#Thanks to the person in last reblog for writing out the text from these welcome messages

[wolfofcelestia]

i thought I was losing my mind when I saw the videos of rei’s valentines welcome message from the jp side of twitter

because they had the option of “you look nice too” whereas the english got “i agree” (in response to him saying you look beautiful). I didn’t want to sound selfish so I picked the option asking if he had plans, but if you picked the first option that compliments him, he pats your head

I’ve been happy with the english translation so far but this really upset me because the english option gave off a completely different vibe and it’s a scene that you can’t replay

just because I read in english, doesn’t mean I want to sass everything. Sometimes I want to compliment my boy too

[starlostseungmin]

— empty cafe, bang chan.

✰ notes: happiest birthday to bang chan! it's been a while since the last time i wrote for him but don't worry, his entry for my taylor swift series is coming up soon as well as jeongin! stay tuned for my lee know birthday entry <;33 don't forget to write feedbacks and reblog!

✰ tags: @lix-ables , @zoe8stay , @djeniryuu , @ppiri-bahng , @sleepyleeji , @notastraykid , @skzfelixlove , @seungly , @ameliesaysshoo , @l3visbby , @ohish , @comet-falls , @mrswolfiechan , @rachabreathing , @iadorethemskz , @minluvly , @dreamingsmile , @flirtyskzbutterfly , @tangylemonade , @gwynsapphire , @annispamz , @surefornext , @seungincore , @skz1-4-3 , @hanjingin , @hyunverse , @hwaberryjuice , @felixglow , @soonyoungblr , @awkwardnesshabitat ( color blue user/s are the ones i can’t tag )

“I need to leave,” You said with your voice cracking up at the situation of being humiliated in front of your co-workers. Your boss crossed the line this time and there is no way you’d want to come back to work here again. Taking all your belongings, you left the office and went straight to the downtown. It wasn’t crowded just like the rush hours, it was peaceful enough to deal with for an introvert. 

You head straight to an empty cafe and rush inside the comfort room to cry, failing to hear the barista’s warm greeting. He was the only one working at that time and noticed how you were in a hurry. It was supposed to be a soundproof door but he couldn’t help but hear your sobs when he happened to pass by the bathroom as he was supposed to head to the pantry to get some ingredients while waiting for you. 

It took a total of 15 minutes before you decided to go out after fixing yourself from the mental breakdown you had. The barista welcomed you again as you approached the counter. You barely visit this cafeーthe last time you did was when you were with a friend. The food being served was different from before, even the drinks. 

“Can I please have a cinnamon latte and a brownie?” You asked trying not to sound sad as his smile grew bigger than before. 

“Of course,” He said. “Is that all?” 

“Yeah,” You sniffed. 

“It will be up in 5 minutes, please take a seat!” He beamed as you smiled back at him and took the table for one just near the counter. It was a good thing that you were the only customer at the moment. You didn’t want anyone to see how glum you were, except the fact that the barista already knew. He even offered the password to their Wi-Fi just in case you wanted to use it. 

Your voice was calm and friendly when you talked to him. He seemed very enthusiastic about his job and you work the opposite. You admit it made you feel better to be treated politely after your dumbass boss just took you out like that. A sigh escaped your lips as you tried to hold yourself not to cry again and to avoid another embarrassment even if it was meant for a single person to see. Chan doesn’t actually mind, he had seen a lot of it before. Customers coming in and out have different stories being written behind those facades. 

He played some songs to entertain you while waiting but only made you shed tears when he played the wrong playlist with a solemn genre. The napkins being displayed in front of you were used to wipe those tears. Screw those tears, your makeup is expensive to be wasted over for some jerk. 

Chan took the tray on the counter with your food on it and tried to approach you as gently as possible. He didn’t want to meddle with the problem at first but it seems like you need someone to talk to at the moment. You texted your friend but haven’t replied for 30 minutes now and God knows what she’s doing on her day off. 

“Here’s your cinnamon latte and brownie,” You heard him say as he placed your food on the mat. 

“Thank you,” You responded in a gentle voice. 

“You’re welcome!” He beamed again as you smiled. “Uhm, I don’t want to interfere with your personal life but, are you okay?” He asked when you were about to taste the food. 

“Yeah,” You said, brushing off the embarrassment. He totally noticed everything. 

“You were crying in the comfort room a few moments ago,” He added. “I’m sorry if I eavesdropped, I was kinda worried when you came in looking so upset,” 

At first, it was awkward to have a total stranger coming up to you and asking if you were fine, but on the other hand, you appreciated it. Moments like this barely happen in your life and everyone leaves you alone, except your best friend of course. You looked at him for a few seconds before answering. 

“It was just tough at work,” You smiled, covering the sadness of your face. He is cute and a little bit taller, he has dimples engraved on his cheeks when he smiles and his curly orange locks are very noticeable, his voice is somewhat comforting and the vibe he gives is so approachable. 

“I understand,” He said. “Mind if I sit with you? You’re the only customer we have at the moment and I did everything before approaching you, haha,” He added. 

“It’s alright,” You answered. “I’m sorry if I just came in looking so upset, my boss just humiliated me in front of my co-workers while I was just trying to defend myself. I got into a small argument with her and then she exploded, blaming me and always pointing out that I’m wrong. It’s just so tiring,” You sighed. “All I did was to follow her instructions for the draft and I don’t know what happened next. It keeps happening during these past few months and I’m trying to deal with it because I don’t want to end up being jobless but the thing is, it’s really toxic now,” You added and cried in front of him. Chan immediately took out some napkins from a small box on the mat and handed them over to you. “Thanks,” 

“I’m sorry that it happened to you,” He said being an empath. “I understand, my first job is similar to yours but I’m happy that I left. Do you have intentions to quit?” 

“A very strong urge,” You sniffed and smiled after wiping your tears. “I’m planning to write my resignation letter tonight so I can submit it tomorrow. I don’t want to work there anymore, this is the last time.” 

“Well, I’m happy that you are,” He smiled. “You should take a break and look out for yourself before taking another risk again. And it’s brave of you to stand up for yourself and leave a toxic environment when you’re in the middle of a crisis of needing that job. I think you really need to rest for now and I pray that in your next one, it will be better and healthier. There are a lot of people who would treat you better. You deserve to be happy and well,” 

“Thanks,” You said as your smile grew bigger. “It made me feel better actually,” 

“It’s rare of me to be having this heart-to-heart talk with a customer though,” He laughed. “You’re probably the first one, I guess?” 

“I’m honored,” You said. “What’s your name?” You asked. 

“Oh, I’m Christopher but everyone calls me Bang Chan,” He said, reaching his hand towards you for a shake. “Actually, just Chan. What about you?” 

“I’m Y/n,” You answered, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you, Chan,” 

“And you too!” He smiled. “You should eat now, the brownie is getting cold,” He giggled as you happily ate the food and complimented him about it. 

“You know, if your resignation gets approved let me know,” He said while watching you. 

“Of course! You’d be the first one to know,” 

And two days later, you came back to the cafe and rushed towards the counter not minding the other customers watching you. 

“Chan! Chan! Chan!” You called as he immediately welcomed you outside the counter. 

“Y/n! How was it?” He asked excitedly. 

“They approved it!” You said as you both hugged each other, squealing at the best news while jumping in circles. 

“Congratulations! Oh my god, I’m so happy for you!” Chan said emotionally as if he was trying to wipe his invisible tears after breaking the happy hug. 

“Thank you so much! I am so happy that it happened and thank you for listening to me,” You said. “I shall invite you to dinner after your shift if that’s alright with you?” 

That made Chan’s cheeks turn a little bit pink and his heart raced. “Of course! I’ll be glad to! I don’t have plans tonight anyway,” He said with a cheeky smile plastered on his face. 

“Then I’ll wait for you,” You answered kissing his cheek before turning away and went to an empty table. Changbin, the cashier saw the whole thing and smirked at the older guy. 

“So you’re ditching boys’ night for a date huh?” Changbin said as Chan rolled his eyes. 

“Shut up,” 

feedbacks and reblogs are highly appreciated.

©️ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐈𝐍 , 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑.

[levisgirll]

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞 (𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

→ Text: hello everyone!! I went through my drafts and realized I never got the chance to post this and felt the need to do it (with some editing). I have decided to combine these two requests together to bring out and make a very fluff but some angst headcanons, it was actually interesting for me to do something like this. I did this because they had a similar theme and I wanted it to have a very fluff ending and longer writing for you all since I keep seeing more likes and reblogs in my account so thank you so much to all after all this time! Enjoy it :,)

synopsis: coming from the underground and having to adapt to a new environment is quite challenging for anyone, especially having to deal with people constantly bullying and picking on y/n just because she is different. Y/n is a very determined person and always tries her keep on going. Although, it does get hard on her later and Captain Levi does take notice of that. He usually doesn’t worry a lot about new cadets, but y/n coming from the underground, Levi could relate, and actually feel sympathy towards her. He slowly begins to worry for her more and care for her which leads to him being protective and enjoying being with Y/n....but something happens and Captain Levi does not hold back anymore. 

word count: 2.2k. fluff, comfort, angst, warning: slight picking on, bullying, aot world, headcanons & fanfiction ♡ —

Finally, y/n was free from that damned place. It felt like she was going to be there for the rest of her life but she finally made it out. Apparently, the military needed some more people to join the Survey crops since a lot had left, were injured and many died recently in the last expedition when they rescued Eren the titan shifter from the enemies. 

A lot hesitated, but y/n did not care. She just needed to leave this toxic environment that was draining her each day. But little did she know, the outside world was going to be the biggest challenge she had to face.

“Everyone salute and welcome your new cadets!” Mike Zacharias, the instructor, yelled out across the field that you were pretty sure your eardrums were going to burst. 

“Hey I heard there is someone from the underground that joined the survey crops, is that true?” someone uttered which you overheard as you looked at them. They quickly glanced at you, staring at you deeply with a look of judgment. ‘Yup, this is not welcoming at all.’ Y/n thought as she looked away and started to introduce herself. 

“I’m Y/N L/N, I hope I can keep up with everyone’s pace and learn from you.” Y/n said eagerly, finally it was a new start for her, no more getting bad treatment in the underground, no one being rude to her. She heard a lot about being part of the survey crops, you finally get some respect from people as part of a famous regiment.

“Where did you come from huh?” Someone yelled from the crowd, ‘Huh? why is he asking that, does it really matter where I am coming from?’ Y/n thought as she gave a look of concern and worry. “Um, from....the underground.” As soon as she uttered that, the whole vibe changed and everyone looked at each other.

The squad leader just gave a sigh and left. It seemed like he knew this would be the start of a big problem and did not want to be responsible for it. But, he glanced back at Y/n, “Please....don’t cause any trouble.” Then he finally left.

Y/n was now even more confused. Was there a reason that there would be trouble in the first place? She decided to just let that thought slide since it had no answer and decided to go into her cabin.

—

Okay, now she gets it. It’s cause she was from the underground and no one was from there and treated them differently. It seemed like any place she went to would never be welcoming. The group of trainers had started to treat her differently, when it was lunch time no one would sit with her, or if she needed advice they would always ignore her or tell her to ‘figure it out’. Y/n had no friends and no one by her side, she accepted that fact but then wondered...Was there something wrong with her maybe? She kept doubting herself now and that was the last thing she wanted.

Although, not everyone was treating her differently. Corporal Levi was their instructor for the use of 3D maneuver gear. Apparently, he is known as the strongest soldier who performed exceptionally well in everything.

Levi was observant, that was not something hard to guess coming from a man who is very much experienced. He noticed the gap between the recruits and...Y/n. He did find that odd and probably thought perhaps she didn’t take a shower.

Well. Yes, he was not treating her differently because Levi actually treats everyone the same! So perhaps Y/n would take that as...fair treatment for once?

“Alright, that’s enough for today.” Just as everyone was ready to go have dinner and relax Levi stood in front of Y/n. “You. I’m gonna need you to stay behind and follow me.”

Okay scratch that ‘fair treatment’. Y/n was wondering now what she had done after following Levi. She noticed then that he was quite muscular from the back and he really...did look quite attractive upfront. Later on, she noticed that she was in his office.

“So what’s the deal with you?”. Hearing that suddenly once he sat down on his chair made Y/n nervous but still stood her ground. “I... dont think I understand, Corporal.” 

“Listen, I need to know what’s going on. Being part of the survey crops means we need to collaborate together, but if there is an issue then I’ll need to hear it, Hm?”

Was he concerned about her perhaps? Y/n then decided to go ahead and tell him about how she was one of the newer recruits that joined coming from the underground and was the reason everyone was giving her that behaviour. Levi was completely off guard, he looked at her with surprise that she herself never seen.

“Okay....I think I get it now. Clearly, there are some shitheads that I need to deal with.” Y/n now was the one who stood off guard. “S-Sir? I didn’t mean to complain or anything!” She was now worried. Scared knowing that maybe now she had done it for herself and made this a bigger problem as it is.

“Don’t worry, just go back for now. I’ll see you in the morning.” He said as he got up and then put his hand gently on her shoulder. “You are....doing a great job. Hang in there.”

And with that, she was left alone in his office, but with a warm feeling, so warm it warmed her heart. He was indeed not what the rumours said about him. But perhaps, it was the same with her since she knew there were some nasty rumors going around. Then she thought ‘Just maybe....I found someone I can relate to’

—

Ever since then, Levi seemed irritated with the other scouts as he did notice and heard some remarks about others mocking Y/n. As well as the way they were just really acting like a bunch of kids who were not mature and had no idea what was coming from them. They truly were pathetic. “You know, it’s best not to be with such pathetic people.” He said suddenly as he was helping Y/n fix her 3DMG which mysteriously got jammed. 

Y/n felt these past few weeks that Levi was caring for her.....but in his own way.

Whenever they had a break, he would go over to Y/n and have a small chat. Nothing big just simple talks. “Make sure to wear good clothes...you know the winter is around the corner.” Y/n quite liked the small chats, it was a while since she had such a nice refreshing chat with someone. But she did not expect Levi to be the one, as he was not very vocal but she noticed actions spoke louder than words for him. Always giving her water or some biscuits for her to have, and checking on her equipment. It felt like she was cared for once and it did make her have an unknown feeling. It was quite complex for her to figure out but, it made her feel happy for sure though.

Whenever she got bullied by the other scouts on how she was just a nobody and just a junkie from the underground, it really made her feel embarrassed and she started wearing a hood over her head just to not be seen or known by others. However, that did not work for Levi as he spotted her quickly as she was sitting beside a tree. “Y/n? Why are you hiding there.” She looked up and saw him with a concerned look. But she gave a small smile, he was....different that was for sure.

“I just wanted to be alone, that’s all.” 

“Oh. Then, would you like me to leav-”

“No!” Y/n did not realize that she had just now raised her voice, but not only that....also grabbing the Corporal's wrist! She quickly backed away and before she was about to say something, Levi just started to....laugh? The whole atmosphere changed within seconds and Y/n just found herself smiling like an idiot. 

“Yeah, I am convinced now that you are an idiot.” He sat beside her and looked at her with a reassuring smile. Now she was a blushing mess, she just knew her face was heating up! Just being beside him the whole time, made her forget about what even made her upset from the beginning and not feel insecure anymore. Levi made her feel that just being herself was nothing wrong, nothing to be embarrassed about. Just spending time with Levi made her realize that, as someone like himself who really doesn’t seem to care about what others say about him while doing what he has to do was the highlight for her. She was y/n, her own person, and also....maybe an idiot according to Levi? But she will take that.

Y/n wasn’t sure what this unknown feeling was, but she wanted to keep feeling it for way longer. As time went by, she felt Levi’s worry and care for her. Whenever they passed by each other, he would look at her with a small smile, and sometimes when they were alone he made y/n to call him Levi.

—

Again, her 3DMG wasn’t working. She was quite disappointed in herself for not maintaining her gear, this would definitely not make her survive outside the walls if she had this problem occurring.

Y/n looked over at Levi who seemed quite angry and annoyed. She felt something in her gut that today...something was gonna happen.

“Alright, who done it.” The whole training area in the forest got silent. Everyone looks at each other with fear in their eyes. ‘What...? Don’t tell me.’

And that’s when Y/n figured it out, someone was tampering with her 3DMG! It was not just a coincidence after all.  However, that left her feeling terrible. Levi could see that and that’s when he snapped when seeing just how hurt Y/n was.

“No one is leaving here till that disgusting shithead who is responsible comes out.” No one had really seen Corporal Levi like that, the atmosphere changed so bad that even Mike felt it without sniffing anything. ‘I said no trouble...cause I’m afraid of this.’

Everyone now started to back away and look towards the guy who was trying to hide in the middle between the scouts. Y/n quickly noticed that it was one of the main people in the scouts that really was bothering her and came to the conclusion after seeing his fearful face that he was the culprit indeed.

Levi didn’t need to guess who it was and went walking slowly, straight up to him. “Was it...You.” Now, Y/n was sure that guy might have probably taken a real shit right now. He started sweating so badly and then got to the floor. “I-I’m so sorry Corporal!!! I mean to..!” Levi looked down at him with such disgust. “You are indeed pathetic. I did notice your shitty behaviour lately. But to go this far...doing that to another comrade? No. You are no longer a trustworthy scout, let alone a decent citizen and I’m officially taking you out of the whole Training Corps.”

The tension was so high, that everyone backed away from Levi and the bully, who really started this whole problem. Y/n just stood there with sadness and confusion. Seems like she probably will never know why she was the one picked on, like always.

—

After a long day, Y/n was called into Levi’s office during the evening. She went over there and inside his office. Levi noticed immediately the sadness in her eyes and the change in her vibe. He wondered why, why was she still upset? Did they bother her afterwards? He was about to ask when.

“Why did you do that for me? Was it for the good of the scouts to remove someone who doesn’t collaborate with others or....was it for me?” With that last word, she looked up with tears in her eyes that made her eyes come out looking more beautiful than ever. He stood in front of her now, and slowly, gently grabbing her hand. He looked at her with a lot of affection this time. “Idiot. It was because I care for you.” Levi said it so quietly, as if he just wanted Y/n to hear it and no one else even though they were both alone in his office. But, he said it in a way that made him blush just slightly, he was definitely not used to talking in a way to make someone acknowledge how he cares for them but also....for someone who he seemed to like.

“I was from there too you know.” He said suddenly, “So I understand.” Levi was now softly wiping the tears that rolled down Y/n’s cheeks. Levi didn’t need to say more, nothing more. Just that look in his eyes and the feeling that they are both feeling right now. That Unknown feeling was reassuring and what Y/n only needed. Nothing else. Y/n then brought her arms around Levi’s shoulders and hugged him, she wanted to feel his warmth on this cold winter night and comfort for her heart that she never knew she needed till tonight. Levi, hugged her back tightly with affection around her waist, also needing some more warmth that night and they stood there, hugging each other while outside his office window, it started to finally snow.

note: okay, I’m glad to have posted this! I’m not sure if anyone will read it or like it but I felt the sudden urge to post it and it was on my mind lately! I’m also finally done with uni and taking a break, so I decided to come back to post this and see whoever wants to read it and enjoy it. The world is crazy atm and I hope whoever reads this gives themselves a break once in a while <3

[jokersfangirl84]

Words Get in the Way

A Frankie Morales x F! Reader Fic

Chapter Three

Pairing: Francisco "Catfish" Morales x F! Reader

Summary: Four weeks have passed since Frankie came back to your place and made love to you for the first time after you both confessed your true love for one another, becoming more than friends. Afterwards he was called out for a mission to Colombia which was supposed to have only lasted a few days. You haven't heard from him in hours on the day he's scheduled to come home and you begin to think he's not returning. He introduces you to some interesting bedroom escapades you have never before experienced, and unveils some of his own personal kinks he'd been hiding for years. He has also brought you a rather unorthodox gift...with an unusual proposition...

Word Count: 5800+

Warnings/Ratings: M-Explicit! SMUT! SMUT! SMUT! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18! Nothing But smut!! Hooooooooo boy. I went out of control on this one. There are full descriptions of PIV Sex, unprotected sex (although I do strongly suggest wrapping it up), multiple orgasms, vaginal/anal fingering, oral sex (f! receiving), shower sex, sex against the wall, doggy style sex, hair pulling, spanking, rough sex (nothing too intense), kissing, touching, masturbation, dom/sub dynamic, dirty talk, vulgarity, profanity, TONS of F-bombs with which I may have gone overboard, several mentions of cock, pussy, ass. Mentions of possible past trauma. There are sprinkles of sweetness, worry, love, doing anything for the person with whom you're in love. Characters call each other "Baby" and "My Love" many times throughout.

Author's Notes: OH MY GOD. YALL. I have done a VERY bad thing. I should be ashamed. This is the dirtiest, sleaziest, horniest, smuttiest, filthiest thing I have ever written in my entire life. This makes Chapter 2 look very tame. Frankie is a very naughty, filthy boy in this. He hasn't seen his girl in weeks so he is feeling rather.....*ahem*....anxious. I can't believe I wrote this. I basically didn't hold back & let it all out & poured my heart and soul into it. This took me three months to finish because I kept doubting it would be any good. I kept getting in my feels; not only from the content itself but from being unable to convince myself I was any good at writing. I didn't think I ever would get it completed & almost gave up but I knew that wasn't an option. I really enjoyed writing this once I got in the groove & stopped overthinking everything. I want to thank all my wonderful friends for their encouragement & to all the incredibly talented writers out there whose material I turned to for inspiration and motivation. Y'all are amazing! I hope you enjoy this and hope it makes you feel the things you want to feel. Happy reading! Thank you for all your support!

Side Note: there's an unexpected twist! Not gonna say where but it's in there!

Below are the links for Chapters 1 & 2! Enjoy!

Stay tuned for Chapter 4!

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this! I appreciate you so much!

Feedback is welcome!

Reblogs & likes are loved and appreciated!

Thank you to my besties @popcornforone @salgal78 @princessjenn420 and @fatimaisabelpascal for all your love, advice and encouragement to keep me writing and going forward with my ideas! I wouldn't have finished this chapter without you guys' precious support! I love you so much! @harriedandharassed @sherala007 you asked to be tagged in chapter 3 so here you go! Please enjoy!

(Reader's POV)

You stood in the shower letting the steaming water flow carelessly over you, resisting the impulse to have an emotional breakdown. There'd been no contact from Frankie since he last texted you saying his plane landed, his luggage was located, and he was on his way. That was four hours ago. You called him repeatedly; straight to voicemail each time. No replies to your frequent "where are you?" "are you okay?" texts to him. You even contacted Pope, Redfly, Ironhead, and Benny asking about his whereabouts. No one had heard from him since deboarding the plane and going their separate ways. Panic began settling in. Sinister thoughts crowded your mind:

He isn't returning to you. He has changed his mind. He has taken Erica back or found someone else. He made love to you, gave you what you wanted, and now he has nothing to do with you. 

You shook your head, silently telling yourself not to think that way. Frankie would never treat you in such a manner. He is not that person. He has always been there for you. He meant every word he said when he told you he loves you. 

You still wondered where the hell he was, and why he wasn't replying to you. Maybe he stopped to get a bite to eat and left his phone in the car. Maybe he decided to go to his place first for a nap and forgot to set an alarm. Convincing yourself these were plausible reasons for his absence helped you push the negative thoughts aside. You continued scrubbing the sweat and grime off your body accumulated from cooking dinner and cleaning your apartment all day, preparing for Frankie's arrival. You haven't seen him in four weeks and you needed to get a shower in before he showed up. 

(Frankie's POV)

Frankie arrived at your apartment fifteen minutes after your shower started. He let himself in, setting his black duffel bag on the sofa. Your apartment smelled like fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, his favorite. A full two dozen waited for him on the stove. Sitting on the counter was a crockpot full of boiling homemade stew. The rumbling hunger in his stomach intensified. He hadn't eaten much all day, only the unsatisfactory meals on the plane. He couldn't wait to get to your place knowing you'd have something fantastic prepared for him. 

"I'm here, Baby. Where's my girl?"  You were nowhere to be found. Not in the living room, not in the kitchen. He could hear music coming from the bathroom down the hall, hear the faint roar of the shower running, see steam clouds seeping through the barely cracked-open door, smell your floral body wash. He pushed it open wider, peeking inside.

"Baby, it's me."  No reply. You were too busy singing along to your favorite tune to hear him. He stiffened against his jeans when he heard your angelic voice; saw your nude silhouette behind the glass door. The idea of surprising you and making you scream the way he did on the sofa a few weeks ago popped into his mind. His brain constantly replayed the events of that night. He loved the sounds he was able to coax out of you as he fucked you for the first time after years of longing. Loved how his name rolled off your tongue, how your nails felt digging into his skin, how your worlds collided when you confessed your true feelings for each other. He could still feel you clenching around him as he made you cum. God, he wanted-no, needed more of this. He needed you.

Knowing how much you disliked having your personal space invaded made him change his mind about joining you. He closed the door and made his way back to the living room, making a pit stop in the kitchen to grab a few cookies, consuming them in seconds. He made himself comfortable in the recliner, closed his eyes, pulled his cap down, hands resting on his belly, fingers interlocked. His body felt limp with exhaustion, in great need of rest. He was beyond relieved to be back in the States. This extra-long trip to Colombia had  been a nightmare. The mission was only scheduled to have lasted three days. Plans went astray in every possible way: flights were delayed, vehicles broke down, the group received inadequate pay (even after being promised a much larger sum; the main reason the job was taken), desperate measures were executed by the guys during an ambush.

Your soothing singing, the only noise filling the entire dwelling, urged him to fall asleep. Images of what you looked like in the shower appeared behind his eyelids; the soapy water trailing down your body, over your breasts and erect nipples, down your stomach, between your thighs as you glided your favorite loofah over your skin. Your soft, delicate hands massaging their way through your hair. You pleasuring yourself with the hand-held shower nozzle while thinking of him....his name on your lips...begging to be fucked....

He began sleepily palming himself through his pants. He wondered how much time you had left in the shower. You were notorious for making them last longer than necessary. He opened his belt and zipper and wrapped a hand around his already-hard cock, flicking his index finger over his leaking tip, giving himself a couple of languid strokes, almost in a deep sleep. The more he pictured you being wet, naked, and vulnerable, the faster his strokes became. He was on the verge of climaxing when his eyes shot open, coming to a realization. 

Wait a minute. Why the fuck am I doing this? There is someone who can take care of your needs...and she's only a few feet away…

He climbed out of the recliner and made his way to the bathroom. Fuck it. He was going to join you whether you liked it or not.

(Reader's POV)

You were rinsing the shampoo out of your hair when you thought you felt an unusual cool breeze behind you. You shrugged it off, knowing the shower door had a tendency to slide open a little on its own. The feel of large, familiar masculine hands on your shoulders startled you; soft fingertips pushing your hair aside allowing luscious lips to kiss the back of your neck. You turned around and saw Frankie standing in the shower with you, his lips slightly parted, a few water droplets mapping his bare chest. His cock big and swollen, in need of attention. 

"Hi, Baby." He grinned. "Stop ogling me. I need to kiss you now."

You didn't realize your head was cocked to one side, and you were smiling. "I'm not ogling you, My Love. I'd call it...admiring the craftsmanship."  

He snorted, running both hands through his misty hair. "Craftsmanship, huh? Since you put it that way, I'll let you look a little longer."

You took a moment to admire him, your eyes slowly following his physique from head to toe. Damn, what a sight he is. His lean, virile 5'11" frame was held up by strong legs, long torso, wide shoulders, and most glorious neck. His hair is just past regulation length, unruly strands tickling his eyes. The subtle thickness of his waistline and uneven beard - perfect imperfections - making your heart swell with even more love for him. He's the most beautiful man  you've ever seen. The kind of man you want to touch constantly but are afraid to do so; he's such an immaculate, delicate work of art. 

You noticed he had a fresh, deep six-inch long scar on his left pectoral near his collarbone.  You stepped closer to him, placing your fingertips next to the scar.

 "Frankie!  What is this?!" You tried to conceal the worry in your voice. "Did this happen on the mission? What happened?" 

A plethora of scars decorated his chest, abdomen, arms, even on his hands. Cuts, scratches, and bruises of various shapes and sizes. This particular wound, however, looked recently inflicted, like it came from a blade.

"Don't worry about it" was his sharp response. He put his hands up in front of him. "Trust me, it's nothing major. A little mishap is all it is."

"Is every scar you have a mishap? Are they from.....her? What are you not telling me?"

You knew mentioning Erica would strike a nerve in him. You weren't intending to be crude; only genuinely concerned about what he'd been through, who or what had hurt him. He had mentioned nothing to you about being injured. There was evident pain behind his eyes.

He tensed up. Jaw clenched. Hands on hips. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. 

"Baby, please. Don't. Now is not the time."

You put your hands on his face pushing his long bangs away from his eyes. His cheeks were red hot; it wasn't from the water temperature. "It's not my objective to trigger you, My Love. I'm just cur-"

"-I said drop it." His voice had become low and minatory. "I never discuss my scars with anyone, including you."

His words stung a little. You hung your head, your eyes now giving the floor attention. This is the man you love, your best friend. You want to know everything about him. Want him to feel comfortable pouring his heart out to you and tell you all his deepest, darkest secrets without judgment. As long as you've known him you knew he was never one to discuss feelings. You hoped being in an actual relationship with him would make him feel like an open book. 

Frankie put a finger under your chin, lifting your gaze back to him. "I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to snap at you."  His voice returned its softness. "Believe me, I want to tell you about my scars as much as you want to know about them. I will. I promise. The time will come." 

You nodded and smiled. "Yes, My Love. Understood."

"Please can I kiss you now?" His eyes bolted from your eyes to your lips. "Those lips are looking awfully lonely."

You laughed. "You don't have to ask." 

Frankie gently pushed you up against the shower wall, enveloping your mouth in a passionate, desirous kiss. His hands were on your breasts, thumbs flicking across your nipples, fingers massaging the soft flesh. You both were now directly under the shower head, the warm water cascading down your faces, mixing with your lips and tongues. Ripples flooded your body when you felt his hard tip pressed against you, making you yearn for him even more.

"I missed you", he said between kisses. "I know I should've been here earlier. Fuckin' truck wouldn't start after I finally located it in the parking lot. Took me an hour to find someone to give me a boost." 

You ran your hands through his hair.  "I missed you too, My Love. I tried calling you several times. Every time you didn't answer I kept thinking something terrible happened to you."

His face was now in your neck. "I'm sorry, Baby. Besides my truck issues, I lost my damn charger at the airport. Couldn't find a replacement. Then the fuckin' phone died as soon as I hit the interstate." The irritation in his voice was apparent. 

"My goodness, Love. Sounds like you've had a hell of a day. Let me give you what you need." You lifted one of your legs, wrapping it around his waist, moving your body closer to his trying to maneuver him inside of you.  He pushed your leg down, laughing. "Needy little thing aren't you! But not yet, Baby. There's something else I'd like to do to you first." 

You looked up at him, pouting and whimpering. He smirked, waving his index finger in front of your face and shaking his head. "No, none of that. We need to establish some rules. You must be a good girl, or you'll get nothing."

You raised an eyebrow. A faint, imperceptible smile overtook your lips. "Ooooh, rules, Frankie? To make sure I'm a good girl for you? I thought you liked my neediness."

His smirk grew wider. "Of course I do, Baby. But patience is a must. Good, obedient girls get rewarded. Bad girls get punished."

You shot him a deer-in-the-headlights look. "Punished? How? Frankie, what the hell are you talking about?"

He winked at you. "No time for explanations now. You'll find out later."

Before you could ask any more questions he dropped to his knees, pressing his hands on the inside of your thighs, pushing them further apart. His face was now inches from your pussy. You gasped when you realized what he had in mind. 

"No! Not that!"  You tried to push his head away. He looked up at you, brow furrowed. "No? Why not? If memory serves me correctly, didn't  you say last time I was here you wanted us to do everything?"  His expression relaxed, eyes full of concern. "Or...wait- is this not something you like?"

You  turned away from his gaze, blushing. "I...actually- no one has ever performed it on me."  

You felt ashamed for admitting to someone who sets your soul alight as much as Frankie does that you'd never had a man taste you.

He grinned, the darkness of his eyes deepening. "Is that so?  Hmmm...." He rubbed his chin, one hand still on the inside of your thigh.  "You know what I think?  I think that's because you've never had a real man, Baby. All the guys you've dated are pussies. Pussies who don't eat pussy." 

You giggled. He's such a smartass. But he wasn't wrong. None of your past relationships ever cared about pleasing you. It was always about what they wanted: pounding into you uncomfortably, flopping on top of you like a fish, climaxing within minutes and leaving you unsatisfied, unfulfilled. Frankie Morales was the complete opposite. He made you feel like your needs, your satisfaction, was more important than his own; as if his main goal was to take care of you. He was patient. He made you feel wanted.

"I've been thinkin' about this sweet pussy all day. Gotta taste it. Please, Baby, can I?" Rivers of shower water snaked their way down his face flattening his thick locks. His eyes still connected with yours. 

Those damn puppy dog eyes.

He was quite aware of your inability to resist them; they made you absolutely weak. You nodded anxiously, realizing how foolish it was to deny him anything. Especially anything sexual. "Yes", you breathed. "Yes, My Love, please!"

Frankie spread your  folds with two fingers, licking his lips. God, you were glistening. "Fuckin' look at that, would you. So prompt and prepared. So wet for me. Exactly how I like my girl to be."  He circled his tongue around your clit -just once- before licking the inside of your folds, furiously lapping up your trickling arousal. Two fingers from his other hand pushed inside of you, curling, bending. You threw your hands into his hair letting out a long, plaintive whine.

"Fuckin' delicious," he breathed, not looking up. He took his fingers out, put them in his mouth, and inserted them back inside you. He moved them in and out while endlessly flicking his tongue across your clit, making you whine louder.  He took his fingers out once more, but instead of putting them in his mouth, he put them in yours. 

"Taste it," he demanded, moving them around the circumference of your mouth, now looking up at you. "Taste how sweet you are."

You followed orders, both hands gripping his forearm and wrist, wrapping your lips around his fingers. You swirled your tongue around the digits, bobbing your head up and down as if you were fellating him, all the while the two of you keeping eye contact. 

"Fuck that's sexy." He took his fingers out of your mouth, put them in his own, savoring the taste briefly, and put them back in yours, instructing you to keep sucking. He turned his attention back to your pussy. You moaned and closed your eyes, feeling his tongue inside you moving up and down quickly. You sucked on his fingers harder; your hands gripping his wrist and forearm so tightly your knuckles were turning white. The feel of his tongue deep inside your hole, while he rubbed your clit with his other hand, made you nearly lose consciousness from the pleasure. So many things were happening to you at once; all your senses and emotions at play. You couldn't tell if the sounds you were hearing were yours or his. No coherent thought could be produced.

"Come on, Baby, show me," he said, swiping his tongue through your folds. "Show me - swipe - what - swipe - this pussy - swipe -  can do."

The movements of his fingers against your clit quickened; his glorious tongue exploring every nook and cranny, no inch left untasted. The fingers previously your mouth now driving into your pussy at such speed your legs shook. He took his index finger and thumb and pinched your overstimulated clit, wrapping and sucking his lips around the sensitive bud.

"Frankie! What are you doing to me! Oh my God!"  

Your body jolted as you felt a massive outpouring of your juices, reaching the pinnacle of desire. A loud wail trailed out of your throat; the pleasure hitting you like a freight train. You held your hands up near your face, shaking, trembling, looking down at the frenzy between your legs.

"Good girl! Best pussy I've ever tasted."  He stood up, wiping your mess off his face - it was everywhere - with the back of his hand and licking it off. "That was fuckin' incredible. Gonna fuck you now. You earned it. Ready?" 

You nodded, breathless, fighting for air after what you'd just experienced. "Pl-please. I'm always ready for you, My Love."

Your scenery changed in a flash. Frankie flipped you around to where you were now facing the shower wall; your stomach and chest pressed against the cold, wet tile. He stood behind you, his hands on your hips, his cock nudging your entrance.  

"Put your palms against the wall, Baby. Stick your ass out. Spread those legs for me."

You followed instructions. He kept one hand on your hip, the other gripping your shoulder as he thrust into your drenched pussy with a low, rough grunt. He began pounding into you without giving you a chance to adjust to his length, knocking even more air out of your lungs. 

"Fuck  yes, Baby. This is how I always wanted to fuck you. All those nights I stayed over and fucked my fist to the thought of you. This is what I imagined us doing."  

All you could do was close your eyes and moan at what you were hearing. You knew he jerked off many times when he spent the night at your apartment. He is a man, after all. But never in a million years did you think it was you getting him off.

"Frankie...oh fuck..." His thrusts were endless. You reached behind you to touch him, eager to feel hot, wet skin and muscle beneath your fingers. He grabbed your hand and pressed it back in its place against the wall.

"No, no, Baby. Keep your hands where I can see them."

Your eyes shot open as one of his great hands came in contact with your ass with a loud, wet slap, causing your body to lurch forward.

That's gonna leave a mark. 

"Oh, shit!" You glanced back at him over your shoulder, keeping your hands in place.  

"Umm....Frankie? What...was...that?"

"You know what it was." He slapped your ass again, this time on the other cheek. You squeezed your eyes shut and bit your lip as the pain bloomed across your body. You didn't want to admit it but the stinging sensation felt spectacular; so much better than the playful slaps he gave you when you were just friends.

"Fuck yes! More, Frankie, more! Please!" 

"Ah, so you do like having your beautiful ass spanked. Filthy girl." He obliged, slapping your ass harder than before; his thrusts never ceasing. He still gripped your shoulder, fingers digging into your flesh. "Come on. Move, Baby, move," he demanded. "Don't make me do all the work." 

You weren't exactly clear on what he meant at first, or what was bringing on this behavior. But you'd be damned if you denied you liked it. Your countless fantasies about him almost always involved him dominating you, spanking you, tying you up, making you beg for him, calling you dirty names, doing nasty, obscene, disgusting things to you, putting you in positions that would make even a contortionist shudder. In reality, your sweet Frankie would never be into such things. He would be downright embarrassed at what you wanted him to do to you. 

Apparently, you were wrong. 

You looked back at him, confused.

"I...I...don't...uh...what?" 

Both hands moved to your sides and pulled you closer to him, making back and forth motions. 

"Like this, Baby. Come on, don't be shy."  His saccharine voice set your mind at ease. "Let me and help me take good care of you."  

Realizing what he was asking you to do you rocked your body back into him, taking him fully all the way to the base; coarse, wet hairs tickling your ass.  Frankie trailed his fingers up and down your spine; those large hands so soft it felt like he wasn't even touching you at all. 

"Yeah, Baby. Just like that. Show me how I'm making you feel."

Your impassioned mewls and sighs increased as you moved back and forth faster, your ass crashing into his hips making him groan and pant. Even through the bellow of the falling water you could hear the inappropriate sounds of your wet bodies smacking against one another. You threw your head back, not caring that the tepid stream was hitting you directly in the face. 

"Frankie...I've never done it this way...you feel...so...fucking...good."

His cock gliding against your walls, along with the fact he was doing things to you that you'd only dreamed about, had you gasping for the breath he had taken away from you.

 "So do you, Baby. So goddamn tight. Jesus fuckin' Christ." 

He coiled his hands through your hair giving it a gentle tug, looking down at the junction of your bodies. "God I missed this pussy. I never want to go this long without it again." 

"Me too, My Love."  You uttered a pleased hum. "God I love the way your cock feels inside of me. My pussy felt so empty without it."

He chuckled. "Tell me something, Baby. Do you always want to be fucked like this?"

Nodding was the only response you could give; words stolen by sobs and wails as he moved his hips against your ass faster. 

"Did you mean it when you said you'd do anything for me?"

Nod. 

"Were you being truthful in saying you'd always dreamed of belonging to me?"

Nod.

He slapped your ass once more, a hand still in your hair, making you shriek as he tugged harder.

"Words, Baby!" Slap. "Vocalize!" Slap. "I need to hear you say it!" Slap.

You were definitely going to have handprints on your ass later.

"Yes!"  You wheezed. "My Love, Yes! I want to belong to you! Fucking own me!" 

The way you moaned those last two words made him laugh. "You want me to own you, you say?"

"Yes!" you answered without hesitation. "In every sense of the word!"

His lips curled into a pleased smile. "Good girl. That's the answer I was expecting."  He let go of your hair and spun you around to where you were now facing him.

"Hold on to me, Baby. It's okay, I got you." He placed his hands under your thighs and picked you up effortlessly, pinning you against the shower wall with his body. You wrapped your legs around his waist, your ankles crossed, one arm flung around his neck, the other clutching his shoulder. Within seconds he was back inside you fucking you like his life depended on it, his vigorous thrusting forcing your body up and down, lifting, falling. His face deposited in your neck, licking, kissing, sucking every inch of skin between your neck and shoulder. You tilted your head back, eyes closed, mouth open, desperate cries filling your tiny bathroom. You're so full of him, his cock so deep inside you touching every nerve, every tendril, every fiber, every corner. The head of him pressing the switch within you that made you lose all modesty, all control. 

"Oh, God, yes! Harder, My Love! Harder!"  You were basically shouting the words. "Fuck me like you own me!"

He growled and hissed in your ear as the brutality of his thrusts intensified. His fingers and hands squeezing your skin so tightly you were certain you'd be left with marks, bruises, fingerprints. The pain, the pleasure; it was all equally too much and not enough. It was fucking magnificent; leaving your mind in shambles. 

"Yes, Baby, yes!" he panted. I fuckin' love hearing you talk this way. So fuckin' dirty."

He was now looking at you, eyes hazy with pleasure, mouth open. "Gonna cum soon, Baby. Where do you want it? Inside?" 

"Yes!"  You cried, locking your eyes with his. "You don't need permission! Just fuckin' do it!  Cum inside me, please!"

A smile spread across his lips, a satisfied twinkle gleaming in his eye. "You are so fuckin' perfect, Baby, I swear. Fuckin' made for me."  He put an index finger in his mouth and, without warning, pushed it repeatedly inside your asshole -while still fucking you into oblivion.

"Frankie!" You practically screamed his name.  "That's...oh fuck...what the fuck! That's too much! I can't-"

 "-You can take it, Baby. I know you can. Show me. Don't hold back."

No way was he going to make you cum twice. That was impossible; only something you'd seen in movies and TV. Something that always suspends your disbelief, making you scoff and roll your eyes. But this?  Imminent. You were going to have multiple orgasms in one night for the first time ever in your life. Then he stuck another finger inside your ass. And that was it; the shot of adrenaline straight to the heart, the needle bursting the tiny pleasure-filled bubble in your stomach, the surge of electricity pulsing through your veins. You wrapped your arms tighter around his neck , fingertips kneading, clawing into the flesh of his back holding on for dear life. 

Frankie gave one last forceful buck of his hips as he spilled into you, an orchestra of explicit noises and words coming from the both of you. You could feel the concoction of warm liquids between your thighs shooting up into you like fireworks. Your vision was now a swirling sea of unrecognizable colors. Your head collapsed on his shoulder, his chin on yours, chests heaving against each other's, breaths coming and going in quick intervals. 

"I love you so much, Frankie" you finally managed to say after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "You make me feel things I had no idea I could feel."

You felt him smile against your neck. "I love you too, Baby. I always knew I'd be the one to broaden your horizons."

You embraced him tighter running your hands up and down his back. "I never wanted anyone like this. It's all brand new to me."

"Likewise, Baby." Frankie removed his hands from the back of your thighs and set you on your feet. You felt like a newborn fawn, legs wobbly, unable to keep your balance. You both laughed as you held on to his forearms for support until you could stand on your own.  He shut the water off and opened the sliding glass door, stepping out onto the white feathery bath mat.

"Meet me in the living room after you're dressed," he said as he grabbed a towel off the bathroom door hook and gathered his clothes off the floor. "I have a surprise for you."

**************************

After changing into leggings and a spaghetti-strap shirt, you found Frankie sitting on the sofa, his phone in one hand, thumb swiping up and down in quick strokes, dark bottle of beer in the other taking long swigs, eyes never leaving the device screen. His jeans were zipped but unbuttoned, unfastened belt hanging loosely between his legs. His red T-shirt clung to his still-damp skin, portraying each sculpted muscular detail, his moist capless hair an unkempt mess, strands pointing in every direction. You stood at the end of the hallway watching him, leaning your shoulder against the wall, staring, struggling to process what had just taken place in your shower. You had difficulty wrapping your head around the fact that it actually happened; not in one of your fantasy scenarios. Frankie Morales, who you've wanted since the first day you laid eyes on him, was now your lover, your partner; your companion. The one who showed you pleasures you didn't know you wanted or needed. The one who unlocked your passion and freed your mind to explore the depths of your darkest sexual desires.

Your lover.  That sounded so forbidden, so taboo.

Frankie looked up from his phone and gave you a smile, his eyes lighting up when he saw you. "There's my girl. You disappeared from me. I didn't think you'd come back."  He took another sip of beer and set the bottle on the coffee table. "Come on over here so I can give you your surprise." 

You took the empty seat next to him. He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a small, flat purple gift box wrapped in pink ribbon and placed it in your hands. 

"This is for you, Baby. Open it."

"You bought me a gift?" 

He nodded, his eyes wide and full of anticipation, an anxious smile across his lips. "Of course. You're my girl. I need to spoil you."

Inside was a thin, black leather choker necklace adorned with numerous diamond-shaped crystals. A sterling silver heart pendant hung from a small chain on the facade, and it fastened like a belt in the back. You didn't wear much jewelry, earrings occasionally. He knew this, which made it a little unclear as to why this would be a gift choice. But you found it to be beautiful. Elegant. Racy.

After a few moments it hit you; the purpose of the gift. You were his. He owns you. You belong to him. He wants it to be shown. 

"Frankie, it's lovely. But...I don't wear neck-."

"-You do now," he interrupted. "I want you to wear it as a symbol of my ownership of you. You want to be mine in every possible way? Wearing this necklace will seal that deal."

You stared at the piece of jewelry in your hands, trying to believe what you had just heard; your mind devoid of words.

He scooted closer to you, putting a hand under your chin, forcing your eyes to meet his. "If you think it's excessive, Baby, you don't-"

"-Yes", you answered. "I'll wear it and I'll never take it off. Whatever it takes to make you happy, My Love, I'll do it." You took the accessory out of its box, ready to put it on. Frankie eagerly took it from your hands, his eyes lighting up. "Please, let me do it."

He leaned forward reaching across you to fasten the choker, his cheek brushing against yours, lips next to your ear. "You know what this means, don't you?" He whispered once the necklace was fully around your neck.  A hand trailed down your body, between your legs, inside your panties. "This pussy-this body-is mine now."  His fingers started rubbing at your clit, making you cry out. "I can do whatever I want with it. Clear?"

You nodded, eyes fluttering closed. "Fraaannnkkkiiiiieeee..."

"Remember those rules I mentioned earlier?"  His lips were still against your ear. "About being a good girl and getting punished for being bad?  You must follow them now that you're wearing this necklace. You must obey."

He slipped a finger inside you, moving the digit so rapidly you could hear the vulgar squelching noises, making you squirm. You grabbed his arm. "Frankie!"  you moaned. "Yes! I'll do whatever you say, My Love! I'm all yours!"

He grinned, his eyes rich with contentment. His lips crashed into yours, tongue delving into your mouth. Your arms found their way around his neck, your legs moving onto the sofa so you could lie on your back outstretched.  Frankie lowered himself onto you, positioning himself between your legs, still dressed, lips never leaving yours, still fingering you like it would be a crime if he stopped, making you hum and whimper. The other hand caressed your still-clothed thigh and leg.

"Gonna cum for me again, are you, Baby?"  he asked against your lips. "Are you gonna squirt all over my-"  

There was a knock at the door, making Frankie stop the delicious makeout session and look up in confusion.  He looked down at you, also perplexed.

"Expecting company?"

You shook your head.

Another knock, this time much louder. 

"Want me to see who it is?" 

"No, I'll get it." You stood up and made your way to the door located right next to the sofa.  You opened it, and the color drained out of your face. Your heart sank. 

There she was. Fucking. Erica. Hands pressed on her hips, looking as perfectly put together as always. Black hair,  flawless makeup, tight dress, menacing green eyes. The only difference from when you last saw her was now she looked like there had been way too much time spent in a tanning bed and too many collagen injections in her lips. She impatiently tapped her high-heeled foot on the outside concrete floor, her mouth sewn into an angry frown. 

"Where is he?" Her voice was eerily stern, lacking emotion. "I know Francisco is here somewhere. Where the fuck is he?!"

You put your finger up. "First of all, Erica, hello to you too. Second, don't come at me with that attitude. Third, what makes you think he would be here?"

Erica rolled her eyes, huffing out an annoyed sigh. "Because his fucking truck is parked out front, dumbass." 

"Don't you fuckin' dare speak to her like that." Frankie growled as he walked up next to you, casually throwing his arm around your shoulder pulling you closer to him. "You lookin' for me, Erica? Well, here I am. The hell do you want?"

Erica's eyes switched between you and Frankie, looking you both up and down, noticing your still wet locks, flushed cheeks, his shirt worn inside out and unbuttoned jeans. She shook her head, her eyes on the ground, sarcastic laughter seeping through her lips. 

"Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. You two fucked, didn't you?"

Frankie cleared his throat. "You shouldn't ask questions to which you  know the answers."

She cut her eyes to you. "I suppose you think he's your boyfriend now? That he loves you?"

"Erica, I'm not gonna ask you again." Frankie piped in before you could give her an answer. "Why. The. Fuck. Are. You. Here?" 

His acerbic tone made you take a step an inch away but he still kept his arm on your shoulder. You looked at him while he kept his eyes on Erica. His brow furrowed, lips pursed, jaw tightened, veins in his neck made their appearance, heavy breathing commenced through his nose. His other hand formed into a fist.

Erica pointed a manicured accusatory finger at him. "You. You son-of-a-bitch. You and I need to talk."

(To Be Continued....)

[e-dubbc11]

Lights Out

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Fluffy, and Smexy. First time writing descriptive smut. 18+, NO MINORS! Fingering(a little), Oral (F! Receiving) Billy accidentally scaring Reader.

Word Count: 3.2k-ish

Summary: The power goes out during a really bad thunderstorm and you’re all alone at home while Billy is off doing field exercises.

A/N: So this is my first time writing smut, its not a lot, just a little taste (taste, hehe) Anyway, I hope it doesn’t suck. I’m really nervous so please be gentle. I have dipped a pinky toe into the smut world before so this I’d say it’s one legs worth this time. 🤣 I also used a couple of lines from Pet Sematary by Stephen King. And I know I said I was taking the month off but…I guess I lied 😆

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

The day started out as overcast, the sun peeked in and out from behind the clouds during the early morning hours. Would you need your umbrella today? The forecast said yes but it may not do you any good considering the amount of rain that was supposed to arrive by late afternoon and continue throughout the night.

During the late morning, the sun completely disappeared and the silvery clouds from that morning became smoky, murky, and then it started to sprinkle. Bleak, dark gray clouds rolled in after lunch while you were at work and a deep rumble of thunder sang a continuous melody on your way home.

You didn’t want to get caught in what you heard would be “torrential downpours” so you decided to take an uber back to your apartment after work, plus your boyfriend Billy hated the idea of you walking home alone in the dark and in the rain which is understandable. He texted to make sure you were getting a ride home instead of walking.

Thankfully, you arrived home just in time to watch the sky open up and the rain pour down. With the rain beating down against the glass, you stood close to the window to behold the gloomy city skyline, carefully sipping your hot earl grey tea, and listening to the low rolls of thunder.

Between the rain pattering against the building and hearing the menacing thunder as it got closer and closer, the thunderstorm was very relaxing for you. The ominous early evening sky was suddenly lit up from a bolt of lightning, a deafening boom of thunder shook the building and immediately the apartment went dark.

At dinner the previous night, Billy was telling you about the field exercises he had planned for his team for the next night. He was very excited for it, wide eyed and very vocal, telling you he and Frank were going to teach the new recruits a “thing or two.” He couldn’t contain his excitement, miming with his hands, smiling from ear to ear which in turn made you smile.

Nothing made you happier than when Billy would talk about what he loved and he loved being a marine. The fact that he was able to start his own company to continue what he loved doing meant everything to him.

As CEO of Anvil, Billy Russo worked way too hard but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Most of the time he was the last person to leave the office and then continued to work at home if he needed to. He reminded you that morning he was going to be doing field exercises with his team at a nearby college campus so he would be home late or maybe not at all.

“Remember my love, I have training tonight so I’ll be home really late or I’ll stay with Frankie until the morning.” He said.

You frowned a little as you asked him “We’re supposed to get some severe thunderstorms later, baby. You sure you’re still going to hold your training session?”

You were standing near the coffee maker when he pulled you in close and kissed the top of your head. “Protection details don’t postpone because the weather is bad, love. Besides, it’s good for them to gain experience in all kinds of weather.”

Billy was right so you nodded while continuing to look at the floor. You brought your gaze up to meet his, stared into his dark chocolate like eyes while he cupped your cheeks to bring you in for a kiss.

His freshly sprayed cologne conquered your sense of smell over the coffee aroma that hung in the air. He always smelled so good and knew that particular cologne was your favorite.

“I understand, handsome. Can you blame me for wanting you to come home at a reasonable hour though?” You smiled warmly at him while brushing your thumbs over his beard.

He smiled back and kissed the heel of your hand. “I’ll try, baby. But you know I can’t promise anything.”

“As long as you try, Mr. Russo—that’s all I ask.” You brought him in closer for another kiss, his lips were firm and his tongue begged to dance with yours.

You couldn’t tell which was harder, the kitchen counter Billy had you pinned against or him. His long, steady fingers roamed from your shoulders down to your hips and he reached for the zipper on the back of your skirt.

“Is this a new skirt, sweet girl?” His voice was smooth and sexy. “Can I see what it looks like crumpled up on the kitchen floor?” Billy whispered in your ear then gently nibbled on your ear lobe and peppered kisses down your neck. Pulling down the zipper of your skirt, you felt his cock twitch in his suit pants as he let your skirt fall to the floor, your black silk dress shirt dropped to cover your ass and the tops of your legs.

He licked his bottom lip as he eyed you up and down, looking at your bare legs sticking out of the bottom of your shirt. The look he had in his eyes was primal, you felt the warmth rise to your cheeks and the ache between your thighs was growing hungry for him.

”Billy…” you softly moaned as he continued to kiss your neck. “We’re both going to be late for work if you keep this up.”

He slowly pulled away from you and with all of his Billy Russo charm said “Well it looks like you’re going to be late, baby. I own my company and I can go in whenever I want.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. He knew that as soon as he smiled at you there was no turning away, there was no just going about your day like nothing happened, there was no denying him. You always succumbed to his charms, you always gave in—Billy just had that effect on you, every single time.

You never told him “no,” you never wanted to tell him “no,” and you didn’t tell him “no” when he started to unbutton your blouse. After undoing the last button, he unhurriedly pushed your shirt off of your shoulders, it fell to the floor landing on top of your skirt, and you were standing before him in nothing but a black lace bra and panties set.

“Is this new too?” Billy asked, with a sly smirk, lightly rubbing the lace on the cup in between his fingers, and grazing the top of your breast.

“Do you like it?” You asked while looking up at him through your long lashes. “Oh you DO like it, don’t you my love.” You said, palming him through his pants.

You didn’t know it was possible but at that very moment, Billy’s eyes were the darkest you’ve ever seen them. They were full of desire as his hands migrated from your shoulders to the wet spot on your panties, still never taking his gaze off of you.

“This all for me, sweet girl?” He asked as his smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He knows exactly what his smile does to you.

“It’s always for you, Billy.” You purred in his ear.

Suddenly, his hands were under your ass as he lifted you off of the floor and laid you on your back on the kitchen counter, placing kisses on your stomach down to your inner thighs. Countless goosebumps spread across your skin as you bit down on your bottom lip while watching him hungrily attack your body like a wild animal, nipping the skin as he made his way down to your core.

Billy firmly gripped the front of your panties to move them to the side, you’ve lost count of how many pairs he’s ripped during your relationship. “Billy Russo, don’t you DARE rip my new underwear!”

Your tone quickly changed as he parted your folds, one finger then two slipped inside, he moved them almost rhythmically, causing you to arch your back off of the counter. Soft moans escaped your lips and now every cell in your body was awake and turned on.

“You’re dripping, baby.” He said as his thumb moved in circles when he found your clit, your moans a little louder, whispers of his name from your mouth turned him on more, they were music to his ears, and suddenly he was on his knees in front of you, one of your legs draped over his shoulder.

The flutters inside your body began to build like small waves crashing against the shore, as his tongue moved in and out of you with long, eager strokes, his other hand on your stomach to try to keep you flush with the counter.

“Billy…” You whimpered.

You could feel him smile against your thighs as he said “You’re close aren’t you, love. Just cum for me, baby.” The tone of his voice was hypnotic and smooth like honey.

The waves within your body were moving faster now, getting bigger and bigger as your orgasm approached, you shuttered and cried out his name as he hummed against your core and lapped up every drop of your release. Surely, your neighbors must have heard, you weren’t exactly trying to be quiet.

“Well, I’m definitely going to be late for work now.” You said softly with a shy smile on your face, your eyes were still closed as you slowly came down from your high.

As you opened your eyes, Billy stood up slowly and hovered over you, his beard glistened in the dim kitchen lights, his perfectly styled hair wasn’t so perfect anymore after tugging on it while he pulled moan after moan out of you, and you sat up on your elbows with your legs still quaking from the tongue fucking he just gave you.

You watched Billy wipe what was left of you off of his chin and he leaned down to kiss you. Clasping your hands around his neck, he pulled you up to a sitting position, still kissing you, and running his fingers through your hair. This man couldn’t get enough of you.

“Was it worth it, sweet girl?” Billy asked while pressing his forehead to yours.

You raked your fingers through his hair, trying to fix what you messed up and said to him “You’re always worth it, handsome. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Get dressed and I’ll drive you to work.” He said with a wink and a smile.

Billy pulled up to the curb, and he lightly grabbed your hand to kiss it as you were trying to get out of the car. “Have a great day, beautiful. Thank you for breakfast.” He flashed you a wicked smile and immediately you rolled your eyes but couldn’t help but smile back.

“Have fun with your training session tonight, my love. And be careful, there is supposed to be lightning.” You leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and exited the car. He waved as you watched him drive away. No one would be able to wipe the smile off your face today.

Sitting in the dark, you’d catch yourself daydreaming about earlier that morning but you were suddenly snapped back to reality when heard the rumbles of thunder that continued to sound like they were right on top of the building.

You realized the power probably wasn’t coming back any time soon because the entire block was out so you pulled out the candles and the flashlights but noticed that your phone battery was very low and of course when you need it most, your portable charger was dead because you had used it a few days before.

But what if Billy needed to get in touch with you? You reminded yourself that he was busy with work and more than likely you wouldn’t see him until tomorrow.

Since your stove used gas, you were able to cook up a little something for dinner by candlelight. A romantic dinner for one of bacon and eggs. Candles burned bright in every room of the apartment and after cleaning up dinner, you decided to change into comfortable clothes and try to read your book.

You smiled a little when you attached your book light to the book you were reading. You remembered when Billy came home from work one day with it among his papers. As you were clearing the table for dinner, you noticed it resting on top of the pile of paper work.

“Billy, do you mind if I move your papers to the counter? Dinner is almost ready.” You said.

He looked over at you and pointed at the light. “Sure baby—actually, that light on top of all that work shit is for you. I know you like to read sometimes when you can’t sleep but you’re afraid of waking me up with the light on the night stand so I saw that and thought you might like it. Now you don’t have to worry about the light waking me up.”

That was the first time in a long time someone had said to you “I saw this and thought you might like it.” It almost brought tears to your eyes and you felt the butterflies in your stomach while looking at him, speechless. You walked over to where Billy was sitting and bent down to kiss him passionately.

“Not that I’m complaining but what was that for?” He asked.

Warmth spread across your face and your cheeks were flushed as you replied. “Just for…thinking of me.”

Without missing a beat, he told you “I’m always thinking of you, beautiful.”

Another clap of thunder erupted over head followed by a bright flash of lightning as you set your book and the light on the bed while you went to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth.

You thought you might as well read in bed since Billy wasn’t home and there wasn’t really anything to do with the power being out, so you snuffed out all the candles and brought the flashlight into the bedroom with you for a little extra light.

Maybe Pet Sematary was the wrong book choice for tonight.

“Don’t go beyond, no matter how much you feel you need to, Doctor. The barrier was not made to be broken. Remember this: there is more power here than you know. It is old and always restless. Remember.”

Rain continued to tap against the windows loudly with vigor and force, the thunder felt like it was inside the room, it was exceptionally loud as the walls continued to shake each time the sky expressed its anger.

The rain and thunder were loud enough to drown out any noises inside the apartment and you were so involved with your book that you didn’t even hear Billy come home.

“And the most terrifying question of all may be just how much horror the human mind can stand and still maintain a wakeful, staring, unrelenting sanity.”

He assumed you were just sleeping so he was trying to be as quiet as possible, Billy was very light on his feet. He managed to remove his boots, his jacket, and put down a full bag of gear without making a sound and then headed for the bedroom.

It almost felt like you were inside the book, completely hypnotized by its contents, you continued to read until you heard the door creak open, you screamed and threw the flashlight in the direction of the door. The figure dressed in black dodged the flashlight and it hit the wall with a crash.

“Y/N!! Whoa!! What the hell?!! Baby, it’s just me!!” Billy said slightly terrified you might throw something else at him.

Your stomach dropped and the hair on the back of your neck was standing straight up. “BILLY?! I’m so, so sorry—I just…I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I can see that! I thought you’d be sleeping. You scared the shit outta me.” He stated through shallow breaths.

“Oh I scared the shit outta YOU?!!” You said sarcastically. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were going to stay at Frank’s tonight?” You said with a confused tone.

He had a sarcastic response of his own. “Thank you baby, I feel so loved right now.”

You rolled your eyes. There was something wrong with your relationship if a day went by that wasn’t filled with sarcasm and eye rolling. “You know what I mean, Russo.” You narrowed your eyes at him and folded your arms across your chest.

“Well I was going to stay at Frankie’s but when you didn’t answer my texts, I thought something was wrong and then I found out the power was out so I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” He said calmly after finally catching his breath.

You unfolded your arms and sank back down onto the bed as your expression softened. “Oh Billy, I’m sorry. My phone died, my portable charger was drained from the other day and since I thought you were staying at Frank’s, I figured I would just talk to you in the morning.”

The flashlight that you hurled across the room was still on and the light from the floor was just bright enough for you to be able to see the smile on Billy’s face. That charming Billy Russo smile that made your knees weak and your heart skip a beat, that smile that you just couldn’t say no to.

“So you’re happy to see me, sweet girl?” His eyes, dark as the night sky, staring at you like he hasn’t seen you in a week.

“You know the answer to that, handsome.” You said as a smile spread across your face. “Can you come over here and kiss me now?”

“I thought you’d never ask, baby.” And just as fast as you asked him, his lips were on yours. They were cold from being outside, his hair was still wet, as well as his clothes, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was he was home with you tonight.

Billy pulled away to pick up the book you were reading. “Pet Sematary—shit, no wonder you freaked the fuck out when I opened the door. You probably woke the neighbors.” He rested his forehead against yours then kissed the tip of your nose.

You snaked your arms around his neck. “Ya know—I can think of another way we can wake the neighbors.” You said biting down on your lower lip, staring at his handsome face. “You have to get out of those wet clothes anyway.”

He slowly moved his hand from your waist, to the front of your sleep shorts. From the wet spot on the front, clearly you weren’t wearing any panties. “Looks like I’m not the only one who has wet clothes to take off.” He whispered.

His light touch sent shivers down your spine as he started to untie your shorts, kissing you, while you started to lean back against the pillows. Billy always made you feel wanted and loved, he showered you with affection like no one ever has before and you did the same for him.

Every storm eventually runs out of rain and the storm that had been Billy Russo’s life had finally stopped beating down on him the day you walked into it. You were his sunshine behind the clouds, his shelter from the rain and he would do anything and everything to make sure he was never caught out in the storm without his umbrella again.

Tag List: @mindidjarin @saintmurd0ck @wheresthesunshinesblog @rafaelakelley @idaoftheburningmind @snowkestrel @xdervyxccgh @mattmurdocksscars @fakehappy27 @munsonownsmyass

If you’d like to be added to (or removed from) my tag list for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕

[kolsmikaelson]

hi there! for blurb night could you write “im sad and i demand cuddles." with conrad fisher? thank you so much!

pairing: conrad fisher x reader

warnings - use of y/n, angst if you squint, not proofread

word count - 285

join my taglist

a/n — i got a teeny bit carried away with this but oh well. italics and bolded are texts.

do not copy or repost my works, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

Conrad, Jeremiah and Steven were tossing a football back and forth in their backyard when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He swiftly throws the ball to Steven and pulls his phone out, signaling to the others to continue without him when he sees your message.

y/n <3

i’m sad. come over? :(

connie <3

on my way now, is everything alright?

“I’m gonna go see Y/N. I’ll be back later.” Conrad calls out looking at the pair. Light teases ring through the air coming from both Jeremiah and Steven. Walking toward the doors he ignores the playful jabs, throwing his middle finger into the air.

y/n <3

just having a bad day.

i miss you

Conrads heart clenches as he responds.

connie <3

i’ll be there soon baby. gimme ten minutes, i love you.

You heart the message and respond quickly, adding a heart emoji at the end of your text.

He arrives at your house, and lets himself in using the spare key you’d given him. Climbing the stairs he’s welcomed by your bedroom door cracked.

“Hello to my favorite person in the world” He grins, but it falls quickly when he sees the frown planted on your lips.

“Hi Con. I’m sorry I asked you over so last minute but I’m sad and I demand cuddles, right now please.”

He smiles as slips his shoes off and slots himself beside you on the bed. “C’mon, c’mere baby.” He pulls you impossibly close. You press your face into the crook of his neck and plant a sweet kiss there, and he hears a muffled I love you moments later. His grip on you tightens as he murmurs his response.

taglist — @2manytabsopen @ssprayberrythings @prettysummerbaby @fictionalho @sunshinefarabees @madisontaxarn @liltimmyst @hopexargent @sunflowerlamb @bluesongbird

if your username is bolded that means i cannot tag you.

[brw]

[id; a banner of wanda maximoff from marvel comics surrounded by various avengers. they are all out of focus aside from wanda. she wears her classic costume & casts small wisps of magic with one hand, wearing a forlorn expression. in white font with a hard red shadow reads "comic scarlet witch week" with decorative white spirals. underneath in smaller, plainer text reads "aug 1st - aug 7th". artist is peter v nguyen. end id.]

Hello! I'm happy to announce I'm running #comicscarletwitchweek again, like last year from August 1st to August 7th. Unlike last year, the themes for every day are more loose, with very simple words for people to put any meaning they wish to. I will leave suggestions for what each day could represent, but these are only suggestions for anyone who might need a little inspiration or guide.

As always, this week is centered on Wanda's comic book appearances. MCU & MCU adjacent content is not what we're looking for & won't be reblogged. There is no expectation to participate in every day, this is merely a week to share your love for Wanda's comic book appearances!

Please tag your posts with #comicscarletwitchweek or #comicscarletwitchweek2023. You can also use my personal tracking tag #userbrieuc. If anything is missed, you can submit it or send an ask or a DM to let me know!

Like last year, all types of content are accepted, and you can make as many submissions as you like! What we don't accept is content depicting the MCU version of Wanda, & any content that is incestuous or pedophilic in nature. Content includes;

Fanfiction

Fanart

Graphics (edits, icons, headers etc)

Gifs

Playlists

Meta posts / headcanons

Cosplay

Fancams / AMVs

Anything else you can think of, this list is non conclusive!

Themes for each day under the cut.

Day 1, 1st of August, Tuesday - Solo

definition; done by one person alone; unaccompanied. You can take solo to refer to one of her solo comics, wherever that be her 4 issue limited from 1994, James Robinson's 2015 series, or Steve Orlando's upcoming series. You could also take it to refer to Wanda by herself, to reflect on who she is divorced from her other connections. Maybe you want to write about her delivering a sick guitar solo in a band au!

Day 2, 2nd of August, Wednesday - Identity

definition; the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. Wanda has many idenities accumilated over the year; sister, wife, mother, teacher, and many more. This day offers an opportunity to explore one or more of her identities in whatever way you want to or to focus on one particular aspect of her. Wherever you want to focus on Wanda's identity with motherhood, the way her identity with herself has changed & evolved over the years, or a headcanon for her being queer, all are welcomed & accepted!

Day 3, 3rd of August, Thursday - Fairytale

definition; a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. This could entail Wanda reading a bedtime story to her children, Wanda reimagined in a fairy-tale based alternate universe, expanding on the Wanda's depicted in the Marvel: Fairy Tales series, Wanda dealing with some fictional creature from folklore or something else.

Day 4, 4th of August, Friday - Teamwork

definition; the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a task. This could be interpreted as making something for Wanda & your preferred team with her, or Wanda teaming up with another character, etc.

Day 5, 5th of August, Saturday - Family

definition; a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption. Wanda has grown an expansive family over the years, thanks in part to many retcons. Here, you can focus on her relationship with her brother, or the family she finds in the Avengers, or the family she & Vision build in Vision & the Scarlet Witch, or her various revolving door of parents.

Day 6, 6th of August, Sunday - Power

definition; ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something. This could apply to Wanda's physical powers & how those have changed over the years, her status as a Nexus Being, or the ways in which characters like Chthon have attempted to rob Wanda of her power & how she's grown for that, or an idea for an interesting application of her powers.

Day 7, 7th of August, Monday - Free Day

Do anything you want! Expand on a day, do something AU based, do a roleswap, just use it to do something general / nonthemed, anything goes!

Please remember these are only suggestions, & do not have to be followed at all! You can make these themes as limiting or as broad as you want.

[allkinds-oftrash]

Dress

A/N: Hello again yall happy one month to the first part - Magic Jake! I honestly don’t know how the rest of you do it always putting out content consistently I applaud you all! For those of you have been following or listening to me ramble about this fic forever, thank you for waiting and its finally here!! It went through a couple of rewrites and changes but we made it. I would like to thank my writing friends for always writing with me, listening to my TGM rambles and hyping me up for this fic @hptriviachamp (an iconic beta reader a girl can ask for!) @jeanvanjer (who yall can thank for some of the most wholesome and fluffy scenes in this fic) @sophiamariabeckett (a bestie for life).  To all my Top Gun mutuals and new friends thank you so much for welcoming me into the fandom and always engaging back whenever I interact with yalls’ posts - you guys are the best!! Special shout out to @magneticghouls my Top Gun bestie. @rad-topgunn @tgmavericklover @jakeseresins @pegxcarter @mavswife [Do let me know if yall wanna be added or removed from my taglist!]

[Fic Notes: I’m a dumbass and made the Young Guns 20 somethings in the first fic so Jake is celebrating his 25th birthday in this one. While the MC has a name, this can be read a dark WoC!Reader fic]

So without further ado, I present Dress! Happy Reading - support and hype a girl by screaming to me about this in reblogged tags and comments thank you!! :D

Part 1 - Magic Jake Based on This Song | Playlist I Made For The Vibes

Our secret moments in your crowded room They've got no idea about me and you There is an indentation in the shape of you Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo

It had been exactly 7 months since she had met Hangman in that fateful Go-Go bar on her birthday. Funnily enough, it was his birthday today. As she prepared for his surprise party with his friends at the Hard Deck, she replayed the last few months back in her mind. Of course, it always goes back to the first night they spent together. She smiled thinking of the first time they kissed at the back of the taxi. She had made the first move grabbing his collar and she was glad she did. It was everything she had hoped for. 

All the pent tension from the strip tease exploded in that single kiss. Sahara swore she felt fireworks going off at the back of her head. She remembered how his lips felt on hers. They were soft but he was nowhere gentle at all. Jake couldn't get enough of her. 

"Sahara, you good?" A voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see Coyote.  "Hm, yeah I'm fine. What's up?"  "You're looking a little red there." At the mention of her blushing, she turned even more red. God, she was embarrassing.  "I'm alright, just hot." She brushed it off casually and fanned herself to sell the ruse. Then she glanced at him curiously, "How else can I help?"  "We're pretty much done." He gestured to the Hard Deck being all decked out with birthday decorations. He then rubbed the back of his neck, kind of nervous for a moment. "I was actually wondering if you'd like to bring out the cake with me when Hangman walks in."  

She blinked at him in surprise. She figured he would do it since they were so close. She knew it was no big deal but also being the person who brings out the cake at these things was usually close to the birthday person. She had known him for less than a year. 

"Really, me?" "Yes, you." Coyote laughed heartily. She couldn't help but smile, he had the most contagious laugh. "I'm sure Hangman would want you to."  "Alright then, just let me know when." She smiled at him and then went back to finishing up putting up the last of the streamers. She did a round of the bar, greeting the other Young Guns and making sure everything was perfect. 

Just as she was about to go find Coyote, he found everyone. 

"YO everyone!! Rooster just texted, they're on their way."  He announced to the room as everyone took cover in their hiding spots. Coyote gestured to Sahara to follow and they both headed to the pantry to get his cake. 

She had a small smile as she entered the room. It was safe to say that over the last 7 months, Hangman and her had pretty much christened most of the Hard Deck with their late night quickies. It was probably their best kept secret from the crew. 

"I knew you'd like the cake." Coyote said excitedly when he caught her smile. She raised her eyebrows for a moment before looking down at the cake, her grin growing wider. It was perfect and she knew he was going to love it. The cake itself was the navy blue of his helmet and the words "Happy Birthday, Hangman!" read in mustard yellow. It was a nice touch for Coyote to incorporate the birthday boy's favourite colours. At the top was a fondant F-18 hanging by the cliff held on by a noose. 

"You designed this?" She asked.  "Yes, ma'am." "He's going to love it, Coyote!"  He smiled, proud of himself. He prided himself on knowing Hangman best. "Thank you, thank you. Glad I didn't let Phoenix order it for me." 

"The words would be reading 'Happy Birthday Bagman' right now." She giggled remembering how Jake hated being called Bagman by Phoenix. Then they heard voices outside. The two of them fell silent to listen to them. Sahara smiled, recognising Jake's voice and of course Rooster teasing him. Coyote had a small grin make its way to his face when he saw Sahara's face hearing Hangman's voice. If he was going to trust his best friend with anyone else, it would be her. 

~

Rooster really couldn't give Hangman a break, not even on his birthday. As Hangman was led to the Hard Deck, his frenemy kept pushing his buttons. 

Hangman had made the mistake of relaying his plans for his birthday and had a dreamy smile when he mentioned calling Sahara for a night in. Rooster poked him playfully,

“Calling Sahara now, are you?" He wore the same smirk Hangman wore most days. Jake wasn't sure if he liked being on the other side of it.  “What about it?” Hangman pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes at his rival. Rooster couldn’t help but chuckle at how defensive he was getting already.  “Oh, come on. You really don’t see it? You like this girl.” Rooster pointed out. He was being a little shit by teasing Hangman who froze at the mention of liking her.  “What makes you say that?” He asked incredulously. He was Jake Seresin. He doesn’t like anyone. Sahara and him were just having fun and they both knew that. 

“You haven’t slept with anyone else in the last half a year.”  “How-” Hangman’s jaw dropped at his observation, “How the fuck do you know that?”  “We all know Hang. You’ve only ever been taking Sahara home every night. Not that we’re complaining. It’s nice to see you settle down.” Rooster was purposefully picking his words. He knew all the commitment buzzwords were going to set Hangman off. And it did. Jake liked Sahara enough but they were not settling down. Rooster was being ridiculous and getting on his nerves. Hangman clenched his jaw and glared at his frenemy.  “Settle down?? I am not. Fuck off, Bradshaw.” Hangman hissed as they walked into the dark and empty bar. He frowned at the scene. This was not the lively Friday night at the bar he was usually used to. 

“Where is everybody? Did Penny close up early?” He asked Rooster quizzically as the latter turned on the lights with a playful grin. Immediately, everyone jumped out of their places and yelled in perfect unison, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANGMAN!!” 

Hangman just about fell back in shock. He figured it would be a quiet birthday; a few birthday drinks between him and the crew, then having dinner with Coyote before calling up Sahara for a late night in. This was not at all what he was expecting. He was touched. All their friends had come together to celebrate him. Then to put the cherry on top, out came his two favourite people with the cake in hand leading the birthday song. Everyone in the bar rallied together to sing to him in their loudest voice. 

His eyes lit up as Sahara and Coyote brought the cake to him. It meant a lot that it was the two of them. Coyote let her hold the cake as he came around Hangman’s side to clap his back.  “WOOO Happy Birthday, pal!!” He yelled at the top of his lungs in a celebratory manner. Sahara held up the cake to him with the widest grin. “Make a wish, Jake.” 

When she said his name like that, he became undone. He kept it together and matched her grin. Closing his eyes, he made his wish. Though there wasn’t much to ask for. He already had the perfect birthday so far. Then he opened his eyes, looked deep into her eyes and blew out the candles. The whole room cheered. 

“Didn’t really need to wish for anything else now that you’re here, sugar.” He smirked flirtily at her. She just laughed as the blush dusted her cheeks pink. While she knew all of his flirty lines, every time he pulled them on her, her heart still raced. Being around him always feels like the first time they met. She set down the cake on the table and handed him the knife for him to cut into it. 

Jake wrapped his hand around hers as he took the knife from her. He shot her a wink before snaking his other arm around her waist. She smiled as he pulled her to his side and kissed her temple. He bumped Coyote by the shoulders affectionately. "Thanks so much for this, y'all." He said to everyone but really he was looking gratefully at Coyote and Sahara. They beamed back at him. His grin grew wider as he cut into the cake. 

As per tradition, he had to feed the person he loved the most. Everyone knew who it was. He faked feeding himself as everyone groaned and both Coyote and Sahara playfully punched his sides. 

"Okay okay, wow someone is touchy." He raised his hands defensively, teasing Coyote's pout. He then goes to feed his best friend before completely rubbing the piece of cake all over his face. Coyote yelled before grabbing the cream off the top of the cake and retaliating. Now they were both covered in chocolate. Their crew burst out laughing while Sahara shook her head at their shenanigans. She grabbed a couple of napkins to pass it to them when Jake came over to her with a sly grin. Immediately, she stepped back - knowing what was coming. 

All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from holding back from all this (ha, ha, ha, ha)

“Jake Hangman Seresin, no. This is my best foundation, I will kill you if you mess it up.” She just kept going back until she hit a wall. His smirk just grew wider once she was trapped.  “Awe come on, sweetheart, a little kiss for the Birthday Boy.” He leaned towards her. His bright eyes shining with mischief as he placed his arm by her head boxing her into the corner. She rolled her eyes playfully at his tactic.  "You're ridiculous and you owe me, Birthday Boy." She chuckled. Then she brought her hand up to his neck, her fingers wrapping around the nape pulling him close to her. She closed the gap between them and kissed him. Instinctively, his other hand went to caress her cheek, his fingers laced within her hair seconds later.  

They both think they'll never get tired of kissing each other. He adored how she was always so gentle with him and her kisses. He loved how soft and warm her lips were against his. How she played and tugged at his hair at the nape of his neck to make him moan. At his moan, Sahara smiled against his lips, allowing him access. She relished in how he always kissed her like he couldn't get enough of her. Like he couldn't breathe and she was his lifeline. As he slipped his tongue past her lips, his arms slid down the curve of her body. They circled her waist and tugged her flush against him. She sighed into his mouth with pleasure before following his lead and pressed herself against him. 

At this point, Coyote was done giving out the cake to all the guests and he was confused to find the Birthday Boy and his partner in crime for the party missing. Their crew spotted him looking around and went up to him. Rooster was the first one to point them out in their little corner. 

"God, they're like teenagers on prom night." He snickered while Phoenix made a face.  "I think they're adorable." Fanboy said and Bob echoed the sentiment.  "Babe, you find all the couples adorable." Payback grinned at his boyfriend as he walked up to him and slung his arm around Fanboy's shoulder. "Roost, you're the cockblocker, mind interrupting them? I have their cake." Coyote held up the last two plates of his cake. One of them had the plane by its noose. He figured that's the piece Hangman would have wanted. 

While their friends were pushing each other towards the two of them, Hangman and Sahara were lost in their own world. The birthday boy in particular was annoyed by their clothes acting as a barrier. A playful smile formed on his face as an idea came to him. He started to slip his hands up the skirt of her dress and dragged his fingers higher up her thighs. He was extremely satisfied when it earned a gasp from Sahara. 

“Jake!” She whisper-shrieked against his lips. She pulled back from him. “It’s not as if we haven’t done it here, darlin’.” His damming smirk made its way to his face as his hand left her thighs to rest on her waist to keep her close. He used the thumb of his other hand to firmly wipe off the blue frosting that now coated her lips. He gave her a quick peck and grinned, "You taste delicious."  She just shook her head at him amused. Just as she was just about to suggest that they return to his party, Coyote came up to them. 

Coyote had his eyebrows furrowed slightly in annoyance. Not at them but the fact that the crew had physically pushed him towards them to interrupt. Coyote was just happy they stopped themselves. Unlike some people, he wasn’t a cockblock. He just held up their plates of cake with a smile. “We kept the last two pieces for you two.” 

Sahara cooed at him gratefully taking her plate. “Thank you, Coyote, that’s so sweet!” Then realising he had probably handed it all out on his own when she was supposed to help, she dipped her head apologetically. “Sorry I didn’t help.”  “It’s alright, Sahara.” Coyote waved her off casually while Hangman had a smug smile.  “It’s okay, sweetheart, you were busy with making birthday wishes come true. A noble cause, really.” Hangman nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck, pressing a soft kiss against her skin. 

His best friend couldn’t help but roll his eyes at how cheesy they were. “Whipped!” He coughed subtly. Immediately, Hangman’s head snapped up and he glared at Coyote.  “I am not!” He insisted. What the hell was up with everyone giving him shit about their relationship today? Coyote gave him a knowing look.  “Sure, Hang.” Coyote then passed the Birthday Boy his cake and walked back to the crew. 

Sahara nudged Jake by the shoulder to follow suit. He whined softly. “No, I want you.” “It’s your party, Jake.” She countered, already tugging him to their group of friends. Honestly, she was starting to feel bad for taking up his time. Not to mention his insistence of not being whipped rubbed her off the wrong way. It just confirmed to her that they were nothing more than fuck buddies. She pushed the thought of her mind. She knew exactly what she was getting into when they met. Jake Hangman Seresin was not the relationship type. They were just having fun. She was the one who had to cap her feelings and expectations. 

Jake sensed something was off but since she was putting on a smile and more than happy to be involved in the party, he let it go. He could always ask her later.

“Fineee.” He dragged out the word like a child then gave her a sweet look, “Anything for you, sweets.” He then tucked his hand around her waist into her back pocket as he followed her along to join their friends. 

He was admiring his cake while the crew was talking amongst each other. Coyote slid up next to him and Hangman grinned, gesturing to the cake.  “You did a great job, pal, I love it.” He complimented his best friend. Coyote smiled and clapped his hand on his back before giving him a side hug.  “I knew you would.” He said then watched as Hangman had a dreamy look watching Sahara. He nudged his best friend, “I hope I didn’t freak you out earlier. Don’t go all ‘Jake’ on her.”  Hangman snapped out of looking at her like a puppy and frowned at Coyote. “What are you on about, Coyote?”

Coyote rubbed his eyes tiredly. They both knew Hangman was the best and knew everything there is about planes and fighter jets. But this boy was DUMB when it came to his personal life. “Jake, I know you aren’t this stupid.”  Hangman was even more confused because Coyote never used his name, especially not after they broke up. “Javy, I honestly have no idea what you are talking about.” 

“Don’t freak out on her because you’re scared of committing. Not every one of your relationships is going to crash and burn like ours.” Coyote chuckled drily. The two of them were honestly good now but that didn’t mean they were immune from the heartache that followed the messy breakup of best friends turned romantic partners. It took them a while but they were closer than ever. Coyote saw firsthand how the fallout of that affected Hangman. He never really dated anyone after that. 

“We did not crash and burn.” Hangman scoffed while Coyote gave him a look. Jake didn’t like to admit it but their relationship was his one failure in life. He took it as a personal failure in a life where he was pretty much the best and perfect at everything. He conceded with a small shake of his head, “We’re fine now, aren’t we?” 

“Yes, which is why I’m telling you not to ruin whatever is going on with Sahara.”  “There’s nothing going on!” “Do you want something to?” Coyote was on a roll today. After all, no one else knew Hangman better and he wouldn’t want it any other way. He looked over at Sahara pensively. He could never tire of staring at her. The way her hair shined in the light, it was so soft and ethereal. He loved weaving his fingers through it. When she laughed - as she was doing so right now with the rest of the crew - it was like bells and it was so contagious. He realised it had slowly become his favourite sound in the world. He especially adored how her eyes light up when she laughed or was just happy that day. His heart raced as he watched how well she fit in with the crew. How well she had integrated into his life in the last 7 months. 

“I don’t know, man.” He sighed softly, unsure what to do with these feelings he had been suppressing for so long. 

~

A couple of feet away, Sahara was distracting herself from her feelings with the crew. They always made her laugh and that always put her in a better mood. They all went around sharing their favourite less-than-perfect Hangman moments. She loved hanging out with them. They had the best stories about Jake for her and were always welcoming of her. 

Payback was animatedly describing the time Mav had shot down Hangman after he had tried to pull the usual shit where he left Phoenix and Bob hanging and was being an asshole in the sky. Sahara was pretty surprised to hear of this. She knew he could be cocky and too sarcastic for his own good but she didn’t realise how competitive he got in the sky. 

“And my favourite part was when he got Phoenix and Bob killed and then had the audacity to ask them for help and Phoenix drops the most badass line:" Fanboy finished his boyfriend's story and pointed to Phoenix to say her line. "I'm dead, dickhead." She delivered it perfectly. Sahara couldn't help but laugh out loud. Instinctively, she turned to look at Jake who seemed to be deep in conversation with Coyote. Her eyebrows dipped ever so slightly at how intense Jake seemed to be. Moments later, she turned back to the crew, not wanting to disturb him. 

Phoenix caught on to her look and nudged her with a knowing grin.  "You know you should just tell him."  Sahara blinked at her friend and raised her eyebrow ever so slightly. "I don't know what you mean." She decided to play dumb. The last thing she needed was for Jake to overhear them and freak out. The rest of them overheard and started to laugh in unison. Now she was even more confused. Rooster raised a beer at her.  “The two of you seriously need to make it official, already.”  “Hey, you’re not allowed to interfere with them!” Payback said sternly as the rest of them exchanged looks. She felt extremely out of the loop and narrowed her eyes at them suspiciously. 

“What do you mean he’s ‘not allowed to interfere’ with us?” She pointedly asked Payback. Everyone started to look guilty and no one said a word. It took a moment but it clicked. “You guys bet on us?!” It was the kind of frustration that was so calm, the crew knew they were in trouble. They all hung their heads low like children being reprimanded. She sighed softly, not wanting to make them feel bad. 

“I’m sorry.” came the chorus of apologies and she just shook her head, now more amused by how in sync they all were.  “It’s fine.” She shook it off, “I should have known. Now tell me, what are your timelines?” She rested her elbow against the table and leaned into the crew, genuinely interested to hear their theories. 

Rooster - 7 months and proclaimed he could get them together. Which is why he was being so pushy today.  Phoenix - Never. She didn’t have any faith in Hangman changing his ways  Payback - 5 years  Fanboy - 10 years Coyote - 7 months without interfering  Bob - In their own time 

Sahara smiled at Bob’s sweet answer, “That’s really thoughtful, Bob.” “It’s a cop out.” Payback teased him while the rest of them smacked him lightly on the chest. Then Sahara grabbed her wallet and took out a couple of ten-dollar bills, handing them over to Payback. He glanced at her curiously, waiting for an explanation. “I’m with Phoenix. He’s not the committing type.” It was hard for the crew to see her so resigned. They all rallied around her to comfort her.  “You guys it’s fine. I like him as he is. I know what I signed up for.” She told them reassuringly. Still, they weren’t fans of how it was making her feel. 

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, he’s only been taking you home the last few months. That’s gotta count for something right.” Payback supplied while his boyfriend continued, “He could like you too!” Fanboy’s optimism never failed to cheer her up. They all cheered with their drinks as a smile came back onto her face. 

The comforting and cheering didn’t go unnoticed by Hangman. Their fanfare was loud enough to drag him over to see what the fuss was about. He wrapped up his conversation with Coyote and they went to investigate. He came up behind Sahara and wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on her shoulder with his cheek pressed against hers.

“What’s all this celebration without the Birthday Boy!” He playfully frowned at them. 

Sahara relished in his warm embrace. She never pegged him for the affectionate type but lately he had been so cuddly with her. She thought back to the last couple of months. It's how he would want to spend time with her outside of their hookups. Sometimes they'd grab dinner at The Hard Deck and he would play with her hair while he told her about his day over drinks. It was endearing to see him go from pulling at her hair in private to gently twirling them between his fingers at dinner. Every time he played pool and she was leaning against the empty table across from his, without fail, he would find a way to drag his fingers along her waist when he brushed past her. It always tickled and she would tell him to stop. He would just wink and smirk, "You're my lucky charm, sugar." 

It was just these little things that added up. The one memory that stuck out to her was a couple weeks ago. 

~

It was one of those lazy off days and the crew decided to have a rematch of their beach game. Sahara sat on a lounging chair with his spare aviators she had stolen from him, watching them run around shirtless. It was an eye candy fest and she definitely wasn't immune. After a couple of quarters, the game ended and everyone jogged to the benches to grab their things. 

Jake made his way right to Sahara with a wide grin. 

"Couldn't stay away from me, could you, sweetheart?" His devilish smirk made its way onto his face. She shook her head, amused. That was Jake-speak for 'You came!' "Of course, I came. You asked me to." She teased him and he gave her a flat look. He then dropped to her lap and without realising, laced his fingers with hers.  "Shhh," He pressed his index tenderly against her lips, "I have a reputation to uphold you know." He couldn't help but admire how soft her hands were and started to play with them absentmindedly. It was one of the rare times he was holding her hand and they both decided right there and then, it was their favourite thing to do. 

And of course, just on cue Rooster interrupted them. He looked down at their interlaced hands then back at Hangman as if he couldn’t believe it. Jake noticed the looks and stared him down. “What are you looking at, Bradshaw?” “Nothing, you guys are cute.” Rooster had a knowing grin as he gestured to their hands. On instinct, Jake pulled away. Rooster headed to the rest of the team, chuckling to himself. Sahara frowned at the interaction. She never did understand their odd tense rivalry-friendship dynamic they had going on. How easy it was for them to get under each other’s skins so easily. 

“You know you don’t always have to let him get to you.” She said gently, grabbing his hand again. “And I think we’re very cute.” She leaned in and softly brushed her lips against his. After that day on the beach, Jake felt more reassured being touchy with her. She certainly wasn’t complaining, it was a nice change. 

~

Coming back to the present, she kept a small smile for him while she looked at the rest of them to keep their latest discussion under wraps. She didn’t want to scare him off. She knew deep down if they confronted him with feelings, he would run off without a second thought. Her hands shook ever so slightly, hesitating. Then realised she was being ridiculous. Him being stuck to her like an octopus was a sign he was fine with her being touchy. Finally, she wrapped her arms around his. 

"They were just telling me how you left them hanging in the sky and how Phoenix told you off." She relayed the story she was told earlier. He huffed at his classmate.  "You always take the opportunity to put me down with my dates, don't you Phoenix?" He narrowed his eyes.  "You do that all by yourself." Both Phoenix and Sahara spoke at the same time. They chuckled before high-fiving. He reluctantly removed his arm from her waist to swat away the high five.  "You're supposed to be on my side!" He poked her side, making her chuckle.  “I am on your side." She turned her head to kiss his cheek and he cheekily turned his head to kiss her lips. Before it could turn into another make out, Rooster decided to be a little shit and coughed teasingly. "Get a room!"  He was loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Sahara blushed at the comment while Hangman rolled his eyes. He detached himself from her for a moment to hold her hand and started to walk away. 

"Well don't mind if we do." He said so matter of factly, it didn't even register what was happening to Sahara until she was being dragged away to the exit. She just smiled at everyone, waving and calling out goodbyes as they left the bar. 

Say my name and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off Take it off (ha, ha, ha)

Carve your name into my bedpost 'Cause I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off Take it off (ha, ha, ha, ha)

The moment he had parked the car, he made a beeline for her lips. He couldn't keep his hands off her. He went from caressing her face to roaming his hands all over her body and finally holding her waist to pull her over to his lap. She squealed in surprise into his mouth as he did that. It gave him access to slip his tongue in. He moaned in pure ecstasy when she pulled his hair in response. He had been waiting hours for this. Sure, the party was fun but really all he had wanted to do that day was stay in with Sahara. He could somewhat admit it to himself now. He hadn’t fucked anyone else in the last 6 months. He liked her. She was his happy place. There was no where he felt more safe than in her arms. Though usually, he had her arms pinned above her head. 

They started making their way back to his apartment, their lips still connected. As they reached his door, he turned her around and kept kissing her while he had his back to the door to unlock it. By some miracle, he managed to open it and dragged her in. She kicked the door closed with a back kick and moaned into his mouth as he nibbled at her bottom lip. Her hands started to roam under his shirt while his fingers were tangled in her hair. He started to guide her towards the bed as if they hadn’t done this every other night for the last few months. She giggled against his lips as he pulled her down with him as he fell onto the bed. They broke apart for a moment as she landed on his chest. 

"Hi." She said, looking up at him and her eyes were shining. There she was. He sat up and tugged her over to his lap, making her straddle him. He reached out and tucked her hair back gently.  "Hi." He echoed as brought his hand down to cup her cheek, his thumb caressing her jaw. "Are you feeling better now?" 

She frowned slightly as she got comfortable loosely wrapping her legs around his waist. "What do you mean?" "You had on a fake smile for half the night." He ran his thumb over her lips. She didn’t realise how well he knew her, it came as a pleasant surprise. She quirked an eyebrow, "So you know all my smiles now, do you Hangman?" She teased him, not quite answering the question. Now it was his turn to frown, deeply. He didn't realise when or how it had changed but he didn't like being called Hangman by her. 

"First of all, who's Hangman? I'm Jake to you, darlin'. Second, of course I know all your smiles. I know you, Sahara." 

Everything seemed to stop when he called her by her name. She stiffened ever so slightly at her name. Now, that was a first. It surprised her. He never called her that. It was always a cheesy pet name. She always assumed it's so he wouldn't get her and the other girls' names mixed up. Tonight felt different. It was the way he said it too. Soft and gentle. Like an intimate secret between the two. She started to heat up, blush creeping up her cheeks - loving the way her name rolled off his tongue. She buried her face into his neck, desperately trying to hide her shock and the effect it had on her. She started to trail kisses from the column of his throat, slowly making her way up his jaw. Hopefully it was distracting enough to keep the questions off her. 

"I know you too, Jake. You seemed upset with Coyote." She mumbled in between kisses. Jake groaned, unable to concentrate on anything but her lips on him. She grinned at how well it worked. She finally found her way to his lips and gave him a deep kiss before brushing his hair back gently. "What were the two of you brooding about?"   "It was nothing." He waved her off, letting out an impatient huff when she pulled away. Immediately, he remedied that by bringing her face back to him. She giggled at his eagerness.  "Fine, pillow talk later." She obliged him, threading her fingers through his hair and kissing him. The birthday pilot smiled contently. He reached behind her to unzip her dress carefully. 

She frowned ever so slightly.  "You always rip my dresses off, what gives?"  "Isn't this your favourite dress?"  "No, it's similar because I know you liked it so much when we first met but you ripped it." She tried to look annoyed but honestly, him ruining that dress was the hottest thing he'd ever done. Favouritism be damned. She then leaned down to his ear, her breath fanning against the shell of it, "So I bought another one for today, just so you could take it off." 

He almost came in his pants right there at her seductive tone. He grinned and gave her an excited look, 'This, just for me?' She nodded to confirm and he gleefully tore it off before dragging her down under the sheets with him.

Inescapable, I'm not even gonna try And if I get burned, at least we were electrified I'm spilling wine in the bathtub, you kiss my face and we're both drunk Everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing about

She couldn’t help but beam up at him after they were done. There was something different about tonight. They could both feel it. It didn’t feel so disconnected and everything felt so much more magnified. Their emotions were running high and intense. If her crescent nail marks on his bedpost were anything to go by. It felt like they put everything on the line. She turned to his nightstand and opened up the drawer where she kept warm towelettes for them to clean up. She passed him a roll while she undid hers to clean herself up. Before she could bring it down, Jake pressed his towel against her. “Here, let me. Just relax.” He had her rest against the pillows. He worked his way down her thighs and started wiping down the mess they made. God, what a beautiful mess it was. 

She was moved by the gesture. Usually he would just clean himself up, they’d get a glass of water separately and she’d head home. Tonight really was a first for many things. She then took her towel and started to clean him up. Just as she wiped him down gently, Jake shot her a dangerous look, “Careful now, we wouldn’t want to start Round 3.” 

She rolled her eyes at how horny he always seemed to be. “Oh hush and let me do this for you.” She continued, taking as much care as she usually does with everything she does. Now it was his turn to lie back down and watch her intently. There was an intimacy to their ritual tonight that wasn’t there before. Jake can’t say he didn’t enjoy it. 

Once they were done, like clockwork, Sahara went to get them glasses of water. He didn’t know what came over him but he had the idea to run a bath for them. He grabbed his favourite bath bombs from his Lush drawer and headed to the bathroom. He drew the bath and picked out the galaxy bath bomb, dropping it in. He then heard Sahara’s melodic voice break through the room. “Jake, where did you go?”  “In here, sweetheart!” He called out to her and poked his head out with a delicious smile. He then gestured for her to come in. 

She raised an eyebrow at him being in the bathroom. She didn’t know why he needed her there when he was probably peeing but he’s the birthday boy, she was going to indulge him. She gingerly stepped into the bathroom and gaped at the sight before her. Her eyes immediately glowed with warm affection. The bubbles glowed in the dim light and he was already submerged in the tub, looking so deliciously inviting. 

“Isn’t it your birthday? I’m supposed to be pulling out all the stops. You’re making me look bad, Hangman.” She teased as she walked over to the edge of the tub. He glared at the use of his callsign.  “Jake.” He practically growled, correcting her. “I love how that always gets you hot and bothered.” She stuck her tongue out at him. His glare and annoyance disappeared quickly at her teasing. God, he loved her. He really did. He felt it earlier in bed. They went to another plane of existence when riding their highs.  “You want to see hot and bothered, Sahara darlin’?” His usual mischievous grin replaced his gloomy pout from moments ago. She knew that look. It had gotten her into trouble before. Before she could react, he pulled her into the bathtub. 

“JAKE!” She screamed as she fell into the tub with a splash. He was laughing at her all wet.  “All wet and screaming all for me, just the way I like it.” He smirked as she came up for air. She just rolled her eyes and splashed him. “That was FOUL, Hangman.”  “Call me that again.” He threatened, his tone light as he grabbed her waist and pulled her against his chest. Without prompting, she curled her arms around his neck.  “What are you going to do about it?” She taunted him. Her legs were already locking his in between her thighs. She was rubbing against his length. Out of habit, he gripped her thighs as he gasped. She hummed in satisfaction at the sound. 

“When - when did you get so good at teasing?” He could barely get the words out.  “Learnt from the best.” She sent him a smirk to rival his. He had created a monster and he adored her. She closed the gap between them and kissed him passionately. She had her fingers laced through his soft hair, her other hand stroking the nape of his neck and bit on his bottom lip just the way he liked it. He moaned with pleasure into her mouth, allowing her tongue to slip in as she deepened the kiss. 

It was all heightened tonight between them. They could have sworn electricity passed through them in that kiss. Sahara put everything on the line. She wanted him to know how she felt without saying it. That she felt the same and he shouldn’t be scared to tell her. 

He was feeling all of it. His body worked to catch up with the intensity of the moment. His arms around her waist tightened, bringing her close to him until there wasn't an atom between them. His hands roamed her back before making his way to her soft and silky hair. He couldn't quite explain it but he could feel her emotions. He definitely got the message. He never realised how in tune with each other they had become until this moment. It was bound to happen. He was bringing her home basically every night. 

All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from holding back from all this (ha, ha, ha, ha)

Say my name and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend Only bought this dress so you could take it off Take it off (ha, ha, ha) Carve your name into my bedpost 'Cause I don't want you like a best friend

They came up for air a few minutes later, reluctantly pulling away from each other. Their arms were comfortably around the other, still connecting them. They didn't know what to say. The kiss had quite literally taken their breath away. 

They can't remember which one of them leaned in first but soon enough their foreheads were resting against the other's. They just sat there in silence for a few minutes, just taking in each other and thinking how they ended up here. 

Sahara knew she couldn't do this anymore. She was in too deep with her feelings. Never mind if Jake potentially felt the same. If he couldn't say it soon, she can't just stay wasting her time waiting. She was only going to get hurt. She had to tell him. Her hands were trembling again. How much she desperately pinned for this man was ridiculous. He didn't even feel the same way! She parted her lips to tell him. To finally let him go. She was even going to use the godawful line, 'We still can be friends. You've become my best friend in the last few months.' But she didn't want that. She didn't want to be his stupid fucking friend. 

Then he said the one thing she never expected to fall from his lips. 

"Sahara," He said with such care and tenderness as he deliberated his next words. Her world finally felt like it stopped spinning. It was powerful how he grounded her so easily with her name. 

"I love you." 

Flashback when you met me Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me Flashback to my mistakes My rebounds, my earthquakes Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth of me

Jake Seresin never really believed in love. At least not for himself. Some people just weren't meant for the white picket fence life. He knew that early on in his life. He was always meant to be in the sky. He bore all the risks. That's why it was so easy being with Javy. They were both in the same field, they were best friends and understood each other and their life. Then Jake just had to go fuck that up. He couldn't handle the commitment. Javy eventually wanted to settle down. He wasn't ready. 

Now he knew better. Javy was his first love. Sahara? She was his forever. 

The last few months that had been building up to this even if he didn't know it. His love for her creeped up on him when he least expected it. He should have known. He should have realised when he went from just admiring her physicality, he found himself enamoured by the little things. 

How she lit up whenever she talked about the things she loved and her day, the way her nose scrunched when she was annoyed with something or allergy season was starting to kick in. It's the way she knew him better than anyone else, anticipating his moods, wants and needs. How he could do the exact same for her. She saw past all the bells and whistles of being Hangman. She found Jake and loved him unconditionally. It's how they saw each other beyond their reputations when no one else did. 

He loved her. It all came down to this moment and he had to tell her. He edged back ever so slightly to get her reaction. He hoped she felt the same but knew better than to expect it. 

I love you. The words were echoing through her mind. She couldn't believe he actually said it. She simply stared back at him, gaping at him ever so slightly.

"You know a picture lasts longer." Jake couldn't handle the serious silence and just had to break the tension. She splashed at him.  "Don't ruin it! Give me a moment." She sounded exasperated but really pleased at the confession. His hands cupped her jaw and caressed it gently.  "I really do mean it, Sahara. I think I might have loved you from that first lap dance." He winked playfully and she rolled her eyes at his flirting.

She thought back to all those moments she could feel something between them but never entertained. All because he just wasn't the commitment guy. He was never one for words either way. It was the way he always put her first and was there for her. Be it him always ordering her favourite drink first, or saving her a seat. Somehow, always managing to find her in a crowded room. He was always there to lend a listening ear and be there for her. She had never felt more in tune and in love with anyone else. 

This was one of the rare times he couldn't read her. Only because he was so nervous about her reaction, it was clouding his usually clear judgement. At her deep-in-thought expression, he was quick to reassure her with a soft nudge,  "You don't have to say it back if you're not ready. I just wanted you to know." 

The quiet seriousness of his tone broke her heart. She could tell how scared he was. The way the sea foam eyes she loved so much were searching hers for any indication she felt the same. For some semblance of why being vulnerable was worth it. Her arms hanging loosely from his neck left to snake up his arms. Her hands tenderly held his wrists as her thumbs ran over the back of his hands soothing him. 

"Of course, I love you too. Maybe not from the first lap dance," She chuckled softly as she rested her forehead against his, "but I adore you, Jake Seresin. I can barely remember life without you. I don't think I've ever met anyone who sees and cares for me the way you do. You, yourself sir, are a wonder and I'm lucky to love you. She carded her fingers through his hair. 

His smile was wide enough to split his face in half. Scooping her up in his arms, he started to pepper kisses all over her face. In between breathless kisses, he whispered to her, "Say it again." 

"I love you, Jake." She giggled against his lips.  "I love you too, Sahara." They enjoyed the rest of their bath, giggling away at their new found relationship status. 

And I woke up just in time Now I wake up by your side My one and only, my lifeline I woke up just in time Now I wake up by your side

That night was the best sleep either of them had gotten in months. They were where they belonged: wrapped up in each other. Jake had his arms securely wrapped around Sahara - one holding her waist while the other resting across her chest, his hand lazily cupping her boob. She had her head tucked perfectly under his chin and their legs were comfortably tangled together. 

Jake was the first to wake up, he happily hummed in a soft tone so as not to wake his girlfriend up. He grinned at the title that popped into his head. His girlfriend. He liked that a little too much for someone who spent his adult life running from relationship labels. He hugged her gently, making sure she was real and wouldn't disappear anytime soon. His hand moved from her boob to brush her hair from her face. He was content to watch her till she woke up. 

Soon, she started to stir ever so slightly and feeling his gaze on her, she decided to tease him. Her eyes were still closed as she spoke in a sleepy tone that Jake found just absolutely adorable. "It's a little hard to sleep with you staring, creep."  His smile widened and flirted, “Well I’m a little hard staring at you, sweets.” He pressed his length against her to show off. She couldn’t help but laugh at his cheesy joke. She turned around to face him, her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms around his neck in their favourite position. 

“It’s 9am, Jake, too early for this.” She rested her forehead against his, breathing him in for a moment before leaning down to kiss him. He kissed her back hungrily, causing her to grip his shoulders and moan. As they held on close to each other, they couldn’t help but feel extremely lucky. 

Neither of them ever thought they’d end up here.

Jake with his emotional baggage and not so stellar reputation as a team player. He was also never one to commit. He never saw himself settling down, until her. Now he could picture a whole future. 

Sahara had her fair share of long term partners and they were all lovely but this moment right here was perfect. No one understood her like he did. He knew every one of her idiocracies, he knew how to set her entire body on fire with a single touch and she knew him just as well. No one had ever come close to the way she felt about him.  

"I love you." She said softly as they pulled away for air. He gripped her tighter, never wanting to let go. 

"I love you too." 

There is an indentation In the shape of you Only bought this dress so you could take it off You made your mark on me, golden tattoo Only bought this dress so you could take it off

[spiritshe]

#spiritshe: independent,  highly  selective  &  private  blog  for  princess  yue  from  avatar:  the  last  airbender.  headcanon  based  with  taking  most  influences  from  the  show.  low  activity,  slow  replies  &  mutuals  only.  18+  &  beta  editor.  rules  under  the  cut  !  adored  by  nyla   (  20,  she/they  &  black  )  can  also  be  found  on  @earthfeel , @al1ngs , @auracrobat, @kniveds

DOC.  TBA  !

01. firstly thank you for reading this and this blog is honestly just for fun while there may be so angsty threads and stuff, i will be mostly chill for the most part. even still, my blog will be highly selective and mutuals only, i will only thread with mutuals.

02. this blog does use writing formatting like colored text and spacing! please let me know if that bothers you, i won’t use it for our threads!

03. there will be no hate, or drama allowed on this blog! i mostly keep to myself so i don’t know who’s the most problematic and etc… if you see me interacting with anyone who is a known problematic person in the role playing community then let me know! no pedophilia or r*pe or anything in that nature will be written here. if you’re racist, transphobic and etc. don’t even think about following!

04. i am very oc and crossover friendly! even au friendly! i welcome all connections whether they are platonic, romantic or familial! all i ask is that ocs have an about page, so i can get to know the muse more!

05. the easiest way to get stuff going is to send a meme or two, i am slow with getting to my inbox and replies in general but i don’t mind my inbox being flooded! please reblog memes from the source and my IMs are always open for plotting! if you prefer discord, you can ask for it! i’ll gladly give it to you :) i am not the best when it comes to plotting, mostly likey I won’t be the first to reach out when it comes to plotting.

06. shipping will happen here but it’s not a priority for me! i will only do ships with chemistry or discussed and plotted ships. yue will mostly portrayed as a teenager so there will be no sexualizing of her! there will be a adult verse of her but no smut will happen.

[sherlock-is-ace]

hello, welcome to another depressing rant about my mental health and other problems ✌🏻 which thanks to tumblr stopping people (bots) from reblogging this, i can now write in a post and not in the tags

i've been reminded today of the 3(?) times in my life in which people have walked out on me for no discernible reason. And other many times in which my efforts to be a normal sociable person have been either ignored or actively rejected. Or how I've been used by people who tossed me aside the second they didn't need me anymore? And how all of that has made me the overly anxious, socially inept, and antisocial peron i am today...

i mean i should be going to therapy for this but i have no money so tumblr rants will have to do, but like I have two very clear memories of people who I'd consider my best friends, who suddenly stopped talking to me out of absolutely nowhere. I'm sure I have to have done something to them, cause it can happen twice for no reason right? So I guess my guilt issues also come from there, but like I am being 100% honest when I say I have no fucking clue what the fuck did I do.

Once was when I was around 6 or 7 so like, it might have just been kids stuff but it has stuck on me.. I came back to school after the summer, like I had done many times before and my "bestest friend" had suddenly joined the "cool girls group" and fully stopped talking to me, ignored me in the hall and all that kind of stuff. I never got any explanation for it, or when did she became friends with the "cool girls". I was so taken aback, but I moved on (well apparently i haven't lol)

The other was in my last year of highschool, my "best friend", overnight, stopped talking to me without any reason. I did talk to her, and I asked her, she never replied to me. And I don't mean over text or something, I asked her in person, to her face, and she walked away from me without saying a single word. I asked other friends we had in common if they knew what the fuck had happened, and nobody knew. We were like so close too! Like people thought we were dating kind of friendship (and I was presenting as a girl at the time). To this day I still haven't figured out what happened. It was literally over night, or over a weekend actually. I said goodbye to her on Friday, she didn't speak to me on Monday (till the end of the year, and then we graduated and never saw each other again).

The third time is my father walking out on the family, that's a normal and relatable one that I needn't explain lol

And then you have things like the one time where I didn't want to go to a school thing, like sports day? or something like that. The reason being, I'm fat, dysphoric, socially awkward, anxious, and I don't like to be ridiculed for being bad at sports. I wasn't going to go but a friend at the time insisted, she wanted me to go, she was threatening with getting angry if I didn't go, so I fucking went. On the day, teachers who knew I didn't wanna be there, said I could not participate on any of the games I didn't want to (so lovely of them, I think they noticed how fucking anxious I was). So, I avoided any games that caused me major anxiety or dysphoria, but I spent time with my friend who wanted me there, and tried to cheer everyone on. What did my firend said? "you're not paricipating in anything, why did you come then? you should have stayed at home."... oh! what a lovely idea you just had! if only i had occured to me! if only i hadn't been guilted into coming to a thing that made me miserable!!! :D

But anyways, turns out that I'm fucking cursed or something and that's the reason I don't talk to people or I guess put much effort into relationships anymore? And it sucks, but my brain is wired now to not really care because everytime I care I'm hurt, and/or disappointed and/or treated like shit without a reason. Or I guess without an explanation, I'm sure there is a reason... maybe I'm a horrible person to be around, maybe I'm super toxic and I don't even realize it?

And it's sort of a blessing and a curse, because yes, I can't hold a conversation for the life of me, I cry if I have to make or recieve a phonecall, I can't go to a shop and speak to the cashier like a normal person, I have panic attacks on busses... But also, I don't need people? Like I'm perfecly fine being alone in my home without talking to anyone? which made lockdown a piece of cake.

Once again, therapy is what I need, why do i type this online?! lol... anyways, sorry for the vent, it's easily ignored tho

[auracrobat]

#auracrobat: independent,  highly  selective  &  private  blog  for  ty  lee  from  avatar  the  last  airbender.  headcanon  based  with  influences  from  the  show  with  minimal  influences  from  the  comics.  low  activity,  slow  replies  &  mutuals  only.  18+  &  beta  editor  only.  rules  can  be  found  under  the  cut  !  adored  by  tee  (  20,  she/they  &  black  ).  * this  is  a  sideblog  all  follows  will  come  from  @earthfeel,  you  can  also  find  me  on  @spiritshe  &  @chionai.

DOC. TBA !

01. firstly thank you for reading this and this blog is honestly just for fun while there may be so angsty threads and stuff, i will be mostly chill for the most part. even still, my blog will be highly selective and mutuals only, i will only thread with mutuals.

02. this blog does use writing formatting like colored text and spacing! please let me know if that bothers you, i won’t use it for our threads!

03. there will be no hate, or drama allowed on this blog! i mostly keep to myself so i don’t know who’s the most problematic and etc… if you see me interacting with anyone who is a known problematic person in the role playing community then let me know! no pedophilia or r*pe or anything in that nature will be written here. if you’re racist, transphobic and etc. don’t even think about following!

04. i am very oc and crossover friendly! even au friendly! i welcome all connections whether they are platonic, romantic or familial! all i ask is that ocs have an about page, so i can get to know the muse more!

05. the easiest way to get stuff going is to send a meme or two, i am slow with getting to my inbox and replies in general but i don’t mind my inbox being flooded! please reblog memes from the source and my IMs are always open for plotting! if you prefer discord, you can ask for it! i’ll gladly give it to you :) btw i am not the best with plotting, so i probably will never reach out first for it. but you are surely welcome to plot with me regardless of that!!

06. shipping will happen here but it’s not a priority for me! i will only ship with those 18+ and while there will be an adult verse for ty … i will not be sexualizing her at all. no smut and only ships with chemistry! no straight off the back shipping unless discussed otherwise!

[cjsinkythoughts]

The Conversation

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 7661 (Don’t come at me - you guys asked for it)

Warnings: !FATWS Spoilers!, Cursing, Fluff, Feelings, I Dunno What Else, This One’s Pretty Chill, Except The Ending, But You’ll See When You Get There

A/N: Here it is! I was hesitant about posting it because that means we’re getting closer to the end and I’m such a nostalgic bitch! I’m definitely gonna cry next week when the last episode comes out! Anyways, I’ve got a few things to talk about:

I think this is one of the most important chapters I’ve written and I’m excited to see your reactions to it. It is longer, but you guys asked for that, so you got it! Also, I’m loving the Asks, Comments, and Reblogs. I try to respond to all of them. I have work in a little bit, so I won’t be able to until after, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Ask me anything; about my series, the show, any of the movies, personal stuff, I really don’t care. If you’re not comfortable, that’s totally fine! Every like means so much to me!

I know it’s not the end yet - we’ve got one more episode and a list of One Shots to get through - but there’s a definite feeling of this series coming to an end, and I just want to thank you all for the support and love you’ve been giving it! I’ve really enjoyed writing these characters and this story! It’s very, very special to me and I’m glad I’ve been able to share it with you lovely people!

On that note, be kind to yourselves and others! Thank you again for reading! Excuse any mistakes - this isn’t beta’d! Enjoy and stay tuned!

FATWS Masterlist

cjsinkythoughts Masterlist

!SPOILERS UNDER CUT! (Sorry for the gifs I just love them so much and he’s so pretty and this part is technically two parts so...you get four!)

“Louisiana.” Bucky hummed, looking around the airport.

You rolled your eyes. “You’re not gonna find anything interesting about Louisiana in here, doofus. Let’s call an Uber.”

“An Ooper? What the hell is an Ooper?”

You giggled, shaking your head and grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the luggage carousel. “Uber. It’s like…a taxi service. But there’s an app on your phone to get a driver instead of waiting for one on the street.”

“Oh.” He blinked, tilting his head. “That’s…helpful.”

You laughed again, stopping in front of Carousel 3, where your flight from New York was assigned. You went back to New York to grab a bag with clean clothes and other necessities, along with taking a real shower for once. It was nice to be back in the States, as much as you loved traveling. It’d been a crazy few weeks and you were ready to just relax.

“Do you think there were any problems with Sammy’s present?”

Bucky shook his head. “Nah. Especially considering they know who we are.”

You snickered at his slight grumble. They had had…problems at the other two airports - first the one in Sokovia then JFK in New York - considering Bucky’s entire arm was metal. It’d taken a full hour before they actually let you go, and by that time they had to give you a new plane because yours had left.

“Seriously. Who else has a fucking metal arm and has 1917 listed as their birth year on their Driver’s License?” You giggled again. That was also true. They thought he was messing with them. It wasn’t until you stepped in a few minutes after they asked Bucky to step to the side, seeing Bucky get frustrated, that they realized Bucky wasn’t pulling their legs.

“Well, we’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

He nodded in agreement, watching for your bags, his hand finding yours when he realized how many people there were. “Do you know where he lives? I didn’t even think about it.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. He invited me over once. I declined, but I saved the address.”

“He…invited you over?” Bucky frowned.

You gave him a look. “I’m sure he invited you, too. You just never checked his texts.”

He licked his lips, tilting his head. “Yeah, no, I know, but I mean…why didn’t you go? Weren’t you two just talking about how you wanted to meet his nephews the other day?”

“Yeah, but I had gotten a tip on Wanda at the time and I didn’t want to miss the chance that she was there. He told me it was fine. I still felt really bad. I could tell he was a bit disappointed. I think it was one of the boys’ birthdays. Or something. I don’t remember. Is that bad? Yeah, probably. I really should remember. Maybe I should keep track of birthdays on my calendar or something.”

“Doll.” You looked up to find him giving you a magnificent smile, teeth and all. “You’re rambling.”

“Oh. Am I? Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

He shook his head quickly, squeezing your hand. “Don’t apologize. It’s cute. I’m just not used to you talking so much. You kinda did on the phone sometimes.”

You shrugged, pushing down the heat crawling up your neck at his words. “I rambled a lot to Steve.”

“Oh.”

His face fell, making you scrunch your eyebrows up in confusion, nudging him slightly to grin at him. “It’s nice to have someone to ramble to again, though.” There was that smile again. You were stopped from saying anything more when you noticed some kids pointing and chattering excitedly at a gleaming silver box coming around the corner on the conveyor belt. “There it is.”

He looked over his shoulder, dropping your hand and stepping over to grab it, lifting it effortlessly. You didn’t know what was in it or how heavy it was, but you were sure it felt like a feather to him.

“Alright. Got our bag, sweetheart?” You lifted up the duffle in answer and he jerked his head towards the doors. “Let’s get outta here, then. Call that Booper or whatever.”

“U-B-E-R! Ub-er!” You threw your hands up, following him as he started walking towards the exit. “What’s so hard about it?!”

He just gave you a little smirk over his shoulder.

***************

Bucky kept asking the Uber driver questions about his job. The guy was super nice and patient the whole time, a thick southern accent lacing his answers. Southern hospitality was no joke and apparently had no limit as Bucky asked about his experiences, listening intently and telling him his own stories of taxi drivers in NYC.

When you got to Sam’s sister’s house, Bucky, being Bucky, tipped the driver half of what you paid for the ride, thanking him for his time and energy, before getting out.

“You’re so adorable, you know that?” You teased him as you stepped up the porch stairs and knocked on the door.

He rolled his eyes, a tint of pink dusting across his cheeks. “He was nice.”

You hummed at his defense, the smile never leaving your features. After a moment, Bucky raised his fist to knock again. “Jesus Christ! Don’t fucking knock their door down!” You grabbed his wrist and lowered it.

“Sorry. I forget sometimes.” Bucky informed you absentmindedly,  tilting his head to peek in the window. “I don’t think anyone’s home.”

“They’re probably at the docks, then.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “The docks?”

You nodded, gesturing for him to follow you. “Yeah. They have a boat, remember? He talked about it last week.”

“Oh right. The one he’s trying to convince his sister not to sell.”

“Yeah.” You confirmed. “I’m pretty sure it’s that way. I don’t know how far, but we can call the Uber back-”

Bucky scrunched up his face and shook his head. “Nah. I don’t wanna bother him again. We can walk.”

You gave him an incredulous look. “It’s literally his job to drive people around.”

“Well, yeah, but what if he’s got other people to drive?”

You lifted his metal knuckles to your lips. “Trust me, Buck, I’m sure he’d rather drive you than anyone else.”

“Thank you?”

Swinging your now linked hands, you gave a firm nod, letting him know it was, in fact, a compliment. “You are so very welcome.”

The walk was a lot longer than you thought it was, and you ended up on Bucky’s back after he kept complaining about how you “shouldn’t be walking this long” and you were “injured” and you “needed rest’”. You’re not sure how a shoulder wound affected your ability to walk, but you relented and let him carry you the rest of the way to stop his whining.

“You forget, you did pull your thigh.”

“That was, like, three weeks ago! Yeesh!”

You finally got to the docks, which were bustling with people. Bucky set you down and raised an eyebrow which you shrugged in reply to, before heading over to where you spotted Sam with a few other older men.

“How do we get it off the truck?” You heard Sam ask, pointing to a large boat engine part in the bed of a beaten up truck. Scoffing as Bucky lifted it up without breaking a sweat, you leaned against the truck. Bucky grunted and set it down, looking at Sam.

“You’re welcome.” What a punk. “Just dropping this off.” Bucky lifted the case and set it where the engine was previously, Sam coming to stand on the opposite side of the truck as you. “You can sign for it and I’ll go.” You snorted, shaking your head, making Bucky shove your shoulder - the uninjured one - playfully. “I called in a favor from the Wakandans.”

Sam looked at you curiously. You shrugged and shook your head. “Don’t look at me, Sammy. He wouldn’t tell me what it is. He’s all hushy hushy about it until you say so.”

Before Sam could reply, there was a squeak and hissing over at the boat where steam was coming from a few pipes.

“Sam!” You knew that was Sarah from pictures Sam showed you. You stayed up by the truck, pulling yourself onto the bed while Sam tried fixing the pipe, Bucky butting in to show him how to do it properly.

“Why didn’t you use the metal arm?”

You saw Bucky lift up said metallic limb. “Well…I don’t always think of it immediately. I’m-I’m right handed.” Letting out a laugh, Bucky turned around and scowled teasingly at you. “And what’re you laughing at?!”

“Nothing!”

“Well then get your ass over here!”

You rolled your eyes, hopping down from the truck as Bucky asked if Sam wanted help with the boat. You leaned against a wooden post, grinning when Sam looked at you.

“I don’t have any plans.”

Sam gave a small smile, jerking his head back. “Yeah.”

You jumped down onto the boat to follow him, looking over your shoulder and stopping with an amused eyebrow raised as Bucky introduced himself to Sarah. “I’m Bucky.”

“Ah…Sarah.”

“Sarah.” Bucky repeated her name, before walking towards you, a grin still on his lips.

“Careful, Barnes. That playboy Steve warned me about is coming out.” You nudged him with a smirk, ignoring the feeling of your stomach dropping.

He rolled his eyes, kissing your head as he passed you and Sam to go where Sam was gesturing. “Don’t worry, Y/N. You’re still my doll.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, falling into step besides you and lowering his voice. “Conversation?”

“Hasn’t happened.” You informed him through clenched teeth as he groaned.

Sam gave you a list of chores that needed to be done to clean up the boat, giving you a quick tour and letting you know where all the tools needed where. You set to work immediately.

Sanding down, replacing old parts, cleaning, polishing and painting over the things that didn’t need replacing. They didn’t let you do any heavy lifting because of your stupid shoulder, but you were still able to help.

Sam had turned on some music for you to listen to, so you danced around the boat while cleaning. Turning your head when you felt a pair of eyes on you, you smiled when Bucky snapped his head back down to the wood he was sanding down.

“Gonna dance, Barnes?”

He looked back over, shaking his head. “Nah. I’m good watching you.”

Rolling your eyes, you got back to work, continuing to bop to the music, fully aware that he was watching you now.

A little while later, you were repainting the edges of the boat orange, when you looked over and noticed Bucky playing around with a paint scraper…sitting right on the edge that you had just finished repainting a few minutes ago.

“Buck!”

He looked over, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

You bit your lip, trying to hold back your mischievous grin. Shaking your head, you waved dismissively. “Never mind!”

He gave you a confused sort of pout, before shrugging and continuing to fidget with the tool. It wasn’t until later when he got up to help Sam tear the metal plating off the edge that it came to light with Sam chuckling and raising an eyebrow.

“Sit in something there, Barnes?”

“What?”

Bucky craned his neck back, eyes widening when he saw the orange paint on his ass, contrasting with his jeans. You let out a cackle and he whipped towards you, pointing at you accusingly, although the small uptick of his lips let you know he wasn’t really mad.

“Y/N!”

“No, no, no!” You laughed, sprinting across the deck, shrieking when he grabbed your waist and spun you around. You gasped when he grabbed a paint brush and painted an orange stripe right down the front of your shirt. “James!”

“Justice, sweetheart.” He breathed in your ear with a chuckle.

You shook your head, wiggling out of his hold. “This is a nice shirt!”

“You should’ve thought about that before.” He smirked, crossing his arms. Your eyes caught sight of Sam behind him, who raised an eyebrow and the bucket of paint he was holding. You nodded with a little giggle, making Bucky’s eyes narrow. “What’s so funny over there, do - holy shit!

You guffawed as orange paint dripped down his head, Sam standing innocently behind him with the now empty bucket behind his back. “Samuel!”

“Oops?”

“I’m gonna kill you!”

“Try me old man!”

“Fuck!

“Doll!”

“Oh my God!”

Paint, orange and white since those were the only cans they had out, flew across the deck, paint brushes being used like fencing swords.

You found out too late that wet paint was a little bit slippery and you slid on a huge puddle, sending you, not onto the ground below, but over the side of the edge into the water. 

“Doll!”

“Cher, you good?!” 

The three of you looked at each other, stunned for a moment, before bursting into fits of laughter and you nodded. “I’m good!”

The boys helped you get back up onto the dock, Sarah appearing with towels she conjured up out of thin air. “Let’s get you into dry clothes. Do you have-?”

“We’ve got some. We got a bag.” You told her with a grin, facing the guys. “You two should clean up some, too. Sammy, you’ve got a little something right there.” You pointed to your cheek, his own having a giant white splotch from his temple to his jaw. “And Buck?” You sniggered, gesturing to the whole of him. “You’ve got a lotta something right there.” 

“Ha. Ha.” He looked down. His top was practically tiger print, drenched in orange with white here and there, and his ass still orange as well. His hair, which had been plastered to his forehead, was starting to dry now, and it only made you laugh some more thinking about what a pain it’d be to get it out. For him, at least.

“God. Can’t even have a relaxing day on the boat with you two.” Sam jested once you finished up and joined him and Bucky, who had just finished dumping out some water buckets. Bucky had changed his shirt and it looked like they tried wiping their faces, but Sam still had small lines of white down his face. “How ‘bout a couple of drinks? Surely you can’t ruin that too.”

“Ruin?” You gasped in mock offence. “Sammy! I just made the day more…interesting.”

Sam chuckled, ruffling Bucky’s hair, which still had orange streaks in it. “Let’s go get some beers.”

************

You chatted for a bit, mainly you and Sam with you asking how Sarah and the boys were while Bucky with your legs in his lap, just listening to you two and sipping at his bottle. You had his hand in your own lap, wiping it down with a rag due to the paint that got on it.

“You’re lucky this is vibranium, you know.” You commented off handedly. “If it was your other one, it’d definitely get stained.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Bucky shot back with a teasing grin.

“Sammy’s.”

Sam spluttered. “Wh-what?! You started it!” You laughed, shaking your head.

Falling into a comfortable silence with just the water and birds chirping as your soundtrack, you downed the rest of your drink, which Bucky took as finished. “Well,” you moved your legs to let him stand up. He leaned forwards to clink his bottle against Sam’s and you stood up and stretched. “Gotta catch our flight tomorrow. Get a hotel room for the night.” Sam gave you a look to which you rolled your eyes at as Bucky set down his bottle and grabbed his jacket. “Crash, you know?”

“So you’re just gonna set me up like that, huh?”

“Well I don’t wanna make it weird for your family.”

“Just stay here.” You laughed as Sam babbled on about how nice the people were here, grabbing the jacket Bucky handed to you. It was getting a bit chilly from the breeze on the water and the sun going down. Plus, that water was cold.

“But don’t flirt with my sister.”

You cackled at Bucky’s face, that turned serious, his head shaking. “No.”

“‘Cause if you do I’ll have Carlos cut you up and feed you to the fish.”

“Can’t hold back the dog, Wilson. It’s been stuck in a kennel too long.”

Bucky turned to you, grabbing your jaw and squishing your cheeks together. “You know what? You need to shush. You’ve been snippy all day.”

You just smiled as innocently as you could with your lips being held by his metal fingers. “You’re too fun to mess with.”

He pecked your nose. “As long as I’m the only one you’re messing with. I’ll be right back.” He let you go and spun around, maneuvering around the boat in a way only a trained assassin could do.

“Oh my God, please! Please just put me out of my fucking misery! You’re killing me, cher.”

“What?” You gaped at him.

“Don’t act innocent!” Sam huffed, giving you a pointed look. “If I have to watch you two make googly eyes at you one more fucking day with neither of you doing anything about it-”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh come on, Sammy-”

“Don’t ‘come on, Sammy’ me! And don’t come at me with that ‘he doesn’t like me back’ bullshit. If you think for a second that boy wouldn’t follow you to the depths of the fucking ocean, you’re blind as a bat, woman.”

You shrugged, pushing up the sleeves of Bucky’s too big jacket. “It just…hasn’t come up.”

He deadpanned, shaking his head and standing up. “That’s it. I’m done. You two are driving me insane. I’m gonna lock you in a room until you have the conversation that needs to be had the next time either of you does something stupid.”

“Yikes. That’s gonna be quick.” At his look, your smile dropped and you nodded. “Okay, okay. I’ll…I’ll bring it up later.”

“Tomorrow or nothing.”

“Sam-”

Sam tilted his head, brow creasing. “Is it still Steve? Is that what this is still about? Because he’s gone, and he’s been gone and you need to get over it-”

“No. It’s not…” You sighed. “It clicked the other day. When we were hanging out. Steve left and, yeah, I might always love him, but Bucky…God…I love Bucky, Sam.”

The man grinned proudly. “I’m glad to finally hear you admit it. So what’s the problem?”

“It’s still complicated, right? I mean…he’s his best friend and I’ve never dealt with stuff like this before and-”

Sam’s smile dropped and he groaned again. “Imma head out. I can’t take this. Dumbass and dumberass. I swear to God.” You sniggered a bit as he grumbled, walking towards the ramp to climb off the boat, just as Bucky reappeared.

“Hey-”

“Nope! Not right now, Barnes! I can’t handle it! I can’t!”

Bucky gave you a weird look. “What’d you do?”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Nothing.”

“Well, c’mon, doll. Sarah said she’s gonna make gumbo for us, whatever that is.” He held out his hand as you walked over. 

“You’re such a city boy.” You teased lightly, taking his hand and letting him help you pull you onto the dock. You shoved the sleeves of his jackets up again since they slipped from the first time. “Let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving.”

******************

“We have the couch and a mattress we can pull out, I just have to make Sam get it from the attic-”

“That’s alright. The couch is fine.” Bucky waved dismissively while you nodded in agreement.

Sarah raised an eyebrow at you two. “For both of you?”

You blinked, exchanging a look with Bucky, before shrugging and turning back to her. “Yeah.”

“Don’t fight it, Sarah.” Sam peeked out from the hall. “They’ve got a weird relationship.” You stuck your tongue out at the man while Bucky rolled his eyes, dropping your duffle bag by the couch. “How mature, Y/N.” Sam mimicked your action.

“Uhm…okay. Let me set up the couch for you then.”

Once everything was set up, you and Bucky thanking her for dinner - delicious and you’d never seen Bucky smile so much, the boys having kept him highly entertained throughout the meal - and for letting you crash, Sam and Sarah headed to their rooms, the boys already having been tucked in for the night.

“Are you gonna sleep on the floor?” You asked quietly, sitting down on the couch and doing the things for your night routine you didn’t already do in the bathroom.

“I think I’ll be okay.” He sat besides you. “I’ve been doing fine the past week or so.”

You smiled at him. “That’s good. Alright.” You stood up and stretched. “Let me just make sure everything’s in the bag and ready-”

You yelped when his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you into his chest, shifting down to lay against the couch’s arm. “Do it in the morning.” He yawned, looking up at you tiredly. “I wanna go to sleep.”

“Then go to sleep, Buck. I’ll be right back.” He shook his head, his hold tightening as he sunk deeper into the couch.

“No. I fall asleep better with you.”

You rolled your eyes but grinned, settling down with your legs between his, your chin resting on his sternum so you could still look at him. He beamed, but you could see the exhaustion settling in, and he grabbed the blanket Sarah left over the back of the couch and draped it across your back, over both of your legs, before his arms crossed snugly under the covers at the small of your back.

“Dinner was nice tonight. I haven’t had a meal cooked like that in ages.” You hummed.

He nodded in agreement. “I think that’s the first time I’ve sat around a table with a family since the 40′s.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Did you like it?”

“Yeah...kinda makes me wish I had my own.”

“Your own what?”

“Family.”

You bit your lip, shyly avoiding his gaze. “You’re my family, Buck.”

A light kiss was pressed to your forehead, his fingers bringing your gaze back to his. “There’s no one else I’d rather have.” The room lapsed into silence again, the clock ticking on the wall, the low sound of crickets outside.

“You have really pretty eyes.” You mumbled, tilting your head slightly as you studied them. They always held so much emotion in them, especially in contrast to when you first met him as Soldat. They matched the water you fell in, and you wouldn’t mind falling over and over into them.

“Yeah, well, you’re just really pretty inside and out, so I think you’ve got me beat, doll.” He whispered back.

“You know who else is pretty? Sarah.”

He nodded with a hum. “That’s true. But I meant what I said. You’ll always be my doll.”

“So you’re not gonna ask her out?”

He gave you a weird look as you traced his sharp jawline absentmindedly. “Nah, sweetheart. It’s just…some harmless flirting. Except on Sam’s part.”

You gave a soft huff of laughter. “Yeah…he’s gonna strangle you. It is nice to see you like that, though. Flirty. Relaxed. Happy.”

“You make me happy, sweetheart.” He hummed, nosing your temple. “The road trip helped. I’m learning everything from you. Maybe not the flirting, but the carefree part.”

You blinked at him, finger stopping for a moment as you thought. “Oh…”

You felt his fingers dance up your spine, making you shiver slightly. “What I would give to know what’s goin’ on inside that pretty lil’ head’a yours, doll.”

“I just think it’s funny you’re learning how to be carefree from me…when I just started learning how to do it myself.”

“Oh yeah?”

You nodded, your finger continuing its path down his jaw. “I think it started with the goats.”

“The goats?”

You nodded again, resting your cheek on his chest, watching your finger move up from his chin. Once you got to the end of his jaw, you lightly scratched his scruff. “In Wakanda. Our goats.” You weren’t looking at him, so you didn’t see the way he physically melted at your words, his eyes going soft, his lips turning up slightly.

“Our goats, huh?”

But your tired brain wasn’t really processing what he said, instead focusing on the features your finger was now tracing - over his lips, up his nose. “You’re pretty too, Buck. Did you know that? Inside and out.”

He craned his neck to kiss your forehead. “Go to sleep, cuddle bug.”

Nodding, you nuzzled into his chest, finger feeling over the bumps and indents on the dog tags resting near your head. You tried going to sleep, but you kept shifting, your mind not shutting off.

“Hey, sleepyhead, I’m trying to, you know, sleep.”

“Sorry.” You apologized meekly. “I just…I dunno. I can’t.”

“Are you comfortable?” He peeked open and eye to look at you questioningly. You nodded. “Is it too hot? We can take the blanket off. I know I’m a walking furnace-”

You shook your head. “No. I don’t know why. I just can’t sleep.”

He licked his lips thoughtfully, before cradling your head and guiding you back down to his chest. “Lay down, sweetheart. Relax.” He stroked your hair, moving his head down to rub circles in your back muscles, pressing down harder when he felt knots. 

You hummed, your eyes closing. “That feels good.”

“Shshsh. Just go to sleep.” His lips pressed against your head once more, lingering a bit longer than they usually do, as you felt yourself drift off. You cuddled his side, throwing a leg over his waist, before nodding off, only barely hearing his words. “Attagirl. There we are.”

******************

“Doll?” You felt a shift underneath you and groaned, your eyes barely cracking open. “Hey, sleepyhead…it’s okay. I’m just gonna slip out from under ya, alright? Gonna go help Sammy with somethin’.”

You raised an eyebrow, letting him move you against the cushions as he sat up on the edge of the couch. “Sammy?”

“Yeah.” He bent over and kissed your cheek. You stretched out your limbs, about to rub your eyes, when he stopped you, kissing the inside of your wrists. “No. Not you, doll. Go back to sleep.” 

“Bu’...’m gonna help.” You slurred out, looking at him with confused, squinty eyes.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s okay. Rest. You can help when you wake up again. Okay?” You mumbled out an “okay”, bringing the covers up to your chin and snuggling deeper into the cushions. “There ya go, cuddle bug. Good girl.” There was another kiss, one to your temple this time, before you slipped back into unconsciousness.

******************

The next time you woke up was because of a clatter in the kitchen. You yawned and sat up, stretching, eyebrows furrowing when you realized Bucky wasn’t with you. It took you a moment to remember your conversation, which you half thought you dreamt.

“Boys!”

“Sorry!”

You chuckled at the shouts, rubbing your eyes. “I am so sorry!” Sarah apologized, looking over at you from the stove. Trying to make the boys breakfast before school. Do you want anything? Eggs? Cereal? Toast?”

“Uh, cereal’s fine.” You stretched out your back again, before throwing back the covers and standing up, a little shakily.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Sam went, would you?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Uh, I think him and Bucky went to fix something on the boat. I don’t for sure, though.”

Sarah groaned. “He probably went to fix the stupid water pump which doens’t need fixing. Dumbass.”

You chuckled, padding over into the kitchen. “Yeah. I just work with him. I can’t imagine growing up with him.”

“Trust me; some days you want to throw him in a box and send him out to sea. Bowls are in that cupboard.”

You snickered, moving over to grab a bowl from the cupboard she pointed to. “That’s how I feel with Bucky. Sam is less often, but when those two get together…it’s a full zoo.”

She laughed at that, nodding as she got out the milk and a few boxes of cereal for you to choose from, handing you a spoon. “That I believe.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

You started pouring your cereal, watching in slight amusement as she got the boys ready for school. “Bus is here! Get out the door! Bye! Love you! Make sure you take those extra lunches to-!”

“Yeah, mom! We know! Love you too!”

You gave a slight smirk as she huffed, looking around the kitchen at the pans and dishes left out. “Kids, huh?”

She gave you a smile. “Yeah. They’re a handful, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. How about you? Any thoughts of kids?”

“Me?” Your eyes widened, nearly choking on your food. “Oh God no. Not right now, at least. I don’t even have a solid house right now. My life’s too off the walls for that.”

“And Bucky?”

You raised an eyebrow as she leaned on the counter. “Bucky? What about Bucky?”

“Does he want kids?”

“Uh…I dunno.” You shrugged, clearing your throat as you remembered your talk last night. “Kinda makes me wish I had my own.” You quickly pushed his words aside. “He hasn’t told me.”

“Wait, wait. You two…aren’t together then?”

You blinked, your eyes widening again. “Together? Me and Bucky? No…why? Did Sam say something?”

Her expression morphed into one of disbelief, crossing her arms. “Sam didn’t say anything. You guys did. Are you seriously expecting me to believe you aren’t together?”

“We’re not! I mean - he was flirting with you yesterday-”

“Right, okay. Honey, that’s flirting. And it’s harmless. The way he follows you like a puppy and you look at him like he hung the stars? That’s feelings. And that’s a lot more impactful than flirting.”

You frowned in contemplation. It was really that obvious? You were really that blind? This whole time? You knew Sam knew - but you just figured that’s because he’s been there since it started. And Sharon knew for the same reason. But Sarah? The woman you just met the day prior and had barely had a conversation with?

“It’s, uh…” You chewed on your cheek, swirling your cereal around. “It’s complicated.”

Sarah didn’t look impressed. “Do you like him?”

“I’m kinda in love with him-”

She shrugged, not letting you finish your bashful statement. “Then I don’t see what’s complicated about it.”

And that was that. She turned to clean up breakfast, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

You thought it was more complicated than that. I mean…you were in love with your best friend. Who left you. With the guy you had feelings for who just so happened to be your best friend/crush’s best friend. And now you were completely in love with your best friend’s best friend, but your best friend still had a piece of your heart.

But…you loved Bucky. And he was here. And Steve was not. And when you put it that way…you guess it wasn’t so complicated after all.

******************

You snickered as you walked up behind Sarah, the woman berating the men for not leaving the water pump along like she asked.

“Hi, Sarah.”

Sam shot Bucky a warning look, who grinned, but you were surprised to see Sarah ignore him, sending you a knowing glance instead, before turning back to Sam. “I told you specifically that the water pump was not the problem, and yet, here you are.”

“Yep, Samuel.”

You chuckled, Bucky shooting you a wink. “Yeah, Samuel.”

Sam narrowed his eyes at you, turning to Sarah. “In our defense, you were supposed to be done long before you woke up.”

You nearly facepalmed at his “defensive” and you were trying so hard to hold back laughing as she told Sam off, sending them away.

“I don’t wanna hear a peep from you.” Sam pointed at you, but that only made your chortles come out, and you didn’t even bother hiding them. “She’s a very mean person.”

“It’s tough love.”

You giggled as they started arguing, slipping an arm around their waists, their arms instinctually coming up to your shoulders.

“Oh my God. A prowess?”

“Yes, Y/N. A prowess.”

“You know, maybe if you someone let me help-”

“Hey, woah! You were tired! I let you sleep! I was being nice!”

“Too late now. I’ll be lucky if Sarah lets me within a hundred feet of it!”

“She got you so good, Sammy!”

“I agree with Buck for once! You’re too snippy right now! And c’mon man! Stop flirting with my sister!”

“It’s my natural charm.”

“Charm? What charm?”

“Ouch, doll! That one hurt!”

****************

“Okay.” You stepped out of the bathroom, walking over to the couch and setting the bag down on it. “I’ve got everything packed. We’ve got a little over an hour until we need to head out which gives you two time to go set something up for Sammy and maybe even a bit or training before we leave.” 

Bucky frowned. “You’re not gonna come out?”

“I will in a bit. I just got a phone call I need to take.”

Sam narrowed his eyes. “Government call?”

You gave a mocking smile. “Can you guess what they want to talk about? It’s okay. I’ll survive. It’s only a phone call, so I can always hang up. Pretend I didn’t have good service. I do it all the time.”

“I’m sure you do.” Sam chuckled. “In that case, I’m gonna go grab some stuff and get the shield.” As he walked out, he made sure to mouth at you behind Bucky’s back ‘conversation’ making you swallow thickly. You were planning on talking to Bucky anyways, and with Sam’s insistence…

“Okay, so, I was thinking when we get back-”

“Can I talk to you?”

Bucky stopped digging through the bag, blinking at you in surprise at your sudden burst. “Uh…well, we already are, so yes.” He chuckled, straightening and crossing his arms.

“I wanna have the conversation.”

He was left stunned, once again, his mouth opening and closing and his weight shifting form one foot to the other. “Like…that conversation? R-right now? Are you sure?”

You winced at her nervousness. “Sorry, sorry. I know it’s kinda…I just…I need to talk about it. Now.”

“Okay, okay. No, that’s fine. Don’t apologize. I just wasn’t expecting it.” Bucky cleared his throat. “That’s all.”

“Okay…” You breathed with a small nod. You opened your mouth, but Bucky shook his head.

“I hafta say this first; I didn’t mean to hurt you by telling you about Steve. I-I dunno what I thought. That it’d give you closure or something. I dunno. But it hurt you and I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”

“Buck-”

“I was jealous. And guilty. And mad. And upset. I still am. Kinda. I guess. I dunno.” Bucky shook his head, running his hand through his hair and all you could do was gape at him as he started confessing to you. “Remember when we danced? In Madripoor? Doll…I don’t wanna dance ever again if it’s not with you. I fucking love you, Y/N. And not in the way we’ve said it before. I’m in love with you. I have been for-for a while now. I just - you were Steve’s. Steve loved you and you loved Steve and that was that and I was just the broken childhood best friend. But Steve left and he told me to take care of you and I didn’t know what to do with that, because you still love Steve. I think. I dunno. And I didn’t want to break what we have because you’re all I have left of him. You and that stupid shield. You’re my family. My home. I really meant it when I told you that. And that’s why I couldn’t tell you. Because it means too much for me to break what we have because I fell in love with my best friend’s girl. You know?”

He looked at you with pleading eyes, begging you to understand, but your brain was still trying to process what he was telling you.

“Oh God…” He groaned. “And now I just told you everything and you’re looking at me like that wasn’t what you wanted to hear and now I’m thinking this wasn’t the conversation you were thinking it was going to be-”

You were moving across the room before you could stop yourself, pulling him by the teal Henley you knew was comfortable having worn it to bed before when you visited him in New York, and slanting your lips over his.

His breathing hitched and he froze, and for a hot second you thought you made everything worse, but then he was kissing you back and his hands were on your hips and he was pulling you closer and it felt so fucking good you didn’t want to pull back for air.

“Shut up.” You muttered when you finally did pull back, your forehead against his, your eyes clenched shut. “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up.” You pulled back to look up at him, chests heaving against each other, your eyes prickling. “I’m not good at this. I’m not good at opening up. I only ever was good at it with Steve but Bucky…I’ve been doing it with you. This whole time and I didn’t even realize it until the conversation in the car.”

He reached up to cup your cheeks, wiping away the relieved tears that were falling from the weight you were finally getting off your chest.

“I love you. I’m in love with you. How could I not be? After all that time in Wakanda? I was never Steve’s girl, Bucky. I wanted to be. Dammit, did I wanna be, but I wasn’t. Not really. And he’s gone. But you’re not. And I don’t know why it took me so long to see that. That you’re the one in front of me. You’re the one who held me when I needed it once he left. You’re the one that would listen to my rambles that I’m just realizing was most of our phone calls. You’re not just the broken childhood friend. Don’t ever think that. I don’t pick up the phone at five in the morning after searching for a friend until two for just anyone. Even Steve’s best friend. And I’m such an idiot because I’ve been pushing away my feelings all these years for Steve and then I let them out with you at the wrong time, because I love Steve, Bucky, but I’m not in love with him. Not since I fell in love with you. And I know it doesn’t make sense, but Steve was the first one I cared about and that’s just how I feel and I can try to explain, but-”

His lips crashed onto yours again and you could taste the salty tears that were pouring down your cheeks, but you didn’t care. He was holding you and he was kissing you and it was even more perfect than you thought it’d be.

“You’re adorable when you ramble, but Jesus Christ, shuddup, doll.” He breathed. “Just tell me you love me. Tell me you love me just a fraction of how much I love you.”

You looked up into those ocean eyes, your own shining with earnest affection. “James Buchanan Barnes. I love you.”

“That’s all I need to know.” He murmured against your lips, holding your head against his, still wiping away your tears. It felt like with each one that fell, you felt lighter and lighter. Like they were taking away every fear and anxiety you held within you for the past six months.

“Alright! I was thinking we could just set up in these trees out here - holy shit! Is it done? Did you do it? Did I miss it? Has the conversation been had?”

Bucky chuckled as you giggled. “He has the worst timing.” The last two words were loud enough so Sam could hear, although the man heard the whole sentence. 

“I’m gonna take that as a yes!” Sam cheered. “Halle-fucking-lujah! Finally! I was that close to locking you two in the attic.”

You shook your head at Sam’s personal celebration, drowning the rest of his words out as you looked at Bucky, who swept his thumb over your cheek catching one last tear, before pecking your lips.

“I finally get to kiss where I really want to.” He spoke softly, kissing your lips again. “Are you mine, doll?”

“I thought you said I’d always be your doll.” You answered cheekily. He grinned, kissing you again, pulling you against him by the hips.

“Okay, okay! That’s enough! We get it! You’re in love, finally, but I don’t wanna see it anymore! Now will you come help me with this shit?”

Bucky left one more lingering kiss on your lips, before you pushed him away reluctantly. “I’ll be right out.”

He nodded, moving over to help Sam carry the things he’d gathered.

You watched them put it all up from the window, gnawing on your cheek as you spun your phone in your hands. Coming to a decision, you tossed your phone in the duffle bag and walked out with it just as the boys finished.

“That was a quick phone call.” Sam raised an eyebrow.

You shrugged. “Didn’t call them. If they really need me, they’ll find me.”

Bucky grinned as you set the bag down under a tree, pecking your lips when you got close enough for him to grab by the waist to hold you against him. You rolled your eyes, shoving him playfully away and giggling as Sam let out a groan.

“Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got, Sammy.”

~

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Bucky knew he needed the tough love talk Sam was giving him. He needed to hear it. Because, deep down, he had known it all along, he just refused to believe it. He tried doing it. Making amends. He knew he wasn’t though. And of course he knew immediately who that one person would be.

“And hey.” Bucky looked at him. “Let me tell you what. Telling my girl all that you told her? That’s a good start. I’m proud of you. Both of you. You’re already happier. I can see it in your eyes.”

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head as he thought of the gorgeous woman he nearly let slip through his fingers. He looked over to the house, where she was inside somewhere getting ready after suddenly deciding she needed to shower before they left. “I was stupid.”

“Yeah you were. You both were. I’m so relieved it’s over.” Sam nudged him. “Treat her right, Buck. She deserves it.”

“I know…I just hope I can.”

Sam shook his head. “Uh-uh. Don’t do that. You were just starting to use that cyborg brain of yours! She chose you. And before you say anything,” Sam cut Bucky off from speaking as he opened his mouth to object. “She chose you before Steve left. It just took her dumbass this long to realize it.”

Bucky nodded, a small smile on his face. “Yeah…okay…” Before he could say anything, the goddess herself stepped out, jogging over, looking absolutely amazing in her jeans and his t-shirt. “Good talk.”

Sam laughed at his quick ending of the conversation as she came up besides them. “Talking about me?” She asked cheekily, eyes shining. Bucky couldn’t help but take her under his arm, pecking her lips. Now that he could, he didn’t think he could stop. He was addicted to say the least.

Throwing Bucky a wink, Sam shrugged. “Just all the things that get on our nerves.”

“Ha ha.” She rolled her eyes. “We better get going.”

Bucky and Sam clapped hands. “You know Karli won’t quit.”

Bucky smiled. “Ah. You call us when you have a lead and we’ll be there.”

Y/N stepped forwards to give Sam a hug. “Anytime, Sammy.”

“Eh. Anytime between noon and midnight.” Bucky corrected. “Or noon and ten. Noon and five…you better just call at noon to be safe.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure.”

“Not necessarily as a team.” Bucky continued, grabbing the bag, getting Y/N back in her spot at his side under his arm.

“Nope!”

“We’re not that good.”

“Definitely not.”

“We’re professionals.”

“Definitely.”

“And, uh, we’re partners.”

Sam snapped, pointing at him. “Coworkers.”

“But we’re also a couple of guys with a couple mutual friends.”

“Ones now gone and you’re dating the other.”

“So we’re a couple of guys…with a badass to help out.”

“I can live with that.”

“Perfect.”

“Oh my God.” Y/N let out that laugh Bucky could never get enough of, shaking her head at the two of them. “You forgot dumbasses.”

Sam shook his head. “Nuh-uh. That’s your couple name.”

“Dumbasses?”

“Oh yeah.” The three of them came to a stop, Bucky and his girl - God he loved confirming it now - facing Sam. “Thanks for the help, guys. Meant a lot.”

Bucky patted his shoulder. “Of course.”

Y/N shot him a wink. “Until we meet again, Sammy.”

“Until then, cher.”

Bucky couldn’t stop his grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist, the two of them starting to walk to the main road where she already ordered an Uber. He looked down at her, kissing her lips for the nth time in the past hour.

“I wish I didn’t wait so long,” he told her seriously. “But I’d wait a thousands more centuries if it meant I get to call you mine.”

She giggled, shaking her head. “You’re such a sap! But…” she moved up to kiss him and his heart stuttered. He knew he had a goofy grin on when she pulled back, but he couldn’t help it. Especially when she laughed again. “I have to agree with you on that, Buckaroo.”

[inmyblueparadise]

Can you do like an imagine where it’s after the hiatus and you become super successful and the boys come to your concert to see you?

Hi love. Thank you so much for the request, I hope you like it. let me know and don't hesitate to ask for more :) x

Disclaimer: My work is not to be translated or to be posted anywhere else other than MY Tumblr without my permission. However, reblogs are welcome and appreciated !

After the hiatus, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. Before there was always someone to tell you what to do or where to go. « Y/N you need to go change you have to be on stage in 10 minutes » or « Y/N you have an interview with BBC Radio 1, tomorrow at 7 am ». But now it was just you.

It took you time to find a routine, to realize that you were on your own. And that hurts, to be honest, you were not Y/N from One Direction anymore, you were just Y/N. After spending some well deserved time with your family, seeing your friends, you started to try a lot of new activities. You baked (a lot), redecorated your house in London and even started gardening, you texted with the guys, but you had an itch. A writing itch. So after a few months of enjoying your "vacation", you went back to the studio.

You started writing. composing. spending hours in your home studio singing about how you were feeling, enjoying your newfound freedom. And missing your boys. You wrote a dozen songs, but you felt like they were not good enough. After all, you never wrote a song without your boys help. You assembled a new team and decided to play them the songs. They were ecstatic and quickly you had enough to have an album. You got signed at a record company (finally leaving Modest !)

13 songs. All written by you, some with help, but mostly you. You had never been so open about your life, your feelings and it scared you. Would people like it? Would the fans still support you? What would the boys think? That is what scared you the most, what would your best friends think, would they feel betrayed that you decided to go solo?

You decided to tell them one by one, starting with Zayn because he did it before you, and that conversation gave you so much courage.

« Angel, love, you are the kindest and most selfless person I know. You have every right to do what you want, especially when you are so good at it. The few songs you sent me are incredible and I am proud of you »

The rest of the boys were also very supportive, and you couldn’t be more grateful to call them your best friends. Harry had just started filming for the new Christopher Nolan movie, and was also writing for an album, Liam and Louis, after spending time with their sons were writing singles with different artists, and Niall, after playing way too much gold also started writing. You were going your separate ways, but still, you were each other number one fan.

It was time for Y/N to show the world. Your album « A Letter to Me » came out to the world. Your baby. It was nerve-racking to be alone on release day but the fans responded immediately. Quickly the album was number one in 73 countries, the music videos gathered millions of views and the fans couldn’t get enough. It was not a surprise to you, that the tickets sold rapidly when your worldwide tour was announced.

And tonight it was finally time. The first show of the Letter To You Tour started in your hometown, London. The London 02 arena to be exact. And you were stressed, to say the least. The last time you were there the boys were with you, and now you were alone in front of 20,000 people.

The boys send you texts all day, congratulating you and wishing you luck. Unfortunately, they could be here tonight, to be honest, it kind of broke your heart, but you understood, they had their own projects and new life after all.

But your parents and some of your friends were in the crowd tonight, so you were looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in the crowd.

You were getting ready in your dressing room, you decided to wear sparkly purple pants and a blazer, with a white bra. After putting on the finishing touches, you made your way backstage. You did your little ritual with your band, feeding off the energy of your team. It was time to go.

Trembling you put your in-ears in and take your mic, you planned on going up appearing on stage so you were currently waiting below the stage. You could hear the crowd getting loud as the lights went out and the music from your first single blasted inside.

« Well up I go » you mumbled

The platform you were standing on started to go up. Reveling in the cheers coming from the crowd you started smiling. After the first song was over you started scanning the crowd.

« Hello London ! » you were met with the roar of the crowd, laughing a bit you continued « Welcome to the first night of the Letter to you Tour ! I’m so excited to be on stage in front of all you lovely people tonight; the last time I was here, I was not one my own… » you were interrupted by even louder screams from the fans

« Hey ! Apparently some of you knew that already ! Unfortunately, the guys are not with me tonight, but I’m sure that even without Harry’s jokes we can still have a good time » your little joke was met with laughter and that made you smile. « Tonight my parents are here so let’s say hello ! » you said as you started to go to the side of the stage in front of the pit where you knew your family was standing. Scanning the crowd, you were met with the smiling face of your parents.

« Hi, mom ! Hi dad ! Hi.. » but you stopped yourself, in the pit right next to your parents, your eyes met 4 pairs of very familiar eyes. « NO WAY ! » you screamed your eyes filling with tears. In front of you standing with goofy smiles on their face, were your ex-bandmates. Liam, Louis, Niall, and Harry.

The fans started looking at where you were looking, and the screams intensified when they realized who was in the crowd with them. The ground shook. With the biggest smile on your face, you started talking again. « Shit, okay sorry, sorry, I… I’m a little bit in shock. But it’s a good intro to the next song. I would like to dedicate this one to 4 people who surprised me by showing up tonight. I would never be who I am today without your love and support, I love you guys with all my heart, this is See You Later »

As the song started, you knew that dedicating this particular song to Them would make a lot of chatters and rumors. But you couldn't care less, and then again, you wrote the songs thinking about your friendship with those wonderful boys.

« Cause time wasn't in our favor

This isn't goodbye, this is simply see you later

Let me know when it's time to come back

Maybe when your life is on track

And you don't have to hesitate

Hopefully, it isn't too late

Luckily for you I'm patient

I'm ok with you making me wait and

As long as you're near, I'll be here

Even if it takes ten years... »

As you sang, you couldn’t help but look at your friends. Harry was smiling so bright that you could see his dimples from across the stage, Niall and Louis had their hands up in the air, jumping up and down, and Liam was mouthing the words smiling. You couldn’t be prouder, and happy seeing your boys, your brothers, being there for you.

For the first time since you were 16, you performed alone on stage without your best friends. But tonight you knew that you would be fine and that even if you will be alone for some time, one day, you will be on stage with them again. After all, this is not the end for One direction, it’s simply a see you later.

Please listen to the song See You Later (ten years) by Jenna Raines while reading this.

Don't forget to TPWK and have a good day ! x

[nevermindirah]

Yitzhak!

is a character! who Gregadiah What-Is-Math Rucka gave us almost no information about!

I've gone through Tales Through Time #6: The Bear and #1: My Mother's Axe with several magnifying glasses and done a lot of googling and taken my copy of the Tanakh off my shelf for the first time since (well, since the last time I needed to read Torah for TOG reasons, which I think was Booker Passover headcanons) and here's the best I can come up with.

In The Bear we meet someone who goes by the name Isaac Blue:

Read on for a lot of comic panel analysis and historical research and Jewish flailing!

So what do we know about this Isaac Blue person?

He's Lorge, he's got curly hair, he's basically a taller version of Joe as drawn by Leandro Fernández (ie an antisemitic stereotype why the fuck did they approve this character design?? and then why did they double down and copy-paste it to Yitzhak??):

He's got a mezuzah on the doorpost of his house in Alaska!

I screamed about the mezuzah way back in January in this post where I (very reasonably) assumed this character was Joe and spun myself a tale about how Booker is still Joe's brother so the mezuzah stays up even though Booker isn't welcome in that house for a century. Bottom line: the mezuzah is a tradition with origins in the commandment from Deuteronomy 6:9 to "write the words of G-d on the gates and doorposts of your house" and evolved over the course of the Rabbinic period into the modern mezuzah we see here.

I did unnecessary levels of google image search to glean absolutely no useful information about Yitzhak’s origins from this panel:

I've decided the variant cover of TTT 6 is Yitzhak because of a panel in My Mother’s Axe, shown here, and what's likely an unnecessarily deep reading of Exodus, discussed further down:

The person at the right of the bottom panel is wearing the same clothes as in the TTT 6 variant cover and has the same shoulder-length curly hair and hairy forearms.

Left to right, the people in this panel are Lykon (I'll never get used to him being white in the comics), Andy, Noriko (I think? why doesn't Andy mention her by name here?), and Yitzhak. Andy's robe has a stereotypically Greek design on the sleeve cuff, and I had to stop myself 10 minutes into a Wikipedia rabbit hole because Gregorforth doesn't think that deep about this shit. The solid clues as to timeline that we get in this panel are:

Andy's iron axe

the presence of Lykon, who Andy first met in 331 BCE

So all we know is that Yitzhak is an immortal, he was a contemporary of Lykon, and he's Jewish.

Isaac is the most common Anglicization of Yitzhak (which in turn is the most common Anglophone transliteration of יִצְחָק‎), and Greg always uses the (transliterated) Hebrew when he refers to this character. Yitzhak is the long-awaited child of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, the child who G-d commanded Abraham to sacrifice but spared at the last minute. I see what you did there, Gregory.

Why Isaac Blue? This is where I pulled out my Tanakh. According to the New JPS translation, blue is the first of three colors of yarn listed in Exodus 35:6 among the gifts requested of the Israelites to construct the priestly garments for the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Then in Numbers 15:38 the Israelites are commanded to "make themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner."

And now for sandbox timelines party! Gregadiah gave us ALMOST NOTHING to go on, so I'm gonna make my own fun.

I, like many modern Jews, think the stories in the Tanakh are foundational mythology that are valuable because of how they've shaped our people but that contain some fucked-up shit and either way aren't meant to be a record of historical facts. Modern scholarship generally agrees that the community we now call Jews emerged as a distinct group of Canaanites sometime in the late Bronze Age (cw this video's host says the Name of G-d aloud despite being a religious studies scholar who knows that is not a name anyone but the Temple priests are allowed to say). The first non-Biblical written record of the people Israel is from an Egyptian source c. 1200 BCE, and the Biblical kingdom of David and Solomon was probably an exaggeration of whatever really happened during the Bronze Age Collapse. We start getting into historical-fact territory a few centuries into the Iron Age:

588 BCE Solomon's Temple destroyed, Babylonian exile begins

538 BCE Cyrus of Persia allows Jews to return to Jerusalem

515 BCE Second Temple construction complete

332 BCE Alexander the Great At Something I Guess conquered Judea, beginning the Hellenistic period of Jewish history — 331 BCE Andy & Lykon find each other

167 BCE another jerkface Greek king desecrated the Temple and basically outlawed Judaism

164 BCE recapture of Jerusalem and Temple rededication during the Maccabean Revolt

70 CE destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, beginning of the Rabbinic period of Jewish history that we're still in now

What if... and hear me out... what if immortals come in pairs, and the pairs are:

Andy & Quynh

Joe & Nicky

Booker & Nile

LYKON & YITZHAK

What if Yitzhak was a priest of the Second Temple? What if he and Lykon killed each other just like Joe and Nicky would in the same city around 1300 years later, but instead of enemies-to-lovers speedrun with an absurdly long happily-ever-after, when Lykon died permanently Yitzhak decided to separate from Andy and Noriko and become the hermit we later see in Alaska?

We don't know how old Yitzhak is compared to the others, only that he was a contemporary of Lykon at a time when Andy was using an Iron Age version of her mother's axe. Other plausible origins for him:

a Jew of the early Rabbinic period, maybe a child or grandchild of people who were still alive before the Second Temple was destroyed

a Judean of the Second Temple era under the Romans or Greeks or Persians, maybe a priest, maybe not

an exilee in Babylon, maybe of the generation who got to return, maybe of the generation who was exiled (he doesn't look like he was 50 at his first death but who knows, he could've been mortal for both)

an Israelite of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, maybe a priest of Solomon's Temple or again maybe not

an Israelite wandering in the desert with Moses

THEE Yitzhak, ben Avraham v'Sarah, our patriarch who was brought up for sacrifice and then spared, and then spared again, and then spared again, and again, and again...

or! he could also be a Canaanite or other Levantine who predates the people Israel, who at some point in his very long life chose to join our mixed multitude, who like Andromache before him (and like Avram and Sarai would in this case do after him) took a new name to reflect the magnitude of influence this people has had on him

Why do I keep saying Yitzhak might have been a priest? It's thanks to the one detail in the artwork I could plausibly connect to solid research without getting a PhD real quick. Take a look at the gorgeous detail on the opening of his robe in the TTT 6 cover. He's dressed in rags, holes and dirt everywhere, rough stitches probably from hasty repair work — except for the neck opening. Compare that to this description from Exodus 39:23 of the construction of the priestly garments for the Tabernacle: "The opening of the robe, in the middle of it, was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around the opening, so that it would not tear."

The next verses describe the intricate designs for the hem of the priestly garment. Yitzhak's ragged garment looks like the hem was torn off entirely.

Am I overthinking this? Yes I am! You're welcome!

My friend and historical research hero @lady-writes​ is in a Discord server with Gregadiah and asked the man himself some questions about all this. He clearly thinks he's being sneaky?? No shit Yitzhak is Jewish, dude, I want DETAILS!

I will not be giving up my Jewish Booker headcanon, I've put too much thought into it by now, the internalized shame of antisemitism explains Booker's depression too well for me, and it just adds so much richness to Booker/Nile both being children of forced diasporas. Fortunately (for him, not me, bc I'd do it anyway!) Gregothy supports fan headcanons even when they're not in line with his own:

One last thing before I close like 100 research tabs and go back to writing historical fantasy and/or porn! I love that, despite that atrocious caricature of a face design, our canon Jew and our fanon Jew are both Lorge and Soft and Kind, flying the face of the antisemitic stereotype of Ashkenazi Jewish men as small and weak, but also not falling into the New Jew / Muscle Jew stereotype that Zionism created. (I am trying SO HARD not to talk about Israel/Palestine for once ughhhhhhhhhh) Anyway here's a (US-centric but very good) primer on both these stereotypes of Jewish masculinity. Is this why I'm forever projecting my transmasc diasporist feels onto Jewish Booker the service sub? 🤷🏻‍♂️

I’ll reblog a second version of this with full image descriptions so that there’s a version accessible for folks who need IDs as well as a version accessible for folks who get overwhelmed by walls of text.

[idy-ll-ique]

Paparazzi.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Warnings: TOO META, m*sturbation, mentions of s*x

Requested: nope

Summary: I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me... Y/N Y/L/N writes Marvel fanfictions. One day, Sebastian stumbles upon her account and, unable to help himself, reads all the stuff she has written about him. He didn't mean to fall so hard for her but he does. How can he not? She has shown him parts of himself that he never even knew existed.

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! Okay so a few weeks ago I read a similar (but dark) fanfic and I really wanted to write a softer version of it... Enjoy!

---

Same old, boring routine.

Y/N hit post and slumped against the headrest of her bed, sighing. She waited; a minute, then two passed and she noticed that someone had liked her post. She smiled to herself as she kept her phone away. Though boring, she wouldn't trade her life for the world. Y/N… well, she was a university student first and foremost but she was also a writer.

Being a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she had started writing fanfictions a few years ago. She posted them on Tumblr, where her blog, though not very well-known, stood out enough for her posts to get around 800-1000 likes per post. She loved it; she loved writing, she loved posting her stories and especially, she loved the feedback.

Sometimes people were rude, but most times, the reviews she got were fantastic. She read each and every one of them, smiling goofily as people freaked out over her fanfictions. It warmed her heart. A smile automatically blooming on her face, Y/N lay down on the bed and decided to go to sleep, it being almost 3 am.

Unbeknownst to her, someone else was up at the same time, tossing and turning in his bed, restless.

Sebastian sighed as he sat up, running a hand through his hair. He drank some water and lay down again, closing his eyes but it was like sleep was mad at him. Refused to be anywhere near him. He groaned to himself and picked up his phone from the nightstand, deciding to go through Instagram, hoping he'd finally fall asleep to the glare of the screen.

As he logged into his account, he skipped the activity page and went straight to the explore page. Bored, he continued scrolling until his eyes landed on a specific photo. And the breath escaped his lungs when he clicked on it; the woman in the picture was absolutely gorgeous. He just couldn't resist going to her page, smiling widely when he read her bio.

It gave him her basic information; her name, her age, the university she attended. But what caught his eye was the link below the bio. My Marvel Fanfictions Master List. Marvel fanfictions? She was a writer? Smirking, he clicked on the link and it took him to Tumblr. Of course, he'd heard of the site, but didn't have an account on there. At 3 am, his mind sure wasn't working right.

A post popped up on the screen, the same master list she had mentioned earlier. And his eyes bulged out of their sockets; damn, those are a lot of fanfictions. He went through the whole thing, smirking again when he noticed that she had written the most fanfictions about him. Not Bucky Barnes, no, Sebastian Stan.

He clicked on the first one. The date of posting was way back, in 2019. He started reading; nothing about it felt weird to him; he was intrigued, if anything. And as he continued reading, he couldn't help but imagine her being in the stead of the female protagonist. Her, the writer. The woman whose picture had made him end up reading in the first place.

When he finished the story, his heart thudded wildly in his chest. Wow, she really has a way with words. And he had also noticed how in the author's note, she used a lot of slang but reading the story had made him realize that she had an amazing, extensive vocabulary. He went back to the master list and clicked on the latest post under his name.

Posted: 15 minutes ago.

His breath hitched in his throat when he read the warnings: there was going to be sexual intercourse in this one. For one moment, he hesitated; did he really want to read this? "Oh fuck it," he huffed and scrolled, starting to read. The more he read, the more his shaft twitched in his pants. He wasn't really like that during… but oh damn, he wasn't complaining.

"Oh, Seb…"

His hand slid down and he rubbed himself through his boxers, unable to take his eyes off the text in front of him. His strokes got harder and faster as the sex got steamier. "Ungh, I'm gonna cum—" And he suddenly came in his boxers, groaning. Slumping down on the bed, he quickly finished reading the rest of it, going back to the master list.

He took a screenshot with the account's name in it and then went back to her Instagram account to take another screenshot. Keeping his phone away, he slipped out of his boxers, cleaned himself and pulled the covers on top of him, finally feeling tired enough to fall asleep.

---

Y/N was walking across the campus of her university, going to the cafeteria when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Taking it out, she opened Tumblr to read the message someone had sent her just then.

his-username: Hi there! I was binging your account last night, you write really well

your-username: Omg thank you!!!! I really appreciate it, I love getting feedback! 🥺❤

his-username: You're welcome! Especially your latest post, that was really good ;)

your-username: hehe 😈 glad you liked it!

Smiling widely, she kept her phone away and continued walking, not knowing that the person who had texted her was the same man she had written about. Sebastian smiled to himself when he read her text. After getting up in the morning, the first thing he had done was install Tumblr on his phone. Then he made an account for himself.

Figuring out the app was easy; he found out that there was an option to keep your liked posts and the accounts you followed hidden, and selected it immediately. No one needed to know what he did on the app. Then he went back to her account, pressed the follow button and started binge-reading her fanfictions again. Last night had he read only two, and that had left him wanting more.

Funny how much things can change in a night. He liked and reblogged all her posts without a second thought; he even read all her Bucky Barnes posts. She understood his character so well, put him on what he thought was an undeserved pedestal while writing about him. Some of the stories were AUs, which he found out stood for Alternate Universes. Mostly mobster or mafia stuff.

He had the day off, and he spent the entire time cooped up in his apartment, on his bed, reading. The more he read, the more he started fawning over her, over the version of him that she put out to the world. Dominating, suave and just perfect. He loved it. At the end of the day, he decided to text her again, hoping she wouldn't think he was weird or find out the truth.

his-username: do you wanna be friends, maybe? I'm new to the app, don't really have any friends here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That was a lie, he knew Mark Ruffalo had an active Tumblr account. But it's not like he could tell him.

your-username: Yes sure!!!! I was also thinking of making some friends on this app lol

his-username: You don't have any on here? But you've been here for years, haven't you?

your-username: haha yeah, but I don't really reach out to people much. Sometimes people leave their feedbacks on my posts, text me but that's that

his-username: Ohhh

his-username: well, let's start with names. Mine's Sebastian

your-username: Really?????? omg that's so cool lmaooooooo (didn't think you were a boy but 😳👀)

his-username: Not a boy, I'm a man 😤😂

your-username: 🤣 im y/n, btw

his-username: Y/N, that's a nice name

your-username: thank you!!!! So, what do you do?

his-username: nothing really that interesting, I'm in theatre

your-username: theatre is nice! I'm studying at [university] in New York lmao

his-username: Wait you're in New York? So am I!

your-username: ASDFHKSHKGF that's awesome!!! also I noticed that you've been going through my account the whole day 😏 notifications upon notifications keeping my phone busy

his-username: Oopsie?

your-username: 😂😂 I really don't mind, it was great! Despite the amount of likes on my posts, I only have a few loyal followers lmao gaining one more felt nice

your-username: You a big fan of Sebastian Stan? Cuz I noticed that you were only reading his and Bucky's fics 👀

Sebastian's face heated up.

his-username: kinda yeah 🤷🏻‍♂️😁

your-username: Cool cool cool, I'm a big fan of his too!!!! also got a crush on him but whatever 😳

Sebastian smirked at his phone. A crush on him, huh? That… was acceptable. He suddenly felt his cocky side coming out; the one she described in nearly all her fanfictions.

his-username: wouldn't blame ya, I mean, look at him. You have also written the most fics about him and Bucky

your-username: right????? damn that man has raised my standards. Anyway, I gtg now, I have to finish a paper before midnight. ttyl!

his-username: Bye! 👋🏻

He kept his phone away and took in a deep breath. This was the most fun he had had in years, and he was not letting her go so easy. He realized he was quickly falling for her; rather unhealthy, but he couldn't help it. Look at her. She looks like a goddamn angel, writes like one, makes him feel like one, do you really expect him not to fall for her? That's insane.

---

Months passed by like a breeze. Y/N and Sebastian had become very good friends, and he knew his way around words just enough to keep her from finding out his identity while not lying to her. Y/N also appreciated his friendship, because he was the one to whom she could rant about her most favorite man in the world— Sebastian Stan.

Sometimes, she thought about how weird of a coincidence it was that her new friend and the actor shared the same names, but then she used to brush it off; that was a common name, right? They talked for hours on end; Sebastian (her friend, not the actor) was extremely witty, smart and fun to talk to, she had to admit. Sebastian felt the same way.

His feelings had worsened. Y/N entirely owned his heart now. Somedays, he'd just go on Instagram, go to her account— her username memorized by him— and stare at her photos until he grew tired; he'd never get tired of looking at her beautiful face but his stiff body afterwards begged to differ. She was just so Elysian. He longed for the moment when he could meet her in real life.

His personality had also changed majorly, and people had caught on. Especially his Marvel co-stars, who knew him to be introverted, shy and, in Anthony Mackie's words, "boring". They were surprised at his sudden change in attitude; he knew his worth and Y/N had helped tremendously in finding it. Now, all those adjectives that she used in her fanfictions fit him perfectly.

Sebastian was never tempted to read fanfictions about himself from authors other than Y/N. No, he only loved her work. He was sure no one else could write as beautifully as she did, he was her #1 fan. Y/N even sent him funny Marvel memes she found on the app and he used to enjoy them heartily; God, the others have no idea what they're missing out on. Our fans are awesome.

Everything was going well.

Until one day.

Sebastian was getting bored at home, so he decided to go to the nearby library to clear his mind. He had read not one book in the past few months, hung up on Y/N's fanfictions. At this point, he was obsessed with her and he knew it. It was nothing dark, per se, it was— it was similar to how Y/N was attracted to Sebastian. How she was a fan of his work.

Just the same. He was a fan of her work in the same way. Just how she was attracted to him, he was attracted to her. Walking into the library that he visited often, he gave the librarian a smile and ventured further into the dark place. He checked his watch; the library closed at 12 am, it was currently 9:30 pm.

Not many people were around, heck, nobody was around. He thought himself to be all alone until he heard it. A sigh, coming from a few aisles away. He walked in that direction and peeked around the corner, freezing when he saw the other person. Y/N? Her books were strewn all across the table as she sat alone at the booth, rubbing her temples.

"You okay?"

She looked up and her breath caught in her throat. I'm dreaming. This is not real. Now I know for a fact that Sebastian Stan is not standing in front of me, asking me if I'm— "Hello?" He snapped his fingers in front of her face, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I, uh— I'm— h-hi," she stammered and he almost chuckled. "Hi." She gulped visibly and blinked at the table, not meeting his eyes.

"Can I have a seat?" He wants to sit with me?! "Y-Yes, sure, sir," she blurted out and he easily slid into the booth next to her. "Hey, please, call me Sebastian. What's your name?" He gave her a friendly smile, even though all he wanted to do was push her back into the booth and kiss her wildly. His shaft twitched just by thinking about it; Y/N was a thousand times more beautiful in person.

"I'm Y/N, it's very nice to meet you, I'm… I'm a fan," she admitted, playing with the ring she wore on her left thumb. I'm your fan too, sweetheart, the biggest one. "Y/N, nice name. You come here often? I haven't really seen you around." She shook her head. "Oh no no, I moved to this part of the city just a week ago, this is my first time here. The library is cozy," she shrugged, easing out of her tense position.

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, I know, this place is awesome. Got all my favorite books here," he chuckled and she smiled at him. "What's all this?" A groan left her lips. "Ugh, stupid university work. I have to write a book report but I don't even know what to write about." He smiled gently. "Well, I have a few favorite books, would you like some suggestions?"

"Oh, please! Tell me!"

He started listing some of his favorite works and Y/N noted the names down until he said the last name. At that, she froze. That's the name of my latest— She looked up but he had a smile on his face. "Oh, and the last one is by my favorite author." He took a pause. "Y/N Y/L/N." She froze completely, staring at the man with her jaw dropped.

Sebastian grinned. "We finally meet, Y/N, I've been waiting for months." Her mouth opened and closed several times as she recalled every interaction she had had with her online best friend— scratch that— her celebrity crush. All the times she had confessed her love for Sebastian Stan, all the dirty and inappropriate memes that she'd sent him…

Embarrassment flooded her entire body as she exhaled shakily. "It was you," she croaked out, "On Tumblr, the account— I'm so sorry—" Sebastian frowned in confusion when she blinked back sudden tears, a few still rolling down her cheeks as shame replaced embarrassment. "Y/N, please don't cry…" She looked up at him, his figure blurry due to her tears.

"You've read everything, haven't you? I just— I'm sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable—" He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Y/N couldn't hug back, though she appreciated the hug especially since it came from him. "You don't know how much you mean to me, doll," he mumbled into her shoulder, using the nickname she often used in the stories she wrote about him. He grew accustomed to it easily.

"Huh?"

He pulled away to wipe her tears. "It was an accident," he admitted, "But I stumbled onto your Instagram account from my explore page. Then I clicked on your account, saw that you wrote Marvel fanfictions and I just couldn't resist the urge to read what you had written. Blame it on 3 am me, to be honest. You're a great writer, and I was immediately drawn to your works. They're awesome.

"They've helped me so much in the past few months. You see this changed attitude that everyone's been talking about lately? All because of you, sweetheart. I'm sorry for keeping my identity secret, but after reading your works, I knew I had to get closer to you. I made the Tumblr account just for you, just so I could talk to you. I'm sorry for lying, but thank you."

Y/N dumbfoundedly stared at him for a few moments, her heart beat getting steady with each thump. Here was a man she admired, loved more than anyone else in the world, telling her that he harbored the same feelings for her. How crazy was that?! Not trusting her words, she simply pulled him into another hug. Sebastian wrapped his arms tight around her, pulling her flush against him.

"Can I kiss you, doll?"

She slowly pulled away from him and nodded, shyly biting her lip. Grinning at the endearing gesture, Sebastian cupped her face and leaned in, gently pressing his lips to hers. The kiss grew hungry in a matter of seconds, and Y/N responded just as eagerly. His hands slid down to her waist and tugged on it, pulling her on his lap. She straddled his thighs as they continued kissing.

"Fuck," he groaned when they finally pulled away from each other, out of breath and panting. "You see what you do to me, doll?" Sebastian spoke huskily as he took her hand, placing it right on top of the tent that was forming in his pants. "Oh," Y/N whimpered when she felt him, the sound going straight to his shaft. "How about I take you home and we recreate some of the scenes from your stories, hm?"

"O-Okay."

"Good girl."

---

A/N: What a meta experience 🤡 Leave a like if you enjoyed, thanks for reading!

[nashibirne]

Gimme Shelter - 7

Here it is, the last chapter of Gimme Shelter. It took me a while to write it, I kinda had a hard time to let Kat and Henry go... I'm going to miss them. I hope you like the ending I chose for these two. If so, please let me know by leaving a comment, reblog or like. Feedback is much appreciated. 💜

Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC (Kat Spencer)

Words: ~ 4.5 k

Summary: Henry has to deal with a personal crisis and he finds shelter with his old rugby mate Sam and his sister Kat. She used to be Henry’s best friend a very long time ago. Will they be able to become friends again or maybe even more? Chapter 7: An important conversation, a celebration and lots of love.

You can find the previous chapters and my other fics on my masterlist!

Warnings: RPF, mention of mental health issues, smut, sex (p in v), vanilla, unprotected sex, nsfw, 18+, fluff

UNBETA'ED! English is not my mother tongue, so expect bad grammar, wrong spelling, chaotic punctuation and clumsy language. All mistakes are mine…

I got a little help with a certain paragraph, thank you so much @sillyrabbit81 for your advice and your support. Love ya 💕

Credits: Pics for the moodboard from Pinterest. Face claims: Kat = Jennifer Connelly

Disclaimer: I don’t know the real Henry Cavill or anyone who's related to him in any way, this is pure fiction and a lot of wishful thinking.

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed)

@lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @hell1129-blog @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @kebabgirl67 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo @artandotherdelights @notabronte @littlefreya @luclittlepond @eldarwen333 @meowpurrbooks @marantha @liliumdream @enchantedbytomandhenry @greensleeves888 @witcherfan @margauxmargaux07 @radaofrivia @m07belzen @a-little-counter-esperanto @starstruckkittyangel @mary-ann84 @sillyrabbit81 @emelinelovesjc @wheretheriversrunintothesea @lam0ureuxq @kingliam2019

Let the grand finale begin....

***********

"There's no need to be nervous, Kat."

Henry gave her a smile before taking a sip of his coffee.

They were sitting at their gate, waiting to board the plane that was going to fly them to Jersey.

"I know", Kat sighed, shaking her head slowly, "but I still am. I haven't seen your family in years, there will be so many people I don't know…"

"And they will love you. Look, Kitty, today is gonna be relaxed. You'll meet my parents, my brothers and their families and that's it. Just a casual dinner. Tomorrow there will be the celebration and I promise you it's gonna be great. My folks know how to party," he winked at her with a grin, "and on Sunday everyone except for my parents will be gone and we have a whole week to relax and just enjoy the island and our time together. Okay?"

"Okay," she smiled at him and took a bite of the muffin she had bought at one of the airport cafes, "I'll try to relax. Just distract me, tell me something... anything."

"That's the text for Instagram. The open letter to my fans and followers."

"Well, actually there's really something I want to talk to you about", Henry said reluctantly. He grabbed his phone and opened his google docs. "I need your opinion on this." He gave her his mobile.

Kat saw that the display showed a long text. "What's that?"

"I see," Kat chewed on her lip, looking him in the eyes, "and you want me to proofread it?"

"I want to know what you think about it."

"Alright. Let's see."

She stared at the words on the screen with a beating heart. Henry had been working on this statement quite a while now and she knew it would include his plans for the future. They had talked about different scenarios but she didn't know what he'd finally decided to do with his life and his work. She was curious but at the same time she was scared because many of these scenarios meant that he was going to leave St. Ives and her life. She took a deep breath and started to read.

The statement was deep and of unabashed openness. The way Henry described what he had gone through in the past year was very touching and she had to fight back tears several times. Relief flooded her when she read that he was asking his fans to give him a little more time to reorientate and that he intended to remain in the background for a little longer, stating that he was very happy at the sanctuary he had found and that good friends had given him shelter. What left her completely amazed was the last paragraph.

"Kal is going to take over your Instagram?"

Henry grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah. For a while. I think it's a good solution. I'm going to post pictures of him with captions that let people know what I'm doing without giving up my privacy until I'm ready to return and face the public again. It's my way of letting my fans be a part of my life although I'm not really present. I want to share what I'm up to but not the way I used to do it. I want to do more than promotion and I want to be more than a thirst trap, Kitty."

"You're much more than that, Hen", she took his hands in hers, looking at him with a frown, "so much more."

He gave her a grateful smile.

"I know that but many people don't and that's my own fault. The way I've presented myself on social media was very one-sided in the last year and it will be interesting to find out how many of my 17 Mio followers still like me when all they'll get to see in the next weeks is my dog. The ones that remain are the ones that count and in the future I want them to see who I am and what's important to me. I have picked three topics I want to concentrate on. First: conversation and protection of species in cooperation with Durrell. Second: mental health, focusing on problems men often face. I want to found a charitable trust that helps and supports men with mental health issues and that raises awareness of that topic. Thirdly: Fitness, because it's such an important part of my life. I want to show how good moving can make you feel but I also want to show the risks of overdoing it and that even very fit people can still have body issues and how I deal with these issues myself."

"First of all I think the statement you want to post is great. It's so sincere and you open up so much... It's a risk because you expose yourself but I think people will appreciate your honesty and I'm sure many can identify with what you've been through. And your plans sound fantastic, Henry. I know how important these topics are to you and you're going to be a great ambassador for all of this because it's authentic. This is you, people will notice and appreciate that." She couldn't help but give him a spontaneous hug. "God, Henry, I'm so happy for you."

Henry let out a sigh and shrugged, looking at Kat with an expression full of doubt and insecurity.

"What do you think?"

He hugged her back, pulling her into a tight embrace. "That's such a relief, Kat. I was worried it might sound stupid."

"Not a bit! It sounds perfect. But what about work? Do you already know where to go with your job?"

He took a deep breath.

"Yes. I want to return to filming but I want to leave my comfort zone a bit and try to get different kinds of roles. I'll have to talk to my agent and hope that he can find some interesting projects for me. I also thought about going on the stage again. Back to the roots, maybe I will find a theater that is willing to give me a chance. But that's just an idea, I'm open to anything. I just know for sure that I love my job. I want to be an actor and I'm ready to work again."

"And you will work again. I'm sure. Are you going to tell your family about your plans?"

"Sure. It will be a great relief for them to see that I'm back on track."

"Of course. It's a relief for me too."

"I know…"

They were interrupted by the announcement that boarding was about to start and so they got on the plane, heading to Jersey with a pretty good feeling.

****

36 hours later Kat was still feeling pretty good. The garden party was in full swing and she really enjoyed the jolly atmosphere, the food, the drinks and most of all Henry's company. His family had given her a very warm welcome and so she had a very good time. The garden was beautifully decorated and lit by countless torches, candles and chinese lanterns. A local band was playing cover songs on a little stage and a clown was entertaining the children.

It was almost midnight when Henry turned to her with a smile.

"Time for the big surprise."

"Can't wait. You've been such a mystery-monger lately."

"I know, but you'll soon know why."

"Well, you want to surprise your mum. Isn't that the reason?" Kat was visibly confused and Henry gave her one of his perfectly imperfect winks.

"My mum and...you. Maybe?"

He went away with a grin and left Kat with a beating heart. What kind of surprise could he possibly have for her? On his mother's birthday? She smoothened out her plain black dress with a nervous gesture before she followed Henry with her eyes, her arms resting on the cocktail table right in front of the stage. When he grabbed the microphone, Kat assumed he wanted to hold a speech, maybe telling his family and friends about his future plans but when he turned to the band leader for a whispered exchange she knew there was more to it. Henry nodded at each of the band members and Kat could tell he was nervous by his body language.

"Hello everyone," his deep voice echoed through the speakers, "I'm sorry to interrupt, I know everyone is having a great time and don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with a speech, but I still have prepared a little something. A surprise."

He flashed a bright smile at his mother, ignoring the teasing cheers and whistles coming from his brothers.

"Mum, I racked my brain over a special present for weeks. What would make you happy? What would surprise you? Eventually I had this idea I knew you'd love but that really got me out of my comfort zone. I worked hard on it and I hope you and everybody else will like the result." Henry cleared his throat with a sheepish smile.

"Come on man, spill it." That was Henry's younger brother Charlie and Kat couldn't help but chuckle when his older brother Simon joined in.

"Yeah, Hen, the suspense is killing us."

Henry shook his head, laughing and Marianne Cavill shushed her sons with an amused smile.

"Okay, well... I'm going to sing for you."

"Oh please, spare us. You can't sing." Charlie again, he'd always been a cheeky guy and obviously he hadn't changed a bit. Henry laughed out loud, pointing his finger at Charles.

"Right, brother, that's why I took lessons. I spent many, many hours at our neighbour's who is a vocal coach. Kat is my witness."

All eyes turned on her now and she couldn't give them much more than a shrug, a nod and a smile to confirm his words. She wasn't able to say anything, but her mind was racing. He had been taking singing lessons with Mel, who had been a music teacher and vocal coach before her marriage. The revelation hit her hard and unexpected, flooding her with relief and a hint of shame. She had been so suspicious all this time without a reason. Nothing had been going on between Hen and Mel, nothing inappropriate, nothing intimate. He had been telling the truth.

Henry's voice interrupted her thoughts and she took a deep breath, turning her attention to what was happening on stage.

The band started to play and Kat immediately recognized the song, Green, Green Grass of Home, and when Henry began to sing she was completely captivated by his full, warm and dark voice. He did great up there and it didn't take people long to pull out lighters and smartphones to wave them in the air to the slow rhythm of the song, creating a sea of lights that illuminated the garden.

"Well...I better get started before I chicken out and change my mind." He nodded at the band with a grateful smile.

"We only had the chance to rehearse two times so please be lenient with me. Thanks guys for playing along and allowing me to take over... Anyway, I've prepared three songs. Enjoy."

Kat looked at Mrs Cavill, no, at Marianne -it still felt strange to call her by her first name- and she was beaming, tears of pride and joy sparkling in her eyes. Kat was incredibly happy and proud too, it just felt so good to see Henry perform, completely at ease with himself, confident and charming as ever.

The next song seemed to be some kind of family hymn. After only a few lines of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline everybody was singing along, even the kids, and Kat joined in, soaking up the jolly atmosphere and the good mood that was so infectious. Henry obviously had a great time too. He was smiling all over his face and it made Kat glad to see him so relaxed and happy. Before he began singing the last song, he spoke softly into the microphone.

"The next one is for everyone who's in love. Grab your loved ones and get on the dancefloor, it's time for slow-dancing", and after a little pause he added, "this one's for you, Kat."

I know that you've been hurt before

He looked her straight in the eyes and his words sent shivers down her spine. She noticed the curious glances people gave her and she knew she was blushing but she did her best to pretend to be cool, calm and collected, taking a sip of her red wine. When the music set in, Kat easily recognized the song. It was a slow version -Henry's version- of a Curtis Stigers song and she already loved it after the first few words. She knew the lyrics by heart and thinking about them awoke the butterflies in her belly.

Happy couples filled the dancefloor looking lovingly at each other, dancing slowly to the music. Henry's full voice was perfect for the song and he kept looking at Kat. Their eyes were locked and to her it felt like no one else was around, like Henry was singing just for her.

But that won't happen anymore, no no

Just give your heart to me

And I'll guard it with my life

I don't know what I'd do

Baby, without you

His words found their way right into her heart and for the first time in 22 years she felt ready to finally let go of the past, to completely trust him again, to believe him and to forgive him.

You're all that matters to me

The ground that you walk

The air that you breathe

Someday you'll discover

I don't want no other, believe me

You're all that matters, baby

All that matters to me

She realized that a teardrop was rolling down her cheek and she wiped it away hastily. Concern was showing in Henry's eyes when he saw that she was crying but the smile she gave him showed him it was a tear of joy and relief flooded him. He couldn't wait to finish the song now, couldn't wait to dance with Kat, to hold her in his arms.

Loud applause followed his performance, accompanied by calls for an encore that he declined politely with a shy smile. Henry made sure to tell the band to continue with some ballads and after receiving some very tight hugs and kisses from his extremely happy and proud mother he finally joined Kat at their table.

"Fancy a dance?" He offered her his hand with a charming smirk.

She nodded and took his hand, following him to the dance floor where he pulled her close. They swayed slowly to "You Are The Sunshine of my life" for a while without saying anything, content with just looking at each other, before Kat broke the silence.

"You were great up there."

"You liked it?"

"I loved it, Hen. You have a wonderful voice. Mel seems to be a good coach." Kat gave him a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, she is. Once she'd realized that I wasn't interested in more than singing lessons she was very professional and pretty strict."

Henry grinned at her, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise and I wanted you to trust me." He shrugged, giving her a tender smile.

"And I didn't. I let you down. I was such an idiot, Henry. I should have believed you, I am so sor…"

"No, Kitty, please... don't apologize, okay?" He looked at her with a frown, seriousness showing in his eyes. "You had every right to be mistrustful, I understand that. Just tell me that you think you will be able to trust me again some day."

"I already do. I…"

They bumped into another couple and it wasn't the first time. The dance floor was crowded and everyone was keen on congratulating Henry on his performance. It felt like every single party guest was watching them.

"Wanna leave?"

"Yes," Kat nodded with a smile.

****

"It's so peaceful, isn't it?"

"It is. It's beautiful." Kat squeezed Henry's hand before resting her head against his shoulder. They were walking down the beach along the dark shore, that was romantically enlightened by a bright full moon hand, in hand. The sea was calm, just giving off its soothing sounds and a cool breeze that made Kat shiver. Henry took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thanks", Kat said with a smile, "not only for the jacket but for bringing me here and for this wonderful night."

"Did you enjoy the party?"

"Of course, it was so much fun and I loved your performance. Especially the third song."

Henry stopped walking and turned to her, taking both of her hands in his, looking her deep in the eyes.

"Every single word was true, Kat. I meant it. I'd never hurt you again. You're really all that matters to me. I know you find it hard to believe me, but…"

"I believe you," Kat cut in, "I felt it. I feel it now."

Henry stared at her. "You do?"

"Fuck, yes, I do!" Kat threw her head back, laughing out loud, feeling incredibly happy and light-hearted all of the sudden. "And I feel the same, Hen. Exactly the same."

She cupped his face with her hands and did what she had been longing to do for so long. She kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, almost shy and when Henry felt her mouth on his, her soft lips united with his, skin on skin, no tongue, just tenderness and love, he was beyond happy and savoured every single second.

When Kat pulled away reluctantly he rested his forehead against hers taking a deep breath.

"I feel like 17 again", he whispered.

Kat laughed softly at his words. "So do I. It feels great."

The next kiss started off just like the previous one, innocent and sweet, but when Henry pulled Kat close to deepen the kiss all the bottled-up sexual tension and energy, all the suppressed passion and desire of more than 20 years erupted and they started to make out hungrily, starving for love and intimacy. After a while things really heated up and Henry was the one to put the brakes on when Kat started to fumble with his fly.

"If you don't want me to take you right here we better take it to the bedroom, Kitty", Henry sighed, his voice thick with arousal and desire.

"Well, I've never done it on the beach…", Kat smirked, biting her lower lip.

"Seriously? Here?" Henry took a look around checking if the coast was clear.

"I was joking, Hen. I hate having sand in every pore." Kat nudged him with a grin. "Just take me home."

They made it to the cottage in record time and started to undress each other right in the little hallway, kissing and fumbling like teenagers. While Kat was unzipping Henry's trousers, he was unsuccessfully trying to open her bra.

"Front clasp, Hen", Kat explained to him breathlessly.

"Fuck", Henry chuckled, "I swear I'm not gonna be that clueless once I'll have you naked."

"Good," she answered with a lewd smile, stripping off her bra when he'd finally managed to open it, standing in front of him in just her panties.

"God, you're beautiful, Kitty." Henry let his eyes wander all over her body while stepping out of his pants. He took off his socks and now he was facing her naked too, except for his briefs.

"You don't look so bad yourself, pop."

She grabbed him by the hem of his underwear, pulling him close for another kiss. Kat gasped when he lifted her up effortlessly, wrapping her legs around his waist, feeling his hard-on pressing against her wet panties. She moaned into his mouth when he moved his hips, dry humping her teasingly. Henry carried Kat to his bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He stripped off her pants before he did the same with his and when they finally were both naked he climbed on top of her, looking her deep in the eyes, before kissing her again. It was a long, slow kiss and Kat let her fingers run over his back till they reached his butt. She squeezed his ass and pulled him close, sighing with lust when Henry started to kiss her tits and to suck her nipples. She reached between her legs and grabbed his dick that was pretty impressive, giving it a few strokes that made him moan loudly.

"Fuck, Kat...I need you…I need to feel you...now."

She brought the tip of his cock to her entrance, bucking her hips, inviting him in.

"Take me. I'm yours, Henry."

"Are you on birth control?"

"I am, don't worry. Just go for it. Please."

Her words weren't more than a hoarse whisper but Henry heard them crystal clear. He moaned again when he realized that it was finally going to happen. He was about to make love to Kat and it was like a dream come true. A hot, sexy, wet dream and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He penetrated Kat slowly, gently, enjoying the moment that marked the beginning of their first time.

"God, Hen…", Kat moaned softly as he stretched her pussy, kneading his ass and lifting her hips to meet him halfway, "you feel great."

"I love you, Henry," she whispered before she came with a loud moan. She arched her back and Henry felt the shiver that ran through her body and the contraction of her pussy that tightened around his cock. The feelings that flooded him were more than Henry could take and he cried her name out loud when he got off, releasing an enormous amount of cum and the thought of filling her up like this made him thrust into her cunt hard and deep one last time. "Fuck...Kitty." He collapsed on top of her, gasping and panting, holding her tight, pressing a kiss on her lips. Henry looked her in the eyes with a loving smile.

He started to move slowly once he filled her completely, looking her in the eyes. It was impossible to turn back time. He wasn't her first, she wasn't his first but he still intended to make their first time together feel special, he didn't want to fuck her mindless, he wanted to make tender love to her. He thrusted a little faster and deeper now and Kat followed his rhythm, her gaze resting on his face. They shared another sensual kiss, moving in sync for a wonderful long time, prolonging the intimate moment as much as possible, enjoying the sensation of closeness, their bodies and souls connected.

Henry's moans got louder, turning into raspy grunts which was a great turn on for Kat, who was a panting mess. Breathing heavily she was getting closer to cumming with every thrust that hit her cervix, with every stroke, brushing against her g-spot, with his lower body pressing and rubbing against her clit. She watched Henry, who had his head bent back now, eyes half closed, his upper body propped up on his elbows that were placed left and right of her torso. She wrapped her legs around him, making him go even deeper before she grabbed his head and pulled him in for a sweet kiss. They locked eyes and his gaze was full of tenderness, his pupils tinted black and filled with lust.

"I love you too, Kat."

A few minutes later they were lying side by side, holding hands, their faces turned to each other.

"We should have done that 22 years ago."

Henry grinned at Kat, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I doubt it would have been so good. Teenage Kat was very self-conscious and a little prude and I guess teenage Henry wasn't a pro at handling this weapon right from the start." Kat touched his dick and gave him a teasing wink that made Henry chuckle.

"Right. We've come a long way. It just feels like we've wasted so much time...all these years."

"We can't change that, Hen", Kat said, "but we can make the most of the time that's still to come. Let's just be happy together from now on. Let's spend as much time together as possible, let's have lots and lots of fucking great sex, let's have fun, let's share our joys and sorrows, let's share our lives."

****

Epilogue

Two years later.

Kat sat at her desk in her office with a happy smile on her face. Mr. Darcy was sleeping on her lap and she held a letter in her hands. Bringing it close to her nose she took a deep breath, smelling Henry's scent, his tangy, musky cologne. It was a habit they had established in the last years. Whenever Henry and Kat were separated for more than a few days they sent each other love letters. Handwritten in ink, the exclusive, handmade writing paper perfumed with their odours, the lines filled with their love. The letters usually weren't long, most of the time they shared just short poems or simply a few sentences about how their days had been without each other. It was their old fashioned way of showing their affection and of staying in touch in addition to their conversations via phone or facetime.

"A letter from daddy", Kat whispered, stroking her round belly tenderly. Eight weeks to go until they would welcome their first child and a little more than half a year until their wedding. "Let's see what it's saying."

Kat opened the letter carefully and pulled out the thick paper to unfold it.

"My darling Kitty,

Only three days to go until I finally can take you in my arms again. I can't wait to kiss your lips and your belly to greet you and our little bean. I don't have much time, you know how tight my schedule is, but I needed to write down this poem for you. It would make a great wedding vow, don't you think? Just read it and let me know how you feel about it when I'm back.

"Mouthful Of Forevers

I am not the first person you loved. You are not the first person I looked at with a mouthful of forevers. We have both known loss like the sharp edges of a knife. We have both lived with lips more scar tissue than skin.

Our love came unannounced in the middle of the night. Our love came when we’d given up on asking love to come. I think that has to be part of its miracle. This is how we heal.

I will kiss you like forgiveness. You will hold me like I’m hope. Our arms will bandage and we will press promises between us like flowers in a book.

I will write sonnets to the salt of sweat on your skin. I will write novels to the scar of your nose. I will write a dictionary of all the words I have used trying to describe the way it feels to have finally, finally found you.

And I will not be afraid of your scars. I know sometimes it’s still hard to let me see you in all your cracked perfection, but please know: whether it’s the days you burn more brilliant than the sun or the nights you collapse into my lap your body broken into a thousand questions, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I will love you when you are a still day. I will love you when you are a hurricane."

Isn't it perfect for us?

by Clementine von Radics

I love you!

Forever yours,

Henry"

***********

The End