next chapter was something she thought about often. Jake was her longest relationship, the two at two years and Y/n fell more and more in love with him each day. While the long distance was going well, it would only be a matter of time before one of them would want to settle. Marriage. Children.

Going for a fourth Games was possible—look at Shaun. Beijing was his fifth Games, and Kelly Clark competed in five.

“Confident you’ll be around by then? 2026 is a long way from here,” teasing at first, Y/n felt her heart skip by the look she received. It was one of love, determination, and admiration.

“I’m confident in a lot of things, Y/n. And when it comes to us,” two fingertips come up to hold her chin steady, green eyes boring into hers. “I see a cabin with a front porch and gorgeous sunrise over the mountains as we drink coffee and reminisce over our glory days before the little ones left the nest. That’s what I see when I look at you.”

February 2026–Livigno, Italy: Final of the Women’s Halfpipe in the XXV Olympic Winter Games.

“So one last run, huh?” Jake squeezes Y/n’s hand, easing her nerves as she feels the metal of his wedding band on her skin. She had yet to put her gloves on, waiting for someone to escort her to the top of the slope.

“One last one,” her tone was laced with sadness, not doing much to mask her anxiety. She was one run away from winning a third conservative gold medal. Beijing was already four years ago, Y/n adding a second gold to her collection to retain her title as queen of the halfpipe. She was met with international recognition following the Games. Her performance in Beijing resulted in the first 100.00 scored in the Olympics.

On the cover of Sports Illustrated and winning big at the 2022 ESPY’s, Y/n was on top of the world. Appearances on James Corden and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Y/n not only showcased her gold medal, but a diamond ring on her finger where she told the world her love story with Jake.

“Hi, I’m Y/n L/n,” she waved at the camera, a MacBook in front of her and trying not to laugh at where Jake was sitting in his own chair beside the producer of GQ, videoing her with his phone. “Two-time Olympic gold medalist in the women’s halfpipe and I’m here with GQ, about to go undercover on the internet.” Opening the laptop, she shakes her head with a nervous grin. “This is gonna be interesting.”

Ironically enough, she chose the username Y/ndoesntlikethesnow. “I’m sorta scared at what Twitter and Reddit will bring. Just because….,” she makes a face, “I go on the bird app religiously so I know what that’s like, but also I’ve heard horror stories about Reddit.”

“I wanna know how @Y/nlikesthesnow managed to get up after planting face first in the snow at her first Olympic trials. On live television. If that was me I would’ve retired right then and there.”

The laugh that escaped Y/n was equivalent to a wheeze, sending Jake into his own laughter. Calming down, Y/n had to wipe her eye, “oh my goodness what a great start. Okay,” her fingers hovered over the keys, typing away with each word she spoke. “Thank you for bringing this memory up—it was truly a defining moment in my career I would say. Not only did it humble me, but had it not happened I probably wouldn’t have busted my butt as much as I did to get to Sochi. So it’s kinda sentimental now….though I do die inside each time someone tags me when they use the gif.”

Clicking send, Y/n clapped, “next!”

“Does Y/n L/n and her fiancé know they basically lived in a Hallmark movie? Guy comes to a small town and meets a local girl who’s family runs a ski resort and they fall in love in just a few short weeks. I think about that a lot.”

Both Y/n and Jake make a snort, “Jake is here with me now,” she points to though he can’t be seen. “We both love this question. And to answer it, you know it never crossed our mind that this was happening, but if Hallmark would like some inspiration for their next movie we’d be happy to give some.”

The wedding took place in fall of 2023. Shortly after Y/n made the decision to move to San Diego to be with Jake, finding an indoor halfpipe training facility to train in. She continued to dominate the 2023-2025 seasons. By the time she made her fourth Olympic team, Y/n became the most decorated female snowboarder in Winter X Games history and won the Mammoth Grand Prix for the sixth consecutive time.

Now in Italy for her final Olympic appearance, the pressure was on.

Currently Y/n was in last position, shocking many as she had multiple errors in her first two after being the number one qualifier. Eight years ago in Pyeongchang, her friend and former teammate Shaun White stunned the world when he went from the bottom to the top of the leaderboard in the final rotation of the men’s final, claiming his third gold medal.

People were itching to know if the same would happen to Y/n. Commentators and twitter alike saying it was deja vu happening.

Only Jake, the squad, her coach and family were the ones to know she would be retiring. Her last run marking the end of an era in snowboarding. With her first two a disaster, Y/n wanted to end on a high note.

“Better make it count,” Jake told her, cupping her face in his hands to stare deeply into her eyes. “You got this, okay? Don’t think about i-t-like I always tell you: don’t think, just do.” Kissing her forehead, he adds, “That gold medal is calling your name.”

Confidence filled her, Y/n lifting her chin high to show her determination. “I better go claim it then.”

Jake mirrored her grin, winking just as the volunteer was calling her name. “We’ll be cheering when you do, babe. Go show them who’s the Queen.” Giving one last kiss of support, Jake says goodbye to his wife, “I love you.”

“I love you,” she returns and he watches her leave before heading to the area where the others were waiting for him.

“How is she?” Javy asks him, adjusting the lapels of his coat. It was a cold but beautiful day in Italy. Perfect for snowboarding.

“I can tell she’s worried,” Jake takes out his binoculars, setting up to see Y/n take her place. “But she’ll pull through. She always does.”

“Welcome back to our coverage of the women’s halfpipe final here in Livigno, Italy. Y/n L/n, the defending two-time gold medalist is about to take her final run in this competition.” The title card appeared on the screen for viewers watching at home, reading: “Y/n L/n-Seresin—Gold Medalist: 2018 & 2022, Silver Medalist: 2014–Hometown: Aspen, Colorado, USA.

“It’s been a rocky day for L/n—failing to produce a big score on her first two attempts: 39.00 in the first and 49.00. She’s got one more chance to beat the 92.25 and is currently in last position. If you can think back to 2018 Shaun White was in the same position, managing to come back in his final run to take the gold. In just a few moments we shall see if Y/n can do the same.”

It’s said that your heart beats on average 60 to 100 beats per minute. That’s a normal heart rate. Throw in emotions such as anxiety and you’ll find it increasing. If a doctor were to place a stethoscope over Y/n’s chest as she secured the clasps of her snowboard, pulling the goggles over her eyes, they’d find the number of her bpm to be at least 110 maybe even 120.

“Don’t think,” Jake’s voice echoed in her head, bringing a sense of calmness. “Just do.”

“Don’t think,” she repeated under her breath. “Just do.” Maneuvering her board once she was giving the go, Y/n starts her decline into the halfpipe, dropping in one last time. Unlike her previous runs where she focused too hard that led to the mistakes, Y/n moved effortlessly like the board was in control. Back-to-back 1080s, her signature move. Getting high in the air she spun. Backside 900 and frontside 700. Opening at the right moment to hit the snow correctly and set up for the next trick. Showing off her talent as one of the greatest athletes of her generation.

Thinking back to her first time her feet touched a board, Y/n felt the nostalgia in her veins. It was comforting, masking the nerves it soon replaced. She was in her element. Picturing the mountains of Aspen and the snow she grew up on.

She could hear the crowd getting louder with each move. It fueled her, pushing the Olympian to get higher in the air, spin faster, and land perfectly. When she came down on her 1260, a difficult move usually seen in the men’s competition, Y/n felt her heart stop as she hit the snow.

It was a golden finish.

A roar ignited from the crowd, Y/n’s hands flying to her mouth, making her final descent down the pipe across the line and falling to her knees like she did back in 2018. It was so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts, audibly shouting, “Oh my God!” Desperately searching for her husband, she found Jake jumping up and down with the squad, screaming like their lives depended on it.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, Y/n throwing off her goggles and unclamping her board from her feet to run towards them. The fucking aviator broke the rules and hauled is ass over the barrier to meet her in the middle, catching Y/n when she jumped into his arms. “You fucking did it!!! You did it!!”

Suddenly their little hug was interrupted by her coach, parents, the squad and members of Team USA joining in. The score hadn’t even come in, but it didn’t matter. Y/n just pulled the comeback of the decade. Going from the bottom to the top in the blink of the eye.

“All eyes on Y/n—here she goes dropping in. Good start on the grip to gain momentum as she sets up her first trick. Here’s her signature move as we’ve seen time and time again…two 1080s often called ‘the cork’ and she’s had trouble all day with this—well no problems right there that was beautiful. Now with the backside 900….looking good—if she maintains this then the gold medal is hers. It’s gonna be that last trick, the McTwist, that could make or break this run…..no problems on that frontside 700. All there’s left is the 1260–very difficult we don’t see it in women’s halfpipe but Y/n is determined to land it—can she do it for the gold medal…..AND SHE’S GOT IT!! She landed it—oh my goodness that was incredible! That’s gotta be enough—there’s no doubt in my mind, Y/n L/n has just won her third consecutive gold in the women’s halfpipe after being in last place for two rotations—putting on a show stopping performance in the final run.”

“She knows it too. Members of Team USA and Y/n’s support team including her coach and husband are celebrating with her. She needs higher than a 92.25 to take the lead—will it be enough? It has to be…..A 99.75 SHE’S DONE IT! A QUARTER OF A POINT AWAY FROM PERFECTION, Y/N L/N HAS WON HER THIRD GOLD MEDAL IN THE WOMEN’S HALFPIPE HERE IN ITALY. THE QUEEN OF THE HALFPIPE REMAINS ON THE THRONE.”

Y/n’s lifted onto Jake’s shoulders when the score comes into the uproar of cheers around her. American flags wave in her face, a sea of red, white, and blue against the glistening snow. It was a scene she would remember in the years to come following her retirement from snowboarding.

The Olympic Rings staring back at her along with the American Flag rising to the sound of the national anthem. Gold around her neck, the heaviness leaving a lasting mark as it would be the last time she would be crowned the Olympic champion. Jake clapping with tears streaming down his face as she waved to him in the crowd. Her parents crying with him, the guys and Nat are whistling and jumping up and down. Pete in a side embrace with her coach and former teammates beaming like they were witnessing history.

In fact it was history. Y/n became the first woman to win the gold in three consecutive Olympic Games. From a little girl with a love of snowboarding who missed out in her first trials. To become a silver medalist and most decorated Winter X Games title holder. To a three-time Olympic champion.

She truly was the queen of the halfpipe.

………….

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan @caitsymichelle13 @poppyalice2001 @cutelittlepotatofry @luckyladycreator2 @americaarse @elenavampire21 @back-tooo-black

#Spotify #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin fluff #jake seresin x you #jake seresin #jake hangman x reader #hangman fanfiction #jake hangman seresin #hangman imagine #athlete!reader #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun maverick imagine #tgm imagine #hangman fluff #glen powell #dagger squad imagine #Olympian!reader

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copperbadge · 11 months

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We recently got into a discussion of producing audiobooks for small press, indy, and/or selfpub authors on another post, but we had strayed pretty far from the original post, and @genedoucette very kindly gave permission for me to slice his comment off the end of that post and put it into a new one.

genedoucette

I have been very, very lucky when it comes to audiobooks, so I'm hesitant to offer advice without adding a huge YMMV caveat at the top. For most of my self-published novels, I used ACX and paid a narrator out-of-pocket (rather than 50-50 proceeds split), which just means I'm paying an agreed-upon X dollars per finished hour, prior to making any money off f the audio editon. Every book I did this with paid for itself, sometimes within the first two or three months, sometimes longer. (YMMV: I did a lot of this during what I would call the audiobook bubble, when demand was higher than supply.) I had another novel series--Tandemstar--that I brought to an audiobook company, who brought it to their distributor, who agreed to pay for the production costs of the book and to pay me a (small) advance. To date, the royalties from that series have not made up the cost of the advance, but the good news was that none of the production costs came from my pocket and the advance meant I did make something out of the deal. The rule-of-thumb I always heard was, don't expect books that haven't sold well to sell any better as audiobooks. But my experience, with ACX/Audible, is this: about 50% of my monthly earning come from audio sales. How long is the book in question (word count), and what is the genre? Because it is absolutely possible to get a not-terrible narrator at a not-terrible cost on ACX. If it's a low word count book with a decent sales record, I'd 100% do it. If it's a high word count book with few sales, maybe not.

Thanks so much for this! I am admittedly always suspicious of Amazon writ large, but it's not like I've never partnered with them before, and often for indy authors they're one of a very few games in town.

50% of sales via audio impresses me a lot -- I'm not really in the industry so my sense of scale may be off but my eyebrows went up at that. And looking at ACX, a split-profits model would be appealing. I'm more interested in providing the reader with more options than I am with making royalties, so I don't mind low payout, but I also don't want to exploit a narrator if I can avoid it.

I doubt I'm selling near the level you are, but it's pretty consistent, at least -- for the last literary novel I published in 2021, and for the four genre romances published in the past year-and-change, it's generally 200-250 copies (epub and paperback) in the first 6 months, and about 40 per year after that. None of them are over 100K words -- the first of the romance novels, the one I'd be most likely to have done as an audiobook to trial, is around 50K, and the other books are all between 60K and 90K or so.

There's some fine print I'm not nuts about -- exclusivity to Amazon/Audible/iTunes for example -- but I can see why it's a necessary business model for them. There's not a ton of clarity on cost per hour for a book, but it looks like for a flat fee it starts around $250 per finished hour? So I'd probably be looking at minimum $1K out of pocket, which is probably roughly (I haven't done the math) royalties per book for a full year. It could be fun to give it a swing regardless, although reading the ACX site made me realize I'd actually have to give notes and feedback to a reader which sounds nervewracking.

It looks like the readers for ACX are repped by SAG-AFTRA, which means that for now I have time to consider while the strike is going on. (Obviously not all of them are union but if it's an entertainment format where the union is involved, I don't want to cross the picket.) And the ACX site is pretty comprehensive in terms of figuring out how it all works, so if I did want to source a narrator elsewhere and perhaps not distribute exclusively through ACX, I now have a grounding from which to research other options too.

Sorry, a lot of this is just me thinking aloud, but I truly do appreciate the info and also something to bounce off of in terms of considering it. And I appreciate the opportunity to share it with my readership too, thank you!

#genedoucette #shivadhverse #independent publishing #selfpub #audiobooks

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blue-aurora-nora · 2 years

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Rengoku x Tsuguko!Reader|

You may have had a good rep for being the Flame Hashira’s tsuguko, but that wasn’t all you were known for.

And no, it wasn’t your talent and amazing speed that almost matched Rengoku himself.

It was your ability to hide both wounds and pain.

You had quite the knack for pulling pokerfaces and playing off your injuries to be less horrendous than they really were.

Unfortunately, soon after becoming Rengoku’s tsuguko, he was quick to see through your facade and busted you numerous times. He let you know immediately that hiding injuries wouldn’t get far with him. He’d always find out one way or another.

Like that one time when you’d been play-fighting with Inosuke you’d managed to break two of your fingers and continued playing. You were stopped by a disgusted Zenitsu who’d heard your fingers crack and were sent to Rengoku’s with your fingers splinted.

And that other time when you had come back from a mission bruised to hell from a demon stomping your stomach. You had hidden it pretty well until Rengoku had noticed that you weren’t sleeping on your stomach when you’d laid down for the night. When he questioned it, you played it off and stated that your stomach was slightly sore, nothing less, nothing more.

The Hashira obviously hadn’t been happy with that answer and next thing you knew, you were wrestling with your sensei, trying to keep his arms from untying your yukata to gain access to your stomach.

The ridiculousness of the situation had gotten to you and laughter began bubbling from your mouth without fail, a ghost of a wince on your face from the pain on your stomach.

Rengoku hadn’t been smiling though, soon winning the battle and glancing at your horribly bruised abdomen when he moved your top. He’d touched just below your bandaged chest before straightening.

“(Y/N), you have swelling on your ribs. Does it hurt to breathe?” He’d asked.

You both later found out that you’d broken 4 ribs.

Needless to say, Rengoku kept a closer eye on you after that.

Which brought you to today’s predicament.

“(Y/N)-sama, are you sure you weren’t injured?” A kakushi asked, scanning you down. They knew very well about your little habit of hiding injuries and they didn’t want the Flame Hashira down their throats for not checking on his tsuguko properly.

You waved the kakushi off with a smile, “I’m fine. Just a few cuts, don’t worry about me. I think that the lower ranks are in need of care more than me.” Unbeknownst to them, you were injured and it wasn’t a small cut either.

The demon had slashed you good earlier, once on the back and then again on your stomach. Thankfully, you had stopped the bleeding with your breathing, so you believed that the injuries weren’t that bad. Sure, they hurt but it wasn’t life-threatening, so it wasn’t anything serious.

The kakushi slowly left you, eyeing you suspiciously with a look that screamed ‘you’d better not be lying’ before disappearing to take care of any other injured slayers.

You went about the rest of your day after that, successfully avoiding Rengoku since he’d been on missions back to back and didn’t get the chance to talk long enough to gain suspicion.

Unfortunately, about 2 days after, while you were playing with Inosuke, he suddenly stopped.

You shakily stood up, blinking at him dazedly. You’d been feeling off all day and your wounds were hurting a lot more than when you’d first gotten them.

“What?” You questioned as Inosuke’s shoulders slumped with an annoyed groan.

“You’re hurt again!” He exclaimed knowingly, “Your movements aren’t as sharp as mine and you keep shaking!” The boar man never voiced it, but it worried him when you played off your pain.

“No, I’m not.” You willed your body to stop shaking to prove a point, “See?” A wave of nausea came over you, but you kept your face straight, showing no signs of discomfort to the pig-headed boy.

“MONJIRO! TENISTU!” He may have seemed dumb, but Inosuke knew that Tanjiro and Zenitsu were one of the only few that could guilt-trip you into getting medical attention.

At Inosuke’s retreating body, you took that as your cue to leave and turned heel. That movement caused even more nausea and water sounded refreshing so you took a quick trip to the stream near the butterfly mansion. Hopefully some water could quell the nausea bubbling in your throat.

Everything was fine. You were just a little under the wind.

Ok.

You admit it.

Something is definitely wrong and you really regret not allowing the kakushi to check you.

It was late, past midnight, when you were awoken by the pain radiating from both your wounds. You couldn’t find any comfortable way to lay down and moaned miserably into your pillow. Every movement caused pain to shoot into your side and back and nausea to come back into your throat.

Rengoku wasn’t back from today’s mission yet, so hopefully you could get medical help without running into him and getting a scolding.

Pushing past the aches that possessed your body, you stood up slowly to keep your nausea down and gasped out when you moved too fast, a warm, wet feeling going down the front and back of your yakata.

Looking down, you saw liquid crimson slowly taking over the light blue fabric of your yukata. The nausea came back full force and you scrambled outside, painfully grasping your side and throwing up on the rocks past the engawa.

“(Y/N)?” The familiar voice of your sensei filled your ears and you pitifully glanced up at him.

Those golden eyes of his that always stared confidently were now overtaken with worry.

This was all your stupid fault.

“Rengoku!” You called out hoarsely, hands leaving your wounds to show the blood on your hands like a child revealing candy they’d stolen from the drawer, “P-Please don’t be mad…” You trailed off with a low groan, your vision going black as Rengoku launched forward.

“(Y/N)!”

You awoke feeling way better but still in pain. You quickly noticed that you were also in the butterfly estate and your injuries were bandaged with great proficiency.

Shinobu must've treated you herself.

"I see that you're awake."

You snapped your head to the side to see Rengoku sitting at the side of your bed, arms crossed and that usual smile on his face. Though, you couldn't help but notice that it was somehow... brighter than usual.

You didn't bother sitting up, Rengoku would just make you lie back down. "I'm so-"

Rengoku raised a hand to stop you, "No need, (Y/N). I admire how headstrong you are but we'll have to put a stop to your habit of hiding injuries."

You frowned slightly.

It's not like every injury you get automatically needs to be treated, that would be a waste of time and also take up resources that someone else needed more.

"And I've got the perfect solution to that. I had plenty of time to think while you rested up for 3 days."

"Three days?!" Recovery was going to suck. You looked back to your mentor with a nervous glance, "So... about stopping my habit?"

Rengoku smiled impossibly wider at that, "Ah, yes! From now on, if you aren't honest about every injury that you get, you will be placed on lockdown and put under watch of any hashira that is free, no matter how small the injury."

Your jaw dropped at that, "WHAT?! So if I get a scratch on my leg, I have to tell you?"

"Precisely!" He beamed, "However, if you don't want to agree to such conditions, then you can no longer be my tsukugo." He uncrossed his arms, resting them in his lap, "(Y/N), I can't have someone with a reckless habit like yours as my tsukugo. If you can show me that your willing to show some weakness and accept help, then I'll be willing to work with you. What do you say?"

It would be dumb to decline his offer.

And what you did had been a bit reckless on your part. You probably would've died if Rengoku hadn't found you right before you passed out.

You probably worried Tanjiro and his friends, too.

Tears welled in your eyes and you nodded, "Yeah, I can do it... I'm really sorry." You sniffed.

Rengoku simply reached out and gently patted your hand laying on your chest.

You would both work this out together.

#platonic #kny x reader #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #sfw blog #sfw post #rengoku kyoujurou x reader #rengoku kyojuro #x reader #whump #tw injury #tw vomit

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kitkatopinions · 9 months

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Quick note, I don't know the person who made these tweets or what the "THIS is what they do" is referencing, I'm only using this as a jumping off point to talk about what seems to be a pretty regular repeated opinion among people who hate rwby criticism and rwde posters.

First things first, it needs to be clarified that the "don't call it a rewrite or a fix-it fic, only call it a fan AU" is in my opinion very ridiculous and also fundamentally misunderstands the differences between AUs, rewrites, and fix-it fics.

Fix-it fic: These fics are made in an attempt to fix something the writer did not like in the original project. They write things in a way they think is better than the original, or they write a thing that they didn't do in the original but the fic writer thinks is better than what was in the official content. There are pretty high expectations on fix-it fics for good reason, as the writer obviously is setting out to fix things. So for instance if somebody makes a rwby fix-it fic, I kind of expect them to do things like improve queer rep in rwby or improve world building in rwby and so on.

Rewrite: The writer is fundamentally changing things from the original, but a rewrite is not automatically a fix-it fic because people aren't always trying to fix anything. A fix-it is always a rewrite, but a rewrite isn't always a fix-it. Because in a rewrite, the writer could just be doing things that they think are interesting concepts, for fun, and not out of a desire to improve the official content. There are still expectations on rewrites to follow at least some element of story with format and all that, but there's less pressure to *be better than the original* because that's not automatically a part of writing a rewrite.

AU: A term for 'alternate universe,' this just means that the fic is not going to follow canon, there might be alterations as big as all the characters going to a regular high school in our world in modern times, to an AU where Pyrrha lives instead of Jaune. All fix-its and rewrites are technically 'alternate universes,' but AUs are even more relaxed and for fun than rewrites. So they're even less bound by any sort of expectations. There doesn't have to be any sort of formatting or anything for just an AU. If someone writes a romance based AU where Yang gets partnered up with Pyrrha and the two of them start a relationship, there doesn't need to be any fall of beacon, quest for the Relics, Salem doesn't even need to ever come up...

Not properly tagging a fix-it fic as a fix-it fic because some RWBY fans get angry whenever someone they don't know dares to think they can improve on the story of a bunch of other people they don't know... Doesn't actually do anything helpful. The fact that people have this 'you have to show only the upmost respect to the RWBY writers!' Why? Especially when Miles Luna specifically has a history of misogyny, biphobia, and said the n word as a twenty six year old. Why should I or anyone else be required to 'respect' a man who slutshamed the character of Tifa Lockhart by derogatorily calling her a prostitute because of what she was wearing and then lied about it when he got called out? It's a ridiculous expectation that really reads as massive insecurity on the side of anti-rwde posters.

So before even getting into the pieces of advice in the messages here, I just want to say that most of them do not matter in a rewrite or an AU. "This is my AU where Roman lived after the Fall of Beacon" is not immoral or wrong in any way. "This is my RWBY rewrite where I explore the ships I like rather than only the canon ships" like bro, who the hell does that hurt? So on and so forth. AUs and rewrites are just fans exploring fun ideas they like, it doesn't mean they actually wish the thing they're writing actually happened. For instance, I have plans for a fix-it RWBY fic where I try to mostly stick to the choices made in the original content and just do it in a better way (because I don't feel obligated to consider Miles "video games for your girlfriend" Luna better than me and stay in my demure place where I couldn't possibly improve upon a hot mess of a thrown together show.) But I also wrote a long fun non-published AU fic with my sister where we did this whole redeeming Torchwick, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo thing. AUs and rewrites should not be held to strict rules everyone needs to follow about who they are and aren't allowed to like or redeem. That's just killing creativity in fandom spaces.

But, now to get into these rules in practice of writing an actual fix-it fic (which again should actually be called a fix-it fic,) because a lot of these suggestions are actually good ideas... But A. Not all of them are, and B. I would bet good money that even the ones that are phrased well are used to baselessly attack people who aren't even doing the thing, and C. The actual original content of RWBY itself goes against these rules, but the same people that would pick apart a fanfic actively get angry when people dare criticize rwby.

So let's get into it.

Try to focus on the female protagonists

This is great advice for fix-it fics, and something that often puts me off of fix-it fics I've seen when they don't do this. 'Fix-it fics' that make men the protagonists or spend a lot more time focused on the men in RWBY than the women in rwby, it carries the implication that the person writing the fix-it fics thinks the there should be less focus on the women in rwby. However, this will also result in some anti-rwde posters who will see fix-it fics that do put a lot of focus on the female protagonists and have them be the protagonists and expand on their character and role but then also do things like have a chapter focused on fleshing out the character of Oscar and the anti-rwde poster will flip their lid about it. Also, this

Do not have a straight white male shame them for their actions

I'm assuming this part is focused on characters like Ironwood (arguably not white considering he was based in appearance of his Asian voice actor,) Ozpin (because despite the fact that most of the Oz reincarnations aren't white, Ozpin was,) Qrow (granted, very white, but is also one of the most coded as queer main characters,) and probably Adam. However, this ignores a couple of things, which is that if people are keeping to canon characters, Qrow, Ozpin, and Ironwood have all at times been mentors in canon - and also Ooblek and Port. It is generally a good idea to be careful when you DO write the main RWBY characters to mess up and get scolded especially if they're being scolded by white men, but the idea that you can't make the canonical mentors ever tell the RWBY girls they might be wrong is a strange one. Also it's worth noting that if you try to make RWBY more diverse by making some of these 'straight white males' into queer men or people of color, people are probably just gonna be more angry at you and still forbid you from ever having them say anything against the main girls. Also it's worth noting that RWBY canonically specifically had a scene where the white old man Peter Port who sexualized Yang got to tell off Weiss for being spoiled and entitled. So like... Maybe that should be criticized.

Do not make a cis white male have more of a role than them.

This is basically the exact same thing as the first point, which we'll see again. This list of suggestions has a couple different repeats.

No straightwashing

Another actually good suggestion, for the exact same reason as point one. Yang and Blake should stay queer, it's a very good idea to keep Jaune's sisters in mind (and maybe increase their role,) and May Marigold should of course stay a trans woman (and maybe get her role increased too!) However, it's worth noting that a lot of people consider it 'straightwashing' to have the bisexual Blake or the 'has expressed attraction towards men in like episode three' Yang ever be in relationships with men, and that's not straightwashing. It's biphobia to call a wlm bi ship straightwashing.

And NO fanservice

Now, look, "fanservice" to me has certain connotations of objectifying women, so I one hundred percent get this suggestion and think people should be very careful to make very sure they're not drifting into objectifying in their fix-it fics. However, I know how this fandom can get in regards to even young women so much as writing the now currently nineteen year olds to make out, so just to clarify. Even if it might feel like it sometimes, not everything romantic or sexual regarding the rwby main protagonists is inherently objectifying. Again btw, I want to clarify I'm not defending any specific current fix-it fic, just reflecting.

Don't make evil men "morally gray"

And we've come to the 'this is definitely about Ironwood and Adam and possibly Ozpin" thing. Here's the thing: There are problems with how the RWBY writers handled all three of these characters, and it's not immoral for anyone to make a 'fix-it fic' where they explore any of these characters as not evil especially considering that RWBY is meant to be a hopeful story, so making less characters plain straight evil is a perfectly reasonable thing. It's also worth noting that the actual show of RWBY made Hazel get redeemed as if he wasn't evil and treated him as at least partially in the right, while not having him truly apologize for the heinous actions he's done.

Also keep bumbleby canon

For fix it fics, this is a good recommendation because you can fix any problems you have with bumbleby. But also it's fine to not think bumbleby specifically should've been canon (though it's something I think could've actually been done well,) and going with something else. So long as you do include good other queer representation in your fix-it, not going with bumbleby shouldn't be viewed as an automatically horrible thing. You can make a fix-it fic where you put Yang with Weiss and Blake with Ilia or something. It's very silly to act like Blake and Yang being together should be a necessity. Again, there should one hundred percent be other queer main characters in your fix-it fic if you decide not to go with bumbleby.

Don't have Jaune or Adam date anyone in Team RWBY

...This is also something I think is a generally good idea tbh, and I don't have much else to say about it. In fact, adding a romance element to Adam and Blake's relationship actively hurt the show imo. Having Jaune date a member of Team RWBY can be done, but generally speaking I do feel like people should just avoid that, especially if the character is Weiss. But again I should point out that in the actual show of RWBY, they've made Weiss openly attracted to Jaune in season 9 while they had aged Jaune up a good twenty years, so... Yeah.

Ruby is to be idealistic, and it shouldn't be a character flaw

This is an interesting one, because I mostly believe in this. Ruby's being idealistic is something about her character I actually enjoy, and I also think that in a good show her beliefs would be challenged, and she would come out of it stronger, still with her hopefulness and her ideals but also willing to be smarter and more careful. And in a good show, there would be good characters who might have a different outlook that isn't villainized. So while I don't think that Ruby's idealism should be treated like a flaw, I do think her beliefs should be challenged and not treated as the only good and moral thing (and something tells me the people that complain about fix-it fics might consider that the same thing as 'treating it like a flaw.')

Yang is not a party girl, not an alcoholic, and not a slacker

So, the alcoholic thing is so specific that it makes me think this was specifically directed at one fix-it fic. But as for the other two. On the note of 'Yang is not a slacker' I would argue that in the early episodes, she wasn't actually shown to care about her studies much, but that the early episodes kind of rush through 'team RWBY finding their footing,' so in rewrites giving Yang an early character flaw of being a slacker... What's the issue with that? I'm genuinely confused with that one. Is it not in her early character of being an energized, fun loving girl? I don't get it. Now for the party girl thing... I'm also confused about that, because - and correct me if I'm wrong - didn't Monty Oum make 'party girl' like part of Yang's early characterization? When he was concepting her? And there was a whole thing in volume 2 where Yang and Weiss are planning a party and she's like bringing in loudspeakers and wants a fog machine, should we not think that means that she likes to party? Her whole first appearance in the Yellow trailer was specifically set in a club to get across the vibes they wanted for Yang. Yang goes to a club in volume 7 and is specifically talking about dancing at the club and the loud music at the club. Also my sister found this for me from the back of a V1 DVD.

They literally call Yang a party girl themselves! Do people just think there's something immoral about clubs and party girls and therefore don't want Yang to be one? Because that doesn't sound good, it sounds judgmental.

Jaune is a side character

This is advice that is very much not in line with canon. Jaune is at the very least a deuteragonist in canon and is often very much so treated as a main character, sometimes out stripping some of the main girls in terms of lines or screentime in a volume. I do think that fix-it fics ought to either reduce his role or increase the roles of the main characters, again to give more focus to the title characters in Team RWBY. However, it's just ridiculous to me to complain about Jaune's prominence in RWBY fix-it fics because I'm just like... Look at the main show! Complain about how much importance is put on Jaune in the show!

Adam Taurus is irredeemably evil So is Torchwick

I am certain that this is about one specific fix-it fic that some anti-rwdes make it part of their core rwby beliefs to hate, because most people only actually put Torchwick in the same category as characters like Adam and Ironwood in the 'you're not allowed to like and/or redeem them' category when they're talking about one specific fix-it fic. XD But just because other people do not like these two doesn't mean it's ILLEGAL to like and/or redeem them! In my opinion, there is no such thing as a person who is completely irredeemable! And in a hopeful show, wanting to redeem villains - especially villains who have been horrifically branded in racist acts - is not a bad thing??? This is your reminder that these are not real people who actually did bad things in real life, they're fictional characters, they're tools to be used to tell stories. This is basically just the "don't make evil men 'morally gray'" thing again but like, extra specific. Yes, Adam and Torchwick in the canon of RWBY are horrible evil people. But they're fictional people, you shouldn't villainize people for wanting them to be better and writing them to be better in a fix-it fic of a show that's meant to be fundamentally about hope. There's nothing hopeful about 'some people are irredeemable,' but 'even bad people can change and get better' is a really hopeful sentiment.

Once again, none of these expectations should exist for just 'rewrites and AUs' and are only applicable to actual fix-it fics, and some of them are just so pointless. It's literally just enforced fandom rules, and fandom rules kill creativity imo, there shouldn't be characters that people are forbidden from redeeming or just shouldn't ever make morally gray, or ships that are absolutely required that must be done. Even in fix-it fics! One person shouldn't expect everyone else in the fandom to fit with what they or what the writers want. Yes, there are things that I think should generally be done in fix-it fics like focusing on the main girls and keeping to the general outline of what happens in the canon series, but some people act like fix-it fics should really just unquestioningly copy paste the original work and call it good, and that's ridiculous.

Two more things to note:

Sometimes when people are trying to make a fix-it project, it can snowball into more of a rewrite. If they decide to start inserting characters just because they like it, or branch off into random tangents just because they find it interesting, or so on. So even in fix-it fics I think there should be allowances made and people need to understand that not every single thing in even a fix-it fic is something that the writers sincerely think should've happened in the actual canon of RWBY. I can't tell you the amount of times my sister and I have sat down to make a fanfic (we never publish btw) that was supposed to be 'a fix it for volume six onwards' or 'a fix it of volume seven' or something and wound up completely spiraling into a separate thing, and then we wind up being like 'okay but we really should write an actual fix-it sometime.' If you're publishing while you write, or posting your fix-it online as you go, you can't just be like 'guess this sorta became more of a rewrite than a fix it lol' if your fic is already titled as a fix-it. So I'm just saying, it's worth it to expand a little understanding that sometimes people making fan projects for their own enjoyment aren't always going to be hypervigilant to not let a little bit of personal bias and personal enjoyment leak into their choices.

Next thing to note: We should be holding RWBY to a much higher standard than any fan project. RWBY is a product that people are trying to sell us that's making an actual company money, it's the actual product itself, with a team of writers and their job is quite literally to make the story of RWBY good. Fics and fan projects are things people do as a hobby, that they're not getting paid for and therefore aren't selling to anyone. It's wild to me that some people will let RWBY the actual show get away with anything and actively try to stop people from criticizing it and then go around reading fanfictions nobody made them read so they can insult the people that make them over every little perceived injustice. If you're going to get angry at a fanfiction writer for including a little too much Uncle Qrow in their fix-it fic, please ask yourself why Jaune is such a prominent character in RWBY the actual show and why it doesn't bother you then. If you're going to get angry that a fix-it fic writer has Ozpin criticize the main girl protagonists, please go back and rewatch Jaune as a forty-something year old scream in Ruby's face that she's responsible for all bad things while she's crying, and get just as angry at the show writers as you would get at a fan if they did the same thing in their fic.

Anyway, this post was super duper long, but.... I'm done with it now.

#rwde #On fix-its and rewrites and AUs #like guys seriously please leave fanfic writers alone #they're just trying to have some fun most of the time #I paused my baffy watching to write this post #for like several hours

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wifeyifey · 1 year

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Raphael (bayverse) x gn!crush!reader

Part 2 of the one-bed trope 😈

I realized it was a fem!reader at first cause Raphael saying baby girl makes my brain go brrrr 🥴 but I changed it to be more inclusive for my bbs out there who don't get as much rep cause most of it is fem!reader

This is not proofread so I’m sorry for any mistakes my friends

Tiny bit of angst and then mostly fluff

Description: Due to the Foot clan knowing your whereabouts, you’re staying in the turtles’ lair and your favorite turtle suggested you sleep in their bed.

You were being carried into the lair by Raph with you going in and out of consciousness. This was not how he expected his night to go. Hearing that the Foot had you nearly threw him into a pit of blind rage. He ran out as soon as Donnie got your location. Obviously, everyone else was in tow and by the time they got to you, Raph thought he was done seeing red, but then he saw the bruises on you. “Raph,” you whimpered as his hands cupped your face, “I didn’t tell them. I didn’t tell them where you were or anything, I-I promise. I didn’t. I didn’t. ” You couldn’t help the tears falling down your face, you were just happy to see Raph. “Shh shh shh, I know you didn’t, baby, I know. I know,” he said softly and quickly got the ropes confining you to the chair and he quickly cradled you in his arms. His brothers already cleared the way out and you were brought back to the lair in haste.

“Donnie. Donnie, where do I put them?!” Donnie guided Raph into his lab where he cleared a table to check all your vitals and make sure there weren’t broken bones or internal bleeding. Raphael stayed next to Donnie waiting for your eyes to open again.After a while, Donnie said everything was clear and you just needed some rest at this point. “I’ll give them my bed. I barely use it-” “No. They can use my bed. I need to make sure they’re ok.” Raph interrupted Donnie. Donnie just nodded his head, “I’ll come by and check on them in an hour or so. I’ll give them more medicine if they need it. Try to get some rest, Raph. They’ll be ok.” Raph nodded his head softly as he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. As soon as the door closed, he slowly walked over to you.

He rubbed his hand over your hair and leaned his forehead against yours. “I swear you raise my blood pressure like no one else shorty.” He huffed out a small laugh from his nose. Raising his head, he looks over the bruises on your jaw and your black eye. He brushes his finger against your cheek, “I love you so much (N/N). When you wake up, I’ll make sure ya hear it straight fro’ me.”

He backed up against the wall next to the bed and slid down, propping up his knees and resting his arms against them. He looks at the wall in front of him and closes his eyes for a few minutes. He opens his eyes and looks to his right and notices your hand hanging over the bed and he softly grabs your warm hand and rubs his thumb over your knuckles. He thinks for a moment and leans forward to leave a small kiss to the back of your hand.

Moments after you grip his hand, and groan out a small “Raphael.” He was up in an instant and leaning in close to you. “(Y/N), god ya have no idea how happy I am to see yer beautiful eyes right now.” You grab his hand and smile softly as you guide it to cup your face. “Is this your bed?” you ask him. He nodded his head with slight confusion. “Then why are you not in it?” you said rub the outside of the hand on your cheek. He huffed a small laugh, “I ain’t want to make ya uncomfortable, baby.” You smiled a little more and gave a kiss to his hand. “You could never make me uncomfortable, Raphie. Come on. Lay down with me. Please.” Raph got up and laid down next to you. Quite stiffly you might add.

You turned around to face him. Why is he so stiff? You grabbed his arm and put it around your waist as you gingerly scooted closer to him. You snuggled yourself into his chest and placed a small kiss at the base of his neck. He gulped and felt himself warm up at the feeling. You looked up from your spot and met his eyes. “Thank you for getting me Raphael… I… I was so scared I’d never get to see you again. Never get to tell you how much I love you.” The breath he was holding escaped him in a small sigh. He looked down at your lips then back to your eyes. In the smallest voice he didn’t exactly think would come out of him, he said “I love ya more than anythin’ (N/N). Ain’t no one gonna hurt you like that again, angel.” You felt the tears burn your eyes. It was such an emotionally long day for you and you leaned in just enough to brush your lips against his and then pressed a firmer one against the corner of his lips. He wraps his arm tighter around you and pulls you into his chest. He smiles against your head as he pressed a kiss into your hair.

He knows now that this isn’t going to be just his room anymore. He couldn’t wait to see what you’ll add to his life as his s/o from now on.

Lmk what yall think!!

Requests are open!!

#tmnt x reader #tmnt bayverse x reader #raphael x reader #tmnt 2014 #tmnt 2016

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theyluvlyss · 8 months

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/ᐠ-˕-マ~ the heart !

𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨...

...and welcome to my heart ! here, you can see all of the fandoms I'm in and am currently making/posting content for, as well as links leading to the masterlists for each fandom. to learn more on the topic of myself, you can always check out the about me page. or, for general information, you can always check out the intro page. questions? your best bet is the faq's page.

I have a few of big/well-known ones (fandoms), but I think most of the stuff I write for is pretty niche, to be honest (and if not niche, just doesn't really have any fanfic/content on this app💀 but I'm happy to be the first or one of the few/ᐠ^˕^マ). also, the list is in alphabetical order for easy finds :).

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫

binging this show every three months has been and is the only consistent thing in my life. is that depressing?? nahhh/ᐠ-⩊-マ~°.*•...

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《 ♡ 》 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝

I love this movie because a) "awkward/odd black girl that literally everyone loves/has chemistry with" rep🫶🏽 (I could go so deep in on this-) and b) james harris has my heart😻.

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《 ♡ 》 𝐝𝐜

I have so many thoughts on all of the batboys all of the time. and the teen titans. and the kent boys. and-

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《 ♡ 》 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 (𝟏-𝟑)

they dyed cameron's hair black and white and told booboo stewart to put on a leather jacket/vest with no sleeves and just k n e w the girlies would lose their shit. like, lives changed fr.

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《 ♡ 》 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥

I need to branch out to other animes still, but I just- *sobs in emotional attachment to this one, and I don't want a new one/ᐠ~˕~マ*

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《 ♡ 》 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

you thought I was here for henry, huh? lol nah, jasper is where I'm at (jk I love henry, too). also, I find nickelodeon literally insane for having captain man's big, hairy chest, trail, and pits out on/during this show while I was coming up, like ??? like gee thanks now I have a type😒😻...

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《 ♡ 》 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐚𝐬𝐬 (𝟏-𝟐)

no because telling my mom, "I love superheros so much😻✨️" and then her sitting me down to make me watch this movie, out of all superhero movies ever, was a canon event. she couldn't just put on man of steel or something? I was literally, like, twelve years old, dude💀.

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《 ♡ 》 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 (𝐦𝐜𝐮)

my dad took me to see the incredible hulk in 2008, and it was a wrap💀.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 (𝟏-𝟑)

I saw gally's angry ass and fell in love, I'm sorry, I have an attraction to people who'd probably dislike me (speaking of dislike, fuck teresa, like genuinely. and don't fight me on this, we hate teresa on this blog, argue with the wall).

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐞

angel toress. that's all ♡.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐦! (𝟏-𝟐)

I love these movies with my entire soul, like, it's not even funny, and I wish I was normal (and not completely obsessive) about 'em, but nope, I just can't be, I-...

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

mike is such an asshole, I hate him. and yet... *heart implodes*. also yeah, obviously and of course, eddie munson. I'm not a steve girly. like, at all. but I'm not gonna turn down requests for him because I don't hate him or anything, lol.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐫 (𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟖/𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞)

I still, after like... a decade, can't believe that speed's mom gave birth to her beautiful little boy, looked him in his eyes, and was like, "...I'm gonna name you speed🥰." as if it wasn't already bad enough that his last name is racer😃. I'd be heated everyday of my life.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞

if any of y'all little sickos ever ask me to do the grabber just because he's played by ethan hawke, I will block you. deadass.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬

am I the only one that kinda doesn't like tilda? like, idk, her character was a little disappointing, I thought she'd be way chiller😔.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬

magik could've been so cool if they didn't literally make her racist😃. she doesn't even act that way in the comics (I don't think-) so what the hell was up with that😭? also, sam has my heart🥰.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝

I'm telling you right now, I only write for carl. I have trouble writing relationships with grown people, but I swear, I'm working on it/practicing🙏🏽😭.

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚 (𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬)

proud heather hater. no, she's not iconic. no, she's not a queen or savage. she's just an annoying bitch with a complex. argue with your momma🥴.

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐚'𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐨𝐜'𝐬

unnamed rainbow oc 🏳️‍🌈 (edit/first content)

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 :

the hunger gamesㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤonce upon a timeㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤspider-verseㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkarate kid (1-3)/cobra kai

𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 :

none :(

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 : [active] [hiatus] [offline]

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 : [open] [closed]

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐩...

...that's everything. be sure to browse through and find something you like and look out for upcoming fandoms I will add to the list and/events ! maybe if I had gotten the idea to do this sooner, I could've participated in goretober, kinktober, and flufftober, but oh well. maybe next year :).

anyways,,,,,

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ/ᐠ-˕-マ~ 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 !

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vrmxlho · 2 years

Note

Hi hiiii ? How was your day ? Can I please request an hq fluff with sakusa and Osamu ? In which they are flustered by their crush before confessing ? Thankssss and take care <333

i’m good, how are you? i love my lil babies aww jaskfldhg p.s. please tell me who your pfp is they’re so hawt 🫣 +++ sorry i’m only getting back to you now i hope you enjoy this at least 😭😭 ++++ i’m unsure if this is even what you meant 😞

cw: swearing + mention of disease in a love confession????? + NOT PROOFREAD + ooc (i'm sure of it) + one (1) mention of death

KIYOOMI SAKUSA 佐久早聖臣

he never thought that he out of anyone would ever get flustered or even confess for that matter

nobody had ever caught his attention or interest

until you

the two of you were classmates

he was the quiet type while you were the slightly annoying talkative type

but he didn’t mind, he liked having some background noise for his thoughts

yet, he started growing attached to your constant rants and talks

how you’d ask him if he was alright, not because you wanted him to pay more attention to you, but because you were genuinely worried that he wasn’t okay

how you’d bring snacks with you every time you saw him

and how you started coming to his volleyball matches, standing in the stands (lmao) with a banner for his team

he wished you’d only cheer for him, “but you can’t always win” he thought

even the thought of telling you he liked your company, let alone the fact that he was in love with you, made him feel his heart palpitate excessively

it felt like he had just completed the most strenuous volleyball reps in his career

at first he thought he was just getting out of shape

“why is my heart not able to handle walking up the stairs???” he thought

and then he proceeded to start working out an extra hour a week to strengthen his heart

this obviously did nothing because every time he saw you he felt like he was about to faint

his heart felt full and he was sure its beating could be heard

he searched up the symptoms and even went to a doctor until the doctor was like???

“boy you have a crush stop wasting my mfing time”

and it all started to make sense

he liked you, so he’ll let you know

right????

wrong

now that he’s realised his emotions, he’s literally avoiding you, as in running away from you

this was all until he realised you were sad not seeing him as much as you used to

so he built up the courage to tell you

“y/n, can we talk?” "oh so now you wanna talk??" you weren't actually mad, but you liked seeing him a bit grumpy, the way he would frown slightly and pout while looking away slightly was a sight to behold. he was rarely this expressive. "it's important." he was still looking away but this time his frown had softened, his pout had now transformed into him just biting his lip slightly. he looked almost...sad. "is everything okay?" he didn't reply to this but you could see him gulping and his ears going bright red. oh, you know what this means. he's nervous. "you know you can tell me anything, right?" you press on while reaching your hand out. but to this he flinched and pulled away; you could see his whole face burning red, his eyes wide and his eyebrows shooting up. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" "oh, i'm sorry..." you gave him a confused look, you still weren't mad at his sudden rudeness but you were really concerned as to what was going on. "no. i'm sorry i stopped talking to you. and for what i did right now...it's just..." his voice kept getting quieter and you didn't know how much longer you could keep this distance because you literally felt deaf in that moment. and because he looked so damn cute with his red face. "i feel like i'm dying when i'm with you." this was the first time you frowned at him. what the fuck does that even mean?? this was possibly the worst insult you had ever gotten. and it was from the person you really liked. you could feel your heart drop, and your eyes were already stinging with tears. "um..." "no, no i didn't mean it like that!" he was panicking now, his hands waving trying to prove his innocence, his face just kept getting redder and redder and he looked like he genuinely wanted to cry. "i want to die when i'm with you because-" "OKAY! I GOT IT DAMN!" you felt him tug at your arm as you turned to walk away. the next thing you felt was him hard chest and his arms wrapped around your waist. "because my heart only beats for you and it's rotting my internal organs." he was still blushing like a maniac and you could feel his heart beat hit your own body. but all you could do was giggle. this was 100% the funniest encounter you'd ever had with him. and you were glad. so so glad. the happiest you'd ever felt in so long. you wanted to stay like this till death separated you. you wanted to stay in his arms forever. "that was so gross."

OSAMU MIYA 宮治

he always feels like he misses you

he's in a constant state of longing

even when you're sat right beside him

in the same room, in the same class, talking to each other even

maybe it wasn't that he missed you, maybe he just wanted something more, different

osamu wasn't the brightest when it came to emotions so perhaps he was just feeling something else...

this obviously never hit him until atsumu asked him if you were dating

to which he got all flustered and was a fucking mess

"no of course not!? i don't like y/n like that!!"

he's insane...

what does he mean he doesn't like you

he thought of you every second of the day

from the moment he laid eyes on you

everything, every instance has been about you – you don't just matter, you are... everything

once he finally intellectualised this information everything made him nervous

he was scared to move too quickly, scared to move too slowly, scared of looking bad in your eyes and scared of appearing boastful and arrogant

he wanted to tell you but he also didn't

he resorted to rehearsing his confession in front of the mirror every night after atsumu fell 'asleep'

(he heard everything and told you, trust)

but when the day finally came, you were so prepared to make him work for that answer

he could confess all he wanted but all you really cared for was to make a mess of him

****you laugh maniacally*****

you were talking to your friends when he came up to you. you knew exactly how it was going to go. it would start with him taking you to the side. "y/n, i've been meaning to tell you this for a long time." him cutely apologising for being so abrupt. "i'm really sorry, but please don't interrupt." and a guarantee that it'll be swift "i promise it'll be quick." "what is it? you're worrying me." you wanted to start off simple. you were already off-script but this should be easy enough you thought. "nothing too serious. just. just hear my out for a sec..." "ok." "y/n, the time we've spent together has been amazing. the things we've done, the memories we have it's all just great. and i think i'm ready to you know." "are you breaking up with me?" that'll get him. "WHAT?!" he blurted out a bit too loudly that it made you back away a bit. his face was pale, something you didn't expect at all. "you know, i really liked you. but i guess i can't force you to stay with me." little did he know that you had been practicing too. you had perfected your fake cry and you were very prepared to use it. "what... no please. i love you, please i didn't mean-" "all men are the same." you were trying so so hard not to laugh but it was getting hard. his face was bright red and he kept reaching his hands out to you before recoiling, unsure if you wanted him around at all. "y/n, please wait. i- i'm so confused." "so be it! i'm so sick of you!" "WAIT! THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I'LL EVER DO, BEFORE PROPOSING!" he honestly looked like he was going to pass out. as soon as those words came out he slapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes widened to the size of volleyballs. "proposing?" you had gone far too off script. you felt bad. you didn't know how to respond at all. "when i look at you i can feel it. i look at you and i'm at home. i'll never feel this way about anyone, because you are my one and only. i love you." "oh, this was so much better than the confession you had planned."

taglist: @https-true-egoist @cyno-luvr @aiethereal-xx

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badchoicesworld · 1 year

Text

blog guide !!

requests are closed, but feel free to send them in regardless. just expect them to be answered a little later !

this is (for now) an across the spiderverse blog !

please allow me up to a week to write up your asks

characters i write for :

Miguel O’hara

Miles Morales

Miles 42

Hobie (let’s go brit rep)

Pavitr Prabhakar

The Spot

Peter B. Parker

Spider-Noir

general info :

i cannot stress this enough, i exclusively write everything but fem reader, y’all got enough .

that being said, feel free to request anything else at all- when it’s not specified i will just assume gender neutral for the sake of inclusion

trans readers, non-binary, everything in between and all about is completely valid here and i’m more than willing to write about it <3

i do have a health condition that can catch me some days, so there may be times where i’m inactive but it should never be for long periods of time

feel free to get oddly specific with requests ! the more i can work with, the better

but i also don’t mind if they’re just general requests that don’t require a lot of detail

i will NOT write explicit NSFW, i draw the line at clothes being removed unless it has something to do with a prompt (e.g. seeing top surgery scars for the first time), some of these characters ages are not specified yet and i don’t feel comfortable potentially writing NSFW for minors. that is a crime.

there will be some requests i won’t obviously be able to complete for a number of reasons, please do not spam me if this is the case. if i’m willing to fulfil a request i will try my best to communicate with you if needed :]

i have the right to deny requests.

i do wanna say that i am a white guy so i can’t write from first hand experience, but if you request something that includes diversity like a specific race or cultural aspects i will try my absolute best to deliver accurate works. I’ll research to whatever extent i need to (if you don’t already give some information) so i can provide for groups of people that are seriously neglected when it comes to fanfiction and such. and please, in the future, if i ever do fuck up PLEASE hold me accountable and if you can show me what i’ve done wrong and what i should’ve done; what i can do to improve, i would be so appreciative- my goal is to be as inclusive as possible with my writing and the last thing i want is to offend any body of people.

finally, there will be types of writing i can’t do for specific characters. for example, spot, idk how tf i would write like a whole one-shot when my man is how he is now so i’d probably just have to stick to headcanons n such

what i will write :

requests can be either platonic or romantic dynamics, potentially other stuff if you have any ideas. just lemme know ! i do like to consider myself half decent at writing, i’ve studied english literature and linguistics my whole life and i love it very dearly <3 i’m going on to study english as a whole at a higher level (literature, language, linguistics, creative writing)

i'm happy to also apply these headcanons to the cc's, so transgender miguel for instance! just let me know :]

i typically write in bullet points because im a mess

x male reader

x nb reader (feel free to specify if they’re ambiguous, masc leaning or whatever if it’s relevant to the ask)

x trans reader

x cis reader

x spider reader

x mutant reader

character x reader

if you request multiple characters (which is fine <3) i’ll likely default to headcanons for the sake of ease

what i won’t write :

x fem reader .

character x character

NSFW

triggering topics (excluding canon events)

weird fetish/kink stuff :[

hate speech, everyone is welcome here

masterlist :

hobie brown:

how i think Hobie would react to GN!reader calling them their husband casually, even though they’re not married

hobie brown with a transgender, vigilante reader (ftm reader)

hobie admires your fighting spirit (gn reader)

hobie’s punk, you’re metal (band edition, masc reader)

where you and hobie have the most loving connection, but don’t label it (gn reader)

where hobie meets gwens older brother (masc reader)

hobie notices how startled you get when he kisses you (gn!)

hobie realises you’re not as naive as he thought ! (gn reader)

with an s/o that cries a lot ! (gn!reader)

hobie with a snake mutated boyfriend !

hobie with a butterfly mutated boyfriend !

defending his trans partner !

miles morales

miles with an artistic boyfriend riddled with anxieties

miles with a snake mutated boyfriend !

defending his trans partner !

miles 42:

miles 42 w/ an artistic spider-reader ! (masc reader)

miles42 with a butterfly mutated boyfriend !

miles 42 w/ and alien boyfriend !

defending his trans partner !

the spot:

the spot getting flustered by masc!reader

the spot falls into winged readers home (gn)

spider-noir:

spider-noir finds out you’re transmasc on a mission !

helping noir understand trans issues (deadnaming, ftm reader)

with an s/o that cries a lot ! (gn!reader)

noir finds out you wear trans tape (transmasc!reader)

defending his trans partner !

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minisugakoobies · 1 year

Text

Day 11 ❄️ KTH

Kinks: exhibitionism, shopping for gifts

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: holiday, fluff, smut, established relationship, non-Idol!AU

Rating: M (18+)

Warnings: swearing, kissing, exhibitionism, oral sex (m receiving), face-fucking, cum swallowing, both reader and Taehyung wear lingerie, mention of body image/self-esteem issues, these two are quite whipped for each other

Word Count: 2.5K

Disclaimers: NSFW, obviously I don’t own BTS - they just inspire me

Summary: Upon discovering that you and your boyfriend are planning on buying each other the same gift, you decide to try it on together first

A/N: Typically, I try to keep my reader inserts as physically blank as possible. I'm not doing that here. I'm specifically writing this with a plus-size reader in mind.

This story started out just porn with the barest of plots and ended up soft & smutty. I hope you'll like it. 💜

Please don't be a silent reader 🥺 I'd love to know what you think! 💕

Day 10 ❄️ Kinkmas Masterlist ❄️ Day 12

Of all your boyfriend’s amazing traits, it’s Taehyung’s openness to trying something new that you love the most. It’s led to so many memorable experiences for the two of you.

Shopping at the mall on the Saturday before Christmas is new to him, but it probably isn’t going to make that list, you think, staring at the bustling crowds crammed into the corridor between shops. But Taehyung let you drag him down here anyway, since you both need to finish checking off the items on your Christmas list. He sighs now beside you, watching the people flow by like a colorful stream of fish.

With only one gift remaining on your list, you’re confident that this won’t take long. “Okay, how about we split up and meet back here in like an hour? Is that enough time?”

Taehyung nodded. “That’s more than enough. See you in an hour.” He presses a quick kiss to your cheek, and then he dives into the crowd, passersby parting to let him through. The crush is so thick that he disappears in seconds.

After a moment, you join the stream as well, moving quickly lest you be trampled by the other shoppers. The store you’re heading for isn’t far. It’s a place where you’ve bought a lot of little presents for yourself in the past. But you’re not buying something for yourself today. The last gift you need is Taehyung’s, and you’re pretty sure you’re going to find it here, at Euphoria, your favorite lingerie shop.

Strolling through the racks, you ponder what will make the perfect present for your boyfriend. Lingerie was never something you enjoyed before you met Taehyung. It always felt like it was meant for models, for those who fit into sample sizes, who showed off their bodies on Instagram and never felt self-conscious about the way they looked.

But Taehyung loves all of you, which he has demonstrated time and again, most effusively when the two of you are in the bedroom. His love has helped you embrace your curves, your rolls, all the soft bits you used to hate, used to hide under layers and layers of clothing. The more you’ve come to appreciate your own body, the more you’ve become comfortable with showing it off, and now you have an entire drawer filled with garments that make you feel like the sexiest woman in the world. Which, according to Taehyung, you are.

But what should you buy today? You mentally flip through your collection, hoping to spark an idea. Taehyung loves it when you wear your bodystocking, so maybe something with fishnets or lace? But he also can’t keep his hands off you when you put on a satiny corset or a pair of silk panties, so maybe that would work?

It only takes another minute of browsing before you stumble across the perfect ensemble. Thankfully, the line isn’t very long, so a sales rep rings you up quickly, and you slip your arm through the straps of the little shopping bag they hand you.

As you head towards the entrance, fully intending to spend the rest of the hour sitting on a quiet bench away from the crowds, a very cute bra hanging a few racks away catches your eye. Maybe now that you’ve finished shopping for others, you could treat yourself to something, too.

But you’re not paying attention to others as you make a beeline for the bra, and as you swerve to the left, you run smack into another shopper.

Your boyfriend.

Taehyung’s eyes widen as he realizes you’re the person he just bounced off of. “Hey, babe,” he drawls slowly, tucking his hands behind his back. You can see the end of a hanger sticking out, but can’t see what’s hanging from it. His eyes flick to the bag looped over your forearm. “Did you finish your shopping already?”

“Mmmhmm,” you reply, craning your neck to try to see what he’s hiding, but he shifts, turning his body to keep it obscured.

“That’s good. I’m, uh, I’m…”

“Shopping for me?”

You can practically hear Taehyung weighing his options as he thinks about his response. If he says yes, then the surprise is ruined. If he says no, then he’s going to have to explain why he’s in a lingerie shop to purchase a gift for someone other than his girlfriend. Maybe it’s the spirit of Christmas moving through you, but you decide to take pity on him.

“You can stop trying to hide it, it’s okay,” you grin, reaching for his arm. “I wanna see what you picked out!”

“But - it won’t be a surprise,” he protests, slipping out of your grasp.

Laughing, you cup his cheek. “Taehyung, I’m not a little kid, I don’t care about the surprise. I’m curious now, so let me see!”

He caves. In his hand is a white lace teddy, the material soft under your fingertips as you take it from him.

“Well?” he asks after a moment. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Biting your lip, you take a look around. The shop isn’t overcrowded but there are more than enough customers here to keep the sales reps busy at their registers. “I think I should try it on, though. Just to make sure you got the right size.”

“Actually, I got your size fr-”

You press a single finger to his mouth. Taehyung raises a brow.

“I should try this on. And you should come help.”

A slow smile spreads across Taehyung’s face. Taking his hand, you lead him towards the back of the store, where the dressing rooms are hidden down a hallway, and tug him directly into an empty room, locking the door behind you.

It’s a little cramped with the two of you in there, but there’s enough room for you to change. However, you don’t start pulling off your clothes just yet. Instead, you hand your shopping bag to him.

“Uh, here. Merry Christmas.”

Taehyung looks at the bag but doesn’t open it. “You want me to open this now? Do you want to try this on, too?”

“Not quite.” He doesn’t move. “Just open it, will you?”

Again he gives in, and reaches into the bag to pull out his present. He’s quiet, turning the items over in his hands as he stares at them. His silence makes you worry, and you wonder if you should explain.

He looks up. “This is for me?”

“Yeah,” you confirm. When he falls silent again, you blurt out, “It’s okay if you don’t like it! I just thought maybe… since you like all the lace and silk I wear, how it feels against your skin… and you’re always trying new things, so I was thinking, maybe you’d like this.” The explanation feels weak, and you bite the inside of your cheek worriedly as he blinks at you. “But if you don’t like it, you don’t have t-”

“I like it.” His deep voice cuts through your rambling, loud and steady.

“You do?”

Taehyung nods, the corner of his mouth lifting in a tiny smirk. “You’re right, I do like trying new things. But I should probably try it on to make sure it fits. That’s why you gave it to me now, right?”

He takes your grin as a response, and wordlessly, the two of you turn your backs to one another. The mirror is on the wall facing the door, so as you face the left wall and Taehyung faces the right, neither of you can see one another as you start to disrobe. It’s a little awkward with both of you stripping in the small space, the occasional elbow or shoulder bumping against the other, but you both manage to put your gifts on quickly.

“Ready?”

There’s some shuffling behind you, and then Taehyung says, “Yes.”

As you spin around, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. The teddy Taehyung picked out is so unlike the racy lingerie you own, all of which is meant to tease and tantalize. This garment is pretty more than it is sexy, with fine lace trailing over your curves in a deep-v plunging from your collarbones down to your navel. A silk ribbon ties it together halter-style over your shoulders, leaving your back bare down to where the teddy ends in a crotchless thong, and another ribbon ties at your waist. Small silk panels over your hips flutter as you turn. The whole effect is rather delicate and sweet.

Taehyung’s eyes darken as he takes you in, but you barely notice his gaze, staring at the way his gift fits. Although the men’s section of the lingerie shop is small, you struck gold with your selection. The black lace and satin briefs are snug, sitting low on his hips. Attached garters wrap around his thick thighs, highlighting them perfectly as you’d dreamed they would.

He clears his throat, and you force yourself to look away from the delicious sight to find him watching you with an expression of total adoration. “Baby, you’re so… you’re so beautiful.”

Even after all this time together, he still flusters you. You shyly play with the satin, rolling the edge of the fabric through your fingers. “Thank you. This is really pretty, Tae. What made you choose it?”

“I just saw it and pictured you wearing it and immediately knew you’d look amazing. And I was right.” He smiles, lightly tugging at the bow around your waist. “And maybe I liked the idea of getting to unwrap you on Christmas, like the gift you are.”

“Okay, stop, you’re too sweet.” You roll your eyes and wave your hands, but you’re smiling. “Do you like your gift?”

He runs his hands over the satin waistband of the briefs, humming thoughtfully as he examines himself in the mirror. “Yeah. I do.” His long fingers pluck at one of the straps around his thigh. “It’s not something I ever imagined wearing, but you know what? Maybe I should have. Because I look fucking hot.” He grins as you laugh, watching you through the mirror. “Look at us, babe. We’re hot.”

The mirror tells no lies. As you stare at your reflections, admiring the view, you notice that Taehyung is getting hard, cock straining against the lace briefs.

The two of you have been in the dressing room for a few minutes now, but there haven’t been any knocks, so you decide to press your luck.

“Do you know why I chose this set for you?” you ask Taehyung.

He shakes his head.

Gently, you place your hands on the small swell of his tummy, just above the briefs. “Part of it is the material. I thought you’d like the way the lace felt on your cock.” Taehyung hisses as your fingers trail down, rubbing lightly over the fabric, stopping to cup his dick. “Does it feel good?”

“Uh-huh,” he nods, watching your hand as it palms over his clothed erection.

“But the other part…” Sliding your fingers under the garters, you hold on to his thighs as you kneel. He watches you with his mouth hanging open slightly, chest rising as he sucks in a deep breath. “The other part is, I wanted to find something that I knew would show off this body that I love so much.” He doesn’t say a word as you curl your fingers around the waistband of the briefs, tugging them down until his cock springs free. “You’re always celebrating my body, Tae. I thought it was way past time to return the favor.”

“Baby,” he begins, but the kiss you press to the tip of his cock strangles whatever words he was about to say, turning them into a choked groan.

“Can I celebrate you now?”

He groans as you gaze adoringly at him from your knees. “Fuck, baby, how can I say no?”

“You can always say no, Tae.” You know what he means, just as he knows what you mean. You still want to hear him say it.

“Go ahead, baby.” His smirk returns. “Celebrate me.”

Gripping the base of his cock, you lean over the tip, spitting to coat it in saliva. Taehyung moans as you cover him in wetness, rolling your hand a few times to stroke as you spread, before you wrap your lips around his head, sucking lightly.

“Shit,” he grunts, “I don’t know how quiet I can be. I’m already all worked up.” It’s a good reminder that you’re in public, which means that you probably shouldn’t take your time like you’d like to.

“I better make this quick, then,” you reply, and then you take him into your mouth as far as you can without deep-throating him, bobbing back off long enough to wink up at him before doing it again.

Taehyung pushes his fist against his lips, trying hard to muffle the sounds he’s making as you pull out all the moves that you know will have him popping in no time. Swirling your tongue around his darkened head. Hollowing your cheeks as you swallow around him. Sucking the sensitive skin of his balls into your mouth as you jerk him off with your hand.

When his hips start rutting forward of their own accord, you grab his hand and place it on your head, giving him the silent signal to fuck your face. It’s something you both enjoy, him using you and you being used. Tears prick your eyes as he pumps forcefully into your mouth, chasing his release.

“Fuck, baby, gonna cum,” he warns, head tipping back in ecstasy, and you hum, squeezing his thighs to let him know to keep going, and with a few more thrusts he comes undone on your tongue, flowing warm and salty down your throat.

As soon as you’ve pulled off him, swallowing and wiping away tears, he gently lifts you to your feet, wrapping his arms around you to steal your breath with fervent kisses. After a minute, you push him away, giggling.

“Tae! I need air!” You pause as a pair of footsteps pass by the door. “Also, we should probably not stay here too much longer. We’ve been lucky so far that no one’s needed this room.”

He nods. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” But instead of putting his clothes back on, he pulls you back in for another kiss, and you feel his fingers tracing along the crotchless opening. “I still need to pay for your gift, though.”

“That is true,” you muse, tipping your head with a wicked grin. “I guess you gotta unwrap me here first.”

“Love you, baby,” he murmurs between kisses, as he loosens the knot at the back of your neck.

With a happy sigh, you whisper back, “Love you, too.”

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