#anika replies

[anika-ann]

🧚🏻‍♀️✨Bippity boppity bow chicka wow oww! You’ve been visited by the Shameless Hoe Fairy, and now you must share a hoe thot about: CE!babe + forehead kiss ☺️

GASP!!! I was blessed by the visit of the hoe fairy herself 😍😍 Thank you 😭 As I can see, the Shameless One knows me well 🤭

Apparently, I am a hoe for fluff. Who knew? 🤭Everyone who knows me

The Constellation of You and I

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader Word count: 1,7k Warnings: soft NSFW, 18+, smut-adjacent really, FLUFF, brief mention of Steve's job as Cap... and barely proof-read but with stars metaphors to make up for it A/N: Divider by @firefly-graphics

You could feel it surging though your nerves; light echoes of tingles of bliss still humming within, with every frantic beat of your heart, from your midriff to your fingertips, your hands feeling too warm as they remained laid over the bulge of Steve’s shoulder, over the slight curve of his lower back.

For every breath of his you gave two of yours, the bundle of your bodies, rising and falling slightly as your ribcage expanded against his hot skin, the firmness of his body and the welcoming softness of his touch like a touch of heaven itself.

He held you close as you sat in his lap, gently; arm wrapped around you to keep you flush against him as you still remained one, his other hand tenderly tangled in your damp hair as you rested your cheek against his shoulder, your quick breaths fanning his throat; his cheek in turn rested carefully on top of your head, occasionally shifting so he could press his lips to the crown of your head.

The afterglow was almost as blissful as reaching your peak had been.

However, the afterglow was slowly fading as reality and embarrassment was setting in, your face burning not only from the cardio you had engaged in, but because of the pouncing you had done not two seconds after Steve had walked through the door, fresh out of a mission.

Fresh out of two week apart for the first time you had started dating over three months ago.

That was what young love did, you supposed; it blinded rational thought and erased all plans for the meal you had prepared and the blankets on the couch you had set there so you could ease Steve back into the reality of a simple life rather than a damn near battlefield where any moment of distraction could mean catching a bullet or worse.

You had missed him like crazy – of course you had. He had texted you whenever he could, a short message at least to let you know he was well and wishing you to be well also, occasionally telling you he missed you. With his mind laser-focused on his mission and the team he felt responsible for, understandably so, you expected nothing more, grateful for the scraps, even as written in half-hearted hurry.

Then, he had let you know he was coming home, with everyone safe and sound, tired but nearly unscathed, himself having but bruises already halfway healed. You had planned a quiet evening to reconnect with him, ecstatic at the premise alone of seeing him, trying to tame your less-than-decent needs with the sensation of genuine relief at him being alright and coming home, claiming to be happy to spend an evening with you if you’d like. A nice, grounding evening full of comfort.

And then this goddamn man appeared at your doorstep with a sheepish smile and a spark in his eye upon seeing you, a bouquet of pink roses and you had to physically hold back for long enough to put the gorgeous gift of his into water at least. And as soon as you managed that, your lady brain cut in and took full control, practically assaulting him and the lovely blue shirt he was wearing.

Steve certainly didn’t protest and participated rather enthusiastically as you kissed him breathless and walked him – pushed him almost – to your bedroom, discarding his and your clothes, hands wandering, gentle and needy and wicked, his red red red kiss-swollen lips parted so beautifully as you bounced on top of him until you both saw stars behind closed eyelids and reached for them eagerly with your fingertips, the sweet taste of stardust exploding on your tongue and consuming you with its light; but now, as the afterglow flickered away, bitter shame and sour vulnerability creeped in and began to swallow you into a black hole instead.

Yes, Steve was alright.

Yes, he was happy to see you.

Yes, he was all in, praise falling from his lips, whispers of how he had missed you too, how he needed you.

But dammit. You felt like the most socially inept and least empathetic person in the world, awkward in her impromptu display of desire.

And Steve, brilliant, beautiful Steve, must have caught on by now, because one of his warm palms sprawled on your cheek, tenderly leading you to lift your head and meet his gaze. And for all your messy feelings, you could not resist but do so.

You could never resist. Not to Steve.

“Where’s that beautiful mind of yours, sweetheart? Are you alright?” he whispered, eyes roaming your face, the spark, that damn spark that could set the world ablaze and heal it all at once, being a sweet tell of his. A tell of how he was happy to have you in his arms, all around him, despite your… enjoyable shortcomings.

“Why, right here with you.”

You awkwardly tried to mirror his smile even as your face still burned, succeeding somewhat – you must have. Because Steve’s lips curled up further, fingertips caressing your brow, following the line of your cheekbone, your jaw.

You melted against his body despite yourself, warmth humming in your veins as his gaze followed his touch, as if he was committing your features to memory.

“Good,” he said, leaning to kiss your forehead. “I missed you being with me. So close, in my arms. So sweet and w-“

“I’m sorry I pounced at you like that!“ you blurted out, cursing your tongue which always seemed so loose around him as soon as the words were out.

Steve’s fingers froze in their tender exploration, his lips remaining not further than an inch from your hairline, his body turning rigid and you could smack yourself.

“I mean… I just—I made calmer plans and I know it must have been hard out there and I… I didn’t want you to feel like--- I missed all of you, you know? I didn’t want to make you feel like… I don’t know, I’m rambling, I’m sorry.”

Steve was yet to move, even his ribcage still, not even drawing in a breath. Your heart thundered against your sternum, in your temples, all over you, consuming you with the heat of embarrassment, a whimper-like plea for the ground to swallow you forming in your throat. You did not dare to move either, your hands having curled into fists against his shoulder and back.

And then he chuckled.

Steven Grant Rogers, the loveable jerk, chuckled and kissed your hairline again, making you actually whine.

“Nooooo-“

“Sweetheart, are you embarrassed for wanting me?”

Your denial of the statement – a blatant lie, but not really – died on your tongue as he moved to cradle your cheek again, meeting your gaze, the previous spark lit aflame with new life as he observed you with a smile that made you squirm on his lap and lit your face hotter than a supernova.

“I-“

“I’m not. And I want you, always. You drive me crazy in the most wonderful ways,” he said, his smile only widening as you lowered you gaze and worried your teeth over your lower lip, the soft admission brining a smidge of relief and confidence.

“I mean… I’m not ashamed. Not of that...” you whispered, taking a deep breath and gathering courage to look him in the eye again, met with a gaze so tenderly inquiring you felt yourself relax just a bit, trying to scramble for coherent thought. “I just feel like just because I missed you it doesn’t give me the right to jump you without a chance to… to allow you to return to the right headspace for something like that. I was here. Safe, in my little apartment and life I built, meeting friends and colleagues and… simply being. You, on the other hand…”

You trailed off, your voice catching in your throat as you caught into the emotion written all over Steve’s face.

The sheer wonder – and dare to say love – shining in his irises almost chased tears into your eyes; stealing air from your chest and replacing it with glowing warmth of the Milky Way on the clear skies in the countryside upstate.

You were still but the air shifted; neither of you moved but the whole planetary system seemed to tilt off its axis, a new star born to became the centre of the universe right between you, in Steve’s featherlight touch and the hoarseness of his voice.

“That’s—I’m not--- You’re incredible. I… really appreciate the thought,” he whispered, the soft edge of his smile like a caress to your soul. “But despite everything, I need you to know I meant what I wrote. I thought of you and missed you, every day-“

“Steve, you don’t have to--- I know that when you are on a mission it’s hundred percent and you have a huge responsibility and there’s no space for-“

Two fingers slid under your chin, carefully but effectively stopping your slightly self-deprecating but entirely true words from flowing; Steve’s eyes, suddenly incredibly serious, bore into yours.

“Every. Day. Do you believe me, love?”

A shudder rushed through your body, a shaky inhale expanding like a nebula inside your lungs, the single word, endearment and declaration in one, causing your heart to tremble with affection. You read no doubt but a speckle of distress in Steve’s widened pupils, making it seem as if he had left slipped something he might be sure of, but did not mean to reveal; and it made your own love for him grow tenfold, your eyes turning a little glassy.

You willed your lips to curl up in a smile, hands coming up to cradle his face, erasing the slightest flicker of panic in his features.

You kissed him on the lips, lightly, but with taste of a new emotion born out of his confession; a confession on your own.

“I do, love. I do.”

He kissed you back with a tender grin and this time, when hands began to roam and he laid you on the bed, they roamed in sync; they explored the galaxies and eternity written on your skin and his, your lips rewriting the stars so they would align to pave the journey you’d set on together.

You kissed him without shame and he reciprocated, every touch and every gaze a promise:

I’ll miss you, whenever I’ll go.

I’ll think of you, wherever I’ll be.

I’ll love you, whatever you and I are meant to be.

My Steve fics // All my fics

Thank you so much, Siri, for blessing me 🥺

No, I don't exist on sharing only thots when sent an ask, I WRITE 😂

Thank you, lovlies, for reading and potential feedback/reblogs and such 💕

Have yourself a lovely day/night ✨

[anika-ann]

Stella, love, you know how honoured I am to make it to this list and am humbled by all the kind things you have to say about my writing, here or in your comments1🥺❤

Thank you so much and know I adore you and your stories 💕

hi! saw your reblog about the “fanfics that have a permanent place in your heart” and i’m just curious about what are the fanfics that you keep in YOUR heart. (also sorry if you’ve been asked about your fav fanfics before haha). bc for centuries is certainly one of mine btw!!

Oh no worries, I don't recall being asked this and also I'm always happy to shower my fellow creators with praise they absolutely deserve!

So it's probably no surprise to anyone but the fic (series) that has captivated my heart most is the Star Trek AU by my dear best friend, soul sister, and beta reader StarfleetStgMgr. Her Star and Dove (AO3, Chris Pike/OFC, mostly explicit) is not only the best and most mind-blowing fix it I've ever read but also one of the best romances ever. She's amazing and I have no idea what kind of crossroads demon she bribed to get this good at writing.

She also has multiple amazing Steve Rogers/Reader fics and I recommend all of them but the one that has stayed in my heart most has to be Keeper, (AO3, Explicit) which is a great Halloween read by the way, if anyone is looking for that! It's a story about love, healing, and battles we all fight - and a Reader who takes... quite an interesting job and meets an interesting gentleman. Lots of mythology elements and some horror elements and again, amazing romance.

I love @anika-ann's Steve fics, so again, I'd like to recommend so many, but the ones that I think about on a weekly basis are Anika's takes on Medieval Knight Steve in her two series, In The Name Of Duty and The Witch and Her Knight (both Steve/Reader and ranging from T to Explicit between the fics in series). Anika's Steve characterization is beautiful, and she writes great team dynamics and has a knack for inventing very Avengers-like missions in her non-AU fics! Links lead to AO3 but she's also on tumblr.

I very rarely read Blip/Endgame fics but @darsynia's Ephemera (Steve Rogers/Reader, Explicit)is so absolutely beautiful and even though it's been a long time since I read it the first time, it has stayed in my heart.

Recently, I've been beta reading for my writer friend @wild-typo-turtle - her The Rings Of Power fic Threads (Gil-galad/OFC, Explicit) is incredible and I'm enjoying it tremendously. It has one of the best OFCs I've encountered ever and the romantic soulmate aspect of the Elves is so well done. I haven't watched The Rings Of Power but I love Tolkien and especially The Silmarillion, and it's been wonderful to enjoy this take on the Elvish society and the war against Sauron.

Another recent discovery that I've been enjoying a lot is @steviebbboi's Steve Rogers/OFC longfic Red, (Explicit) which has another awesome OFC character and very well-handled themes of complex emotions and trauma, and a lovely (right now) budding romance.

There are so many amazing fics in the world but I made myself limit to the reply to the ones that have had the most profound effect on me. I have a tag 'Stella Recommends' on my blog, where you can write more of the stuff I've enjoyed! Thank you for the lovely ask.

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

【Update on extended hiatus】

i published this on X/ Twitter and am sharing the same picture without any edits lol as a gist of the situation~ 🙇‍♀️

—

[aesterea]

which oc pairing of yours is the hands-down messiest, most toxic mess?

oh god, i have so many... (head in my hands)

the sorcerer and asteria always come to mind. breathtaking blend of toxic and messy. lovers and enemies operating on the scale of minor gods, always fighting for the upper hand in the most underhanded ways possible, each determined to destroy the other just so they can safely get closer, and so each terrified of the other because they know they'll destroy them if they let their guard down... i often picture them in a close embrace, straining to kiss above the knives they're holding at each other's throats. sigh. what a romance.

julie and julien are possibly the most horrific pairing of mine, but is it truly "toxic" if it's consensual? 🤔 actually, no... v and maia... i can't even talk about those two 😬 probably the one that disturbs ME the most to write, and that's really saying something. although v and anybody is... well. it's not healthy lmao

i've been cooking up a few newer wips featuring pairings colored by fantastic mindfuckery, but those are still underdeveloped, so i can't put them in competition against the AEC / NYX stuff yet

also, honorable mention to a certain pairing from C that easily wins "most codependent, sadomasochistic relationship i'll ever write" but only a handful of people get to know about it so 😉 hi mary :)

[naradivision]

“Happy Birthday!

I don’t know if this present will get to you in time, but I think it’s only fair I return the favor after the presents I got from you for my birthday a while back! I was told you wanted to speak with me but I haven’t gotten to meet with you since then! Do stop by my office, we can meet up and have a talk if you’re still up for it! Hope you had a great birthday!

Regards,

Anika Kiyozaki from Akihabara Division”

With a smile, Yuuya Kanata closed the letter that had been taped to the outside of the package that had just been delivered on his front doorstep.

Last he remembered, he had been curious about the uncanny similarity of his and Kiyozaki-san’s eyes. The package that was now sitting in his living room brought it back to his attention.

Shaking his head with a smile, he peered into the package that was delivered to him.

Inside was a—

…

What the heck?

Inside were multiple goose statues, the beaks being magnetic and able to hold various items such as keys, knives for the kitchen, and several more.

Let it be known that if there was anything the hypnotherapist of Akihabara loved, it was gag or prank gifts.

“Woah, look at what got here human! Are you going to adopt these lovely goosey goosey ganders?!”

Exclaiming excitedly at Anika’s presents was ANGE the high-definition digital girl who was now floating on Yuuya’s television screen.

And as if the previous awkward moment between them had never happened, she let out an airy giggle, drawing a soft smile from the birthday boy who was now busy bringing stuffs he got from townspeople into his living room.

“Goosey, you say? At first I thought they were ducks. But welp, these two birdies are way too similar. I can’t really differentiate them from one another.”

Joking a bit about the goose vs duck paradox, Yuuya was just returning home from his personal errand to deliver presents to other divisions.

Because much to one’s surprise, there were few acquaintances who were coincidentally sharing the same birthday with him. However, he didn’t expect the townsfolk to give him this many gifts during his way back home. It was always very nice of them; his hometown’s people, their hospitality had never failed to make him feel touched ever since he was a lot younger. And that was one of the reasons why he had tried so hard to keep his hometown unscathed from whoever’s exploitation.

Hot and humid, the first summer draft was slipping through the balcony and bringing along the warm and woody scent from his father’s room to his senses.

And even if today was meant to be the longest day of the year, now looked like the sun had been shifting lower and lower toward the horizon.

Suddenly swarmed by emotions, the birthday boy gazed at the distant evening sky that bore the same shade as his eyes.

…That’s right, his birthday used to be so lonely since he usually spent it alone mourning. But somehow this year was shaping up to be a bit different.

His smile softened as he could hear his chatty companion explored each of his presents with sparkling enthusiasm.

“Tee-hee, couldn’t believe that the meme ANGE stumbled upon on the internet one day would be actually brought to life! This lady you called Kiyozaki-san has got a great taste! Humans sure are being creative~”

—And well, he was glad to see her being back to her energetic self again.

Earlier she seemed to be oddly quiet that he felt somewhat frustrated she might be mad at him. Together with Ojou-chan, she had always been the liveliest voice in his home.

“Oh. And to think about it, Kiyozaki-san did tell me to give her a visit sometimes too. Hmmm, perhaps I should drop by her clinic whenever I get a chance to go around Akihabara…”

From what extent he knew about this Kiyozaki-san beside her being the leader of Pixel Syndicate was that she had been once a high-rise racer but now turning over to become a specific type of professional therapist after suffering grave injuries from a certain accident in her past. What’s more? She was also the current guardian figure to Setsukura-san, one of his underclassmen at his old school! So, that was probably why he could feel the mature-ish comforting vibe to her despite her rather mischievous streak judging from her choice of gifts.

And while there might be some barrier of communication in between them according to her partial loss of hearing, this couldn’t make him less interested in learning more about sign language.

Still, Kiyozaki-san’s motive in joining the D.R.B. remained quite unclear to him.

Though her background sounded like she was a fame seeker in the past, some part of him believed she was also exhausted with all that stuff as she had changed into her new career to help people, hence she might as well have another reason to sign in this suspicious tournament aside from seeking either its prize or glory… Actually, it would be a blatant lie that the majority of participants did join it without some kind of hidden agenda —He himself even had one of his own.

But if you ask him what about her that caught on his curiosity the most, the answer was undoubtedly her eyes: the sunset color, the unique scheme he had never seen anyone with this same shade so far except…

His sister, his nice and kind nee-san whom he had never seen in years

And damn it, before he could grasp a hold of his emotions, his sickening nostalgia began to striked up. He was well aware that Kiyozaki-san was obviously different person from his sister, yet she strongly reminded him of her.

His nice and kind nee-san… Just where are you now?

There were too many things he was always yearning to hear from her but sadly never got a chance to.

…How has she been up to this present? Is her new family being nice to her? Is city life that great compared to here? Is there anything she wants to tell him, her only little brother? Any story she would love to tell like she always does when they were young? Or literally, any, anything. Or at very least, he wanted to ask her if she perhaps got bored of his calls… Also, what about mom? Has she… even smiled more than when she was still with him?

A stream of feelings stirring up inside his chest, the sunset gleam in his eyes wavered like a fickle light dancing on the ripples. But before he got more indulged into his own turmoil, Yuuya sharply inhaled.

…Nah, just kidding, there was no time for him to be sad.

Thinking as such, the boy who had now grown older as a young man wiped the evidence of his emotions off the corner of his eyes and stood up.

…His clubmates had just called him that they were gonna throw a karaoke party for him this dinner. Hi-chan was also attending. That old man was probably not coming, but he was already grateful for him to keep his promise on sponsoring his education up to this present. And on top of everything, he was finally graduated and now was one step closer to his dream. Therefore, he should be happy. He had got to be. There was no way he wasn’t… He wasn’t a lonely little brother who was in need of some pampering anymore.

Suppressing his pathetic self deep down the bottom of his heart, Yuuya let out a long sigh. He still had a project needed to be done anyway, and yeah —This must be the best way to keep himself distracted for a while.

However, unbeknownst to him,

A pair of bright red eyes were kept watching after his back with a bewildered look…

—Thanks for the gifts! And sorry for getting late lmao

[undyingmedium]

~ cont. from here @apalestar

Taken aback by the aggressivity of the former teammate, Anika's eyes immediately turned ice cold. She held her breath back on purpose as he lifted her from the ground with such ease, unwilling to entertain him any further than he was already daring to. Her free hand found his wrist, which she held with all of her strength; repressed instincts were resurfacing all of a sudden, and for a moment she almost suspected the vampire could sense them crawling under her skin, threatening to rip it and lash out.

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, quietly gasping for air. When she raised her gaze, creatures were surrounding her. She observed each and every one of them baring their teeth, still without a movement; then, with a silent chuckle to herself, she stood up, with her magical jewels shining and the weapons out. Fine. The world wants my worst.

...

She laid on the floor, covered in slash marks, bites, blood. Ragged breaths made everyone aware that, despite everything, she was still holding on. A simple mage held little possibility to survive close encounters like that one alone, but she wasn't just anyone, fine with going without a fight; and her ghouls did a marvelous job at buying her enough time, give her enough space, while the wolves acted just as usefully under new command. She was still alive, even if barely, but that was more than enough. And while she pushed her upper body up, her fingers tightened around the handle of her dagger. When she glanced at it, her eyes glowed with the same green of the blade, and it readily reflected the glint back, enriching it with the depths of such a beautiful red...

Maybe the last lychantrope believed she was losing herself in those last moments of calmness before the inevitable, but oh, he was so wrong. The warlock suddenly turned with the knife up, her beloved Stillmaker, so that the enemy could throw himself right at it with his pounce. She stared at it arching above her, spilling blood all over, the poison doing its horrible work. A sharp laugh broke the silence, then another of her raining blasts opened the wound in his abdomen more and sent him flying away one last time.

Stumbling, she got back on her feet, surrounded by the chaos and rising as its source - embracing it. With that same mad grin, she addressed Astarion on the throne, the head tilted and her curls falling messily around her visage, but not enough to mask the murderous shine in her irises.

"Silly me. To think I was willing to give up my potential in the name of those who fought by my side. To think that I considered you, out of everyone, among the ones who could use a stronger shoulder to rely on." She opened her shaking arms in a theatrical guise.

"Have your last chance at calling me an idiot without consequences, ascended. Dominating the world is a hard road ahead. You just made yourself one more enemy."

[nev-valkyriesdottir]

🎶✨️when you get this, put 5 songs you actually listen to, then publish. Send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers 🎶✨️ no pressure!!

(hello! <3)

Noooo you know I actually wanted to send the ask to you but I already sent it to like 15 and not 10 and I didn't know if you would want this from me or if it was going to be weird for you to get that from me 😭😭

[sabohteurs]

' @fablelike → ARE YOU STILL A MIND READER? The expression she makes is answer enough, a pointed look directed toward the blonde as she tries hard not to accidentally glimpse her thoughts, the minds of others never something Anika wanted to delve into- There's enough freaks and fucked up people in the world for Nik to know that nothing could make her want that kind of power. She's already been subjected to the depravity of frat boys and the internal vocal leering of a professor next on her 'sacrifice to the Gods' list. The only good thing about it are the messages her sisters send her across campus. But even that's getting real old, real fast.

" I fucking hate it. " She complains bitterly, head falling back on the sofa as she groans aloud, palms of her hands pressing into her closed eyes as she tries to drown the voices out. " Did you know Michaela's girlfriend broke up with her this morning? She's plotting a murder-suicide literally as we speak. " Nik'd be more concerned about it if she didn't know the girl didn't have it in her ... YET. A little fantasising was good for you, in her opinion. God knows Anika's probably daydreamed about worse.

[bronzetomatoes]

Oh, I just thought your post was about how they wrote an abusive dynamic without acknowledging it was abusive, and wanted to bring up that Tommy did acknowledge it was abusive and that he wasn’t like, pretending otherwise. Not trying to contradict you or anything!

I still haven't a clue what post you're talking about, when was this from?

[3igbootyl0ver]

A New Face

pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader

summary: where the group of friends meet Chad's new roommate.

word count: 1737

Pt.2 | Pt.3 | Pt.4

a/n: heyyyyy this is my first ever fic I've written, don't mind it being cringy and I'm open to feedback teehee hope ya'll enjoy (p.s I'm new to this whole Tumblr thing cut me some slack 😭)

Chad has been trying to convince the core four to hangout at his apartment. He had been feeling lonely recently since Mindy and Anika had recently moved in together. 

It took him a few weeks to finally convince them into hanging out at his apartment. With Sam’s paranoia and busy work schedule, and the heavy workload for Tara,Mindy, and Anika in college, they were finally able to make the time and hangout. Plus, they could use a new scenery besides the Carpenter’s apartment, right?

That particular day they were supposed to meet up at Chad’s apartment, Tara was feeling under the weather, her finals for her college exam was killing her; And all she wanted to do was eat some greasy dough with sauce and meat while watching scary movies. 

“Hey guys! Come in, the pizza is getting delivered soon.” Chad exclaimed while hopping on his toes, feeling ecstatic since he hadn’t met them for a while. 

“What’s with you? you’re acting like a kid, dude.” Mindy commented, noticing her twin brothers’ gleamed faced and excitement. 

“Sorry, I’ve been lonely and I’m just glad we’re all together again. THE CORE FOUR! And Anika, of course.” 

“Didn’t you put up an online ad for a roommate? Where are they?”

“You don’t learn, do you?” Sam added, frowning with Chad’s method of calling in someone to fill in the extra room. 

Chad abashedly chuckled, and lowered his head, his cheeks burning up from embarrassment. It was Sam, who wouldn’t be scared?

“My roommate is cool! They’re out for work and should be here soon. They’re not a psychotic serial killer, I promise.”

Sam was skeptical, rightfully so. Meanwhile, Tara was sat on the couch, with her legs on the coffee table while scrolling through the tv to find a movie to watch. She couldn’t bother joining in on the conversation. She felt mentally exhausted from her exams and just wanted a day’s rest. 

After a while, the group was playing card games while eating their pizzas and watching movies. 

“That’s not fair Mindy! Stop giving me all the +4 cards!” Tara shrieked, feeling frustrated after getting the card that made her double the number of cards she had at least 4 times, making her chances of winning low.

“Whatever you big baby. Just admit that you suck in uno,” Mindy responded, smirking triumphantly while raising her voice

Tara rolled her eyes, not accepting her defeat and continued arguing with Mindy, with the rest watching amused by the entertainment. Unsurprisingly , Tara lost after Mindy getting rid of her cards before her. She couldn’t get rid of her cards with the suspicious amounts of +4 cards Mindy had. 

“Uno! Looks like I win, LOSER!”

“How about I shove this uno cards up your a-“

Tara’s reply was interrupted by the front door opening, revealing you carrying your backpack on your shoulders and your motorcycle helmet hanging off your hand (which peaked Tara’s interest, of course.) You looked tired, with dark circles under your eye, wearing your hoodie and sweatpants. 

Even so, Tara still thought you were the most beautiful human being she had ever seen. She was practically having heart eyes and drooling at this point, with Mindy noticing her stare and grinning cheekily. 

“What’s up dude. Tough day at work?” Chad commented, trying to create a conversation. 

“You know it, man” you softly chuckled while locking the door. 

“Anyways, my friends are gonna be here for a while. I hope you don’t mind,”

“Not at all, I’m probably just going to take a nap anyways,” you replied, finally looking at the group of people staring you. 

Mindy gave you a nod, already knowing who you were from her brother. Anika smiled and waved at you, which you responded by giving a soft smile back. Sam was staring you down, which made you uncomfortable and creeped out but ignored her action. Tara was well, staring at you? But not how Sam stared at you, she had a blank look on her face. 

Once you left and went into the hallway to your room, Mindy decided make a certain Carpenter’s life a living hell. 

“Tara, are you blushing right now? I didn’t know you had a type” she teased

“Shut up, Mindy. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You guys don’t find her suspicious? Seriously?” Sam commented, wondering why they weren’t skeptical like they usually were when there was new people around. 

It wasn’t new, after the incident of Ghostface, they all had their guards up, scared to open up to new people, to new faces. 

“They’re nice, I promise. How about I call them out so you guys can get to know them? They’re Y/N, by the way” Chad suggested, trying to convince them (especially Sam) to get to know you better before jumping into conclusions that you were a serial killer. 

All of them collectively agreed, with Tara nodding with a slight tint on her cheeks. Chad went up to your room and called you out, suggesting that you should hang out with them. Tara assumed it went well, as Chad grinned toothily and walked away. 

You’ve really peaked her interest. She didn’t know she had a type. The people she had dated before didn’t really cast a spark on her.  She didn’t feel happy or enjoyed her time during those relationships. It felt like she was the problem, however the thought was down the drain after going to a few therapy sessions with Sam after the Ghostface incident. Through the sessions, Tara found out that she didn’t feel happy through the lack of trust and being paranoid that her partner would be a killer. That’s understandable, it’s not everyday that your (ex) girlfriend tries to murder you. 

However after seeing you for 10 seconds, her mind was clouded by you. She noticed that you were as tall as Chad and probably plays sports too, based on your physique. All she thought of was finding out more about you.  Do you study in Blackmore? What bike do you own? Do you prefer cats or dogs? Did you find her cute?

‘Come on, Tara. Get it together.’ She reminded herself  after that embarrassing thought. 

When she saw you come out with the same sweatpants, but with a black t-shirt that showed off your arm sleeve tattoo on your left arm, she was practically drooling. You looked hot as fuck. 

“Hey guys, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Y/N”

“I’m Tara,” she quickly replied, seeing Mindy and Anika grinning at each other with a knowing look from her peripheral vision. 

You gave a smile. You looked cute. You had that cute ass dimples no one could ever resist, Tara thought. You might be the death of her. 

The group settled down and decided to watch a movie, you sat the end of the couch while waiting for the movie to start. Mindy, being an (alleged) amazing wingman she is, literally forced Tara into sitting beside you by pushing her. She sat on the couch with a sigh, annoyed at Mindy’s antics and rolled her eyes. Sam was just giggling at the other side of the couch. 

As much as Sam didn’t trust you, she was glad that Tara could act like a normal teenager again. After multiple therapy sessions, she gave Tara a little bit of more freedom and let her make her own decisions, even if it’s distasteful to her. That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t tase someone in the balls again, though. 

You mistakenly thought the sigh Tara gave out was because she had to sit beside you. You had known about what happened to their group from Chad, after he poured his heart out when he was blackout drunk. You understood the group of friends can be lack trust and be suspicious of new people. 

“Sorry, did you want to sit with someone else? I can sit on the floor if you want-“

“No! I mean it’s okay, I don’t mind sitting with you,” Tara replied with a heavy tint on her cheeks, embarrassed at her sudden reaction. 

Throughout the movie, you were munching on your pizza, oblivious to the amount of times Tara took glances at you while trying to think of topics to create a conversation with you. 

“So..How do you find the movie?” Tara questioned you, trying to get to know you a little bit better. 

“It’s alright, though I prefer other scary movies. I definitely do have favourites.”

“Oh, what’s your favourite horror film?”

“I absolutely love The Babadook, it’s amazing because I..” Any words that you uttered out of that beautiful mouth of yours disappeared. The universe must be sending a sign, she needs you badly. There’s no way Chad’s super cute, hot roommate would coincidentally like The Babadook, Tara thought 

“Blah, blah, blah, proper name, place name, backstory stuff..” was all she could hear. 

You on the other hand, only saw Tara staring at you blankly while she had her own inner turmoil and crisis.

“Uh, Tara..? You alright there?” you chuckled awkwardly.

“What? Oh, yeah sorry. I love The Babadook too! What’s your favourite scene?” Tara smoothly taught of a way to continue the conversation, silently cheering for herself. 

It took you both 2 horror films and a shared bag of popcorn to exchange numbers. Tara was secretly cheering in ecstasy of course. She would’ve jumped around and start dancing if she could. It was already close to midnight, and Sam decided that they should go back home before it’s too late to catch the last train.  Tara was devastated, she wished that she could’ve spent more time with you. 

“Soo, I’ll see you next time then? It was nice seeing you.” You initiated a conversation, seeing that Tara was pouting at Sam while trying to convince her into staying a little while longer

“Y-Yeah, see you. We should continue our horror fanatic activities again,” She chuckled, trying to prolong the moment. You nodded your head, giving her a soft smile while leading her, Sam, and the couple out of the apartment, since Chad was knocked out and asleep.

You took your last goodbyes with the group, even giving Sam a small wave, before closing the door. 

In the elevator, all Anika, Mindy and even Sam did was tease her on how red and lovestruck she looked. She didn’t pay any mind to it, all she could ever think of was you. 

[shdysders]

mistake

pairing: tara carpenter & female reader

summary: in which tara makes a mistake she can't undo

word count: 3.4k

warnings: violence, blood, stabbing, blood & death.

author’s note: feel like my writing is deteriorating, so sorry this might not be the greatest.

When you heard that Mindy and Ethan had been separated from the rest of the group, you immediately knew nothing was going to go according to the plan.

Everything had happened so fast. First accusation news about Sam had streamed on television, then Quinn's bloody corpse had fallen on top of you, then Anika wasn't able to make it across the latter, her bloody hands and Ghostface's shaking had made her slip. You had lost two of your friends in less than fifteen minutes.

You hadn't heard of the killings in Woodsboro until you had met Tara the first day of junior year, but she made sure to tell you everything that had happened the closer the two of you got.

Based on everything you had heard, you understood why Sam was so protective over Tara, the Carpenter sisters had been through more than normal people have in a lifetime.

However, even though you were nothing but nice and understanding towards Sam, she didn't seem to like you.

The first time Tara had brought you home to the apartment, Sam had kept a burning gaze on you for the whole time, like she wanted to burn you alive.

You thought that she would warm up and eventually trust you like she seemed to do with Anika, Quinn and Ethan, but she never did.

And it only got worse once Tara had called you her girlfriend in front of her, a huge disagreement broke out, so big that Sam had sent you out of the apartment.

You never got to know what Sam had said after that, but you did know that the glares you got from Sam only worsened and so did the small comments she would make about you when she thought you didn't hear.

Such as now, when Sam and Tara were walking in front of you, the theater being the destination. You had this gut feeling that Sam was currently talking about you. You just knew she was, even tho you couldn't hear her voice nor did you see her head moving like it normally did when she spoke, you knew.

But your mind changed thoughts when she rapidly turned on her heel, stopping when she was in front of Danny who had been walking closely behind you, alongside Kirby.

"Not you." She said, her voice cracking.

"What?" He answered almost immediately, like he had been expecting it.

"Don't trust anyone remember?" Sam replied.

You watched the scene with worried eyes, what Sam said reminded you way too much of something she had told Tara when she thought you weren't near. "We don't know you.. not really."

His face expression looked hurt, almost taken aback when Sam spoke. "You know me."

"You're not Woodsboro." She spoke quickly, rage lacing her voice.

Tara looked down at her shoes after that was said, her lips finding a home between her teeth. You knew she was scared, because you were as well. You had no idea how things were going to go down, you had never experienced something as brutal like this before.

You were seconds away from putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, before she looked up at you with tears pricking her eyes.

"That goes for you too." She swallows thickly, trying her hardest to look into your eyes.

You furrowed your eyebrows, panic rising through you. "W-what?" Your voice came out as a stutter, not believing what she had just made it's way out of her mouth.

Tara just nodded unsurely, her eyes looked sad and were filled with doubt. You couldn't understand why. If she was sad about it, why would she say it?

"Tara I- you can't be serious." You spoke again, voice growing shakier by the minute.

She knew very well how terrified you were about the situation as it was, and yet she still chose to leave you out of the plan alongside Sam's unknown fuck buddy? If it didn't make you shake out of fear you would've been infuriated.

"You're not Woodsboro." She stated, same thing as her sister but in a different tone, she'd tried to sound calm, but her voice was filled with uncertainty, shaky with worry.

You knew she was right. You weren't Woodsboro. You had never been to the place nor did you knew it existed before Tara came along. But the fact that she didn't trust you enough to know for certain that you weren't Ghostface, made you feel the need to fall apart. Did she really think you would kill your friends? Let alone hurt them?

The thought made your eyes sting, and before you had the chance to wipe the tears away, they fell.

"Tara please I promise I-" You felt embarrassed, being so vulnerable over basically nothing.

All eyes were on you as you tried to keep the tears from falling, you felt ridiculous. But you were terrified.

You couldn't stand the thought of being left alone in this situation. Not only because you were scared of being alone, but also because you had to protect Tara.

Although you knew Sam would do a perfectly fine job of keeping her safe, but you wanted to do it, you had to. You wanted to prove to Sam that you loved Tara almost the same amount as she did, you wanted to prove to Tara she could trust you with her life.

You could see that Tara wanted to give in, tell you that you could come along and that she trusted you with her whole being. Her eyes were filled with regret and doubt. But you could tell that she wasn't going to change her mind anytime soon.

She just watched you, biting her lips hard enough to draw blood. Seeing the look on your face just made her want to squeeze you in a hug hard enough to make you faint.

You looked so scared, and the fact that she knew how scared you were about the whole situation, made everything worse. She had noticed the terrified look on your face that hadn't left since the attack at the apartment, your trembling hands and the layer of tears in your eyes that never fell.

Tara actually thought that you looked more scared than both Sam and her combined.

"Y/n please just stay here." She tried to reason, as if she wanted this. But she did want it. She wanted you to be safe.

You wanted to argue, tell her that you would refuse to come along. But you knew that you wouldn't get anywhere with it, Tara was stubborn, she always got what she wanted somehow. And you didn't want Sam to see you argue with Tara, that certainly wouldn't help you get on better terms with her.

So you gave in, even though you knew Tara's life was at stake. Sam will take care of her, you tried to tell yourself.

You quickly wiped the tears on your cheeks with your hand, even though everybody had already seen them.

Tara's eyes never left your figure as she watched your trembling hands. "Fine." You almost spit, voice cracking with worry.

Tara nodded at that, happy to hear you give in. You didn't pay attention to anybody's reaction other than hers, they didn't seem to matter.

She walked closer to you, placing a kiss on your faintly tear stained cheek. "Be safe." She said, as if she wasn't the one that was about to walk into a situation that she would either leave traumatized or not leave at all.

"Be safe." You repeated, before you watched them all walk away towards the building.

Seeing as Sam turned her head to Tara and whispered 'good call', as they walked away.

But when you turned around to try and make a decent conversation with Danny, he was nowhere in sight. Making even more worry creep in your bones.

***

You had been pacing around in the same place and pattern for 20 minutes without any progress, Danny was gone, and your phone was dead.

The streets where dead and empty.

You had half a mind to just run to the theaters and do the exact opposite of what Tara had instructed you to. But you knew well enough that both of the Carpenter sisters would quite literally murder you if you stepped a foot into their plan.

But eventually the worry and stress got to you, like it always did. You didn't care if you were going to get murdered whether if it were by Tara or Ghostface, if it was for protecting Tara, it was a good reason.

However, before you had the chance to change your mind or consider the other options, a glove-covered hand landed on your face, covering your mouth tightly.

The yelp and screams you tried to make was inaudible, nobody could hear them.

You felt a surge of fear and panic, unable to hear your own scream. The street grew eerily silent as you struggled to break free, your heart pounding in your chest. Rush of intense vulnerability and confusion, as you desperately searched for a way to escape the grasp of the unknown assailant.

But you knew who it was. It was Ghostface.

You tried to kick them with your legs, but none of them seemed to hit. The person was holding a strong grip on your mouth, and the other arm was firmly placed around your waist. You were unable to move out of any of the grips, the person was too strong. And you weren't.

Your panic was making it harder to breath, and you were beginning to feel as if you were about to faint any second.

You tried your best to remove the grip with your hands, gripping hardly on the muscular arms, trying so hard to get them away from you.

The tightened arms had veins all over them, yet another reminder that it was impossible for you to get away.

It was Danny, you tried to tell yourself over the ringing in your ears. It had to be Danny. He had left the second you were alone with him. It had to be him.

Muffled screams and ringing ears were the only noises you could make out. If the person behind you was speaking in a voice changer to you or not, you had no idea.

The panic you felt was replaced with relief when the thought of using your elbow to hit the individual behind you entered your mind.

But you never got the chance to do that.

Seconds before your elbow was about to meet the Ghostface mask, you felt a sharp pain in your lower abdomen.

All of the movements you were making stopped the second you realized what it was.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Seven times you could feel the sharp piece of metal enter and exit your abdomen. A gasp escaped your mouth after every single one of them.

You tried to scream, but nobody was around. Your wide eyes scanned through the street, yet again seeing that nobody was there. It was all empty.

Normally the streets of New York would be filled with drunk teenagers and late night workers, whether it was night or afternoon.

But when the news about the killers got out, everybody stayed inside. Some people didn't even bother to leave for work, and of course no parties. Even the homeless people seemed to have found another place to stay at.

You didn't realize that numbness was spreading through your legs until the potential male had slowly began to loosen the grip he had on your figure.

Before you had time to think, he had completely let go.

Suddenly you felt dizzy, you couldn't feel your feet, you couldn't feel your legs, you couldn't feel anything.

You could barely feel your legs giving up, nor did you feel your body hitting the ground as you tried to cover up the damage that had been made on your lower stomach.

Regardless the sharp pain in your body that almost made it impossible to breathe and the dizziness that got worse every time you moved, you tried to crawl towards the fence that was just centimeters away.

Your hands bloody from trying to add pressure to your wounds made trails on the asphalt.

You couldn’t tell if you had placed your hands on the right place, considering that the stab wounds were all over the place. And you didn't even dare to look down, because you could guarantee that it wouldn't be a pleasant sight.

Your eyes were starting to close by themselves and you were struggling to keep them open.

Everything hurt.

The pressure you were putting on the wounds was now becoming lighter, your hands didn't seem to have any strength left in them.

Tara would be here soon, you thought, desperately.

She would be here soon, everything would be okay; no more Ghostface attacks, no more Sam hating you, and no more unexpected death cases of your friends.

Your mind focused on Tara.

Her brown hair, her beautiful brown eyes, her dimples and her breathtaking smile. Her voice, her touch, and her joyful laugh.

Your eyes closed, and this time you couldn't stop them. The pressure on your wounds was no longer existent. The color in you was gone. You were gone.

Last thought being the girl you wanted to marry.

***

Tara left the building with a lump in her stomach, as big as a bowling ball.

Her body was filled with worry and guilt, but a part of her felt relief. She was relieved that everything was over now. No more Ghostfaces. She was done with them, truly.

Tara couldn't wait to see you. She was going to tell you that the decision she made was right, that she was happy you stayed behind, because you stayed safe.

But when Danny had walked into the theater, tackling all kinds of officer in his way, he was all alone. You weren't there, you didn't come with him.

Danny told them that the two of you had lost sight of each other rather quickly after they'd left, that you probably just needed to be alone and breathe for a moment.

Tara knew that you would be upset with her, for not allowing you to come with them, for not letting you protect her, like you always told her you would, even if it meant dying.

Although she had hoped for you to at least come to see if she made it out alive.

Danny had called the cops and ambulance to arrive at the place as soon as he got the chance. That's why the only thing in Tara's sight was ambulances, police cars and the fire department.

Chad had miraculously made it out alive, same with Mindy and Kirby. And even though that made Tara want to cry out in happy tears, she couldn't let herself feel anything until she had seen you.

Safe and secure. Like you should've been.

Panic began to rise within Tara as minutes passed without any sight of you.

Sam stood beside her, trying to sooth her younger sister with comforting words. But they didn't make anything better for her.

After the whole showdown, the two Carpenter sister's had talked, really talked.

Sam had tried to explain to Tara that she didn't actually hate you, the opposite really. She thought you were lovely and a perfect match for Tara. But she didn't want to take any risks.

She wanted to show you the walls to her trust weren't easy to break. And then she thought that if she acted rude towards you, you would eventually leave; meaning there was no need for Sam to let her guard down and open up to people she didn't know.

But Sam knew how much Tara loved you, she had been listening to her sister's rambling about you everyday.

That's why Sam could feel her heart sinking down her entire being when her eyes met with a stretcher where a body was placed, a morgue sheet on top of it, which was filled with blood.

Sam prayed that it was somebody else. That you had walked somewhere else to breathe just like Danny had assumed.

She felt the need to distract Tara before she had the chance to see it, but it was too late.

She had already seen it.

Tara screamed out your name in a sob, straight away assuming that you were the person underneath the white cover.

The woman who had been pushing the stretcher had stopped, turning around to try and give the man behind her any sort of information about the deceased individual.

Tara's legs moved faster than she could process, Sam following shortly after.

Heart pounding, hands trembling. With a swift of motion, she grabbed the edge of the wrap and pulled it upward, revealing your pale and peaceful face.

The vibrant hues that once painted your face were now gone, leaving behind a pale and ghostly visage. The colors had been drained from you, you no longer looked like yourself.

Tara could feel herself gasp loudly at the sight, turning around with a hand placed on her mouth.

A surge of sickness overwhelmed her. A gut-wrenching sensation, as if her stomach was about to revolt. She felt like she was on the verge of throwing up, basically feeling the acidic liquids rise within her.

It was you. Her girl. Dead. Gone.

Sam had the same reaction to the sight, gasping and putting her hand on her mouth, preventing from letting out any tears or sounds. Chills running down her spine.

Stop it. Pull it together. Tara. Tara needs you. Sam told herself.

Gaze shifting from your body and the bloody sheet upon you to her younger sister, who was sobbing beside her, about to fall down to her knees.

But when Sam put a hand on Tara's shoulder, she stood straighter. "No!" She shot up, voice raspy.

She looked at you again, but this time not caring for the feeling inside of her throat that threatened her. "She's not dead." Tara spoke again, trying to convince herself that you were alive, that she could save you.

"Tara-" Sam tried, but Tara had no interest in listening to her sister.

"Y/n. Baby, look at me." Tara gently brushed her fingertips against your cheeks, but quickly pulled away when she felt the chill that pierced through her body, for they were once a source of warmth and comfort, now distant and cold.

You were always warm.

The tears streamed down Tara's face, leaving even more mascara smudges on her cheeks, falling and leaving marks on her blue shirt. The shirt that you had gotten her.

"Sam, Come on! help me please" She begged for her big sister's help, still hoping that you could be saved.

At that sentence, the woman who had pushed you turned around, she seemed to have heard Tara's pleads and begs, filled with hope, wishing that you were alive. "Oh honey, this girl has been deceased for over an hour...we can't save her."

The woman spoke apologetically and looked at Tara with sorrowed eyes. "I'm so sorry." She ended. Tara was about to scream at the lady, yell at her and tell them to at least try, you weren't gone. There was no way.

But before Tara got the chance to argue, Sam had pulled her into her chest, embracing Tara with a hug. And at that, Tara broke.

The sobs left her mouth faster than she could take them in, she didn't have any space to breathe.

"She's gone." She cried, her tears staining the older woman's shirt. "And I wasn't there to help her." Tara rambled, talking rapidly before the next sob would escape.

Sam didn't know what to say. She just stroke her younger sister's hair, trying to soothe her sobs.

She had never seen Tara this vulnerable and emotionally ruined, not even when she had reunited with Tara at the hospital the previous year.

Tara's body shook violently as each sob left her mouth.

It was a mistake. It was all a mistake.

Tara had been so confident with her decision only minutes before. She thought she had made the right move.

But it turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

A mistake she couldn't take back, and had to live with for the rest of her time alive.

[anika-ann]

For the made up fic title game: counting daisies

Thank you, dear💕

From this game in which, DEAR BRAIN, we should describe a plot that comes to our mind when we see the suggested title ✨

Brain: okay, gotcha, here's a 700-word drabble with literal daisies

...well, and there IS. Slice of life, TONS of fluff and silliness.

Counting Daisies

Warnings: alcohol consumption and mention of very long festivities

“Loves me… loves me not…”

The breeze carried the soft sound of music from the cabin, falling on deaf ears as you continued to meticulously mutter under your breath, peeling off one daisy petal after another.

“Loves me… loves me not…”

The dead of the night was slowly lifting; but the meadow you had lied on to escape the festivities for a moment – even as they were for you – never seemed more alive, lit up by the first peeks of sunrays, glistening on the grass and flowers.

“Loves me… loves me not…”

Your vision was a little blurry, the champagne having gone to your head a little, your feet hurting from having danced so much; you had discarded your heels a long time ago, the pair of flats abandoned on the deck of the cabin too.

“Loves me… loves me not…”

You had walked barefoot here, the grass and late spring morning dew tickling your skin, the hem of your dress growing darker as you dragged it through the damp grass; the earth wasn’t all that cold, but pleasantly refreshing to lie on.

“Loves me… loves me not…”

You could feel the tiny drops of morning dew continue to fall into your hair, seeping into your burning skin, the sensation bringing a silly smile to your lips; or perhaps that was the alcohol and the warm feeling in your chest.

“Loves me… loves me not… Loves me—dammit!”

 You huffed, staring at the daisy with a frown, your heart skipping a frustrated beat.

“What is it?” sounded the voice above you, the amused note in it causing you to huff again and pout, showing off the daisy – now with the worst possible number of petals for you. You would get the wrong result, for sure. “Uh huh… I see. I think you peeled off two petals at some point.”

You frowned harder, shifting in your position, the grass suddenly colder under your back, a little unpleasant in comparison to the soft pillow made of Steve’s thighs under your head.

You met his sparkling gaze, your breath catching for a moment; he looked magnificent. Slightly ruddy cheeks illuminated by the early sun making his hair into a warm halo, soft if amused gaze observing you with adoration, his bowtie undone and hanging off his neck, drawing your attention to the column of his throat, to the loosened buttons. He had changed from his old uniform and you were grateful; as handsome as he had looked in it, he was also gorgeous in a suit. And his reasoning behind the change of clothes made your heart melt.

'I don’t want to live in and keep comparing to the past. I think today is just another proof that the future is much more important. I can’t wait to live it… especially after today.'

Your smile turned dreamy at the memory of his confession, the familiar sting of tears burning in your eyes for a moment.

And then you remembered. The daisy. That damn daisy.

“You’re just saying that,” you protested, sighing, all too aware you were being dramatic.

“Am I now?”

He leaned to his left for a bit, taking a fresh daisy, twirling it between his fingers with a grin.

“Yes! You would!... Now I have to start again.”

You reached for the daisy, only to have it pulled out of your reach, Steve’s smile widening as your eyebrow rose in question.

“Or...” he suggested lowly, leaning forward, filling all your vision as his face neared yours dangerously, his nose lightly bumping yours, “you could just ask me, sweetheart.”

Before you could protest – as if – his lips gently landed on yours, sweetness and love indeed pouring from the tender kiss, his fingers carding through your hair. You reached for his cheek, stroking over his cheekbone, leaning into his affection with a dopey smile forming on your lips.

“I love you, Mrs. Rogers,” he whispered to your lips before he pecked them one more time, retreating and weaving the daisy he had picked into your hair. “Beautiful.”

“You too. And you taste like happiness and champagne.”

Steve chuckled, your words having left you in a daze registering in your brain, causing you to join him.

“I think I’m a little drunk on both. And on you,” you admitted, earning a kiss to your forehead this time, lingering with tenderness.

“I think we both are.”

Dropping the deceptive flower from your hand, you took Steve’s left hand, interlacing your fingers, the rings adorning your hands not longer than twelve hours making a soft clinking noise, your and Steve’s smile growing wider – and full of love despite whatever a random daisy claimed.

“But I think we earned it, Mr. Rogers.”

-🌼💍🌼-

Welp, this happened 😅Hope you enjoyed 🥰 Especially @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory since this is on her 🤭💕

[nouvxllev]

skill issues

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x G!p!Reader

Summary: in which you got reeled into a bandwagon of a fps game by mindy, anika, and chad.

Words: 2.6k

Warnings: smut. just pure smut.

a/n: i just love the idea of tara carpenter being a clingy partner (also my first time writing just a chapter full of smut.)

masterlist.

The clock ticked midnight. Probably even pass that. Actually, you didn't know anymore. Whatever was on your mind was completely erased and replaced by tiny pixels moving in your screen.

Ever since you've joined Tara's friend group, you've also been reeled into a bunch of activities they do on a daily basis. To binge watching scary movies you've begged them not to drag you in, to playing games they recommended to you.

You regret participating in the latter.

It's not like you were having fun, hell, you were having too much fun with this simple FPS mobile game they pulled you in, but the deep dark circles under your eyes were starting to show and you don't really eat anything except for the meals Tara cooks for you. Which are greatly appreciated by a kiss.

"Y/n, what the fuck!? I told you to cover me!" Mindy yelled over your headphones. Actually, it was Tara's headphones desperately lent over to you after days of quiet shouting that didn't really help.

You crouched in reply, knowing Mindy was spectating your character.

You killed, not one, not two, not even four people, but six at once in a group! 3 headshots and 3 body kills. You were pretty proud of yourself, honestly. You just started the game a few weeks ago and you're only getting better and better, you wanted to brag to Tara but she was fast asleep beside you. She was always beside you whenever you play those games with the group, cuddling you as you hold your phone up in the air, but she always ends up falling asleep when you do.

Chad laughs over his mic, "damn, we should've invited Y/n a long time ago. She's good at this game."

You laugh in response, bringing your voice to a whisper. "Even I didn't know I had this in me."

Ever since you and Tara finally made it official, you packed your things and said good riddance to your home and lived together with Tara. It was unexpected, even she was surprised by the spontaneous decision, but the two of you were happy in paradise. Not until you got dragged into the whole 'gaming with those two dipshits™ (by Tara Carpenter, of course.)'

"Anika—! Anika—Wait, shit Anika!" You scream, regrettably, while shooting the opposing team down. Obviously, the luck you had earlier had worn out and you were now staring down at your dead character, groaning.

"I didn't know they were there!" Anika apologized.

"Skill issue." Mindy chimed, you could tell she was leaning back in her chair, looking smug.

"Definitely." Chad blurted, a huff of air he let out.

You rolled your eyes. "Those who didn't carry the team with their 6-kill streak should actually shut up." You went back to the home screen after gg'ing the other team

"Another round?" You exclaimed, and the others cheerfully agreed in the background.

You forgot, for a split second, you were beside one of the most lightest sleepers in the world; your marvelous girlfriend Tara Carpenter. Someone could breathe in her vicinity and she'd almost immediately wake up. Which is why she's staring you down, burning holes in your neck, unimpressed look on her face.

"Y/n," she groaned, "I thought you'd be done by now."

You turned to look at her, and you could only hope it was the darkness fooling your eyes since Tara looked like she was about to scream if not for her reminding herself that you were her girlfriend.

You muted your mic, "One more round, I promise."

"You always say that." She whispered, her arms wrapping around your waist as you were sitting up and you almost melted in her arms, a sigh you let out.

You let your other hand let go of your phone and let your hand relax on her head, soothing her worries of you being on the verge of being one of those mentally unstable gamers who discarded their whole entire life.

Tara was still awake, you could tell by how she tilted her head slightly to look up at you and back to whatever game it is you were so engrossed in.

It was only a few seconds later before Mindy, Anika, and Chad were screaming into the mic and telling eachother to "defend, defend, defend!" or just curse at eachother.

And you, of course, was just resting in paradise while your girlfriend watches over you with half-lidded eyes. But you could tell she was trying to be awake.

You were getting into that headspace where your luck with getting kills increased, and damn were you so happy you could basically convince yourself you were the next top player at this game.

That was until you fumbled over a sniper shot, your finger slipping and your character dying. Your friends were yelling, laughing, but you couldn't focus. Not when Tara's hand was placed firmly on top of your cock.

You froze in place, your eyes, not focused on the screen anymore, but focused on somewhere in the darkness of your room. Her fingers tracing lazy circles around your clothed bulge, only getting larger the more she teases you.

You muted your mic, your hands clutching your phone as you suck in a moan. "Tara, wait, I'm—"

"—Playing?" She finished, looking up at you with her doe-eyes you knew you could never resist. "I'm sure you can play perfectly fine." She replied, her fingers sliding into the waistband of your shorts. You ultimately regretting, and thanking, that you weren't wearing anything underneath.

You were big, you haven't measured it yourself, but Tara worshipped it like it was (and is) so that was enough for confirmation. The tip of your cock was immediately leaking with pre-cum, and it didn't help when Tara kept stroking it, taking her time to graze her thumb along the head.

"Aren't you going to continue playing?" She looked at you, doe eyes and all as if she wasn't giving you the most perfect and maddening handjob you've ever received.

There was something in her voice, something that made you go fucking insane. And something that made you click that respawn button, playing it off as if nothing was happening down below.

You were desperately trying to get a kill, the amount of times you've pressed that damn respawn button was embarrassing. But how could you focus when the most prettiest girl was wrapping her warm lips around the tip of your dick, her hands taking care of the inches that wasn't in her mouth. Yet.

She removed her mouth away from your cock, a soft whine escaping your lips at the loss of contact, but then she adjusted her position. Her body going in between your thighs as she spreads them apart.

You almost, almost, went to heaven when she immediately reattached her soft lips to your dick and slowly started to go deeper.

It was almost pathetic how your hips bucked and your head was thrown back, your eyes rolling in pleasure.

And only a few seconds passed until she was bobbing her head up and down on your cock, her free hand tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Fuck, that turned you on even more.

You contemplated throwing the game, hell, even your phone, but Tara dug her perfectly manicured nails into your thighs when you were starting to put your phone down.

"Y/n, you're getting out of your game!"

"Noticed."

"I bet 20 bucks she's getting laid by Tara, right now."

The three of them, in order, Chad, Anika, and Mindy all teasing you for getting your dick sucked in the middle of the game. But you didn't care, at all. You didn't have enough trust in yourself to unmute and to deny all sayings, that were 100% true by the way, without having to hold back a moan.

"Fuck, Tara..." You manage to say in a whimper, your hand, which was supposed to be playing the game, was grabbing a handful of Tara's hair. Helping her take in what's left of you, and soon enough, her nose reached your chest, gagging a little bit in the process.

You were going crazy.

It was then you couldn't take it anymore. You grabbed her hair, a bit more forcefully, and started to shove yourself back and forth into her mouth. Your hips bucking and gradually getting speed. You could see how her eyes and jaw widened to take more of you. Spit and pre-cum dripping all over her mouth as she looked at you, tears staining her eyes while she closed them whenever she hit the base, gagging all over your cock.

You can feel your legs begin to shake, your head throwing back and your eyes rolling. But that didn't stop you from absolutely railing Tara's mouth against your dick until you've emptied yourself inside of her, forcing her to swallow all of your load.

A minute passed before you slowed down your movements, pulling an exhausted Tara out of your cock. She looked at you dumb, your own cum smeared all over her lips as a grin adorned her abused lips.

"I guess we can say I'm better than that stupid game you're always playing." She rasped, her voice hoarse.

"You did this because you were... jealous of me playing a game?" You chuckled, clearly out of breath. It was cute if you weren't so turned on by the fact Tara was looking at you like that.

She brought her hand up to her mouth, wiping away the excess cum with her thumb and licking it off. "I just wanted to tease you, baby."

You thought that was the end of it, not until Tara threw your phone and headphones away and started to climb on top of you, your still hardened cock right on top of her clit. You didn't even notice she wasn't wearing anything underneath as well until now.

"I'll get you a new one—" she breathed, "I promise. Just, please." She whimpered, god, fuck, you were going insane. "Just fuck me."

And that was everything you needed you hear.

You immediately flipped her around, "Y/n, what the FUCK!—" she screamed as you drilled your cock into her, your hips pulling out your dick and fully slamming it back into her pussy. A broken moan coming out of her lips.

"Shit... Tara, you're driving me crazy." Was all you could mutter before you went faster, your hands going to her hips to hold her steady, and your eyes were focused on your cock easily sliding in and out of her puffy folds, taking all of you at once while Tara could only moan, a new freshly coat of cum taking over your dick.

The way she squeezed around you, milking your cock for all it's worth, made you dizzy and your head start to spin. But that didn't stop you from completely destroying her bit by bit, aiming to break her down.

You pulled her closer to you, your hands going up to her shoulders and aggressively ramming her body against your shaft as if it wasn't so deep enough already. Tara couldn't say, mutter, or even speak a single sentence at this point.

You were fucking her dumb, and shit you loved it.

Your hands slithered up from her shoulders to her neck, lightly choking her before turning her head to you.

"You're so pretty like this, baby. So gorgeous and perfect." You muttered in her ear, every word coming to a hard thrust as Tara's mouth opened, attempting to say something but only coming out as a pathetic moan. "You wanna be fucked like a slut? Be fucked dumb out of your mind?"

Sliding your hands on her back, you pressed down firmly to create the perfect arch as her head was buried into the soft mattress, her hands curling up into a ball as she sobbed with pleasure. You can hear her moaning your name over and over again, screaming and sobbing muffled by the soft pillow under her.

"Answer me, Tara."

"Yes, please!" She pleaded, "God, oh my god." She gulped, her head falling back as she reached her second orgasm, her walls clamping down on your cock and cum dripping down from her abused and assaulted pussy.

Her legs gave up, but you didn't. You continued to ram into her, without a care that she was near peak exhaustion and her sobs were becoming more frequent. Your freehand that wasn't pressing down on her back going over to her clit, overstimulating her.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum," you groaned, "Tara..."

"Cum'n me." She said, breathless, "please. Please, please, please, please—"

After that last plead, you came in her. Your body still thrusting into Tara as you lean towards her, "I love you. I love you so much, my favorite girl." You muttered, pressing kisses all over her cheeks and lips as she breathed for air. But that sweet moment didn't stop you from resuming to pound into her as if it was your last day on earth.

You kept your cock inside of her, pistoning it in and out as you stretched her pussy till it's limit. Until it recognized the shape of your dick, which, you succeeded. The both of you continued until Tara reached her actual peak of exhaustion and collapsed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Tara woke up, she was sore. Sore as fuck. Everything up and down from her head to toe was just relentless pain everywhere. That is, until she turned her head to see you just gazing at her. Softly. As if you didn't ruin her to pieces just hours before.

"Hey," you greeted her, a smile gracing your lips. Tara didn't realize, but you drew her a bath the second she passed out and took care of her yourself. Even changed her to her favorite outfit whenever she just wanted to lay around.

Tara smiled. Despite her sore legs, her sore everything actually, she still managed to cling onto you like a koala. Her arms crushing you as you hugged her back. "Hey." She whispered in your ear, kissing you gently. "Thanks, by the way. For taking care of me." She hugged you even tighter, which you reciprocated.

The two of you sat there for a few minutes, basking in eachothers presence and warmthness. Until you broke the silence. "Tell me the real reason." You pulled back from Tara's tight hug. (You tried to, she was unbudging.)

"I was." She raised an eyebrow, which you also reciprocated.

You chuckled. "I've been your girlfriend and bestfriend for a total of 3 years, Tara. You can't fool me."

She could almost roll her eyes right now if she wouldn't regret it later. "We haven't had sex in a while." She confessed, avoiding your eye contact. "Like, a whole month."

The adorableness there was to Tara Carpenter, the amazing girl you're blessed with, was beyond you. "You could've told me, Tara." You tucked a loose strand between her ear, "you know I like talking with you. Especially about something personal, or maybe something about in our relationship."

"I didn't know how to like," she paused, "really, really, express it." She explained, "also I couldn't since you were on that damn video game for weeks now!"

Yeah, you had to blame yourself for that. Or maybe the crew. "I solemnly swear to not play that game. Well, atleast that often." You held up your pinky, making a pinky promise that you always, always never broken in your life.

Tara chuckled, taking your pinky into hers. "Also your phone has been buzzing like crazy for the last few minutes."

"It's just Mindy bragging about she got rich because she was betting over our sex life."

"What!?" The younger Carpenter screamed.

"Don't worry too much about it." You shrugged it off. "Just a skill issue." You joked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a/n: just needed to get this off my brain. idea popped into my head one random day and i've been thinking about it actually doing something about it, and it's probably something i need to do to take of my writers block!!

[tortillamastersblog]

The Moment I Knew | Sam Carpenter

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x reader

Warnings: none :)

Summary: You love Sam with all your heart, and after three years of being with her, you suddenly feel like you can’t wait a second longer to ask her to marry you.

_______________________________________________

“Babyyy,” Sam whines playfully, making me chuckle in my high chair at the kitchen island.

It’s late, almost eleven, but because Sam and I had Tara, Mindy, Anika, and Chad over for dinner, I didn’t get a chance to answer some important emails yet.

It’s Friday, and I won’t be back in the office or on my computer until Monday, so I have to answer all of them now.

“I’ll be right with you,” I say with a gentle smile when Sam emerges from the bedroom, dressed only in one of my oversized shirts. Her hair falls down one side of her neck in messy waves, and she pouts as she makes her way over to me, going behind me and snaking her arms around my middle and resting her chin on my shoulder to watch what I’m doing while her hands slip under my hoodie, her fingers skimming over my skin in a gentle touch.

It’s not sexual, I realize fairly quickly when she doesn’t start planting kisses on my neck like she normally would. It seems like she just wants to be close to me so I tilt my head to the side to touch my temple against her cheek before continuing typing.

“What are you even doing?” she asks curiously flattening her warm hands on my stomach.

I sigh tiredly and press the heels of my hands against my eyes before returning to typing. "I just reviewed a bunch of cost reviews and am now writing an email to our cost engineers about what changes they can approve to R&D," I explain, which makes her hum.

She nestles her face against the side of my neck and takes a deep breath, almost as if breathing me in, before tightening her hold on me and watching as I finish up work.

I quickly finish my email and make sure I don’t have anything else to review or reply to before finally shutting my laptop with a sigh.

Realizing I’m done, Sam perks up and lifts her chin from my shoulder.

“Bed?” she whispers, raking her nails over my stomach, making me shudder.

I hum in agreement and tap her hands over my hoodie before slipping off the chair and turning around in her arms so her hands rest on my lower back. I smile at the way her sleepy eyes fixate on me, watching my every move as I step closer, cup her cheeks, and dip my head to peck her lips softly.

She makes a quiet sound of approval and pulls me even closer when I try to break the kiss, moving her lips against mine in a slow, sensual way.

Even after more than three years together, kissing her still makes me weak in the knees. And when she pulls back a moment later, I’m the one chasing her lips, making her chuckle quietly.

I grumble playfully and peck her lips a couple more times, which makes her smile before we eventually break apart completely.

“Bed?” I repeat her own words back to her, making her nod and disconnect from me. She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the bedroom.

She stops right in front of the door, though, and turns back around with a frown. “Wait, the dishes.”

I huff in amusement and kiss the top of her head, smoothing my hands down her arms. “I did them while you were getting ready for bed.”

Her expression shifts, guilt flickering across her face, and she fists the front of my hoodie in her hands and tugs me closer. “I told you I’d do them,” she says quietly.

Every time I do something around the apartment, she hates it. Not because she doesn’t appreciate it, but because I work a lot, and she doesn’t want me taking on chores on top of everything else. But I honestly don’t mind. She works a lot too, at the café, and she’s about to graduate with her degree in photography. If I’m home and I get the chance, I want to do everything I can to make her life easier.

“It’s fine,” I reassure her, but she’s not having it. Her frown deepens, and her eyes glisten like she’s close to tears. It’s the same expression she always gets when we have this conversation. But it is fine. I don’t mind cooking, doing the dishes, or throwing in a load of laundry every now and then.

I love her, and I’d do anything to make things easier for her, whether it’s working twelve-hour days so we can afford a vacation together or simply doing the dishes after a long day like today, when all we want to do is go to bed.

I exhale softly and press a lingering kiss to her forehead. “I don’t mind,” I murmur. “I like taking care of you.”

Her hands tighten in the fabric of my hoodie, her breathing uneven for a moment. Then, she exhales, her forehead dropping against my chest.

“I just don’t want you to do everything,” she mumbles.

I let out a quiet chuckle, stroking a hand down her back. “I don’t. Just… the things that make your life easier.”

She lifts her head, looking up at me with a tender expression, until, finally, nodding and tugging me into the dark bedroom again.

I quickly get ready for bed in the en-suite before joining Sam. She’s already snuggled up in bed, her face buried in my pillow, eyes closed.

The city outside is still alive, as always, lights twinkling in the dark even as rain starts to fall, a few drops sliding down the floor-to-ceiling windows. Being this high up, we have the perfect view of it all.

Hearing me come back, Sam lifts her head and smiles tiredly, opening the covers for me to slip under with her. As soon as I settle on my back, she shuffles on top of me with little grunts of effort, like even the smallest movements are exhausting. When she finally exhales and slips her arms underneath my shoulders, she lets out a satisfied sigh.

The weight of her on my chest and the warmth she radiates after showering earlier makes me realize just how tired I am. Because we watch something every night before bed, I ask if she wants to put something on, but she surprisingly denies.

“Just wanna cuddle,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to my throat that makes me melt.

“Okay.” I agree quietly, wrapping my arms around her and running my hands up and down her back over the fabric of my shirt.

“I love you,” she mumbles a couple of moments later, already half asleep, and even though she says it constantly, right now, for some reason, it makes my chest tighten with realization.

I want to marry her.

I’ve known it since we got together because I’ve been in love with her since we were kids, but right now, it really hits me—I want to marry her.

I want to marry her right now, in this moment, alone in our bedroom, cuddled up under the sheets like any other night.

She’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

The thought makes my heart skip a beat, and I only manage to croak out a quiet, “I love you, too,” before blinking back tears at my realization. Any other time, Sam would have noticed how off I am, but she’s right on the brink of falling asleep, so she doesn’t comment on it.

She just exhales deeply, sinks into me even more, and then she’s gone.

I hold her tighter, pressing a kiss to her temple and closing my eyes, breathing in the lingering scent of the soap she always uses.

I want to marry her.

The thought circles through my mind as I stare at the ceiling, making me feel warm and tingly until I realize I still need to buy a ring and ask her.

Shit. I need a ring.

I won’t be able to sneak off this weekend because we both took it off, but on Monday, I’ll get out of work early and find one.

Before I do that, I’ll have to ask Tara for permission and maybe even see if she wants to come along. I’m sure she’ll say yes. She loves Sam and keeps telling us to just get married already, so I know it’ll go well.

A small smile tugs at my lips at the thought of her reaction, and a few minutes later, exhaustion finally catches up to me. I drift off with Sam’s grounding weight on top of me and her steady breath warm against my neck.

I grumble when I wake up to a sudden weight on my stomach and squint against the sun streaming in through the windows.

“Mhmm… Sammy,” I mumble, turning my head in an attempt to bury my face in the pillow.

“Wake up, baby,” Sam prompts quietly, leaning down to nudge my cheek with her nose.

I huff and slide my hands up her thighs, still keeping my eyes closed. “’S too early.”

“No, it’s not. It’s almost ten,” she retorts, amusement laced in her voice as she starts pressing kisses to my cheek, along my jaw, then onto my lips.

I grimace, not ready to get up yet, but I kiss her back anyway, even though it’s lazy.

It’s a simple movement of lips against each other and doesn’t last very long. Sam pulls back sooner than expected, which makes me open my eyes to find her dark gaze already on me, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Good morning,” she whispers, her hair falling around her face and shielding us from the outside world.

The memory of my epiphany last night makes me smile too. I squeeze her thighs gently and tilt my chin up to peck her lips again, my tiredness already fading.

“Morning. What do you want to do today?”

Sam frowns in thought and brings her hands up to graze her fingers against the side of my neck. “Do you wanna go out for breakfast? I’m in the mood for some loaded bagels. And then maybe we can go for a run this afternoon and make lasagna for dinner?”

“Hmm. Sounds like a plan,” I say, smiling up at her for a moment longer, watching as her eyes light up before flipping us around and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, swallowing her surprised squeak at our sudden change in position.

She doesn’t protest, though, and keeps kissing me before giggling when I slide my hands under her shirt. I forget sometimes that she’s ticklish, but the sound of her laugh just makes me smile too. I pull back and watch her cock her head to the side, reaching up to brush a strand of hair off my forehead.

“I thought we were going to get breakfast,” she says, squirming slightly when I slide my hands higher underneath her—well, my—shirt, running my fingers over her ribs while her legs wrap around my hips and pull me closer despite what she just said.

“Mhmm, but not just yet,” I tease, which makes her chuckle before pulling me down for another heated kiss.

One kiss turns into another, then another, until the teasing shifts into something deeper and slower. Her fingers thread through my hair as I press my body into hers, hands exploring and breaths mingling. The lazy morning stretches on as we lose ourselves in each other, wrapped up in warmth and soft touches until we finally get up to take a shower together before heading out for breakfast.

I drum my fingers against my steering wheel, nervously glancing around as if I’m doing something wrong when, in reality, I’m just waiting in my car for Tara to get out of class.

It’s Monday now, and I need Tara’s help picking out a ring, so I got off work earlier, like I planned, to catch her right as class ends.

I wait a couple more minutes until Tara finally comes into sight, ambling out of one of the university buildings with Anika, who’s got her arm slung lazily over Tara’s shoulders.

They’re giggling about something I’ll probably never get to hear, but when they spot me stepping out of the car, their laughter shifts into curiosity. Then it brightens into surprise.

“Y/N?” Anika asks, brows raised as Tara hugs me without hesitation. “What are you doing here? Come to give us a ride?”

I chuckle, a little nervous, hugging Anika as soon as Tara lets go.

“Actually… no. I came to steal Tara for the afternoon.”

Tara raises a brow, her smile teasing. “Oh really? What for?”

I hesitate for half a second. If Anika knows, Mindy will know. And Chad? Chad will find out before I can even blink. I want to keep this quiet for now.

Tara notices the pause. Her smile softens into something gentler. “You know what? Never mind. Surprise me.”

She turns to Anika with a quick squeeze. “I’ll see you at home?”

Anika groans about having to take the subway alone but shrugs it off, hugging Tara one last time before waving and heading down the sidewalk.

Once we’re alone in the car, Tara settles into the passenger seat and turns toward me with curious eyes.

“So… what’s going on?”

I pull onto the road, heading downtown.

“I need your help with something,” I say, glancing her way. She’s got her hands resting quietly in her lap, waiting for me to explain.

“I’m going to propose to Sam. And I need your help picking out a ring.”

Tara gasps. Then she squeals, grabbing my arm.

“You’re proposing? When?”

I laugh, my heart thudding. “I don’t know yet.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Do you have a plan? When did this happen? I mean, I always knew you two would end up married, but now?”

“We’re not getting married right now,” I say quickly, even though just saying the word makes me feel like I’m floating. “It just kind of hit me the other night. We were in bed, just cuddling, and all of a sudden I knew. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to take care of her and make her happy. I don’t have a plan yet. I just know I want to be ready when the right moment comes.”

There’s a pause. When I stop at a red light, I glance at her and find her staring at me with teary eyes.

“You are literally perfect for her,” she whispers, her voice cracking. Then she starts laughing, wiping at her eyes before diving into a stream of proposal ideas.

She goes on and on, from rooftop candlelight to some dramatic beach moment in the south of France.

I just smile and nod, letting her excitement carry us forward. Even though I always knew Tara would be supportive, there was a small part of me that worried she might think it was too soon. But clearly, she’s all in.

We reach the jewelry stores, and after what feels like forever of comparing options and debating settings, we finally find the one.

A simple, elegant gold band with a small round diamond in the center, flanked by two smaller ones set into the band. Classic, understated, and beautiful. Just like Sam.

Tara holds it up to the light, nodding like she’s found the Holy Grail. “She’s going to lose her mind,” she says with a grin.

“I hope so,” I reply, my chest already full.

Of course, Tara decides her expert help deserves dinner, so she invites herself over. We stop by the grocery store, grabbing everything we need for carbonara, before heading home to the apartment Sam and I share.

She’s already home when we get back, stepping out of the bedroom with damp hair and a makeup-free face, dressed in shorts and an oversized hoodie. When she sees Tara and me, she doesn’t even question her being here. She just pecks my lips in passing on the way to the kitchen and asks, “What groceries did you get for dinner?”

“We’re making carbonara. How was your day?” I ask, following her into the kitchen. Tara trails behind me, buzzing with excitement, which makes it ten times harder to act normal. The weight of the ring in my pocket has my hands sweating, but I ignore it as I start unpacking the groceries.

Sam hums, says "yum," and hops onto the kitchen counter, telling us about her day, which was pretty uneventful, while Tara and I cook. Well—I cook. Tara stirs the pasta so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot while I cut the guanciale and grate the cheese.

Then, out of nowhere, Sam asks, “Wait. What were you and Tara doing today? I thought we weren’t supposed to see each other until tomorrow night?“

I freeze. Tara glances at me with a barely restrained grin, which instantly makes Sam go still too.

She stops swinging her legs and sits on her hands, frowning slightly. “What? Am I missing something?”

“No, no,” I say quickly, trying to play it cool, but my voice comes out too high. Tara’s grin widens, not helping at all.

Sam slips off the counter and tugs on my shirt to get me to face her, since I turned back to the stove to hide my flushing face.

I slowly turn, shooting Tara a glare before meeting Sam’s eyes.

“What is it?” she asks quietly, fingers tugging at the hem of my shirt. It makes me flinch, only because her hand is way too close to my pocket. She notices, and her face falls a little. It looks like she thinks I’m pulling away from her, and that makes my heart lurch.

Panic crawls up my chest and I look at Tara again, not surprised when I see she’s practically vibrating with amusement.

I sigh and take Sam’s hands in mine.

Why wait?

I have the ring. I never said I needed a plan. I just wanted to be ready, and right now, everything feels right.

We’re home, Sam’s comfortable, and she’s surrounded by the people who love her most in the world.

I squeeze her hands and give Tara a look. Her eyes widen and she steps back so I can move away from the counter.

I let go of Sam’s hands briefly to turn off the stove. Then I take a deep breath.

“Y/N?” Sam asks, brow furrowed, about to kneel with me when I drop down. I shake my head with a watery smile and gesture for her to stay standing.

When I get down on one knee, it hits her. Her eyes widen as her hands fly up to cover her mouth. She glances at Tara, who’s already pulled out her phone and hit record.

“Do you remember Friday night when we were cuddling?” I start, voice shaky. She looks at me again, eyes wide, but I keep going before she can answer.

“You were sprawled out on top of me like you always are. But that night, I realized I didn’t want to spend another night without knowing you’re mine forever.”

She lets out a soft, watery laugh behind her hands.

“I’ve always known I wanted to marry you. But that was the moment I knew I wanted it soon. So after the weekend, I picked up Tara and asked her to help me find a ring.”

I pull the box from my pocket. A tear slips down my cheek, but weirdly, I’m calm now. My heart’s steady because I know she’ll say yes.

“You are the love of my life. After everything we’ve been through, all I want is to give you the peace and the love you deserve. So... Sammy, will you marry me?”

She’s crying. Ugly crying. But then she drops her hands and says yes, of course I’ll marry you, before cupping my face and bending down to kiss me.

Her hair brushes against my cheeks and her tears drip onto my skin, but I just kiss her back, holding the ring box, with my heart happily fluttering in my chest.

When she pulls away, she’s still crying, and I look at her for permission before gently taking her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger.

Then I stand, and we kiss again. It’s not intense or wild because Tara’s still here, and we’re both too happy to stop smiling.

After a moment of quiet, forehead to forehead, Tara throws her arms around us and squeals.

“You guys are getting married!”

Sam and I lock eyes and start laughing.

“Yeah,” I say, cheeks aching from smiling. “Looks like it.”

_______________________________________________

This one’s been sitting in my drafts for a long time, but I finally finished it.

Hope you guys liked it ❤️

[aesterea]

I fell in love for the first time. I think it'll tear me apart because that's what it did to my parents, but I think I'll let it

hi anon 💙

i’m sorry i took so long to respond to this. i had to spend a long time thinking about it. i don't know how much you really wanted from me, but you have my thoughts here under the cut nonetheless. 

first, i want to say i’m so happy for you! i think falling in love is one of the best, most wonderful things in life—for the feeling of it and for all the doors it opens. the first time especially, it cracks us open. it introduces us to new parts of ourselves and changes the way we see the world. i think that’s why it’s so terrifying; it asks us to transform. 

there’s so much vulnerability required in that process. and we know it doesn't always (or often) go well. those of us who grew up with examples of particularly bad relationships tend to be especially wary. 

when i was younger, i fully believed love was some kind of delusion that drove people to behave stupidly, and that all romantic relationships were hurtling toward some terrible end—the utter destruction of those involved, some miserable facade of companionship that left them feeling hollow, or (at best) a disenchantment that eventually freed them from the delusion. i wasn’t afraid of falling in love so much as i rejected it… still, when it happened… everything i thought i knew—about life and about myself—exploded like a star.

you sent such a short message, but it reminds me so much of myself. “i think it’ll tear me apart” and “i think i’ll let it.” i want to reach out and hug you, and i want to sit with you for six hours talking over hot chocolate. there's so much i wish i could say to my younger self, but at least i can share some of it with you, and i know we’re different people and your path will be different from mine, but maybe it can help you.

i think the worst mistake i ever made was to cross my own boundaries. i don’t think there’s any chance of overstating how much hope is involved when you fall for someone. the optimism and idealism (and the rarely-mentioned boost in courage) inherent in the experience makes us more willing to risk pain (longing, loss, betrayal…). i also don't think there’s any chance of real love without a willingness to get hurt, and all important relationships involve difficult emotions. but i have this dangerous tendency of thinking, “love is so precious, and now that i have it, i’ll do anything to make it work.” or even, “i love you so much, i’ll forgive anything if we can keep trying to work together.” that stubbornness and desperation and fear of loss… it’s poisonous. i’ve been hurt in a lot of ways, but the worst heartbreak did not come from loss or betrayal or even someone treating me badly—it was the sense that i had betrayed myself. healing is so much harder when you're wondering if you can trust yourself, because no matter how things go, you're the one who has to get you through.

maybe you’ll get hurt. we always run that risk. maybe you’ll be happier than you ever knew was possible. we just don't know! but you must be able to trust yourself to set and enforce boundaries, and if you find that your relationship is damaging to you, then you must be willing to walk away. 

i don’t meant to scare you or preach to you or anything. if this isn't what you wanted, i hope you will forgive me. i’m 22 years old and still figuring it out—i certainly have no great wisdom to share. it’s just… “i think i’ll let it.” your words resonate so deeply within me, it feels wrong not to offer you what i’ve learned. what i’m learning. 

i don't want to discourage you at all from embracing all the magic of the experience. the warm, happy glow, the lightness and the weight, how the world becomes more beautiful around you. feeling so safe, you want to sink down, curl up, and sleep inside the feeling. at the same time, feeling so happy, giddy, sparkly, all you want to do is laugh and dance. finally understanding all those songs and books and movies, and marveling at all the feelings you didn't think you’d ever feel, didn’t know you could feel, and suddenly becoming aware of how much the world has to offer you… there is nothing quite like this. 

[liamxxslater]

"Right." Because what else was he supposed to say? He believed that she could stand up for herself -- that much was true -- but he had wanted to step in. He wanted to make sure that she didn't do something that she'd regret.

"I know I don't have to. I'm sure you could have taken care of it yourself." Liam said. "But I wanted to. I know..." He clenched his jaw and then cleared his throat. "What he was trying to do, I've seen before. Not from him but... When I see it, I have to stop it. I can't just ignore it." His eyes then shifted towards where the man had walked off. "I'm also not going to apologize for it. So you can be thankful or just be mad at me. I really don't care."

She could continue — angry fists would fly his way, crashing any place she could find, bruising and battering until he'd stop breathing. Hell, she'd barrel through Liam and destroy everything in her way. Emotions running high — something Anika thought she'd grown to control at this point, choose a more rational approach than causing a scene over something — a reminder, of a past that was no longer hers; she was no longer that woman.

Pain was no longer something she felt.

Liam was fast, shoved the man aside with very little effort, spoke something she couldn't hear —

Already backing away, staring at her own hands that could've easily murdered the guy. That scar on her wrist, the claw mark that healed all wrong, was a shitty reminder enough. Pacing back and forth, she replied. "I know he's not." she'd crush him, before he'd have the chance to raise his hand again.

Neither am I. Movement ceased, and her eyes focused on him, arms tightly crossed over her chest, as if she was trying to stop herself from letting another flying fist smack him. "Why the fuck are you even here? You don't have to do this."