#he takes it and sells it to buy her a private beach where they can meet maybe even build a place just for them

[witchlingsandwyverns]

My life was a storm, since I was born How could I fear any hurricane? If someone asked me at the end I'll tell them put me back in it Darling, I would do it again,  If I could hold you for a minute

- Hozier, "Francesca" (X)

I did it! I finished a mermay before the end of May!!!!

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

“I was kind of hoping to have some time for myself, Trent.”

Maura took another sip from the glass in her hand and tried to appear as hostile as she could so that her half-brother might understand what she thought she’d made pretty clear. To her dismay, the young adult appeared to be completely oblivious to her request. In fact, he appeared to be inching closer to her on the stairs with every passing moment.

“Have you heard anything about what we’re doing after Mom comes back from the yacht? I’m not sure where I’m supposed to be and no one will tell me where I need to be standing. Is it okay if I stay here for the rest of the night with you and meet them later? I’d rather be here than at some stuffy dinner or something. If I’m allowed to stay here, that is.”

He paused, waiting for Maura’s reaction and visibly preparing for rejection. His half-sister wasn’t always the friendliest whenever he got her away from her wife and he never quite knew what to expect from her.

“You can stay here,” Maura replied, making a visible effort to appear friendly. It really wasn’t her brother’s fault she was upset. She shouldn’t take her frustration out on him. “I really don’t think that we’re needed tonight. It’s all Mom’s show. She’s the one who has to sell Grandma’s death as something to be mourned, after all. I plan on staying where I am for at least tonight and I can cover for you too. Someone has to make sure that Roman Bellamy isn’t found naked on the grounds and it can’t always be Ulyssa.”

Trent smiled, glad to be included in his sister’s private jokes, even if he didn’t fully understand them.

“Thanks. In that case, I’ll go grab another drink.”

“Not a bad party after all, right?”

Roman sank down on the comfortable couch next to his fiance, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close.

“It’s not bad at all,” Abe replied. Truthfully, it wasn’t that bad, aside from the constant reminders of Adrian. “You host a good party, as always.”

Roman shrugged.

“It’s Maura’s party, I just provided the house and the beer. Speaking of, there’s some non-alcoholic wine in the kitchen if you want, and some juice you can share with the kids.”

Abe rolled his eyes. Being pregnant at a beach party wasn’t exactly fun. Roman could have at least stopped waving his beer in front of him.

He was just about to make a snide comment when a small noise chimed on Roman’s phone. With all the kids and Ulyssa and Maura at this party, any call or text coming in had to be from someone who needed something from them. Lucy never called unless she wanted something, and Wanda usually sent emails through her assistant. There wasn’t a scenario possible where Elaine would be trying to get a hold of them just to chat either.

Roman stared at the gibberish that had been texted to him, completely baffled as to what it meant.

“Please respond back to this message as urgent demand ok?” he read, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

My Dear partner M. Bellamy, the chief purist said to make everything come to an end and tune on to your good. you must buy 4 white rams and some other sumptuary items for the sacrifice.

and we are going to pay him $150000 once the job is by then you have confirmed every word, he said all the all of them that working ageist you everything is going to retune back to you, and they will begin you how to send you all your money back.

So all the amount needed for this sacrifice is $2,150. This is the amount to buy all the needful things for the sacrifice.

So I want you to tell me the best way you an send this amount to me here, so that the sacrifice will move on immediately ok, I am expecting an urgent response from you ok

I want your positive response.

“What the hell is this?” Roman said, completely baffled at the text. “It’s addressed to me directly but I’ve never seen any of this before. Do most scam emails already have your name when they’re sent? I’ve never had any like this.”

Abe frowned, reading the message over Roman’s shoulder. He noticed something strange about the text but didn’t know how to broach the subject with his fiance. He could easily be wrong about this text and might spend weeks of dealing with Roman’s paranoia for no reason.

“Um, is this directed at you?” he asked slowly. “It just says M Bellamy, not Roman Bellamy.”

“Mr. Roman Bellamy, obviously,” Roman scoffed, still scanning the text for clues. “What the hell sacrifice is this person talking about? There’s a picture of a herd of sheep included! Are they going to kill these sheep?”

He paused, as another thought occurred to him.

“Oh god, did we miss a notice from Theo’s school? Do we have to send them even more money this semester? I don’t feel comfortable with our small child murdering sheep for school projects, Abe. We have to draw the line somewhere, right?”

Abe shifted his feet awkwardly while staring at his drink.

“Yeah, I agree, but I don’t think that this is a school thing. Those usually come in letters we need to sign. This could just be some scam artist pulling your leg who got your name from a list somewhere.” He paused for a moment, then blurted out his fear before he changed his mind. “You know that you’re not the only Bellamy, right? Your grandmother was Malika Bellamy, and according to that album she left you, names that begin with M aren’t uncommon with other Bellamys. What if- What if it’s one of them? Do we know anything about them? Maybe the text is for them and it was coincidence that you got it.”

“Or it’s one of my grandmother’s clients following up after not hearing from her or the estate for several years,” Roman guessed. “You’re right, this probably isn’t for me. I’ll forward this to Wanda. She’s still the head of my grandparents’ estate. There’s no way I’m dealing with an angry customer who wants money and some goats or whatever.”

And if this is another Bellamy reaching out to me, Wanda knows better than most people how to judge a potential threat.

A warm breeze finally gave Theo something to do to pass the time. He’d found an old kite in a room downstairs and abandoned his sisters to go play with it outside. It was a good day to fly a kite and while it wasn’t exactly as interesting as his tablet, it still gave him something to do until someone finally gave him some attention.

He was just about start running down the beach with his toy when he was caught off guard by a thunderous boom coming from the water. He’d never heard anything as loud or as devastating before in his life. Whatever had happened, it was something bad.

He jumped a little when his father fell out of a portal and immediately reached to protect him.

“Theo! Are you okay? Where are your sisters? What happened? Are you hurt?”

“I-it’s gone,” Maura gasped, holding her hands against her face in horror. “It’s all gone. This isn’t happening.”

Maura stared in shock at the flaming wreck drifting helplessly in the waves. Fuel from the royal yacht was currently burning in the water, drowning flame covered furniture below the waves.The yacht that carried the majority of the royal family was destroyed- completely obliterated in a single moment, no doubt killing anyone on board. She could already see debris floating from the ship and when emergency crews finally reached the site, she had no doubts that they would be too late to recover anything but human remains. The harbour where they had launched from was also on fire, huge pieces of it missing from what she could see. She had merely blinked and in that one instant, her life had completely changed. Was this an accident, or an act of terror? Who could possibly want an unarmed, peaceful ship destroyed when it had been merely minding its own business in a friendly port?

“We need to save our moms! Callista’s on there too!” Trent cried beside her and Maura’s heart sank to the ground. There was nothing they could do to save anyone on board. If there were any survivors, they may not even make it to a hospital before succumbing to their wounds.

“Trent...I don’t think....”

Maura had no idea of what to say to her half-brother. Nothing could erase what she could see in front of her. Nothing could change this horror or the pit of despair she could feel welling inside of her.

“Watch Theo!” Roman commanded, disappearing in an instant to presumably help at the site of the disaster.

Maura couldn’t say how long Roman had been gone for. It could have been an instant or it could have been hours. Her ability to note passage of time had broken the instant she saw flames consume her mother’s yacht.

When Roman did return, soaking wet and covered in wet ash and oil, his face was grim. Maura was still frozen in the same position of horror as when he’d left. She couldn’t breathe. It was all too terrible to acknowledge as reality. Her mind fought desperately against what she knew to be true. Roman had presumably been in the center of the disaster, maybe he had seen someone alive. She was probably overestimating the scale of the destruction. Roman probably came back to get more help.

“What happened?” she managed to whisper through her fingers. “Did you see any survivors? I...I should call for medics. Yes, medics and the police. My mom will be able to tell them what happened. She’ll know what to do. Go back and find her; she’ll be able to deal with this much better than I can. I mean, she’ll probably have to be in the hospital for a bit, but after....”

Maura trailed off, Roman’s face telling her exactly what she didn’t want to hear. He paused for a moment, his hair and clothes dripping with seawater, and bowed as deeply as he could.

“The queen is dead,” he said quietly. “Long live the queen.”

[the-firebird69]

And Trump is mostly the one in court is true he's mostly under attack for stuff he took so he's going to jail but in the process of taking it he was hurting people so they all feel justified and yeah they probably are I would think and he's trying to be the good guy to her son and have him sit around in the library with no objective and we don't want it and he is being annoying and he started to circle already and is a weird person we're going to go after him and his gang of idiots in moments.

-he wants to away from that guy and comments about him good one see him ever again give me can't stand them I feel the same way so I'm sending in Cruise after him big ones

-I have a couple other things to do we are requiring territory it is about three times as much as we have and there's 10 times as much stuff on it.

-we're at the stock exchange and we're buying companies and they don't really know who we are live a long list of things to do today at the stock exchanges and we were working last night very hard overseas and on the list we have several decent size companies one of them

*Bausch & Lomb and they have been contact lenses in this contact lenses are used for corrective vision m cosplay and they have special ones for eye protection and they're made for people who are in dangerous businesses some police wear them the block stuff they work okay yeah once again there's no grass to be mowed out here it's too early and they have the lawn mower trying to move him and is Tommy you know it looks like him nice people are fools. It's the big business people use it to obscure their identity that works. We're acquiring another roughly 10 points that will bring us over 50% then we will make immediate changes

-we're also working on a couple other companies some are quite large there's a shoe company Nike we have 34% and we're looking on getting to 50%, they're about seven companies like that and sneakers and shoes are terrible these days they're not really making them correctly and on purpose and we don't have time for the dog s***. We are acquiring puma yes hopefully today we need three shares and we do make deals and people do sell it because of the deals and we have to get up there to buy it they can't sell it privately it's not really illegal so they think they can come back and do something but they'd be in trouble too

*on top of that there's about 10 other companies five of them are construction companies we do have one solidly Morrison Knutson and we are beginning projects in our areas and we're going to do that quite often we have a huge ones and their industrial and we still have people working there who are s lots of them and they don't think much is changed except they're working and others are not going and will begin falling and we know about it

*out of the 10 we have none of the 10 was seeking that about 30 or 40% of the company by stock and about 40 to 45% by holding it but we have almost 90% where we are and we take over whatever goes north whatever they leave when they go north and exit to the South and we hold it and it's ours there's a lot of that going on huge amounts of land are coming to us as anyone could guess but we are holding it physically and have destroyed huge rating parties and giant forces try to get out there to hold on to it and it says theirs and we have no right and we say get out and I either leave or are destroyed several other things are happening today

-we see they are trying to ding our son and we're upset with them so coming down on them and we're bringing out the big guns and going after them they have very little protection these days and will suffer greatly and right now we see the pack of crap over exerting themselves some of them are walking for miles and will be in capacitated in the hospital and our son knows it he says I'm not even writing the e-bike at this point I'm just using the throttle a lot because it's impossible and it's it was making him almost crippled and he still has trouble overcoming it with potatoes strawberry banana smoothies and potassium pills so he had to get the blood going and can't stop but he's really cut it back quite a bit and stayed in for a couple days mostly and still was sore so we're wondering what it is no we know and it's going on now that these guys just cannot stop doing it and they were running our sun around and they were running Max around having them walk and Walk and Walk and it was messing him up and they said he was nuts at work he's more or less acting fine and these guys get their asses kicked regardless of how they're acting because of what they're saying and trying and doing to our son we've had it with these people and they're saying some rude s*** now he's seeing us walk and he's seeing us walk a lot you see us walk off and really they're leaving work all over the world and people are hiring new people and it is working we went over a little scenario yesterday regarding fast food restaurants and our son noticed a lot of their products in the grocery store it was a little nervous and he should be a lot of them aren't doing well and they're trying to make some money and keep the stores opened until it changes and he has an idea to make clusters of fast food restaurants and clusters of fast food restaurants near strip malls and malls and mixed use facilities and downtown areas and mainly a lot of them by highways cuz they're already there that's where most of them are we looked at 80% and they're all over and all you do is put them all together in a couple stores and wall it off so we're beginning to work on that and we're going to try and acquire these companies cuz they're not doing anything except saying they're going to shut it down. We also hear the idiot and he's driving by on a Harley saying he's getting our son and stuff people saying you're this delusional freak we have a problem with and it's true he is a freaking loser what he's saying doesn't make sense to say it to our son and he's having us say it that's another thing and her son says they're looking for people like you we're starting trouble and they're going after you and Trump just says I'm trying to get rid of him and that's what I'm doing you don't mind do you and stuff like that we really don't because we get rid of you and them and we get your information we're expecting huge crowds more shortly

Thor Freya

Olympus

[bradenthompson]

King of the Beach pt. 0

Apparently you aren't allowed to buy six chinchillas at once.

And what a shame, because Cameron Otterlake just felt like a fucking genius. God emperor of boyfriends. He pointed out a dog on the TV, saying he'd always wanted one but the state had outlawed breeding that particular "crime against nature." Something about their hearts not pumping enough blood around their cute little bodies. Olivia Achenbach then said she always wanted chinchillas (plural) but her mother didn't trust her ability to care for gerbils or whatever chinchillas are exactly. Information Cameron filed away.

Cameron Otterlake and Olivia Achenbach, soon celebrating six happy months of mostly-serious dating, had seen the now illegal dog while watching HGTV's Malibu Million Dollar Makeover. A home renovation show with a twist: its subjects could afford lots on the Malibu beachfront. Case in point: Olivia's older sister, who along with her fiancé had just bought a three story 1997 development, now appearing on HGTV to catalogue the interior redesign. Vince Neil had owned that place for a time. As did Thomas Eisenberg, owner of the Golden State Privateers, a WNBA team active from 1997 until 2010 when Eisenberg sold to an anonymous buyer that immediately dissimilated the franchise for an obtuse tax incentive.

Emmaline Downer-Achenbach thinks bar trivia like this makes for good TV but Olivia is so enchanted by the sight of her sister on the small screen (technically a Samsung 4K projector) Cameron lets this bit of sass dissolve on his tongue. TV appearances are uncommon in her family.

Him and Olivia come from different worlds. The Achenbachs are jet ski royalty. Barons and baronesses unto some ten percent of all Lake Tahoe rental cabins. Her uncle owns the patent for swim goggles (Cameron didn't know such a thing existed or was allowed). Impressive. Eyewatering money for, statistically, ninety-three percent of all people who will ever hear the name Achenbach. All of this makes them only a noticeable wedge of the Otterlakes.

Excusing himself to the bathroom, Cameron had rang up a boutique pet store he remembered seeing last time he was downtown.

"Do you carry chinchillas?" he had asked.

"Are you asking for supplies?" the clerk said.

"No, the animal."

"Yes, we have two families in our breeding program. We could have one prepared for adoption--"

"One isn't gonna be enough. I need, like, three."

The clerk hesitated, briefly, then asked Cameron what someone would need with three short notice chinchillas.

"Girlfriend wants one. Ever since she was a kid."

He'd been peeking out into the sitting room, eyeballing where a pet pen could be laid without interrupting the gigantic couch. Or maybe he should just have them all wandering the couch and rug. That might be cute. Oh, and she just... keeps finding more.

"Actually let's make it six. Even number. Can we do three boys and three girls?"

The pet store clerk had had enough. Like Cameron's some kind of stupid kid, she tried telling him people are always coming in and adopting pets for a cheap thrill when even a goldfish is a big responsibility. The pet store was categorically uncomfortable with selling him six chinchillas with no prior experience, nothing to suggest a positive quality of life, something something God's creatures blah blah blah. He hung up.

"Cam?"

He jolts back to reality. He had been thinking about the call with the pet store and getting mad again. "Mm?"

"Tez is taking his yacht out tonight for the fireworks," Olivia enunciates extra hard. This must be her second or third time saying this. "Did you wanna go."

"Who is Tez?"

"TezasterHD, the YouTuber I was telling you about."

"And YouTubers have yachts now."

"No, YouTubers whose parents sold Key West houseboats to all the Wahlbergs have yachts. Don't think like the huge ones--the mini cruise ships. It's one of those big sailboats."

"I don't know that guy," Cameron repeated, "but you can go."

"But I want you to come."

"I can't invite myself on other people's boats."

"Yes, you, Cameron Otterlake, actually can. Tez would scream. Bianca Thomasson is gonna be there."

"Who?"

"Do you know anyone? She was on Disney Channel."

"Tell you what," Cameron offered, scooching down on the small island of a couch until he was looking at the ceiling. "We take my boat. Fill it up with people that people actually know. Watch the fireworks without a big fucking sail in the way. Hm?"

Olivia laughs. Her smile flashes a lot of gum. Like it's mostly gums. It's not that it's not cute, it's just always what Cameron's gonna focus on.

"You don't know who this guy is but you wanna emasculate him."

"I want to give you, Liv, the best fireworks experience. We'll launch my own, even."

"You have your own fireworks," Olivia repeats like she's caught him in a lie.

"Custom-made. Some of them spell out the Otterlake monogram. We had them made for my great-grandpa's 100th, but Dad ordered too many."

Olivia laughs again (gums). She lies down parallel to Cameron, tucking her head under his armpit left splayed while he scrolls his phone. "I'll call some friends," she says, "we wouldn't want your way better fireworks boat party to go without bikini girls."

"Not necessary in the least," Cameron's quick to say.

"Well, aren't you a gentleman."

"No, I mean don't overextend yourself. I can call my own."

Victory for Cameron Otterlake. He'd just got done exchanging emails with the 12th Avenue Petco who hooked him up with fourteen chinchillas. Ready for pickup tomorrow. Olivia's gonna lose her mind.

[headlessmania]

If you had to judge your muse and sentence them to a “fair” fate, what would your judgement be? Would you punish them? Reward them? How?

tbh i'm pretty rough on their fate. but, to be fair... i'd reward them with their happy endings. they deserve it. this is gonna be long so hence the under cut...obvi subject to change varying on their verses and what my brain decides to change. their general happy endings/fair fate would look like this:

victor: move out of sleepy hollow with his wife and kiddos. he's a big family guy who shows up to all their games and events. his life is very active and exciting but very private. eventually, he wins a bunch of money after <3 suing <3 brom but all the money goes to charity cause he has more than enough. he finally isn't stressing about his siblings as much and can focus on himself and the family he's creating. victor stops tattooing at a certain age and opens up his own repair shop. also does vintage car shows as long as he possibly can. oh my god and ALSO i just know he gets a bunch of animals and is such a good father and animal father. he does buy a boat for small little getaways and fishing trips. cassandra: cassandra quits hunting, drinking, and stops being a crime scene investigator because it was just a bit much of an emotional toll on her. she focuses purely on being a child phycologist and attends AA meetings weekly after being sober for years. cass would probably be the one to stay in crane manor/have her name be on the lease if victor were to leave. which, i honestly would love for him. she definitely has a different connection to it then her siblings. especially as the eldest crane girl. she'd live out her days there and eventually the house will get handed down to one of her nieces or nephews if she doesn't have kids. which in canon as of now she doesn't. but also love the idea of her adopting. shaun: shaun would be another one that i would think would stay in sleepy hollow with cass for a bit. but, not in the manor. there is an apartment above his father's book store. he stays there quarter time though just cause family man. [he hires a manager to take care of the shop when he's gone]. i could see him having his own house with a nice little white picket fence outside of the city. it's like the coziest bachelor pad tbh when he first buys it. not like mojo dojo casa house like /very/ aesthetically pleasing and clean. he works as a doctor in a nearby hospital. after that? he'll go wherever life takes him. he'd probably only sell his house when he got older and couldn't take care of it, and move back to sleepy hollow to retire and take care of the book shop.

michael: this one is gonna be the shortest cause in most of his verses he's already hit his end goal in life [other than tvd verse where he's literally dead lmao] bUT he moves to greece and gets an architect job. he never moves back to the states [not unless he needed to]. michael does a lot of traveling and will stay in different places for certain amounts of time depending on how much work he's getting. no matter how much he travels and for however long he'll be gone, greece is always going to be his home base for decades. it becomes such a important place to him. he'd be smiling on the beaches watching the sunsets. maley: after everything, i think there is a period of time where she kinda isolates herself to get her life going for her [doesn't mean she cuts people out but you know what i mean] she moves into the city. a nice apartment with a nice view with her little pottery station in her apartment. she works as a lab assistant for a few years. after getting her degree, she becomes a geophysicist and does a butt ton of research and such. maley has a very social life in the city. there is a period time where she goes off and stays with her twin in greece, but eventually goes back to the states and to her apartment in the city. finally, maley embraces her witchy side. she isn't scared of it and learns control. tbh as for her retirement and such? i have noooo idea cause i've never really pictured her past the age of 30. sooo imma leave hers open ended.

hans: oh my sweeeeeet lil hans. he inherits his uncle toad's manor and ends up having to focus on the construction for a few years considering his uncle left the place in awful condition. during that time, he becomes a lil bit of a business man and opens up a few clubs along the city. some are specifically supernatural friendly [a enchantment is around it for ppl with only good intentions to come in]. hans is the fun uncle who takes his nieces and nephews on trips with him. he does settle down and eventually hands the club business down. he lives in toad hall the rest of his days. his retirement is spent with time at toad hall, traveling, doing crazy things that old men shouldn't do like skydive and spending time with the people who he loves.

luna: after graduating from high school, luna goes in college and finds her love for theater. yes, theater. the girl afraid of public speaking. eventually, she figures out that's what she wants to get her degree in and starts auditioning like crazy. it would make my heart so happy if she went to broadway. after years of acting, she would probably stop for a few years then do directing or producing plays or musicals. as her older brother says, if bossing people around was a job luna would be the CEO. she eventually might go to california if her twin would go too. if not, she kinda wants to end up close to where jason is.

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

The hazy-looking rain poured down in Dream Land. Kirby was staying in his house, looking at the scene of the rain through the window glass. While not being able to go outside was unfortunate, Kirby held no hatred for rainy days. The plants, wet with rain, had such vibrant colors. Besides, after the rain stops, you’ll be able to see a lovely rainbow.

“When the rain stops, I’m going to have a picnic. I’ll invite Waddle Dee, bring boxed lunches, and… huh?”

Kirby strained his eyes. In the grassy field far ahead, he could see the silhouettes of some people. He couldn’t make out who they were because of the rain, but they appeared to be three animals. In a group together, they approached Kirby’s house.

“Those guys… maybe…”

Gradually, he could make out the three figures more clearly.

“I knew it, it’s them!”

Letting out an excited shout, Kirby ran away from the window and to the door. He didn’t mind getting wet as he jumped outside, waving his hand, and raised his voice.

“Hey, hey! Rick, Kine, Coo! You guys came to visit me!”

Approaching were Kirby’s friends.

Standing in the front with his slick coat of fur was the proud Rick. Following from the back, flapping his fins, was the carefree Kine. Flying in the air was the keen Coo. They were inhabitants of the Rainbow Islands. Kirby had been friends with them for a long time, but, due to living across the sea, he rarely got to see them.

“I’m so happy you guys came!” Kirby shouted with a merry voice. “C’mon, come in, come in! Let’s talk over some snacks! When the rain stops, let’s go play outside!”

“...Kirby,” Rick said. It was rare for him, who was usually so lively, to speak with such a serious voice.

“We’re not here to visit.”

“Huh?”

“Kirby… help us,” Kine said to Kirby, looking exhausted, much to Kirby’s surprise.

“We need your help to save the Rainbow Islands,” the calm Coo added, “please, Kirby.”

“...huuuuuh?”

Kirby blinked in surprise.

“Anyways,” Rick said, “please listen to us. There’s a lot of serious stuff happening at our home!”

~~~~~

After some warm drinks, the three finally regained their energy.

“Whew, feels like I was brought back to life! Either way, that rain was goooood!” Kine said, waving his fins energetically.

“It’s raining in Dream Land,” Rick said as he ravenously munched on his snack: a cookie, “are all the unusual events really only happening on the Rainbow Islands?”

“That’s what it looks like.”

Coo nodded, loudly sipping a cup of bitter tea.

“What kinds of stuff?” Kirby asked. “What’s wrong on the Rainbow Islands?”

“...the rain,” Rick responded, “it just stopped raining completely.”

“The rain? Hmm…”

Kirby was confused as to why the three had such serious looks on their faces.

“I mean, that’s good. You can play outside every day, drying laundry is easier-”

“No. It’s not that simple.”

“On the Rainbow Islands, it hasn’t rained for quite a while now. The ground is cracked, and the rivers and lakes are drying up,” Coo said gravely.

“That’s right.”

Rick nodded with a dark look on his face.

“Everyone’s been feeling sick because even drinking water has become hard to find, our health’s been declining. Even my girlfriend Pick is… even Pick is… in low spirits.”

Rick’s voice sounded choked. Rick and Pick had a very close relationship. No way, did something happen to Pick? Kirby wondered anxiously.

“Is something wrong with Pick?!”

“Pick’s… lost her appetite, and she’s gotten thinner. Well, even if she’s lost weight, she’s still a cutie. Heheh…”

Rick laughed, seemingly-happily.

“Us fish have gotten more serious~”, Kine said, “my wife and I are fine because we’re training to live on land, but everyone else isn’t. The fish living in the lakes and rivers are tired of sipping up what little water’s left~.”

“That’s not the only problem,” Rick said in vexation, “the rainbow bridges that connect our islands are disappearing!”

“Huh…?”

“Because rain is an important component of rainbows. If there’s no rain, the rainbows will disappear!”

Kirby, at last, understood just how serious the situation was.

The islands that Rick and the other lived on were connected by pretty rainbow bridges. If the rainbow bridges were to disappear, the islands would be disconnected, and the inhabitants wouldn’t be able to visit each other.

“That is a big deal!”

“Yeah. This is a dire situation, and we can’t do anything about it on our own. So, we thought we could get you to help us out.”

“We’ve traveled such a long way~,” Kine said, “I thought, ‘maybe, just maybe, things have also been drying up where Kirby lives,’ and I got all anxious about it. But it’s raining around here, the rivers and lakes are sparkling, it’s all been fine~.”

“It seems that this strange phenomenon has only been occurring on the Rainbow Islands.”

Coo looked at Kirby with a sharp gaze.

“Please, Kirby, help us out.”

“Alright, I’ll do it!”

Kirby nodded in agreement with no hesitation.

“If the rainbow bridges disappear, that’s really bad for everyone! C’mon, let’s go!”

“Thanks, Kirby,” the three said together, with relieved looks on their faces.

Kirby and co. ran outside with energy, despite the rain pouring down.

~~~~~

Crossing the grassy fields, heading toward the sea, Kirby and the others encountered an unexpected group.

“Oh, if it isn’t Kirby. Where are you going in this kind of rain?”

The person speaking was Captain Vul of the Halberd. With him were Trident Knight and Mace Knight. They worked under Meta Knight.

“Hey Captain Vul! We’re on our way to the Rainbow Islands! What are you guys doing here in Dream Land?”

“We’ve received orders from Lord Meta Knight. We’ve come to fulfill our duties.”

“What do you guys have to do?”

“Pfft, as if we’re careless enough to tell you,” he said, shaking his head pompously, “Our mission is to remain private-”

“We came here to buy a cake,” Mace Knight said from behind the captain.

“Y-You lubber!! How could you just spill our important mission to the enemy!?” Captain Vul scolded, startled.

“Kirby’s not our enemy.”

“We’ve received intel that Chef Kawaski’s begun selling a new cake,” Trident Knight interjected, “so, we’ve been ordered to purchase it.”

“Really? So Meta Knight likes cake too!”

“No way!” The three collectively shouted in response.

“Lord Meta Knight is the coolest swordsman in the galaxy!” Captain Vul said harshly. “He doesn’t eat sweets!”

“Huh? But-”

“The cake is meant for us,” Trident Knight explained.

“Lord Meta Knight is a really kind boss,” Mace Knight added, “so he gave us money to buy some cake for ourselves.”

“Hmm, ok,” Kirby said with a cheerful voice, “I mean, that’s a shame.”

“A shame? What do you mean?” Captain Vul asked in response, looking confused.

“His new cake’s sold out because I ate it all this morning!”

“...wh-what?!”

The three were shocked, staggered.

“It’s gonna take about a month to gather all of the ingredients again, so you won’t be able to buy his new cake for a while.”

“WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY!?!”

Captain Vul, now with a furious expression on his face, grabbed Kirby.

“You’re getting in the way of our important mission!! You’re still our enemy, you bilge-sucking pink ball!!”

Mace Knight and Trident Knight held up their weapons.

“You are our enemy after all!! A detestable one, at that!!”

“This won’t be tolerated, you wretched fiend!!”

“Can’t you guys get Meta Knight to help us out?” Kirby asked, skipping about to dodge the three’s attacks. “I’ll tell you the truth: There’s a lot of bad stuff happening on the Rainbow Islands and-”

“Hey! Look alive!”

“Who are those guys!? Are they in cahoots with you, you scurvy dog!?” Captain Vul asked thornily in reaction.

“I’ll ask you too, old man,” Rick said, “if the famous swordsman Meta Knight were to help us, that’d be as good as having the help of 100 people.”

“Caw! Lord Meta Knight is a swordsman known across the galaxy, and I’m his most famous subordinate, Captain Vul!! Don’t call me ‘old man’ or anything of the sort!!”

“I’d like to ask you too~, Mr. Captain," Kine said, "when you go back, tell Meta Knight~. The Rainbow Islands need his help.”

“Hmph, permission denied. We’ve been going on a wild-goose chase. Go home, you lot.”

Captain Vul’s group started to leave in a huff.

“We can’t get you to cooperate, can we?” Coo grumbled. “How unfortunate. If we had that Meta Knight person’s assistance, our morale would be much better...”

“Guess we can’t do anything about it. We’ll just have to do our best!”

Kirby was about to start walking again when another group came along the grassland path: King Dedede and his underlings, the Waddle Dees. The Waddle Dees were carrying a large folded umbrella, a beach chair, and other similar items. Kirby, noticing this, decided to call out to him.

“Yoo-hoo, King Dedede! Where are you going?”

“Uh? What, Kirby?”

King Dedede stopped. For some reason, he was wearing flashy sunglasses and carrying a life preserver. He took off his sunglasses, smiled, and laughed.

“It’s none of your business, but I’ll tell you one thing: I’m going on vacation!”

“Vacation?”

“Yeah. It was raining a lot, and I got bored. So, I came up with the idea to go to the Rainbow Islands to have some fun and relax!”

King Dedede then noticed that Rick and the others were there with Kirby.

“Huh? Aren’t you guys from the Rainbow Islands? Funny coincidence! I was just going to the Rainbow Islands right now! Funny how I just came across you guys visiting from there!”

“We’re not visiting,” Rick said, “things on the Rainbow Islands are terrible right now. It’s not the right time to go on vacation there.”

“...what?”

“It just hasn’t been raining at all~,” Kine said, “so we came to ask Kirby to help us. King Dedede, won’t you help us too?~”

“It won’t rain, you said? Why?”

“We have no idea,” Rick answered, “but we want to get to the bottom of it. Help us…”

However, King Dedede had a happy look on his face.

“It won’t rain, huh? This is great! Now isn’t that just perfect for a vacation!”

“...It isn’t that simple.”

“Without rain, all living things suffer,” Coo rebuked, “the rainbow bridges are starting to disappear. A terrible disaster is happening on the Rainbow Islands.”

However, his words wouldn’t reach the ears of the king, whose thoughts were centered around vacation. Putting his sunglasses back on, King Dedede shouted with all his might:

“The dazzling sunlight! The blue sea! The white sandy beach! This is the best! I’ll swim in the sea, go surfing, and when I get tired I’ll take a break on my beach chair. I’ll blow away that hot weather with some shaved ice and cold juice! My attractive swimsuit figure shall grab the beach’s gaze for itself! C’mon, let’s get to the Rainbow Islands ASAP!~”

Suddenly, before the king could start running, the figure of a person blocked his path.

“Hey, don't get in my way!” the king said in apparent disapproval, about to fall forward. “Hmm? Wait, aren't you the captain of Meta Knight’s ba-”

“Captain Vul.”

Revealing himself dignifiedly, Captain Vul looked at the king.

“It seems that the situation is too dire to ignore.”

“...what?”

“Aren’t there terrible things happening on the Rainbow Islands right now? I’m reporting this to Lord Meta Knight immediately. I must request that you rescue the suffering citizens!”

“...whaaa?”

Kirby was flabbergasted.

“Why? Earlier you said you wouldn’t help-”

“Captain,” Mace Knight whispered to Captain Vul, “by any chance are you just excited to go on a vacation?”

“Shut it. As Lord Meta Knight's right-hand man, it is my duty to report such a serious situation as this! You two, hurry back to the Halberd!”

“If Lord Meta Knight heads to the Rainbow Islands, we must accompany him as well!” Trident Knight said excitedly.

“I’ll cut the watermelons! And play beach volleyball!” Mace Knight said.

“Let’s go diving too! I’m good at diving~.”

“We’ll eat ikayaki! Takoyaki too!”

With a stern face, Captain Vul rebuked the pair:

“You scallywags!! They would certainly have sazaeno-tsuboyaki there- e-er, ahem. Anyway, hurry back to the Halberd!”

“Aye!”

Captain Vul and co. ran away at a high speed. Coo took a deep breath.

“Good grief. This is no time for a vacation... Anyhow, I am glad we have Meta Knight’s assistance. Say, Kirby-”

Coo stopped talking when he looked at Kirby. Kirby’s eyes were sparkling, and he looked as if he were about to drool.

“Ikayaki! Takoyaki! Sazaeno-tsuboyaki! Let’s go right now, quick! To the Rainbow Islands!” Kirby exclaimed excitedly, jumping up really high. He ran off quickly, at a speed faster than even Captain Vul and the two knights.

“W-Wait!!” King Dedede said, flustered. “The midsummer beach and the food all belong to me!! I won’t let you beat me there!!”

King Dedede dashed away, with his Waddle Dees following behind.

“Please wait for us, Great King!”

"We’ll come with you too!”

“I’ll come with you too!”

“I'll come with you too!”

“Shaved ice and watermelon slices, oh my!”

In a blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight, leaving the animal trio behind.

“Can we really count on them?” Rick asked, disheartened.

“It’ll be fine!... probably,” Kine answered, jumping about energetically.

“The fate of the Rainbow Islands is in their hands,” Coo said, “for now, all we can do is believe in them.”

The trio exchanged looks before chasing after Kirby and the others.

< Previous | Table of Contents | Next >

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Family - 1

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 1963

Warnings:  Sex talk and pregnancy talk on this chapter, smut, angst, pregnancy, mentions of childhood abuse on series.

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family.  When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Author’s Note: @fanficwriter013 helped me build this world and helped write the first few chapters.  I am forever grateful to her.  I love this series and can’t quite seem to let it go.

Chapter 1: Big Plans

It’s strange how a month can feel like both a blink of an eye and an eternity all at once.  We returned to Earth and everything got busy all at once.  There was work to catch up on.  Avengers stuff had piled up.  Plus, Steve wanted me to train in case they did need me for end-of-the-world things.  There were all the things related to the move back to the Tower.  Plus, Tony and I went into wedding planning mode.  We wanted to just get it over with quickly but we didn’t just want to head to the county courthouse either.  And in the meantime, we all just missed Thor.  Knowing he was going to be back for good just made us miss him even more and even with the days feeling too short to fit everything in, the countdown seemed to drag on.

It was good being busy but I was starting to feel the stress.  I don’t think Steve was really loving the idea of training me, and I wanted to tell him not to worry about it.  That I didn’t want that life.  That didn’t seem fair though.  I could lift Mjolnir.  That meant something.  I couldn’t just selfishly sit at home while my family risked their lives.  The wedding plans weren’t exactly easy either.  We wanted to do it as soon as Thor got back which meant doing everything in two months and just finding a venue alone was hard.  Everything was booked and with the need for privacy on top, the ones that weren’t were not ideal.  The tower was taking a little longer than expected.  I think the stress was getting to me so much I was overthinking everything.  Like we’d had too good of a run and now it was going to fall apart. With my new powers, I now had threads that only I could see that connected me to members of my family and told me where they were and if they were okay.  I would check them constantly worried that something bad was going to happen.  The threads that connected me to Natasha and Wanda seemed to be fraying at the connection to them, and even though when I touched them they seemed content, I kept thinking they were planning to leave us.

“I don’t know, Tony.  I like the idea of a private island but every time I call them they’re booked up,” I complained as I sat in his lap and we looked over wedding destinations.

“You’ve been name dropping right?  That normally does the trick,” Tony teased as his finger slowly caressed over my stomach.

“Yes,” I admitted.  “And I hate it, but still, this is people’s weddings.  Even offering to pay to relocate them isn’t working.  I swear we could buy an island and we’d have more luck.”

“Alright, so we buy an island,” Tony said.  “Richard Branson owns ones.  I guess I can too.  And we can go there for our anniversary.”

I laughed and shook my head.  “Simple, low key wedding it is,” I said as I brought up a website devoted to the buying and selling of islands.  There was a surprisingly large number of them and we narrowed it down to an island in the Caribbean with a fully functional hotel, one in the Maldives that seemed close to not being an island anymore but did have a small hotel comprising of bungalows and an island in Belize that had a small compound like structure that would require us hiring staff to run and flying in all the things we needed for our wedding.

“So, I’m going to send these to Nat and Wanda and let them decide,” Tony said and swiped them into little folders with Natasha and Wanda’s name on it.  “Don’t you worry though, honey.  Our wedding will be small, low key and just us.  Then we’ll spend two weeks on the beach while the kids stay with Sam’s sister.  And when we get back, the Tower will be ready to move into.”

I hummed and leaned my head back on his shoulder.  “It’s going to be so nice.”

He slowly kissed his way along my shoulder to my neck as his hand continued to caress my stomach.  “So I’ve been thinking…”

“You’re always doing that,” I teased playfully, turning my head and nosing at his cheek.

“Well, yes,” he said, a little nervously.  “No.  Sorta…”

I sat more upright and turned to look at him.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said.  “I just… We’ve been happy, haven’t we?  All of us.  Since the kids were born.  I really like being a dad.”

I smiled softly and caressed his jaw with my thumb.  “Yeah.  Really happy.  I can feel it now too.”

“I want us to have more,” he said.  “Kids that is.  I kinda… I want to make one with you.”

I stared at him in disbelief, though I could feel through the thread how much he wanted this and how nervous he was I was going to say no.  “Really?  You’re sure?”

“You make really pretty babies,” he said.

I smiled and leaned my forehead against his, tears pricking my eyes.  “I’d be so happy.”

“Is that a yes?”  He asked.  “We can make a little Stark/Cooper baby?”

I let out a breath.  I wanted this so much.  I’d had dreams about getting pregnant again.  This time because everyone wanted it.  And this time around everyone being excited from the start and having the support I didn’t get the last time.  Seeing our family grow more.  But I couldn’t agree until I knew I’d get it.  I couldn’t go through what I did last time.  “We need to talk to the others.  That means Thor too.  I need for them to agree to having more kids and that they’re okay with both knowing you’re the biological father or if we just have me go off birth control and whatever happens happens.”

Tony nodded and rubbed my back  “Okay.  It’s okay,” he said.  “It’ll be different this time.  We’re all here now, El.  And if they just want the paternity to be random.  I’d be okay with that too.  I just… I really love being a dad.”

I nuzzled into his neck, one tear breaking free and running down my cheek.  “I love you,” I whispered.  “And I do want this.  More than anything.”

“I know,” he said, holding me close.  “I love you too.”

He held me like that for a little while, just gently rubbing my back, when a large crack of thunder sounded outside and it started bucketing down rain.  I sat up suddenly and looked out of the window.  “Is it Thor do you think?”

“Gotta be,” Tony said, patting my ass so I’d get up.

I jumped to my feet and the two of us rushed outside.  The rain was coming down heavily and Bruce was outside with the kids and the puppies, looking up at the sky.  I moved up beside him, still being sheltered by the awning of the house.  “Is it him?”

Bruce smiled and looked down at me.  He was in his blended form.  The one he took most of the time these days.  He’d lean into Bruce more in the bedroom or the lab, or Hulk when he was playing outside with Clint and the kids.  But mostly he was both at once, working in harmony.  “The atmospheric readings are consistent with the Rosenberg Bridge opening.”

To back up Bruce’s words, a huge crash sounded again and a large beam of rainbow-colored light seemed to crash into the ground.  When it cleared Thor was standing in the middle of a circle of Celtic knotwork burned into the ground.  The twins squealed in delight and ran out into the rain to greet him.  Thor smiled and the rain stopped like he’d flicked a switch on it.  He scooped them up when they reached him and held them above his head.

“Children!”  He boomed.

“Daddy!”  They both squealed at once, kicking their legs.  He pulled them into a hug and closed his eyes, smiling contentedly as they nuzzled into him.  Tony, Bruce, and I approached him and when we got close he put both onto one arm and cradled my jaw with the other.

“Mea Vida,” he hummed and kissed me deeply.  I melted into him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Thor!  We didn’t expect you back yet!” Bruce said, smiling.

Thor broke his kiss with me and Bruce leaned down and pecked Thor’s cheek before Tony moved in and did the same.  “All is running well on Asgard.  I have Heimdall watching over things.  He will call me if needed.”

“So this is it?” I asked, looking up at him. “You’re home now?”

He smiled contentedly.  “Yes.  I’m home.”

“Come on,” Tony said, clapping him on the shoulder.  “Let’s get you inside.  We have a lot to tell you about.  In fact, your timing is perfect.  He looked at me with a small smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye.  It did feel like a sign.  This was the day we would agree to extend our family.

“I misted you,” Pietro said as we made our way back inside with the dogs, dancing around at our feet.

“I missed you too, my darling one,” Thor said, affectionately.  “What have you been doing since I saw you last?”

“Umm…” Pietro pondered.

“We pwayed and deys take us pwaces.  We did see a schoowl,” Riley explained.

“And I dot my books,” Pietro added.

“Those all sound wonderful,” Thor rumbled and kissed them both on the head, before putting them down.  He took a seat on the couch and both the twins and the dogs climbed up into his lap.

“FRIDAY, tell the cook to make a large lunch for everyone and that Thor’s here so whatever they think is normal, double it,” Tony said as he took a seat.  “And page the others.”

“Of course,” FRIDAY replied.

“Daddy,” Pietro said as he climbed up onto Thor’s shoulders.  “Wiwl Woki come?”

“On occasion, little one,” Thor answered.  “Loki has a very important responsibility in Asgard now.”

“Wiwl Mags come?”  Riley added.

Thor laughed and ruffled her hair.  “No, honey.  I’m afraid not.  But I will take you back to your homeworld from time-to-time and you will see him.”

I started to get impatient and I ran my fingers through the threads that connected me to the others and tugged on the ones that belonged to Clint, Natasha, Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Wanda.

“Did you just pull me?”  Clint said, coming into the room.

“I did,” I answered.  “Thor’s home!”

Clint grinned and came over, kissing Thor, before flopping on the chair beside him.

“Space husband!”  Steve called as he entered the room with Bucky.

“I’m not your space husband any longer.  I’m home for good,” Thor said, getting up and greeting the two super-soldiers with a tight hug and a kiss.

“You are!”  Wanda squeaked as she entered with Sam.

Thor turned to Sam and Wanda and a large smile broke out on his face as he pulled them into his arms.  “You have been busy while I was away,” he said.  Wanda looked up at him confused when Natasha finally arrived.  “Very busy indeed.”

“What do you mean?”  Wanda asked.

“You and Natasha, you’re both with child,” Thor said, looking at the both of them confused.   “You didn’t know?”

I looked from Wanda to Nat and the sudden realization that the fraying of the threads was the starting of new ones connected me to the babies they were carrying.  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized it sooner.

Natasha looked at Thor with her jaw dropped.  “I’m sorry, but I’m what?”

// NEXT

[misskittysmagicportal]

Cry Little Sister

(A Jack x Rin Drabble)

Word Count: 1618

Warnings: implied fem recv oral, mention of sexual abuse, abortion, angst

A/N: Even after some time with Jack, Rin Davies still has her secrets.

Rin rolled on her side and gingerly stepped on to the wooden floor. She was nude, but risked freezing to death in the stark cold of her bedroom to sneak to the shower. Her body ventured only a few centimeters before a strong forearm caught her around the waist. She could only squeal.

Rin was yanked back on to the bed where she feigned fighting against what pinned her down. She twisted and giggled, but they overpowered her. He was, despite how he seemed, incredibly strong.

“JACK!!” Rin half-whinged, but only half. The other half desperately tried to hide how bothered she was. The electricity that spread in her veins and arteries and nerves and traveled out to her fingers and toes and between her legs.

“RIN!” Jack mocked her. He bent to place a gentle kiss on her neck. Then her chin. He took his time and pecked and planted his lips all over face, forehead and ears.

“I have a shift in an hour! I need to shower and get my uniform out of the wash.” Each one of her words was punctuated by his kisses. Only a few she reciprocated.

“I keep telling you to quit your job and work with me.”

“You don't shit where you eat, Jack.”

“You keep telling me that. We wouldn't have to work at the same time. I trust you to run the shop alone.” He trailed down between Rin’s breasts and over her stomach. He lifted her back into an arch towards his mouth.

“Jack,” Rin found herself breathless.

There was no longer even water to float on let alone drown in when their bodies touched. It was a warm beach with soft sand like the one she visited with her brother Finch after university. Their only vacation.

Now Jack was like a vacation with an occasional cloud that passed through. And that was it, they only passed through. No bothering. No messages. Just passive specters who gave up eventually for another medium. Rin could sense them too like goose pimples up her spine. She was too worried about breaking Jack to ask if maybe together they could corporealize a ghost.

At this moment, Rin was unshielded. She unwittingly opens herself up like she did her legs as Jack’s tongue found its destination. He teased the outside of her sex with it; his hands held her defiant hips still. Then a memory passed to Jack as his mouth closed on her clit like a jolt.

Just a flash of a dingy waiting room, the smell of cleaning products and antiseptic hung in the air. Rin bolted upright, both from Jack's tongue inside and of the memory. That smell churned her stomach. The sheets gave way to the crinkle of paper and the delayed puff of cushioning on an exam table was the bed. Finch’s large hand clammy in her own as his impossibly blue eyes held her gaze. She was back but couldn't be.

Jack had rolled to lay face up. He held his head in his hands like Rin saw him do when they were sectioned. He started to knock softly at his temples, eyes shut tight. She had triggered him.

“No. No. Why’s it smell like hospital? Why did you do that?!” his voice at a near-bellow. “I don't want to go back. Not to that place when I was a kid. Don't make me go back!”

“Jack. Jack, it's ok! Jack!” Rin shouted over his outburst. She clutched his wrists to pull his fists away, but he resisted.

He was the immovable object to her unstoppable force, but Rin’s bare hands on his skin made Jack recoil from her for the first time. “Stop! Why do you have that in your head?!” His long body curled away from his girlfriend.

“Jack,” Rin spoke softly now. “That's not your memory. That's mine.” She tread with care and kissed his shoulder. Her hands refrained from touching him directly. “I was just so unguarded, that a door opened. I think I've been struggling to have this conversation with you so much, it came out of my subconscious.”

Jack reached behind himself and pulled Rin towards his back. He draped her arm over his body and began to trace the faint scars along the back of her hand. Instinct made Rin bury her face between his shoulder blades where her forehead came to rest. Jack sighed before he turned her hand over and traced the lines on her palm.

“Jack, I can't have kids.”

He was silent. Rin could feel him thinking, processing how to respond. He was so new to everything still, even after two years. Stability. Safety. Sex. Jack learned as he went. He faltered a lot, especially with the concept of Rin being tangible. He couldn't just take a drug or get drunk to make her disappear. Not that they did it much, but when they had a row, it was interesting to say the least.

“Does that upset you?” He kissed her knuckles.

“I think it used to, but I spent so much time with awful men or lost OR sectioned that I accepted maybe I did myself a favor? Not that I think you want them, but it's the first I've thought of it in years.”

“You don't want kids with me, love. Emma’s good, but she still got stuck with one like me.”

“Wouldn't want anymore of those kind, smart men in the world would we?”

“I'm not always kind.” It was matter of fact.

“To yourself.” Rin could sense him roll his eyes now. “I just didn't think someone would actually love me, so I put it off.”

“Rin what do you mean, did it yourself?”

“Do you want me to tell you?” She kissed the back of Jack's neck. “Or show you?”

“I guess it's only fair,” Jack sounded apprehensive.

But Rin didn't respond. She took her hands and placed them on Jack's face like she was covering his eyes with her palms. She relaxed her mind, unlocked it and melted into Jack with her memories.

The two of them sat side by side in a waiting room. The old plastic chairs in gold and rust and red with peeled paint on the walls felt more broken-down Fawlty Towers than a clinic of some kind. Jack's feet stuck to the linoleum floor and he rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees. He knew no one could see him, but wished he was in more than boxers.

Rin was young, younger than Jack had ever seen her. He never knew how dark and long her hair was as it hid her face. There was a bruise on her cheek. She cradled her stomach with one hand. The other held tight to a young man not much older. That had to be Finch.

They looked alike, except his eyes were unfathomably blue. Finch, Fin, had dark, straight hair that was a mess. He had his arm around her shoulder and was kissing her head and murmured something. Rin nodded and stared up at him with complete admiration. Then she spoke in Welsh. Welsh? How did Jack not know.

“Are you sure it'll be ok? They can't know Finch. He can't know. He wants Mama and Papa to sell me to him.”

“Like fuck,” Jack yelled. “Christ I thought my mum was bad. Never would've sold me to a paedo.”

“He can't buy you, Wren. You're sixteen. It's legal. I’ll fucking kill them first.”

“Too right you will!” Jack almost cheered.

He couldn't wrap his head around just knowing it was a friend. A family friend who knocked her up. Raped her, Jack was sure, and got her this way. Then it was all flashes. An exam table with stirrups and a nurse with nice eyes but witchy hands. A doctor who was smoking and tried his best. Rin cried and Fin’s lip bled from biting it. Jack looked away. Whoever said women were the fairer sex was a cunt.

“It went wrong after that,” Rin’s voice broke through the memory. “I got an infection in my uterus. They had to remove half of it, but my parents refused more. Punishment for my abortion. So I rebelled. Brilliantly until they fried my hands. I got labeled a nutter pretty quick, and they never spoke to me again. Finch did. He talked me into music and school and it went from there. In and out of psych in spite of it all. I lost Fin, found Roland then he left too. Then I found you, and YOU got lost.”

“Well I'm not lost anymore am I, duck?” Jack's term of affection for her. “I don't care about the baby part. I mean I do if YOU do. I'm just learning how to be human myself, so I'm not too keen on bringing smaller ones into the world right now.”

Jack turned over in Rin’s arms and nudged his nose along hers and face. “I love ya, though. Whatever you want, Aderyn.” He heard the way her brother called her in their native tongue. “But you haven't lost Finch either.”

Rin let her forehead rest on Jack's. “He died years ago.”

Jack rolled his eyes and waved his arm frantically around the room. “Hello! Remember what I'm good at?!”

“Wait, you can see Finch?” Tears spilled uncontrolled down her cheeks. She stuffed her knuckles in her eyes to prevent it.

“Yeah. Creepy looking right? Intense blue eyes, chiseled jaw, kinda wild black hair? Kinda short for a guy? Handsome, just weird.” Jack struggled to describe him accurately. “Why not give me your hands, and see what we can do together.”

So she did.

Tag list: @magic-multicolored-miracle @robertsheehanownsmyass @super-unpredictable98 @nightmonsters @forenschik @sean-falco @elliethesuperfruitlover @frogs--are--bitches @slutforrobbiebro @bisexualnathanyoung @rob-private

[tabloidtoc]

Star, May 10

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Meghan Markle having twin girls (oops!)

Page 1: Famous for doing his own stunts, Tom Cruise helicoptered in to the tiny English village of Levisham to film aboard, or rather hanging off of, a vintage train and along for the ride was his Mission: Impossible 7 costar Hayley Atwell, who was spotted running along the top of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway car and while the pair, surrounded by crew and tech experts, were total pros, it's an open secret on set that their romance is going strong and Tom and Hayley hang out non-stop when the cameras are off and are pretty much joined at the hip but not in a showy, PDA way; it's a very discreet thing they've got going on -- off-camera, 58-year-old Tom and 39-year-old Hayley enjoy quiet nights holed up in Tom's London digs, eating meals specially prepared by his private chef and they'll watch movies or read books or just chill out doing their own thing -- chilling out isn't Tom's forte, as audio leaked of him berating the film's crew for violating COVID-19 protocols, but things have calmed down considerably as the spy flick, due in theaters May 2022, closes in on its wrap date, but the ensuing publicity push will put Tom and Hayley's relationship front and center, but don't expect the devoted Scientologist to jump on any couches (a la Katie Holmes) announcing wife No. 4 as Tom has learned the hard way about putting everything out there and getting picked to pieces; this time, it's all about subtlety

Page 2: Contents, Cher got up and personal with the World's Loneliest Elephant Kaavan, who she helped relocate to Cambodia

Page 3: Brie Larson in a swimsuit with butterflies on it during a getaway to Hawaii, with headphones at the ready Brooke Burke was itching to cut a rug with friends before teaching a silent disco cardio party at the Rafi Lounge in Malibu, Maria Shriver and Christina Schwarzenegger enjoyed some quality time on a stroll in L.A., Boy George sporting a bold look on The Jonathan Ross Show in London

Page 4: In a recent interview, AnnaLynne McCord revealed a shocking diagnosis: for years, the 90210 alum has been battling dissociative identity disorder (often erroneously referred to as multiple personality disorder) -- she told Dr. Daniel Amen she is absolutely uninterested in shame about opening up despite the stigma surrounding mental-health issues because that's how we get to the point where we can articulate the nature of these pervasive traumas as horrible as they are -- for her part, the 33-year-old traces back her troubles to sexual abuse she suffered as a child and as had many of the 200,000 people diagnosed with DID each year, she suppressed those horrific memories and it was only within the past few years that they began to resurface, largely after she sought treatment for PTSD related to another sexual assault and she doesn't have any memories of abuse until around 5, then from 5 to 11, she recounts incidents throughout and then, when she was 13, she has a singled-out memory and it was at that age that she developed what doctors call a second personality identity: as Little Ann, the Georgia-born daughter of a pastor said she was balls to the wall, middle fingers to the sky, anarchist from hell who will stab you with the spike ring that she wears and that helped her survive her nightmarish situation -- ironically, acting created the same dynamic, making it sometimes difficult for AnnaLynne to let go of characters she'd played and all of her roles were splits but she didn't even realize she was doing it

Page 5: Jennifer Aniston wasn't exactly touched when Justin Theroux gushed about how much he still loves her in the issue of Esquire -- complaining about feeling like a hermit during the pandemic, 49-year-old Justin nearly got misty discussing FaceTiming and texting his ex, saying he cherishes their friendship and they can not be together and still bring each other joy and he'd be bereft if they weren't still in touch and he'd like to think the same for her -- but 52-year-old Jen, whose love life has been low-key since the pair's 2018 divorce, has stayed on good terms with most of her exes including Brad Pitt but doesn't want anything more than a friendship with Justin and sure, it's flattering but she's just moved on and wishes he would too, and that goes double for some of her friends who griped that Justin tried to milk Jen's connections to further his career -- in the end, Justin needs to know he's got no chance whatsoever of winning Jen back and she doesn't feel anything remotely close to passion for him anymore

* Roseanne Barr showed off her newly svelte frame on Instagram -- back in 1998, she lost 100 lbs after undergoing gastric-bypass surgery, but yo-yo'd over the next decades but now she's determined to keep the weight off by totally changing the way she eats and she's growing her own fruits and vegetables and has a whole new appreciation of food

* Five months after he entered the Federal Correctional Institution, Mossimo Gianulli finished up his stint at his plush Hidden Hills home and now, the 57-year-old, who along with wife Lori Loughlin, pleaded guilty to paying a $500,000 bribe to get their kids into USC, can't wait to get back to normal and his biggest priority, besides spending time with Lori and the girls, is to get out there on the golf course -- the designer, worth a reported $70 million, still has to perform 250 hours of community service while Lori, who finished up her prison stint in December, is chipping away at hers, doling out meals at L.A.'s Project Angel Food -- Lori and Mossimo have resolved not to dwell on the past and they want to move forward with a positive and grateful attitude

Page 6: Fans of Angelina Jolie's stunts in movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Mr. & Mrs. Smith are looking forward to her return to the screen as a wildfire fighter in Those Who Wish Me Dead and in the upcoming Marvel flick Eternals but 45-year-old Angie would rather be behind the camera and she explained the real reason behind her comeback is she loves directing, but she had a change in her family situation that's not made it possible for her to direct for a few years and she needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so she went back to doing a few acting jobs -- that change in her family situation, of course, is her divorce from Brad Pitt, ongoing since their 2016 split and with no bitter end in sight and it could drag on for years

* Catherine Zeta-Jones says it's no secret her 20-year marriage to 76-year-old Michael Douglas hasn't been easy and it wouldn't be normal if there weren't any ups and downs -- it's another Michael, her Prodigal Son costar Michael Sheen, who has friends whispering as both are Welsh and only a year apart, the two have been having a lot of fun shooting the serial-killer drama and they had never met before the series but they keep discovering how much they have in common -- while Michael, who has been linked with Kate Beckinsale, Rachel McAdams and Sarah Silverman, has been with Anna Lundberg for two years, friends can't help worrying because it's a little to close for comfort

Page 8: Star Shots -- Marlee Matlin kicked back during a portrait session in La Canada Flintridge in California, a loaded-down Irina Shayk in a Victoria's Secret photoshoot in NYC, Gavin Rossdale and his dog Chewy leaving tennis practice in L.A.

Page 9: Kelly Clarkson and her battle advisor Luis Fonsi on The Voice, John Stamos at the drive-in premiere of his new series Big Shot in L.A.

Page 10: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley toting her $3800 Bottega Veneta Shell bag in NYC, Niall Horan and Anne-Marie jumped into a classic Jaguar XK120 for a music video in Essex in England, Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci on the set of House of Gucci on a bicycle in Rome

Page 11: Jay Leno takes a selfie with a fan, Kate Hudson and her daughter Rani busting out some mommy-and-me moves

Page 12: David Beckham filming a commercial for Maserati, Kaley Cuoco working out with ropes, a windswept Olivia Culpo held on tight to pup Oliver while enjoying a sunset ride aboard a boat named after her dog, Miles Teller looked both ways during a cruise in his blue Ford Bronco which is the same car he flipped in a 2016 accident

Page 13: Garrett Hedlund hit the pavement in a jog in Hollywood, Johnny Depp got behind the camera at the photocall for his film Minamata during the Barcelona Film Festival, friendly exes Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry masked up for a walk in L.A.

Page 14: 2021 ACMs -- country celebrates its best in Nashville -- Elle King and Miranda Lambert kicked off the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards by rolling up in a hot ride before performing, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, co-host Keith Urban

Page 15: Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd performed together, Carrie Underwood

Page 16: Margot Robbie inline skating during a beach day in Malibu, Kate Beckinsale carrying her two cats and her dog as she tried to read, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend and their daughter Luna took a silly mid-game family selfie while playing Hedbanz

Page 18: Normal or Not Normal? A sleepy George Stephanopoulos was caught yawning on the Good Morning America set -- normal, Emily Blunt kicked back a little too much at The Jonathan Ross Show -- not normal

Page 19: With a $1400 rainbow Gucci sweater wrapped around her shoulders Selling Sunset's pregnant Christine Quinn with her dogs in L.A. -- normal, Chelsea Handler works out with her dog on her back -- not normal, Zach Braff stuck his tongue out as he took a silly selfie filming the Cheaper by the Dozen reboot -- not normal

Page 22: Fashion -- stars shine in metallic frocks -- Becky G, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Karen Gillan

Page 23: Miranda Lambert, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Zellweger

Page 26: Travis Barker didn't hold back in his birthday tribute to girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian -- sharing a series of sexy shots with 42-year-old Kourtney, including a NSFW video of Kourtney sucking his thumb and the rocker's risque pics quickly went viral, as did Kourt's TMI essay posted to her health and wellness site Poosh titled "Rough Sex: Love It or Leave It?" -- definitely leave it, if it were up to the pair's kids; 17-year-old Landon and 15-year-old Alabama, who are 45-year-old Travis' children with ex-wife Shanna Moakler, are mortified by their dad's behavior and like most teenagers, the two are active on social media and can't avoid the new couple's loved-up posts and Travis' kids are happy that he's happy, but the PDA is weird and takes some getting used to, while Travis' stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have a problem as the 22-year-old posted a heart-eyes emoji -- as for spending time with Mason, 11, Penelope, 8, and 6-year-old Reign, Kourt's kids with ex Scott Disick, the pair try to restrain themselves but still the lovebirds are happily oblivious and have a hard time toning it down and Kourt and Travis are just being themselves and going with the flow; they're in love and want the world to know it

Page 27: After 10 months of dating Australian model Vanessa Valladares, Zac Efron is officially back on the market -- 33-year-old Zac called it off with the 25-year-old after things got too serious, too soon and they spent every moment together and it was too claustrophobic for him, as Vanessa, who quit her job and gave up everything to be with Zac, became a fixture on set as he worked on Down to Earth with Zac Efron and he felt guilty that she was giving up her dreams and aspirations to be with him -- despite their split, Zac, who had put his L.A. home on the market and extended his stay in Australia after meeting Vanessa, has no plans to rush back to the States because he has made a lot of friends there and feels at home

* Like many planning their vows during the pandemic, Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost had to get strategic when it came to their big day -- Scarlett said they wanted it to feel like it had an intentional intimacy as opposed to being something that felt like they were restricted by all these things -- the intimate and small event the pair threw was at their $4 million Palisades, N.Y. home in October and the ultra-private pair kept their guests safe, and the guest list was tiny and it was understated but lovely, just what they wanted -- now Scarlett and Colin have settled in to married life and Scarlett and Colin both like to steer clear of the spotlight which makes them perfectly suited for each other

* Vanessa Hudgens revealed the surprising way she was introduced to boyfriend Cole Tucker, who she's been dating since November -- 32-year-old Vanessa and 24-year-old Cole met on a Zoom meditation group and Vanessa admits that the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop is just perfect for her and Vanessa and Cole, who debuted their romance on Valentine's Day, moved their budding friendship offline after feeling sparks via the virtual meeting app and they started communicating on their own and found out they have a lot in common -- now Vanessa, who dated Austin Butler for nine years before their 2020 split, is zooming ahead and she doesn't want to rush or jinx things, but she's saying Cole could be The One

Page 28: Cover Story -- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Twin Girls -- it was a somber, but loving occasion as the royal family celebrated the life of Prince Philip and amid the pomp and truly touching moments, like Queen Elizabeth sitting frail and alone, viewers waited to see what would happen when Harry and Prince William reunited for the first time since Harry and Meghan stepped down from senior royal duties in March 2020 and just weeks after their bombshell TV interview rocked the monarchy and tensions had been running high before the funeral, but everything went better than expected as William and Harry bonded and united in grief at the loss of their beloved grandfather, the estranged siblings along with William's wife Duchess Kate Middleton, waved away their waiting cars, opting to walk the half-mile from St. George's Chapel to Windsor Castle together and the trio chatted easily as they strolled -- back home in Montecito, Harry has been by pregnant Meghan's side around the clock making sure she takes it easy and the couple are in full-blown prep mode and Harry has been helping baby-proof their mansion and designing the nursery and Harry's been on his hands and knees making the house baby-friendly and he's got the latest, state-of-the-art safety devices installed around the pool -- Harry's promising visit with the royal family has given him one less thing to worry about, but still he and members of The Firm will always have different perspectives and after dismissing William and dad Prince Charles as trapped by the monarchy, Harry was persuaded by Kate to take the first step and she went up to Harry to suggest he have a heart-to-heart with William and their father, then she stepped back; Harry felt nostalgic being back home and it's a work in progress -- Harry made headway with his grandmother as well as he and Queen Elizabeth had a private meeting and spoke for three hours and seeing Harry's face made her smile again and Harry loves his grandmother very much and he's promised to bring his kids back to England later this year and he wants the Queen to spend quality time with them

Page 31: The Home Birth Brigade -- Who needs hospitals? These fearless celebrity moms opted to welcome their babies in the comfort of their own homes -- Ashley Graham, Eva Amurri, Hilary Duff, Gisele Bundchen, Gigi Hadid

Page 32: Kim Kardashian: Billionaire Bachelorette -- months after officially filing for divorce Kanye West, Kim is majorly ready to mingle -- Kanye's miffed that fans think he's the one who got dumped when he simply let her file first

Page 34: Not Boyfriend Material -- celebs share tales of dates gone bad, and guys who definitely didn't deserve a second chance -- Patricia Arquette, Mindy Kaling, Jenny Slate

Page 35: Awkwafina, Emma Watson, Kelly Clarkson

Page 36: For Mom -- for Mother's Day, express gratitude to the No. 1 lady in your life with the perfect gift -- Naomi Watts cofounded the ONDA Mama Box

Page 40: Entertainment

Page 48: Parting Shot -- in honor of Earth Day, Alison Brie kicked off the second year of the Planet Oat Project by planting trees at Rancho Sierra Vista -- the 38-year-old also took to Instagram to bring awareness to the wildlife restoration initiative, noting that a startling three million acres of trees in California have been destroyed by recent wildfires

[aka217]

OK, SO 2020

Welp.

I’m certain I won’t have to come back to this post to remember what happened this year. This year the world shared one similar experience; a year that seemed to have sat still while also continuously rampaging tragic events one after the other. A catalyst in many ways. It stands no reason that my year has not aligned with the rest of the world, yet we’ve managed to make it even more interesting. This year will be transcribed countless times, so let me focus on the parts in which are uniquely mine:

Despite the world falling to a pandemic, lock downs and quarantines for most of the year, it amazes yet how much I’ve squeezed out of this year. First and foremost: we did it. We moved to the west coast. A long time coming, some delays, some uncertainties. But we prepared, we agreed, we wanted something new. Clearly nothing stood in our way this year, we were going to go. As much as a curveball a pandemic can through at us, we were resilient and making the move. It’s not all positives, as settling here is a mix bag: unable to fully experience the city, me not quite sure how I like this position, Ashley not able to secure her next career opportunity, not able to even visit back home. But look, we made the move, we are here, let it not go to waste, as there are experiences still available and unique that we should not take for granted.

Let’s map out what happened this year:

January. The year started with a visit from the Cabacoys to Disney and SeaWorld. Shortly after, in the most gratifying way, I used up most of my vacation for the year in a single trip. We traveled to the California, a kind of sneak peek at what’s to come. Knowing our financial situation would be up in the air very soon, it was our best option as we’d see a variety of friends, family, places, all the while having lodging mostly covered. Although sick in the beginning (hmm? Nah just congestion) San Fran consisted of me watching the Witcher and eating Popeyes chicken sandwiches among other SF delights. The drive down Highway 1 was spectacular, this time not as foggy, giving us great views of the ocean all the way through. We were able to take the scenic Monterey coastal drive, passing through pebble beach and the like. Stopping at our favorite little hotel in San Luis Obispo, we find ourselves in LA the next day hanging out with the newlyweds. After the trip, January rounds out with a nice Disney breakfast with my family.

February started with a quick trip to Playa Linda, wearing ski jackets to the beach. Valentines/birthday weekend was the long-awaited Vigo cruise to the Bahamas. There’s something so satisfactory about a trip where I don’t anticipate anything, and everything comes at a delight and surprise. Next up we have G-Ading’s wedding, being the only wedding we end up going to this year! Very memorable time, and the food, oh my jeez it just kept coming. And last, on the final day of February (jk leap year), was my last day with JBT AeroTech. 8ish years would come to a close. The first place to give me a chance at becoming an Engineer and letting me not only prove to myself I could, but to give me opportunities to fulfill dreams bigger than my own.

March. Whoa now. This is a sensitive month for many people. And while many may mask as March entirely being pandemic, that part didn’t quite start until March 14. Let’s not forget what I managed to pull off before then. First off, Science Night Live in Orlando, something we’ve been wanting to do but finally was able to go. Second, Conexpo Las Vegas. I had an inkling that I would not be going with JBT this time, and so I booked it with my own money and still went. This expo is so cool for someone in the industry, there’s so many great vehicles to check out. Plus I figured it would be a good place to be to meet with connections and find Cali opportunities. Strapped for cash I secured shared accommodations and dinners provided my business acquaintances, but quickly evaporated as many attendees pulled out due to the growing pandemic (not locally yet, but this was an international expo). I managed to scrap together living spaces, and find alternative free meals. And while the people I was supposed to hang out with did not show up, I stuck with now old coworkers and even ended up finding new acquaintances there, which culminated to the most lux Vegas party I can imagine in penthouse suites (plural), a wild night I won’t forget.

And that’s double true, because the next day the lockdowns started to occur. I come back home to quarantine, lock down, uncertainty. One day I’m dancing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people (which how lucky I didn’t catch anything then) to now not coming within 6 feet of anyone, stocking up on groceries and toilet paper. It was all so strange. We were afraid to hug my nephew, him being confused when he saw us, a confusing time of unknown. Initially I thought being out of work was going to be weird, maybe nice in some ways. And in a way it was; an unease of not having something to do, but all the while glad I didn’t have to work through this coping phase of the pandemic.

April was a weird time for me. What was supposed to be 2-week quarantine led to what we now know to be months. It still felt like more March, as nothing has progressed in the last weeks. Ask me now what happened and all I can remember is watering the grass everything, or waiting to water the grass every day. Nothing really else. Well, ok, maybe securing a job in Oakland (it really is about who you know), and slowly purging and moving out of our house. Towards the end of the month we went to Ocala to see Ashley’s parents once more, as it marked the start of our goodbyes.

May was wild and nonstop. While the world waited, we had to find a way to say goodbye to friends (heart breakingly distant), family, and our possessions. We had plans to seek out our favorite food spots and share final meals with people, but that was not possible. We made visits with family, while trying to figure out where to stash away the items we were not ready to give up on. I also said goodbye to my Miata. This car meant a lot to me, symbolized a lot, characterizes me in many ways. I always enjoyed driving it. And it if wasn’t raining, the top was down, and even sometimes when it was raining. It is a piece of me I had to let go. I have no regrets, I did not take it for granted, and I can only hope that I find another car that brings me as much joy each time.

And so, mid-May, we make the move. You can wait for the perfect moment, but as we see here there is no perfect moment, so my advice is this: now is probably the next best chance. We couldn’t wait any longer, and maybe regrets to go sooner can be argued, regrets of not going can be as well. And so we embarked on our journey to Oakland. I start my job to following week. It was a strange time as everything, and this time basically everything, was a strange new place to be. New city, new job, new world. But we did what we could. We have support here of friends and family, and we turned to them immediately. This month will start to shape the remainder of the year: food take out, video games, facetimes, picnics, cousins. We explored the Bay Area (by means to buying and selling Facebook marketplace items) just to get a feel of the surrounding areas and try to get our bearings.

June and July were much of the same. While Ashley took a trip back home, I stayed back, exploring the hills in a rental (more on that later). My Dad made a pitstop here as he finally managed a flight out of the Philippines. I had not seen him since December, and so much has happened since, so it was nice to see him just for a brief moment; because if not it would have been more than a year, because as I write this I have not seen him since. The rest of the months we try to explore various areas, including the Berkeley observatory, Golden Gate Park, Emeryville Marina, Ocean Beach.

August is much the same as you can expect, though we do see Ashley’s Cousins more, as well as my cousins and their daughters. Ashley hosts her birthday on our landlord’s porch, where we go through a makeshift game of “we are not really strangers,” a moving game much harder to play without the ability to hug at the end.

September picks up and gets more interesting as we start to explore further away from the city, including a nice relaxing day down at whale cove beach, as well as a relaxing vacation (away from the heat waves, smoke, and fires) down in Saratoga/Santa Cruz area.

October was another trip, this time all the way down to Paso Robles for a birthday celebration, exploring the vineyards and a bonus trip up highway 1. Although much different, it was nice to get a trip with a big group of friends. October we also saw a couple movies, including a private screening of Tenet (wut) and my first drive-in movie ever, Coco, and once more another drive-in for Hocus Pocus.

November was much of the usual, as we are limited in options (and a bit limited in finances) to try anything new. We made the very difficult choice not to travel back to Florida for thanksgiving, and instead spent thanksgiving with just the two of us, although we cooked for 8.

December is here, and we squeezed in a few interesting pieces. I took a drive out to some of the mountains towards San Jose in a newer Miata. Another weekend we spent in San Rafael, where we didn’t leave the hotel the entire time. A very welcoming weekend with no pressure, no rush, just stay in and play video games, watch movies, and eat in (room service and delivery to our door!). That was a nice weekend with the only expectation was that we were doing nothing. As Christmas approaches, we venture out into the city to look at some of the lights. We also manage the watch Elf at the drive-in (although the foggy night didn’t make that easy), and once more drive-in to see Wonder Woman 1984 before the new year.

Alright, quick tidbits:

Cars I’ve rented – BMW 330i, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Altima, Fiat Abarth 124, Jeep Wrangler, Mazda Miata. A nice plethora of cars this year, and with the availability of mountains in the west coast, and the convenience of Turo, I have the opportunity to take nice day long drives through the windy roads. This was one of my goals for moving and I’m glad I’m still able to put that into fruition. It’s convenient to have nice back roads so close, and the beautiful highway 1 coastal road for longer trips. It was nice to rent a couple convertibles, including a few similar to my Miata. I hope next year brings some more interesting cars, and hopefully some off-roading fun as well. It’s hard to pick a favorite, as each ride held a unique experience. But I am thinking about getting a Jeep so…

Best Thing I Ate – man there’s so much to consider. G-Ading’s wedding was crazy delicious, the best wedding food ever no question. Having a mini Hot Ones episode at Ashley’s parents and at Kevin’s was delicious and the conversation meaningful. I started my goodbye food tour but didn’t see it through, but that came with some favorites from Gators Dockside, Pho Vinh, Gold China, Vicky’s Bakery. As far as the West Coast: Farmhouse Thai’s Lao platter is tray full of little wonders. And here in the Bay Burmese is plentiful (something that should definitely make its way into Orlando). Let’s not forget a couple homemade treats, such as Mia’s delicious Ube cookies and smore bites, and Ashley’s brownie muffins she considers was a mess up (I think they were perfect).

Between the pandemic lockdown and my new Xbox, I’ve played quite a few notable games. My favorites this year include Nier Automata, Jedi Fallen Order, and The Outer Worlds. Breath of the Wild also has now become a comfort food/ re-watch staple this year in Cali.

A couple movies/TV to note watching: Before Sunrise, Columbus, Westworld season 3, Mandalorian Season 2, Dash & Lily.

There’s a lot that can be said about 2020. There were big expectations, and life comforts, which were all stripped from us. And so while we made a big leap into the unknown, the rest of the world follow suit. But it’s hard to say if it was a bad choice or good, because I really don’t know what would happen if we stayed in Florida. Maybe things were more familiar and grounded, maybe see family a bit more. But what jobs would we have? Would we have been at higher risk of getting Covid? Who knows. But what I do know is that right now we are fine. We are healthy, we are financially stable, our family is healthy. And we may be limited in the interactions we can have, but that does not mean we can’t enjoy some of what this west coast adventure had in store for us. I think it was important that we experience the change, chaotic as it was.

We purged ourselves of the past: got rid of old clothes, old furniture, old junk of our college and early adult years. We carry with us only the essentials, and have a new outlook on what we acquire along the way. May would see us move out of our home, be in limbo back in Miami, and even once we got to Oakland, we would move just 2 weeks later (and move out again 3 months later, and we’ll be moving again this January). This is a year of being unsettled, which was to be expected with the move, but add a global pandemic, marches for equality, an uncertain presidential election, nothing was the same, everything has changed.

But honestly, since many of life’s grievances are a shared collective, my year relatively was ok. Pre-Covid was fantastic and jam packed with family and trips, par for the course of what I deem important to me. And even during the pandemic, my comforts are driven by much of the same elements: friends, family, and trips, albeit a bit differently. I have hopes for next year, I really do. I don’t think things will go back to normal, and for us there is no normal here. But I think things will settle and be grounded, and we can look forward to more of things that make us whole and human. Things that may have been missing this year are the grander friends vacation trips, and the live concerts and museums. I also hope to see my family soon, and get back to a place of comfort and familiarity, even for a brief moment. I hope to see more of that next year. But all I can ask is that our health and wellbeing stay intact.

2020, you were a nightmare. But catalysts are never calm, and the outcome is sure to be filled with great energy.

[ercelhande]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇 !

welcome to the outer banks —— the sort of place where you either have two jobs ... or two houses. living on paradise is no vacation.

the divide in the island has always been crystal clear. despite growing up in the outer banks and seeing each other all the time, pogues and kooks ? they don’t mix, their rivalry running decades deep and apparently there to stay. whether you’re for the rivalry or against it, there’s no denying its effects on the island. are you on a surfboard or a jetski ? a small boat or a lavish yacht ? joining keggers at the beach or balls at the country club ? doesn’t matter, you’ll be caught in the middle of the drama anyway.

join these young adults as they dive head first into the world of parties, fights, love, friendships, lies, greed, luxury and adventure, fully living up to what both the cut and figure eight have to offer !

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: this is a mainly discord based ( with the option for dash interactions as well ) small verse inspired by netflix’s outer banks, with a group of young adults facing their diverse realities and having to learn to co-exist in spite of their differences ... or not. more info under the cut !

𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒.

the usual —— no godmodding, no ooc drama. open to mutuals & people i’ve been in verses with. due to the mature topics that will be handled, all muns & muses must be 18+ to join. everyone can have up to two muses each. the secrets are just there for a little extra characterization + possibility for ic drama. i want this to be fun and chill but please be willing to actively participate if you join !

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

( faceclaim, gender, pronouns ) is that FIRST LAST walking by the beach ? the AGE IN LETTERS year old is known in the island as the LABEL, which makes sense given their + TRAIT and - TRAIT nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard SECRET HERE. i wonder what the POGUE / KOOK is getting up to these days ... ( ooc name/alias, tz, url ) - send it in via ask or ims !

𝐌𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐒: 10 / 12. ( reservations: lauryn. )

𝐏𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒 —— the working class.

( camila morrone, cis female, she/her ) is that SOFIA MARTINEZ walking by the beach ? the TWENTY ONE year old is known in the island as the ENIGMA, which makes sense given their CHALLENGING and RESERVED nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard SHE’S BEEN SELLING DRUGS AS A WAY TO MAKE MORE MONEY. i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days ... ( bela, gmt-3, drunkenloved )

( madelyn cline, cisfemale, she/her ) is that LYLA PETTERSEN walking by the beach ? the TWENTY ONE year old is known in the island as the BEACH BUM, which makes sense given their FREEWHEELING and HEDONISTIC nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard SHE IS SECRETLY FRATERNIZING WITH A KOOK . i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days … ( han, est, stainedful )

( dylan minnette, cis male, he/him ) is that KENZIE GOLDBERG walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the LIBERTINE, which makes sense given their PRIVATE and RECKLESS nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard HE’S THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE TOWN’S ILLEGAL DOING. i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days … ( adri, est, litscigarette )

( paul mescal, cis male, he/him ) is that GRAYSON ATWOOD walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the ATLAS, which makes sense given their RESILIENT and CLOSED OFF nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard HE’S INDEBTED TO THE TOWN’S DRUG DEALERS. i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days ... ( ron, gmt -3, mythvlogie )

( rudy pankow, cis male, he/him ) is that JAX MOORE walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-ONE year old is known in the island as the FLIRT, which makes sense given their SMOOTH and COCKY nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard HE’S DATING THREE GIRLS AT ONCE. i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days … ( adri, est, litscigarette )

( madison bailey, cis female, she/her ) is that ROWAN GATLEY walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-ONE year old is known in the island as the AQUAPHILE, which makes sense given their CAPABLE and SARCASTIC nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A RUSH IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES. i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days … ( lucy, bst, fierytragcdy )

( zoey deutch, cis female, she/her ) is that ALESSIA BARLOW walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-THREE year old is known in the island as the ICARIAN, which makes sense given their GREGARIOUS and RECKLESS ature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard WAS ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES. i wonder what the POGUE is getting up to these days ... ( jules , gmt -3, seremity )

𝐊𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 —— the rich kids.

( lorenzo zurzolo, cis male, he/him ) is that MATTEO VENTURA walking by the beach ? the TWENTY TWO year old is known in the island as the HELLKITE, which makes sense given their PERSUASIVE and SELFISH nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard HE LET SOMEONE ELSE TAKE THE BLAME FOR A CRIME HE COMMITTED. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days ... ( bela, gmt-3, drunkenloved )

( kennedy walsh, cis female, she/her ) is that KENNEDY FALK walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the ACTIVIST, which makes sense given their ELOQUENT and FIERY nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard SHE BUYS PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ILLEGALLY. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days ... ( ron, gmt -3, mythvlogie )

( wolfgang novogratz, cis male, he/him ) is that SAMUEL READ walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the CHAMELEON, which makes sense given their PATIENT and OBSESSIVE nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard THEY JOINED AN UNDERGROUND FIGHT CLUB. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days … ( lucy, bst, fierytragcdy )

( dylan o'brien, cis male, he/him ) is that PATRICK JOHNSON walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-THREE year old is known in the island as the OMEN, which makes sense given their AMBITIOUS and ARROGANT nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard HE WAS THE ONE WHO TIPPED THE POLICE ABOUT HIS STEPFATHER. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days … ( barbie, est+1, sncflowers )

( barbara palvin, cis female, she/her ) is that VALERIE JOHNSON walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the INCENDIARY, which makes sense given their ENERGETIC and STUBBORN nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard SHE WAS THE DRIVER IN THE CAR ACCIDENT THAT KILLED HER EX BOYFRIEND. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days … ( barbie, est+1, sncflowers )

( becky g, cis female, she/her ) is that LEXI VILLANUEVA walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the SIREN, which makes sense given their INDEPENDENT and FLIRTATIOUS nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard HAD AN AFFAIR WITH A MARRIED PERSON. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days ... ( jules , gmt -3, seremity )

( kathryn newton, cis female, she/her ) is that OLIVIA ‘OLLIE’ RUSSELL walking by the beach ? the TWENTY-TWO year old is known in the island as the SPITFIRE, which makes sense given their CALLOUS and VINDICTIVE nature. don’t tell anyone, but i heard SHE IS HEAVILY ADDICTED TO DRUGS. i wonder what the KOOK is getting up to these days … ( nic , est, forsunlights )

[lady-divine-writes]

ACITW AU one-shot “Sex on the Beach” (Rated NC17)

Summary: Sebastian convinces Kurt to have sex on the beach over summer vacation a year after their first vacation in North Carolina. Sebastian promises Kurt that they’ll be safe from prying eyes ... but is anyone ever really safe from their family? 

Read on AO3.

“Are you sure…mmm…are you sure they can’t see us here?” Kurt asks over kisses, moaning when Sebastian smacks him on the ass and squeezes, pulling Kurt closer into his lap to rut against his cock straining beneath the fly of his jeans. “They can’t, babe, and besides, they don’t have a clue where we are or what we’re doing,” Sebastian reassures him, pausing to toss Kurt a wink before kissing him again harder, whispering fuck into Kurt’s mouth when Kurt rolls his hips down into Sebastian’s lap and brings his hands up to card through his windblown hair. A kiss, then a bite, and then the sweep of his tongue into his boyfriend’s mouth, trying to clear his mind, but Sebastian can feel Kurt’s concern hanging in the air between them, and mid-kiss, he chuckles. “Would it really matter if they could see us?”

A year ago, when Kurt first visited the Smythe family beach house, he would have answered Sebastian’s question with a yes, yes, undoubtedly yes and then tried to pull away – though he probably would not have put much heart into the effort. But in the exactly twelve months since they have been officially dating, they have been walked in on by Sebastian’s mother, Olivia, Olivia’s husband Brian, Sebastian’s college roommate, Carole, Rachel, Finn, and Julian more times than they can count (though Kurt is more than sure Julian’s intrusions were on purpose). Kurt isn’t saying he’s about to start selling tickets or anything, but he’s grown a thicker skin with regard to the accidental viewing of his body during coitus. Still, there is something to be said about having a private moment alone, a feat that’s difficult to pull off with six people stuffed into one – albeit spacious – abode. As opposed to a year ago, Kurt and Sebastian arrived at the vacation home after everyone else. Being their first night at the beach house, at this place steeped in marvelous memories of the dawn of their love affair, they were itching to get their hands on one another. But even with Sebastian’s bedroom mere feet away, his luxurious bed calling out to them to defile it, they had to wait till after dinner. It was a meal spent mostly with the two of them shooting each other impatient glances while Sebastian’s parents questioned Kurt about his classes at NYADA, his internship at Vogue, and his impressions of New York in general. Had he seen any musicals? Did he go to any exhibits? And from Charlotte, “What is Isabelle Wright like in person? I’ve been such a fan of her rogue style over the last ten years.” Kurt had been more than happy to oblige – he missed talking to Charlotte and Gregory – but Sebastian’s rolling eyes and foot tapping beneath the table became a huge distraction. After they devoured dessert, Sebastian’s parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law became absorbed in a game of Pictionary, accompanied by a bottle of King’s Ginger. Kurt and Sebastian saw their opportunity and made a break for it, saying something offhanded to the open air about a walk and slipping away to the shore in search of a sheltered area amid the rocks so they could make-out. But making-out always seems to turn into sex, no matter where they are. Tonight is no exception. Sebastian latches onto Kurt’s neck, biting down gently on the soft juncture of his shoulder – by far one of Sebastian’s favorite parts of his boyfriend’s body. It’s a spot that elicits the most delicious sounds imaginable when Sebastian sucks on it the right way. A touch of Sebastian’s mouth to those three inches of skin ignites Kurt’s entire body. Sebastian swipes over it with his tongue and Kurt gasps, his body jerking away. That used to puzzle Sebastian, why Kurt would pull away from something that made him unspeakably horny and epically hard. Kurt said it felt too good, that it was too much. Sebastian knows better. He knows it’s just enough. He puts a hand to the base of Kurt’s neck and holds him, fighting Kurt’s struggling body so he can make his mark there. “Oh…oh God…” Kurt mutters, accepting defeat and melting under the warmth of Sebastian’s mouth leaving its purple bruise. “How does that feel, babe?” Sebastian asks, licking over the hickey on Kurt’s neck, gazing with appreciation at how vibrantly Kurt’s pale skin showcases the deep violet welt. Kurt raises a hand to his neck, tracing around the outline of the bruise, his cheeks coloring still after all this time. He ducks his head a little, his gaze drifting to the wet sand and his knees sinking into it. “You know how I feel about that, Bas,” Kurt answers demurely. “No,” Sebastian teases, yanking Kurt’s hand down from his neck, “I don’t know.” “You’ve given me hickeys before,” Kurt argues, rolling his eyes, avoiding Sebastian’s smug face and looking up at the stars above their heads. “Yes,” Sebastian agrees, “but I want to know how you feel about this hickey I gave you right here, right now.” Kurt lowers his eyes to meet Sebastian’s, licking his salt-dried lips before he answers. “I like you putting your mouth on me,” he says, looping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. “I like it when you mark me up.” “Really?” Sebastian asks, genuinely surprised. “And why would you like that?” “Because it means I’m yours,” Kurt admits, moving closer, “and everyone who sees it knows it. It’s primal and it’s animal…” Kurt brings the fingers of his right hand to Sebastian’s lips and traces around his mouth. “It really turns me on.” Sebastian holds Kurt tighter, dragging Kurt down to him, and with a low growl, he attacks Kurt’s neck again, starting a matching mark on the opposite side. He picks a spot, licks over it, then bites down. Kurt arches his back, his eyes squeezing shut, his sharp intake of breath lost in the evening air. “Sebastian,” he mewls, grabbing at his boyfriend’s shoulders, scratching over his shirt with blunt nails, begging for more. “God, I want you,” Sebastian mumbles into Kurt’s skin, shuddering when Kurt reaches between them to undo the button and zipper of Sebastian’s jeans, the cool ocean breeze sneaking in around them and chilling his exposed skin. “I need you now.” Sebastian fumbles to undo the buttons of Kurt’s fly, cursing his numb fingertips when he fails at unbuttoning the same button three times. “We’re…we’re really going to do this here?” Kurt stammers when Sebastian manages to undo the last button and reaches inside his jeans, warming his hand on Kurt’s thigh before wrapping his fingers around his cock. “Right now?” “Yup,” Sebastian says in that voice that so clearly indicates that he’s done talking about this. Kurt has always wanted to try having sex on the beach. It’s even on his bucket list. But out here in the cold with Sebastian’s family no too far away – okay, up the beach, in a house, on top of a dune, but still, not too far away – Kurt begins to have second thoughts. Until Sebastian starts to stroke – long, slow passes from base to tip, sweeping his thumb over the head. Suddenly, Kurt can’t care less where they are, just so long as Sebastian never stops doing that. “Yes,” Kurt moans. “God, yes. Don’t stop.” “I won’t, babe,” Sebastian says, squeezing a bit more, moving his hand faster. He loves that he knows Kurt’s body this way; he knows how to make Kurt want him so badly, how to make him helpless with desire. Sebastian loves that his touch is the only one Kurt craves. Sebastian brings his free hand to Kurt’s mouth and slips his index finger past his lips, letting Kurt suck down the length of the digit, swirling his tongue around it. He replaces his finger with his own lips against Kurt’s as his hand slips down the back of Kurt’s jeans, sans underwear, and between the crack of his ass. Sebastian finds Kurt’s entrance easily and slips his finger gently inside. It’s a move that’s practiced but far from tired, since every time Sebastian enters Kurt’s body is as exhilarating as the first time. In and out, in and out, Sebastian works Kurt open, adding a second finger when Kurt starts to move his hips down over Sebastian’s hand. “That’s it,” Sebastian mutters, “fuck my fingers, baby. Get yourself nice and open for me.” Sebastian places kisses on Kurt’s chest over his shirt, nipping at the fabric, trying to pull Kurt’s shirt up with his teeth. “You…you’re leaving water marks…all over,” Kurt scolds, lifting the shirt for him, giving Sebastian access to his skin. “Fuck it,” Sebastian grumbles. “I’ll buy you a new one.” “Oh, Sebastian,” Kurt mumbles beneath his breath as his boyfriend latches on to a nipple and sucks. “Oh, God.” Kurt moves his hips faster the harder Sebastian sucks, fucking down over Sebastian’s fingers and up into his fist. Kurt whimpers at the feeling of being fucked at both ends, his eyes fluttering shut so he can absorb Sebastian’s heat, the pressure of his fingers filling him, though not completely, but seeing where Sebastian manages to hit, it’s enough. Sebastian watches Kurt, watches the corner of his mouth dip, his cheeks tremble as his lips move around words he doesn’t vocalize but which Sebastian suspects are some combination of the words oh God and a chant of his name. “Hey,” Sebastian whines when he feels Kurt’s ass tighten around his fingers, “don’t finish up without me.” “Well…I c-can’t help it if you k-keep doing that,” Kurt stutters, moving faster, bouncing harder. Then Sebastian does the unthinkable. He removes his fingers from Kurt’s ass and his hand from Kurt’s cock. Kurt glares at him, looking utterly betrayed, and Sebastian nearly bursts out laughing. “I thought you said you wouldn’t stop?” “I’ll start up again, babe,” Sebastian says, shoving a hand into the pocket of his pants in search of a condom, “once you take off those jeans so I can get at you.” Kurt’s eyes snap to his jeans, pushed down his hips with his erection sticking out through the unbuttoned fly, and this time he seriously looks affronted. “But…but what do I do if someone comes down here? I’ll be pants-less!” “Well, seeing as you’ll be riding my cock, I think being half-naked will be the last of your worries.” Kurt doesn’t exactly agree with that assessment, but seeing as Sebastian has the condom rolled over his length and Kurt needs his boyfriend right now more than he needs to breathe, he decides to risk it. If nothing else, he’ll have another item crossed off his list. “I’ll take one leg out,” Kurt compromises, pulling his right leg out of his jeans and tossing it over to his left. “This way I won’t feel completely naked.” “What a rebel,” Sebastian says, shaking his head. “How come I’m the one who’s always getting half-dressed in these scenarios?” Kurt asks, straddling Sebastian’s lap. Kurt lifts up onto his knees and lets Sebastian guide his cock to his open hole, biting his lower lip as inch by inch Sebastian slides inside. “Because you enjoy taking it so much,” Sebastian says, putting a hand to Kurt’s shoulder blades and bowing his back till he can reach his lips, “and I love giving it to you. Besides, I like watching you bounce up and down on my lap. It’s super hot.” Sebastian holds Kurt’s hips as Kurt moves, his legs quivering as a consequence of the breeze racing over his skin and Sebastian’s cock, which he rides with little help from his boyfriend, taking him in as far as he can and then lifting off of him almost completely, feeling less self-conscious now that they’ve reached this point. “Yeah, babe, fuck me,” Sebastian mutters, taking Kurt’s cock in his hand again, stroking in alternating degrees of fast and slow, content to watch Kurt move, watch the muscles in his body ripple and tense, watch the way his legs shake, Kurt’s thighs knocking against him. “Fuck me, fuck me…” Kurt watches Sebastian, too – watches his eyes sweep over his body, watches his hand surrounding his cock, moving with irregular strokes as he starts to feel his body tense, and Kurt knows he’s ready to cum. Regardless of the fact that Sebastian is being lazy as all get out, sitting back in the sand and letting Kurt do most of the work, Kurt loves this. He loves being in control of this man. He loves that Sebastian’s voice fading into a series of grunts and stunted curses is because of him, his throat tightening, revealing a single vein throbbing is because of him, and his green eyes darkening, turning to almost a solid black, is all because of him. The crashing waves around them swallow the sounds of their moans. Foam kisses their feet as the tide rolls in just a breath from their bodies, chilling them slightly, adding to the urgency of their orgasm. “God, I’m cumming,” Sebastian groans in a strained voice, a voice that rises a bit in pitch as he talks through his teeth, spreading his legs wider and digging his heels in the sand to lift his hips so Kurt can take him deeper. “God, yes…fuck, yes…fuck, fuck, fuuuuck…” Kurt wants to laugh at Sebastian’s cursing - he has such a filthy mouth right before he cums, which is saying something for a man who’s favorite adjective, noun, and verb are all fuck – but Kurt’s mouth, dry from breathing the salt in the air, barely manages more than a hoarse Oh God. Kurt groans, burying his head in Sebastian’s shoulder as Sebastian releases a single, drawn-out, Holy shit into Kurt’s neck. Kurt slams down on him, afraid for a brief moment that he might actually hurt Sebastian, possibly bend something he shouldn’t. The dropping temperature dulls his senses, making him last longer than he anticipated, but the brush of Sebastian’s head over that bundle of overwhelming sensation inside him becomes too much. “Yes, yes, yes, yes…” he repeats, and this time Sebastian joins him, rising up to meet his hips, hitting Kurt hard inside, reaching all those areas that combine to form a single explosion of pleasure. Kurt begins to lose control of his functions; he has no choice in what his body does. He cums over Sebastian’s hand, the world shuddering around him, his feet wet from the encroaching tide, fingernails digging into the rocks behind them. Sebastian puts a hand to the small of Kurt’s back and presses Kurt against him, needing to feel as much of Kurt as possible on his body, his weight an anchor for Sebastian as he blinks his eyes, shakes his dizzy head, and the stars swirl above. He holds Kurt’s cock against his stomach while he cums, trying to minimize the mess. He’ll be hiding it under the waistband of his jeans until they get into a shower, which is admittedly gross, but Sebastian can’t say it isn’t worth it. “Oh…oh God,” Kurt whispers, his breath hot against Sebastian’s skin, looking up through lazy eyelids to catch a glimpse of Sebastian’s eyes softening back to a sea green. Sebastian chuckles at the goofy smile on Kurt’s face. “So, sex on the beach…” Sebastian lightly dusts the sand from the apples of Kurt’s cheeks while he speaks, “was it as spectacular as you imagined it?” Kurt tilts his head and quirks his lips, and Sebastian knows he’s about to be teased. He doesn’t mind, though. Not from Kurt. “I’d give it a solid 8.5,” Kurt says. “At least no one walked in on us this time,” Sebastian says, kissing Kurt on the nose. Kurt giggles, then he shivers, his teeth chattering. Sebastian feels goose bumps rise on Kurt’s back where his hand rests. He tugs Kurt’s shirt back down, pulling at the hem to cover as much of Kurt’s exposed skin as he can. “Come on,” he says, slapping Kurt’s thigh. “Let’s get dressed and go make an appearance.” “Ugh,” Kurt grumbles, looking down at his one flat pant leg lying in the wet sand. “This is going to suck.” “I have faith in you,” Sebastian comments with a laugh, sitting back with an amused smile to watch the battle begin. Kurt takes his pant leg in both hands and tries to slip it over his limb without getting any sand (or any more sand) in it, teetering unsteadily and falling off Sebastian’s lap in the process. Sebastian grins at his boyfriend wrestling with his skinny jeans as he dispenses of the condom (tying it at the end and sticking it in his pocket, making a mental note not to forget it's there before he washes his pants...like last time), zips his own jeans and stands up, brushing the sand off his legs, wincing at the cold, wet cum dripping down his stomach. “Can’t you hurry up?” Sebastian asks, his eyes darting up to the house to see if anyone is looking out through the windows at the beach. “Well, maybe I could get dressed quicker if you actually helped me!” Kurt hisses, holding his jeans open and doing his best to shove his leg inside, but it feels more like he’s running his skin through an electric sander. Sebastian sighs dramatically, grabbing Kurt’s jeans by the waistband and lifting him up off the sand. “Hey!” Kurt wails, grabbing at his crotch with both hands. “Watch it! You’re going to ruin my jeans…among other things.” “Don’t sweat it, sweetheart,” Sebastian says, brushing the sand off Kurt’s ass, “I wouldn’t dare ruin your jeans. I have a lot invested in them.” Kurt grumbles as he does up the buttons of his fly, grimacing at the sand embedded in the holes, in the buttons, everywhere. “I changed my mind,” Kurt says, shaking out his legs as he starts to waddle back the way they came. “Sex on the beach only gets a 4.” “Nah,” Sebastian objects. “Sex on the beach gets a 10. Dressing on the beach gets a negative 7.” Kurt huffs, hurrying away, eager to get back to the house and jump into a hot shower so he can scrape the layer of sand off his skin. Anyway, shower sex is way more comfortable and relaxing than this, no matter how good it was. And it was good. Sebastian hangs back and watches Kurt limp up the beach. “Can you be more obvious?” Sebastian asks, swatting Kurt on the ass. “Weren’t you the one who said that sand in my ass crack would become a way of life out here?” Kurt retaliates, swatting him back. “Whatever,” Sebastian says. “Just…try to walk normally, okay?” “Yeah, I’ll just do that,” Kurt says, matching Sebastian’s level of sarcasm. They both limp up the stairs and enter the house bow legged, trying to look casual while avoiding the chaffing from their wet jeans. Sebastian does better than Kurt, but they both fail regardless of how hard they try to play it off. “Hey, guys,” Charlotte laughs, watching the boys walk in with eyes that smile in secret. “Did you two have a nice walk?” “Sure did,” Sebastian answers with a smirk, not seeming to notice how his mother looks over at Brian and Olivia, or how Olivia gets up and retreats to the kitchen. “It’s a lovely night.” “Yup,” Kurt says, biting his tongue to hold in a nervous snicker, so concerned with diverting attention away from the state of his nearly ruined jeans that he completely forgets the two violently purple hickeys glowing like beacons on his neck. “Absolutely lovely.” “Join us for the next round?” Gregory asks, waving them over. “Uh, I think we’re going to hop in a shower first,” Sebastian says, taking Kurt’s upper arms and maneuvering him toward the bathroom. “Got sand in a lot of uncomfortable places. Maybe we can play the winner.” “Sounds like a plan,” Olivia says, walking in from the kitchen with a highball glass in her hands. “Here, Kurt. I heard you guys coming up the stairs and I made you this. I thought you might be parched.” “Is there alcohol in this?” Kurt asks, awkwardly taking the glass from Olivia’s hands and giving the drink a questioning sniff. “Of course,” Olivia says, motioning for Kurt to drink up. “We’re on vacation.” “Besides, we’re already down one bottle of liqueur,” Brian adds. “You two need to catch up.” “Ok…thanks,” Kurt says as Sebastian ushers him down the hall. Halfway to the bathroom, Kurt takes his first sip. He coughs loudly, stopping in his tracks, and Sebastian runs smack into him. “Hey!” Sebastian barks. “What’s the big…” “Here,” Kurt says, shoving the drink at Sebastian. “Take a sip.” Sebastian sniffs warily at the libation the way Kurt did, then takes a generous sip, rolling his eyes when the first taste of Vodka, Peach Schnapps, and citrus hits his tongue. He drops his head back, lightly hitting the wall behind him, groaning a low fuck beneath his breath. “Very funny, Liv,” Sebastian calls out, and the group in the living room roars with laughter. Olivia cackles louder than the rest, choking through tears to catch her breath before she says, “I hope you enjoy your Sex on the Beach!”

[harryandmolly]

Change of Pace - 8 (Summer 2019)

cowritten by @achinglyshawn

summary: Shawn and Maya meet again 10 years after life got in the way of love

warnings: language, NSFW

wc: 11.3k

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

Maya knocks her knees together rhythmically, watching her white topsheet catch the ray of sunshine coming in from her window and release it again.

Her window is open. She can smell the sea. And when she closes her eyes she can hear it.

She swears that’s more valuable than any hour of the expensive therapy she’s had in 12 years. 

When she wakes up in the morning in her bedroom in the house she bought herself in her happiest place, she gets to feel proud. She hasn’t felt true pride like this in a long time, not since she first started working in finance and felt like she had made a smart, adult choice that would support her and create a good, solid life.

She looks at it now and wonders how she got there, how she managed to convince herself that words like “solid” and “adult” would ever be enough to describe the life she really wanted.

So yeah, Maya’s proud. She’s proud she sacked up and left. She’s proud that she hasn’t gone running back, especially with all the emotional tumult she’s caused herself with this whole unexpected Shawn situation. It would’ve been like her, once, to shut this down and go running back to Manhattan where she could control everything and not hurt anyone.

Not anyone but herself, at least.

But hurting herself is not what she’s doing anymore. She still doesn’t really know what she’s doing in Avila other than surfing and painting and sleeping. Maybe that’s what she’ll do with her life now, forever. Maybe that’ll be enough. Maybe she’ll need something else.

The point is she doesn’t know. She can’t know now. She can’t control it, so she must embrace it. Embracing Avila means more than just enjoying its beaches and the occasional farmers market. It means learning what Avila can really give her, can really make her.

Maya’s ready for her Avila makeover.

+

Maya frowns at the eyeliner pencil between her fingers. Was it always this clumpy? When the hell did she buy this?

When did she last wear eyeliner?

She lifts her eyebrows and sighs. She can’t honestly remember.

She swallows and puts it down, shaking a hand through her hair and adjusting her loose-fitting sheer button-up. She unbuttons one button at the chest, then buttons it back again. She makes a face. She’s never thought this hard about her appearance around Shawn in her life. She knows he doesn’t care. So what the fuck is she doing?

She just… she really likes to stun him. For him to stare at her with that slow-growing smile like he’s thinking about how fucking lucky he is. He hasn’t looked at her that way since the night they were together. She thinks she’d like him to look at her like that again.

Breakfast felt like a turning point, but she can’t explain exactly how. Since she got home that afternoon, she’s been a churning, overflowing cauldron of artistic output. She wakes up, surfs, draws or paints all afternoon and surfs again at night. And it feels fucking great.

Feeling great has been unfamiliar to Maya for so long. She’s gonna chase it. And right now, the feeling’s got her seeking out Shawn.

She feels good about the decision to ditch the eyeliner when she walks through the front door of his shop, signaled by the little ding of his bell. She wants to feel like herself around him. Just… a vibrant, sexy version.

Sawdust overwhelms his senses as he lies on his back beneath his piano. He glides sandpaper along the not-quite-perfect edges of the underlying framework. He doesn’t mind the extra time it takes with the paper, because he can’t get the finesse, the perfection with the electric sander at this angle. 

He hums along to the new John Mayer album playing over the speakers as he brushes dust from his work goggles, before reaching for a particularly tricky edge whose perfection has been evading him. 

The sandpaper falls on his face when the door to the shop opens, the little bell chiming over Mayer’s voice. Shawn blows at the paper until it slides off his face and lands on the floor. 

“Be right there! Picking up or dropping off?” he calls as he rolls himself out from under the piano. He stands up and keeps his back to the door so he can brush himself off before greeting a client. 

He shouldn’t wear black to work anymore. It does nothing to hide sawdust. 

He gets himself as clean as he possibly can with dirty hands and a kind of clean rag, then turns to the doorway to the front of the shop. 

“Oh—“ fuck. 

Maya. He blinks at her, then looks down at himself, then back to her. He swallows; there’s absolutely nothing he can do about the fact that she looks gorgeous and he looks like he spilled coke all over himself like a desperate drug addict. 

“Hey— hi. Hi,” he walks out of the back, into the doorway as wipes his hands on his rag again, “I didn’t know you were stopping by. Did I know? Shit, I haven’t looked at my phone all morning.” 

The shop is empty. She gazes around at his instruments, each one of them holding a piece of him. It makes her indescribably happy and comfortable to be surrounded by them like this. She doesn’t even mind the smell of lacquer and sawdust. It’s as personal to her as her acrylic paints and turpentine.

He comes hustling out of the back room before she can answer his question. She beams at him, at the sweat matting his curls to his forehead and the sawdust that covers him. He looks like she’s knocked him out of an intense focus. Maybe she should feel a little guilty, but god, he looks so cute.

She lifts her hand from the back pocket of her little shorts and waves delicately, tilting her head like she’s flirting with him. The idea is funny to her, flirting with Shawn. Like he doesn’t know all her tricks. She bites her glossy lower lip and walks up to the counter. She props her elbows up and doesn’t regret leaving that one button undone.

“No, I was feeling spontaneous. I’d hug you, but you kind of smell like power tools,” she jokes, blinking up at him, hoping he touches her anyway.

She’s… different. Good different, he thinks. Confident different, like maybe she doesn’t feel like a total stranger around him anymore. She’s more familiar, he guesses. He smiles, throws his rag over his shoulder as he steps down from the doorway of the workshop and up to the counter.

Shawn leans down on his elbows and smiles at her, shrugging a little. 

“This is how I always smell now, unfortunately.” 

He wets his lower lip and lets himself study her. She did herself up a bit, for Maya standards. He knows when she puts thought into a look. His heart stutters. Why would she put effort into an outfit if she wasn’t trying to impress him or, you know, woo him or something? 

That familiar feeling of hope flares in his chest. He bites his lip as he looks down at her. 

“So, suddenly interested in picking up an instrument, Lu?” he asks with a teasing smirk and a tilt of his head. 

Shawn mirrors her position over the counter. He’s a little overwhelming so close up like this -- Maya’s out of practice. Her breath catches in her chest. She decides not to tell him that she thinks the workshop smell thing is actually really sexy in a very classically masculine way. But she thinks it. Boy, does she think it.

Maya giggles and looks around the shop, nodding at the walls. “Mhmm, came in for a private lesson.”

… What? Where the fuck did that come from?

She floors him. The last time Shawn saw her, he practically broke her heart. But she’s here now, blinking up at him with her pretty brown eyes and— and flirting with him. 

She didn’t even flirt with him before they had sex the other week. This is different. He’s not complaining. 

“I charge double for walk-ins, sugar,” he murmurs with a wink. 

Maya nearly melts into the counter when he winks at her and lowers his voice into that register that always made her knees weak. God, she’d walk into fucking fire for him.

Before she can let herself panic over that comment, she squares her shoulders and smirks at him instead. 

“Want to show me what you’ve been working on back there?”

Oh yeah, his work. He told her to come over to see his work. He supposes he’d convinced himself she wasn’t going to. 

He likes when she proves him wrong. 

He raises his brows, then looks over his shoulder into the back, where the piano waits for him to stop fucking around. 

“Yeah, totally,” he says with a grin as he looks back at her, “There are a few things back there, actually.”

“C’mon,” he says as he walks to the end of the counter and holds his hand out for her. 

She takes his hand eagerly, giggling as she walks around the counter like she’s being naughty and going where she’s not allowed. She squeezes his hand, a silent additional greeting, an extra little “hey, I missed you.”

As he guides her into the back room, she sees nothing but the piano at first. It’s enormous, of course, so it catches her eye, but it’s more than that. It’s so sleek and elegant, even unfinished. Maya gasps through a grin, dropping his hand to circle it, admiring from every angle.

She examines his piano like she would a Botticelli at the Met. His heart clatters against his ribs as she watches her admire his work, like it’s really something exceptional and not like, a pretty basic piano considering it’s his first. 

He’s clever though, so maybe it’s a little more unique than that. Maybe he sells himself short, too.

It really is magnificent. It’s beautiful, masculine somehow, poised and welcoming. It’s like if Shawn were an instrument, he’d be this piano. The thought makes her smile wider.

She turns away from him to place her hands on top, to feel its solid weight. “It’s extraordinary.”

He smiles and leans back against the desk behind him, still focused on her. 

“Careful,” he murmurs, “I still need to sand it down up there.” 

It’s actually pretty smooth but. He’s picky. And you really shouldn’t touch it with bare hands until it’s lacquered and dried anyway. Splinters fucking suck, so it’s too risky.

“But, you know, thank you. I guess it’s not bad for a first try.” 

He glances down at the ground and smiles to himself, the tips of his ears turning pink. He’s always liked impressing her, always felt warm and bright from her praise. He preens for her. He’s easy. 

Even after all these years, she’s still Maya Lu, junior art star and charismatic orientation leader and someone he just wants to know, so he trips over himself to impress her, to get her to be proud of him. To notice him. 

He shoves a hand into his hair and tugs.

Maya lifts her hands and wiggles her fingers playfully to prove she hasn’t gotten any splinters. She turns to face him with a soft smile.

“I totally get it, you know. I see you everywhere in here. It makes so much sense to me that this is what you do. I mean, beyond being meticulous or whatever, you’ve always loved everything about music. So I get wanting to be so deep in it that you build it from the ground up like this. It’s… so you.”

She bites her lip and clasps her hands behind her back, walking back toward the other pieces in his work studio. The harp catches her eye. She touches it gently, admiring its curves and angles. She grins at the idea of him sitting down to play it. She thinks that would be a sight to see. A shiver shoots down her spine. She covers it by turning on her heel to face him again.

“I hope you still write music, though.”

She talks about him like she’s read a diary he doesn’t keep. She knows his facade and can see right through it, into the depths of who he really is, or whatever. 

She’s held his heart in her hand and because of that, she can see him from the inside out. 

It doesn’t scare him. It gives him a reason to keep hoping for the future he could have with her. 

“I—“ Only about you. “I do, yeah, but not as often. I just don’t have the time, you know?” 

It’s not really a lie, it’s just not the entire truth. He doesn’t have time, but he also doesn’t have ideas unless he’s thinking about her, in one way or another. Even if he doesn’t write a love song, Maya’s still the inspiration that guides his words and melodies.

It’s so cliche, that she’s his muse or whatever. He’s kind of disgusted with himself. That’s probably (definitely) why he pretends he doesn’t write very much. 

He flirts with the idea of telling her, though. Like one desperate appeal to her emotions to convince her to stay in Avila forever and learn how to love him again. 

He digs his fingernails into his palms to cool himself down. He’s always too willing to jump the gun with her, and today he doesn’t want to ruin this good thing that seems to be happening. 

“I like to write little tunes for the different pieces I fix up, though. Like that harp. I’m not much of a harpist, but it’s fun to fuck around.” 

He’s babbling like an idiot. He hopes she comes to shut him up before he says something totally incriminating. 

Maya nods, watching him realize how much she still knows about him. After all, he’s still Shawn and she’s still Maya, even after everything. She imagines there’s plenty she doesn’t know about him but the fundamental things that make him who he is? Yeah, she still gets those.

“I’ve been… painting a lot,” she says carefully. It’s not something she needs to be wary of telling him, really, but she hasn’t told anyone that she’s dived back into her art. She hasn’t talked about art in so long. It’s like her mouth has trouble fitting around the words, or like she’s trying to speak a language she hasn’t spoken in many years.

Maya speaks like she’s telling him a secret. He smiles, wetting his lips before he murmurs, “That’s good.” 

She deserves to paint. To do something for herself and not for her career or money. Painting, surfing, falling back in love with him. You know. That kind of thing. 

He only hates himself a little for thinking it.

She takes little steps closer to him almost unconsciously, watching his chest rise and fall as he breathes. It’s meditative.

“I actually bought watercolors the other day. I haven’t worked in watercolors since I was about 15. It’s wonderful. It’s so… light.”

She wiggles her nose and chuckles to herself. “You and your harp and me and my watercolors. I guess some things never change.”

He chews on his lip, considering. “Yeah, actually. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any watercolor pieces of yours. And you’ve never seen me play the harp.” 

She reaches out and taps his arm playfully but it sets her ablaze.

She’s such a dork. He grins at her, ignoring the way his stomach flips as she draws closer to him. He keeps himself steady, cool enough to catch her wrist in one hand before she can pull away from him. 

He pouts. “Ouch, Lu.” 

Maya feels like the way she’s creeping toward him seems maybe a little too much like a handler approaching a wild animal. He doesn’t scurry away from her though. He stays put. 

He reaches out for her. Her heart breaks into a sprint. 

Maya takes another step forward. He smells like sweat and sawdust. His eyes are curious and a little sleepy. And he feels like home. 

Maya steps forward again. She’s right up against him now. She holds his gaze as she lowers her lips to the spot on his bicep that she tapped, kissing it gently. 

“There,” she murmurs, “All better?”

Maya has always been a little too good at teasing him. He presses his fingers into her pulse as she presses her lips to his arm. He mashes his own lips together as he watches her. 

“I guess,” he says, glancing down at his arm, then back to her. “Though I don’t think that’s standard medical protocol.” 

He was not about to say something disgusting like, but that’s not the only spot that hurts. Even though he really wanted to. Like, what an easy opening. Maybe he should’ve said it. Maybe that’s what she’s angling for. He’s not used to this flirty version of Maya anymore, hasn’t seen her in 12 years and now she’s here in full force, like she never left. 

Carefully, he lifts her hand until it’s resting on his shoulder. He drops her wrist in favor of curling his hand around her waist instead. 

“But I won’t tell anyone,” he finishes with a smirk. 

Shawn is warm and responsive. He holds her around the waist and brings her up against him gently, carefully, because neither of them is too sure how far to push this right now. It feels like they’re on a precipice again. One good gust of wind could knock them both over.

But he’s teasing her back and she missed it so much. So maybe this time she’ll be the breeze.

Maya lifts her other arm to curl them both around his shoulders. She doesn’t care that he’s covered in work dust and has some paint under his nails. She always wants him. She wants him even more now after being in his sacred space getting a special introduction to how he spends his time.

Maya comes up onto her toes and brushes her nose against his. “Our secret, then?”

It’s a little pathetic, how easy it is for Maya to drive Shawn crazy. To make goosebumps prickle his skin and his heart throb in his chest. She knows how to play him better than he does any instrument. 

His eyes close, fingers curling tighter into her waist. He purrs, “I love keeping secrets with you, sugar.” 

He brings his free hand to her neck, cupping her just beneath her ear and tilting her head back with a firm press of his thumb to her jaw. 

“M’gonna kiss you now,” he breathes, before doing exactly that. 

It’s a delicate, teasing brush of his lips against hers as he slides his thigh forward, pressing between hers.

When he holds her like this, when he kisses her like this, it feels like their world is their secret. 

This kiss isn’t like the ones from the other night, frantic and a little neurotic because neither of them knew really what the other was thinking. This kiss feels more like the ones from Maya’s memory, the ones that came with years of experience. It’s not the first kiss, it’s the millionth and it feels so good.

She gives in easily, practically melts against him as she grips his thigh with hers. He hums into her mouth, tongue licking carefully at her lower lip. 

Maya tilts her head, holding him where he is. She slots her mouth against his so she can suck on his lower lip, soft at first, getting firmer as they breathe together and she snuggles a little closer against his leg. 

She’s in little denim cutoffs. The feel of his jeans pressed up against her bare legs is tantalizing. She squeezes her thighs around his, smiling into his mouth before she pulls away slightly.

He’s getting into it when she pulls away. His breath catches in his throat and he almost chases after her. 

She looks up at him, smoothing the curls down against his neck.

She tilts her head and whispers, “You bring all the girls back here, Mendes?”

He chuckles, leaning in to nip at the angle of her jaw, just beneath her ear. “Oh yeah, Lu. This is the hottest hook up spot in Avila. I thought you knew,” he smirks, nosing carefully at her earlobe.

Maya chuckles but it doesn’t quite cover the shiver she feels at his sexy teasing. She holds on a little tighter around his shoulders, very sure that he’ll hold her up if her knees give. 

That does remind her, though, that she hasn’t been on her knees for him. She misses that.

His tongue snakes out to lick her soft skin, slowly at first, before he gets worked up and starts pressing open-mouthed kisses behind her ear. 

Maya aids him by sweeping hair off her shoulder. She mewls at the feverish press of his mouth to her skin. As a 21-year-old, she’d have begged him to leave a mark. Now she’s more interested in letting him do what he wants when he wants. She thinks of it as a way they can get to know each other again. She knows he liked it when she got bossy before, though. That part of her isn’t lost.

Maya closes her eyes and leans into him when he catches a certain spot on her neck that makes goosebumps break out over her whole body. She inhales sharply, right in his ear, and hums.

She strokes a hand down his back and back up, rucking his shirt up with her fingers. His skin is soft and sizzling warm all over. She grins, knowing he’s hot for her.

He focuses on tasting as much as of her skin as he can get to, has to use his mouth for something other than babbling her praise or telling her how much he loves her. 

Tiny explosions sting his skin in the wake of her wandering hands. Her soft, panting breaths in his ear have his cock twitching in his jeans. 

He rocks his thigh up against her, gripping her hip tightly so he can pull her down onto his firm quad. His lips find their way back to her ear and he catches her earlobe with his teeth, giving her a little tug.

“Lu,” he coos after he kisses the shell of her ear, “What do you want, sugar?”

They’re grinding hard where they stand like the horny kids they still are at heart. Maya can feel herself already a little wet in her panties for him as he drags her along the thick, muscled length of his thigh. He feels so fucking good.

She hangs on him, lets him spoil her with every touch, every nip, every kiss. When he asks her what she wants, she’s almost too overwhelmed to answer. She groans and looks around the room. There’s a couch against a wall that looks welcoming. Maya drags her fingernails down his spine and nods at it.

“I want you to go sit. I want you to let me spoil you a little,” she murmurs, turning her head to plant a kiss on his cheek as she releases him. 

Waiting for him to obey, she starts tugging at the buttons of her shirt.

He’s imagined something incredibly similar to this happening to him time and time again. It’s one of his go-to shower fantasies. He should probably be a bit ashamed of that. 

He pants as he looks down at her, hand dropping to the desk once more. He grips the edge, has to get his bearings first so he doesn’t trip over himself. 

“What did I do to get so lucky?” he asks with a raise of his brow as he finally pushes off of desk and drops down on the couch, sinking into the plush leather while he drapes his arms along the back. 

His dick aches in anticipation, and he spreads his thighs in an attempt to calm himself down as he looks up at her.

Maya wets her lips, reaching the last button on her shirt. She tugs it out where it’s tucked into the front of her shorts and lets it fall open over a sweet, sheer lace bralette. She drops it off her shoulders, wasn’t really planning to give him a little show, but, while she’s here…

Maya turns away from him and slips her fingers into the waistband of her shorts, thumbing around her hips teasingly. She glances at him over her shoulder and inhales slowly, tugging at her zipper. She pulls them down slowly, wriggling out of the tight fabric, turning back around to show off her little matching panties. She’s putting her cards on the table -- Maya didn’t often bother to match her bra and underwear. She’s showing him that she put in some effort in the vain hope that this was where it might lead. 

She planned this. Maya fucking planned this. He knows because her panties match the pretty bralette she’s wearing and she only ever wore matching lingerie when she had a plan. He squeezes his eyes shut and groans a little. He’s not complaining. She makes good plans. 

She takes a couple steps forward and kneels between his legs. His cock is already getting hard in his jeans, she can see it beginning to strain against the fabric. Maya runs her hands, fingers spread wide and hungry, up and down his quadriceps from hip to knee, digging her thumbs in to massage the muscles. She looks up at Shawn, blinking innocently.

He opens his eyes again quickly, not keen on missing anything, and sees her dropping down to her knees. 

“Shit,” he breathes as she presses her small hands into his thighs, fingers scratching over his muscles. His cock twitches and his legs part just a bit more as he rolls his hips forward. His head tips back and he pushes a hand into his hair, trying to find some way to ground himself. 

Maya watches his body react without his mind’s permission, canting his hips up because he knows what he’s getting from her and knows how good she can give it. She’s flooded with power and pride, imagining no one’s ever made him feel this way. Maybe she’s wrong, maybe she’s not the best he’s ever had, maybe her ego only gets this swollen when he’s looking at her like that between his knees but she wants to believe it.

He’s that for her, anyway.

“Sweetheart,” she rasps, “You miss my mouth?”

A rough laugh rumbles his chest as he shakes his head. “God, baby. You know I did.” 

I missed everything about you. 

He manages to choke on the sentiment instead of admitting it. He moves past it, babbles on with, “Missed your pretty lips and hot tongue. Missed how good you always are.” 

His lips loosen, praising the attributes of her mouth. She hums in agreement, flushing a little as she reaches for the button of his jeans. She pulls on them, biting her lip as she watches him rake a shaky hand through his gorgeous curls. 

She wastes no time, taking his boxer briefs down with his pants in the same motion. She wets  her lips at the sight of his cock stiff and pink and nearly ready for her. She sits forward, resting her chin on his thigh and blinking up at him sweetly. She takes his cock in her hand and strokes him slowly, light pressure, because she loves driving him crazy and she’s damn good at it.

“What else did you miss?”

She loves watching him run his mouth when he’s getting worked up like this. She wants to see what kind of picture he can paint for her.

“Ah-- ah, shit,” he growls when she digs her chin into his thigh and wraps her perfect hand around his cock. 

Missed the way you looked at me when you told me you loved me. 

He can’t fucking say that, or anything remotely like it. His hips twitch and he closes his eyes, breathes in slowly through his nose to calm himself down. After a moment, he’s able to look at her, sees the glint in her eye and the sweet little smirk on her lips as she slowly works his shaft. 

“Missed how you suck my cock, Lu. Missed how you moan around me, how you rub your thighs together as you get wet with my dick on your tongue. Missed watching you touch your clit while you suck at me like a popsicle.” 

He’s panting by the end of it, his lips wet and swollen as he fucks his cock up into her fist. He’s got no shame with her, can’t bother acting like they don’t know each other like this, inside and out. Maya’s well aware of what this coy little act of hers does to him. He doesn’t mind that she uses it against him. 

“Love how wet you get while sucking my cock, sugar,” he growls, pushing both hands into his hair and tipping his head back, watching her from beneath his thick lashes.

Maya’s enchanted. He’s so fucking sexy. He’s always sexy, he was sexy when she bumped into him on the beach today, he was sexy when she walked in to see him covered in sawdust, he was sexy when he was blushing at her artwork 15 years ago. 

But when his lips are wet around the filth he’s moaning about loving how turned on she gets by getting him off, he’s so sexy she doesn’t know what to fucking do with herself. 

Maya’s head feels heavy. She tilts it so her cheek is resting on his bare thigh, tightening her grip on his cock as he starts to fuck up into it. She knows it’s not nearly enough for him, she knows it’s not at all the best she can do to drive him insane, but the best is yet to come. 

“Mmm, can’t help it,” she sighs, turning her face to leave a biting kiss on the inside of his thigh. She sits forward and forces his hips down with a press of her hand, watching his head fall back. She stares up at him, licking a hot, thick stripe up the underside of his cock. She follows it up with sweet little kitten licks around his swollen head, scooting forward on her knees. 

“Getting you hard gets me so fucking wet,” she confesses, but he already knows. She hums again, dipping her head to drop the tip of his dick into her mouth, swirling her tongue around slowly.

“God, Maya,” he grunts when she gets her tongue on him. Her confession is something he’s aware of, but hearing her say it sparks lightning in his veins. She’s so gorgeous like this, settled comfortably in his lap with her mouth on his cock. She’s always prettiest when she’s the most comfortable around him. 

“That’s it, sugar,” he practically slurs as her hot little tongue circles the head of his cock. He tugs his hair as he focuses on her mouth, watching her plump lips stretch around him, just barely covering his tip as she teases him the best way she knows how. 

Maya’s lashes flutter at the sound of his voice, hot and smooth like syrup as he purrs at her. It makes her moan around his cock as it throbs against her tongue. 

The sounds her mouth makes around his dick are so obscene --  wet, slurping pops as she sucks at him like she might never get the chance again. 

“S’this why you came over here, Lulu? Missed sucking my cock like this?” he coos, but his voice is rough, fucked from her lips and her hands and the smell of sea salt in her pretty brown hair. 

“Missed getting your thighs all wet with my dick in your mouth, didn’t you?” he asks, so he doesn’t ask her something like, Did you miss the way I used to make love to you when you couldn’t sleep at night? 

Now is not the fucking time. 

She blinks up at him and takes him back further down her throat, starting to bob her head as he speaks. She groans again, nodding, pausing on an upward pass of his shaft to kiss the tip of his dick and take a breath.

“Yeah,” she pants, “Wanted you in my mouth so bad. Miss how good it feels having you down my throat. You haven’t even touched me and my pussy is soaked.”

She’s a lot filthier than she used to be. All those years of his dirty mouth must’ve rubbed off on her. It’s incredibly fucking sexy, mostly because it’s so goddamn honest. 

He believes she means every word. She’s not just trying to be sexy, and that’s the sexiest part. 

He drops a hand from his hair to reach for hers, cupping the back of her hair as she sinks her mouth further down the length of his cock. She’s warm and velvety around him, and absolutely fucking incredible. He throbs between her lips.

With another gentle kiss on his twitching head, she grips him firmly, stroking while she holds his gaze and dips her hand down the front of her panties. When she pulls it back out, he can see she wasn’t fucking around. She’s so wet. 

She grins and dives back in, using the hand that was stroking him to reach down and cup his balls, squeezing and rolling them between her fingers. 

“Oh, fuck, sugar, oh my fucking god,” he growls when she shows him her sticky wet fingers then plays with his balls. 

“That’s so sexy, baby, Jesus Christ. Gonna let me taste you? You taste so fucking good.” 

Maya thrives on this, on hearing how completely wrecked he sounds when she really starts going to work on him. Truthfully, she was nervous -- she hadn’t had her mouth on a man in a really long time. Shawn’s eager whimpering and words of praise tell her for certain she hasn’t lost her touch.

His hand in her hair has her pumping him a little faster in and out of her mouth, meeting where her gag reflex resists him with little groaning purrs from the back of her throat.

She slides back up his cock again, tonguing at his slit. She reaches up and offers him her fingers to suck on, knowing what he wants.

She shivers, pulling off his shaft and kissing down the beating vein on his cock to press teasing kisses all over his balls. She wants to make him lose his goddamn mind. After all, it’s what he deserves.

“Suck on my fingers, baby,” she encourages, breath rough and hot on his thighs. 

It’s a little pathetic, how he scrambles for her fingers. He wraps his hand around her wrist and tugs her to his mouth, licking her fingers carefully before sucking them past his lips. He groans around her, pulling her fingers from his mouth with a pop before kisses her fingertips. 

Maya could watch him lose his mind like this for her forever. He holds her wrist steady so he can savor the sweetness on her fingers and it reminds her just how desperate he can get for her. He could never get enough of the taste of her. But she was similarly affected -- she used to drag blow jobs out until he was begging, pleading to come, it was too much to take, but she liked pushing his limits.

Her lips on his balls have his cock aching, leaking for her, dripping down his shaft and onto his abdomen. He squeezes her wrist and drops his head back, hips fucking up, cock grinding against nothing. 

“Shit-- shit, Maya, my god. You’re-- fuck, you’re so sexy. So good-- so fucking good at this, so good to me, Christ,” he hisses, nipping at her fingertips again before looking down at her, his eyes glassy. 

He wants to tell her he loves her so badly. His heart is hammering against his ribs and the feeling of it warms through his entire body as his hips rock back and forth on the couch. He feels like he’s vibrating with need, but he’ll never be satisfied until he can tell her how he really feels. 

He nibbles at her fingers and mutters hopelessly like he’ll never have it so good again in his life. It makes her stomach swirl. She’s so eager to get him off now. She wants to make it unforgettable.

“Sugar, Maya, I’m-- ah, fuck, I missed you,” he rasps, holding on just enough to choose his words wisely.

I missed you.

He’s been saying it since they started making out. Hell, he said it the last time they fucked. It just… it sounded different this time, like he was trying to say something else. Maya pulls away from him to look up, past his heaving, panting chest and his swollen lips to his big brown eyes. She closes her eyes, turns her face into his thigh and slowly, affectionately noses at the soft hair there. With one last little kiss, the only thing she can give him in return, she sits up and takes his cock down her throat, bobbing her head quickly, soaking his dick.

Maya squirms, moaning around him hot and hard in her mouth. She reaches down between her thighs and rubs her clit quickly with the pad of her middle finger, swallowing him down as far as she can, ready to make him fall apart.

“Holy fuck,” he chokes out, curling forward over her head as she takes his cock deep into her mouth and sucks at him like her life fucking depends on it. He pushes his hands into her hair to hold on, not to guide or direct her, but to steady himself as she completely overwhelms him.

He looks down at her and realizes her hand is between her thighs, sure her fingers are flicking her clit like she always loves to do as she tries to carry him to the edge. 

He wants to come in her mouth, but he also wants so much more. He’s feeling crazed for it, maybe overly emotional and nostalgic, but he wants to come with her. He wants to make her come all over his cock before he finally lets go himself. He wants her to know how he feels without having to say it. 

“Baby, baby--” he growls, tugging at her hair, grinding his hips into the couch. “Maya, sugar, I’m-- you got me so fucking close, but I don’t-- I wanna feel your pussy, sweetie. Please.” 

Shawn wants more.

Before Shawn, no guy had ever refused the opportunity to come in her mouth. He was the first to show interest in getting her off with him. It seems he hasn’t lost the desire.

She’s sure he’s practically dangling on the edge of an orgasm, so the willpower it takes to reel it in and do what he can to get her there with him is pretty stunning. Maya whimpers, overwhelmed by his desire for her, and sits back on her heels, running a hand through her hair.

“Ok,” she murmurs, clearing her throat, “Yeah, baby. Wanna feel you inside me. Always.”

The “always” was maybe a little much but her brain is fried. She stands, giggles as she nearly tips over on shaky legs, and ditches her soaking wet lace panties.

She stands before him flushed and needy as she slips out of her sticky panties. He can see the wetness dripping down her thighs as she crawls onto the couch, legs spreading so she can straddle his lap. 

He’s breathless, staring at her with his hands tangled in his own hair. He lets her take him how she wants, touch him how she wants, use him however she wants. 

He’s hers. 

Shawn watches her from the couch. She does what she can not to leap on him, instead lowering herself into his lap and sitting forward until his cock is pressed against her pussy and she can roll her hips to grind against him.

“Oh fuck,” she whines, scrunching up her nose, tightening her grip on his shoulders.

Shawn doesn’t know how he went twelve years without this. Without her. She fits perfectly against him, curves perfectly into the lines and divots of his body, so well sometimes that he can’t remember where he ends and she begins. He’s really so fucked that he thinks about her in cliches and he doesn’t even care. 

Finally, she slides forward; her pussy is hot and slick over his cock as his hips jerk up in response to the sweet sensation. 

“Yeah, baby,” he growls, dropping one hand to her thigh as he looks her up and down, from her slick pussy dripping on his shaft to the smooth curve of her belly, to her hard nipples that strain against the pretty fabric of her bra. 

“God, you’re gorgeous,” he says, his voice more awestruck than sex-fucked in this moment, as he gazes at her resting atop him like she belongs there and nowhere else. 

How does he not tell her he loves her? How can he not? She should know, she deserves to know. He can’t just keep doing this with her and pretending like it doesn’t mean the world to him. 

He pushes himself away from the back of the couch and presses his chest to hers, cupping her throat with his hands and gliding his thumbs along her jaw. He presses his forehead to hers and looks her in the eye, searching for something, though he’s not sure what. 

“Maya,” he breathes, nudging her nose as he grinds his cock up against her, brushing the head over her swollen, sensitive clit. “Missed how good you feel like this, sugar.”  

Maya sobs a breath when he lurches forward and presses up against her chest, holding her face in his hands. She wants to close her eyes so badly, it’s too much having him so close and staring at her like this like he’s considering not ever letting her go again. But the way he’s holding her, pressing his nose against hers gently while he finds an angle that will make her gasp (which he does easily), it makes her hold his gaze.

Her breathing is ragged. She’s half a heartbeat away from tears. How can he treat her this way, after everything? It’s not to be denied now, not at all. There’s still something very real here between them that neither of them is doing a good job ignoring. And Maya’s not running from it.

Maya lifts her fingers into Shawn’s hair, surrendering. She tips her head onto his shoulder, takes a slow, deep breath with her hips still rocking into his and wraps her arms around him.

“Take me, Shawn. Please.”

“I got you,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to hers as he wraps his arms around her waist and reaches up the length of her spine to cup her shoulder blades and rock her down against his cock. “Lu, I got you, I’ll take care of you.” 

He kisses her again to shut himself up, then rolls his hips forward, smoothly sliding his length along her slit and nudging over her clit before pressing up against her tight entrance. He rocks again, pushing his tip shallowly into her pussy, her velvet walls immediately clenching perfectly around him. 

He swallows her up into his chest with the way he curls his arms around her. Maya’s never felt so safe, ever. The kiss keeps both their stupid mouths occupied, which she’s so grateful for. But when he slips inside her, hard and thick and everything she’s wanted, she groans, loud and unabashed into his mouth.

“Fuck, sugar,” he purrs, sucking at her lower lip, giving her a little nibble. He then mouths along the sharp angle of her jaw until he reaches her ear, giving her earlobe a kiss. 

“So fucking wet for me. Can’t believe how wet you get, can’t believe how fucking good you feel,” he mutters in her ear, voice rough with need. “Feels perfect, Maya, you know that. Don’t you, sweetheart? You know you feel so perfect on my cock.” 

He emphasizes his words with a flick of his hips that slides him deeper into her slick, welcoming cunt. 

“Oh my god, oh Shawn,” she gasps between his sweet lips as he starts to break away for her jaw, mumbling to her quietly like he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. It makes a sharp shiver tear down her spine so she squirms hard in his arms.

His hips flick up. Her head falls back, her mouth drops open in a silent scream as her hips start to rock of their own volition.

“Never been so good, never been so fucking good with you,” she chants, shaking her head, “It was always perfect but, fuck, it’s never been this good, baby, you’re so good with me. It’s perfect, baby. It’s perfect.”

Her words are repetitive, a stream of consciousness of the hot, torrid thoughts in her head. She scrunches her fingers in his hair and tugs to show her urgency because words simply aren’t enough at this point. Plus, if she opens her mouth now, she just knows a poorly-timed I love you will come tumbling out.

She’s right, it’s never been this good. He’s never felt so desperate for her before, so determined to use his body to show her the depth of his feelings for her because they’re too much to vocalize. He whines against her ear as she praises him, praises them both. 

“Just wanna make you feel this good as much as I can,” he admits on a choked off breath, his fingers digging into her shoulder blades as his hips stutter beneath her soft, slick thighs. 

God, everything he says right now feels like an atom bomb. But he’s giving it to her so good she really can’t stop and think too hard about it. She can’t really think at all.

Shawn wisely silences himself against her neck, at least temporarily, busying himself with marking his former territory. She’s far from stopping him. If she can walk around with his love bites on her body for a few days, she’ll welcome it. They’re like a badge of honor.

He rocks his cock deeper and deeper into her sweet pussy, licking and sucking along the column of her throat, down to her clavicle then back up to her ear, nipping at the sensitive shell of cartilage. 

Her tits bounce as he thrusts hard into her. She clings to him, fingers sinking into his neck and his hair to keep herself from smacking into him as their bodies take over control. There’s nothing gentle or meticulous about it the way Shawn sometimes is with her. That’s equally as wonderful, of course. But this, this raw need for her that controls the flicking of his hips and has him so deep inside her that her toes curl, this is so fucking good.

“Jesus, sugar,” he pants, hips snapping harder and harder as he bounces her in his lap, working her on his dick. “Fucking-- love it, love having you on my cock, baby.” 

He bites down on her shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut after a close fucking call that he can only blame on the ambiance of the sunset shining through the windows and panting the room in golden amber light. 

Maya doesn’t notice him fumble over his words, instead gasping and twitching when he bites at her bronzed shoulder like he doesn’t trust his mouth. She cradles the back of his head and whines, the pain and pleasure setting something off inside her.

“Baby, I’m gonna come. Gonna come soon. Wanna touch my clit for me?” she whispers, tonguing at the shell of his ear in time with the roll of her hips.

Something snaps inside of him when she purrs in his ear, asks him to help make her come with his fingers. He growls and wraps a thick, sturdy arm around her waist so he can lift her from his lap and settle her down onto the couch instead. 

Maya mewls in his ear when he lifts her and repositions her on the couch. She lets him take over her hands — as much as she likes to hold him, she knows she’s taken care of right now. 

They stay connected as he shifts around, knees on the couch, thighs pressed against the back of hers as he reaches for her wrists and pins them above her head so she’s arched beneath him, pretty tits straining against her bra. 

Shawn starts moving again, making sure this orgasm is going to overwhelm her to the point of total, unadulterated bliss. 

Her sensitive nipples arch against his chest and drag against the fabric of her bralette. Her feet are planted on either side of his legs so she can give as good as she gets, but the rhythm of her hips is starting to fail as she gets closer and closer. 

“M’gonna make you come so good, sugar,” he pants, keeping her wrists pinned with one hand while the other ventures down her body, fingertips tripping over her skin until he reaches the wet, hot apex of her thighs. 

He snaps his hips once, twice, thrice, changing the angle each time until the head of his cock finally brushes her g-spot, just as he slips his middle finger between her pink folds and flicks at her swollen clit. He presses down on the stiff little nub before slowly working her in tight circles, the rhythm of his finger slower than the snapping cadence of his hips as he stretches her pretty pussy with his cock. 

He knows exactly what she needs like he always has. He tilts his hips to rut against her g-spot with every stroke. His finger swirls tight but tantalizingly slow against her swollen, twitching clit. 

He kisses along her throat until his lips meet her chin. He moves to her mouth, sucking her lower lip between his teeth. He gives her a little nip before pressing their foreheads together. “C’mon, Lu, come all over me. Feels-- fuck, fuck-- feels so fucking good when you come on my cock.” 

She can’t keep the air in her lungs. She’s panting and writhing beneath him, thrashing like a desperate caged animal. Until he settles his forehead against hers and whispers. 

Maya goes rigid, crying out into his mouth, arching extraordinarily as she soaks his thick cock. Her body holds him in as it riots, orgasm reaching up through her until she’s rolling, slow and tortured, like she’s clinging to every piece of her release. 

He’s not sure how he manages to make it through her rippling, overwhelming orgasm without completely falling apart himself. He kisses her through it, rolling his hips faster as he picks up speed with his finger on her twitching clit. 

It’s hard to keep up with her thrashing, but he tightens his grip on her wrists and lets himself settle more of his weight atop her. She’s fucking dripping all over him, soaking his dick and his lower abdomen, along with his thighs. 

He pulls back when she starts to come down, slowing his hips as his cock throbs inside of her spamming cunt. He watches her chest heave as he clenches his jaw, forcing himself still as he pants along with her. 

It’s one of the longer orgasms she’s ever had. When it begins to fade, Maya blinks her wet eyes open and stares at him, so in love he must just see it all over her face. She coos and kisses his swollen lower lip. 

“Your turn, honey. Come inside me. Wanna feel you so deep, baby.”

His eyes flutter shut when she kisses him, purring with a loving clenching of her pussy. He groans into her mouth, his snapping tightly, just once, before he lets himself kiss her properly. 

“Gonna give you what you want, Lu, gonna—“ he cuts himself off with a moan, dropping his head down to her shoulder as he fucks her faster, hips rabbiting down and slapping her thighs. 

He goes quick and shallow, can’t help but focus the head of his cock over her g-spot with every frantic stroke, the angle ingrained in his muscle memory. 

Maya’s heart rate has just started to normalize when he starts stroking hard again. But she can’t help but get worked up again -- she anticipates his orgasm as much as her own, if not more. 

Maya holds on, wrapping her legs around his hips as he slams them into her. With each quick thrust, he bumps up against her sensitive spot that has her grunting and squirming.

“May— Maya, shit,” he bites at her collarbone to shut himself up as his balls tighten and he finally lets go. He groans into her skin, coming deep inside of her as his hips come to a clenched stop against her wet thighs.

He sinks his teeth into her clavicle when he buries himself and comes hard, letting go inside her. She groans, low and deep, at the dual sensations. She slides a hand up to cradle the back of his head, letting him rest against her chest while he comes down. She strokes his hair and lets her clenched legs slide off until she’s limp and wholly satisfied beneath him.

“That was… god, Jesus Christ,” Maya sighs, running her pointed toes down the back of his leg as she tries to remember how to talk.

Shawn’s a little out of his head. He’s pretty sure he’s never come so hard in his life. His face is buried in her neck as he finally begins to relax, legs and hips unclenching as he collapses on top of her, settling between her thighs. 

Maya’s eyes are closed as he noses at her, strokes her fiery, goosebumped skin and recovers from a truly epic orgasm. She relishes the weight of him against her, so familiar and comforting like he’s her favorite giant blanket. She scooches around beneath him until they’re both comfortable and tucked up against each other.

His chest is heaving, pressing into hers while they breathe together, basking in the warm afterglow. Shawn carefully releases Maya’s wrists and glides his fingers down the length of her body until he reaches her waist. He mouths slowly at her throat when he finally gets his breathing under control. 

He doesn’t trust himself to speak yet, though, still shaken from the heat of his orgasm. He rubs the tips of his nose across her skin and paws at her sides with his needy, wandering hands. 

She’s not doing much better than he is. 

“You’re the most incredible woman I have ever known,” he pants into the soft skin of her neck when he decides he just can’t keep quiet. He’s lame and hyperbolic and probably too much, but an orgasm is a hell of a drug. And Maya is a hell of a woman. 

His words have her eyes snapping open. She clenches her jaw and blinks quickly, trying not to gasp for breath but she’s having trouble oxygenating her brain.

After a moment or two, she speaks.

“You really always have been too good to me,” she murmurs, turning her face so her nose brushes up against his sweaty curls.

Maya’s overwhelmed. Part of her wants to spill her guts, tell him all the lovely things she’s been thinking for so long, tell him all the ways she’s missed him. The other part knows it’s not the time. Not now, not even when he’s said something so unbelievable.

He smiles into her skin. She says it like she doesn’t believe him, like he’s just nice to be nice.  But he would never say something like that just to be sweet. He nudges her jaw with his nose, kisses her just beneath her chin. 

“No,” he hums, kissing along her jaw lazily, “No, I’m just trying to give you what you deserve. Even if you don’t think you deserve it.” 

It’s strikingly honest, but it’s true. She deserves the fucking world, and she doesn’t seem to  know it. 

Maya exhales sharply. She’s still getting used to this idea that he doesn’t hate her breathing guts. She’s also getting used to not hating her own breathing guts. So him laying it on this thick for no other reason than because he truly believes what he’s saying?

It’s a lot.

He breathes out after a moment, letting his head drop onto her chest. 

“I know you think-- maybe you think I’m a glutton for punishment and you probably think I should hate you or something, but. I don’t. I never did. I was--” he lets out a gruff laugh, “I was fucking pissed, for a while. But I--” I always loved you, “I could never hate you. And I could never not think the sun shines out of your ass, because it does. You have, like, the best, shiniest ass.” 

He rests his chin on her sternum and looks up at her, biting his lip through a sheepish smile. 

He snuggles up to her chest and continues talking. She listens carefully, smirking at his comment about her ass. He props his chin up between her breasts. She plays with the curls on his forehead, twirling them around her slender fingers.

“Shawn Mendes, I think only you have a big enough heart not to hate me after what I did. I hated me. I think I’ve only recently stopped hating me. I think you’ve been part of that.”

“I don’t think you should hate yourself at all,” Shawn murmurs. He wants to kiss her, but if he kisses her, he’ll definitely blow it. He’s getting too close to ‘I love you’ with ‘I could never hate you’ as it is. Instead, he presses a gentle peck to her chest before looking back up at her. 

She’s quiet for a moment or two before booping his nose with the tip of her finger. “You know, at some point, not now but maybe soon, we should talk about what it is we’re doing here.”

He wrinkles his nose, then closes his eyes at her suggestion. He only hates her a little bit for being the adult. 

We’re falling in love again, right? 

That’s what he wants them to be doing, even if it’s rash. Realistically, he knows that it can’t be what they’re doing. They haven’t seen each other in so long, and she has a job and a life and a completely different city to get back to. But she’s keeping the house here, so it’s not like she’ll be disappearing all over again. He could do long distance for a little, if need be, and they could learn how to love each other again. 

He can’t say anything like that. 

She continues toying with, bouncing the curls against his forehead like she’s a cat and he’s her ball of yarn. When he closes his eyes to think, Maya stretches back, folding an arm under her head, letting herself get even more comfortable with him. She ignores the idea that maybe that’s dangerous.

Instead, he blinks his eyes open and smiles crookedly at her. “We’re helping you relax after being so uptight in New York, obviously.” 

It’s such a cop out. It’s cowardice, and he hates himself for it. 

She chuckles at his answer to her question and strokes a hand through his hair from crown to neck, scratching him gently with her nails.

“You’re doing an excellent job of that,” she purrs, “I haven’t come this hard in… uhm, years.”

He closes his eyes and sighs, brushes one more sweet kiss to her chest. “We’re doing whatever you want to do, Lulu. I’m just-- I’m here. For you. However you need me.” 

He kisses her chest again. She swallows sharply, her lie on her mind. He still thinks she’s leaving. He thinks at worst, she’ll be a temporary dalliance and will leave him alone again to live his life unburdened by her.

He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. She hasn’t let him.

She takes a deep breath, trying to free herself from the creeping guilt and gloom. She can be mature later.

Shawn loves the comfort of settling his whole weight atop her while she plays with his hair, even though it’s sweaty and like, pretty full of sawdust. He likes the familiarity of this, the comfort and warmth. He likes how she loves cradling him between her thighs, even long after they’ve both come down from their peaks. 

He starts spreading kisses along the length of her sternum, down between the valley of her breasts then back up again, nipping at the soft fabric of her bralette every now and then. 

“I hope you weren’t expecting any customers,” she murmurs, glancing around his work studio with a lifted eyebrow. She totally derailed his process.

He laughs, looking up at her, then around at the shop, now dark under the sparse light of dusk. He shakes his head as he looks back down at her.

“Nah,” he says with a shrug, “Most foot traffic actually happens in the morning, or right after lunch. By the end of the day it’s usually just me, obsessing over some project I don’t have to actually finish for like… weeks.” 

Maya’s trying not to let herself fantasize about the idea of getting used to this. But she can see it so clearly -- installing a board rack outside. Walking up after a session to squeeze out her hair before she walks inside because he gets pissy about the saltwater on his fine hardwood floors. Riding him on the couch while the sun sets.

Yeah. Ok. The fantasy took hold. Too late.

He blinks down at her, then carefully pushes himself up onto one arm, lifting his hips from hers so he can slip out of her. He reaches down for his briefs and pulls them back up before he wiggles in between her and the back of the couch. 

He pulls her into his chest, so her back his flush against his front, then reaches for the blanket over the arm of the couch and wraps them up. 

Maya grunts gently when he slips out of her but he doesn’t go far, wrapping them up in a blanket on the couch. She’s so comfortable she’s a little worried about passing out right here up against him. He probably wouldn’t even mind. He’d probably be happy.

She wants to make him happy.

Maya snuggles in, tucks herself so the proportions of her body fit neatly into his. Spooning has never truly felt like spooning with anyone else, not when she fits so perfectly into him. She always rolled her eyes at the puzzle piece metaphor people like to use, but now she gets it.

She doesn’t try to wiggle away or excuse herself by pulling her panties on. She lets him move her, then cuddles back against him like a satisfied cat who wants to bask in his body heat. It’s his favorite feeling. 

He sighs, presses a kiss to the back of her shoulder. “Better,” he murmurs. “Sometimes I sleep here. Like, if I lose track of time and don’t feel like walking home. This couch is really comfy.” 

He’s babbling, now, like if he finds more shit to say, the longer she’ll stay. 

Maya closes her eyes. “I don’t like the idea of you sleeping here all by yourself on this couch. It’s not even that comfy. Stop doing that,” she scolds with a smile. 

He so busy plodding kisses along her shoulder and  towards the back of her neck, that he doesn’t really care she’s fussing. He smiles into her hair as he noses the base of her scalp. 

“It’s either alone here or alone at the apartment. Not much difference, Lu,” he says with a thoughtful hum. One of his hands finds her leg under the blanket, and his fingers slowly tease the curving slope of her thigh until he reaches her knee. He trails back up, then, stroking her skin until he reaches the ripple of stretch marks that bloom at her hip. He loves them. He’s familiar with each one, has spent hours tracing their path as they wrap around her body with his fingertips. 

Maya lets him spoil her, dropping kisses all over her shoulders, sore from hunching over a canvas and paddling out to catch waves. She sighs at his words and goes to speak.

But his hand is so distracting.

God, his hands are so huge and yet so graceful. She just basks in the feeling of his touch after starving herself of it for so long. She hums and tries to remind herself what she was going to say to him next, before he started caressing her hip like he loves her stretch marks as much as he loves the rest of her. 

“Will admit, though,” he murmurs, taking a calm breath through his nose as he presses his lips to the top of her head, his cheek cradled by his own bicep, “This couch is exponentially comfier when I have you here with me.” 

He disgusts himself, sometimes. But he can’t help it. Maya brings it out in him. 

Maya opens her eyes and lifts a hand to cup his jaw from behind her, stroking along the cut of it with her thumb.

“You know what I bet is comfier than this couch with me? Your bed with me,” she points out, glancing over her shoulder at him. 

Shawn presses his jaw into her hand, like a dog nudging into a pet. His brows raise as he pushing himself up onto his elbow, looking down at her. She’s really on a roll with awesome ideas today. He grins. 

“I dunno, Lemon,” he says, lips quirking, “You kinda steal the sheets. And sometimes you kick me when you have that soccer dream from when you were in third grade.”

He’ll take any chance he can get to remind her he knows her, knows the small details and close-kept secrets whispered between them in the dark as well as he knows the back of his hand or the chords to Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. 

He drops his nose to her shoulder, kisses her gently. 

“Do you really want to?” he murmurs, his voice gruff as he breathes into her skin and keeps his eyes closed. It’s a question bathed in doubt, but he can’t help it. This is the first time since she’s been in Avila where she seems truly receptive to folding herself into his life. He doesn’t want that to go away.

He’s teasing her but she can pretty much tell by the cadence of his voice that he’s stalling, a little bit in disbelief, maybe even a little nervous about letting her in that far. Or maybe he’s nervous that if he does she’ll run again.

She’s so fucking tired of running.

Maya carefully turns over and does a 180 to face him on her other side. She slings a leg over his and scooches up the couch so her face is level with his.

“If I can deal with you clinging to me like a leech in the middle of the night and talking in your sleep like a weirdo, you can deal with my occasional light kicking and hogging of sheets.”

She swings an arm around his neck and flattens her lips against his with a smile for a brief, loud kiss.

“Take me home, Mendes.”

----------

Taglist: @smallerinfinities @the-claire-bitch-project @achinglyshawn @infiniteshawn @mendesoft @singanddreamanyway @alone-in-madness @abigfatmess @shawnitsmutual @awkwardfangirl2014 @september-lace @grittyisaho @sinplisticshawn @rollingxstone @yslsaint @randi-eve @fallmoreinlove @heyits-claire @itrocksmysocks @parkerspicedlatte @simpledomain @abeautiful-and-cloudy-day @thecurlsofgod @magcon7280 @bensbuttercup @shawnsmusical @paigeasourous @tell-me-when-ur-ready @softmendesss @desire-to-live @jillian-nd @shawnwyr @curlsofshawn @graysonmendes @tnhmblive @meltingicequeen

[lifesasickjoke]

The Dirt

The Dirt - part 10

part 9

Pairing: Douglas!Nikki x Reader

Word count: 2710

Chapter summary: Today is the day where Nikki was planning on confessing to (Y/N), but he loses his chance when a certain British drummer interferes with his plans. 

Warning: Swearing, drugs, the usual

Authors note: I'm alive

‘Sixx here?’ Nikki finally answered his phone. I've been trying to call him for minutes now. He told me he had gotten a new phone, meaning a new number, so I wasn't even sure I was ringing him.

‘Oh, good, right number. Hey, Nik I need to ask you a favour.’ I breathed airily into my phone, walking around with it through my room, gathering together all my clothes and matching them into different outfits.

‘Uh, who is this?’ Nikki asked uncertainty.

I sighed, ‘it's me, Nik, your best friend, (Y/N)?’

‘Oh, (Y/N/N). Sorry new phone, I didn't recognize your number.’

‘No problem Niks, but  seriously need your help.’

‘Are you in trouble? Do you need help? Are- are you ok?’ suddenly Nikki sounded panicked. I laughed at him (in a nice way).

‘No no I'm not in that kind of trouble. I just need a ride to Vince's. Do you think you can pick me up?’

Nikki, unlike Mick and Tommy I have also asked, actually agreed to drive all the way out to Los Angeles to come to get me. I got ready for Vince's party in the hour that it took Nikki to drive down to our once shared apartment.

He moved out a couple of weeks ago to the new fancy mansion he had bought with the money he had made from being part of Mötley Crüe.

Everyone bought a new house, car and pool with their money, but being only an assistant to the manager didn't give me so many options with what I earned. Besides, I wanted to save the money I made for later on in life. I lied to Nikki when I told him I was thinking about buying a new apartment or house somewhere closer to the city centre, or on his suggestion, closer to him.

I squeezed my body into the dark red leather bombshell dress that stopped at my mid thigh. I just bought that last week to make myself feel better. I had to admit, I missed living with Nikki more than anything. I missed it that he would stumble in through the window at three in the morning (he and the guys nailed down to prevent the cops always busting in) and I missed out early morning convenience store raid for little snacks to get us through the day where we would just parole the city.

I then did my hair and makeup flawlessly and dug through my closet for some shoes.

Then I heard three loud honks from outside, it was Nikki signalling his arrival. I threw on the nearest jacket I could find and ran to the window and climbed out.

Nikki had pulled up in his Jeep, the door to my side was already open. I ran down the stairs and slid into the passenger seat.

‘Good evening my fair lady. Where could I take you for the fair price of a lunch date later on this week?’ Nikki mocked a cab driver, adding on a thick New York accent.

‘Redondo Beach please kind sir.’ I replied in a flawless French accent and stuck my tongue out at him.

Nikki and I gazed lovingly into each other's eyes for what seemed like ever with kind smiles plaster smack upon our faces.

‘I've missed you.’ I admitted, speaking first. Nikki’s smile grew even wider.

‘You’re right. It's been too long.’ he agreed, finally stepping onto the gas pedal and carefully driving towards Vince's party.

I scoffed in fake offence, even bringing a hand up to my heart to and clutching it to sell it more to him more, ‘it's been two weeks! Besides, I have even invited you over multiple times since then!’

‘I know, I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't find the time.’ he apologized, eyes briefly lifting from the road in front of him and onto me.

They seemed to quickly flicker over my figure.

‘Hey, you look really nice, but touch my jacket again and I'm burning all your makeup.’ Nikki complimented.

I couldn't help but smile.

‘Common Nik, admit it, this jacket looks so much better on me than on you.’

He side glanced at me again, the red traffic lights casting onto his face almost making it seem like he was beet red blushing.

‘You're not wrong.’

As soon as Nikki pulled up to Vince's house, (Y/N) had already been dragged away from him by Razzle who enthusiastically greeted her and the pressed multiple drinks into her hand and dragged her to the dancefloor by the waist.

Nikki blamed Vince for suggesting that they finally introduce Razzle to (Y/N). The crew was out in the town, lounging about and waiting for the next opportunity to cause trouble, excluding (Y/N) of course. She tried to prevent everyone from doing something they might regret when sober.

Tommy was hungry, so he and (Y/N) went to pick up some hot dogs from the stand across the road for everyone when Vince suddenly saw the frizzy hair that belonged to their British friend and invited him over to join them in their day out.

They came onto the topic of (Y/N) when Vince finally offered to introduce her to Razzle. Everyone agreed although Nikki was a bit reluctant.

He thought ‘what's the worst that could happen’, it's not like (Y/N) would fall for Razzle. Him and his British accent.

(Y/N) wasn't like the crowd of girls that were drawn like ducks to bread to Mötley Crüe when they were. Nikki thought Razzle would have no effect on her.

After five minutes of the acquaintance of (Y/N) and Razzle, Nikki could tell he was wrong.

Razzle upped his usual charm. It wasn't like (Y/N) fell right into his arms, it was just that she sort of did.

Nikki was in a bad mood that whole day, having to listen to Razzle tell cheesy pickup lines and terrible jokes and (Y/N) laughing her lungs out.

Dropping cheesy pickup lines and cracking terrible jokes to get (Y/N)s attention was Nikki's job. Now he had to sit beside her, watching the foam of his beer slowly disappear, in silence.

Ever since then, (Y/N) would ask if Razzle were coming every time she went out with the guys.

Today, she was whisked away by him again, and Nikki fell to the sidelines not being particularly happy, but also trying not to care too much. He honestly tried to distract himself. Why should he care about who she's seeing anyways? It's not like he was in love with her.

But he knew that was a big lie.

He snorted another line of cocaine before looking back up to the living room where Razzle was dancing with (Y/N) to a song his band, Hanoi Rocks, had written.

He guessed that Razzle had probably made up a lie for a pick up line, probably one that went along the lines of ‘this song was inspired by you’, but ever since (Y/N) had first heard this song, Nikki was forced to frequently listen to it because it was on all of her cassette and record playlists.

The song finally ended, and Nikki watched as Razzle tried to get (Y/N) to dance to the next one, but she politely refused and walked towards the couch where Nikki was sitting.

She caught his gaze, and her smile lit up. Nikkis breathe was honestly caught in his throat.

He hated this. He hated the butterflies in his stomach whenever (Y/N) teased him jokingly, he hated the rush of blood he got whenever (Y/N) wrapped two arms around him and snuggled into his side when they were both curled up on a couch, he hated it that he wanted (Y/N) to be more to him than a friend.

And especially now. He couldn't help feeling all sorts of things when (Y/N) was walking towards him. Her hips were slightly swaying (probably because of all the drinks she had or to the bass lines of the song playing) and the bombshell dress accented everything.

Her hair was slightly falling out of place and the lipstick was fading from her lips.

Mick beat her to the couch though, sighing deeply as he slowly sat down next to Nikki.

‘Goddamn.’ he cursed with a grunt.

That was when (Y/N) and Razzle dropped themselves on the couch as well.

(Y/N) let out a content sigh and Nikki's heart skipped a beat.

‘You okay there, Mick?’ Tommy asked. He was probably having the most fun out of all the people here at the party. He was pissed drunk, high, and had two beautiful girls hanging on his arms.

‘Yeah,’ Mick answered, ‘my back hurts from carrying this band all tour.’

(Y/N) scoffed and under her breathe replied with ‘yeah, right.’

‘Don't you love this guy?’ Tommy laughed.

Another girl from the dance floor came over for Tommy and squeezed herself into the last available space on the couch next to (Y/N), who politely moved to make more space.

Unfortunately, now (Y/N) was practically half sitting on top of Nikki who really couldn't stand it anymore.

Right then and there he made up his mind. Today was the day he was going to tell her what he had wanted to tell her for her all these years.

He could picture it already.

Nikki would pull (Y/N) away from the dance floor after having asked her to dance with him to one of the slower songs he knew where going to be played by Vince tonight (because Nikki begged him to include them just so he could have (Y/N) a fraction close to him that she would usually be) to the balcony that overlooked Vince’s garden, pool, and private beach section of the house. He would wait for a moment, maybe after he and (Y/N) had a lovely, deep and meaningful conversation about something, and then confess his feelings under the starlight. She would, hopefully, let him love her, and then Nikki would pull her into the best kiss he had ever given as the music and background chatter for the party slowly drowns away and just becomes a blur of the moment.  

That was exactly what Nikki was going to do, and he suddenly felt at ease again after the last couple of years.

He had a plan and he was going to go through with it no matter what.

All that was left for him to do now was to let Vince know that he needed the slow music and that he needed it right this moment.

To seem inconspicuous, Nikki bent down and did one more line of cocaine, then as he scanned the room. He spotted Vince standing in a more secluded hallway of his house with another girl. Nikki suddenly got an idea to slightly win (Y/N) back right at this moment.

He elbowed Mick, also successfully catching (Y/N)s attention, and began running his own hands all over his chest and mimicked a woman's voice.

‘Hey, are you in the band?’

Mick followed to where Nikki was looking.

‘What do you fucking think?’ he mimicked Vince’s voice.

(Y/N) laughed at their exchange along with Nikki and Mick.

Tom Zutaut wanted to add something to this conversation as well.

‘Have you met my wife, Sharise? Do you wanna have a threesome?’ he also mimicked Vince’s tone.

Nikki stopped laughing as soon as the words that left Toms mouth made (Y/N) stiffen up just slightly. The comment even made Mick raises an eyebrow.

‘Tom, what the fuck is wrong with you, man?’ Nikki scowled. ‘She’s fucking pregnant, man.’

(Y/N) cleared her throat and sat up a little bit straighter. ‘Yeah, that is fucked up.’ she agreed.

Nikki watched her face carefully, knowing that she was offended by Tom’s comment but was too proud to show it.

‘Don't be a fucking dick, okay? Look at her, she's fucking pregnant.’ Nikki seriously warned Tom.

‘Don't be a fucking dick, Zutaut.’ Mick added as he leaned back on the couch.

‘All right. I'm sorry.’ Tom apologized, now seeing how offensive he was.

Nikki inwardly cursed when he noticed that Razzle was walking back towards the couch. He had left a moment ago with Vince for more drinks. Nikki liked Razzle and all, of course. What's not to like? He was a fun outgoing energetic person. It was just that he was getting too friendly with (Y/N).

‘Come with me and Vince to get more drinks, love.’ Razzle asked, taking (Y/N)s hand and trying to lift her off the couch.

(Y/N) groaned and weakly tried to fight him off.

‘Nah, I have no more energy left. The dancing really tired me out.’ she whined trying to shake Razzle off.

‘We can buy more drinks at the store, that will give you energy.’ Razzle insisted, managing to lift her off the couch.

‘No seriously, Razz, my feet hurt.’

‘Then I'll carry you!’ he offered optimistically. In one swift motion, he scooped (Y/N) up into his arms.

(Y/N) did not like this sudden act, and Nikki noticed.

‘Hey, man, leave her alone, alright? She said she didn't want to go so fuck off.’ Nikki snapped.

Razzles jaw clenched as he considered the ‘’threat’’ and then he gently sat (Y/N) back down.

The silent tension between Razzle and Nikki could have been cut with a cheese knife. I was awkwardly standing next to Razzle, who is a nice guy and only meant well when he asked if I want to come with him. His hand was still sort off resting on my waist from having sat me down. Nikki's gaze momentarily flickered down to his hand and I could see the glaze that he usually got when he was about to start a fight pass over his eyes.

I heard Razzle chuckle wearily as he saw Nikki's hard set burning gaze bore into his hand.

‘Alright, alright, I meant no offence.’ he told Nikki, slowly, as to prevent any provocation, lifting his hand off my side.

I could sense the fight Nikki would initiate.

God, I love him, but sometimes? He can be a real dick. Especially now! Every time I get close to a guy Nikki does something to drive them.

At first, I always thought that he just had a very good sense of which guy is a jerk and which guy is a good potential choice. But now I knew Nikki was making a terrible judgment. There was nothing wrong with razzle as far as I was aware.

Nik was about to say something too, but I shot him the worst look I could master and he closed his mouth.

I needed to leave this room. Nikki was actually killing me.

I’ve waited my whole life for him to give me a sign that he wanted to be more than ‘best friends’ but he never even indicated that he was even remotely attracted to me and rather than sitting around like a dumbass I have actually decided that I needed to eventually get over him. He's had his chance (although I never told him that I was giving him one).

Razzel was the most perfect guy to help me get over Nikki, but I couldn't stand being close to either of them at the moment.

With one last glance at Nik, I turned on my heel and left the seating area.

Such a big house like this I'm bound to find myself an empty room where there were no pairs of people who are making out.

I ended up in a small bathroom on the second floor, furthest away from the party, thankfully by myself. The occasional giggle from a passing couple and their loud echoing footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door.

There was a sudden knock. I lifted my head out of my hands.

‘Occupied.’ I answered.

‘I know. I'm here for you. We need to talk.’ The voice replied.

I raised an eyebrow and slid off the rim of the bathtub to open the door.

Tag list: @getthefckouttahere @kingbouji3 @fandomshit6000 @spookyfrances @kwyloz @triplehaitches @myheadisinvaded @wonderboygenius @kawennote09@inthebackofmycarlaytheirbodies @the-dopemusiccoffee @versaceismehoe @glitter-rian @miss-ncthing@flizaa @evanpeters3826 @divaanya @extremesadnerding@oskea93 @technicallyvirtualmilkshake @thatbandchick39@virtualsheepeat @sighsophiia @thexbasketcase @anon-1112@heavymetalprincessa @normanreedus5150 @prettysureimgayxo @candystoregirl @yoinks-i-don’t-feel-so-good @mother-fronker @animalsgal @supernaturalvikingwhore@tamedhearts @discodeacygotmorerhythm @16cxndles@kellinplayingbagpipes @abaldboi@scarecrowmax @vintageratdoctor @raversam @nessa-030201@nassauartist @cierrasixx19 @shamelessobsessions @redhotvinyl@hi-my-name-is-Riley @snatchedbylele @lighthousefromthesea@tarahell @fatheadthefirst @my-names-blurryfvce @mixer3818@toadspleen @kwyloz @shannonwardski @gofficialm @oskea93@allieburakovsky @lovesick-heart0 @erosbabygirl @ironicterm00 @emmaelizabeth2014 @k--i--a @sharon6713 @mazzello-lee-jones-malek @disrogbitch @calumstuffs @rebeccaphillips14 @tiktokviralsensation @wheresmyvodkabitch @captainloki1 @nikkisixxterr 

The tag list is always open :)

Right well this one is terribly written I mean it's got no real plot no pictures and horrible dialogue but @discodeakygotmorerhythm made it all worth it.

But I promise as soon as my other laptop works again ill make all the gifs for this part and add those divider lines (apparently that's not an option on this computer)

[valentines-in-london]

I Need Fire (Part 20)

Authors Note:  Hey all!  I am so freaking sorry there hasn’t been an update in a while!!  Life has been crazy and also I got a bit tripped up with this chapter.  For more beach making out inspiration check out Bon Jovi’s “Livin In Sin” video as well haha.  Thanks for sticking with me and please tell me what you think of the chapter! Word Count: 3,622 Warnings:  drugs, angst Taglist:   @freddiessmallnipples @triplehaitches @samanthadegaro @lauravic @oh-well1 @la-sorciere-fleur @anxious-diabetic @xdeath-soulx @fanofnightz @songbirdkisses​ If you’d like to be added please let me know!

Previous Chapter  //  Master List  //  Next Chapter

Chapter 20

Rayne had no idea what to pack, she had never been somewhere tropical before in her life but that was exactly where she was going: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Tommy had surprised her with a trip to Cabo for Christmas. It wasn’t a long trip, only three days but the day after they got back Tommy would go into the studio with Motley and Rayne would start really gearing up for Stanley’s fashion show. Life was once again about to get extremely hectic so the next few days were precious.

“I literally just packed tank tops, a bathing suit and one pair of jeans.”  Tommy smiled as he zipped up his luggage.

“Of course you did.” Rayne laughed as she packed some hair products in her bag.  Quite possibly the worst thing about any type of travel when you had curly hair was packing hair product.  Traveling with no product was the equivalent of a death sentence. “I’m giving up, if it’s not in here I’ll just have to live without it for a weekend.”

“You packed a bathing suit right?”  Tommy questioned rolling onto his stomach on the bed.

“I did.”  Rayne replied.

“A bikini?” Tommy smiled wide.

“Tommy, no one wants to see this in a bikini.”

“No correction, I want to see you in a bikini.”  Tommy said with his usual blend of sexy and genuine.

“Yeah, yeah. Are you ready?  We’re going to be late for our flight if we don’t get a move on.”

“I was born ready. I’m waiting on you foxy lady.” He pushed himself up and off their bed.

“Well I’ve been ready.”  Rayne said defiantly as she threw one more thing in her suitcase before finally zipping up her bag.  That was one of Tommy’s favorite quirks about Rayne, she always waited until the last second to be ready and then acted like she was the one waiting on Tommy.

Rayne and Tommy arrived at LAX, they parked their car and walked across the street to get to the ticketing desk.  It was all going wonderfully, until an older gentleman with a camera approached them and began snapping photos.  “Where are you off to Tommy?”

“What are you doing dude?”  Tommy questioned taking a few quick steps to put himself slightly in front of Rayne.

“Just my job.” The photographer kept snapping photos.  “Is this your girlfriend?”

“Dude, you can take as many pictures of me as you want but leave her out of it alright?” Tommy spoke defensively.

“But that’s what people want to know.”

“Who are these people?”

“Whatever magazine buys the photos.”  The photographer said vaguely.  The walk to the door felt like the longest walk of all time.  Rayne thought that he would stop when they entered the airport, but that was not the case.  

Rayne could feel Tommy’s agitation; she reached for his hand giving him a gentle squeeze as they approached the ticketing counter.  “It’s okay babe.  Just go with it.”

Rayne and Tommy checked into their flight and were given their boarding passes in a swift fashion. The photographer had definitely drawn the attention of others in the airport, most wondering who the hell they were and a small handful who knew exactly who Tommy was.  A small crowd had gathered around the ticketing counter making Rayne and Tommy have to slowly push their way toward the escalator up to the security checkpoint.  Tommy had never been so happy to see a bunch of officers with badges who quickly turned away the photographer and got Rayne and Tommy through security fairly quick.  When the officer looked at Tommy’s passport he nodded his head, “Alright you’re the dude from that Motley band!”

“Yeah.”  Tommy said less than enthused and walked through the metal detectors.  Once they had gotten through and into the concourse Rayne grabbed Tommy’s hand and pulled him into a secluded gate area.

“Hey, calm down.” She spoke soothingly, running her hands up and down his arms.  “I can feel how angry you are.”

“What the fuck was that?”  Tommy finally spoke after a few moments.  “A fucking photographer invading our privacy to sell the pictures to some fucking magazine?  And taking pictures of you?  Fuck that.”

“Hey, shhh.” Rayne placed a hand on his cheek. “Sadly that’s the price that comes with fame.  Is it one of the good sides?  No.  But there’s nothing we can do about it now. Maybe we need to start thinking about how to handle that situation.”

Letting out a heavy breath Tommy shook his head.  She could feel him starting to calm down.  “That’s not how I wanted this vacation to start.”

“I know baby. I’m sure that’ll be the worst thing to happen on this get away.  Okay?”  Rayne smiled. “Come on, let’s go to our gate and forget about it alright?”

Tommy nodded his head and he and Rayne walked hand in hand to their gate.

Once Rayne and Tommy walked into their suite in the resort almost everything from earlier in the day was forgotten.  Tommy dropped both of their matching bags on the floor while Rayne held two large margarita glasses in her hand.  The weather was warm and the cold drink not only tasted delicious but it felt delicious too.  Rayne handed a glass to Tommy before taking a step out onto the back deck which was open to the sand on the beach where the teal water was calling to them.  Tommy quickly changed into his black and pink spackled swim trunks, Rayne however took a few minutes to change into her bathing suit. She had packed a bikini, at Tommy’s request, it was the last thing she threw into her bag before they left. Rayne looked at herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath and letting her hair out of her pony tail.

When she walked out Tommy’s jaw went a bit slack.  Rayne was in a leopard string  bikini which hugged her curves just right despite how unsure she was. Rayne rolled her eyes, “Don’t look like that, you’ve seen me naked.”

“You look amazing, come on.”  Tommy grabbed Rayne’s hand and the two walked hand in hand towards the ocean.  The Mexican sun felt hot on their skin so when the cool water brushed their feet it was a welcome feeling.  Rayne immediately dove under the water flipping her hair out of her face as she reached the surface.  Tommy was still only up to his knees in the water.

“What?  Too cold for you California boy?”  Rayne called out to him splashing in his direction.  “Come on, I’ll warm you up.”

Tommy still remained where he was so Rayne swam back to him like a lioness stalking her prey. When she got within arms length of him she pounced on Tommy sending him to fall right into the water. Tommy gasped as he came to the surface, “Oh you are so dead.”

“Am I?”  Rayne teased playfully splashing him with water.  “You’ll have to catch me first.”

With that Rayne was swimming off into deeper water with ease while Tommy slowly chased after her. For having such long lanky limbs he certainly didn’t have speed in the water.  When Tommy finally reached Rayne she was calmly floating in the salt water.  

“Oh no you’ve caught me.”  Tommy leaned down and kissed her causing her to no longer be floating in the water but now kicking her feet to stay afloat.  She wrapped her arms around Tommy’s neck and grazed her nose with his. “I guess someone is feeling better.”

“How could I not be when we have a beautiful private beach, a romantic suite and soon enough a gorgeous sunset?”  Tommy enthusiastically replied.  

“Good.  I’m glad.”  Rayne said wrapping her legs around Tommy’s waist and kissing him softly.  “I’m gonna go grab a lounge chair and get some sun.”

“Sounds good.” Tommy replied as he began swimming back to the shore with Rayne.  As Rayne walked out of the water she quickly brushed her hair off of her face, dripping wet with salt water.  There were four empty white lounge chairs on the beach in front of their room, Rayne picked the one that her bag was closest to and laid down before reaching into her bag for a pair of sunglasses.  Soon after Tommy approached her and shook the water off him like a wet dog causing Rayne to laugh as the water splashed her.

“You’re such a dick.” Rayne laughed brushing the water droplets off her sunglasses.  Soon the warm sun evaporated any traces of ocean water on both of their skin while they silently laid down enjoying the peace and quiet.  Rayne pulled out a magazine and started flipping through the pages.  

After about thirty minutes Tommy broke the silence, “This is paradise.”  Rayne couldn’t help but smile, she was actually impressed that Tommy lasted half an hour without talking even though he was fidgeting like crazy.

“It is glorious.” Rayne nodded her head continuing to read her magazine.

“What are you reading?”

Rayne sighed and turned her Cosmo magazine to show Tommy the name of the article MEN YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT.  “I’m reading my trash.”

“What does it say about men you can live without?”

“Well, let’s see number one, a man that disappears for extended periods of time.  Number two, a man that is constantly surrounded by other women.  Number three, a man that doesn’t know how to relax.”  Rayne laughed as she made up the third quality, all were made up but it was all in good fun.

“What?  Give me that!”  Tommy snatched the magazine from her hand and his eyes began scanning the words.  “It doesn’t say any of that.”

“You’re so gullible.” Rayne chuckled from the chair next to him.  “But seriously, do you know how to just chill out?”

“No, not really.” Tommy admitted.  “We should go out on jetski’s!”

“I’ll go out jet skiing with you if you promise that you’ll let me just sit and do nothing when we get back.”  Rayne sat up in her chair pulling her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose.

“Fuck yes dude! It’s a deal.”  Tommy jumped up from his chair reaching for Rayne’s hand to begin walking down the beach to the docks at the far end of the resort.

Rayne and Tommy had gotten the last two jetski’s available and quickly zoomed off in the water. Rayne had never been on one before, but quickly got the hang of it.  Tommy, of course was finding the biggest waves he could to jump over and get the most hang time in the air.  Rayne on the other hand cruised along the shore when she wasn’t doing donuts.   Tommy eventually made his way over to Rayne, “I’ll race you to the dock.”

“You’re on.” Rayne called over to him circling around in the water to be facing in the right direction.  “Ready?

Rayne reached the dock first and with a gleeful cheer she threw her fist in the air.  Quickly turning the jetski around to face Tommy with a smile on her face. "Bet you didn't think I'd beat you huh?"

"Two out of three?"  Tommy charmingly asked.

"Oh no, only losers throw that out there after they lost.  I won fair and square."  Rayne said defiantly before she did another donut around Tommy.  

"You wanna go for a real ride?"  Tommy changed the subject patting the back of his jetski.  "You've just been staying pretty close to the shoreline."

"Oh I've gone for a real ride plenty of times."  She teased him.  "But another one can't hurt. Let me bring this back to the dock."

Tommy followed Rayne as she returned the jetski to the man at the dock.  Soon after she hopped on the back of Tommy's jetski, wrapping her arms around his waist.  "I think you made this proposition just so I'd be straddling you."

"Trust me baby, if that was the case you wouldn't be straddling me there."  Tommy turned his head slightly before accelerating in the water causing Rayne to yelp and hold on tight.

She was sure Tommy was a slight adrenaline junkie, he loved things that went fast and had a hint of danger to them.  Tommy would find the best wave he could and punch the throttle to get as much air as he could off the wave. The first time they did it Rayne had to admit she was a bit afraid but she got used to the feeling the more they went along.  And she would never turn down a chance to wrap her arms around Tommy and that was a requirement for this activity.

Once the waves grew smaller and the sun began to set Tommy stopped and began to make his way back to the dock.  Giving him a light squeeze Rayne asked, "Why don't you bring your motorcycle back from your parents place? You'd be able to ride along the coast back home."

"That sounds like an excellent idea babe."  Tommy smiled docking the jetski and hopping up onto the wooden dock before reaching down to help Rayne off the jetski.  He pulled Rayne close so that their chests were flush against each other. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?"

"I'm always willing to hear it more."  Rayne winked up at her boyfriend.

"Well I love you."

"Now how about that real ride you promised me earlier?"  She teased biting her lower lip.

"Oh now you're asking for it."  Tommy deviously smiled before he made a move to wrap Rayne in an embrace but she was a step ahead and dodged his move and began running down the beach back toward their suite.

She stayed ahead for a good while but Tommy's long legs allowed him to catch up to Rayne lifting her slightly off the ground.  She looked into his eyes and instantly knew the look that shot from them. Tommy's lips lowered to Rayne's and she happily met him halfway.  Carefully the two dropped down into the sand, Rayne laid down on the sand while Tommy straddled her as the waves casually lapped at their skin.  The two continued to kiss, intertwining their fingers. Rayne wished they could live like that forever, in their own private paradise, no worries and no one else around.

Wrapping her leg over Tommy's she made a quick move to switch positions so that she was on top of Tommy straddling his waist.  Tommy buried his hand in her wet hair and pulled her down to kiss him once more. Slowly pulling away from him Rayne smiled down, brushing her hair to one side of her face.  "What do you say we skip dinner? Because right now I don't want anything but you."

"Now that sounds like a plan."  Tommy grinned rubbing his hands up and down Rayne's thighs.  As fast as she could Rayne popped up and off Tommy before running towards their suite.

Hours later Rayne laid in bed next to a sleeping Tommy.  She couldn't help smiling to herself that she had worn him out but she still wanted to get cleaned up and ready for bed.  Once the shivers stopped rushing over her body from her orgasms she pushed herself out of bed.  The sun had long set and it was dark in the room. Rayne quietly walked over to her and Tommy's bags reaching around for her skin care and birth control.  Feeling a few smooth bottles she grabbed them and walked into the bathroom closing the door before she turned the lights on. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she looked down at the bottles on the counter confused. She must've reached into Tommy's bag and not her own.

The red bottles in front of her weren't her skincare bottles at all, and they had no label.  Rayne picked one up to examine it further, she couldn't even see through it so she decided to twist the top and open it.  As soon as the lid came loose she knew what it was and when she lifted it to find a very tiny little spoon like contraption it sealed the deal.  It was a bottle filled with cocaine. She knew that Tommy had used in the past but didn't think that he used when he was at home. As soon as she thought it she realized how naive that must have sounded.  On top of that she couldn’t help but think how much trouble he would have been in if the caught him with any of this at the airport.

It didn't make sense to her why he would have to bring cocaine with him on a three day vacation.  How could he not be without it for three days? Rayne then closed the small bottle with the powder in it and looked at the other two bottles she had mistaken for her skincare products.  Again they were not labeled and when she opened them up both had little white pills in them, one bottle they were oval and the other were round. Though she had no idea what they could be as they were so general but she knew that they weren't prescribed to him.

Closing the bottles Rayne steadied herself against the bathroom cabinet taking a deep breath.  She wanted to wake him up that second and question him but she knew that wasn't the best route to take, she needed to get her emotions under control because they were all over the place.  She was angry at him, in complete shock, angry at herself for her own naivety, sad that he needed these things even when he was alone with her. Slipping out into the bedroom Rayne put the bottles back where she had found them and grabbed what she had originally intended from her own bag before slipping back into the bathroom to shower.

The next morning Tommy and Rayne sat around the table in their room clad in plush white robes and room service in front of them.  Rayne was nibbling on some fresh fruit while Tommy was eagerly scarfing down pancakes and bacon. She watched him carefully still in shock over her discovery from the night before.  If he really was hooked on coke or pills, what else could he have been hiding from her?

"So what do you want to do today baby?"  Tommy asked between bites. Rayne thought about it for a moment before she grabbed a glass filled with a delicious mimosa taking a small sip.

"Well yesterday I went jet skiing with you and then we took all our activity to the bedroom.  So today you're going to make good on your promise and just relax with me."  Rayne smiled. Suddenly Tommy's inability to sit still made sense in Rayne's head.

"Did I promise that?"  Tommy asked.

"More or less."  Rayne smiled taking another sip of her drink.  A relaxing quiet day would give Rayne time to live in her thoughts and think about exactly how to go about having quite an uncomfortable conversation with her boyfriend.  "So have you talked to Vince at all since he got out of jail?"

"No.  I don't know what I would say to him."  Tommy shrugged his shoulders.

"So the first time you're going to see him is when you get to the studio?"  Rayne asked.

"I guess.  Vince is a big boy I'm sure he's fine."  Tommy concluded causing Rayne to put her head down and sigh.  "What? You don't agree?"

"I don't know.  Maybe guys really are wired differently than women but I couldn't imagine going through what Vince must be going through alone."  Rayne reasoned.  "He just got out of jail for vehicular manslaughter, the person who died was one of his friends, and his best friend's girlfriend was in the car with him that night and I don't need to elaborate any further.  That's a heavy cross to bear alone."

"He's not alone. He has Jo."  Tommy took a bite of bacon.  Rayne only shook her head she didn't think she could win this one.  One thing she was sure about was that Vince and Jo's home was on the way to work and she would be sure to stop by when she got back to California and make sure they both knew she was there for them whatever they needed.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe that's enough for him."  Rayne shrugged her shoulders.  "You know him better than I do."

Later that day Rayne was laying out in the sun while Tommy went for a swim in the refreshing ocean water.  She watched as he splashed around, dove under waves and attempted to body board. She couldn't help but smile watching him.  Tommy always approached everything with unrelenting enthusiasm, and it was infectious. But now she couldn't help but wonder how much of that was Tommy and how much of that came from outside sources.  Ever since she had known Tommy she knew about the drugs, so she couldn't be a total hypocrite and act like her discovery came as a total shock. But that didn't make it any less shocking to have it thrust right in your face.  Because even though she had known about it she never saw him do it, and maybe that was where the problem really was. Was I enabling his habit because I didn't say anything as long as I didn't see it?  Rayne thought to herself.  

She watched as Tommy came out of the ocean pushing his hair back and off his face making his way back to her.  She knew she couldn't wait to talk to him. Grabbing a towel Tommy began to towel off, "Babe the waves are incredible today you gotta come in with me at some point."

"I will."  Rayne smiled up at him. "But first can we talk about something?"

"Yeah sure, what's up?  Is everything okay?"

"That's what I want to talk about."  Rayne took a deep breath before she spoke her next words.  "Tommy I found some stuff in your bag that I want to talk to you about…"

Take me to the next chapter......

--- Well there it is, we’ve tip toed around the drug thing a bit with Tommy but now it’s reared it’s ugly head again.  I truly hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I hope it was worth the wait and again I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in a bit!!  Please let me know what you all think I love and adore all feedback<3

[tabloidtoc]

Star, December 28

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The Kardashians in ruins 

Page 1: Fans jumped to conclusions when Taylor Swift who is known to drop hints about her personal life in her music videos posted a teaser shot for her new clip for Willow of herself in a lacy dress and floral headpiece looking very much like a blushing bride -- Taylor and boyfriend Joe Alwyn have been talking weddings and they initially discussed throwing a big bash in Joe’s native England but they’ve reconsidered since holing up in Taylor’s farm outside Nashville so now they’re just going to go ahead and get married in a small romantic ceremony and forgo the church wedding and elaborate reception since they are super private and prefer to do things out of the spotlight 

Page 2: Contents, Heather Rae Young scoped out wedding dresses with Chrishell Stause by her side 

Page 4: Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio are heating up the Boston set of their movie Don’t Look Up where their chemistry is off the charts even though both are seriously taken: Jennifer is wed to Cooke Maroney and Leo’s been dating Camila Marrone since 2017 but Jennifer and Leo have always had a flirty rapport whenever they bumped into each other at awards shows and other industry events -- Jennifer’s husband Cooke could be annoyed with all the flirting even if the actors are keeping things professional and as for Camila she finds his connection with Jennifer pretty intimidating 

Page 5: There’s plenty of tension on the set of The Morning Show now that Julianna Margulies has joined Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston on the series -- Jen wasn’t in on the decision to add Julianna to the cast and is miffed she wasn’t consulted and doesn’t understand why Reese insisted bringing Julianna on board and she’s just plain hurt that the new arrival has been getting so chummy with her BFF and Julianna and Reese are whispering behind everybody’s backs and barking orders like they own the place and they’re not even inviting Jen to lunch 

* Olivia Jade Giannulli addressed her part in the $500,000 bribe that ensured her entrance into USC and sent her parents Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli to prison and reactions to her appearance were harsh with a typical commenter calling her smug but she thinks she did well and figures this will be good for her career as a social-media influencer 

* Martha Stewart has been flourishing during lockdown and a new photo shows her looking beyond refreshed leaving some to wonder if she’s doing more than nibbling her new CBD gummies to look so good

Page 6: Kelly Clarkson’s divorce from Brandon Blackstock may be getting ugly but her ex-mother-in-law Reba McEntire is standing by her side even though it can get a little awkward at time but nothing is going to get in the way of Kelly and Reba’s relationship 

* A slew of A-listers are about to be dragged into Johnny Depp’s defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard as shocking new court papers allege that Johnny had affairs with a bevvy of his costars including Angelina Jolie and Keira Knightley and Marion Cotillard and must submit all responsive communications with them -- the women are mortified and embarrassed they’re being pulled into Johnny and Amber’s tawdry split while for his part Johnny flipped out when he learned he needed to produce his communications with these women and he’s calling the tactics lowdown and disgusting 

* Star Spots the Stars -- David Beckham, Chrissy Teigen, Carrie Underwood, Gal Gadot, Floyd Mayweather, Nick Offerman, Hilaria Baldwin 

Page 8: Star Shots -- Audrina Patridge and her daughter Kirra out in Beverly Hills, Pete Wentz let his bleached hair down during a tennis game in L.A., Joe Jonas and wife Sophie Turner walking with their daughter in a stroller in L.A. 

Page 10: Steve Martin took his meal to go during a break from filming Only Murders in the Building in Central Park, Josh Duhamel and his son Axl enjoyed a playful romp in the grass, Paris Hilton and Carter Reum celebrated their one-year anniversary in Bora Bora 

Page 11: Diane Keaton jokingly flirted with the men watching on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Burbank, Sir Michael Palin brought the laughs during his appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in London 

Page 12: ‘Tis the Season -- Kristen Taekman left a nursery in Encino, a decked out Lil Nas X and Ellen DeGeneres opted for a safe season’s greetings by bumping elbows on the talk show 

Page 13: Brooke Burke was all smiles shooting content for her fitness app in Malibu, Niecy Nash and wife Jessica Betts kicked off their first holiday season as a married couple in plaid pajamas 

Page 14: Kylie Minogue performing on The Jonathan Ross show in London, Irina Shayk out and about with daughter Lea in NYC, Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld and a canine costar filmed scenes for Hawkeye in NYC

Page 15: Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn showing some major skin during a photoshoot in L.A., Antonio Banderas and journalist Maria Casado posed for photos at a presentation for their new Spanish television series Escena en Blanco y Negro in Malaga, Spain 

Page 16: Beach Babes -- Chantal Jeffries and boyfriend Drew Taggart in Miami, Mark Zuckerberg showed off his gliding skills on his $12,000 eFoil electric surfboard in Hawaii 

Page 17: Chris Pratt used his hoverboard as a weight after hitting the sand with his son, Julia Roberts enjoyed a solo stroll in Hawaii 

Page 18: Normal or Not? Vanilla Ice headlining the drive-in Winterfest concert in West Palm Beach -- normal, Demi Moore wearing big boxing gloves -- not normal, James Franco couldn’t go without his phone during a getaway in Mexico -- not normal 

Page 20: Fashion -- stars look timeless in black -- Sofia Carson, Nicole Richie 

Page 21: Taylor Hill, Vanessa Kirby 

Page 24: Like so many Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are putting their future on hold amid the global health pandemic and Gwen revealed that the two won’t even set a date for their nuptials in order to avoid a COVID situation that would require restrictions -- they have already nailed down a few details like the location which is Blake’s Ten Point Ranch in Oklahoma where he proposed inside a chapel Blake built for Gwen on the 1300-acre property

Page 25: Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox are embroiled in a bitter custody war over their sons Noah and Bodhi and Journey -- Brian responded to Megan’s divorce filing by requesting joint custody and spousal support and he’s in a non-negotiating mood and if she tries to take his kids it’s going to get ugly really fast 

* James Franco is ready to pop the question to girlfriend Isabel Pakzad and he’s been looking at rings -- dating since 2017 the two overcame a difficult time in 2018 after James was accused by multiple women of misconduct -- surviving that scandal and enjoying their time in lockdown has convinced James he’s found The One 

* Kristin Cavallari and comedian Jeff Dye who were first linked in October jetted off to Mexico for a fun getaway with friends where the couple smooched and danced and enjoyed cocktails and had a wonderful time in Cabo but Kristin isn’t looking for anything serious following her divorce from Jay Cutler 

Page 26: Cover Story -- the Kardashian empire crumbles -- with their show leaving the air early next year the Kardashian-Jenner crew could stand to lose it all -- ratings for Keeping Up With the Kardashians reached a new low before they pulled the plug and it’s obvious fans are losing interest and they spend money like it’s going out of fashion 

Page 30: A Spy at the Palace -- after a staff member steals more than $200,000 worth of her personal keepsakes Queen Elizabeth no longer feels safe in her home 

Page 33: Gone Too Soon -- a look back at the celebrities we lost in 2020 and the legacies they leave behind -- Naya Rivera, Kelly Preston, Regis Philbin 

Page 34: Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, Alex Trebek 

Page 40: Beauty -- pretty pout -- sparkly, shiny and matte lipsticks to rock this New Year’s Eve -- Rihanna 

Page 42: Entertainment 

Page 48: Parting Shot -- Vanessa Hudgens as host of the first MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time