#duck!Jacob black

[theinheriteddutchess]

Here it is @welp-heregoessomething

I'm both horrified and amused. And i spend way too much time on this.

[softspiderling]

catch me or i go (houdini) | r.c.

summary: rafe witnesses a skilled burglar in the middle of the burglary. also, he can’t quiet seem to stop putting his foot in his mouth when it comes to you

pairing: rafe cameron x reader

word count: 6,6k words oops

warnings: mention of peterkin and what rafe did to her, cursing

author's note: i was listening to houdini by dua lipa and somehow got inspired to write this. also kind of lost myself in this fic bc i enjoyed writing it so much. pls leave a comment/like if you liked it and reblog to share. ily!!!

“Are you sure you want to sell it off? We can put it in storage for you.”

Rafe waved the guy off, pushing a fifty in his hand. “It’s fine, just sell it for me, I don’t want to see it again, it’s gaudy as fuck.”

The guy, Jacob or whatever, scratched his head, but seemed pleased enough with the tip that he got into the car with the rest of his team, the trucks pulling off the property.

“Fucking finally,” Rafe sighed, running his hands over his buzzed hair. The renovation of the house was his first step of distancing himself from Ward and he started by getting rid of the ridiculous furniture Rose had chosen. While Rafe knew that it was going to be a pain redecorating, he’d live in the comfort of his own space, instead of being reminded of his psychotic stepmother whenever he sat in the living room. Rafe was about to go back inside when he heard a loud crash coming from Mr. Jenkins’ property. He hesitated for a split second. Rafe never really liked Mr. Jenkins, he was a nosy motherfucker and always liked to call the sheriff’s department when the parties got a little louder than usual. But if that old fuck died right now only to be found like a few weeks later? That stench would probably sit in his nose for months. So might as well be proactive now.

Ducking between the bushes - he really needed to call the guy who trimmed their greens - Rafe jogged over to Mr. Jenkins’ property, slowing his pace when he reached the property line.

“Mr. Jenkins?” he called, trying to sneak a glance into the house, without being spotted at the same time. It’d just be his luck that Mr. Jenkins shot him in the face for evading his property.

Nothing.

Served him right for trying to do the right thing.

Rafe turned on his heel, ready to return home when he caught movement in the second story window: Someone was climbing out of the window.

Reacting quickly, Rafe ducked beneath the bushes, hiding as he watched a girl shut the window behind her, tiptoeing across the patio roof and then scaling down the gutter, all the while carrying a huge backpack. She must’ve robbed Mr. Jenkins’ house, based on her dark clothing and the red bandana covering half of her face.

Rafe’s curiosity was piqued, and he didn’t even hesitate to follow her as she snuck off the property through the yard. He kept in the shadows, not wanting to alert her to his presence as she kept a rather slow pace to keep the attention off of her. Rafe followed her a few blocks down the neighborhood, until she took a left turn into a small, dark alley, but he hid behind the corner of a house when she stopped, pulling the bandana off. Rafe stared at the side of her face, knowing he’d seen her somewhere before, but not quite remembering where from. The lighting was also not helping, as he barely could make out her features in the shadows, while she tugged a floral shirt out of the backpack, throwing it over her black top. After having fixed her outfit, she kept walking, and right as Rafe stepped out behind the house, his foot caught onto an empty glass bottle, making an unnecessary loud noise.

Rafe froze, noticing how her shoulders tensed, barely looking over her shoulder, before taking off in a sprint.

“Wait!” He called, probably the dumbest thing he could have said, running after her but even before rounding the second right corner, she disappeared.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself, looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but nothing. One of his neighbors was outside tending to her flowers, giving him a weird look. Rafe only let out a polite chuckle, giving her a wave before he turned on his heel, making his way back home.

“How the fuck did she just disappear into thin air?” He muttered to himself. As he walked through his gate, he couldn’t help to peek over to Jenkins’ house if the old man was home already, but the house was still dark. Rafe tried to get back to work looking at new furniture, but his mind kept going back to the thief. As the sun started to set Rafe finally heard Jenkins’ Aston Martin pull into his drive way, and he figured it wouldn’t take long until the sheriff’s department showed up.

Minutes went by, then hours, and Rafe started to wonder if there was some other case Shoupe had to attend to, must be a real big case if he couldn’t even spare one deputy to check out Jenkins. Then again, Rafe would’ve had heard about it. Kildare wasn’t that big. It was already dark by the time the sheriff’s car pulled up on the street. Shortly after, the bell rang and as inconspicuously as possible, Rafe opened the door, feigning surprise.

“Shoupe. What brings you here at this hour?”

The sheriff only looked at Rafe unimpressed. He was pretty sure that Shoupe still resented him for the entire Peterkin thing, but innocent until proven guilty, right?

“Rafe… There was a break in at Mr. Jenkins’ house and I’m just here to ask if you saw anything suspicious,” Shoupe said, flipping open a small notepad.

Rafe rubbed his chin, sighing. “A break in huh? That sucks. I haven’t heard anything, though, sorry that I am of no help. What was stolen?”

“Jewelry that belonged to his late wife. The thief broke into the safe and completely emptied it. Took all the cash, too,” Shoupe said, scribbling something down on his notepad before looking at Rafe again.

“Bummer… I’ll let you know though, if I happen to remember something,” Rafe added.

Shoupe let out a grunt, stuffing his notepad away and turned to leave. Rafe stood in the doorway, hesitating, before calling out.

“Hey Shoupe.”

He turned around, raising a brow at Rafe.

“What took you guys so long?”

“What do you mean, son? We got here as soon as Mr. Jenkins called us.”

Huh.

“Really?” Rafe said, thinking. “Sorry, I just thought Mr. Jenkins has been home for a while now and you’re just now questioning me. Was wondering how fast you would get here if I had a problem.”

Shoupe eyed him suspiciously. “Mr. Jenkins didn’t notice the break in until an hour ago, his security system was active when he got home, so he had no reason to suspect anything…. You sure you didn’t see anything?”

“Positive,” Rafe insisted. “Have a good night, Shoupe.”

The sheriff stood on the porch for another second before he left with a small headshake, leaving Rafe with his thoughts as he shut the door. The thief must have been a pro. Bypassing the security system and taking just enough to delay the sheriff’s department from investigating? That wasn’t an easy feat. To say that Rafe was intrigued was an understatement. The way she moved with such stealth and precision proved how she knew her way around sneaking in and out. There was no way this was her first hit. He wondered what motivated her to rob the house, if she was just a plain poor Pogue, or a Kook, doing it for the thrill of it.

Rafe had to find out more about the thief. Even two drinks in, he still had to think about her. And when he set his mind on something - or someone - there was no getting past it. He knew it was going to haunt him until he figured it out. Figure her out. Problem was, how the fuck would he? Right, Kildare wasn’t that big, but it wasn’t like he could just waltz around looking for her either. And chances are she was just some tourist, looking for some fun. Before he could start forming a plan to find out who she wa, his phone buzzed, distracting him.

Top: scarlet’s throwing a party tonite. u in?

Rafe thumbed at his screen, having half a mind to decline the invitation, but when he looked up, taking in the empty room, he almost got depressed. Why was he sitting on the fucking floor, thinking about some random girl he was probably never going to see again? Downing the last of his drink, he texted Top that he’d see him at Scarlet’s.

By the time Rafe arrived, the party was already in full swing. Weaving through the crowd, he greeted the familiar faces, gravitating towards the living room where he knew Scarlet’s father kept the expensive stuff.

“Hey Rafe!”

Lifting his head, he saw Topper on the couch with some girl, waving him over. Rafe took his time walking over, because what was he, a dog?

“’sup Top,” he greeted his friend with a light slap to the shoulder. “Give me your drink.”

“Alright, damn bro,” Topper said, handing Rafe his drink, before gesturing over to you, introducing you to him. Rafe gave you a nod as you smiled shyly at him, not bothering to exchange pleasantries. The last thing he needed right now was you simpering over him, no matter how pretty you were.

“Right, so where were we…” Topper said, apparently picking up the previous conversation you were having before Rafe joined them. “Are you leaving for university anytime soon?”

“Uh… No. I could go, but I don’t want to leave my mom all by herself, you know,” you answered, tucking your hair behind your ear. You looked like you’d rather be anywhere else but at this party. Rafe gave you a quick once over as he sipped on Topper’s drink. You were pretty, he figured. Maybe a bit mousy for his taste, with the shirt under your dress and a denim jacket on top? Other girls your age would have worn only the dress and maybe even cut a slit in it, just for the sake of it. Rafe’s brows furrowed as he looked at you more closely, pausing.

“… I know you?”

Topper gave him a very unsubtle look as he chuckled awkwardly, trying to play his friend’s rudeness off, while you just sat there, your back ramrod straight, smiling at him bashfully.

“She used to go to school with us? Then uh… Transferred during her senior year.”

Squinting his eyes at you, Rafe tried to think back to his school years, before realizing.

“Right, your dad embezzled like millions of dollars from his company right?”

Topper cleared his throat, looking up at the ceiling and you only smiled tightly at Rafe, the corners of your mouth not quite reaching your eyes.

“Um.. I think I’ll grab a drink, Topper,” you said, excusing yourself, quickly disappearing between the people. Topper waited until you disappeared to elbow Rafe into the side, who only smirked into his drink.

“What’s her deal?”

“Are you joking?” Topper asked with a sigh, pinching his nose. “You can’t just say shit like that man, it’s obvious she’s embarrassed. Why would you bring up her father?”

“Get off your high horse, it’s not like I embezzled a bunch of money,” Rafe huffed, shoving Topper off of him with an eyeroll. He knew that Topper was frustrated with him, but honestly, why would he care if he hurt your feelings. Topper inhaled deeply and Rafe just knew that an lecture was incoming.

“She’s a good kid. Lives just on the outskirts of the Cut now with her mom. I guess they can still afford to live on Figure 8, but her and her mother are too embarrassed to come back after all of their money was seized and her father got locked up in jail. Which is probably why we never see her around. Now, we’re definitely going to see her less because you’re such a dick.”

Rafe was only half-listening to Topper, processing what he had just been told, the gears in his head turning.

“Wait, what?” he asked, sitting up straight and looked at Topper, finally taking the conversation seriously. “How would they still be able to afford living on Figure 8 when all of their assets were seized?”

Topper shrugged his shoulders. “How the hell should I know? I’m just telling you what she told me.” He glanced to the back and paused, before looking back to Rafe. “She’s coming back. Just… Think before you speak.”

If this was any situation, Rafe would’ve probably bit Topper’s head off for being told what to do, but for once, Rafe decided to lean back and listen. A short while later, you slipped past a kissing couple, joining them on the couch, holding onto a red solo cup with both hands.

“What kind of toxic waste did Scarlet mix you?” Rafe asked as some sort of peace offering.

“Oh this?” you lifted your cup, laughing awkwardly. “It’s juice. Don’t really like alcohol.”

Rafe almost choked on his whiskey, and he let out a cough, trying to hide his surprise while Topper only leaned his head back with an exasperated look on his face, you only stared at him with an open mouth.

“Sorry, went down the wrong pipe.”

After that, Rafe didn’t ask you that much, letting Topper lead the conversation and instead just soaking up information about you. In the brief interaction he had with you, Rafe somehow got the feeling that you didn’t like him that much. He didn’t even know why.

Okay, he knew why. But honestly, he was just asking what everyone would ask, right?

When Rafe got home from Scarlet’s, he didn’t know that much more from you. After he really started paying attention to you, he realized that you never really divulged that much information about yourself, despite answering all of the questions. You were much smarter than Rafe had previously assumed. He wondered how many people you had fooled. But all of this was still a theory, and he had to put that to a test.

The next day, Rafe spent his morning asking the neighborhood about your family, disguising it as friendly neighborhood chatter and it was really far too easy. If there was one thing one needed to know about the people living on Figure 8 is, that they loved to yap.

“- just dreadful. That poor girl. Her mother took her out of the academy in her senior year and now they live next to Franklin Stewart on the other side of the island…” Susannah shook her head as she feigned distress, but Rafe didn’t believe an ounce of the compassion she was showing. She used to be best tea buddies with Rose, that really said it all.

“Oh man… I really hope her family is doing alright,” Rafe said stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Anyways… Thanks for the chat, Mrs. Cooper. I’ve kept you long enough.”

She only waved him off with an obnoxious laugh, “Please, don’t you worry about it. Give Rose my best wishes, okay?”

Rafe gave her a smile, which immediately dropped as soon as he turned to leave. “What a bitch,” he muttered under his breath, walking back to his house. At least it paid off having to talk to Susannah, since he now knew where you lived. He didn’t ponder over it long before he got on his bike, riding over to the Cut. As the mansions and well groomed front yards slowly turned smaller, one might say modest, he couldn’t imagine downgrading from Figure 8 to the cut. Though, now that he thought about it, he figured his family was pretty close from having to give up their life on the north side of the island. Rafe let his bike roll to a stop when he reached Franking Stewart’s house, laying his eyes on the only neighboring house.

It was pretty okay for a house on the Cut. Still on the cut, though.

He took off his helmet, placing it on his bike and getting off, walking in front of his house, contemplating his next move, when the door suddenly opened and a person exited. For a split second, he thought it was you, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was your mother. She tugged a sun hat on, before pausing when she saw Rafe on the street.

“Can I help you?”

Rafe rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you… I’m Rafe, a friend of your daughters…” He said, approaching the house to avoid yelling all over the street.

Your mother beamed at him. “Really? I barely get to meet any of my daughter’s friends. She’s not home right now, but would you like to come in for a glass of lemonade?”

Rafe hesitated. On the one hand, it would be a perfect opportunity to find out more about your situation, and if you really were the thief like he suspected. On the other hand, if you happened to come home while he was still there, you’d immediately know that there was something going on. Then again, high risk, high reward?

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Rafe followed your mother into your quaint home, and while your mother was blabbering away, he took the time looking around the kitchen.

“- she’s a good girl, bless her. A bit too serious, though. I always try to encourage her to live a little, you know?” your mother handed Rafe a glass of ice cold lemonade, which he gladly accepted. He was a sucker for a good old homemade lemonade.

“She is a bit shy,” Rafe agreed with your mother, only making her laugh.

“And very headstrong. Which is why it’s so hard for me to get her to change her mind on anything. I’m just so upset that she took the whole thing with her father so hard… The burden of that really shouldn’t fall on her shoulders. Ever since we moved out here, she got more withdrawn, angry. I know she’s still upset, but I really feel like she’d be happier if she got out of her shell again.”

Hm. Maybe you were stealing to help your mother pay the bills, help your family stay afloat.

“Yeah, I’d know a thing or two about that.”

Your mother laid her eyes on Rafe, smiling sadly.

“I was very sad to hear about your father’s passing. I didn’t know him very well, but I’m sure he was a good man.”

Rafe almost scoffed, because only if she knew, but the noise died in his throat when your mother gave him a shoulder squeeze, rubbing his back.

“I hope you’re alright, honey. It’s hard to lose a parent at such a young age.”

His hand tightened around his lemonade glass, the coldness somewhat settling him down. He hasn’t felt the touch of a caring parent for a long time. “Thank you,” he pressed out, giving your mother a stiff smile. “Um… I should go. Don’t want to cause any more of an inconvenience,” he said, standing up.

“Oh please, don’t worry about it, I always love to meet my daughter’s friends.”

Your mother led him out of the house, and when Rafe passed the staircase that lead upstairs, his eyes caught a very familiar floral shirt tossed carelessly on the bottom of the stairs. Your mother followed his eyesight, palming her forehead, embarrassed.

“Oh god, please forgive the mess. I always try to tell her to keep her things in order,” she quickly said, picking up the shirt and hanging it over her arm. Rafe however only waved her off, giving her a charming smile.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s just a shirt.”

After bidding good bye to your mother, Rafe drove to the nearest beach, shutting his bike off to take moment to process. The shirt confirmed his suspicion, you were the thief he saw breaking into Jenkins’ house. He still didn’t know what your motives for stealing were. It was clear to him that your mother was very open about what your father had done, and you still seemed to be doing fairly well, all things considered. Where you paying the bills with the shit you stole from other people’s houses? Rafe stared at to sea for a second, before he got an idea, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

rafe: anything going down tonight?

top: uh

top: i think there’s a party at the boneyard.

top: pogue party, tho

rafe: thats fine.

rafe: you think you can get your friend to come?

top: … why? so you can embarrass her some more?

rafe: just want a second chance, maybe apologize

top: i’ll see what i can do. no promises, tho

“So, why did you really want her to come?”

Rafe was aware that Topper didn’t even have to say your name for him to realize who he was talking about. Rafe took a sip from his drink, wincing a bit. While he did say that he didn’t care about the fact this was a pogue party, they did always buy the cheapest shit. He could feel Topper’s gaze on him, scrutinizing and a little suspicious.

“I didn’t really make a good first impression. Just thought it’d be nice to make amends,” he finally said, his eyes set on the crowd around the bonfire, studiously not looking at his friend.

“Amends, huh?” Topper replied, sounding not at all convinced. “You’ve never been the type to care about stuff like that, Rafe.”

Rafe shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “People change, Top.”

“Or they have ulterior motives,” Topper shot back almost immediately, and Rafe couldn’t help but grin at the accusation.

He finally looked up to meet Topper’s gaze, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Can’t a guy try to be better without being accused of having a hidden agenda?”

Topper held his gaze for a moment longer before breaking into a grin himself, shaking his head in disbelief. "Just...don't mess with her, okay? She's been through enough."

Rafe raised his hands in surrender, his grin still in place. "Promise, Top. No messing around."

He did intend to make amends, but not for the reasons Topper thought. There were still so many questions Rafe needed answers to, and he was willing to play nice to get to them.

Topper only rolled his eyes at him, looking to the side for a bit. “Head’s up,” he muttered, before straightening his back, greeting you when you joined them.

“Hey guys,” you said, waving at them sheepishly.

Topper gave you a brief hug. “Hey, I was hoping you could make it. You remember, Rafe, right?”

“Yeah of course,” you replied, your voice light, but Rafe couldn’t help but think that your gaze somewhat hardened when you laid your eyes on him. He hoped that he was still able to salvage the relationship.

“Hey. Nice to see you again,” Rafe told you, giving you a charming grin. “You got anything to drink yet?” He looked pointedly at Topper, who stared back at him, his expression unmoving. Rafe inclined his head, raising his brow and Topper bit back a sigh, standing up.

“Let me get you something to drink. No alcohol, right?”

“Uh no, you don’t have to,” you insisted. “I’m not really thirsty anyways.”

Topper waved her off, lifting his own cup. “It’s fine. I need a refill anyway.” With that, Topper turned to leave, leaving you with Rafe.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable the other night,” Rafe started and you looked at him in surprise, your eyes widened. “I might have been a bit insensitive, maybe a bit too forward. I’m really sorry.”

It felt like swallowing gravel, the over the top apology, but he hoped that it came across as sincere.

You let out a breath, your forehead pinched, like you were holding something back. He saw a flicker of something in your eyes, and he realized you didn’t buy a single thing he just said.

“It’s fine,” you then said, smiling at him and Rafe raised an eyebrow, seeing past your facade, though he had to admit that you were a good actor. If he couldn’t get close to you by being nice, it seemed like he had to resort to his back up plan

“We good, then?” he said, offering you his hand, which you shook, after hesitating for a brief second.

“Sure.”

You leaned back against the boulder Rafe was sitting on, and an uncomfortable silence settled over the two of you. Rafe considered throwing himself into the black water, when you finally spoke up.

“My mom told me you came by this morning.”

“Yeah, I was in the neighborhood and your mother saw me outside your house,” Rafe explained, glancing over at you. “Hope you didn’t mind that I called myself a friend.”

“It’s okay..” You trailed off, like you were about to add something else, but hesitating. Usually, he’d be fed up with people not speaking when they want to, but he was intrigued and figured he’d give you the time you needed to spit it out.

“What did you and my mom talk about?” you asked lightly, but Rafe knew how loaded the question actually was. He waited for a beat, sipping on his drink before he answered, enjoying playing with you.

“Not much, really. Just said how happy she was to meet one of your friends… She’s really nice,” he added and you gave him a wry smile.

“Thanks.”

Rafe paused for a beat.

“You guys are doing okay, right? Financially, I mean?”

You narrowed your eyes at him and he was praying to god he was pressing the right buttons.

“Yes. Why?”

“Was just wondering,” Rafe answered nonchalantly, shrugging with his shoulders. “I remember when Ward’s company hit a rough patch and we almost lost our house. But now, we’re better than I ever, and really appreciate my home and everything in it. I can’t even imagine how it feels like to lose everything just like that.”

He turned to look at you, catching how you were clenching your jaw and like the perfect friend he was, Topper returned with two cups in his hand.

“Hey, so they didn’t have juice, but I go-”

“I’m so sorry, Topper,” you said, interrupting him with a small smile. “I have to go. I forgot that I promised my mom I would help her with something early in the morning. But I really appreciate you inviting me out.”

“I- What?” Topper asked, confused but you only gave him a quick wave, almost ignoring Rafe entirely, before you left. Rafe would almost feel bad for pushing you, if he didn’t exactly know where you were going. Topper on the other hand, turned to his friend, glaring at him.

“Bro, what the fuck?”

Rafe drank the last of his drink, clapping Topper on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain soon. I gotta go, text you later, okay?”

He didn’t wait for a reply, tossing his empty cup into a trash bag and walking up the dune to get to his bike. Rafe took the straight way home, but decided to turn the engine off a few blocks before he got home, walking the rest of the way. The estate stood in darkness, not a single sound coming from it as he approached it, deciding to heave himself inside through a window, before deciding to wait.

It didn’t take long until he heard tinkering on the backdoor from the kitchen, then the unmistakable sound of the door clicking open. The door shut almost silently, and then quiet steps echoed over the marble floor. The moonlight shone through the window and that was the only reason Rafe saw you when you walked through the arched doorway of the living room. You froze mid step as you took in the complete lack of- well, anything.

When Rafe turned on the light, you barely reacted.

“How long have you known?” you asked with a sigh, pulling down the bandana, uncovering your face.

“Not long,” Rafe answered, as he leaned in the door way, his arms crossed. “You’re good at what you do, I’ll give you that. I was just paying attention.”

A range of emotions played on your feature - surprise, irritation, realization and then resignation.

“You saw me while I was in Mr. Jenkins’ house, didn’t you? You’re the one who was following me.”

Rafe merely raised an eyebrow and you groaned, pinching your nose.

“And you saw the shirt at my house. Damn it.”

Rafe smirked at your reaction. “So. Why are you doing this?”

Your eyes met his and Rafe actually saw a spark of defiance in them and for the first time, he actually believed you weren’t putting up an act. This was the real you.

“What’s it to you? It’s not like you’re planning on turning me in. Shoupe hates you more than he could ever hate me.”

“Well,” Rafe started, pushing off the door frame and walking over to you, “Let’s just say I’m curious. Clearly you’re a pro, but the question why is really bothering me. You need to pay the bills? Are you doing this for money?”

“What?” You asked, exasperated. “No, I told you, we’re doing fine financially.”

“Yeah ‘cause you’re such an honest person to come by.”

You gave him a look and only scoffed, turning on your heel to leave, but Rafe was quick to grab you by the wrist, holding you back.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Fine,” Rafe snapped, releasing your wrist, his eyes burning into yours. “But you’re not just getting off this easily. You tried to fucking rob me, you at least owe me an explanation.”

“I wasn’t going actually fucking rob you!” You bit at him, glaring at him with a challenging look in your eyes. Then, you sighed and ran a hand through your hair, a weary expression taking over your face. “Okay! Okay. You want an explanation? Fine.”

Rafe was taken aback by your sudden cooperation, but he wasn’t going to let his surprise show. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at you, waiting for you to continue.

“I’m not doing this for money,” you started, your gaze fixed on a point somewhere over Rafe’s shoulder. “I’m doing this because… Because it’s the only way I can get back at the people who ruined my family.

You finally looked at him, your eyes hard. "The people we used to call friends, the people who claimed to care about us, they were the first ones to turn their backs on us when my father was arrested. They didn't waste a second before they started spreading rumors, tarnishing our family name even further."

Rafe was silent for a moment, processing your words. "So you're... what? Stealing from them as some sort of revenge?"

You shrugged, looking away.

“What about the stolen items? If you’re just keeping them, you’re not really that different from your father, are you?”

“What did you just say to me?”

Your nostrils flared and you glared at him, your eyes burning. Interesting. You stole from people who spread gossip about your family, but at the same time, you resented your father, and his actions, Rafe assumed.

“I sell that shit. I’m not getting caught with stolen items,” you then explained, rolling your eyes at him. “And then I give the money away.”

“Hold up, what?” Rafe paused you, frowning. “What you mean you’re “giving the money away”?”

“I don’t have time to tutor you in English.”

“Shit, you really were putting up a shy girl act, weren’t you?” Rafe huffed in disbelief, shaking his head. You rolled your eyes at him and he was speechless for a moment, not having expected your motive. Personally, he would never steal money just to give it away. Why go through all that trouble to gain nothing from it? He had to begrudge you though, you really had a pair of balls on you.

“I’m giving it to people who need it, people who live on the cut,” you elaborated with a sigh.

“You’re actually insane,” Rafe pointed out. He then froze, thinking. “So what were you planning on doing with the stuff you stole from me?”

“I don’t know,” you said with a shrug. “You were pissing me off and I just wanted to see how far I could get.”

Rafe rubbed his jaw, at loss for words. “You really are something, you know that?”

Your lips twitched in a small smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Figured you would.”

Rafe glanced over at you, taking in your figure, clad in dark clothes, red bandana still in hand. “So what now?”

You seemed to wonder the same, your gaze falling to the floor. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “I never thought I’d get caught, let alone by someone like you.”

Rafe tried to not get offended by that.

“Maybe I should get out of the game while I still can get away unscathed.”

“Sounds like a smart idea,” he said and you looked at him, biting your lip.

“Guess that’s my cue to leave, huh?”

Shrugging with his shoulders, Rafe made no move to stop you and nodded slowly, playing with the bandana in your hand.

“Cool… This was great,” you said, walking backwards. “Let’s not do it again.”

Rafe snorted and you turned around to leave, not before pausing, looking back at him.

“You’re not as bad as I thought you were, Rafe.”

With a grin, you disappeared into the hallway, no doubt leaving just the way you entered the house, leaving Rafe in the empty living room. That was the last time he saw you for a long time. Topper bombed him with questions, wanting to know what happened, but Rafe waved him off, not wanting to spill secrets that weren’t his to tell, but assured him that the two of your resolved your problems. For a while, Rafe though that you had gone against your words and just kept robbing people, but he hadn’t heard any chatter about any unsolved cases. For a while, Rafe thought that you had moved to the main land, but he happened to bump into your mother on a random afternoon, where she promptly thanked him for being such a good influence on you - which left him really bewildered. Because him? A good influence? He really didn’t want to know what that even meant.

When three months passed without a single sight of you, Rafe started to believe that you were avoiding him. Sure, you lived on the other side of the island, but again; Kildare wasn’t that big. He was bound to see you around at least once a month. Rafe wasn’t even exactly sure why it bothered him so much that he hadn’t seen you. Like, okay, he was curious about your story and the motives behind your burglaries at first, but he figured it all out, right? Rafe shouldn’t be wanting to see you anymore. Maybe he should ask Topper about you. But then again, the last time he did, it ended with you walking off.

“What, run out of girls to torment?”

Rafe lifted his head, surprised to see you grinning at him. He blurted out your name in shock like an idiot. He was so deep in thoughts, he hadn’t even notice you approaching him as he was sitting outside on the patio at Kelce’s party.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a party, what does one do at a party?” you answered, plopping down on the couch next to him, throwing your legs in his lap like you’ve done it 100 times before. You looked different, too, your outfit wildly contrasting to the nice girl from next door outfit you were wearing at Scarlet’s party. Rafe tried to hide his perplexity by plucking the cup out of your hand, taking a big swig, expecting juice or maybe a coke and nearly choked when he realized it was vodka cran (more vodka than cran).

“The hell?” Rafe coughed, giving you a side eye. “I thought you didn’t drink alcohol?”

“Whatever made you think that?”

You reclaimed your cup, drinking from it like it was water, giving him a coy smile. Rafe ducked his head, smirking. So this is what your mother meant by good influence? You seemed less angry, more comfortable in your skin, like you had unburdened yourself from protecting your family’s reputation.

“Well, you definitely should get your liver checked out if you’re making this a regular occurrence.”

“Yeah, pot, kettle,” you shot back, holding your cup out of his reach when he lunged for it again. If Topper happened to walk out to the patio to see Rafe and you bickering again, he didn’t mention it.

And just like that, you fit yourself into his life like you had always been part of it.

There was rarely a morning when you weren’t in the kitchen when Rafe came downstairs in the morning, never questioning how you got in, building stacks and stacks of pancakes with ingredients from his pantry. You even helped him pick out the new furniture for the house, as the rooms of the Cameron estate slowly filled with interior.

The biggest work in progress was the living room, and Rafe scrolled on his laptop looking for a couch that was big enough and fit in with the rest of the decor of the house. You were sitting on the outdoor sofa next to him, your legs thrown over the arm rest like a damn pogue.

“What about this?” Rafe said, flipping his laptop around to show you the white couch with gold lining. It looked classy and he thought it fit right in with the new wall colors.

You glanced at it, shrugging, before doing a double take, frowning.

“That’s tacky as hell.”

“You know, I think I liked you better when you were acting like you were shy,” Rafe sniffed with a dirty look in your direction, keeping on scrolling. You only snickered, picking up another piece of pineapple on the fork, eating it.

“I don’t think you do.”

Rafe ignored you, frowning at his computer screen as he continued his search. It was harder than expected, and at this point he wondered if it would be easier to hire an interior designer.

“Hey Rafe.”

“What?”

Rafe kept his eyes on the screen, not moving an inch, when you suddenly leaned over, leaning your hands on his thighs and pressing your lips against his in a soft, but very decisive kiss. He let out a soft grunt, not having expected it, before he kissed you back, momentarily forgetting his search for furniture. You licked into his mouth briefly, before pulling away, grinning at him as he furrowed his brows at you.

“Still like me better shy?”

author's note: did you like it?🥹

[cascowriteswords]

bite me

Clarke should have seen this coming. The signs have been there all along. 

“There is such thing as too much garlic, Clarke.”

“The sun is hurting my eyes.” 

“My skin is sensitive, Clarke, I can only wear gold or medical grade titanium.”

“This is the skin of a killer, Clarke.”

Okay, maybe not that last one. 

But still, the signs were all there, all these years. It was only her own naivety that prevented her from predicting this earlier on. 

“So, vampire, hm?” she hums as Lexa jogs down the stairs, velvety black collar popped up around the slender column of her neck, coattails flowing behind her. “I didn’t peg you for team Edward.”

“I’m not,” Lexa answers smoothly, pecking Clarke’s cheek as she takes the mug of coffee held out toward her, leaving a black outline of her lips in their wake. “Party City was fresh out of werewolf costumes. But I’m not team Jacob, I’m team Seth - the only good character.”

“I see,” Clarke says coyly. “Remember when I said you should pick out a costume a few weeks ago? Instead of the night before Halloween?” 

Lexa is buzzing around the kitchen, spreading avocado onto her toast and grabbing pickled onions from the fridge. It’s an ironically vegetarian breakfast for someone with painted-on blood dribbling from the corners of her mouth. “Are you saying you think the kids won’t like my costume, Clarke?”

Working as a physical therapist in an outpatient pediatric clinic means going all out for Halloween isn’t optional. Lexa’s kiddos would be so disappointed if their favorite clinician wasn’t dressed up, and getting 3 year olds to focus on PT is hard enough on a normal day. She has all sorts of spooky themed games and obstacle courses planned for the day.

“Of course not, they’ll love it. They love you.”

“I love you,” Lexa quickly says, eyes flicking up to meet Clarke’s in a way that somehow still makes her stomach swoop even 3 years in. 

“I love you,” Clarke answers, grinning affectionately at her sweet golden retriever girlfriend as she eats her toast in full vampire garb as their tiny bistro table. “Are you going to ask what I think about your costume?” 

Lexa quirks a brow inquisitively, peering at Clarke over the top of her mug as she takes a sip of coffee. “What do you think of my costume, love?”

Clarke moves away from the counter she’d been leaning against and prowls forward, as if she’s the one dressed as a lethal predator instead of Lexa, intently focused on her target. When she reaches the table she rests one hand on its edge and the other on the back of Lexa’s chair, caging her in. “I think,” she says, ducking down to press her lips to the hinge of Lexa’s jaw which earns her a lovely, pretty breathy sound from her girlfriend, “You might be the one dressed as a vampire, but I’m going to be eating you tonight.” Lexa swallows thickly and Clarke grins; nips at her neck, feels the pulse fluttering beneath her tongue as it laves over the skin there. 

When she leans back Lexa’s eyes follow her, pupils a bit wider and darker than they were just a moment ago which suits her costume quite nicely. Clarke reaches out and runs a thumb along Lexa’s bottom lip, cleaning up the edge of her black lipstick. “I’m going back to bed for a little while,” she tells Lexa. “Have a great day at work, honey. And happy Halloween.” 

“Clarke,” Lexa whines. “How am I meant to focus at all today now.”

“You’re a highly intelligent and cunning immortal being, you’ll figure something out.”

She skitters up the stairs smugly, already knowing how tightly wound Lexa will be when she returns home in 9 hours.

Already more than a little excited to unwind her.

[trickphotography2]

D-Day by TrickPhotography | Chapter 13

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x female!reader

Word count: 5.1k

Synopsis: After finding out his girlfriend is pregnant, Jake is ready to move in and get married. The last thing he expected was to be hit with a six-month deployment at sea and missing the birth of his first child.

18+, minors DNI

Chapter 12 | Master List | Ao3

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

Chapter 13

“Darlin’?” Jake called as he stepped into the house, tossing the truck keys onto the counter and lifting the bottom of his shirt to wipe away the sweat on his brow. He’d just returned from helping Bob move the treadmill into his apartment. With the deployment hanging over your heads, he wanted to take care of as much as possible around the house - and clearing out what would be the nursery was near the top of that list. Coyote was on his way to claim the weight bench. When there was no answer, he grabbed a water bottle and walked toward the home gym turned nursery. His heart dropped when he saw you lying on the floor with your eyes closed. He crossed the room quickly, dropping to his knees beside you. “Fuck, darlin’, are you alright?”

“Hmm?” you said, forcing one eye open to see his panicked expression. “I’m okay. Just got a little dizzy.” 

“I don’t like how much that’s happening,” he grumbled. 

“It’s not exactly a party for me, either,” you scoffed. Now nine weeks pregnant, you felt worse than ever - the lightheadedness hadn’t gone away, the low-grade headache was back, and your nausea and food/smell aversions were getting worse. When Jake made himself some eggs that morning, you spent some time in the bathroom throwing up while he hurriedly aired out the house. Not to mention how exhausted you were, your emotions were on a hairpin trigger, and your slacks were getting harder to button. And your bladder felt like it was the size of a pea with how much you were going to the bathroom. 

Jake placed a hand on your stomach, a smile tugging at his lips when you covered it with your own, feeling the steady rise and fall of your breathing. “You’re supposed to be nice to your mama, Bean.” He’d refused to call the baby Berry over the last week, even though they’d grown to the size of a blueberry, stating that it felt like he was talking to a middle-aged man instead of “our little girl.” When you’d pointed out that he would have to eat his words when you had a boy, he’d only shrugged. “I told you aviators have girls. And if I remember my biology right, I’ve had a pretty big say in what we’re having.”

“Apparently, Bean is as big as a peanut shell now.” His grin grew as he pushed your shirt up and leaned down to kiss your stomach. 

“Hey, Peanut.” Pressing your lips together against the tears that sprang to your eyes, you gently brushed the sweaty hair from his face. It broke your heart to realize that this was one more thing you’d miss - Jake greeting your child with a new name every week. He only had four more weeks at home, five until he was on the carrier. From your research, you could find out the gender at the 18-week mark, at which point Jake would be somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. When his gaze flitted up to meet yours, he sighed at the sight of your tear-filled eyes. “Darlin’.”

“I’m good. Hormones,” you sighed, pushing up onto your elbows. Wanting to change the subject, you forced a smile. “I found something in the closet that I’d like an explanation for, babe.” 

“What’s that?”

“Exactly when were you planning to tell me you have a cowboy hat, Tex?” He furrowed his brows for a moment before smirking.

“Forgot I had that. It was for my buddy’s wedding.” 

“Jacob. Michael. Seresin,” you hissed. “Are you telling me that there are pictures of you in that hat, and I presume a suit, that I haven’t seen?” 

“I guess so.” Chuckling, he stood and walked to the closet, peering into it before pulling down the black hat. After dusting it off, he put it on and turned to face you. “Ma’am,” he drawled, his Texas accent thick as he ducked his head and touched the brim. Inhaling sharply, you held up both hands, and Jake hauled you to your feet, tugging you close to ensure you were steady.

“I’m getting ideas. So, so many ideas.” His lips curved into a wicked smile as he slowly backed you against the wall, his thigh slotting between yours. 

“Is that right?” Nodding, you slid your hands under the back of his shirt, lightly trailing your nails down the length of his spine. In retaliation, he shifted his leg, dragging his thigh along your core and making you bite your lip. His hands rose to cup your breasts, thumbs lightly stroking your nipples through your bra and t-shirt. In addition to being more sensitive than usual, your breasts had already started to get bigger, a fact that your fiance seemed to enjoy. 

“Jake,” you whined, grinding down on his thigh as he dipped his head to suck on the top of your breast. The hat bumped your chin, and you quickly removed it and put it on your head. 

“Oh, darlin’,” Jake tutted, his hands and lips stilling as he met your eye. “You have no idea what you just did, do you?” His teeth dragged along your skin before he wrapped his hands around your waist and drew you away from the wall. You laughed when he knelt and carefully lined your hips up with his shoulder, an arm wrapped tightly around your legs as he stood. With one hand clapped to your head to hold the hat in place, you shrieked as he flung you over his shoulder. “You okay, Mama?”

“Fine,” you giggled, steading yourself with a hand on his back. You yelped when his free hand landed a solid smack on your ass as he started to move towards the door.

“Good, ‘cause I’m gonna fuck another baby into you.” 

“Promises, promises.”

“You’re pregnant?” You and Jake froze. 

“Hey, Javy,” you said, an embarrassed smile on your mouth as you pushed yourself up and looked over Jake’s head towards the other pilot. 

“You’re pregnant?” he repeated. 

“Um…” Jake’s grip loosened, so you slid down the length of his body, quickly positioning yourself so your back was pressed to his front, hiding his semi. Glancing over your shoulder, Jake shrugged. “Surprise?” 

“Jesus Christ,” Javy whispered before pulling you into a hug. “Congrats.”

“Thanks.” 

“Now the whole rushed marriage thing makes sense.” 

“Accelerated,” Jake corrected. After the initial shock had worn off, you and Jake had spent a day sitting down and figuring out the next steps. He was adamant that you needed to be married before he left, which you’d readily agreed to. But there was so much that had to be done before he left Lemoore - in addition to everything he had to do to prepare, like his physical and dental checkup, there was so much legal stuff to handle. Jake had called the military legal clinic about your situation and had been advised that a marriage certificate would smooth much of the process of updating his Will, getting a power of attorney, and designating you as his beneficiary. It would be a requirement to enroll you in DEERS - the system that allows you to get your dependent ID card and be registered in TRICARE, the military health insurance plan. 

Overwhelmed by the list of everything that needed to be done, from more minor things like renewing the house lease and filing his taxes when he was gone to having harder conversations about Jake’s wishes in case he died while deployed, you had pushed away from the table and started to hyperventilate. Jake had tried to hold you, but you’d shoved him away and paced the house before slipping on your shoes and walking around the neighborhood, a silent shadow at your side.

All of it was going to be on your shoulders. And you were going to be alone. Newly married, pregnant, and across the country from your family. 

You had a new appreciation for what your mother had dealt with whenever your dad deployed. But even she hadn’t faced pregnancy and giving birth on her own. 

Getting married sooner rather than later would allow you more time to handle everything else. So, with that in mind, you’d scheduled calls with your families to break the news of the deployment, pregnancy, and your plans to get married at the courthouse. While your parents had been thrilled and quickly agreed to come, Jake had taken the call off the speaker when his father asked how stupid he was to “get some tag chaser knocked up.” His face was red when he came back inside and informed you that his mother and sister would let him know if they were coming. His father had been uninvited.

With a quick text to your friends, everyone who needed to know the plans did. 

“Accelerated, rushed,” Coyote grinned and shrugged. “Sounds like a shotgun wedding to me.” 

“Fuck you,” Jake chuckled, shoving his best man. Javy pushed back, and the two men grappled with one another as you quickly ducked out of the way. 

Watching them, you rolled your eyes. “Maybe I do want a daughter.” 

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” 

Your guests cheered, but you only had eyes for Jake as he grinned. Gently, he cupped your jaw, thumb lightly tracing your lower lip as he drew you closer with a hand on your hip. Your arms wrapped around his waist, giggling as he leaned down to press his lips to yours. He chuckled, kissing your forehead as his thumb lightly stroked your stomach before reclaiming your mouth. 

The ceremony was simple but perfect. Jake promised you a bigger wedding once he was home, but you didn’t care. It wouldn’t stack up to exchanging vows under the gazebo downtown, surrounded by your family. You were more than happy with the off-the-shoulder, lacy midi-length dress you’d ordered offline on sale instead of a fancy gown and your flowers picked up from the grocery store that morning rather than spending hundreds of dollars on arrangements. The only concession you’d made was hiring a photographer and ordering a cake waiting back at the house, where your parents insisted on having a small reception. 

But the most perfect part of the whole day was your groom. Jake looked so handsome in his dress whites, but it was the sheen of tears in his green eyes and the soft look on his face that made your heart skip a beat. Keeping with the non-traditional approach, you’d spent the day together - from him holding back your hair as you vomited to humming the wedding march as you cuddled in bed. Teasing touches became more intentional, and you gasped against Jake’s mouth as he slowly pressed into you, deliberately drawing out both of your pleasures to savor the last time you’d have sex as an engaged couple.

When your parents and Coyote arrived mid-morning to help get the house ready for the reception, Mom insisted on going to get your flowers. But rather than going straight to the grocery store, she stopped by a baby store to “just look” and bought a few things for Peanut, adding to the small pile of items you’d started purchasing. She'd then dragged you into a nail salon, excitedly telling the tech that you were getting married that afternoon.

With blue hydrangeas and white roses in hand - the same combination Jake had sent to your office to ask you out the first time and again on your anniversary - you returned home to see that the guys had been hard at work. And reinforcements had been called in. You were surprised to see so many cars in front of the house and Dad washing Jake’s truck. In the backyard, you found Jake on a ladder, hanging fairy lights on the side of the house as Coyote kept the ladder steady. Rooster and Phoenix were threading them through the fence. Bob and Maverick were driving stakes into the ground around the patio to string up more lights. Payback soon arrived with Fanboy in tow. 

You could only imagine how many favors had to be called in to get the entire Dagger Squad a Friday off on such short notice and for Rooster, Mav, and Fanboy to get to Lemoore. Mumbling a quick thanks to everyone, you retreated to the bedroom, where Jake found you sitting on the bed with your head in your hands, trying to muffle your sobs. He could only smile when you explained that you were overwhelmed with everyone being there and you hadn’t expected them to decorate the backyard.

After Penny appeared with sandwiches for everyone and the lights were all strung, the group disbursed to get ready for the ceremony at 3:30PM, the last appointment the Justice of the Peace had for the day. You and Jake lingered in the shower, allowing your fingers to skate over one another and laughing as you traded kisses. The teasing continued as you got ready, standing side-by-side at the sink and glancing at one another in the mirror as he shaved and you worked on drying your hair. His arms caged you against the sink as he peppered your neck and arms with kisses as you tried to do your makeup, tugging at your towel so it fell to the floor and left you bare to his heated gaze. You paid him back by resting your forehead between his shoulders as he ironed his dress whites, toying with his chest hair and tracing his abs. 

Jake’s fingers trailed up your spine as he zipped you into your wedding dress, then wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you back into his chest, his chin resting on your head. “You sure you’re okay with this?” he sighed. He’d overheard his mother and sister talking about how much more they’d preferred his first wedding, a big church affair that his ex had insisted on. He didn’t want you to feel like you were getting less. 

Meeting his gaze in the mirror, you placed his hand on your stomach. “All I need is you and me, and one witness to make it legal.” 

He swallowed hard before brushing his lips to your temple. “I love you so damn much, darlin’.” Blowing out a shaky breath, you tilted your head back against his shoulder, trying to keep the tears gathering in your eyes from falling. 

“I love you so damn much, Mrs. Seresin,” Jake mumbled against your lips as he reached over you to undo the seatbelt. You could see the photographer hovering at the edge of the driveway; her camera pointed at you, but you ignored that to focus on your husband.

Husband.

The thought made tears spring to your eyes. Capitalizing off the slight height advantage the truck gave you, you leaned down to kiss him, feeling your heart clench when the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled into your kiss. Sliding your arms around his shoulders, you tugged him closer, sighing as he licked into your mouth. It was only when someone drove past and honked that you broke apart. Jake lifted a hand to wave at his - your - neighbor. 

While you’d been busy taking pictures after the ceremony, the Dagger Squad had taken advantage of the distraction and decorated the truck. ‘Just Married,’ ‘The Seresins’, and ‘Hangman Got Hitched’ were written across the windows with chalk paint. A tangle of streamers was crumpled on the backseat after he’d pulled them off the bumper and hood. Little silver confetti wedding bells were strewn around the cab, and you knew that Jake would be digging them out from the seats for the next year. 

Pressing his lips to your collarbone, he trailed his fingers down your left arm to capture your hand, lifting it to his mouth to kiss your wedding band. You smiled at the white gold band on his ring finger. “Ready?” you asked, glancing over your shoulder to the house, where your guests waited. You’d had everyone park in the driveway while Jake parked in the street so you could leave - you’d booked a hotel in Fresno for the night. When he nodded, you grabbed his cap and your flowers from the console and slid out of the truck. Once the door was closed and the locks engaged, Jake pressed the keys into your free hand and swept you off your feet to carry you across the lawn. Laughing, you put on his cap and kissed him. Thankfully, someone had unlocked the front door, so you didn’t have to fumble with the keys, and he nudged it open once you’d twisted the knob. 

“Welcome home, Mrs. Seresin,” he grinned, not bothering to set you on your feet as he moved towards the kitchen, where you could hear a buzz of conversation. It wasn’t until he turned the corner that anyone seemed to realize you were there. Your mom and Penny were pulling finger foods from the refrigerator. They paused long enough to congratulate you before getting back to work. You offered to help, but they shooed you into the backyard with the rest of the guests. 

The next few hours passed in a blur of hugs and congratulations. After setting your flowers into the vase by your small wedding cake, you sought out your dad, who was manning the grill with Mav. The two men paused their sports car conversation long enough for you to hug your dad and thank them both for coming. Jake offered to take over grilling duty, but your dad waved him off. Jake’s mother and sister chatted with Javy and Fanboy and hugged you awkwardly when you greeted them. “It’s just a shame your father couldn’t join us,” Sarah said, glancing at her son. 

“Yup,” he agreed, unwilling to engage in the argument. 

Rooster had set up a playlist, and music drifted across the backyard as you laughed with your friends. You had a few of your friends from Florida call you, and you and Jake stepped away to chat with them for a few minutes before returning to the party. Tables had been put together in the backyard, covered with linen tablecloths you’d picked up earlier that week, and everyone settled down to have dinner together, passing bowls of veggies, salad, and bread. You turned down every offer for a beer and instead sipped from a champagne flute filled with ginger ale. 

When the sight of Payback’s rare steak turned your stomach, you quickly excused yourself and hurried into the house. Jake was right behind you, rubbing your shoulders as you retched. As you fixed your makeup, he ducked into the kitchen to get a sleeve of crackers. You were both subjected to gentle teasing about sneaking off for a quickie when you returned to the table, and you saw the flare of disgust in Sarah’s face. Jake’s smile was tighter, clearly having caught it, and he raised your clasped hands to brush his lips against your wedding rings. 

When the sun started to set, Jake plugged in the lights, illuminating the backyard with fairy lights. You quickly cut the cake at the photographer’s suggestion and shared a slice with your husband since your stomach was still unsettled. Your smile became a bit more fixed, and when he pulled you into his lap while chatting with Rooster and Phoenix, you fought against closing your eyes as he stroked your arm. 

“Honey,” your dad said softly, coming up beside you. “Can I talk to you real fast?” 

“Hmm?” you said, forcing your eyes open. “Yeah, sure. Of course.” Jake watched as you walked into the house with your parents. 

“I…um…” Dad said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I wanted to see if you…”

“Your father wants to dance with you,” Mom interrupted. 

“Oh,” you gasped, pressing a hand to your mouth as you nodded. “Of course, Dad.” You felt the first tears fall as your dad’s phone started to play My Girl by The Temptations. Laughing, you stepped into his arms, dancing in the living room to what he’d decided was your father-daughter dance song when you were a baby. You could see your mom crying and laughing as she recorded it with her camera, and the back door opened in time for you to see the photographer slipping in. The song ended too quickly, and you reached for the phone to restart it before holding a hand out for your mom. Your dad grinned, gently tucking both of you under an arm so the three of you could sway together like you’d done so many times after he got home from a deployment. 

“You know,” he said gruffly, “this was a lot easier when you were a little girl.”

“Well, I grew up,” you sniffled.

“Don’t we know it,” your mom chuckled wetly. “Grown up, married, and having a baby.” 

“Crazy, huh?”

“Nope, just a new adventure,” your dad corrected, kissing your forehead. He met Jake’s gaze through the window, where he’d been watching you all dance, and smiled. “You found a good one, honey.” 

“I know.” 

“Even if he is in the Navy.” Laughing, you shook your head and wiped your face. 

“I mean, technically, I’m a Navy spouse now.” 

“Air Force brat, first and forever,” your dad said, spinning you and your mother before drawing you back in. “And this one” - he nodded at your stomach - “if they ever decide to go into the military, make sure they follow in their grandpa’s footsteps and go blue.” Shaking your head, you touched your stomach and took a deep breath.

“We’ve got a long time before we have to even think about that.” 

“Hey,” your mom said softly, squeezing your hand before pushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “I know you’re worried about while Jake’s gone, but your dad and I are here for you. We’ll be out here as much as you want us to be, and we’ll do whatever you need.” Your teeth dug into your lower lip as your chin wobbled. 

“Thanks, Mom.” Smiling, she tugged you in for a hug.

“You got this, baby. And those folks out there? They seem like a good group, and they’ll help you where they can.”

“I know.” 

“Everything okay?” Pulling away from your mom’s embrace, you saw Jake’s concerned face as he stepped into the house. Nodding, you motioned him in, eyes darting to the photographer, who quickly ducked outside. 

“Yeah,” you nodded, stretching out a hand towards him. He quickly moved towards you and took it, squeezing tightly. “What do you think about letting the rest of the family know about Peanut?” 

“Yeah?” he asked. You’d talked about when to let people know, not wanting to announce it too early in case anything happened but giving enough time to let the important people know before Jake deployed. But, seeing as most of the people you would want to tell were already sitting in your backyard, it seemed like the perfect time to do it. At your nod, he stepped forward to tug you into his arms, kissing the side of your head. “We’ll leave after. You look tired.”

“Exactly what every bride wants to hear on her wedding day,” you mumbled. Chuckling, he kissed your cheek before grabbing your overnight bags and putting them in the truck while you used the restroom. Hand in hand, you stepped into the backyard, exchanging a glance before Jake cleared his throat. The low rumble of conversation died as the group turned to face you. 

“Hey, we’re… we just wanted to thank everyone for coming and helping us celebrate today. We, uh… didn’t originally plan on getting married like this - ”

“But it turned out perfectly,” you interrupted, squeezing his hand. “Better than any big ceremony.” His grin was blinding as he slung an arm around your shoulders and tugged you in for a kiss. Someone let out a wolf whistle, and you lightly pressed against his chest, feeling the indentation of his metals under your palm. Reluctantly, he pulled away, a heated promise in his gaze. 

“Better than any big ceremony,” he echoed, not taking his eyes off of you. “This one wanted to wait until next year to get married - made me agree that we’d only get engaged this year.”

“But plans changed,” you prompted. He nodded, forcing his eyes off of you and towards his friends. His hand slipped from your shoulders to your waist, fingers lightly stroking your stomach.

“Plans definitely changed.” Jake didn’t say anything, instead savoring the confused looks the Daggers gave one another and the knowing ones that Rooster and Coyote gave him. As the silence stretched, you rolled your eyes and lightly elbowed him in the stomach.

“We’re having a baby.” There was stunned silence before you were suddenly surrounded by people. The Daggers hugged you tightly and slapped Jake’s back, congratulating and gently teasing. 

Your parents, seated beside Sarah and Lina, smiled as your new family celebrated the news.

“Want one?” you asked, holding out a fry. Jake glanced at it before leaning closer, his hands never leaving your thigh or the steering wheel. Scoffing, you fed him the french fry, laughing when his teeth scraped your finger. 

“Still can’t believe you wanted chicken nuggets instead of a steak,” he grumbled. Before hitting the highway, you’d asked him to go through the McDonald’s drive-thru since your stomach finally felt settled enough to eat.

“Blame your son - ”

“Daughter.”

“For not letting me eat earlier. Besides, this seems like the start of a fun tradition - McDonald’s on our dating and wedding anniversary.” 

“We agreed to it being the dating anniversary only, Mrs. Seresin. This is not our wedding anniversary tradition.” 

“Come on,” you wheedled, holding out another fry to him. “How cute would this be? Every year, you, me, and Peanut go to get dinner and tell him - ”

“Her.”

“About how we stopped and got chicken nuggets and fries after our wedding. And if we do it every year, he - ”

“She.”

“Might do it with his kids, and then our grandkids will have this sweet story about how grandma and grandpa always got McDonald’s on their anniversary every year, just like on their first date.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” 

“You know what they say,” you said in a sing-song tone, “happy wife, happy life.” 

“I’ll think about it.” You grinned, knowing that you’d won. The rest of the drive was passed in comfortable silence, the soft music on the radio and the road noise nearly lulling you to sleep. 

Jake glanced at you from the driver’s seat and smiled as your eyes closed, head lolling against the headrest. He knew it wouldn’t take long for you to fall asleep, not after finally getting some food in your stomach and the emotional day. You were lucky if you made it past 7:30PM most nights, and it was already closer to 9:00PM. He stole a sip of your Sprite, smiling every time the light caught on his wedding band. 

It felt strange to have something on that finger again. It would take some time to get used to it, but it felt right from the moment you’d put it on his finger when you’d gone shopping. The fact that you’d worried about the metal type in case he got into an accident at work - if they’d be able to remove it from his finger safely and quickly - had taken him off guard. When he saw your father’s gold wedding band, scratched and dented from years of working as a jet engine mechanic and government quality assurance inspector, he understood where the concern came from. You’d already ordered him a silicone band for when he flew. 

As the hotel came into view half an hour later, Jake debated continuing to drive so you would stay asleep. But as he stopped at a light, you inhaled deeply and woke. Blinking at the city lights, you gave him a confused look. “That was fast.” Chuckling, he squeezed your thigh and turned into the parking lot. After grabbing your bags from the backseat, he took your hand and led you into the lobby, unable to keep from smiling when the man greeted you as Mr. and Mrs. Seresin. 

“Come on, darlin’,” he said softly as the elevator stopped at your floor. You lifted your head off his shoulder as he led you into the hallway, pulling you to a stop outside your room. You quickly raised a hand to stifle a yawn, blinking away the tears in your eyes. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“No,” you whined while he opened the door and ushered you inside. “We’re gonna have hot, married people sex. And then bed.”

“Whatever you say, Mrs. Seresin.”

“That’s right.” Turning, you ran your hands up his chest to wrap around his collar, tugging so he leaned down to kiss you. Jake kicked the door shut, one hand fumbling for the light switch while the other closed on your hips as he backed you further into the room. You shifted your attention to the buttons of his coat, undoing them and tugging his undershirt from his pants. He quickly shrugged off the coat and tossed it onto the desk chair as you worked on his golden belt buckle. 

“Hey, hey, hey, slow down,” he said, catching your hands. “We’ve got all night.” Huffing, you toed off your heels before burying your face in his chest. 

“Jake?” 

“Darlin’?”

“Would you be upset if we had hot, married people sex tomorrow?” Laughing, he held you tight, swaying slightly. 

“No, I won’t be upset. You and Peanut had a long day, Mama, and we’ve got the rest of our lives to have hot, married people sex.”

You hummed, a tired smile crossing your lips as you mumbled, “It was a perfect day.” 

“Absolutely perfect,” he agreed, slowly pulling your dress zipper down. “Now, let’s get comfortable and call it a night.” 

Jake folded your dress and his uniform while you washed your face and stood beside you as you both brushed your teeth. Once in bed, you pulled him on top of you, but he stubbornly refused to do anything more than trade kisses after you pulled away to yawn again. Chuckling, he turned you onto your side, pressing his chest to your back. Threading his fingers through yours, Jake smiled when your wedding rings slid against each other before he tucked them against your stomach.

“Night, husband,” you mumbled, snuggling into his embrace.

“Night, wife,” he replied. He felt your breathing slow and thought you’d fallen asleep until you spoke again.

“I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” 

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

Author's Note: They're married! I'll be honest, I didn't expect to write that when I sat down to write the chapter. Thought it was going to be them arguing about the nursery and all the things that needed to be done to prep for him leaving. But Jake and Darlin' had their own ideas! There is so much legal stuff that has to be taken care of before he deploys, and Jake wants to ensure that his little family is taken care of. Had to bring in things from their first date, like fries in the car and the flowers he bought her. Oh, and the cowboy hat rule 😉 🤠 Jake definitely enforced that once Coyote left.

The McDonald's anniversary part is actually my parent's story. Every March 3rd, everyone in my family goes to McDonald's and gets chicken nuggets and fries to celebrate my parent's anniversary because that's what they stopped to get after their wedding. My parents love joking that it's their fancy date night. And the tradition works, because they'll be married 40 years in March! They renegotiate their marriage contract every year, so you can say I drew quite a bit of inspiration from them for this fic.

While it's not super important, this is the dress I had in mind while writing the story. The model is not indicative of how I picture Darlin'.

Read Chapter 14

Tag list: @memeorydotcom; @alldaysdreamers; @kmc1989; @djs8891; @caitsymichelle13; @dempy; @midnightmagpiemama; @lovelyladymayyyy; @caidi-paris; @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby; @bellaireland1981; @lethargicluv; @mayhemmanaged; @tenderclio; @lucypaulette; @abaker74; @trhett21; @misshoneypaper; @schreksdoubledeckerhomechecker; @eternallyvenus; @mavrellover91; @chloeforde; @thatbitcily; @rest-of-brazilian-wax; @percysaidnever; @harperdoodle; @hardballoonlove; @maeleeme; @emma8895eb; @xoxabs88xox; @queenslandlover-93

[amathslutsguidetofandom]

Infinite Solutions (snippet)

Hey hey, lovelies!

Here's a little snippet of the Professor!Andy Barber x Professor!Reader series/mini-series (haven't decided yet, lol). I've made a poll asking whether or not I should pursue this fic, and I've been getting great responses. So, there is a possibility it may become a series. 🤭🤭🤭

Anyways, Enjoy!!

Pairings: Law!Professor!Andy Barber

Word count: 700

Warnings: None yet

Summary: *It's still a surprise, hehe*

“You’re doing it again,” you hear a rough voice say. Looking away from the chalkboard, you see the dark-haired, blue-eyed man giving you a tired, tilted smile. You smile back, confused. “Huh?”

He sighs and nods his head, as if asking if he could enter. You nod, allowing him. “You’re going to break it,” he points at the white chalk in your fist. You hold it as though it’s the last thing to your name; you were so focused you didn’t know you were holding onto it for dear life.

“You’re supposed to be at home, sweetheart. Not break your head over some problem,” he waves his hand towards the blackboard. You bite the inside of your cheek, forcing your facial features to not react to the “sweetheart”. He looks at his expensive watch that sits nicely on his exposed forearm.

You take in his look, from the neat brown loafers to the nicely fitted black slacks to the light blue button-down where the sleeves were folded to his elbows, to the dark blue tie tucked nicely around his thick neck.

You push those thoughts aside, and you listen to him complain that you shouldn’t be here, at the university, this late at night.

“Just solving a problem,” you counter, placing the chalk back on its shelf. Andy sighs and nods, “I understand, but you know sleep is important, right?” You walk to your desk to pack up your stuff and you feel him follow you. He ducks his head to catch your eye, “right?”

You nod mindlessly, zipping up your messenger bag. You reach for the heavy textbook you haul all the time, but Andy grabs it before you could. “Let me,” he insists, as he adjusts his coat over the hinge of his elbow. You nod and say your thanks; you switch off your desk lamp and CPU, as your final routine for the night.

“Shall we?” He whispers, his deep blue eyes glinting against the moonlight streaming through your office window. You nod and your lips slightly twitch upwards, “sure, yeah. You gonna walk me to my car?” He chuckles and shakes his head, “that gonna be a problem?” His Boston accent incredibly strong.

You shake your head and lightly smile, “not at all, Barber.”

You both walk towards your door, and he holds it open for you, and you walk past him nodding your thanks.

The Boston chill hits you like a freight train, and you shiver instantly. Andy and you make a beeline towards your Corolla at the back of the parking lot. He makes you laugh with his dad jokes, and you ask him about little 3-year-old Jacob, and he says that he really appreciated you going to Jacob’s pre-school's Mother’s Day event.

“Ah, it’s really nothing. Anything to make that little troublemaker smile,” you brush off the compliment. Andy shakes his head, “No, I really do appreciate it a lot. You know, ever since Laurie left-.”

You nod, “Andy, It’s fine. And I really don’t mind helping you and Jakie out, really.” Andy gives you one of the softest smiles ever, and it warms your whole body despite the freezing chill of Massachusetts.

You press the button on your car keys, and your dark grey Corolla beeps. Andy opens the driver's side and as you’re about to get in, you stop and turn to face him. Your eyes widen as you didn’t realize how close you two were.

You could see the green specks in his eyes, and the little grey hairs in his thick beard. “I uh,” you start, staring at his lips. But your mind trails further to a place where it makes the tip of your ears flare red. You shouldn't be feeling these things towards Andy, he's a good friend of yours. A most importantly, your co-worker. Yes, you were in different faculty’s, but still.

Worst thing is, you could see that he feels the same. He senses the slight desire, the slight neediness you both have for the other. It's been simmering since the day you two met. The way he grips onto the door, the way he hands you back your textbook. He can’t stop looking at you, he can't stop thinking about you.

You're both waiting for the other to do something or the other, waiting for the bubble to burst.

“Goodnight,” he whispers, his eyes darting between your lips and eyes. “Night,” you whisper back, and you pull yourself from your frozen position and get in the car. He shuts the door gently, before lightly tapping on your window and waving goodbye. You replicate the same gesture, before pulling out of the lot.

🎀🎀🎀

Alright lovelies!!!

What do we think?

This is the offical first piece of writing I will be posting on here. So, any feedback, thoughts or even comments are really appreciated!!

Till next time!

Stay Coquette-y,

Anya 🫶🏽🕊️🎀

[joelswritingmistress]

Last Halloween: Chapter 11

Summary: After a tragedy involving Joel happened on Halloween one year prior, the town now shuns him while ignoring the details of the now closed case. You are seemingly the only one to offer empathy to a man the town is making out to be a monster.

Pairing: Joel x f!reader

An overcast sky overtook the former sunny day as you drove across town in the mid-afternoon. Somehow you enjoyed the slate background better than the blue, as it contrasted the yellow and orange leaves that fell from the trees. You were quite literally living in one of those fall ambience backgrounds that littered Instagram and Tumblr.

Passing the town green made you smile to yourself, as groups of kids of all ages were putting up scarecrows for the annual contest. While there was so much ugly that lurked in the shadows, you took time to appreciate the good that outshined it.

As you passed by the coffee shop you subconsciously ducked down because of the call out you made. Inside you caught a glimpse of two of your coworkers and a small part of you felt a tad guilty.

They're making money, you reminded yourself. And it wasn't like it was the weekend. You knew your guilty conscious was unmatched.

When you arrived home there were no cars in the driveway and you wandered inside. You helped yourself to a quick snack, tempted to open one of the bags of Halloween candy that the four of you had been buying weekly in anticipation for the trick or treaters on Halloween night.

Rather, you tossed a handful of potato chips onto a paper plate and scooped out two spoonfuls of French Onion to the side.

"How am I still hungry?" You spoke to yourself, dunking a ruffled chip before popping it into your mouth.

A noise from down the hall made you freeze for a second and you stopped chewing. You looked around the empty kitchen and continued to listen. When there wasn't another noise you continued to chew and wrote it off as something from outside.

The second noise, however, you couldn't ignore. Naturally you wanted to call out, 'hello', but you had seen one too many movies to even consider it.

Did I miss someone's car in the driveway? You wondered. No was the answer. You didn't have to look to double check; but you did anyway. The only car parked out there was your blue Mazda.

You eyed the hallway that led down to your bedrooms and took a deep breath. The creak of a door held you firmly in place again and your stomach knotted up. The faces of Vic, the cops from the night before and even Steve popped into your head.

"Shit." You whispered to yourself, glancing toward the front door. Carefully, you tiptoed in that direction, but you didn't get all of two steps and someone emerged from your bedroom.

You screamed. They screamed. You were about to run to the door but it registered who you were screaming with.

"Winnie!" You shrieked her name.

"I didn't hear you come in," she confessed, breathing heavy with a black dress in her hand.

"Is that my dress?"

"I texted you asking if I could borrow it for a night out with Jacob but you didn't respond."

"I'm sorry." You rummaged in the pocket of your hoodie for your phone and saw you had somehow overlooked the message from your friend. "Where's your car?"

Winnie raised her eyebrows and then looked away with a smirk. "I Ubered home last night after a party at the beer garden. My car's still in the parking lot."

You laughed and caught your breath, sighing out loud. "Shit. I thought you were an intruder."

Winnie laughed. "I just thought I was alone."

"Well, you can borrow the dress." You laughed. "You don't even have to ask."

Winnie stalked up to where you were standing. "Where were *you* last night?" She asked with playful accusation.

The look on your face gave away most of what she needed to know.

"Who is he?" Winnie asked. "And what the hell? You haven't told me about a guy. Ooo wait, was it a one night stand? Was it Steve?" Her questions came out in rapid fire and it made you laugh again.

"No and no," you replied as quickly as possible and then added a third, "No," for good measure.

"Okay, so.. spill it! Ahh I'm excited!" Winnie's energy was through the roof, and often contagious.

"You have to promise you won't judge."

"I'm a little hurt you even have to lead off like that."

"I know, I know. Okay." You let out a deep breath. "Umm.. well.. I've been seeing.." you let out a second deep breath, "Joel Miller."

Winnie's eyes were on the verge of cartoonish from the way they bugged out of her head. "Wait? Actually?"

You nodded. "I know what people think about him. But I know the whole story."

"I never really thought he was guilty of anything anyway."

"You didn't?"

"I've seen that Johnny dude around in the past. Saw him straight up smack his girl in the parking lot behind Oakshire Tavern. And I'm not talking about a little smack, I'm talking about sending her to the pavement in her finest dress smack."

"Oh my-"

"Yeah. My dad told me all about them and the way they terrorized people in high school and stuff. He's like, a few years younger, but he knew of them."

"Wow." You shook your head in disbelief.

"You're really letting old man Miller tap that?" She asked, making you both laugh.

"We.. just did.. last night." You eyed the ceiling with a grin and then looked back to Winnie.

"Isn't he, like, thrice our age?"

"He's 41."

"Damn." Winnie grinned and then laughed again, this time putting her hands on her knees. "I need time to process this."

"You and me both." You laughed and let out a sigh, thankful for your friend's lighthearted reaction. "You don't care? Like, you don't think I'm weird?"

"I'm a little in shock," she admitted with a laugh. "And I still can't tell if you're kidding."

"I'm not kidding," you promised.

Winnie shrugged, still grinning so hard you suspected her cheeks hurt. "Then go get some."

You chuckled again and put a hand on your forehead. "Shit you scared me." You changed the subject.

Winnie continued to giggle. "I'm sorry. It's this town. It's the Halloween stuff that gets us all spooked."

"Yeah." You didn't want to indulge in the handful of other reasons you had for being jumpy.

The two of you wandered to the couch and you flipped on the television. Right away, on AMC, one of the Halloween movies was playing. The two of you looked at one another and Winnie shrugged.

"Might as well." She went and lit a candle, reaching for a blanket to cozy up under. "Joel Miller," she said quietly, making you slowly turn your head in her direction.

You both laughed again and alternated between talking, laughing and watching the movie for the next hour. Being around Winnie for that lull in the day was like chicken soup for the soul.

By the time you met back up with Joel you had that same refreshed feeling. Two out of three of your friends thus far had had your back. You were nervous, but certain, that Chrissy would be on the same page once you had the opportunity to talk to her.

Knocking on Joel's door and seeing him standing there to greet you with a kiss and smile was all you had ever wanted in relationship. Things were moving fast. It was scary in its own way; but it was exciting and fun and left you feeling lighter that air. This was the type of relationship you never expected to find after your long stint in the dating pool.

"The rest of work was good?" You asked, practically pinning yourself to him as you linked your arms behind his neck.

"Mmmhmm.." Joel kissed you on the lips. "What'd you do all afternoon?"

"Watched a movie with Winnie. She passed the vibe check."

"Vibe check?"

"She's in our corner, too." You told him. "Said her dad told her the same type of stuff about the Champagne family." You pecked his lips and then changed the subject. "We're not on a strict schedule or anything are we?" You asked, "As far as tonight's plans go?"

Joel shrugged and eyed a clock on the wall. "No. Why?"

You locked the door behind you and then walked toward the staircase, resting an arm on the bottom of the banister with a suggestive smirk. Your eyes looked up toward the second floor and then back to Joel in such a way that would've clued in even the most innocent of men.

A wide smile formed on Joel's face. "You know we may never get to dinner if I follow you up there, right?" He stalked to where you stood there waiting for him.

When he got close enough, your arms reached up around him as he initiated a shamelessly long and urgent kiss - the kind that were saved for behind closed doors.

You moaned into his hungry mouth. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 12

@untamedheart81 @amyispxnk @grogusmum @ghostwritesthings @strawbunnyx @ayamenimthiriel @noisynightmarepoetry @jiminstinypinky @tuquoquebrute @pedr0swh0r3 @runningmom94 @mellymbee

[everythingne]

TEASER — GRIPPED - LN4

oc x lando norris / rom-com style fic/smau

Coca Cola and Jack Daniels bring Lando, Oscar and the reserve drivers to a beach bar in Miami over their winter break, the goal is to film a short film ad for the next Miami GP. However, the set is disrupted when a tungsten light comes undone, the Key Grip Roxanne Powell is quick on her feet and saves Lando's ass by taking the hit. Landing in true romcom fashion, straddling his waist. This accidentally makes an unlikely connection between one of the top Formula One drivers, who takes all the fame and glory for his team, and a girl whose work is hardly ever credited to herself.

warnings/notes: cursing, injury (burns/bruising, not described in any detail), this is the most self-indulgent fic ever, I use many film terms

--

“Breaking!” I call, hands finding the knob of the mambo stand as I start to pull down one of the silks. I can feel the heat of the lights besides me on my arms, my usual outfit of my tight Under Armor shirt and baggy black cargos. Working behind the scenes means not being seen, and all black was usually the way to go. I duck as I slip the clamp out of the stand, handing over the old silk and replacing it with the reflector. No more diffusion, the light was too dark, so I hoped the reflector would help defuse the light still, but keep the light relatively the same brightness.

“Yo, Roxie, one of these lights safety chains slipped out!” Jason, my right hand man, calls to me and I nod. Once I have the reflector slotted in I turn, looking back to where he’s pointing at one of our precariously balanced tungsten lights. The safety chains had been weak, something I knew and was a little pissy about, but seeing that not only the chain had broken, the shitty scissor clamps that held it up were loose, I could see the light shaking as Jason tried to reattach the safety.

“One second!” I shout over my shoulder, noticing how close the director is blocking talent to the light and I whistled for another grip to grab what I'm holding. That light is a tungsten, if that hits someone, namely the two McLaren drivers who stand below it, it’ll hurt like hell--and it’ll burn like hell too.

“Cassie, lock this, quick.” I say as she steps up in my place. I reach a hand behind my belt to grab my leather gloves and I hear the scissor clamp creak and slip, I jump off the stand I'm on, dropping my gloves in the rush and telling myself I'll deal with the burns later.

“Move! Move!” I shout, and the two drivers look at me like deer in headlights as I sprint forward. I throw one arm up to block the light as I shove the curly haired guy to the ground, accidentally falling on top of him as in my panic, I somehow manage to catch the now half broken light.

“Are you okay?!” We both ask at the same time, and now I look down, half straddling the talent—a light held tightly in my hands as my arm singes in pain. I check the light, which has become unplugged, and note that luckily nothing seems broken other than the glass. Which I can see on the floor by my knee.

“Yeah.” We breathe out at the same time and I curse, setting the light down on the concrete as I stand up, offering the talent my hand. He takes it, slowly standing up as people swarm asking if we're okay. It's a freak accident, the clamp should've held up fine, but now its broken structure crunches under my boots.

"Oh! Your arm!" The guy says, and I catch his last name on his jacket--Norris, as he grabs my arm and tilts me from the wrist so he can look. My arm is red, no doubt already swelling from the burn and bruising.

"I'll survive." I say to him softly, and his eyes meet mine. His eyes are stunning, I note, the different shades of bright color pulling me in--before the director is asking me if I need to go to the hospital or something. I shake off Norris and his pretty face and shake my head no.

"I'm just gonna clean it up, it's mostly burnt so it needs air. And, Cassie and Jacob, can you go find a c-stand to put the light back up? If it's still working." I look over my shoulder at my subordinates and they nod, radioing to the truck as I look over my arm again.

"Thanks." Norris breathes besides me and I turn to look up at him.

"Yeah," I notice the flush on his cheeks, "No problem, pretty boy."

[deathmetalangel]

ENVY’S MASTERLIST

this includes every character i write for and a link to their current personal master lists if i have works out for them (warnings may vary and minors dni)

this is in no particular order of character btw but my favorites will have a neat little asterisk

refer to what i don’t and do write in my separate post. also this is constantly being updated so don’t mind it much. you can always request a character if it’s not listed there’s no harm in asking :)

ADVENTURE TIME

- marceline*

- princess bubblegum

- marshal lee*

- finn

- fiona

AKAME GA KILL!

- esdeath*

- tatsumi

- akame

- kurome

AMERICAN HORROR STORY

- tate langdon*

- violet harmon

- kyle spencer

- nora montgomery

- moira o’hara

APEX LEGENDS

- bloodhound (no smut)

- wraith

- wattson

- octane

- loba

- revenant

- lifeline

- valkyrie

- crypto

AVATAR

- jake sulley*

- neytiri

- kiri

- neteyam*

- lo’ak

- aonung

- tsireya

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

- prince zuko*

- princess azula*

- sokka*

- katara

- aang

- suki

- yue

-jett

- ty lee

- mai

BIG MOUTH

- judd birch*

- val bilzerian*

- connie

- mona

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA

- izuku midoriya

- keigo takami

- touya todoroki

- shoto todoroki

- katsuki bakugo

- himeko toga

- tomura shigaraki

- tamaki amajiki

CALL OF DUTY

- simon ‘ghost’ riley

- john ‘soap’ mctavish

- könig

- valeria garza*

- alejandro vargas*

COBRA KAI/ KARATE KID

- robby keene

- miguel diaz*

- johnny lawrence

- daniel larusso

- tory nichols

- eli ‘hawk’ moskowitz*

- demetri alexopoulos

DARLING IN THE FRANXX

- zero two

- hiro

- mitsuru*

- ichigo

DEATH NOTE

- misa amane

- light yagami

- l

DEMON SLAYER

- tanjiro kamado*

- nezuko kamado

- kyojuro rengoku*

- giyu tomioka*

- shinobu kocho

- sanemi shinazugawa*

- genya shinazugawa*

- zenitsu agatsuma

- inosuke hasibira*

- muichiro tokito

- mitsuri kanroji

- iguro obanai*

- tengen uzui

HAZBIN HOTEL/ HELLUVA BOSS

- alastor* (i fully respect his asexuality so no smut :3 since he’s not canon aro i still write for him)

- angel dust

- charlie morningstar

- vaggie

- loona

- millie

- moxxie

- verosika mayday

- stolas goetia

- barbie wire

- striker

- octavia goetia

- adam*

- lute

- lucifer morningstar*

- rosie

- the vees

HOCUS POCUS

- max dennison

- thackery binx

- sarah sanderson

MARVEL

- peter parker

- wanda maximoff

- pietro maximoff*

- tony stark

- natasha romanoff

- k'uk'ulkan*

- killmonger*

- miguel o’hara*

MID90S

- ray*

- fuckshit

- fourth grade*

- ruben (no smut)

- stevie (no smut)

MY BABYSITTERS A VAMPIRE

- jesse white

- sarah fox

- ethan morgan

- benny weir*

- rory keener

- erica jones

NARUTO

- naruto uzumaki

- sasuke uchiha*

- sakura haruno

- minato namikaze

- hinata hyuga

- neji hyuga

- itachi uchiha*

- shisui uchiha*

- kakashi hatake*

- haku yuki

- pain*

- konan

- sasori

- deidara

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

- arthur morgan*

- sadie adler

- dutch van der lide

- mary linton*

- john marston

- lenny summers

- javier escuella

- mary-beth gaskill

SCREAM

- ethan landry*

- billy loomis

- stu macher

- sydney prescott

- tatum riley

STARDEW VALLEY

- alex*

- harvey

- haley*

- sam

- abigail

- emily

- shane

- sebastian

- elliott

- maru

- penny

- leah

STAR WARS

- din djarin*

- anakin skywalker*

- padme amidala*

- poe dameron

- luke skywalker

- leia skywalker

- ahsoka tano*

- han solo

- bo katan kreze

THE MIGHTY DUCKS

- charlie conway*

- adam banks*

- guy germaine

- dean portman

- julie gaffney

- connie moreau

- luis mendoza

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

- conrad fisher*

- steven conklin*

- jeremiah fisher

- belly conklin*

- taylor jewel

TWILIGHT

- alice cullen

- jasper hale*

- rosalie hale

- edward cullen

- jacob black*

- paul lahote

- leah clearwater

- seth clearwater*

- bella swan

- alec volturi*

- jane volturi

- victoria

[knightwriiter93]

Debut of the Ghostly Gotham Knight

A Danny Phantom/Batman; Gotham Knights crossover

Chapter 1: Crash landing into safety

Date: October 17th 2014, Time: midnight, location: Statue of Jim Gordan.

It was raining once again in Gotham the gentle pitter patter of the rain bouncing off the roofs and the street of the city was simply white noise, Nightwing was resting at the base of the statue after dealing with a few gangs. Nightwing was reflecting on the promise he and the others made to the city exposing the Court of owls and their schemes dealing with some old villains here and there, forging new alliances making new enemies... It was a lot. The justice league had offered to lead a hand if it got too much for Nightwing and the others to handle. There was a second funeral held for Batman by the JL Nightwing, who had asked Red hood to give the eulogy as Batgirl and Robbin would be unable to and he wasn't going to be much better. Hood had agreed and to be honest it was definitely better than the one that Jacob Kane had given. Shaking his head to banish the recent memories Nightwing stood up and before he could grapple away...

"DUCK!" Nightwing headed the warning just as a speeding something or another blew past him and in an attempt to stop the whatever it is, managed to bounce along the path a few times before it slammed into the base of the gazebo cracking the foundation a little once the dust settled Nightwing sets faltered for a moment as what he saw was a child a year or two younger then Robbin sliver white hair that seem to blow in a none existing breeze, neon green eyes that reminded Nightwing of the Lazarus waters, a black and sliver bodysuit and a red and white duffle bag across the kids lap.

"hell kid are you alright?" Nightwing asked checking for injuries.

"where... Oh thank fuck." The kid started to ask before slouching. Nightwing watches as the kid reaches into the duffel bag and pulled out an ancient looking PDA that would have Batgirl and Robbin gaging, the kid placed the PDA into his hands patted it and then promptly passed out where a white colored ring blinked into view around the kids wast split into, traveled up and down the kids form replacing the sliver hair with midnight black, and the bodysuit with a T-shirt and jeans before blinking out of sight once more.

"belfry prep, one of our first aid kits I'm bringing in a Meta their injured and had handed me an ancient PDA that most likely has information on it about what the hell I just witnessed."

"understood Nightwing we'll see you and the young charge shortly." Alfred said as Nightwing picked the kid up and after summoning the Batcycle Nightwing drove back to the Belfry questions and worries racing though his mind which ultimately boiled down to; what the hell happened?

Several hours later

Danny jolted awake with a gasp and fell off the surface he had been sleeping on the blanket following him to the floor, where Danny was trying to get his breathing back under some format of control he felt more than saw a person sitting him up and talking to him trying to get him to follow their breathing it was working thankfully and after a few rounds of breathing the world around him fell into focus once more. Taking in his current location Danny took note that it looked like a living room from an old Pinterest board that his sister was raving about before she had left for college.the person behind him was... Robin?

"Wait? Robbin right your Robbin right?" Danny asked.

"that's me alright, You nearly crashed into Nightwing last night, Handed him a PDA of all things and promptly passed out before he could ask what was going on." Robbin said helping Danny stand back up, and placed him back on the couch that he had been sleeping on before hand.

"sorry about that I had only just shaking the bastards that were chasing me but one of them got a lucky shot in. Some kind of Disruptor I think, lost altitude fast and I really didn't want to crash into him if I could avoid it."

"we figured that much." Red hood said as he came up the stairs with a tray of food.

"here you need to eat something" hood stayed placing the tray on the coffee table.

"thank you. And I'm sorry for just dumping that PDA on you guys without context as to what was going on.

"your fine all though we do have questions as to what is going on but they can wait until you've actually recovered from three days worth of flight if the data we currently have is to go by I. Surprise you didn't crash before you nearly bowled over Nightwing like he was a bowling pin." Bay girl said

"hey! I would have dodged." Nightwing said only to get four disbelievingly eyebrows raised at him.

"My top flight speed is 112 mph I really don't think you would have dodged in time." Danny stayed nibbling on some buttered bread.

"Be that as it may we should let our guests finish eating, the bandage needs to be changed, and he still needs more rest before he can answer any questions." Alfred said startling everyone as they hadn't even heard him coming up the stairs behind Nightwing. With sheepish acknowledgments the bats and birds returned back to the task they had been doing before hand.

'what did I get myself into this time?' Danny asked himself as he watched the group disperse into various tasks while Alfred moved over to him with a first aid kit.

~and that's a wrap for chapter 1 y'all I'll see you next time when Danny clarifies everything that had happen and what everything on the PDA means~

[callmearcturus]

okay top fives of the year

Top 5 Movies I Saw

Edge of Tomorrow

MI: Fallout

Hotel Artemis

Hawkeye (its a mini series but fuck you its the best thing marvel's ever done)

Top Gun: Maverick (YEAH YEAH shut up)

Action Button Reviews Tokimeki Memorial (yes again)

Top 5 Games I Played

Persona 3 Portable (Girl Route, boy route is bad)

TUNIC

the last 20 hours of Persona 5 Royal (the first 80 were bad)

Star Ocean Second Story R

Inscryption (until I stopped playing bc i hated the third act)

Top 5 Podcasts I Listened To

Into the Aether (the only video game podcast that matters)

Remap Radio (MY BELOVED)

Eye of the Duck

The Daily/Today Explained

The Journal

Top 5 Songs Of The Year According to My Spotify Wrapped

"Love From The Other Side" Fall Out Boy

"Fire Walk With Me" The Black Keys (lmao)

"Dirty Imbecile" The Happy Fits

"Dirty" grandson

"edamame" bbno$, Rich Brian

Top 5 Video Essays

Hbomberguy's "Plagiarism and You(Tube)" coming in late with the steel chair to take the lead

CodexEntry's "Pathologic, For Those Who Will Never Play It: The Marble Nest" (thanks for the paradigm shift)

Jacob Geller's entire catalog of work but especially "Returnal Is A Hell Of Our Own Creation" which is EXEMPLARY

Super Eyepatch Wolf's "The Cruelest Video Game" (but even more: his Fear & Hunger playthru on his streaming account)

Patrick (H) Willems' "The Zack Synder Video" (runner up: his "AI Filmmaking Is Not The Future, It's A Grift")

[theinheriteddutchess]

Blame@welp-heregoessomething because she never stops me and only encourages me....

The fight in New Moon New Shell between Paul and Jacob...

And for those who don't know yet, Leash doesn't get her period, she's less than a woman, forever lonely and miserable, watching from the side while others find happiness

(not my stance, but they laid it on thick didn't they?)

[flickys-courage-club]

Ask the CTCD Characters + OCs!!!

I'm doing asks for the CTCD characters and also my OCs of the show, so you can ask them all too

You can ask!

Courage

Muriel

Eustace

Computer

Katz

Le Quack

Cajun Fox

Black Puddle Queen

Weremole

Clutching Foot/Big Toe

Bunny

Kitty

Charlie the Mouse

Mad Dog

Schwick

King Ramses

Cat Thieves/Paul and Jim

Storm Goddess

Ma Bagge

Shirley the Medium

Banana Suit Dealer

Freaky Fred

Olive (OC)

Felix (OC)

Clive (OC)

Justin (OC)

Nathan (OC)

Teresa (OC)

Barry (OC)

Bunitty (OC)

Sin Clowns (OCs)

Lauren (OC)

Matt (OC)

Oliver (OC)

Tony (OC)

Maxie (OC)

Sir Mist (OC)

Lucifer the Puppeteer of Terrors (OC)

Velvet Vic

Duck Brothers

Hunchback of Nowhere

Radley (OC)

Claude (OC)

Nigel (OC)

Iram (OC)

Oden Kits (OC)

Courage's Parents

Cruel Veterinarian

Blizzard (OC)

Twigs (OC)

Kameron (OC)

Francine (OC)

Olly (OC)

Trixie (OC)

Krimson (OC)

Sirius (OC)

Raven (OC)

Aaron (OC)

Petal (OC)

Alan (OC)

Jacob (OC)

Barbara

Dorothy

Badru (OC)

Amaris (OC)

Canine Assassins (OCs)

Feline Hunters (OCs)

Grinz (OC)

Frownz (OC)

Rules:

No NSFW (suggestive questions are fine)

No questions that involve s#xualizing

No offensive questions

Bigotry questions are unacceptable

Hugs are allowed

No questions that include slurs

[flippinpancakes64]

Requesting Rules!

Hello!

So as I am getting more requests I figured I should put a couple guidelines of what I do/don't do

I will try to keep it brief but no promises

Also this can change at any time so please check!

My requests are CLOSED

Please be patient while I catch up 🩷

Characters I can write for:

Edward Cullen

Alice Cullen

Esme Cullen

Rosalie Cullen/Hale

Jasper Cullen/Hale

Emmett Cullen

Bella Swan

Carlisle Cullen

The Phantom of the Opera/Erik Destler

Marc Spector

Steven Grant

Jake Lockley

Scenarios I will not write for:

18+ scenes (I'm bad at them sorry)

Excessively Graphic Violence of any kind

Anything romantic involving blood relations

Anything romantic involving children (I am looking at you Jacob and Renesmee)

Excessive drug/alcohol use (a little is fine but I won't write about someone being addicted to like black tar heroin or smthn)

Toxic relationships

DDLG or other forms of age regression

Angst no comfort (sorry I like being happy)

Something excessively weird? I don't know if that makes sense. For example, I'm not gonna sit here and write a story about Emmett Cullen with a reader who shits rubber ducks, sorry <3

Additional Notes:

I am like, really bad at writing narrative scenes. I might try it in the future but I feel like it always comes out awkward. So for the most part please try to stick to a headcanon format. Like something that I could answer with the bulletpoints i have been using

I am a college student and I also have a job so please bear with me <3 I also might shut down requests if they get too piled up so please check that first line under the cut to see if my requests are open before trying to request

I am very sensitive with a tiny fragile baby ego. If you don't like my stories please just block me or keep scrolling

I am here for fun! I decided to start writing specifically for Twilight because I couldn't find anything new anywhere. This isn't like my life's passion or my ultimate dream. So don't feel pressured into liking or reblogging or requesting anything. But it is still very appreciated if you do!

The characters I listed above are obviously not all of the characters I know. Those are just the first ones that came to mind. If you have a character you want me to write about but aren't sure if I know who they are, send me a request or a message! Like I said above, I started writing because I couldn't find anything. If you're in the same boat and just want to see if I could help you out, don't be afraid to ask!

Please make your requests detailed. The last thing I want is to write a whole story and have it not be what you wanted. You don't need to keep it brief, use all the characters in the text box if you want!

[peridot-tears]

Time Travel AU: Be Gay, Solve Crimes

"Oi, is it true what they say? That you Frenchies are always raring for a good murder mystery?"

Time travel!AU where after Jacob kills Maxwell Roth, he blacks out from sheer exhaustion and smoke inhalation, only to wake up during the French Revolution. He quickly tags along with one Arno Victor Dorian, who's hot on the trail of whoever killed Jean Paul Marat, and he can't keep away even after Charlotte Corday is behind bars. In fact, he especially wants to stay when Arno teams up with Elise De La Serre -- "She doesn't want you as much as you want her, Arnie!"

After a revolution ends and a new era begins under Napoleon, Arno finds himself turning to Jacob as his closest confidante. "Though you may be boorish and reckless, there must be a reason that you're somehow still miraculously alive to bother me."

("This coming from the man who killed a bunch of men just for wine," Jacob scoffs.)

After a long and tumultuous courtship that they try to label as "frenemies," except in 19th-century French, they become dual Master Assassins who serve the people of France -- and the people of England, because fuck Napoleon and fuck the King too -- and make their relationship official.

And they were dual Master Assassins. Oh my God, they were dual Master Assassins.

They spend the rest of their lives sneaking and assassinating, trying to bridge the gap between Assassins and Templars, and though they ultimately fail, their attempts were so influential, even the biggest fanatics of both sides speak their names with respect.

Once they've retired to the Alps as old men, they spend their days in leisure, until the day they go to bed holding hands, and never wake up.

Except Jacob does wake up.

Evie is at his bedside, scolding him for his recklessness, and it's 1860s London again.

He recovers quickly, considering the tragedy that just befell him. Maxwell Roth is dead. That's a pity. Jacob has known better love and a better man than Maxwell Roth.

Even if that man was just a dream.

Until the day he breaks into the rest of Twopenny's personal collection, where he sees several original portraits of the French Revolution. A sharp-eyed painter from that time had managed to spot two men in the crowd -- Jacob finds himself staring at his own face, hiding in plain sight, and though the head of the man beside him is turned, he would recognize that scar anywhere.

And what sharp eyes that painter had. Jacob sees himself in this painting. That painting. Several paintings throughout the years, given away by small tells that only Jacob himself would recognize: The familiar swoop of Arno's frame as he sidestepped a guard. Jacob's godawful sans-culottes disguise. In the blurry distance, Arno performing a leap of faith, given away only by a gold and blue plumage unusual for a bird in Paris.

I'm here, he thinks. I'm really here.

Familiar steps sound the hall behind him.

Jacob ducks behind the painting; it's merely a worker in the building, coming to make sure the collection is as untouched as it has always been. He looks bored. He looks like Arno.

His hair may be cropped, and his scar may be gone -- the sign, perhaps, of a life that's dealt him a kinder hand -- but that bored look has not changed. It's Arno. He's been reborn, somehow.

That can't be it. Arno's gone. Jacob died with him. But Jacob is here, Jacob thinks to himself.

It's too much. And besides, Twopenny's paintings are rubbish, anyway. But Arno-not-Arno won't leave. He's lingering at the paintings, eyeing the details of the brushstrokes with light interest. He always was incorrigible when it came to purveying the arts.

Jacob tries to sneak past him -- Arno-not-Arno's ears practically prick, sharp as the man Jacob married, and Jacob finds himself grabbing him from behind, knocking him out gently.

He lingers just long enough to prop him up by the painting, smoothing out his hair, tucking him in with a nearby tarp because it's winter, Arno will get cold. He can practically hear Arno scolding him for his poor choice of fabric. "That barely insulates anything," he would say.

"It's the thought that counts," Jacob says.

He tips his hat, and escapes the building.

[callsigndragon]

Hold my hand | One

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x OFC / Jake Seresin x Red

Wordcount: 2.3k

Warnings: mentions of cancer, death, more death, someone's mom is a whore, the seresins had a shitty childhood... and then all fluffy and lovey dovey stuff!

Masterlist

If you want to get tagged, comment down below!

Eighteen. Jake was eighteen. Jenn was sixteen. It wasn’t the best idea. Heck, it wasn’t even an idea. It was just a choice. A choice made in a moment of need: Jake protecting Jenn while she ran upstairs to pack her things. 

Jake had been waiting for that moment since he was 10. Since the day their father died. Cancer was a bitch, and the Seresins had a taste of it. Tom, the human shield that kept the siblings safe from their mother, was gone. And for the next 8 years, Jake counted the days left until they could run away from that house. 

The day had come. 

“Where do you think you’re going, Jacob? You are not enough. You don’t know how to do anything!” Janine spat, tumbling around the living room and spilling the contents of her black mug—the one that was supposed to be used for coffee but that she filled with any alcoholic liquid she could find. “Nobody will love you. Nor you or your sister. That fucking whore. She’s a needy bitch, going around begging for some attention, and will end up pregnant like a cow before she turns twenty!”

Jake could hear Jenn running downstairs with tears in her eyes. How could her own mother talk about her like that? “If you hated the idea of becoming a mother so much, you shouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place!” 

“We are not the same, mother. Just because you don’t know how to do anything, it doesn’t mean I can’t learn.” Jake replied, taking a few steps back. She was the only person he was afraid of. 

“You don’t have money. You don’t know how to do anything! What are two little pieces of shit like you gonna do out of this house? You might as well give up. Kill yourselves and end my suffering.” The woman threw the mug over Jake’s head, missing Jenn by a hair. 

“I will wait until Jenn turns 17, and then we’ll join the Naval Academy. Like dad did.” Jake clenched his jaw, stopping the feelings flooding his mind at the thought of his late father. 

“You don’t have the guts!” 

“You’re just afraid of ending up alone. But we’re gonna walk out that door, and we won’t have to see your face again.” Jenn cried, choking up on her tears, feeling a mixture of anxiousness and impatience. 

And they did. They walked out. They never looked back. 

They took the reins. 

Jake parks his truck outside the Hard Deck, a bar that used to be the center of his world when he was a student at Top Gun. It’s been a while since those days. 

“Hey, isn’t that Javy’s car?” 

Jenn raises her head and looks at the black Chevrolet Impala parked next to them. “Holy shit, it is his car. Look, the little duck I bought him for Christmas.” 

Jake turns off the engine and gets off the truck, slamming the door behind him. “He came here and didn’t tell us?” 

Jake raises an eyebrow, pointing a finger at him. “Jay, you came here and didn’t tell him either.” 

“Because it’s a secret detachment” 

“And there you have your answer.” Jenn rolls her eyes, getting inside the bar and marveling at the ambience, the smell, and the homely, inviting atmosphere that reigns over the place. She never had called a place ‘home’, but she knows that this could be the closest thing to it. 

“Well, well, look at that! Javy Machado in the flesh.” 

“Valkyrie! Oh my goodness, we’re working together again?” Javy says, leaving his beer at the bartop and hugging the female. “Where’s the ugly Seresin?” 

“Right behind you.” Jake reveals, patting Coyote’s back and chuckling. “Please don’t flirt with my sister, it would be awkward.” 

“I’m not flirting!” Javy fusses, sitting down and gesturing to Penny, the owner, to bring two more beers. “This has to be a hell of a mission if we are here.” 

“Only the best of the best, Coyote.” Jenn raises her beer, the two men do the same, toasting for them and the future mission. 

“Do you think someone else might be joining us?” Jake asks, occupying the seat next to Javy’s. 

“We’re only three, and we don’t have a wizzo… We need another pilot with a back-seater.” Jenn adds, turning to the pool table and preparing the table so they can play. “Maybe Phoenix?” 

Jake thinks about it for a second. “Yeah… You can’t have a special secret mission only for the elite and not call her.” He looks at the flabbergasted expressions of the other two pilots and points at them with his index finger. “Don’t tell her I said that.” 

“She wouldn’t believe us even if we tried.” Javy jokes, grabs a pool cue, and gets ready to play. 

A few minutes pass, the three pilots absorbed by their game, until four more pilots join them, Phoenix at the head of the group. “What do we have here! If it ain’t Phoenix!” 

Jenn smiles when she sees Nat and looks with curiosity at the other three of them. She reads their names on the badges. Fitch, Garcia, and Jenkins. Jenkins kind of rings a bell, but she doesn’t remember why. 

“And here I thought we were special, guys. Turns out the invite went to anyone.” Jake teases, sitting in the pool, watching the newcomers' faces. He goes from Phoenix to the two men, but his eyes stop when they notice Jenkins’ eyes. They have to be the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen. Dark blue irises look at him, but he gets lost in the hazel ring around her pupils. Her eyes look like galaxies, and he fears that he might get lost in them if he stares too long. 

“Fellas,” Phoenix says, making Jake stop staring at the female pilot. “this here’s Bagman.” 

Jenn snorts, and Jake glares at him. “Hangman.” 

“Whatever.” Phoenix turns a bit, looking at the other three aviators. “You’re looking at the only other Naval Aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill.” 

Jake smirks, faking modesty. “Stop. You’re gonna make me blush.” 

“Mind you, the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean War.” Phoenix adds, looking at Hangman with her head tilted. How much she loves to tease him. 

“Cold war.” Jenn and Javy correct her at the same time. It might be an old plane, but it’s still a kill. 

“Same century,” Fitch says, crossing his arms over his chest. He is not impressed by the man’s achievements. 

“Not this one.” Garcia remarks, and Jenn looks at Javy, wondering what to do. “Red Queen has a confirmed air-to-air kill with a fifth gen aircraft. That’s impressive.”

“You know, I’ve heard a lot about this Red Queen, and yet, I have never seen her. I’m starting to believe she’s not even real, just a product of someone’s imagination to make my work look less impressive. I think someone’s jealous and goes around inventing rumors, guys.” Jake says, turning to grab his beer. 

“I’m Red Queen.” Jenkins announces, moving a step closer to him and smirking. “Want me to show you the report?” 

Jake clears his throat and gets up from his sitting position, as if he were really worried about looking like an idiot. More than he was already. “I am… I’m sorry. I really thought you were a myth. Everyone says you were the perfect student at the Naval Academy and, well, I am… I didn’t picture you like that.” 

“I know I’m short, but that has its benefits, Lieutenant Bagman.” She says, looking at the other two pilots. “My name is Rowan Jenkins. Red Queen. Everyone calls me Red.” 

Jenn, who had been looking at the exchange in front of her, blinks a few times and snaps out of her thoughts. “Oh shit. I’m Jenn Seresin. Valkyrie. This is Javy Machado. Call sign Coyote. And the… Bagman here is Jake Seresin.” 

“Wait, you’re siblings?” Rowan says, looking between the two Seresins, trying to spot some similarities. Yeah, she can see some of them. 

“Unfortunately.” Jenn mutters, earning a smack in the back of her head from Javy. “Who’re your friends, Phoenix?” 

“I’m Mickey Garcia. Fanboy.” 

“Reuben Fitch. Payback.” He says, smiling. “Revenge was already taken.” 

Jenn smiles, and smiles at Phoenix. “Glad to see you here.” 

“This mission can’t work without me, what can I say.” She gestures in the direction of the bar, and speaks again. “Who’s he?”

The friend trio frowns, not understanding her words. “Who’s who?” 

Phoenix motions in the direction of a guy, seated down, eating, and cleaning his lap. He doesn’t seem to realize that he’s the center of attention. Suddenly, he raises his head, and he’s a bit startled by the number of eyes staring at him. 

“When did you come in?” Jenn asks, moving so she can see the aviator. 

“Oh, I’ve been here the whole time.” 

There’s a moment of silence, Jenn and Jake share a look. Jenn knows that look. He’s about to make a joke that can be either the most unfunny thing ever, or really offensive. “The man’s a stealth pilot. Literally.” 

Well, it wasn’t that bad. 

“Weapons Systems Officer, actually.” The wizzo replies, looking at all the faces that are staring at him. 

“With no sense of humor.” Jake’s sister is about to smack him, but he gets up and walks toward the bar. 

“What do they call you?” Natasha asks, interested in knowing the wizzo better. 

“Bob.” 

“No, your call sign.” Payback chuckles, knowing that it’s something that happens regularly. Aviators are more often called by their call sign than by their name, so sometimes you don’t know where the call sign ends and your name starts. 

“...Bob.” He insists, and they all look at each other. 

“Wait, you’re Bob Floyd? From Lemoore? You’re my new back-seater.” Phoenix says, walking closer to her wizzo. Other than herself, the person on whom she will rely the most.

“Looks like it.” Bob answers, smiling a bit. 

Jenn turns to look at Javy. “Dude, have you seen Jake?” 

“Val, you have to be a bit more specific here. I see him a lot. He’s not as good looking as he thinks.” Javy remarks, earning a slap from Jenn. “Auch!” 

“Idiot. How he was looking at Red before he knew who she was? Did you see that?” Jenn reiterates, looking over to the bar to make sure that her brother doesn’t come back. “I’ve never seen him look at a girl like that.” 

Javy thinks about it for a minute, noticing how his best friend keeps looking over his shoulder to look at her. “He’s smitten.” 

Jake’s sister almost has a fangirl moment because, for the first time in years, Jake Seresin might be interested in someone for more than just sex. “I never thought I’d see this day.” 

“Can we emphasize the fact that he has fallen for the only girl that is better than him at his job?” Javy says biting his bottom lip to not laugh. 

“...Holy shit, you’re right!” 

Jake comes back from the bar, having changed the song on the jukebox. “Bradshaw! As I live and breathe.” Jake says, walking over to Jenn and Javy to give them some beers. He gives one to Red and the other to Phoenix. 

Javy’s eyes widen when he realizes that Bradshaw is, in fact, standing right next to Phoenix. “Oh my god.” 

“What the fuck is he doing here? He’s not fast enough for a special mission,” Jenn says, as if that were the only reason she doesn’t want him there. 

“You look good, Hangman.” Rooster says, watching Hangman’s every movement. It’s only then, when he stops right next to his sister, that he realizes that Jenn Seresin is also in the building. Brilliant. 

“I am good, Rooster. I’m very good. In fact, I am too good to be true.” Hangman says, making Phoenix and Rooster share a glance. 

Jenn looks at Rooster, the man who once was everything she ever wanted, and turns to keep talking with Javy. Family comes first, she reminds herself. Hangman might be a pain in the ass, but Rooster is not a saint, either. He talked as much shit as Hangman did back in the academy days. 

“What I wanna know is who’s team leader? And which of y’all have what it takes to follow me?” Jake states, looking at the others. 

“Of course, I’ll be team leader.” Valkyrie says, winking at Javy, who shakes his head. 

“Nah, Jenn. You’re wrong. It’s gonna be me.” Hangman insists, giving the pool cue to Javy. 

“Hangman, the only place you’ll ever lead anyone is an early grave.” Bradley raises his voice, wanting to be heard by all of the present aviators, even those who are having private conversations. Jenn glares at him, body already moving in his direction, but she’s stopped by Javy and Jake before she can say anything that she might regret later. 

Instead, the other Seresin walks to Rooster, slowly but with a smirk on his face. “And anyone who follows you is just gonna run outta fuel. But then that’s you all over, ain’t it Rooster? Snug on your perch, waitin’ for juuuuust the right moment. That never comes.” Jake smirks, tilting his head. “And I’m not talking about your performance as a pilot, only.” 

“Jake.” Valkyrie warns him, not wanting this to become too personal. 

Slow rider sounds in the back, and Jake laughs. “I love this song!” 

He leaves, and Phoenix and Rooster exchange a few words, but Jenn can’t hear him. She’s more focused on Bradshaw and that stupid Hawaiian shirt he’s wearing. One that she knows too well. 

She bought it for him when they were dating. 

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

Taglist:

@shrimping-for-all

@purplevortexx

@emorychase

@xoxabs88xox

[ghostradiodylan]

what do you think all the counselors' favorite colors are?

Thanks for the ask moth! This is a bit of a challenge because I associate them so strongly with the colors they wear in the game and that doesn’t necessarily mean those colors are their favorites. But I’m gonna free associate, pull some design theory, and figure it out!

Max - Yellow. “Max Brinly loved the color yellow until he saw it in his own eyes,” popped into my head out of fucking nowhere thinking about this ask. Baby ducks, golden retrievers, early morning light. An energetic, cheerful, supportive color for an energetic, cheerful, supportive lad. Also the color associated with soldiers away at war, danger, the longing for reunion.

(This is not a joke about him being afraid lol also I know that’s orange, the tumblr font color palette is limited okay?)

Laura - Pink. I was definitely thinking about her wearing the tracksuit Max ends up in. But there’s also just something about associating a true badass with pink. It’s an unexpected twist, like going to summer camp expecting to dole out bandaids and ending up a one-eyed werewolf hunter. Pink is playful, kind, and optimistic.

Dylan - Green. His forest green phone is such a choice (everyone else has basic black or gray phones, right?) and I love it! He just strikes me as a green kind of kid. It’s a color the offbeat kids were more likely to choose when I was the age that we talked about favorite colors a lot (vs. blue, red, pink, the usual suspects). It’s the color associated with both inexperience and jealousy, but also hope, renewal, growth, the anticipation of things about to bloom.

Jacob - Red. Jacob seems like a red kind of guy to me (though, like Max with yellow, he might be a bit tired of it after the canon events) This boy has a temper and ‘sees red’ easily, but he’s also tender and lovable. Associated with passion, enthusiasm, heart, hot-headedness, fire (and fireworks!), blushing, and blood.

Ryan - Blue. He might be a little bit goth on the outside but Ryan’s a sailor, I feel like he’s drawn to water and sky. I think he’d like a teal or aqua kind of blue, think Caribbean ocean water and swimming pools with no dead bodies in them whatsoever. Blue is loyalty, dependability, a tranquil exterior, transitory sadness, and peacemaking. Blue is apparently the most popular favorite color in the world (humans love the sky, is what this tells me).

Nick - Orange. Maybe it’s because his best scenes are in the golden hour with Abi, but I imagine Nick might vibe with a sunset orange. Softer and more restrained than red but not quite as cheerful as yellow, associated with the sweet fruit of the same name, but also positivity, caution, warmth, and difficulty with commitment. Orange, like Nick, can be a polarizing color in design.

Kaitlyn - Red. There are only so many colors, we have to double up somewhere! Kaitlyn’s red has a different flavor to Jacob’s. It’s bold, alert, and protective, like the light on top of an ambulance, but also flashy and action-oriented. Fire can be equally as defensive as it is destructive. We can assume Kaitlyn shares Brenda Song’s Chinese and Thai heritage, and red is an extremely auspicious color in Chinese culture. Also, on a shallower note, I love Kaitlyn’s red shoulder stripes in her 80’s ‘fit! I wish they’d made her high top converse red to match!

Abi - Purple. She doesn’t wear anything purple in the entire game, in any of her ‘fits, and you might make a good argument for her favorite being red, but I think Abi is a purple gal at heart. Maybe a soft, romantic, sweet shade like lavender. Associated with dignity, intuition, a rich fantasy life, and emotional depth. (My personal favorite, with teal and green not far behind).

Emma - Green. Doubling up again, but I have to let the game guide me here. Emma consistently has green as a major color or accent across all three of her outfits, so clearly she’s drawn to it. Shes the only one with a color theme like that! Maybe she likes that it brings out the greener tones in her hazel eyes. I imagine her gravitating toward a more emerald shade, associated with success, wealth, and abundance. There’s a dramatic flair to green that fits Emma well.

🌈 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

I could probably talk myself out of half of these and have reasoning for alternate takes, tbh, but I’d love to know what others think!