#Rose says: Today on things that I misread my friends saying that end up with brilliant results.

[hs-as-shit-my-friends-say]

[ad1thi]

@starklysteve  rhae asked for some winteriron recs (read: i volunteered to spam rhae w buckytony fics because i adore them), so in no particular order, and based on my memory alone, here are some of my favourite buckytony fics!!

(please remember to leave kudos and comments!!)

American Memorial: @/spqr

“Pick up the shield,” Tony said. Understandably, Bucky told him to go fuck himself

Losing You (Is My Supervillain Origin Story):  @amethystinawrites

There are a lot of things that Bucky regrets. The list is, quite frankly, longer than he can handle on most days and, right at the very top, is lying to Tony about who killed his parents. Bucky has known even from before they started dating, but he simply can't bring himself to say anything — to ruin one of the few good things he has in his life. It's selfish and wrong, but Bucky just doesn't know how to tell Tony that he is the one responsible for Howard and Maria Stark's deaths.

So when he starts receiving anonymous emails, threatening to expose the truth to Tony and the rest of the world, Bucky is desperate enough to agree to the blackmailer's terms, even if it means breaking up with Tony. Bucky cannot, under any circumstances, let Tony find out about his parents from anyone but Bucky himself.

Too late Bucky realizes that there is much more to the blackmailer's scheme than just having Bucky break Tony's heart. Too late Bucky realizes that despite his best intentions, he will still end up losing everything — in a much more permanent way than he could ever have imagined.

Hindsight: @amethystinawrites

Ever since he was a little boy, Bucky has dreamed of becoming an astronaut together with Steve, and he can hardly believe their luck when both of them are picked for the Ares 3 crew — the third expedition sent to explore Mars. It is, quite literally, a dream come true.

Things get complicated when Bucky finds himself inconveniently attracted to their mechanical engineer, however. Tony Stark is funny, competent, and absolutely captivating, but considering NASA's strict non-fraternization policy, Bucky knows it's better to keep his interest to himself — at least until they return to Earth. He can wait.

Not once does Bucky consider the possibility that all of them might not make it back alive, or just how much he'll come to regret not acting when he had the chance.

Arsenal: @tangodancer91 (part of a series) (also my all time favourite buckytony series ever)

Two years after the Civil War that tore apart everything she’d bled to build, Toni Stark sacrificed herself for her newly-reinstated teammates and ended up stranded in the past. Freed of her name, her fortune, and her hostile ex-teammates, she built herself a life as an agent for the OSS, the American secret service, and, having nothing to lose, accepted a mission to infiltrate the newest player in the war: an organization that call themselves HYDRA.

Then, she met a young draftee with a dreadfully familiar face, and they clicked like she had never clicked with anyone before. By the time she realized she’d fallen for the man who’d cost her everything, it was too late, but she’d always been an all or nothing type of girl, and if she was damning herself, well then…might as well go all the way.

Yield: @aurumacadicus (this is an a/b/o verse fic)

All Bucky has ever wanted was to win the contest for Tony's hand in marriage. It's a bit harder now that he's down to one arm, but luckily his friends are willing to help make up the difference.

Barnes Family Motors Inc: @phlintandsteel-ao3 (this is an a/b/o verse fic)

In a world where alphas legally own omegas, Bucky is just a small time mechanic from Brooklyn who gets lucky in a poker game. Tony is an omega whose life is fraught with abuse, until his luck suddenly takes a turn for the better.

In the grand scheme of things they may only be able to make little differences in the lives of those around them, but that doesn't mean it's not worth making them. After all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The Long Con (don’t kid yourself): @phlintandsteel-ao3

When Tony finds out that Howard is thinking about changing the terms of Tony’s trust fund, he embarks on a not-so-elaborate scheme to prove that he’s totally settling down and not in continued need of Howard’s “guidance” until 25 instead of 21. Step 1: Get a fiance Step 2: ??? Step 3: Profit (Finally be free of Howard)

Unfortunately, Tony Stark is the worst con-artist ever, and may only be kidding himself..

Hot Mess:  @/niki

“Would serve him right if we had the world's most ill-advised one night stand.”

Imperceptions and Assumptions: @/NarutoRox

Afterward, Bucky would look back on their first meeting with fondness and a healthy dose of amusement. At the time, though, he’d mostly been confused - and more than a little embarrassed.

Bucky hadn’t paid much attention to the media in his early days, and hadn’t bothered really reading up on the team or anything, either, so when Steve had said ‘Tony Stark’, Bucky had just assumed.

The same way he’d looked at the three people who’d walked through the door - an imposing redhead in heels, a bored-looking brunette who dimpled when she saw him and Steve, and a sturdy-looking man wearing a slight glower - locked eyes on the man, and assumed him to be the infamous Tony Stark Steve wouldn’t shut up about.

It was Bucky’s first lesson when it came to Natasha Antonia ‘Toni’ Stark - never assume.

~

In which Tony Stark is actually Natasha Antonia 'Toni' Stark (which everyone knows) as well as Iron Man (which everyone does not know), assumptions are made, and there are misunderstandings.

From this prompt: How about a cross between my two favorite tropes? Nobody knows who iron man is other than Natasha/Antonia Stark's bodyguard but Bucky is in love with one or both of them

i know, you know (that i’m not telling the truth) : @imposter-human

psychic tony stark is called to work a routine case with detective bucky barnes; only, he seems to be more connected to the case than anyone thought

or, a psych au!!

the new romeo and juliet: @imposter-human

Bucky and Tony weren’t dating, because a firefighter and a detective couldn’t date (never mind that Tony hadn’t slept with anyone else since their thing had started, and he and Bucky hung out with an alarming frequency, and the whole precinct thought that they were an item). It didn't matter how many nights they spent together, how Bucky had a drawer of Tony's things and vice versa, they just couldn't.

It was a classic Romeo and Juliet situation, if Romeo and Juliet actively disliked each other on top of everything.

if found, please return to: @capnshellhead

Tony Stark shows up at Bucky's bar after a really tough break up and Bucky decides to look after him

gods of carnage:  @deathsweetqueen (part of a series)

On May 29, 1970, the Winter Soldier feels a burning sensation and looks down at his wrist to find a single name written in enduring ink: Antonia Margaret Stark.

HYDRA, fearing the defiance of their greatest asset due to a bond that cannot and will not be denied its due, immediately dispatches the Soldier, to locate, collect and deliver this newborn girl to HYDRA, which will become her new home, her new family and her entire world - to be raised as another one of HYDRA’s great warriors: their Engineer.

But the Engineer is a faulty asset. She thinks things that may get her killed one day. She wants things that she shouldn’t, that are not hers to want. She has a mind and body that belong more to herself than any handler, than any commander she may have.

And if she cuts her strings, when she cuts her strings, well, when you put sheep next to wolves, you ask for a bloodbath.

where i walk, you follow (where i burn, you burn):  @deathsweetqueen

At his father's command, Anthony Stark trades in his northern keep for a southern crown, wedded and bedded by Alexander of House Pierce, First of His Name.

Tony does his duty, becomes a wolf in name only, toothless and clawless, and a dark, gleaming ornament for the King, even if he would make himself a widower a hundred times over.

Honour demanded it of him, and so he did.

But it is Ser James Barnes, named the Kingslayer for his sins during the Rebellion, that draws his eye, gives him comfort in this pit of liars and monsters

So, what is honour compared to a good man's love? They are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love.

[Fic by deathsweetqueen, Art by MassiveSpaceWren]

Cat Parenting (And Other Meet Cutes):  @singingwithoutwords (this is an a/b/o verse fic)

Of all the ways Bucky could have finally gotten a chance to speak to his crush, why did it have to be his cat getting Tony's cat pregnant?

Codename Heartbreaker:  @rinnwrites (part of a series)

Today was a day that, contrary to popular belief, Tony Stark had most certainly not been looking forward to. It was election day, or election night, rather, and the polls were closed, the results were in; Howard Stark was the next President of the United States of America.

or

Tony Stark Bingo - R3: Election Day

Fate Strings Not Required: @akira-of-the-twilight

“Hey doll,” a new voice said from Tony’s side.

Tony glanced at the person approaching.

Someone was working the rugged, bad boy look. The new guy rocked a leather jacket and blue jeans.

His blue eyes lit up with joy as he approached Tony. “Something wrong here?” The new guy gave the first guy--the one insisting he was Tony's soul mate--a once over then turned his full attention on Tony. “You’re looking a little stressed, anything I can do?”

Tony took the hint.

Tony wrapped his hand around the new guy’s elbow. He kept his touch light and breakable in case he’d misread the cue.

“Just some guy claiming to be my soul mate, babe.”

The new guy’s eyebrows rose to his hairline in surprise. He chuckled and gave the first guy a smirk. “Strange. Last time I checked we were soul mates.”

Siren’s Treasure: @akira-of-the-twilight

Prompt: I really love the idea of playboy!Bucky flirt of the seven seas first-mate to Captain Rogers, falling completely overboard in love with our Blacksmith-Inventor Inexperienced!Tony who goes from confident captive to shy woe-begone man in the presence of Bucky's fierce affections. Virgin!Tony wonders what a siren like Bucky could possibly want with him. Bucky wants to know what the fuck Logan thinks he's doing flirting with the man who stole his heart like sunken treasures. Happy ending please?

“Sirens killed your crew?” Steve repeated.

The dark haired man nodded. Just an hour ago the Avenger crew had found the man clinging to driftwood in the middle of the ocean. Now he clutched the flask of rum Bucky had given him like it was all that kept him buoyant during these tumultuous times.

The man—Tony—had already downed more than half the flask and was still sober. “Not exactly my crew, but close enough. Yeah.” Tony uncapped the flask and threw back a mouthful.

Steve frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

Tony shrugged. “I wasn’t captain of the ship.”

“So what were you?” Steve pressed.

Road hazards: @riotwritesthings

Steve and Bucky's BFF road trip is not going well. For starters, Steve couldn't even make it, and for some bizarre reason asked Tony to take his place. The fact that it’s only a couple days before someone is trying to kill them isn’t nearly as stressful as the fact that Bucky and Tony have never really had an actual conversation.

It’s hard to avoid someone when stuck in a car with them though, and if they manage to stay alive they just might learn a thing or two.

Once Upon a Wintertime: @iam93percentstardust (this is an a/b/o verse fic)

Look, Bucky knows that he’s fulfilling every cliché in the book right now. He knows that, as a bodyguard, he’s not supposed to fall in love with his client. But Tony’s good and sweet and so, so lonely and how could Bucky not? He thinks he’s got a shot after Tony breaks up with his boyfriend but on a trip across the country, he finds out that Tony needs a bondmate or the board will steal SI—and Ty’s already said yes.

little bird: @thxngam

Bucky laughs, and it’s loud and unbidden, a way he hadn’t laughed for years before, tugging his giggling omega into his lap. Tony quiets and nestles into Bucky’s chest like he was made to belong there, and Bucky has noticed several times that Tony is much smaller than he is, but he never quite noticed how Tony always seemed to curl into him as a reason for his size.

Tony nestles like a little bird.

Teenage Dream:  @anthonyed

Tony Stark develops a crush on the school's bad boy who is too cool to hang out with anyone. At least, it's what Tony thinks. He never considered that James Barnes is probably as lonely as he is.

(in the process of editing)

The Best Laid Plans (of Mice and Men):  @arboreal-elm-ash-oak

His Dark Materials AU

It was Annalise who noticed their small visitor first.

“Tony,” the spider daemon said softly, skittering up the collar of his dress shirt, two of her eight legs resting delicately against his cheek, “Don’t startle them, but I believe we have a guest. Look, by the coffee table.”

A Kitten and a Soldier: @/ThatDamnKennedyKid

Bucky hadn't heard from Rumlow in years - since the whole Winter Soldier fiasco in Siberia. They've been discharged for nearly six years, but when he gets a message that only says "I need your help" , he grabs his jacket and keys.

The Prince’s Bride: @hddnone

After Tony loses the love of his life to pirates on the high sea, not much matters to him. He agrees to wed Prince Justin Hammer to gain access to vibranium and shut himself away in his workshop until the end of time, but a group of ruffians kidnap Tony to take him to Hydra.

Tony's rescue takes on an unlikely form - the Dread Pirate Rogers, who killed the love of his life five years ago.

A Princess Bride AU

A Kind of Destiny: @weethreequarter

A chance meeting at a wedding brings together an American war veteran and the Prince of Wales. Little do they know, the wheels have been set in motion for a relationship which will change not only their lives, but the monarchy itself. Bucky and Tony strike up a friendship at Steve and Peggy’s wedding, a friendship that soon develops into more. But it’s not so simple: Tony is the Prince of Wales, and heir to the throne of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Any relationship is played out in the press and public eye, and then there's that pesky issue of succession to consider too. But Bucky is no coward, and when he finds something he wants, he’s prepared to fight for it. And fight he will, at Tony's side, for their very own fairy tale ending.

[xsugarysweetsx]

Could you do a Leopold x reader? Where Leo wants to ask the reader out but is like “how tf am I expose to do this” so he asks Fuegoleon, and he has no clue. And then Fuego asks Mereoleona and she’s like “BATTLE HER TO THE DEATH”. Ad Leo’s like no. But then Leo asked Mimosa, and she was like OMG THATS SO CUTE. And basically bombards the reader about if she likes anybody or anything (they’re best friends). And so one day Leo was freaking, but the reader was like, “Hey Leo, wanna go on a date?”.

Awwwhh this sound adorable! Thank you for requesting! And thank you for being patient!❤️ Almsot to the end!

How he would battle you to the death

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. P E R F E C T!

That was all that went through his mind when he looked at you. You were a new reicut to the Lions and you could say it was a crush at first sight. You were merely a commoner but he could see so much last that.

Not only were you strong but you were very skilled and always were a few steps ahead of your oponant. When he spared with you and managed to literally her sweeper off his feet, he knew he was screwed. He had a crush.

You were never cocky about how strong you were and never put yourself on a pedestal. You were also very kind and soft hearted towards other people. He couldn’t be the only one who wanted to call you his. He’s seen the way other boys and even older men looked at you. He hates it.

He wanted to ask you out. Take you on a nice date and treat you kindly. He would do it all, he really would! The problem was, he had no idea how....he felt a bit embarrassed in all honesty. He wanted to be able to seeep her off her feet without scaring her. It came so naturally to other boys his age so why not him?

He did spend a large amount of time training, so that could be one. But he had almost no idea! He needed help in this department.

Since he had no experience with any of this so he went to the next person. The most knowledgeable person he knew and trusted. His brother. He knocked on his door and when it opened he said

“how do I talk to women!” Fuegoleon was confused to say the least. He brought him inside and he let him ramble on about his troubles. He paced back and fourth through the room as he spoke

“And she’s just so amazing and you know that! But I don’t want to scare her away! You know more than anyone so I want to hear what you have to say!” He said sitting down in a chair

“Well Leo, I’m an honest man and I’ve always tried to lead you down the right path” he got excited to hear his brother’s speech “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“What?! But you know everything!” Well there goes his chance. His world was crumbling around him, if Fuegoleon couldn’t help, then what will?

“Well why don’t you ask another woman about this? Get a better insight in the topic” he suggested. In an instant he went to the next person he would ask

His lovely sister Meroleona

—————-

“So, my youngest brother is finally becoming a man huh?” She smirked down at him as she ruffled his hair

“Um sort of, but I don’t know how to even ask her out” he pouted. She stepped back and gave him that look when she’s about to go into battle

“BATTLE HER TO THE DEATH! IF SHE COMES OUT ON TOP SHE IS WORTHY OF YOU AND IF SHE DOES NOT, YOU MUST MOVE ON!” She yelled out in the most confident tone there could be. Leo thought you himself

Maybe this is why she doesn’t have any suitors

“Yeah, No” he spat bluntly “I want to show her why I’m worthy of her” she sighed. There were very few times where she was soft but she saw how much he was thinking about this. She went over and ruffled his hair as she usually does when giving him advice

“Well she sounds special to you...why don’t you go ask Mimosa about this? She has a..uh..softer approach on this” and she simply walked away. Guess not even her family will see much of a soft side to her.

————

But the suggestion was a good idea! He got the her household the fastest he possible could and banged on her door. She answered with a confused look as to why he was banging like that

“Hi Leopold what can I-“ he cuts her off

“I like Y/N!” She smiles at him and chuckled

“Well, took you long enough to realize your feelings” she giggled. His crush wasn’t exactly descreet when he’s basically glaring holes into her head, but in a good way. She let him in and took him into the living area

He explained his situation to her and she knew exactly where to start.

“Alright first of all, what would you like to do with her?” She asked

A finger coming to scratch his head as he thought “Mmmm, I wanna go on adventures with her and spar with her!” He said as his eyes twinkled

“Okay um..what’s your favorite thing about her?”

“How tough she is! But I think she’s really beautiful as well” he said with a blush

As soon as the word left his mouth a cocky laugh filled the room

“Impossible. There is nothing nor, no one as beautiful as I” said her brother, and for some reason petals were floating around him as he spoke

“No, she’s way misread beautiful than you are” Leo responded casually. Her brother looked physically hurt when Leo said that.

“Can you please go back to making out with your mirror?” She said passive aggressively, and yet still held a smile. He hmph and walked away as his hands laid upon his face.

“Well Leopold why don’t you try something your way instead of other people?” She wondered

“Because I suck at this and I want to be perfect for her” she rested his head in his hands as his eyebrows knit together. She felt bad, she could tell he cared for you very much but was struggling. Then an idea popped into her head. She rushed over and whispered it in his ear.

His eyes lit up like fires, the plan was perfect. He ran out of the house to prepare for tomorrow. This took all night for him to practice what to do and what to say.

The next day he has picked some wildflowers and had them nicley wrapped. He made sure his clothes were neat and clean and walked with pride. He found you casually taking your morning walk, enjoying the breeze. Since no one was around this was a perfect time!

He hid the flowers under his cape and out of sight. He cleared his throat to get your attention

You turn and smile “Hey Leo! Well don’t you look all proper today” you joked he laughed and approached you.

“Is it a bad thing?” He said as starts to walk with you feeling his heart flutter, and face heat up.

“No, you look good, a lot like your brother actually” he hummed and took the bold step

“Hey I need to talk to you” this mase you stop walking and give him your attention. “So listen I-um wanted to tell you some things...that have been on my mind I uh...” he took a deep breath

“S-so do you like anyone..hehe?” Strange question and you answered anyway

“Mmmm you could say I do have my eyes on someone” he didn’t know what to say and choked up on his own words

“I-I um I do-um what’s the ummm..”

Great he was freezing up and he was feeling exptremly hot for some reason. Now was when he was conscious of the decision he was making

“Um..Leopold...you’re on fire...”

Wait...

He looked to the side and saw the roses he got you had been set aflame. He started panicking and running airing trying to find some type of water. He finally ran far enough and found a small pool of water and jumped in. The fire going out and he was unharmed.

You went over to him

“Are you okay? How did that even...” you eyes trail down to his hand and see the flowers. He stood up and sighed, feeling defeated and apologized for everything.

“It’s funny isn’t it? A royal who’s magic is fire and I caught fire..hehe” he laughed weekly. You started to giggle and couldn’t contain your laugher. He felt a bit embarrassed

“Hey Leo?” You ask getting a little closer

“Yes?”

He felt a light touch in his cheek. You had given him a peck and said

“Wanna go on a date?”

“YES!”

You all thought Meroleona was loud this kid yelled yes so loud Solid dropped his wine over himself. He came the next day to complain to Fuegoleon.

Well this was cute and fun to write I hope you enjoyed and thank you for your patience!❤️

[lovelylou]

Waiting by @allwaswell16

Louis Tomlinson was Harry’s omega, of this Harry had always been sure. Unfortunately for Harry, Louis seemed to think they were just best friends. The six weeks that Harry has to live with Louis were going to be rough.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

sleeping on our problems by @risthebrave (falsegoodnight)

I’m in love with you, Louis thinks. He feels empty, weighed down by his sadness and the loss of Harry inside him just moments ago before his knot finally went down.

There’s moments where he’s sure Harry feels the same. Like now, when he’s gazing down at Louis with so much adoration and tenderness. It’s like they’re both on the cusp of something more, but neither of them ever say a word.

His confession is on the tip of his tongue ready to slide out like honey, and yet he remains silent. They both do, looking at each other and recognizing the reluctance mirrored in each other’s eyes. It’s then that Louis realizes they’re both scared.

Or Louis sleeps with Harry and they have more than just catching feelings to worry about.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Mine Would Be You by @crinkle-eyed-boo

Louis stares at the wall, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest as he realizes that there’s not just one painting of him, there’s five, the portraits lined up like they’re some sort of storyboard depicting the rise and fall of his deepest love. His greatest heartache.

A pain that cut him so deep that he left the fucking country, severing all ties with his life in New York, now suddenly surrounding him as if he’d never left.

Fucking shit motherfucker fuck.

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it �� and the love of his life – behind.

He didn't intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

my love’s not simple (it’s fragile) by @risthebrave (falsegoodnight)

“Can I take you out tomorrow?” he asks. “My shift ends at 7 but we can go for dinner at 8.”

Louis is silent for a few seconds and then, “Like… on a date?”

Harry swallows thickly. He hasn’t done this in years, hasn’t ever wanted to. “Yeah.”

He’s worried he’s misread things but then Louis raises his head to kiss Harry’s cheek. “Yeah,” he says easily. “Sure.”

Tension leaves his body swiftly. “Are you sure?” asks Harry. “I know we’re both so busy but I can’t not try with you, Lou.”

“Neither can I,” says Louis. “I think we can figure it out. I care about you a lot Harry. We’ve known each other for a week, but I already like you so much.”

-

Or Harry's new job is threatened by his impending rut. Desperate for a solution, he allows Niall to introduce him to Louis, an omega whose heat begins the same day. They click.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

we both got nothing to hide by lovelarry10

“Talk to me, Lou.”

“I can’t,” Louis mumbled, knowing he genuinely couldn’t say it. He couldn’t admit to what he was doing. “Don’t ask me to say it, because I can’t.”

“Then… I’ll try and guess. You’ve… got some stuff of Harry’s. Something of his to make it smell like him?”

Louis just nodded, eyes fixated on the floor. This was humiliating, but he knew Zayn wouldn’t stop until he found out what was going on.

“Okay. Like… a blanket, or a comforter or something?”

“Kind of…”

-

Omega Louis has a secret nest. Alpha Harry keeps losing his clothes.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

in a world alone by @risthebrave (falsegoodnight)

Harry’s breath catches as the glow grows bigger and bigger until he’s squinting his eyes and blinking at the sudden intense brightness. He closes his eyes, rubbing at them helplessly. When his eyes open again- he gasps, grip loosening on his bow as he gawks at the sight before him.

Because the swan is gone.

And in its place is the prettiest omega Harry has ever seen.

-

A Swan Lake AU

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

like a siren in the night by @crazyupsetter (whoknows)

“There is an infestation in my home,” Louis hisses, righting himself quickly and pushing his way past Harry, heading directly for the kitchen. He’s rather haphazardly dressed himself, a coat thrown on over a loose flannel shirt and black pants, slippers on his feet.

Harry resists the urge to sigh, closing the door and trailing behind him slowly. “What kind of infestation?”

For all he knows, Louis is going to claim that there’s a ghost infestation. Harry has no idea what the end game is here – all he knows is that Louis has found at least three complaints a week to bring up since he’s been living on Harry’s property, and he’s been living here for six months.

It’s way too many fucking complaints, is what Harry is saying. Especially when most of them are ridiculous to start with.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

move so pretty (you’re all i see) by @risthebrave (falsegoodnight)

Harry’s pretty content with his life. He loves his job- a veterinarian at a local clinic who’s already built up a name for himself despite his young age. He loves his gorgeous flat with its wide, open space and minimalistic, yet still homey feel.

He loves his family who he talks to and visits as much as possible, not bothered by the long hours of driving to Holmes Chapel from London he endures multiple times a month. He loves his friends and his coworkers and his neighbors- especially Allison, the little old lady next door who brings him and Louis cookies on holidays and who always comments on how “strong and handsome you are, Mr. Styles,” everytime he sees her.

And most importantly, he loves Louis, just- maybe in a slightly different way.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

haunted by the ghost of you by missandrogyny

He’s tall—that’s the first thing that registers in Louis’ head when he spots him, standing with his hands behind his back. Tall, with curly hair, staring at them with the widest, greenest eyes Louis has ever seen. And wait, are those dimples? Louis didn’t know ghosts could have dimples.

Because he’s definitely a ghost, this boy. At first glance he looks normal, standing there pigeon-toed in a band shirt (The Ramones, Louis can’t help but note incredulously), dark jeans, and some boots, with rings on both hands, and tattoos littering his left arm—a sleeve made of anchors and names and roses and other completely unrelated things. But he’s also a little bit translucent; if Louis focuses, he can see the outline of the furniture, the design of the wallpaper through him.

“Hi,” the boy—the ghost—says to Louis. His face shifts; somehow his dimples dig deeper into his cheeks. His eyes flit from Louis, to Niall, to Liam, and finally to Zayn, and his face goes from shocked to elated. “I’m Harry.”

At in that exact moment, standing between three of his best friends and staring at a (quite handsome) ghost, Louis can only think one thing.

Nick Grimshaw was right.

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

to kill the mess we've made by missandrogyny

And when he's finally standing, Liam fussing over him, rubbing his hand at the red mark blooming on Harry's forehead, does Harry learn two things:

One, he wasn't actually hit that hard, and Tommo--or Louis, rather--is just as pretty when Harry is staring at him head-on and,

Two, Louis is the Adidas model he's going to be working with on today's photo shoot.

(or: AU where Harry and Louis are both models, and they decide being friends-with-benefits is a great idea. It isn't.)

⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ⋆*+･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*･ﾟ+.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

UN(RE)SOLVED. by @boldbabe (feermartsant)

The ghoul boys are back, but this time around there are some unresolved feelings involved. Harry is a skeptic, Louis is not. Watch them go on their ongoing investigation into the question: are ghosts real?

Or, BuzzFeed Unsolved AU.

[inspired-by-the-music]

Already Yours: Wooyoung x Reader

requests are encouraged! please read the guidelines before submitting your request!

Genre: angst; happy ending; best friends to lovers

Warning: a dance judge makes some inappropriate advances toward Wooyoung

Word Count: 1,778

Nobody knew better than you that Wooyoung was one of the best dancers at the Performing Arts University. Maybe it was because of your outspoken support for his dreams that Wooyoung asked you to accompany him to his audition for a coveted scholarship. 

"Please, Y/N," Wooyoung begged with pouted lips although you were already willing to drop your plans for him. "It would mean a lot for me to have at least one person there who thinks I'm good."

"Oh, come on." You couldn't help but roll your eyes at his unrealistic anxiety. "You're gonna be amazing. Those board members will have no choice but to give you the scholarship!"

He smiled at your assurance. "See-- this is why I need you there! You already made all those nervous butterflies in my stomach go away."

Who were you to deny Wooyoung's request? After you collapsed into a seat in the auditorium, you wore a proud grin and flashed him a thumbs-up as he took the stage. 

As captivating as he was, even down to minuscule details like the way his lips curled into a small smile to the way he tossed a quick wink at you, you forced yourself to look away from his performance to gauge the reactions of the judges. Your joy grew as you noted one approving judge after another-- until your gaze settled upon the youngest judge, a girl you recognized as a student-teacher. She eyed Wooyoung hungrily, licking her lips as his dance concluded. 

A furious blush stained your cheeks as you tore your eyes away from her. Aside from your undeniable romantic feelings for Wooyoung, dismissing the jealousy that would surely blossom if he returned that girl's interest in him, you were angered by such an inappropriate reaction to his talent-- especially because she was at least five or six years older and in a position of authority. 

Your rage deepened when, after the other two judges instantly agreed to award Wooyoung one of the main scholarships that required only one audition, she said, "I just wasn't. . . moved enough. Maybe if you work really hard, you can come back next month and try for the Merit Scholarship."

Despite your annoyance at the fact that one judge's opinion could overrule the others, and despite your irritation with her outright lie, Wooyoung accepted the criticism with a stiff smile. "Yes-- next time, I'll try harder to impress you."

You tried (and failed) not to gag at their exchange. 

When you looked for Wooyoung backstage, holding his flowers, you were nauseated to find that judge talking to him. All you could do was awkwardly stand aside and wait until she walked away to approach him. 

After contemplating what you witnessed between Wooyoung and the judge, you were worried that you wouldn't be able to force a smile, but that worry quickly subsided as he greeted you with open arms and a toothy smile. 

"You were so great!" You cheered as you embraced him and entrusted the roses to his grip. "Seriously, Wooyoung, I'm so proud of you."

Suddenly blushing, he turned his attention to the roses. "Ah, thank you so much, Y/N. I'm so happy you came."

"You're welcome, of course." Unable to contain your curiosity and searching for a way to voice your concerns, you asked, "So, um, what did she want?" You gestured vaguely, hoping he would understand that you were referring to the young judge. "Did she come to apologize for her bogus assessment of your performance."

"Huh?" Wooyoung quirked his head at you. "Oh, no, Seo-yun just came by to offer to coach me for my next audition. She says I need to work harder on engaging the audience with my facial expressions."

Instinctively, you scoffed. "You were perfectly engaging."

Somewhat reluctantly, Wooyoung said, "No offense, Y/N, because I know you're just trying to stick up for me, but you don't really know what you're talking about."

Your face flushed red; before you even processed his comment, you took a step away from him. "I don't know what I'm talking about?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that!" Wooyoung tried to comfort you by grabbing your arm, but you glared at him. "I said no offense." Then, perhaps realizing how weak that excuse was, Wooyoung adopted flattery to console you. "I just mean that you're a really good writer, but that doesn't mean you know anything about dance. Seo-yun was the top graduate here a few years ago, so she really knows what she's talking about."

You gently shook out of his grip. "Yeah? Well, I think you're too quick to accept her judgment--"

"I'm kind of supposed to, Y/N, she is a judge."

"No-- I mean, I watched her reaction during your performance, and she looked pretty engaged to me, judging by how she eyed you like you were some-- some kind of meal or something." You reddened at how your voice broke, but you trained your gaze into something more stern to conceal your embarrassment.

"Are you saying that Seo-yun only agreed to train me because she's attracted to me?" Wooyoung's tone was piercing. 

"Actually," you tried to match his irritation, "I'm saying that you would have gotten that scholarship today if she wasn't looking for a way to get close to you."

"Actually," Wooyoung seethed, "you're saying that I only got this opportunity in the first place because of my looks. Seo-yun recommended me for this scholarship in the first place."

Suddenly understanding why Wooyoung was insulted, you tried to apologize. "That's not what I meant--"

"But that's what you're saying!" Wooyoung's outburst attracted the attention of others backstage, but that didn't discourage him from continuing to tear into you. "It couldn't be that she wants to help me become a better dancer. It couldn't be that I've achieved everything through my hard work. It couldn't be that you just want to sabotage this for me."

"Woah, woah!" You rose your hands in surrender. "I'm sorry I obviously touched a nerve, and I'm sorry if I misread Seo-yun, but how is being concerned about you sabotage?"

Wooyoung accused, a line deepening between his eyebrows, "You're only saying these things because you don't want me to become a better dancer. Because then more people world like me, and I'd have more people to hang out with, and you wouldn't have as much inspiration for your little love stories."

You winced at the insult. "Actually, Wooyoung, I never thought you'd stop hanging out with me as soon as you got successful enough." You tried to gather the pieces of your newly shattered heart well enough to assert, "You don't have anything to worry about; you won't inspire me to do anything else except getting the hell out of here."

Wooyoung didn't seem especially interested in preventing you from storming out of the auditorium. As soon as you were safe from his harsh words, and you released some of your initial pain through tears, you found yourself wishing that you had snatched the roses before leaving. 

While you maintained in your mind that you were only trying to be a good friend, you had been right about Seo-yun, and Wooyoung had just overreacted because of his own insecurities and the disappointment of losing the best scholarship, you regretted that something so stupid had ruined your friendship. 

Maybe some part of you longed to have a little less self-respect so you could justify texting Wooyoung an apology. Instead, you spent the next couple of weeks avoiding each other with equal effort. 

You were starting to believe the rift between you was permanent until one day in the library, you looked up from your notebook to see Wooyoung sitting across from you. 

Once you met his gaze, you snapped the book closed and coolly explained, "Don't worry, I'm not writing sonnets about you or anything."

Wooyoung frowned playfully. "That's too bad."

Despite your relief that he was speaking to you again, you snapped. "Wooyoung, you can't just show up and flirt with me like nothing happened. You really hurt my feelings, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Wooyoung admitted, frowning. Taking a deep breath, he apologized, "I'm sorry. Even if you weren't totally right about Seo-yun, I shouldn't have talked to you like that. You've always been my biggest supporter, and I never should have forgotten that. Please forgive me?"

"I forgive you," you decided with a nod as soon as he finished. 

A smile danced on Wooyoung's lips. "Already? You don't want more groveling?"

You shrugged, "Nah, I've been mad long enough. And I can't help but forgive you when you look so sad." When Wooyoung only responded with silence, you said, "Um, I'm sure your practice for the scholarship audition is going well. Wanna tell me about it?"

Wooyoung blushed and chuckled softly. "I already told you, Y/N, you were totally right about Seo-yun. I met her in the studio last night for practice. It started off legit, but somehow she ended up trying to kiss me--"

"She what?" Your jaw fell open. Sure, you knew Seo-yun was attracted to Wooyoung, but you didn't believe she would make a move on him. 

"I mean, she didn't actually kiss me because I kinda ran out of there." As if unphased by the experience, he winked at you and said, "I couldn't have her stealing what belongs to you--"

"Seriously, Wooyoung, cut it out with the flirting," you demanded, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush rising to your cheeks. "How can you joke when you're telling me about something like this?"

Wooyoung's eyebrows rose. "Who said I was joking? Seriously, why would I let her kiss me when that would obviously make you mad?"

"It's not that I would be mad about you kissing someone," you lied. Ignoring Wooyoung's skeptical gaze, you concluded, "I just don't like how she looked at you. I don't like how she tried to manipulate your dream to have a chance with you."

"Don't tell me that you stopped liking me because of what I said backstage," Wooyoung pleaded. "I know I was a douche to you, but. . ." He trailed off, either unwilling or unsure of how to finish the sentence.

You teased, "Tell me, when exactly did I start liking you?"

Undeterred by your act, Wooyoung guessed, "I don't know, the day we met? All I know is that I really like you, and I still owe you a huge apology for all that Seo-yun drama, so I think you should let me take you on a date."

And when he smiled at you like that, you really couldn't deny any of his requests. 

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

The Nuptial Necessity - Chapter 23

A 12xRose Human AU

Despite an unglamorous job description, Rose loves the work she does with The Thistle Foundation, a charity founded by her best friend’s great-uncle.  It doesn’t hurt that her boss, her friend’s father, is easy on the eyes.  With a great job, wonderful friends and a loving family, life couldn’t be better – except for having someone to share it with.

All of that is threatened, though, when the great-uncle dies – and sets a strange condition for his nephew to inherit, jeopardizing the Foundation and Rose’s future, sparking a chain of events that might just get her everything she dreamed of and more.

Chapters will be posted on Saturdays and Tuesdays.  Many thanks to my beta, @stupidsatsuma

Rated: Explicit, for eventual smut

@doctorroseprompts

AO3  |  Masterlist

—

Monday, cont’d

Peeking over the top of her book, Rose took advantage of the opportunity to watch Malcolm.  They were in the library after dinner, as they had been essentially every night since she moved into the townhouse, though this was the first time they were positioned as they were.  While Malcolm was seated normally, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee as he read over paperwork, Rose was stretched out, her back against the arm of the couch and her feet in Malcolm’s lap.  His left hand was idly rubbing at the arch of one foot, doing little but fanning the flames of desire inside her.

His hair rumpled, jacket long abandoned, glasses perched firmly on his nose, he looked… delectable.  It was nearly impossible to concentrate on her book when he was so close, looking as he did, and she entertained the idea of seducing him then and there, of climbing into his lap and having her wicked way with him with only the books as witness.

“You’re staring,” he noted absently, and she flushed.

“What’cha doing?”

Momentarily abandoning his half-hearted foot massage, he pulled his glasses off with one hand, rubbing his eyes and face with the other before replacing the specs.  “Going over the books, making sure we’re in as good a standing as Jack says.  Not that I don’t trust him, but…  as I like to say, trust but verify.  I want to make sure he’s not hiding problems.”

“Found any?”

“No.”  Leaning back into the welcoming embrace of the comfortable sofa, he smiled at her.  “Well, other than he lets his boyfriend buy expensive ingredients for feeding the household.  It’s not the end of the world, but it does need to be cut back.  I don’t eat this well.”

She nodded, bracing her head on her hand, elbow on the back of the couch.  “You can’t fault him for wanting to spoil a loved one.”

“Yeah, but not sure I should be paying the bill,” he said dryly.  “Then again, he’s taking less of a salary than I expected; I’m fairly sure he was approved for more, not that Wally would really say no to a reasonable request.  Honestly, that’s what concerns me- that there’s a hidden money pit, and he’s docking his pay to hide it.”

Rose rubbed his thigh with the ball of her foot to offer comfort, making him look down at his lap for the first time.  “Sorry, do you want me to-”

“You’re fine,” he cut her off, one hand settling on top of both feet, long fingers spreading out to cover them.  “Really.”

“Okay.  Let me know if you change your mind.”  She wriggled her toes, admiring how the crimson paint on the nails flashed in the lighting.

He watched the movement as if hypnotized, and after a long moment, he looked up and cleared his throat.  “It’s getting late.  Do you… do you want to go to bed?”

The question was more tentative than she expected, but then the proverbial other shoe dropped, and heat flashed through her.  “Yes,” she said quite a bit more enthusiastically than she’d intended, but decided not to be embarrassed.  “Shall we?”

Malcolm all but leapt to his feet, haphazardly gathering up his paperwork.  “Let’s go.”

-

Once in the bedroom she let him use the loo first, which meant he had plenty of time to sit in bed and agonize over what might be about to happen while she went through her nightly routine.  Did she understand what I meant?  Did I even mean that?  Do I initiate?  Will she?  Does she expect me to make the first move, since she did on Saturday?  Would she rather get things started, maintain a sense of control?  How fucking long does it take to change?

The door finally opened then, after a wait that seemed to take several lifetimes though the clock said it was less than ten minutes, and she stepped out- in a dressing gown.

“Today was a good day, wasn’t it?” she asked brightly, turning lights out as she made her way across the room to him.  By the time she reached the bed only his bedside light was still on, and he watched in tense anticipation as she removed the dressing gown to reveal- a cotton nightgown.

He had no idea what that meant.

It fit her like a glove, hugging mouth-watering curves and hiding nothing, but… it was still a cotton nightgown in a soft shade of blue, sexy because of the woman who wore it was, not for any inherent reason of its own.

“Malcolm?”

“Huh?”  His head jerked up to meet her eye, tearing his gaze away from how the fabric clung to her breasts.  “Yeah, today was good.  Sorry about… the horse thing.  Are you okay?”  Good job, remind her of her fear.  Moron.

She settled beneath the covers with a sigh, rolling onto her side and smiling at him.  “Thank you.  It’s fine, I didn’t know I would react like that.  I’m sorry I made a scene, but thank you for being so… kind about it.”

“And the ride back was okay?”  He matched her position, close enough only scant inches separated their noses, breathing the same air.  With the bed curtains drawn they were truly in their own world, safe from outside threats or interruptions.  It gave the moment a sense of intimacy and possibility, and he desperately hoped it ended well, if not the way he truly wanted.

A slow smile spread across her face, one that sent heat racing through him- he’d only seen it once before, and it was right after she invited him into her bedroom.  That smile had led to what was, with no exaggeration, the best night of his life.  “Mhmm, it was wonderful,” she murmured, one hand reaching out to settle on his chest, warmth radiating from her palm through his thin tee-shirt.  “I felt so safe and lo- comfortable with you.  Being held in your arms.  It was…”  Her eyes flickered down, breaking their connection, cheeks flushing.  “It was wonderful.”

“Well, maybe we can try it again,” he whispered back, “go out riding together.  Just us.”

Rose bit her lip, and he ached to free it, to hold it safe between his own lips, to shower her in kisses and love.  Her gaze met his again, searching, and she must have found what she was looking for, because her eyes brightened.  “Well, actually, I had a thought,” she offered, and when his gaze ran over her, he noted with interest that the flush had started to work its way down her neck and chest.

“I’m all ears.  Anything I can do to help make you more comfortable.”  He tentatively set his open palm on her hip before sliding it to her back, tugging her slightly closer, hoping it was alright.

“I’m glad you said that,” she breathed, moving forward eagerly.  “Because I was thinking about one thing that you said…”

“Yes?”  Her face was right there, and unable to resist temptation, he began to rain kisses over her forehead, nose, and cheeks, thrilled when she didn’t resist, instead leaned into his lips.

“You told me to sit up straight and stay centered.”

Malcolm paused his ministrations, fighting back a disappointed sigh at having thoroughly misread the situation.  For all the times you thought she was going to make a move, she only did once, he lectured himself.  Stop assuming it would become the new rule, instead of remaining an exception.  “I did.”

“Well, I think it would help if I… if I practiced.”  Her face was now fully red, burning with heat, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why she might be embarrassed at such an idea.

“They say practice makes perfect.”

She nodded eagerly, fingers curling into his shirt.  “Exactly.  That, erm, you could maybe give me tips on… on posture.  And motion.  Make sure I was… riding properly.”

“Of course.”  His brow furrowed.  Does she really think I’d say no?  “When?”

“How’s now?”

He was surely missing something, but didn’t have the slightest idea what.  “Oh… kay?”

That coy smile was back, and she unceremoniously shoved at his chest.  Surprised, he fell onto his back, only to be utterly flabbergasted when she scrambled over him, straddling his hips.  “Now, be sure to tell me if I’m doing anything wrong,” she instructed.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.  She’s gonna kill me.  “Right, well-”  None too pleased with being used as a horse, he scowled up at her, opening his mouth to give her a piece of his mind when without any warning she crossed her arms, gripped her nightgown, and pulled the fabric over her head, leaving her astride him fully naked.

“Oh.  Oh.”  He felt like a fool, as though he’d been clobbered on the head, and her smile fell for a moment.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry, I thought-”  She scrambled behind her for the nightgown, one arm folding across her breasts, but he was faster, sitting up carefully without dislodging her.

“No, no, no,” he eased the fabric from her fingers, tossing it away before pulling his own tee off one-handed, the other wrapping around her waist.  “I assure you, I am happy to help.  I must warn you though, you can’t learn everything in one- session.  It might require several.”

Lips curling up, her tongue peeked out between her teeth.  “Oh, I can take as many lessons as necessary.  At least, as many as you can give.”

“Oh, challenge accepted,” he murmured, hands sliding up her waist to infinitely more delightful areas.  “I’ll give as many as you can take.”

In the end, he impressed them both.

-

Tuesday

It was late the next morning before they could drag themselves out of bed, and even then he couldn’t bear to be far from her, leaning in the doorway of the bathroom and watching as she put on her makeup- in her knickers and bra.  If I’ve died and this is heaven, please, no one tell me.

“Malcolm?”  Her laughing tone said it wasn’t the first time she’d called him, and he tore his eyes away from her bum to meet her eye in the mirror.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“What are we doing today?”  She leaned forward slightly, which pushed her bum out, and he itched to run his hands over it, fantasized about-  “Babe!”

Straightening and clearing his throat, he entered to sit on the toilet seat lid, tucking his hands under his thighs to prevent them from wandering.  “Right.  Today.  I thought we could go into town, walk the high street, have lunch.  Give you a taste of Scotland that��s not just from the Estate.”  His intention in moving closer had been to change his view, lessen the distraction of her pert posterior, but hadn’t realized that just gave him a new, more tantalizing view of her breasts filling out the lace bra she wore.  “Or we could just stay in bed.”

“Not a chance.”  She applied lipstick, rubbing her lips together and pouting for the mirror.  “Not after all this time spent putting on makeup.  Besides, we should make an appearance- not sure I want everyone in the house to know what we’ve been up to in here.”

He shifted on his perch, positively aching to hold her.  “Who cares what they think?  We are on our honeymoon.  In fact, it would look odd if we never did.”

Turning her head she smiled at him, though she still looked amused.  “Maybe tomorrow.  Today, a day out exploring sounds wonderful.  What’s the name of the town?”

“Village.”

“What?”

“It’s a village,” he repeated.  “Bonar bridge.”

She grinned wider.  “That sounds adorable.  Can’t wait.”  Pausing to lean down and kiss him, she padded out of the bathroom, hips swinging.  “Let me just get dressed, and we can go.”

He followed her out, a moth to her bright flame, and cornered her by the open armoire, wrapping his arms around her waist and molding himself to her back.  “Sure I can’t tempt you back to bed?” he murmured, laying kisses on her neck in a spot he now knew was sensitive.  “I’ll make it worth your while.”

She arched into him, grinding her bum against him and tilting her head to the side to give him better access.  “I believe it, but no.  Let’s get some fresh air, walk around a bit, have something to eat.  You can ravish me after we get back.”

“Promise?”  He sucked at the soft skin, laving the spot with his tongue.

“Promise,” she gasped, clutching at his arms.  “Anywhere you like.  Any way you like.”

With one last kiss to her neck he backed away, making her whimper.  “Deal.  Now hurry the fuck up, so we can go and come back already.”

He already had a few ideas of how to make good on her promise, each more tantalizing than the next.

We’ve got the rest of our lives to fulfill them all.  The only question is- where do we start?

[artboitrash]

His Bloody Rose (Stefano Valentini fanfiction) Chapter 5 - Red Flags

Fear.

That's all I could feel.

Pure fear surging through my body.

"Bella. . ." I heard a smooth voice whisper in my ear. "Open your eyes, you can look at me. . ."

More fear went through me, and I shook my head. There was a low   chuckle coming from above me. I felt fire in my stomach, beginning to   overcome my entire form. I was terrified where it would spread to.

Something inside me begged not to let that warmth meet my heart.

"Rosa. . ." murmured the voice above me.

I could feel warm hands resting gently on my arms, not pinning me down forcefully but holding me gently. I felt my body, still full of   fear, begin to squirm as I wanted to get away from the thing causing it.

"Look at me, my dear."

The commanding tone made me open my eyes, and I looked up at the   person in front of me. Stefano Valentini lay on top of me, a twisted   smile on his face as he looked at me.

"My, your eyes are so pretty," he whispered as he leaned down. He pressed his lips to my forehead, a soft kiss rippling through my head.

The fire erupted through my entire body. The warmth from Stefano's lips fueled the fire, and I began to cry out.  I squirmed more as I felt flames emit from my body, tears streaming   down my face. Pain and fear mixed through me, feeling my body turn to   ash. My body disintegrated and collapsed, scattering across the blank   surface that I lay on.

"Bella Rosa," he murmured in my  ear that was no longer there, a smile dancing across his lips, "You are  such an elegant being, and you will be my most prized work of art."

-

I  awoke with a jerk, surrounded by darkness. I knew it was late at night from how dark it was in the room, making me realize I was laying in my room.  I felt my heart pounding in my chest, still feeling the warmth of the  fire heat my body. I pulled at my sheets, feeling my tangled pajamas  covered in sweat sticking to my body.

Now that I was released from  my prison of warmth, the sweat began to cool my body like it was meant  to. I lay back, just breathing a sigh of relief. I realized I still felt  warm in my core, my stomach twisting like I was sick. I shuddered,  trying not to think on the dream, but inevitably realizing that I could  still feel Stefano's lips on my forehead and his breath against my ear  and neck.

I jumped up, fear surging through me as I ran to the light switch.

Looking  around my room, nothing looked out of place. I breathed deeply in hopes  of calming down, letting myself take in every detail and mess  throughout my room.

No one but me was in my room. I swallowed  the saliva that had accumulated in my mouth. I felt my heart begin to  slow it's erratic pace. The heavy heat in my chest and stomach cooled,  and I shivered as I stood in the empty room.

I turned to leave my bedroom, then I hesitate. I walk to my bag and grab my laptop, flipping it open and turn it back on.  I can't handle being alone right now. Though, as I in fact live alone,  I'll have to make due with YouTube videos and music to calm myself.

While  waiting for it to boot up, I walk with my laptop to my kitchen. I set  it on the counter and type my password into the sign-in page. The screen  lights up with an automated message of "Welcome back, Rose" before the  loading screen disappears and opens on my notes from the guest lecture.

I  glance over the notes I had taken from the questions asked at the end  of the lecture. I stood there, reading over the exact phrases the   officer used and the notes I interjected while listening.

"How to protect yourself:

"The  serial killer is likely charismatic; probably attractive (subjective,  I'm sure); has a sense of entitlement to women's bodies (since no men  with killer's M.O. have shown up); likely did not have relationship with  victims, friendship or acquaintance or otherwise; killer seems to go  for women searching for modelling or acting or beauty jobs; "distinct  affection (wrong word) for actions while dismembering his or her victims";  killer gravitates towards young women with pale skin with mild  imperfections and brown or black hair; hair length, age, eye color, and  heights varying."

I read over the last two notes a few  times. I reached a hand to my short brown hair. I had hoped that because  I kept it short I wouldn't put me on the potential menu, so to speak.

My  mind floated back to my dream. I shuddered again, then turned to fill  my kettle with water. It's dark out, so obviously it's too late for  coffee, but it's never too late to make a cup of tea.

I might idealize British culture too much.

I  let my mind sort out the details it was focusing on as I clicked on the  burner under the kettle. I hesitated as I thought about the list the  chief had given us. My mind fluttered with details I had picked up, or  thought I had realized.

Stefano's charming smile and charismatic  gait. He's the only man that's actually been able to turn my head, the first person I've encountered that I would deem "attractive" or someone that looks appealing to me.  That's at least two things checked off.

"Entitled to women's  bodies" rang in my head. The thought of how he had acted both times I  had spoken with him; the way he kissed my hand when I thought he was  going to shake it again, and the way he had pulled me to him and kissed  my forehead. The way he had forced me to look at him while he stared at  me and held my face in his hand. The way he spoke made me think he  believed he owned me, saying I was "his good luck charm," and seeming  like he was entitled to my time and attention when he had encouraged me  to sit with him and review his photos.

Was I reading too far into his interactions with me?

And the photographs he had shown me, it had reminded me of the crime scene photographs I had seen.

I hesitantly went back to my computer screen. I opened a new tab and typed "Stefano Valentini" into the search bar.

I swallowed to myself as the page loaded.  I had resisted looking him up, but now I'm worried about this suspicion growing in my mind. A news article appeared as the first link, and I grabbed it, putting it into a new tab.

I  read through the article, it being about the body being found: a woman  named Emily Lewis. I scrolled through, realizing I had read through this  story before. I kept reading, coming across the paragraph "Emily's  longtime friend Stefano Valentini appeared heartbroken at the news:  'It's a terrible thing that happened to my lovely model... At least I  was able to capture her essence forever before it was destroyed.'"

My eyes flickered, now finding meaning in what I thought was a throwaway quote from a random citizen.

Could this be real? My stomach turned at the thought. Could this man really be a serial killer? Is he the serial killer terrorizing Krimson?

Those  bloody photos, the women in them missing limbs like the crime scene  photos. Almost exactly the same limbs missing, their bodies looking less  like special effects in my mind and more like actual corpses being used  to create photographs.

Could Stefano have used models as props, as literal props and killed them?

I jerked, then sped walked to my bedroom again. I rummaged around and found my school bag, grabbing inside it and finding my phone. I opened it and unlocked it. I quickly dialed 911, ready to make a full statement and explain what I had realized.

Then I hesitated. Was a charismatic man enough for me to call the police? Just because he acted like he did doesn't mean he's a serial killer

No. No, I must be acting irrational.

I let my hand drop to my side and walked back to my kitchen. As I walked in, the kettle began to boil and whistle on the stove. Swallowing, I set my phone by my computer and poured the water into my mug. I exited the phone app and opened the timer function. I typed in the time for my tea on my phone, starting and setting it back down on the counter.

I sighed and turned back to my computer. I read over the statement again, thinking over it as much as I could.

Then the phrase "longtime friend" jumped out at me. Stefano had known Mrs. Lewis for a long time. That was completely unlike what the chief had said while speaking in class today, that the killer likely didn't know his victims very long before killing them.

I forced a laugh at myself. Of course, I completely missed that. I chuckled out a sigh to try and calm myself. I don't need to be so afraid. I began rereading the entire article again, trying to commit it to memory.

After calming myself down, I realized that jumping at shadows after a nightmare is probably not a good idea. Stefano can't be the serial killer in Krimson, I'm sure the police would have centered in on him far too fast otherwise.

That doesn't mean Stefano isn't dangerous or trying to implant ideas in my head. He seemed to be taking interest in me, maybe, since he's been acting somewhat affectionate towards me. Or maybe that's completely incorrect too, and I'm completely misreading the situation.

My phone rang out, drawing me out of my thoughts. I looked down and saw my timer had stopped and was beeping at me to shut off the alarm. I unlocked my phone again and stopped the timer. I turned and began preparing my tea.

As I reached behind my computer for the sugar, I closed out of the news article tab and clicked another link. It was another news article, but not about a murder this time.

I placed my mug by my computer and went to my fridge to get some milk. After pouring milk in the tea, then putting it back away, I pulled out a spoon to stir the tea. I looked over the article I had clicked on, written by a Susan Phi, stirring as I began reading.

It was ruthless. It tore into Stefano and how he portrayed women with his art, how he is a professional photographer but not an artist. It spoke about how he had been injured while working as a war photographer, and it changed how he saw the world. When when he had returned from service he began to make art with a deeper meaning and reflections on what beauty means.

"Oh," I mumbled under my breath. I felt myself beginning to understand.

His reaction when I complimented his work had nothing to do with affection towards me specifically. His photographs hadn't been received well when he exhibited them. People were being so unkind to him about his art, following a set mind that when a man portrays only women he is only interested in the sexual appeal.

That explains why he was trying to gain a spot in my community college's gallery. He believed so much in his work, that was evident when he showed me his photos, but he wasn't being given a welcome reception by the professional art community.

I realized I had been stirring my tea this entire time. I stopped and turned to put the spoon in the sink.

Oh, this poor man. I was about to send the police after him, and he most definitely doesn't deserve it. He has been run off his feet trying to get recognition with his art and was constantly being forced into a niche of "shock value" that doesn't resonate with his work at all. I've seen shock value work, I've made some myself and watched people in my art classes present their gory and violent ideas in my art classes. Stefano's work wasn't anywhere close to that, that is so obvious to anyone who has spent any portion their life studying art.

I bit my lip, bringing my mug to my mouth to blow gently over the top of it. I sipped carefully at the tea, hoping that I would have a chance to make it up to him, despite him not knowing I had that thought.

I look at a few more articles from the local paper, reading about him.

Stefano Valentini. He's most certainly the most interesting artist I had ever come into contact with.

[la-fille-en-aiguilles]

The Beautiful & Damned (3/7)

Female Reader x Young!Remus Lupin | Female Reader x Young!Sirius Black

Chapter 3: Misread

A/N: I felt like there wasn’t much happening in the first two parts, so I thought I’d post the third chapter tonight. Time for some action, wouldn’t you say?

Thank you so much for reading my writing, for liking it, commenting it... It means the world to me. 

Enjoy! x

New to the series? - Accio Chapter 1: The Golden Couple - Accio Chapter 2: No, Definitely

Remus woke up with autumn rays blinding him through a crack in heavy red curtains, adding a cherry glow to his bedsheets. He lifted himself up on his elbows, blinking rapidly. James’ light snoring and a quiet sound of thumping (Peter always kicked the bed in his sleep) mixed in a monotonous melody, that, being usually the first to wake up, Remus was entitled to every morning. 

Helpless in the face of an uncomfortable urge, Moony stole a glance at Padfoot’s bed. Sure thing, Sirius naked torso was basking in the glow of the morning sun. Remus expected to feel relieved, knowing that one of his best friends wasn’t spending the night in someone else’s bed, but the satisfaction never came. Feeling heavy and clearly under the weather, Remus threw the covers away and headed straight to showers. Twenty something minutes later he was entering the Great Hall with a Charms book in hand, in hopes of getting a steamy cup of coffee. 

There were students seated here and there, and Remus could easily tell the ones who weren’t invited to the yesterday’s party from those who were. The faces of the latter had a little bit of green to them, as they pushed the plates of food away. Remus couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Some never learn, he guessed. 

His eyes searched for a comfortable spot at the Gryffindor table (not too close to the chatting group of Slytherins at the neighbour table, and not to far off in the corner, so he’d have enough light to read), when he was suddenly struck numb, freezing in place.

Biting your plump lip in concentration, with a heavy fall of sunlit hair cascading on a side, you were hugging one of your knees close to your chest, immersed in a book that lay open in front of you. 

Remus nearly voiced the desperate growl forming in his throat. Goddamn if the sight didn’t make him think of darkened rooms and lots of naked skin. 

Just when he was about to quickly turn around and go get a cold shower - again (maybe, that’d help him get his vertebra in a row) - you raised your beautiful eyes and spotted him. 

A warm smile appeared on your lips as you waved at him, undoubtedly inviting him to join you. 

Yep, so much for the cold shower. 

Scratching the back of his neck with a free hand, he made his way to you, his entire body burning under curious stares. 

He collapsed on the bench across from you with the grace of a young calf, smiling at you a tad awkwardly. 

“So,” he said, watching you closely. “What is a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this… so early in the morning after a booze-filled rave?”

You bit back a laugh, cocking your head to a side. 

“Waiting for you, of course,” you said nonchalantly, not noticing however, how Remus paled a shade at your words. “So I could steal food from your plate…”

“And?” relief flooded Remus’ veins, but he refused to show it, serving himself a long-yearned for cup of coffee.

You sighed quietly, your chest rising in the most delicate way. Remus crushed a groan. Like you needed any help being unforgettable. 

“I need to tell you something, Rem,” you suddenly said, looking him straight in the eyes and catching him off guard. “With Padfoot and Prongs always around, it ain’t an easy task to get you alone…”

Remus’ face turned to stone, his heart - into a ticking bomb. 

Here it went.  You knew. He was fucked. 

Moony wanted to stand up and run, run far away from there, but forced himself to sit still.

Even if he lost his friend today, the love of his life, the reason to live as this half-human monster, he knew: you were worth every second of heartbreak.

“…Freak…Why are they even friends?…” “Bloody scar face… I bet even his mother didn’t want him.” “The Beauty and the Beast!”

The blood in his veins ran cold as the whispers from the Slytherin table crawled up his spine and to his neck, strangling him. At any other time, Remus would hex all of their asses so hardcore, they’d spent the entire term in the hospital wing, but this was different. It’s like Malfoy and all that band of blabbering baboons were seeing straight into his heart, voicing his every insecurity, everything he knew about himself but was so afraid to acknowledge… And all that in front of a being he loved more than anything in the world. 

He dodged your stare, waiting for this public crucifying to be over in silence - so unlike him! - when he suddenly realised he needed to face you. In his heart he knew you were nothing like it, yet still, he internally begged for you to display disgust towards him on your perfect features. Because that’d destroy him. Because that’d make it easier for him to get over you.

What he saw on your face was so much worse. It lasted merely a second, barely a flash, really, but it was enough. Pity.

He could have blinked - and he should have missed it, because seconds later you were sporting a glower fierce enough to put the fear of Merlin in anyone. Seeing your glare, no doubt, the Slytherin table froze quiet. 

The silence in the Great Hall was so thick you could cut it with a butterknife, as you rose to your feet, slowly but surely, your eyes dark. Moony forgot everything in the world, even his own name, when he saw you step onto the bench and then up on the table, kicking a pot of boiling hot coffee over. 

Excruciatingly slowly you folded your mouthwatering legs, squatting in front of him. Flabbergasted, all Remus could do was gape at you, as you grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, dragging him up on the table with you.

“Let’s show them bloody idiots, shall we?”

Your face was so close to his, your sweet hot breath bounced off the skin on his neck. In one graceful motion you pulled Remus down by the front of his shirt, crushing your lips against his. 

To say that Remus was deliciously overwhelmed would be a scandalous understatement. He wanted to focus on how cold your lips felt against his, or on how your ribcage seemed to connect to his in all the right places so your hearts could sing the same song in unison, but he couldn’t. All he felt, all he could really think of, if you allowed him to think of anything at all, was your taste. Goddamned Godric, you were so tasty. The way your lips opened just enough to let your teeth graze his bottom lip, only to let all that piquant sweetness in! Remus was drinking you in, forgetting everything in the world and never wanting for this moment to end. 

That’s it, the thought flashed in his burning mind. This would only last a moment before he had to go back to the real world where girls like yourself only kissed boys like him out of pity and goodness of their hearts. Here and now was all he had, and you’d better bet your ass he was going to enjoy it to the fullest!…

Before he knew it, he was burying his hands in your long, silky hair, tugging at it just a tad. He used his tongue. He used his teeth. He didn’t let you breathe and he didn’t give you any kind of space to move away as he crowded in on you. 

No one - he bit your bottom lip ever so slightly, enticing a groan from you, swallowing it off your lips - no one ever kissed you like Remus.

His lips were making sure you knew that whoever you kissed after him could never compare.

Just as you felt his hands snake around your sides in search for warm skin below the edge of the shirt on your lower back, the entire Great Hall erupted in a roar of applause, the sound engulfing both of you. 

The cheering went on and on, someone even went as far as throwing a shot of fireworks over your heads. 

Brushing his slightly chapped lips against yours, Remus breathed in, looking into your illuminated eyes. 

“You sure showed me,” he whispered, his heart tearing apart. Slowly, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear. From the corner of his eyes he noticed James and Lily looking at you both from the front rows of the small crowd gathered around you two. James literally had the sun shining out of his ass; Lily beamed at you happily. 

“Remus,” your soft voice was suddenly all he could hear. “I really…”

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he interrupted you, surprising himself by managing a smile. “I get it, I really do. Don’t worry about it…”

“Remus”, he hated the creases that appeared in between your eyebrows as you frowned. “You don’t understand, I…”

“Forget it, Y/N,” he cut in, a little harsher than he intended. “Thanks for helping out the local beast. We really did show them.”

“Remus, just let me fucking finish!...” you wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him up a tad to make him listen, but he was already out of your reach. 

Remus needed to get out of there. All the courage he prided himself on minutes ago disappeared. Still tasting you on his lips, he couldn’t bear to hear you turn him down. Truly, he had never bemoaned all the shitty things that seemed to find their way to his doorstep, even him getting bitten by a werewolf. He had never minded that he always seemed to have some penance to pay, but this… This rejection, ready to fall off your lips, felt like it might be what finally took him out. 

“Hey, hey, mate, where are you going?….” James caught him by his shoulders, his expression half amazed, half excited. “What the hell was that?! Are you and Siren…”

“No!” Remus nearly barked in a hoarse voice. “I… I have somewhere to be, Prongs. I’ll… I’ll catch you later., alright?…”

With his heart howling in pain and thumping in his ears, Remus ran out of the Great Hall, people’s stares following him and making him sick. 

He did what he had to, be it a little egotistical. This is what he needed in order to stay sane. 

He did what was right. 

Yet he had never felt so wrong, your taste still sleeping upon his lips…

Accio Chapter 4: Bravado Falls 

My Beautiful Taglist (please, hit me up should you want to be tagged or untagged):  @jackie-houston, @justducky0423, @zakthedrak, @marauder–harder, @davros2004, @firefurr, @heyjess-marie, @kapolisradomthoughts

[timetravelingheart]

My Side of the Fence Part Two: A.M. Imagine

Thank you so much for all of the love on the first part of this! I honestly wasn’t expecting anything and was just hoping for the best. I realized I didn’t do disclaimers on the first one, but I don’t know if this series will need any. I haven’t decided how comfortable I am writing smut yet, but if I choose to go down that road, I will definitely put a warning! Thank you again for reading. And as always, feedback and asks are always appreciated! 

Auston now knew that Savannah had two older brothers and one older sister, two nieces and two nephews, a 10-year-old Cocker Spaniel named Lola, and that she was extremely close with both of her parents. Her father was a civil engineer and her mother was an elementary teacher for children with special needs. He learned that she spoke fluent French, could understand Spanish but couldn’t speak it, and that she had a fairly strong grasp on Japanese from all of her travels there for competitions and summer performances. Of her favourite places she has visited, Japan and Amsterdam are at the top of her list. He also learned that she had never been to Arizona so he took it upon himself to share his love of his home state, and specifically his hometown. He apologized for droning on and on, but he saw the genuine interest in her eyes and believed the sincere smile she offered him when he saw it reach her eyes (and when she reached over to touch his arm and effectively sent shockwaves through his entire system, but he had tried to push that to the back of his mind for now). 

In the past two hours, he learned that she freckled in the sun and now had a light dusting across her nose and cheeks. He learned that she had a few different smiles; one that seemed to be specifically reserved for Steph in which it seemed like they were always sharing a secret or an inside joke with just their eyes; one that was more of a smirk when she was being sassy or sarcastic and calling people out on their shit (Mitch seemed to be the main recipient of that one so far); one that was her biggest, with a wide open mouth and her eyes closed as she threw her head back and laughed when something was really funny; and one that caused her whole face to light up but still look so serene and sincere, with her smile reaching her eyes and creating little crinkles around them (this was by far his favourite and it did things to his insides that he had yet to find a name for). 

He learned that she had a dry sense of humour that perfectly matched his own, that she was obviously competitive but more specifically with herself and not others, that she was passionate about human rights for all people, that she dreamt of going on mission trips once she was finished competing, and that she wanted to give back to the figure skating world by fighting for body positivity in a sport in which it was severely lacking and become a mentor for the up and coming generations of skaters. 

He learned that she was brilliant and beautiful and brave - and that he was utterly entranced by everything about her. God, was he ever in deep.

“All right ladies and gents,” Mo stood up from his place on the beach blanket and stretched his arms out high above his head, a little bit of his stomach peeking out from his black hoodie, “I think it’s time we reel it in for the night.”

As everyone rose from their comfortable positions and began collecting all of their things, Auston had a moment of panic when he realized that he was heading back to Arizona for a week and he wouldn’t get to see Savannah. Should he ask for her number? She seemed hesitant at first, but definitely warmed up to him by the end. But maybe he was misreading everything and she was just being friendly? Steph did say she wanted her to meet everyone and join the group, so maybe that’s all it had been for her, just making another friend in Toronto. She had talked to everyone in the group tonight, but none of them as much as him. Was that just because he desperately wanted her attention or because he was sitting right next to her? Fuck, he thought, I must be in deep if I’m this self-conscious over a girl. Before he could say anything else, Mitch turned to him and Savannah. 

“Sav, how did you get here today?” 

“I caught a ride with Brian. I completely forgot I didn’t have my car here!”

“Well you can ride with Steph and I. We have to drop Matts off too.”

“Perfect. Thanks Mitchy!” she leaned over and gave his side a light squeeze, picking up the chair and cooler that were still on the ground. 

“So you think you want to join us fools, Sav?” Morgan ruffled her hair a bit as they all walked towards the parking lots. “We’re probably the easiest of the entire group, so you might want to prepare yourself.”

“YOU’RE the easiest? God, do you play with a bunch of animals or something?” Sav joked, that sassy smirk stretching across her soft features. 

“Hey! We were told to be on our best behaviour tonight so we didn’t scare you away and cause Steph to dismember us and I think we did okay,” William laughed and Steph unlatched herself from Mitch’s side and shoved him, causing him to stumble a couple of steps in his flip flops. “Besides, you spent most of the night talking to Matts so if your impression is that we’re awful, we’re just going to blame him.”

Heat that rose to both Auston and Savannah’s faces at being called out for their slight separation from the group, but Savannah continued on as if nothing had happened. 

“Don’t worry, I think I can handle it,” Sav laughed lightly. 

“Well it was nice meeting you, Savannah! You’ll have to make it to our home opener,” Kasperi offered, as he reached over to give her a goodbye hug. 

“If I don’t have a competition or anything work-related going on, I will definitely consider it.” 

As they said their goodbyes to Kasperi, William, and Morgan, the rest of them climbed into Mitch’s car with Steph sitting in the passenger seat, and Savannah and Auston both sitting in the window seats in the back, with the empty seat between them holding their bags. 

“Matts, when do you get back?” Mitch asked, as he turned the radio down slightly, and got onto the highway. 

Savannah tried not to look too interested in the answer. Of course he would be leaving, he has the summer off and would want to go home. She tried to push away the disappointment she felt at knowing he wouldn’t be around for a bit. No, she thought. This is for the best. Space is for the best. The last thing Savannah needed was to fall for someone right now. No relationships during this quad. That was her rule. 

“I’m only going for a week,” he began, rubbing a large hand over his tired face, “Babs and Duby want me here to go over things with Johnny.”

“Do you think they’re going to make him captain?” Steph inquired. 

“Probably. I mean, he has the most experience, he’s going to be the number one centre, so why not? I think he’s the best for the job, if they don’t end up picking Mo.” 

Savannah had heard a little bit about all of this from Steph, who heard from Mitch, that despite all of the reports stating otherwise, Auston was really excited to have Tavares join the team and didn’t care at all about being named captain. He thought they could be the next two-headed monster(which was the funniest description of two hockey players she thought she had ever heard) like Crosby and Malkin. His role was to still be a leader on and off the ice regardless of the letter he wore or didn’t wear, and she was really impressed by the lack of ego.

“Savvy, are you here for the rest of the month or are you off jet-setting somewhere?” Steph turned a bit to face the back of the car. 

Now it was Auston’s turn to pretend like he wasn’t overly interested in the answer. Where was she going? She just got here! 

“I’m not sure yet,” Sav yawned mid-sentence (and when Auston thought it was the most adorable thing, he once again thought about how deep he was in this). “I will be here for this week, but I have a lot of meetings with Skate Canada about this upcoming season and what is expected of me. They want me to be more of a face of the figure skating world now that I’ve won gold and that Tessa and Scott are likely retiring. I am going to be traveling a little bit at the end of the month and in September to guest at their Thank You, Canada tour and I also have two more Stars on Ice shows to do, one here and one in Ottawa.”

“We should totally go to one of your shows!” Steph clapped her hands excitedly, speaking way too loudly for how late at night it was. 

“Well I think Connor is going to be coming to the Toronto one when he visits home before heading back to Edmonton for the season. His mom was really excited when we gave her tickets, and I think she said she was dragging him along.”

“Davo’s coming home!” Mitch hollered from the front. “That fucker is supposed to take me for a round of golf before the season starts so I can at least kick his ass at one sport.”

Rolling her eyes, Sav continued. “Sure, whatever you say Mitchy. All right, this is me,” she started collecting her things as they pulled up to her apartment complex. 

“This is Brownie’s building,” Auston pointed out, recognizing the colouring of the building and the surrounding area. 

“Brownie?” Sav’s nose scrunched. “Ohh! Connor Brown is Brownie? I don’t know why I forgot that he would be here!”

“You know him?” Auston turned to her for the first time since they got in the car. 

“Yeah, he used to play in Erie with Connor so we hung out whenever Connor and I did. Thanks for tonight, guys. I really had a lot of fun.” Sav began to get out of the car, but as she was rolling up the sleeves on her long hoodie, she realized what she was still wearing. “Oh! Auston, thank you so much for lending me this. Even if it is absolutely a sin that I wore it.” She reached the ends of the hoodie and pulled it up over her head, her tank top rising with it and revealing the undersides of her purple bikini. Auston felt all of the blood rush to his head, and other body parts that he was trying to ignore, as his eyes scanned the tanned and toned expanse of her stomach, his mind immediately wondering what it would feel like to run his hands and mouth along her soft skin. 

Distracted, Auston didn’t notice that everyone in the car was now staring at him expectantly; Sav confused and wondering if he had heard her; Steph and Mitch amused with Steph fighting to hold back her grin and Mitch making no such effort, loving that his best friend was such a fool for someone as amazing as Savannah. Auston didn’t move or react until Sav cleared her throat, heat rising to his cheeks for what felt like the millionth time that day. God, who knew he could be such a loser with girls when he was genuinely interested in them. 

“Oh, thanks,” he coughed lightly and trying to recover with wit he added, “maybe next time you wear something of mine it will be with my name on the back.”

Savannah’s eyes squinted slightly. “I’m pretty sure my body will spontaneously burst into flames if I put on one of those jerseys, Auston. But thanks anyway!” she laughed and sent him what she thought was an innocent wink. “All right, thanks again Mitchy. Steph, I’ll call you tomorrow. Mani/pedis? My treat?”

“You have yourself a date! I’ll buy lunch. Love you!” she blew an air kiss at her person. 

“Love you too, munchkin. Bye guys.” 

After they were sure she was safely inside the building, Mitch pulled out of the parking lot and continued towards Auston’s complex. Everyone was silent for the majority of the ride, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, feeling like he was going to bust a gut if he didn’t say something, Mitch spoke up. 

“Maybe next time you wear something of mine it will have my name on the back,” he mocked, trying to mimic Auston’s deeper voice, laughing even louder when Steph started laugh and Auston groaned and let his head fall back onto the seat behind him. And now he knew that not only was he a complete goner, but everyone else seemed to know as well. This was going to make for interesting locker room chats. Great. Just great. 

“Shut up and drive, Mitchy. Just shut up and drive.”

[bootz-n-catz]

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Title: Why’d You Come In Here (Lookin’ Like That)

Rating: M

Summary: Waverly is drowning in student debt, can’t find a good date to save her life and wants something different out of her life. When Chrissy approaches her to be on ‘The Bachelorette’, she takes it as her chance to do something adventurous, find some financial stability and maybe find love along the way. But what she didn’t realize is that the owner of the ranch they’re staying on, Nicole Haught, would be an unlikely contender for her heart.

You can read the latest chapter below or on AO3

This week on The Bachelorette Canada!

Waverly is seen standing in front of the guys who are all sitting in the living room. Mark is next to her. She holds her hands clasped in front of her excitedly as she says, “We’re going to a local vineyard for the day!”

All the guys cheer and we cut to B-Train’s interview. “Right now, I’m just hoping for some one on one time with Waverly.”

“I think I’m a shoe-in for the good impression rose this week,” Perry says with a confident smile.

Chad, your typical handsome beefy looking guy, nods in his interview. “I own a vineyard. Whatever we do on this date is going to be a piece of cake for me.”

The camera cuts to the bus pulling up to a beautiful vineyard. Waverly is standing out front already, a big smile on her face. All the guys pile out of the bus looking excited for the day ahead.

“Hi everyone!” Waverly says, throwing her arms out wide. The guys all respond at once, a gargled mess of greetings as they all try to outdo each other. “Welcome to Sweet Hill Winery! Today we’re going to make some wine and learn about it and I’m very excited. Sound good?”

All the guys cheer again so Waverly motions for them to follow her into the winery. They walk into a room with clothing racks, identical white outfits hanging on each.

“Alright, so get changed into your wine making clothes and we’ll get started!” Waverly says.

Champ smirks as he picks up his outfit. “Should we get changed here?”

Perry noticeably rolls his eyes.

“Um, yeah whatever you want-”

Waverly can’t even finish her sentence before Champ is taking his shirt off. She turns away for a moment, shocked, her hand coming up over her eyes as she laughs awkwardly. The other guys start taking off their shirts and pants to change and Waverly makes a surprised face at the camera.

We cut to her interview where she just giggles, eyes wide. “I mean…” she trails off as they show a shot of Chad flexing in a mirror wearing only his boxers before they cut back to Waverly’s interview where she’s fanning herself with her hand. “Wow.”

Finally, all the guys are changed and they head outside where several wooden tubs are set up on a stage. Each one has a mechanism under it that drains into a large tub. Waverly has a glass of wine in her hand as she explains.

“Alright everyone, you’re each going to stand in these tubs and squish the grapes with your feet until your bucket is filled with the juice. The first person to fill up their bucket wins!” Waverly says as the guys bounce excitedly, clapping their hands.

All the guys climb into their buckets and Waverly lounges on a nearby chair. She smiles widely as she takes a long sip of her wine.

“Alright, boys,” she calls from her chair, “Ready. Set. Go!”

They all start stomping away, a few of them slipping and falling into the pile of grapes below them. Waverly laughs in amusement, cringing when Perry goes down particularly hard.

We cut to Perry’s interview. “Yeah...that wasn’t my best moment.”

They all keep going, the buckets slowly get more and more full until a light goes off on Champ’s bucket. He raises his arms in celebration as the other guys look on with disappointed looks on their faces. We cut to Chad’s interview.

“Yeah...I own a winery but I don’t actually smash the grapes,” he excuses himself lamely, “You know, these days there’s machinery for that”

We cut to Champ’s interview where he is seen flexing his arm muscle and kissing it.

Champ gets out of the wine bucket, white outfit covered in purple grape stains. He jumps off the stage and runs over to Waverly as everyone else begrudgingly exit their own buckets. Waverly opens her arms to hug Champ and he picks her up, spinning her around a couple of times before setting her on the ground.

“Congratulations,” Waverly laughs, stumbling a little after being put down. “For your prize, you win the golden grapes!”

She hands him a cheesy little trophy adorned with grapes. Champ takes it and kisses it as if it’s something precious, before draping his arm over Waverly’s shoulders. A couple of cameras come up and take their picture as they stand there. Champ makes deliberate eye contact with Perry who looks less than amused. Then Champ turns to Waverly and leans in, kissing her hard on the mouth. He dips her back, her hands flat on his chest and a smile apparent on the corners of her lips.

We cut to an interview with Perry who just shrugs. “Champ is getting desperate. He knows it. We know it...he’s just using every trick in the book in hopes of sticking around and I hope that Waverly sees that.”

Later on The Bachelorette Canada!

All the guys are changed back into their clothes, sitting on some couches with alcohol in hand. Champ stands up and goes to have some alone time with Waverly away from the other guys.

“Good job on winning the grape mashing today!” she said as she adjusts to face Champ on the couch.

“Thanks, it’s all in the working out. You know?” he brags cockily. He brightens like he suddenly has an idea. “Watch.”

Champ stands up and takes off his jacket. Hey gets on the floor and starts doing quick pushups. Waverly stares at him for a moment, just blinking before she speaks.

“Um-”

“Here, get on my back,” Champ says stopping at the bottom of his push up and looking at her expectantly.

Waverly frowns and shakes her head. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

“Come on!” he says with his wide, blinding smile.

Waverly gets off the couch, pushes off her shoes and tentatively sits on his back cross legged. She squeals a little in surprise as he starts to do push ups again, a little slower than before but still at a steady pace.

We cut to a shot inside the house where some of the guys, noticeably Chad, are looking out the window and watching. They all bristle, looking annoyed.

“He’s such a tool,” Chad says out loud. Perry nods in agreement and B-Train drains his beer. “He’s not gonna last. There’s no way.”

Next up on The Bachelorette Canada.

***

Waverly felt the tension on her shoulders like knots in a straining rope as she walked into her room. She groaned and kicked the heels off her feet dramatically. They hit the side of the bed and landed in a pile that Waverly knew she’d end up picking up before she went to bed anyways, but it was nice to pretend she could be messy for a moment. She sat down hard on the bed, mattress creaking around her when she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Waverly called. Chrissy slid into the room with a smile creeping onto her face.

“So,” she said as she sat on the bed next to Waverly, “it looked like you had a good time today. Ready for the rose ceremony tomorrow?”

Waverly smiled and stood up to get her pajamas. “I did. Everyone seems very sweet.”

Chrissy folded her legs onto the bed, raising an eyebrow at Waverly. “I sense a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”

Waverly groaned and cursed her best friend’s intuition as she threw her pajamas on to the bed to start changing. The guys were nice. They were all very nice and very handsome and...Waverly couldn’t shake an odd feeling in her stomach whenever she thought about it. She pulled off her shirt and put her cami over her head with a sigh.

“There’s no ‘but’,” Waverly said, avoiding Chrissy’s eyes, “But...I don’t know. I’m just worried. You know?”

“About what?”

“About...everything. I miss Wynonna, I miss Purgatory, I miss my job,” Waverly said finishing putting on her pajamas. “Maybe if I could just...talk to Wynonna.”

“No,” Chrissy said sharply, “You know you can’t, Waves.”

Waverly laid back on the bed with a sigh. “Please? Just for five minutes?”

Chrissy looked at her sympathetically and shook her head. “You know it’s against your contract. I can’t.”

She shut her eyes and tried to ignore the tightness in her chest. She knew Chrissy would say no, there was just still that part of her that really hoped she would give her a few minutes on the phone with her sister. Everything was just far more confusing than Waverly originally thought it would be.

There was a phantom twinge of pain in her ankle and she was reminded of Nicole. Was it weird to miss her? Because she did. It had been a little over a day since she’d seen the redhead and Waverly couldn’t keep her mind from wandering to her. Even as hot guys were being paraded in front of her. She always managed to find something that reminded her of Nicole and well...even Waverly could acknowledge that was a little dangerous. She couldn’t help but want to spend more time with Nicole.

“As you start to get rid of the guys, it’ll get easier,” Chrissy said, misreading Waverly’s thoughts. For once. But Waverly was grateful at least. The last thing she needed was more of Chrissy’s prodding over Nicole.

“You’re right,” Waverly said, drumming her fingers on her stomach, “How many do I have to get rid of tomorrow?”

“Five,” Chrissy reminded her. Waverly sighed and hoped she could remember the names of the five guys she was going to have to get rid of.

There was a frantic knocking at the door just as Chrissy’s phone buzzed. She picked it up and Waverly went to the door. A flustered looking Jeremy stood on the other side of the door, his headset askew as he smiled at her anxiously.

“Hey, so there’s been an...incident. And they need you in the living room,” he said swinging his arms at his sides.

Waverly frowned, ignoring Chrissy’s hushed talking behind her. “Is everything okay?”

“Um. Yes?” Jeremy flinched. “Yes.”

She felt Chrissy grab her elbow and turned to look at her. She looked stressed, hair already out of place for some reason.

“It’s a good thing you’re wearing your cute pajamas,” Chrissy said before pulling Waverly with her out of the room and towards the living room.

“What’s happening?” Waverly asked. There were crew members bustling around, a few of the guys shuffling anxiously and looking concerned.

Chrissy sighed, “Well, apparently there was an incident-”

“What?” Waverly asked, shocked, “What kind?”

“Mark is going to tell you,” Chrissy said sitting down with Waverly on the couch of the living room as Jeremy started pushing some of the other guys away and back into the rooms. “On camera.”

“What?! Why?”

“Drama. For camera,” Chrissy said shooting her a sympathetic look as cameras set up around her. Mark walked in and smiled at Waverly, sitting on the couch next to her as Chrissy disappeared.

“Hey, you okay?” Mark asked, leaning a little forward so no one could hear them.

“I...think so?” Waverly chuckled, still overwhelmed. He patted the top of her hand sympathetically as Chrissy called out.

“Rolling?”

“Rolling!”

“Sound?”

“Rolling.”

“Okay, go ahead Mark!”

Waverly’s mouth felt dry and the house fell eerily quiet. She could hear some commotion outside and the distant sound of a siren but that was it.

“Waverly,” Mark started, taking her hand. She squeezed it, finding a weird comfort in it even though she had only talked to the man a couple of times. “So...there was an incident in the house today.”

“What happened?” Waverly said, much weaker than she had hoped.

“There was a fight.”

Waverly swallowed thickly and she shook her head. “I-...why? Who?”

“Jerry is hurt, he has to go to the hospital but he’s okay,” Mark said easily.

Waverly could barely remember Jerry, if she was being honest. But just the idea that some idiots were fighting is what got her. She licked her lips.

“Why? Who?” she asked. “Who did this?”

“It was him and Joe. But Joe claims it was self defense-”

“I want both of them gone,” Waverly said easily. “Tonight. I won’t put up with fighting in this house. Especially fighting that leads to people being put in the hospital.”

A twinge of a smile curled at Mark’s lips, disrupting the solemn look he was so clearly trying to uphold.

He nodded firmly. “As you wish.”

Waverly sighed and stood up, tired of it all already. “Thank you. I’m going to bed now.”

She walked off and behind her, she heard the cameras moving and shuffling. She could feel one following her as she went but she closed the door on them. After she was alone again, Waverly ran a hand through her hair and blew out a long breath. Well. At least that was two fewer guys she would have to cut loose tomorrow.

***

The rose ceremony went about as well as Waverly thought it might. It was unnecessarily long and awkward. The poor guys had to stand there and ponder their fate between camera setups. One of the guys cried and Waverly had to try really hard not to take it back and tell him he could stay. She was emotionally exhausted and so relieved that she wouldn’t have to see any of the guys for another day.

The next morning, she went on her run, eyes peeled and looking for a certain redhead. Thankfully she didn’t have to look for long. She heard a sharp snapping sound coming from behind the barn and knew it had to be Nicole. Waverly brushed some fly away hairs from her face and jogged behind the barn.

Her breath caught in surprise when she saw Nicole picking up a log and setting it on a stump, a pile of already split wood next to her. Her back was to Waverly, giving her a very nice view of Nicole’s back in a tank top. Waverly slowed her jog to a stop as Nicole lifted an ax over her head and swung it down onto the log, the muscles in her back moving smoothly under her skin. The log split with an impressive ‘crack', both halves falling off of the log as Nicole straightened back up.

Nicole looked over her shoulder, eyes catching on Waverly’s as she smiled at the brunette. Waverly blushed and tried to act casual as she walked over to the fence as if she wasn’t just staring at Nicole splitting wood. Nicole waved before taking off her Stetson, pushing her sweaty hair back from her face before putting the hat back on her head.

Waverly was definitely not following the muscles in her arms as she did so. Not at all.

“Howdy,” Nicole said, tipping her hat in that stupid way that Waverly loved.

“Hello,” Waverly called, walking up to the small fence that was separating them. She climbed over it, sitting on the top as Nicole approached. “It’s been a while.”

Nicole shrugged, “You’re a busy woman, it seems.”

Waverly rolled her eyes, watching carefully as Nicole leaned against the fence just a little more than a foot away from her. She could feel herself leaning towards her even if she didn’t mean to. Swinging her legs a little, Waverly tilted her head.

“Yes, well, it’s been a lot of nonsense,” Waverly said.

“You put up with the nonsense for...what exactly?” Nicole teased with a small smile.

“Love,” Waverly joked, eyes wide and sarcastic as she sighed. “But the other day I did get to go to a beautiful winery. I’ve always wanted to go to one. And Chrissy told me they’re going to have us all go skydiving in a few weeks so that sounds amazing.”

Nicole nodded slowly, eyes focusing on the scenery behind Waverly. It gave Waverly a chance to look at Nicole, specifically the line of her collarbone and how it was emphasized oh so nicely in the tank top. Her line of sight led her to a silver chain around Nicole’s neck with a simple gold band on the end of it. Waverly blinked, staring at it for a moment as her mind churned with thoughts as to why something that looked a lot like a wedding ring might be hanging from Nicole’s neck.

“The dating is going well then,” Nicole said, unknowingly interrupting Waverly’s thoughts. Waverly couldn’t tell if it was a statement or a question but it made her blush all the same. Part of her hoped there would be a bit of selfish prodding from Nicole’s end, but she wouldn’t trick herself into thinking that.

“I mean,” Waverly sighed and looked down at her knees. “They’re all very nice. And very handsome. I just...I don’t know if I can see my future with any of them. You know?”

Nicole snorted. “Yeah, I know.” Her fingers automatically found the ring around her neck as she looked up at Waverly, her voice more sincere. “Just don’t compromise yourself. Not for some hunk of meat. Not for anyone.”

Waverly watched Nicole’s lips as she talked, at how the words spilled over them and into the air. They tripped through the air and settled over her like a blanket that she took solace in. Her eyes flickered up to Nicole’s and she felt...familiar. But familiar maybe wasn’t the right term. It felt...safe. Like she hadn’t known Nicole for barely a week and knew little to nothing about her except that she had kind, gentle eyes that Waverly wanted to fall in. Or that Waverly was sure there were more muscles under Nicole’s skin than she could see, covered by a layer of softness that she was sure would feel so so good under her fingers. On top of her.

Waverly shivered.

“I’ll...try not to,” Waverly said before frowning, “Er...I won’t.”

“Can I...say something that might be a little...out of line?” Nicole said with a small cringe.

“I feel like I should say no,” Waverly said with a nervous chuckle.

Nicole’s head tipped forward, hair falling a little in her face. “You can if you want.”

“Go ahead,” Waverly said scooting a little closer to Nicole, “Please.”

With a lick of her lips, Nicole looked up at Waverly. “I...feel like you’ve been spending your whole life trying to be who other people wanted you to be. And you’re just now starting to figure out who you really are.”

Waverly blinked at Nicole, fingers pressing into the wood of the fence underneath her. There was something fluttering in her chest. Anxiety? Panic? Something...all together unfamiliar.

“Waverly?” Nicole said, bringing her from her daze. Her brow was wrinkled in worry and Waverly wanted to reach other and smooth it out with her fingers.

“Yes, sorry,” she said clearing her throat. “I guess I just-...I mean, you’re not wrong. I think.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Nicole shut her eyes for a moment. “I just was thinking out loud. I’m sorry-”

Waverly tucked some hair behind her ear and shook her head. She smiled in a way that she hoped was reassuring. “It’s fine. Really. Like I said, you’re not wrong.”

Nicole took her hat off and looked at it, fingers playing along the brim as another strand of hair fell into her face. Waverly’s smile widened when brown eyes met back with hazel.

“You’re a very interesting woman, Waverly Earp,” Nicole said. “If you weren’t on an elaborate, slightly sexist dating show and intending to marry one of the dolts at the end, I might ask you out for coffee.”

Waverly blinked rapidly, a thousand thoughts going through her head. “Wha-?”

Nicole put her hat back on her head and tipped it towards Waverly with a smile as she started to walk backwards away from her.

“Excuse you!” Waverly said. She needed answers. Rather, clarification. Like what would this coffee getting entaill? Was it-...would it have been considered a date? “Where do you think you’re going?”

Nicole laughed and tilted her chin to something behind Waverly. “People are looking for you.”

Like on cue, Jeremy’s voice called out. “Waverly!”

She looked over her shoulder, trying to keep her face neutral and not as annoyed as she felt. Jeremy was jogging towards her, waving at her frantically. “Yes?”

“It’s time to go,” he panted, coming to a stop a few feet away. He bent over and pressed his palms to his knees as he caught his breath.

Waverly looked back over at Nicole who was back to chopping wood. She split a log with another loud crack and stood up, axe on her shoulder and hip jutted out just so as she smirked at Waverly. She growled in frustration, a heat smoothing low in her belly at the sight. Why did Nicole have to be so hot and confusing?

“Coming!” Waverly sighed, hopping off the fence and walking back towards Jeremy, the sound of Nicole splitting wood fading back into the distance.

***

That night, Waverly found herself distracted. To say the least.

They had put her in a speed dating type situation with the guys. They were all at their own tables and every fifteen minutes she would switch tables. Then she would have to give the first impression rose to whichever guy she thought was the most interesting.

All of the guys were on their best behavior, being extra charming and witty in all their conversations. There was just one problem. Waverly’s mind couldn’t help but wander to Nicole and the conversation that they had had before Waverly was ushered away to get dressed for her dates.

Her mind ran through different scenarios and what could have happened. What would have happened if she said she would love to go for that coffee? Or if she had just...leaned forward and kissed her? Would it all have been really that bad? Either way, Waverly was thoroughly distracted. At the end of the night, she gave the first impression rose to Champ which meant that he got to “walk her home”. Really that just meant take an extra long walk around the property until they got to the back door of the house.

On the walk, Champ took her hand in his. His hand was big and engulfed her own, palms sweaty and also sticky for some unknown reason. But it was nice. Champ was nice, like always. Something about his aftershave with the slight undertones of sweat reminded Waverly of Purgatory. Of the life she was sure most people had expected of her by now. Marriage and babies. Lots of babies.

They took the path through the field, getting closer to the barn. It was oddly intimate even with the multiple cameras that were following them. Waverly saw a faint light shining through one of the top windows of the barn. Waverly wondered if Nicole was sitting up there reading or watching television.

Champ stopped with her in front of the barn, an arm creeping over Waverly’s shoulder as they looked up at the full moon.

“It’s beautiful,” Waverly said softly.

“It is,” Champ said. A small pause before he continued. “So are you, you know.”

Waverly couldn’t help her blush and she leaned a little into his side. He was a sweet boy. Not all that smart but sweet.

“Thank you,” she said looking down at her feet shyly. With the hand that wasn’t smothering Waverly’s, Champ put his hand on her cheek and tilted her face up towards his. He practically lunged forward to kiss her. His lips were chapped and the kiss was all too firm. Waverly put her hand on his chest and leaned back a little but he followed her and took it as encouragement. His tongue slipped into her mouth and she pulled back as nicely as she could, hand firm on Champ’s chest to keep him from following her lips again.

He smiled at her and she smiled back.

“That was amazing,” he whispered.

“Yeah,” Waverly said simply. Something in the barn window caught Waverly’s eye and she looked over his shoulder just in time to see the curtain move.

***

“It was clearly stated in the contract that they weren’t to be let loose on the property.”

The familiar voice woke Waverly up the next morning. She lay there trying to place it for a moment, still half asleep.

“And look what happens when they’re left to their own devices!”

Nicole.

She couldn’t help the way her heart thrilled at the sound of her voice. Even with the slight anger in her tone giving it a harder edge. Admittedly, she wanted to see Nicole. To wander out of her room and pretend she hadn’t heard whatever disagreement was going on with her and probably one of the producers. Plus her curiosity was getting the better of her. Waverly’s fingers flexed in the sheets and she wondered how quickly she could get up and make it look casual that she was outside of her bedroom. Waverly sat up quickly in the bed, running a hand through her messy hair and swinging her legs off the mattress as she listened.

“I’m really sorry,” she could hear Chrissy say, “we didn’t think that this would happen-”

“That’s the problem! No one in this house thinks,” Nicole said firmly.

Waverly padded out of bed and slowly opened the door, her curiosity getting the better of her. She straightened out her tank top and turned the corner to the kitchen. As soon as she saw Nicole leaning with both hands on the countertop, Waverly tugged at the hem of her shorts nervously. She really hadn’t thought this through.

“Nicole, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Chrissy apologized from the other side of the counter.

Waverly walked cautiously up to the two, trying not to let her eyes linger on Nicole for too long. She could feel the tension in the room and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly, her voice getting higher at the end as she tried to dissipate some of the...whatever was happening here.

Nicole looked like she’d just noticed Waverly standing there, not doing a very good job of hiding the fact that her gaze had darted down Waverly’s form before catching her eyes. Waverly warmed under Nicole’s look, her stomach bumping into the edge of the marble countertop as she leaned against it. The line of Nicole’s jaw was tense and Waverly wanted to stroke it until she relaxed. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest and looked between the two.

Nicole finally looked back at Chrissy with an expectant raise of her eyebrow. “Want to tell her?”

Chrissy’s nostrils flared as she looked at Waverly. “Some of the guys got drunk last night and...decided to engage in some less than savory activities.”

“They tried tipping my cows,” Nicole said, “But the idiots didn’t realize it was a myth and ended up spooking them instead. Something else I don’t take kindly to. They spooked ‘em and the cows broke the fence. But the most important thing is now I have stressed out cows.”

Waverly frowned and shook her head. “I-...who was it?”

Nicole scoffed. “One of your idiot boyfriends. I don’t know.”

Waverly physically took a step back as if Nicole’s words had pushed her. Her chest tightened, lungs coming up short on air like she had been smacked in the face. Something about the sharpness in Nicole’s tone just...set her back. Nicole sighed and ran a hand over her face. She shut her eyes and took a breath before looking back at Waverly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap I’m just...frustrated,” Nicole said, eyes wide and pleading. Waverly’s arms loosened, her hands dropping to the counter in front of her.

“It’s fine,” Waverly whispered. Nicole reached forward across the counter, hand covering Waverly’s. She felt goosebumps erupt over her skin and her thumb gently reached up to stroke the side of Nicole’s hand.

Chrissy interrupted, “We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

It was like Nicole remembered someone else was in the room and she quickly moved her hand away from Waverly’s. Without thinking, Waverly reached again for Nicole’s, their fingers just barely brushing before Nicole stood straight and her hand fell off the counter.

“Thank you,” Nicole said looking back at Chrissy. “Just control them, yeah?”

“We will,” Chrissy said with a serious nod. “Promise.”

With one final nod, Nicole looked back at Waverly and smiled shyly. “I’ll see you around, Waves.”

“See you,” Waverly said with a little wave that stayed low by her hip. One that she immediately regretted. Her eyes followed Nicole out of the kitchen, sighing when she disappeared. Chrissy cleared her throat and Waverly blushed, looking over at her friend.

“What was that?” Chrissy asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What was...what?” Waverly asked, going into the fridge to pull out some yogurt.

Chrissy didn’t say anything but her eyebrow crept up higher. Waverly shrugged, shaking her head like she didn’t understand.

“Waves. A love story basically played out in front of my face just now,” Chrissy said just above a whisper. “Both of you just gave the other puppy dog eyes back and forth.”

Waverly paused for a moment and looked up at Chrissy. “She was...giving me puppy dog eyes?”

Chrissy shook her head. “That bitch is head over heels for you.”

“Really?” Waverly asked as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Chrissy gave her a knowing look.

“You know who else is head over heels for you?” Chrissy said. “Those fifteen guys left in this house.”

Waverly blushed, opening the drawer in search of a spoon. “I know! I just...was curious.”

“Well stop being curious,” Chrissy said, “You have a month left in this house and you can’t choose a guy if you’re trying to flirt with Nicole instead.”

“I know,” Waverly grumbled, “And I’m not trying to flirt.”

Chrissy pulled her phone out, suddenly disinterested. “Sure, Waves.”

Waverly stuck her tongue out at Chrissy as she walked back towards her room with her yogurt. As soon as she was out of sight of her friend, she let the small hopeful smile she’d been holding light up her face.

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Word Count: 1726 Author’s Note: Happy Birthday, Jim! This wasn’t to the point I wanted it at, but I’ve got to get to work, so I had to cut the planned smut and the planned ending...

The first time you saw Jim Kirk, you knew your life would never be the same. There was something about him, even while you were both cadets. He made your world seem bigger. More dangerous. And infinitely more exciting. There was something about the way he looked at the universe with the promise of adventure that made you want to be near him. You were disappointed when he was caught fixing the Kobayashi Maru, and surprised when you saw he’d somehow made it onto the Enterprise. Once the dust settled from the Narada incident, the emergency crew assignments had been reviewed, and you were surprised to find that you were reassigned to the Enterprise, under Jim Kirk as your captain.

It was on the Enterprise that you really got to know Jim. He’d always been this larger-than-life character on campus, the focus of your unrequited crush, which left you filling in the blanks when you didn’t know the answers about him. He was at once better and worse, depending on what rumour was floating around about him. You were innately fond of him, no matter how many notches he scratched into his headboard. But it was a crush, and it was fleeting, and in those moments when you were honest with yourself, you would admit that the idea of Jim Kirk was a heady drug, but the reality would likely be a letdown.

Once you were serving together, you were pleasantly surprised to discover he was nothing like the man you’d imagined. Instead of a thoughtless lothario, he was overwhelming discrete in his romances. So discrete, in fact, that most people didn’t realize he still had any. He was smarter than you could have imagined, challenging the intellect of Commander Spock regularly enough that the Vulcan seemed perpetually frustrated. Unbelievably, he managed to know each member of the crew, and at least have some sort of background information on them so that each conversation he had built on the trust he already had gained. He took that trust, and in turn, returned it, giving him a loyal crew that would go beyond reasonable expectations for one another and for the ship. It was as though he was born to lead.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t without failings, and you’d definitely seen those too. His successes made him prone to arrogance, and he liked to needle Spock just a little more than necessary. He was sometimes too headstrong. And his disregard for the Prime Directive was frustratingly obtuse. But the positives about Jim Kirk far outweighed the negatives, and you felt your youthful crush fading away into something more like an admiration, trust, and deep comfort. Simply put, you loved him. It remained unanswered whether your feelings were returned.

“Y/N, how is life with Bones?” Jim sat down across from you in the commissary, placing his meal tray in front of him.

“He’s been keeping a dead tribble in the lab,” you shrugged. “Is that weird? I feel like I should think it’s weird.”

“It’s a little strange,” Jim nodded. “He’s not talking to it or anything, is he?” You couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, just the occasional glance at it to make sure it hasn’t actually started purring again,” you clarified. “So nothing truly weird.”

“Are you on duty tonight, Y/N?” He asked. You raised an eyebrow in question before shaking your head. “Care to join me for a game of chess?”

“I can’t play chess,” you laughed. “I could kick your ass at poker though.”

“I think you’ll find I have hidden talents when the stakes are high,” he laughed. “Poker it is, then. Tonight? My quarters?”

“Sure,” you shrugged. You excused yourself and were surprised you didn’t float out of the commissary, you were so happy. You somehow managed to wipe the stupid grin off your face before you went back on duty. If Doctor McCoy had figured out why you were so giddy, you would never hear the end of it.

You approached the door to Jim’s quarters with some trepidation. Was it just poker? Or was there something more to what he was asking? Considering the feelings you held for him, you knew you’d be disappointed if it was just poker, but at the same time, even just spending time with your friend was a treat you didn’t often get to partake of.

All it took was Jim opening the door to realize this wasn’t just poker. At least, it wasn’t poker like you and Doctor McCoy played. When Bones called a game, his quarters were impeccable, but there was a classic rock soundtrack on in the background, and bourbon glasses at each spot on the table. Jim’s quarters were equally tidy, but the lighting was low, and there was soft music in the background that was much more appropriate to a seduction than a poker game. A bottle of wine was chilling on the table. You smiled when you took it in.

“Where did you find that?” You pointed to the bottle, eyebrow raised.

“Last reprovisioning stop,” he admitted. “It’s taken me some time to invite you over.”

“That was six months ago, Jim!” You laughed. He nodded, looking slightly sheepish.

“Your friendship is important to me,” he said. “I didn’t want to risk it if I was misreading your body language.” He stepped closer and you felt your eyebrows drawing together, trying to make sense of the words he’d said.

“Your friendship is important to me too, Jim.” It almost came out like a question. “But -”

“I’m making a mess of this, Y/N,” he interrupted. “I have never been in this place before, I apologize. Y/N, what I’m trying to say is that I like you. I’ve grown fond of you. In a way that I’d like to explore beyond friendship.”

You couldn’t help but smile, it was so awkward. Where was the Jim Kirk from the Academy, the confident, headstrong, take-no-prisoners attitude? “Jim Kirk, are you trying to tell me you are romantically interested in me?”

He blushed, and it was one of the most beautiful things you’d ever seen. “Uh, yes?” He looked hopeful, and nervous, and so delightfully bashful. You bit your lip to try to restrain the smile that was fighting to spread across your face, and stepped closer to him. Unwittingly, your hand rose to his chest and you found yourself smoothing the lay of his shirt. His hand settled on your waist, bringing a blush to your cheeks. You stepped closer, and looked up at him. Those blue eyes looked down at you in wonder and the ghost of a smile played across his lips. “You aren’t running away.”

“I’m not,” you admitted. “But, I’m curious, Jim. Why now?”

“Because every day out here could be our last. We learned that from Nero. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I wouldn’t want people left wondering where they stood with me,” he explained, “if I died tomorrow.”

Your heart stuttered. “Are you planning on dying tomorrow? Is that what this is about?” You tried to keep your tone light, but fear gripped you, a sudden cold hand on your spine. He laughed and shook his head.

“No, I’ve got no plans to die anytime soon,” he chuckled, pushing a stray hair off your face. “But I’ve been sitting on these feelings for too long.” He dipped his head and pressed a tender kiss to your lips. The air in your lung rushed out, leaving you light headed, and your arm slipped from his chest to around his neck. His arms came around your waist, pulling you up against him, and in that moment, the nature of the kiss changed from tender and tentative to passionate and demanding. You pulled back, breathless.

“This is one helluva game of poker,” you joked, weakly. His lips found your neck, trailing kisses from just below your ear to your collarbone, and your gut tightened with desire.

“I’m not sure I want to play poker anymore.” His breath was hot against your skin, and you felt goosebumps rising everywhere he’d touched you.

XXX

You awoke, disoriented. There was something large and warm beside you, and there was an ache that you knew was delicious deep in your bones. Before you could reorient yourself, or remember the previous night, a strong arm slid over your waist, and pulled you back against a firm, warm body.

“Jim,” you breathed, the night coming back to you in a flood of firsts. The way his lips felt as he kissed you, the strength of his hands on your body, the masterful way he moved his hips.

“Good morning.” The words were low and rough against your hair, and he spooned into your back, the warmth of his body setting sparks of sensation across your skin. You heard your comm beep from across the room where your clothes had been discarded, and your eyes flicked to the chrono on the bedside table. You shot up, extricating yourself from his embrace.

“Shit!” You exclaimed, crossing the room in a heartbeat to grab your comm. “I’m late for shift!” You pulled your clothes on, silently cursing yourself. You’d still need to head down to your quarters to put your uniform on before reporting to MedBay.

“Come back to bed, Y/N.” Jim hadn’t moved, the blankets just barely covering his waist. You looked back at him and groaned, hopping on one foot trying to pull your shoe on.

“Leonard is going to kill me!” You exclaimed. Jim shook his head, and pushed himself out of the bed, striding toward you without any shame, naked as the day he was born. He reached into your pocket and pulled out your comm.

“Kirk to McCoy, please mark Y/L/N absent with cause for today,” he spoke into the communicator.

“Dammit Jim, your libido is not cause!” Leonard’s growl came back.

“Did you, or did you not, encourage me to just ‘man up already’ about Y/N? Well, Bones, I did. As a result, you’ll have to function without your second today,” Jim laughed, snapping the comm shut before Leonard could reply. “Now that you’ve gotten dressed, I guess I need to unwrap you all over again. It’s like my birthday.” He winked and pulled you back toward the bed.

[lifeasitis21]

Timing

Pairing: Aaron Johnson x Reader

Warnings: Smut, cursing.

Summary: After being asked about the reader and her relationship during an interview, Aaron lets on to more than he intended to.

E/C = Eye Color

This is similar to Red Roses, but it’s not the same I promise.

*Feedback is so appreciated! Enjoy!*

“We know you and her are pretty close. You’ve been in a few movies with her now. How did that relationship begin?”

Aaron shifted in his seat, sitting up taller now. A fond smile graced his lips.

“Yeah, Y/n and I are real close. Love the girl. We uh--we met on the set of our first movie together.”

The reporter smiled, waiting for him to go on but when he didn’t he prompted him. “So she was a co-star. Do you tend to kick it off with most of the people you work with?”

Aaron glanced up at the question. “Not always. Y/n and I just clicked.” He paused and the reporter thought he must not have wanted to talk about this, but then he continued.

“My manager had told me a litttle about her before the first day of filming. I did the usual and looked her up but I didn't learn much from that. She was definitely not what I expected that first day.” Aaron looked down at his hands as he thought back to that day.

“--we’ll be filming here for a large portion of the film, but when we move off base you’ll be noticed at least two weeks before.” Retaining the information the director’s assistant was spewing at Aaron found to be harder than he thought it would. This being his first big production, he felt a little behind on everything.

“Uhok.” Without another word the assistant handed him a welcome basket and was on his way.

People zoomed past Aaron, making him feel like he was standing in the middle of a busy street. The noise seemed to jumble up in the room, and the louder it got the more he found it hard to focus.

“Are you lost?” A string of coherent words grabbed his attention and he turned to find kind e/c eyes looking up at him.

“I’m--Yeah, I think I am.” He confessed, seeing no good reason to be dishonest. “I’m Aaron Johnson. I um--”

“Oh! Aaron, I was looking for you. I’m Y/n, your co-star.” You reached for his free hand and began tugging him along with you.

“It’s nice to--where are we..” He stuttered.

“We have a scene to shot. Have you never done this before?” You asked, looking back with a raised eyebrow.

His silence answered your question and you back tracked as quickly as you could. “It’s not a problem. I can walk you through it. You memorized your lines for today right?”

He nodded his head and you sighed in relief. “Perfect, then you have nothing to worry about.”

Your voice faded out as it was overlapped by the reporter’s. “We haven’t had the pleasure of having Y/n in here for an interview but from what we’ve heard, she’s a real pleasure to be around.” Aaron smiled as the reporter continued to talk. After a few more comments he cued Aaron in to continue.

“--and how long have you known her?”

“3 years now.”

“Wow, 3 years. You’ll surely attend her wedding then?” The reporter laughed at his own comment but Aaron couldn’t help but jerk his head up.

“Wedding?” A hole dug through his chest as he waited.

“Surely a wedding’s coming soon! James and Y/n have been together long enough, don't you think?”

Aaron lifted his eyebrow slightly. “I don't think that’s fair to assume. I mean, I would probably know better than most that--” Before Aaron could continue his publicist grabbed his attention and prompted him to stop. He glanced over just in time to see the panic on Richard’s face. The reporter’s interest now highly peaked, he began to erode Aaron to continue. “I uh--Y/n is great. We’re great friends.” Aaron winced at the mess he’d gotten himself into and desperately tried to get himself out of it.

Luckily, Richard got the reporters attention and told him to wrap it up.

A few minutes later, off camera, Aaron ran a frustrated hand through his hair; his team of security, along with his publicist a step behind him. “That was a complete disaster.” “You think.” Richard chimed in, clearly not amused. “Their gonna have field day with this. Not to mention the call I’ll most likely be receiving from Y/n’s manager, and probably James’ as well!” Richard moaned on about the mess Aaron had just made, but it was nothing new for him.

The whole car ride to the hotel Richard rambled on to whoever was on the other side of his phone call, while Aaron closed his eyes and tuned him out.

“I won’t, sit here and lie to you. This pain, this hurt--I can barely stand it.” Aaron watched in a daze as you moved through the scene. He listened to your words with conviction. You were talking at him in character for a scene but for the life of him he couldn’t help but feel guilt at your desperation.

A moment later he heard his cue to speak his line. It was short, prompting you to continue to talk, and as you continued he was pulled back into his bliss.

This was the fifth time filming this scene. It was one of the turning points in the movie and they wanted it perfect. A few times it came close, but Aaron always ended up screwing up his lines, or stuttering through them.

As you neared the end of your speech, Aaron stood on his cue and walked towards you. “You don’t have to answer right away. But just, listen--please.” After a few seconds of silence from you he continued. “I’m not perfect. God I’m the farthest thing from it, but there is one thing I’ve gotten right. One thing that I wouldn’t change for the world.” He placed a hand to the side of your neck and took a step closer to you.

Just like he had practiced what felt like a thousand times, he looked down into your eyes, his eyes darting from yours and down to your lips. “You’re the one thing I got right. I’m afraid you couldn’t do anything to change that.” Nailing his line perfectly, he leaned down and placed his lips on yours.

You took a deep breath at the sudden contact. Aaron had one more line to say before the kiss but he’d skipped it. Not wanting to ruin the scene, you went with it and deepened the kiss.

Aaron began pushing the strap off of your shoulder and you reached for his crooked tie. With his other hand wrapped around your back, he began to unzip the dress you were wearing. As soon as it was loose enough, you let it begin to slide down your shoulders. As it did, you walked him backwards toward the bed. His heels reached the end of the bed and he pulled you on top of him.

“--and cut.” The words pulled you from the energy of the scene and you looked down at Aaron as he looked up at you. You could feel his heartbeat. It was quick and erratic as was yours. He hoped the he wasn’t misreading the look in your eye but he couldn’t be sure. You suddenly rolled off of him and took the robe one of the assistants had brought over for you.

Aaron’s phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him from thought. Richard was still sat across from him mumbling as he typed away on his laptop. His phone buzzed a second time and he looked down. Two messages, both from you.

He reluctantly unlocked his phone.

Y/n- Hey, uh what the fuck?

Y/n- Come to my room when you get back. 3110

Aaron locked and slid his phone into his pocket as the car pulled up to the hotel. You and him had been in Amsterdam shooting this movie for about two months now. The filming was taking place outside the city, and the producers arranged for a rental condo for the two of you to stay at during shooting, but while these interviews were going on, the both of you were stuck in a hotel.

Aaron didn’t waste time getting out of the car before Richard could scold him more, but luckily, he just let him go. His two security guards walked behind him as he made his way past the small crowd of reporters and fans that had been stationed outside the hotel since the two of you had arrived.

As soon as he made it inside he made for your room. He prepped himself on the way up on what to start out with. He knew you well but James was never the topic of discussion between the two of you when you didn’t want him to be, and most of the time you didn’t want him to be. Above, you sat on your bed with a bag of kale chips you’d dug out of your welcome basket that the hotel provided for you. The television was still set on the channel Aaron’s interview was on. The reporter that conducted the interview now rambled on about some other drama you didn’t care about. With a sigh, you dug your phone out from the tousled sheets of your bed and pulled up Aaron’s text thread. Just as you were about to send him another message, a knock sounded at your door. “Coming.” You shouted. You checked the peephole before opening the door for him to come in.

He walked in without making eye contact. Stalking over to your bed, he plopped down and grabbed the bag of chips you’d left. As you turned to watch him, he put a chip in his mouth, promptly spit it out and then headed for your mini bar.

You took a seat on the chair by the desk and watched as he rummaged through the bar, most likely in search of the bourbon, his go to drink.

As soon as he found it he set out to glasses on the bar. he turned to you and offered you a glass but you declined.

“Interview.” You said calmly.

With drink in hand, he turned and faced you. “Disaster. This is what happens when you make me do them alone.” He pointed at you with his glass and then took a sip. “No jokes. Not yet.”

He closed his mouth and took a seat on your bed again. As you studied him a smirk formed on your lips. “You wore the shirt.”

He glanced up at you, and then down at his shirt.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

The first time you’d seen him in the jean shirt you made a comment on how it complimented his eyes, you didn’t even recall exactly what you said about it, but he did. Every time he wore it he would make it a point to get you to notice, always bringing a smile to your face. The fond memory entered the both of your minds and as it faded, so did some of the anger.

“I misspoke Y/n. I’m sorry if I cause you problems.”

You let out a sigh and walked over to the bed next to Aaron. “James called me. Asked if I had made up my mind without telling him.” A few moments of silence later Aaron turned to you. “Well, have you?” You looked over at him and then back down at your hands. “Who--I mean, who the fuck proposes after a year? Is that normal?” Is that enough time to decide if you want to spend the rest of your life with someone?” You threw yourself back onto your bed with a huff.

“It’s normal for some people I think. People that..are sure of their relationship.”

You shot back up at his comment and furrowed your eyebrows. “Are you saying I’m not sure of my relationship?” you said, in an offended tone. “Uh, yes.” His sudden answer didn’t surprise you, no matter how much you wanted it to.

You lied back down onto the bed and placed a hand to your forehead. “You’re probably right. No, you’re, just right.” He stayed silent as he finished off his bourbon. Setting the glass down onto the counter, he got up and poured you your own glass.

“Here.” He said, handing you the glass. “Drink.”

Without hesitation you took the glass from him and took a drink. The alcohol coated your through and the inside of your mouth, leaving a vile after taste.

“Aw god, something. Need something--” Aaron rushed up and grabbed the sprite you had in your fridge and handed it to you.

You took a big gulp, ignoring the burn of carbonation in your nose. The sun had started to go down by the time Aaron left his interview, so it was dark now.

The television droned on in the background as you watched Aaron fill up his glass again, this time, bringing the entire bottle of bourbon over with him.

“You’ve felt like this for months Y/n. I mean, what are you waiting for?”

He knew he was pushing his luck asking you but what did it matter now.

You swallowed what was left of your drink and Aaron filled it up again. “I’m waiting for..” Your voice trailed off as you looked over at him, “--I just want to be sure. I know I’m sure. Or I think I’m sure.” You took another sip of the bourbon, feeling the warmth in your stomach. After finishing off his second glass, Aaron got up and kicked off his shoes. He undid his tie and threw it to the side.

Glass in hand, you watched him. The warmth in your stomach growing. You blamed the alcohol for the practically slow-mo scene taking place in front of you. Every button he undid seemed to take longer than the last. When he finally had them all undone, he slowly pulled his shirt off of his muscled arms, leaving him clad in a black t-shirt that was thankfully one size too small. Again blaming the alcohol, you snapped to attention when you realized he’d been talking to you. “--it might not even be worth it to drag this along. It might be smarter to just let him know sooner than later--” “Lets call him.” You said, eyes glazed over.

He glanced down at you and snickered. “Maybe tomorrow.” You glanced back up at him and then down to your phone that was sitting beside you on the bed. Aaron did the same and within seconds the both of you grabbed for it. You were somehow quicker and as soon as you got it you leaped off the bed and ran for the bathroom. Aaron ran after you but before he could catch you you had locked yourself in.

“Y/n! This is not a good idea and we both know it. You’re drunk, just--’

“I’m not drunk!” You interrupted.

“Do the test.”

Without a comment, you put both of your arms out to the side of you and reached in to touch your nose. After the second time you missed you dropped your arms.

“Well..it’s better now than never!” You shouted. Aaron continued to discourage you as you pulled up his number on your phone.

He picked up after two rings. “James. Hello, it’s me, Y/n. Listen. Nnno. Just, no.” After a moment of silence Aaron’s voice drifted in over the phone. “Wrong number Y/n.” “Aggh. Just--shut up.” You hung up the phone and tried again, this time making sure James’ name popped up on the screen.

“You might want to be more clear this time Y/n.” Aaron said through the door.

This time the phone rang a few times before you got an answer.

The process was over quicker than you thought, but James was never one for long conversations, especially when they involved breaking up. A few minutes later you opened up the door. Aaron lifted his back from the door as you did and stood up.

“Are you okay?” He asked, voice worried.

“Yeah, I’m..relieved.”

You expected to feel a bitter sweet emptiness but it just wasn't there. Instead it was just nothingness. The only time you felt something was when you looked up at Aaron. His eyes were deep and endless. You knew what you’d been waiting for. He was standing right in front of you. But given the circumstances, anything that may have happened tonight would be written off as destructive breakup choices. Siding against ruining something that way, you slid past him and walked back towards your bed.

“It’s late. I didn’t even realize.” You said, tossing your phone onto the desk. “You don’t have to stay I'm--”

“I want you, Y/n.”

You turned at Aaron’s words. His eyes were cast down like he was thinking about something, but then he looked up at you. “3 years, I’ve wanted you. 3 years I’ve let you walk into someone else arms. And god damn it you almost married one of them.”

You stood motionless as he continued.

“I almost asked you a year ago, before you and James got together. Actually, the night I planned on asking was the same night the two of you got together.” He began walking towards you and with every step he took your heart beat ten times faster.

“I’ve regret not asking for 3 years, so I’m asking now..and now that I think about it, this is horrible timing. You can toss me out right now if you want to. I would understand. I just needed you to know that.”

He made for the door but before he got there you stopped him. “Aaron.” As you said his name he turned with a fire in his eyes. In seconds he was right in front of you, lips begging to be on yours. “Yeah.” You said out of breath. He pulled your body to his and your breath caught as his lips met yours. They were soft like you remembered. He tasted like bourbon and you loved it.

His hands roamed your body relentlessly. He tugged at your shirt and you pulled it up over your head, along with his. You pulled him down onto the bed with you and pulled his lips to yours again.

You began to unbuckle his belt and he let you. He pulled away for a moment and looked at you. He didn’t say anything, just looked at you. Your eyes, your tousled hair, and then your lips, and in an instant he was begging for you again. He kicked out of his jeans and began pulling at your shorts. “I’ll admire it later.” He began covering you with hot kisses on his way back up to your mouth. As soon as he got there he lowered himself down onto you and deepened the kiss. As he kissed at your neck you pushed at his underwear, hoping he would understand that you needed him.

He did, and within seconds he had both of you clad in nothing. His hand ran over your body fervently. His breath was hot on your neck, sending shivers down your neck.

You reached for him and took him in your hand. He let out a breathy moan at the contact and clenched his eyes as you began to pull him closer to you.

The sexual tension was too much to take things slow and you both knew that. He tilted your chin up to meet his eye line as he centered himself with you. “I need you, Aaron.” He pushed into you agonizingly slow and the both of you cried out in pleasure. You wrapped your legs around his waist and squeezed tight. He rested his head on your shoulder before moving and for a moment the two of you were lost in the pure bliss of the moment.

Like a button had been switched, he pulled up began thrusting into you. A string of curse words left your lips as he filled you up perfectly over and over again. At his rate, you knew you wouldn’t last long. He rolled the two of you over and continued to push into you. But as soon as his feet found the floor he sat up and lifted you up with him. His eyes filled with a carnal desire and needing you more than ever, he walked you over to the closest wall and rested your back against it.

You brought your hands to his face and pulled his lips to yours as he thrust into you again. You couldn’t help the moans that continued to escape you but it only fueled him on more. His hands clenched your thighs tight enough for there to be a bruise the next morning but you didn’t care. After awhile he began to slow down, he know met your eyes, mouth parted open. The way he looked at you was exactly the way you always wanted him to. Your mind flashed to years ago, during that scene. The same look poured from his eyes and everything felt right.

He began to pick up his pace after a moment and it didn’t take long before the both of you were moaning out in a purely blissful release. He kissed you softly against the wall and tucked a few loose pieces of hair behind your ear. He pulled out of you and carried you over to the bed. After laying you down he climbed into the bed behind you. He pulled you close into his chest and placed a kiss to your forehead. “I was waiting for you Aaron.” You said, your voice filling the momentary silence in the room. “Yeah, I could tell, Y/n.” A smiled tugged at your lips as you elbowed him in the stomach.

His laughter filled your ear as he pulled you in closer, as if that were possible.

More like this Here.

[tortuga-aak]

A screenwriter who worked with Harvey Weinstein on some of his biggest movie hits says 'everybody f---ing knew'

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg has posted an explosive "poem" on Facebook announcing "everybody-f-------knew" about allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein’s misconduct.

The screenwriter of "Con Air," "Beautiful Girls" and "Gone in Sixty Seconds" published more than 1,500 words on the topic. Rosenberg began his film career in the mid-1990s at Miramax films, co-founded by Weinstein, where he created "Beautiful Girls" and "Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead."

While Rosenberg repeatedly says that he, and others, didn’t know about allegations of rape, the screenwriter does say that people knew of "overly-aggressive behavior" and that there was "something rotten" going on.

The idea that Weinstein’s ongoing sexual harassment of women was an open secret is not new. More interviews and videos have emerged of celebrities alluding to allegations – or in the case of Courtney Love outright warning women to stay away from Weinstein.

His page now appears to be private as no posts after 2012 are displaying but, according to Deadline, this was his post:

So, uh, yeah. We need to talk about Harvey.

I was there, for a big part of it. From, what, 1994 to the early 2000s? Something like that. Certainly The Golden Age. The "PULP FICTION," "SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE," "CLERKS," "SWINGERS," "SCREAM," "GOOD WILL HUNTING," "ENGLISH PATIENT," "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL" years…

Harvey and Bob made my first two movies. Then they signed me to an overall deal. Then they bought that horror script of mine about the Ten Plagues. For a lot of money. Also bought that werewolf-biker script. That no one else liked but was my personal favorite. They were going to publish my novel. They anointed me. Made it so other studios thought I was the real deal. They gave me my career.

I was barely 30. I was sure I had struck gold. They loved me, these two brothers, who had reinvented cinema. And who were fun and tough and didn’t give an East Coast f--- about all the slick pricks out in L.A.

And those glory days in Tribeca? The old cramped offices? That wonderful gang of executives and assistants? All the filmmakers who were doing repeat business? The brothers wanted to create a "family of film." And they did just that… We looked forward to having meetings there. Meetings that would turn into plans that would turn into raucous nights out on the town. Simply put: OG Miramax was a blast.

So, yeah, I was there. And let me tell you one thing. Let’s be perfectly clear about one thing:

Everybody-f-------knew.

Not that he was raping. No, that we never heard. But we were aware of a certain pattern of overly-aggressive behavior that was rather dreadful. We knew about the man’s hunger; his fervor; his appetite. There was nothing secret about this voracious rapacity; like a gluttonous ogre out of the Brothers Grimm. All couched in vague promises of potential movie roles. (and, it should be noted: there were many who actually succumbed to his bulky charms. Willingly. Which surely must have only impelled him to cast his fetid net even wider).

But like I said: everybody-f-------knew.

And to me, if Harvey’s behavior is the most reprehensible thing one can imagine, a not-so-distant second is the current flood of sanctimonious denial and condemnation that now crashes upon these shores of rectitude in gloppy tides of bullshit righteousness.

Because everybody-fucking-knew.

And do you know how I am sure this is true? Because I was there. And I saw you. And I talked about it with you. You, the big producers; you, the big directors; you, the big agents; you, the big financiers. And you, the big rival studio chiefs; you, the big actors; you, the big actresses; you, the big models. You, the big journalists; you, the big screenwriters; you, the big rock stars; you, the big restaurateurs; you, the big politicians.

I saw you. All of you. God help me, I was there with you.

Again, maybe we didn’t know the degree. The magnitude of the awfulness. Not the rapes. Not the shoving against the wall. Not the potted-plant fucking. But we knew something. We knew something was bubbling under. Something odious. Something rotten.

But… And this is as pathetic as it is true: What would you have had us do? Who were we to tell? The authorities? What authorities? The press? Harvey owned the press. The Internet? There was no Internet or reasonable facsimile thereof. Should we have called the police? And said what? Should we have reached out to some fantasy Attorney General Of Movieland? That didn’t exist.

Not to mention, most of the victims chose not to speak out. Aside from sharing the grimy details with a close girlfriend or confidante. And if they discussed it with their representatives? Agents and managers, who themselves feared The Wrath Of The Big Man? The agents and managers would tell them to keep it to themselves. Because who knew the repercussions? That old saw "You’ll Never Work In This Town Again" came crawling back to putrid life like a re-animated cadaver in a late-night zombie flick. But, yes, everyone knew someone who had been on the receiving end of lewd advances by him. Or knew someone who knew someone.

A few actress friends of mine told me stories: of a ghastly hotel meeting; of a repugnant bathrobe-shucking; of a loathsome massage request. And although they were rattled, they sort of laughed at his arrogance; how he had the temerity to think that simply the sight of his naked, doughy, carbuncled flesh was going to get them in the mood. So I just believed it to be a grotesque display of power; a dude misreading the room and making a lame-if-vile pass.

It was much easier to believe that. It was much easier for ALL of us to believe that.

Because…

And here’s where the slither meets the slime: Harvey was showing us the best of times. He was making our movies. Throwing the biggest parties. Taking us to The Golden Globes! Introducing us to the most amazing people (Meetings with Vice President Gore! Clubbing with Quentin and Uma! Drinks with Salman Rushdie and Ralph Fiennes! Dinners with Mick Jagger and Warren-freaking-Beatty!).

The most epic Oscar weekends. That seemed to last for weeks! Sundance! Cannes! Toronto! Telluride! Berlin! Venice! Private jets! Stretch limousines! Springsteen shows! Hell, Harvey once took me to St. Barth’s for Christmas. For 12 days! I was a broke-ass kid from Boston who had never even HEARD of St. Barth’s before he booked my travel. He once got me tickets to the seven hottest Broadway shows in one week. So I could take a new girlfriend on a dazzling tour of theater. He got me seats on the 40-yard-line to the Super Bowl, when the Patriots were playing the Packers in New Orleans. Even got me a hotel room, which was impossible to get that weekend. He gave and gave and gave and gave. He had a monarch’s volcanic generosity when it came to those within his circle. And a Mafia don’s fervent need for abject loyalty from his capos and soldiers.

But never mind us! What about what he was doing for the culture? Making stunningly splendid films at a time when everyone else was cranking-out simpering "INDEPENDENCE DAY" rip-offs.

It was glorious. All of it.

So what if he was coming on a little strong to some young models who had moved mountains to get into one of his parties? So what if he was exposing himself, in five-star hotel rooms, like a cartoon flasher out of "MAD MAGAZINE" (just swap robe for raincoat!) Who were we to call foul? Golden Geese don’t come along too often in one’s life.

Which goes back to my original point: Everybody-fucking-knew. But everybody was just having too good a time. And doing remarkable work; making remarkable movies.

As the old joke goes: We needed the eggs.

Okay, maybe we didn’t NEED them. But we really, really, really, really LIKED them eggs. So we were willing to overlook what the Golden Goose was up to, in the murky shadows behind the barn…

And for that, I am eternally sorry. To all of the women that had to suffer this… I am eternally sorry. I’ve worked with Mira and Rosanna and Lysette. I’ve known Rose and Ashley and Claire for years… Their courage only hangs a lantern on my shame. And I am eternally sorry to all those who suffered in silence all this time. And have chosen to remain silent today.

I mostly lost touch with the brothers by the early 2000s. For no specific reason. Just that there were other jobs, other studios. But a few months ago, Harvey called me, out of the blue. To talk about the bygone days. To talk about how great it would be to get some of the gang back together. Make a movie. He must have known then the noose was tightening. There was a wistfulness to him that I had never heard before. A melancholy. It most assuredly had a walking-to-the-gallows feel. When we hung up I wondered: "what was that all about?" In a few short weeks I would know. It was the condemned man simply wanting to comb some of the ruins of his old stomping grounds. One last time.

So, yeah, I am sorry. Sorry and ashamed. Because, in the end, I was complicit. I didn’t say shit. I didn’t do shit. Harvey was nothing but wonderful to me. So I reaped the rewards and I kept my mouth shut. And for that, once again, I am sorry.

But you should be sorry, too. With all these victims speaking up… To tell their tales. Shouldn’t those who witnessed it from the sidelines do the same? Instead of retreating to the cowardly, canopied confines of faux-outrage? Doesn’t being a bystander bring with it the responsibility of telling the truth, however personally disgraceful it may be?

You know who are. You know that you knew. And do you know how I know that you knew?

Because I was there with you.

And because everybody-f-------knew.

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