#heat wave 2018

[rebornrosess]

sorry u think the album is bad but have u considered maybe glass animals only make music for gay people with undiagnosed mental health issues and strained familial relations and who are also a little weird about sex idk

[scarletlizzard]

Part 3: Acceptance

Sessions Series

Pairing: psychiatrist? Wanda x female reader

Tags Minors DNI: smut, rope usage, oral (W receiving), fingering (R receiving), strap on use (R receiving), little bit of blood, mentions of a gun/knife towards the end, manipulation

Masterlist

A/N: This part is a bit longer than the others. Is this type of relationship okay? Definitely not. Is this toxic? Absolutely! Did I still write it? Of course! Feel free to let me know what you think so far or if you have any questions about anything. I appreciate all your reads ❤️

Current Winter 2018

"You're just as sexy as I remember," Wanda groans against your lips, kisses trailing to your jaw and neck.

The ride to Wandas was short and full of teasing touches. The kiss started at the parked car and led the two of you inside, clothes being scattered throughout the house on the way to her insanely large bedroom. You made it into her room, where she quickly discarded the rest of yours and her own clothes.

"You're just as hot as I remember," you giggle back, a moan escaping your lips as her mouth finds your already hard nipple. Her tongue swirls around the sensitive bud, her teeth sinking in gently. Your hands were in her hair, holding her close to your chest.

Wandas' large hands roamed over your skin, like a map, she'd already known all the roads. "Are you going to be a good girl for me tonight?" She moans against your skin. You moan back in response.

"Yes ma'am," you pathetically whimper out. "Can I taste you?" You ask her with innocent eyes, a small bite of your lip. "Please?" You add.

She smiles at the sight and brings a hand up to your cheek, her thumb gliding over your lips. A familiar feeling you can't quite place in the swirl of pleasure and still feeling a little tipsy.

Wanda was obsessed with your lips. She was always staring at them, even during your sessions. She thought about kissing you constantly. She thought about rubbing them, just like now, with the pad of her thumb.

"Such pretty lips.." her words sent shivers down your spine. "Scoot up on the bed. You want to taste me, baby?" You nod, again pathetically. When it came to Wanda, you would do anything for her.

You lay back with your head on her pillow, watching as she takes a thin rope in her hands. She walks over to you, hips swaying as she takes both of your wrists and ties them in an intricate knot. The rope is just tight enough it burns in the most pleasurable way as she ties the other end to the headboard.

The crooked smile on her face had your body on high alarm, but the wetness between your legs and the heat in your chest was overwhelming.

One of her fingers trail down your arms that were now held above your head, nail scratching down the skin on your cheek and neck. The way she was looking at you, the look in her eyes, something was wrong. But before you could think anymore, she was crawling over top of you.

"Be a good girl and stick your tongue out," she murmurs. You happily oblige, showing her your tongue. Wanda smirks as you obey her commands and finds herself straddling your face.

You immediately let out a moan as she sits on your mouth. She was already soaking wet. You were breathing in the insatiable scent of her as she began grinding her hips shamelessly down on you.

"Fuck, Y/N," Wanda moans as her thighs squeeze around your head. The sight above you is heavenly. Wandas hands on her breasts, squeezing her nipples as she rides your face. Her brown hair falls in waves down her shoulders. Parted lips moaning your name.

She smirks down at you when she sees your hands moving in their restraints, fingers twitching. You were dying to touch her.

"I don't think so, pretty girl," Wanda says with another lewd moan. Your mouth is practically lapping up her juices, tongue moving desperately for more of her. "Ooh, baby, just like that. Just let me use you," she groans and throws her head back.

It's not long after that her hips grind down harder, and you watch as she pants above you. "Such a pretty face, fuck. I'm gonna cum Y/N! Oh fuck baby," Wanda moans out. Her hips stutter and you feel your face become wetter with her release. Your tongue continues to lap up all she'll give you, and you whine when she moves herself off of you.

Wanda lets her thumb move over your wet lips, already bruised and puffy, "Such pretty lips.." she says again. Dark green eyes rake over your body.

"Wanda, please.." You whimper, moving your hands above you. The rope burns your wrists with every tug.

"Use your words, pretty girl," Wandas tone is strict as she comes back with a large strap attached to her hips.

"I want you to fuck me please.. I need you."

The last three words seem to trigger something in Wanda, her actions pausing to look at you. "Say that again, pet," she inhales deeply and climbs onto the bed.

"I-I need you," you speak weakly, your face red as the words leave your mouth. Wanda closes her eyes for only a moment, relishing the words. She settles herself between your legs.

"Already so wet, just from tasting me?" Wanda asks with a devilish smirk, two fingers tease your entrance. You nod pitifully. Her fingers slide in easily, making the two of you moan in sync. "Y/N, you're so tight.. gotta stretch you out so you can take my big cock." Her fingers pump faster inside of you, stretching you out just like she promised.

"Wanda, I want to touch you," you whine, still moving against the rope. Wanda smirks and shakes her head.

"No, you're going to let me use you."

"Please," you whine again, tears welling up. Her fingers curl. "Please!" You raise your voice.

Her other hand moves up, a sharp slap stings your cheek. You want to cry, but you only moan out in response. Wanda takes your face in her hand, your cheeks squishing in her strong grip.

"You better fucking listen to me, pretty girl. Or I'll tie your legs up too. Do you want that? Huh?" You shake your head quickly in her grip. "No ma'am," you say quietly. Her fingers curl again in the perfect spot, and you feel yourself getting closer. Wanda feels your walls squeeze her fingers, and she removes them too quickly. A few tears finally fall as you're denied release.

With a crooked grin, she opens your mouth with the hand that holds your face. Her now wet fingers slide into your mouth. "Taste yourself, baby.." Wanda chuckles darkly as she feels you suck on her fingers.

"Good girl."

She removes both of her hands to spread your thighs apart wider, lining herself up. Wanda slides the faux cock in effortlessly, feeling you practically swallow her. The moans that left your mouth were enough to make Wanda snap her hips roughly into you.

"Oh my god, Wanda!" You moan as she fucks the strap into you relentlessly.

"Fuck you take me so well, pretty girl," Wanda pants out in between thrusts. One of her hands move from where they gripped your hips to wrap around your throat. Her green eyes were settled on your lips again.

The amount of pleasure you were feeling was overwhelming. The way her strap disappeared fully inside of you with each thrust, the way it rubbed against your clit persistently. It didn't take long before you felt amother build up.

"Wanda I-I need to cum, please? Can I cum?" You beg her, knowing it was what she wanted to hear. She groans, fingers tightening around your neck.

"You can cum, pretty girl.." Wanda smiles down to you. "But I'm not going to stop," she says. More shivers run cold down your spine.

Wanda was true to her word, fucking you through your first orgasm as you scream her name. Her thrusts didn't falter as she continues to pound into you.

"Tell me.. again," She grunts, the grip around your throat squeezing harder. You gasp for air as she leans over your body, lips kissing up your neck.

"I need you," you rasp out. Wanda lets out a pornographic moan, hips rutting into you. She bites down hard on your neck, teeth sinking into your skin. You wince and moan loudly as she turns your head to the side. You wonder if she broke skin.

Your thoughts are confirmed when she lifts her head, a small bit of blood coating her bottom lip.

"Again," she says. Another orgasm was quickly approaching with how sensitive you were, and tears fell from your eyes. You had never felt so much pleasure in your life, and you never felt so much excitement.

Well, only once before...

"I n-need you!" You half moan half yell into the room. Wanda grunts in response, thrusting impossibly deeper inside of you.

"I know you do, pretty girl. You need me to take care of you, don't you? Make you feel good," she's panting harder, words coming out more broken against your neck again. Wanda marks your sensitive skin.

"You need me to fuck you like the perfect little girl you are -Oh Fuck- need me to make you feel alive." Another orgasm washes over you at her words, your eyes close tightly as your body trembles underneath her.

"Yes, yes, Wanda, I need you," you rasp again, voice practically gone from all the moans she's brought out of you. You felt her hips stutter.

"Fuck, fuck," Wanda groans in your ear, along with a few other curses in another language, you assumed her native tongue. Her pace slows to a stop. You finally are able to open your eyes, seeing her looking at you with a bloodys lips. Her green eyes are fixated on your own bruised lips.

Wanda leans forward and kisses you with such passion that your chest fills with excitement all over again. But as you taste your own blood, you feel your shadow nearby.

You watch Wanda return with what looked to be lotion. She had on now a shirt and sweatpants and had dressed you in one of her shirts and sleep shorts after cleaning you up.

"Come here, darling," she whispers sweetly, a familiar underlying tone. Wanda sat on the bed and pulled you into her lap. Her hands took the lotion, rubbing the red marks on your wrists. You sigh at the soothing feeling and rest your head on her shoulder. She kisses your forehead.

The times before, sex with Wanda had been on the rough side, and she told you that's how she liked it. You told her how your old flames were boring, vanilla, always ending in you faking it. Wanda brought something out in you that you didn't know was there, a spark. It was true what she said. She made you feel alive again. You were suddenly itching for a paintbrush.

This time, though, tonight, was something totally different. A different side to Wanda, something darker than you were expecting. You still felt as though you were missing something.

"You'll stay the night?" Wandas sweet voice interrupts your train of thoughts again, and you smile, leaving a kiss on her neck.

"Yes, please.." You whisper back.

Wanda holds you closely, your back pressed against her front. You could feel her even breathing, tickling your ear and neck. Her grip was strong around you. There was no moving away from her. You didn't want to, though. She was warm, soft. The bed smelled of her usual vanilla and mint. You felt yourself easily drifting off to sleep.

Your body and mind were too tired to think, too tired to worry, and too tired to focus on the fact your shadow was there watching.

In the morning, you awake to an empty bed, the sun trying to peak through the half open curtains that hang above the tall windows. You inhale deeply, taking in the scent of Wanda. Sitting up, you stretch your arms, realizing your body was still sore. You assumed Wanda was in her office working, so you quickly went to the bathroom.

Upon looking in the mirror, you took in the various marks she had left on your body. A bite mark where she broke skin, a few dark marks where she had claimed you. Your wrists were still red, and bruises in the form of fingerprints littered your hips. You felt a shock of pleasure go through your veins.

As quietly as you can, you sneak down the stairs, still in Wandas clothes. You smell fresh coffee as you pad down the familiar front hallway. Opposite to your usual therapy session room was Wandas office. The door was cracked open, and you were surprised. All the times you've come, it's been shut, sometimes even locked behind her.

Your hand touches the hard surface, slowly opening it all the way. You expect to see Wanda sitting there at the large wooden desk, but she's nowhere to be found. You walk inside and look around, finding it similar to the room across the hall. A large bookcase took up one of the walls, a few filing cabinets on the other, another fireplace, and some plants scattered throughout.

After looking around, you take a seat in the leather chair behind the desk. Papers scattered atop, the dream journal you gave her, and a few files of different patients she must have.

You look at a silver frame that held a photograph, showing a young brunette Wanda and a young boy, you assumed was her twin. Behind them, a man and a woman, who Wanda looked just like. You can't help but smile at the family photo and turn your head to the next picture frame. An older, grown-up Pietro with dirty blonde hair this time, his arm around a red-

Your stomach drops.

Your skin was burning, your entire body setting off an alarm.

With shaking hands, you grab the picture, stand up, and will yourself to take another look. An older, grown-up Pietro with dirty blonde hair, with his arm wrapped around a red-headed Wanda.

You walk only a step away from the desk, feeling like you were about to faint. The room began to spin. You set the frame down and grab the journal, skimming over the pages. Certain words catch your eye:

"Run." A menacing whisper, a familiar tone.

Behind the mask, under the hood, red strands of hair peak out.

The shadow kneels down, a gloved hand reaching up to brush their thumb across your lips.

"Such a pretty little mouse.." The shadow whispers.

You throw the journal across the room. Your hands move to the desk, opening the patient files. Empty, all of them. Blank pieces of paper to bulk them up. You throw them, scattering paper throughout the office. Your hands then reach for the picture frame, staring at the photo of Wanda and her twin. You think of the sessions you spent with her, back to last night. How could you be so blind?

Your shadow appeared a few months after your fling with Wanda, but then they disappeared? Wandas' voice filled your head.

"Last year I had to go home for quite a while to help out my brother, Pietro."

You need to leave. You need to get out of here right now. Everything in you was screaming.

A noise at the door causes you to jump, and the picture frame you held falls to the ground, glass breaking at your feet. Wanda stands in the doorway, sipping a cup of coffee. She was dressed in dark jeans and hoodie, casual.

"I thought the red would be a little more dramatic. It reminded me of that picture," she points to the photo on the floor in the now broken frame. You don't dare to move. Wanda takes another sip of coffee. "We went through a little rebellious phase, dyed our hair."

"Wanda.." You beg, taking a step back. She steps into the room and broken glass crunches beneath her shoes.

"Yes, little mouse?" Wandas crooked smile returns, a shiver up your spine. You close your eyes shut at her words, opening them back up to see her set her mug on the desk.

"It-It was you?" You rasp, hands reaching for the wall behind you.

"Of course it was. Come on, Y/N. You knew, deep down. You hid it from yourself.. Victimized yourself. When, in reality, you were begging for it. You told me you needed me.." Wanda blinks, speaking like it was a casual conversation on a cool Sunday morning.

She takes another step towards you, but you move along the wall away from her. Your head shakes furiously from side to side, anger building up inside of you. Wanda tilts her head to the side, a smile still on her face.

"Admit it," she beckons.

"Oh, fuck you, Wanda! Y-You played with my head, broke into my house!"

"And you enjoyed it! You told me you did, darling. Did you forget?" Her hands reach to her desk, pulling a drawer open and grabbing a file. Wanda throws it in your direction, landing on the floor in front of you. "I felt.. excitement.." She quotes you from one of her sessions.

You reach down quickly, not taking your eyes off of the dangerous woman in front of you, and grab the file. It was yours. Filled with confessions, quotes, everything you spoke to her about.

"You wanted someone, me, to bring you back. Give you a purpose." Wanda shakes her head at you.

"What fucking purpose, Wanda? So what, we meet at a-a fucking Christmas party and you think you can stalk me?" Your hands fumble with the file. Wandas demeanor changes at this, her slowly smile fading.

"We met before Natashas party." Her tone is harsh, you take another step away.

You try to think, but your mind is racing, trying to think of any moment in your life you had met Wanda. Surely you would have remembered. You were frightened, but you'd be stupid to say she wasn't beautiful. Hand picked from the Gods. You would have remembered.. why can't you remember?

"Wanda, just let me leave, okay? I won't tell anyone," you try to reason with her. She laughs loudly, the sound filling the room.

"Oh, little mouse. No one will believe you anyway! They didn't before, why would they now? Believe what - a woman with a history of mental illness? Someone who threatened to shoot her neighbors before trying to blow a hole in her head?" Wanda laughs again, shaking her head. "Over your psychiatrist, who has already documented each and every session. Filed away and reported accordingly."

"I waved that gun around because of you! You made me feel that way!" You yell at her, but Wanda only smirks.

"We both know that's not why.. Just admit it, Y/N," her voice is soft, but the look in her eyes is enough to know she's anything but. You look at her, confused. "Admit that you enjoy our little game," Wanda steps forward.

"What game, Wanda?" You don't move from the wall as she steps up to you. Your heart races out of your chest.

"Our Cat and Mouse game," Wanda says with a smirk, your blood runs cold.

"Just accept the fact that you enjoy it, and everything will be so much easier.." Her hand comes up to cup your cheek, her thumb running over your lips.

You take in her words, you take in the way your body reacts to her simple touch, the way it ignores all of the warning signs in your mind.

You weren't crazy.

You had a shadow, and now she was standing right in front of you.

Your eyes move to the door, Wanda chuckles as you do and takes a step back.

"You can run if you want," she starts, reaching behind her back. "But I will punish you.." Wandas' hand returns with a short knife. A black handle with an intricate design, a sharp blade medium length.

'What did you feel?' You imagine Wanda ask you as she sits across from you during a session.

Fear.

"And when I find you," she continues, licking her lips. The crooked smile returns. "I will fuck you."

Excitement.

[wub-fur-radio]

Psychedelic Psounds of Pseptember 2024

Blowing in to town like a desert wind in a late summer California heat wave, Wub-Fur presents another rocking and eclectic streaming mix of new psychedelic indie rock music for your listening pleasure. Featuring hot hits and cool tracks by Ty Segall, the Shivas, Oh Sees, King Gizzard, Mountain Movers, Black Market Karma, Causa Sui, Meatbodies, and a half dozen more bands who know why the P’s are silent.

▶︎🎶 Listen on Mixcloud –or– Apple Music

Running Time: 1 hour, 4 seconds

Tracklist

Intro: Intro by Connections (0:13)

Can't Do That (5:21) — ORB | Geelong, Australia

Nightmare Song (3:09) — The Shivas | Portland, OR

Drug City (2:52) — Oh Sees | Los Angeles, CA

Field of Vision (3:33) — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Melbourne, Australia

I Hear (4:29) — Ty Segall | Los Angeles, CA

Oozer (3:33) — Black Market Karma | Dover, UK

Dusk Dwellers (5:14) — Causa Sui | Denmark

My Holy Shrine (4:06) — Mountain Movers | New Haven, CT

Daisy (3:38) — The Silk RailRoad | Portland, OR

Noche Luna (5:05) — Pez Globo | Argentina

Anthropia (6:59) — Karkara | Toulouse, France

Rescue (5:41) — The Asteroid No.4 | San Francisco, CA

Psychic Garden (4:45) — Meatbodies | Los Angeles, CA

Aurora (1:26) — Valley of the Sun | Cincinnati, OH

All tracks released in 2024 (except, if you want to get technical about it, the 13-second intro, which is from 2018).

[futfemfantasies]

Tillie teasing \\ Mapi Leon x reader

2017

Stepping off the plane in Barcelona, the heat immediately hits you in the face. After clearing customs and collecting the many bags you've brought, a woman holding a sign with your name and the Barca logo under it waves you down. You find out she's the assistant manager and that the team sent. After anxiously fiddling with your fingers, the car turns into Barca's training centre. Backpack in hand, you follow the assistant manager as you meet all the behind the scenes people.

When meeting the team, you look eyes with who you believe is 'Maria'. She smiles at you and holds her hand out for you to take. When someone starts speaking to the both of you, your hands drop and a subtle blush both of your cheeks. You nod as you got the basics of the conversation, something about you and Mapi and an apartment. A soft nudge in your ribs turns you towards the brunette. She holds out her phone and you see google translate on.

Looks like we'll be seeing more of each other beautiful. They are putting us in the same apartment.

You smile and point to her phone as to say you want to type something. She nods and you type away.

Can't wait gorgeous :)

After the flirty interaction, you both move to the locker room and field to check it out. Since you both don't have to participate in this training, coach says you can go home and rest. The same driver from the airport takes you and Mapi to the apartment.

2019

Throughout the 2018/19 season, you, Alexia and Mapi become the Aussie/Spanish trio no one needed but everyone loved. You taught them English and they taught you Spanish in return, allowed Barca to organise more media interviews in the 2nd language. Alexia noticed over the last couple of years how smitten you both are with each other so she decided now is the time to meddle.

"Hola y/n/n, are you free tomorrow at 7?" Alexia asks as she swings an arm over your shoulder.

"Yeah, why?"

"Maps, are you free?" Alexia ignores your question as she turns to Mapi on her other side.

"Depends"

"Great. I'm not so enjoy your date chicas!"

You and Mapi look at each other before laughing at what had just happened. You and Mapi walk to the car talking about who should plan the date.

Safe to say the date led to both of you confessing your love for each other and the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

2020

Before anyone realised, the world was shit down due to covid. You were extremely anxious the first few weeks as the area in Australia where your family and friends live got Covid first. Then you and Mapi saw how fast it was spreading in Spain. Mapi had been your rock through it all. She always was there to distract you from the news from outside. Since you were in lockdown with the rest of the world, you couldn't see your best friends from the Tillies so you all had to resort to Zoom calls.

"So y/n/n, what's up with you and Mapi?" Macca teases as she wriggles her eyebrows in a playful way.

"Nothing is go- hola bebé" Mapi leans over and kisses you quickly before you realise how she's dressed.

"Nothing going on my ass!" Sam yells out, focusing you back on the call.

"Okay we're dating but you cannot tell a single soul. I mean it"

"Oooh protective y/n/n"

2021

Early in this year, the Tillies had a camp in Australia for the Olympics qualifers for Tokyo. Spain had a break during this time so Mapi though she'd come and support you and you girls (but you didn't know that). Currently; you, Sam, Macca, Caitlin, Steph and Alanna are eating breakfast when the woman of the hour calls you. Macca looks at your phone and her eyes go wide at the name.

"Hola bebita"

You stand up and move away from the table to escape their teasing, oh how wrong you were. When you come back the girls are making kissy faces at you and you shush them before anyone sees.

"How's lover girl?" Sam asks with a mouthful of banana.

"Fine, bored without me I think"

"Yeah, I bet she is" Macca mumbles before being elbowed by Caitlin.

A few hours later, you all arrive at the stadium for teh game against China. You are in the starting lineup alongside Sam and Caitlin. For some reason you are nervous, even though you shouldn't be. You receive a text from Mapi of her decked out in your yellow jersey and dark green shorts.

Maps 🔥: not sure which one you're wearing so I'll wear both :) good luck out there mi amor, go qualify for the olympics <3 p.s. i love you princesa 😘❤️'.

You: we're wearing the yellow so your pants need to come off now? 😉 Thank you for watching mi amor, it means a lot ❤️ p.s.s. i love you too. talk after xx

With a boost of confidence, you walk out with your team and made sure you win. After the first half, Australia was still goalless, sam eas China. Going back on the pitch, everyone gives it their all then disater struck. China got a goal. 1-0. You gave Sam and Caitlin the look and you all work in overdrive. Meanwhile in the stands, Mapi was stressing. She knows how important this game and any Matildas games are to you. Normal game time finished and 4 extra minutes were added. You look up and see the extra time and yell to the girls. Within 2 minutes of that, you get a through ball from Caitlin and non one is around so you take a shot. You know it's going in but you check anyway and start running around like a crazy person. Alanna pushes you down and starts a dog pile. The game quickly restarts and then the whistle blows for full time. You wave out to the crowd and see the familiar neck tattoo. You run over to your mismatched girlfriend and hug her tightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Wanted to surprise you princesa"

You respond by kissing her and pulling away before too many teammates saw.

"I fly out tomorrow. Are you coming with me?"

"Of course, I'll change the flight tonight"

"Meet me at the hotel and you can stay with me" Mapi nods and gives you a quick kiss before moving back for the fans to meet you.

Little do you know, your best friends were watching the whole interaction. You walk back to your friends and they start making kissy faces so you walk away, making them look like idiots.

Back at the hotel, Mapi is waiting texting you every minute if you're here. You get inside and spot her instantly. Mapi feels two arms go around her waist and a kiss on her cheek, she relaxes instantly.

"Ready for bed?"

"Let me get my bag from my room and I'll come?" You nod before telling her the room number. A small peck and she's off towards the elevator.

You feel a sharp slap on you back and you look towards Macca, giving her a death glare.

"I'll stay with Lani tonight"

"Thanks Macca"

After going up to your room, you see Mapi waiting outside. You sneak up on her again and she give you a hard glare. The door unlocks and Mapi walks in, dropping her bag at the foot of the messy bed. Since you showered at the stadium, you get straight in bed signalling mapi to join you. You quickly change Mapi's flights and she's now on the same flight back sitting next to you. You cuddle up to the Spaniard and try not to fall asleep.

"Bebé?" Mapi whispers.

"Hmm?"

"I want to post us" You open your eyes and look confused and the heavily tatted woman.

"You want to announce us on Instagram?" You confirm and Mapi nods. You show Mapi the photo that one of the staff had taken and sent to you. Mapi agrees and you post it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

liked by stephcatley, samanthakerr20, caitlinfoord, mackenziearnold, marialeonn16 and 56,843 others

ynyln: goals and surprises… best day in the office 🤩🥺

view all 8,901 comments…

marialeonn16: te amo princesa x

Ynyln: my baby ❤️

samanthakerr20: it’s about damn time

Ynyln: stfu

Mackenziearnold: no more secret keeping… yay! Happy for you xx

Ynyln: love you xx

caitlinfoord: so you both can visit now?

Ynyln: we will, promise!

2022

Liked by alexiaputellas, marialeonn16, alannakennedy, mackenziearnold and 104,723 others…

Ynyln: six years later… can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together… te amo mi amor ❤️

[deathbecomesthem]

Flower

Continued here

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader - we serenade him with a "lewd" song

90s Coffee House setting - 1.8K

+18 ONLY - Minors DNI

There are usually butterflies flapping tiny wings in your stomach when you’re under the stage lights. Not tonight. The heat of the bright yellowish light is warming your face. You feel on fire. The song is uncomplicated, short, and straight to the point. Your only desire tonight is to burn for him, to look into his eyes from across the small smoke-filled room and watch his eyes go wide when he hears the words. When he realizes they’re for him. This dance has gone on for too long, your feet are tired and your muscles are sore. Tonight, the record will scratch, signaling the end of the dance. Either he’ll leave the dance floor with you, or he’ll find his rhythm without you.

–

Eddie likes open mic night at the coffee house. 5 years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea, whiny folk singers and overpriced cups of coffee. Pretentious and fake, not as real as the metal and leather he dons. It took him a while to realize he has his own uniform to wear, and expectations that go along with it. That realization opened his mind to the idea that maybe, just maybe, there are multiple truths. Maybe someone with an acoustic guitar in a small coffee house could tell him something real and important. Especially after you, his best friend, started signing up for spots once a week. 

Since Eddie moved to the city, you’ve been his lifeline. Meeting you in the apartment courtyard that first week made him believe he could do it. He could make his own way. He could spread his wings in a new place where he didn’t walk around under a dark cloud of suspicion. The following year when you moved to a building on the west end of the city, the two of you still kept your weekly dinner and a movie night. Eddie loves you, and he supports you. You do the same for him. You’ve never told him about the fire in your gut that burns every time he’s close to you. He doesn’t know that when you’re lonely at night, you close your eyes and think of him while you touch yourself. The flannel Eddie thought was lost months ago is laying on your pillow. You sleep with it like it’s a safety blanket each night, always pushing away the thought that it was wrong.

Tonight will decide things. No more pretending. You’re doing it your way - dramatically and with a song.

–

Nerves start to bite at the back of your brain when you step up to the mic, guitar strapped around your back, and don’t see the signature dark brown curls in the back of the coffee shop. Eddie’s late, even though he knows you like the earlier time slots. You take a deep breath in your mouth, and exhale through your nose, releasing some of the heat that’s been building in your chest. You’re changing gears rapidly, adjusting your mindset to perform the Patty Griffin’s Let Him Fly when Eddie barges through the glass doors at the back of the shop. His mouth is a straight line of frustration, probably missed the train again. But he’s here now, and he gives you a little wave. You smirk and look out at the crowd in front of you. It’s a good turnout, and you clear your throat into the mic making the low murmurs quiet down. A wave of silence moves through them until you have dozens of eyes fixed on your form.

“Y'all should recognize this tune. Liz would say there are layers of meaning here, but I think maybe, just maybe, she was thinking about one person when she wrote it, for better or worse. I know I’ve got one person in mind tonight, even if he doesn’t think of me. It’s for you. Every layer. Always.”

It’s an introduction to a love song, and the audience is smiling back at you. They’re waiting to be serenaded by the woman in front of them. You see couples with hands in hands. A thrill runs through you at this. You wonder if your performance will result in fucking or fights between these matches. You wonder how many of them are on first dates, and you hold back a laugh. You let it thrum in the back of your throat. But you don’t look back at Eddie. Not yet. You wonder if he’ll understand. You wonder, for just a flash of a moment, if this is stupid. Oh well. 

You move your fingers against the strings, searching for the right sound. You let it loop around once without bringing your vocals in. That first time wasn’t quite there. You clock a couple of flashes of recognition in the crowd, and a smirk on the face of a woman sitting in a booth in the corner. You risk a sneak of a look at Eddie and see a wide smile on his face. Yeah, he knows the song. You’ve played it for him. It’s not his kind of music, but the two of you have talked about the context in the larger album. You’ve heard him guffaw at the provocative lyrics. You look away before you begin.

“Every time I see your face I get all wet between my legs

Every time you pass me by, I heave a sigh of pain.”

You hear a man clear his throat before you move on. Brown eyes are boring into your face, he’s searching your features. This is what he does at these performances. He lets himself see and see you. The first time, you felt like crumbling. You wanted to melt into the hardwood below your feet. But now, you know he’ll understand everything. He’s observant.

“Every time I see your face I think of things unpure, unchaste

I want to fuck you like a dog

I'll take you home and make you like it

Everything you ever wanted

Everything you ever thought of

Is everything I'll do to you

I'll fuck you and your minions, too”

You can hear Eddie giggling in the back of the coffee shop. The rest of the audience is silent. You sneak a peek in the back corner and see that the woman in the booth now has a full faced smile. She’s loving this. The men in the audience are quiet, outside of the occasional sound of them shifting in their seats. It’s time now. These next words have a target. The man in the back of the shop, all denim and leather. His elbow is casually resting on the counter behind him, and the only sound, other than the strumming of your guitar, is the screaming of the frothing wand behind him. He’s waiting for his drink to be made. Now, you hook him. You catch his eyes, and you see his smile falter. You hold him in your gaze and sing the words that are for him.

“Your face reminds me of a flower

Kind of like you're underwater

Hair's too long and in your eyes

Your lips a perfect "suck me" size

You act like you're fourteen years old

Everything you say is so obnoxious, funny, true and mean”

The only thing you’re thinking while you sing is, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. You know he feels it. The room shrinks. He’s not shocked, he’s intent. From where you are you can barely make it out, but his eyes are searching yours. He’s checking. He’s not just listening to the words, he’s hearing them. Provocative? Yes. But also, cutting and real.

“I want to be your blow job queen

You're probably shy and introspective

That's not part of my objective

I just want your fresh, young jimmy

Jamming, slamming, ramming in me

Every time I see your face I think of things unpure, unchaste”

More shifting legs. Soft murmurs. Eddie’s eyes are black. You see his nostrils flare. Your fingers are as steady as your gaze. You keep him in the space with you. He doesn’t take his eyes from you, not even when the barista pushes his drink to the end of the counter. Not even when they say his name. He is mesmerized, and you wonder if he’s angry. But you’ve got a song to finish. So you do that. You keep him there, and you say your words.

“I want to fuck you like a dog

I'll take you home and make you like it

Everything you ever wanted

Everything you ever thought of

Is everything I'll do to you

I'll fuck you till your dick is blue”

The applause is weak. It’s scattered. The only robust reaction is from your big fan in the corner. She lets out a little “whoop!” along with a standing ovation. It makes you giggle. You bow, as always, despite the less than warm response to the controversial and aggressive song. And then you risk a glance back to where you left Eddie. Your Eddie. The paper cup, most likely filled with dark roast coffee and a double shot of espresso, sits lonely on its spot on the counter. Untouched. You stand a little straighter. It’s ok. You scared him off. That was the real goal, and you knew that all along somewhere in the back of your mind. You’ll take your guitar to your apartment and head out to the bar at the corner of your block. Someone else can fill the empty space for at least a couple of hours.

The open mic supervisor, Keith, has a soy latte ready for you at the bar after you’ve got your guitar packed in its case. He’s not supposed to encourage “lewd music” during these events, but his boss doesn’t need to know. It is the 90s after all. Any disappointment you might be feeling is pushed down somewhere deep when you step out into the cool night air. You’re numb. It’s ok, it’s really ok. You rolled the dice and lost. It’s not the end of the world.

Illuminated by the dim lights at the back of the parking lot, you pull the handle to open the hatchback trunk of your beater car. You’re letting out a huff of air in frustration to mask the pain that’s begun to shred at your chest when it happens. You feel someone standing behind you, close enough to feel their body heat against your back. You can hear them breathing. You fight against the instinct to fight, because your nose is telling you who it is. You set your guitar case inside your car and still yourself. You wait. 

Eddie takes a step closer. One hand slinks around your waist, pulling you into him, the other moves along the side of your hip before gripping the outside of your thigh. A firm grip. You can feel him hard against the ass of your jeans. His nose brushes against the back of your ear, and he says on an exhale, “Goddamn you. You better be able to back up those words, because I’m aching for you.”

[mysticstronomy]

WHAT IS THE GREAT RED SPOT ON JUPITER MADE OF??

Blog#415

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024.

Welcome back,

The Great Red Spot is an anticyclone, a long-lasting area of high pressure on Jupiter creating a persistent storm.

Located in Jupiter's Southern Hemisphere, it is the largest storm in our solar system, appearing as a giant red spot on Jupiter's surface. It has existed for the last 150 years, possibly even longer according to NASA.

The spot may have been discovered in 1664 by English scientist Robert Hooke or in 1665 by Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini, according to the American Physical Society. It is possible one or both men observed either the shadow of one of Jupiter's moons or a different spot. An illustration with a red spot on Jupiter similar to the modern spot appeared in 1831, and the spot has been observed consistently since 1878 when it was re-discovered by American astronomer C.W. Pritchett.

The Great Red Spot is an anticyclone, rotating counterclockwise once about every six days, according to The Planets, and produces winds up to 580 mph (933 kph), according to Smithsonian.

On Earth, anticyclones are created when high atmospheric pressure causes air from higher altitudes to be forced down. They are often associated with clear, warm, and dry weather. Cyclones on the other hand form around a central area of low pressure causing air to rise and are associated with cloudy, windy and rainy weather.

While anticyclones don't cause storms on Earth on the same scale as a cyclone, they can contribute to storms and inclement weather conditions, such as Anticyclone Hartmut during the 2018 cold wave in the British Isles, according to Weather and Radar.

Though scientists understand how anticyclones form on Earth, no one knows for sure exactly how or when the Great Red Spot formed, according to the Planetary Society.

It's also not clear why it is so incredibly long-lived, though scientists have several guesses. One hypothesis is that it is trapped between two opposite-flowing jet streams which act like two conveyor belts, keeping the Great Red Spot spinning on both sides, according to Insider.

Another is that the vertical flow of heat and cold inside the storm helps keep it alive. A significant factor in its longevity is the fact that Jupiter, as a gas planet, has no surface, and thus there is no friction to slow the storm, according to JStor Daily.

Originally published on https://www.space.com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, July 6th, 2024)

"COULD LIFE EXIST ON TITAN??"

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

'Imagine a lush tropical island slipping beneath the waves': Drowned island the size of Iceland found off Brazil

An undersea volcanic plateau in the southwestern Atlantic was a tropical island 45 million years ago.

In 2018, Brazilian and British scientists were exploring the seafloor around a volcanic plateau known as the Rio Grande Rise when they spotted rocks that looked like they belonged on dry land.

Watching video relayed from their remotely operated submersible 650 meters (2,100 feet) below the surface, unusual red clay layers caught their attention. "You just don't find red clay on the seabed," said Bramley Murton, a marine geologist from the National Oceanographic Centre in Southampton, U.K., who was on the expedition. "The deposits looked like tropical soils," he explained.

In a recent study, the team showed that the clay's distinctive mineral makeup could have formed only by open-air weathering in tropical heat and humidity. It's the latest in a string of discoveries hinting that this patch of ocean, 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from Brazil's coast, was once an island.

"Imagine a lush tropical island slipping beneath the waves and lying frozen in time. That's what we've uncovered," said Murton, who coauthored the study. He and colleagues think the island would have been similar in size to Iceland (about a fifth of the Rio Grande Rise's total area).

Continue reading.

Tagging @mindblowingscience.

[armoricaroyalty]

The climate summit had been a reasonable pretext to meet with Leonor, but with the talks concluded, Andre didn't have an excuse to remain in Bergstraße. He was still the King and there were things which had to be attended to at home, appointments that couldn't be rescheduled, but that final, glorious morning belonged to Leonor alone. Walking beside her, her hand in his, Andre was suddenly overcome by a wave of sentimentality. He could still remember their first meeting with perfect clarity: it had been unseasonably hot for June in Armorica, and all his thoughts were consumed with anxiety about the impending flight. He had been standing hunched, staring at the ground with head bent under the blistering sun, stewing in misery as the scorching heat of the tarmac radiated upward through his thin-soled shoes. When he looked up, there she was: Leonor Reyes, a stranger in a strange land. He shook her hand, which had seemed the only thing to do, and he saw in her eyes a reflection of himself: a shambling smile that did nothing to conceal the grief floating just beneath the surface. It had frightened him. She had frightened him. He had never imagined that they would ever be here, hand-in-hand, poised on the brink of a new life together. Another few months—a year at the most—and that new life would be theirs.

Previous | Chapter Start | Beginning | Next

Transcript below the cut.

Bergstraße, the Ionian Union // February 2018

PHOTOGRAPHER | [ offscreen ] It's definitely her EARPIECE | How can you be sure? PHOTOGRAPHER | [ scoffs ] I lived in Uspana for 5 years, I recognize the royal family. PHOTOGRAPHER | It's Princess Leonor EARPIECE | And it's just her? PHOTOGRAPHER | No. She's with a man. EARPIECE | So? She's had an open marriage for years. EARPIECE | A new boyfriend is only news if it's someone people recognize. PHOTOGRAPHER | ... PHOTOGRAPHER | ...yeah, I got no idea who this guy is. EARPIECE | No? Must be some finance guy or something, then. PHOTOGRAPHER | Probably. [ sighs ] Another eccentric billionaire with a philanthropy habit. PHOTOGRAPHER | He actually looks kinda familiar...but I don't know if I've seen him somewhere or if he's just got one of those faces. EARPIECE | If he's a finance guy, he's probably been in Fortune or something. PHOTOGRAPHER | [ chuckles ] If this guy's been anywhere, it's an L.L. Bean catalog. EARPIECE | [ laughs ] No accounting for taste, huh? PHOTOGRAPHER | Yeah...but the billionaire catalog model and the married princess? It could sell. EARPIECE | It could, if Mr. Mystery turns out to be someone. PHOTOGRAPHER | [ offscreen ] All we have to do is put a name to the face.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Queen of the Halfpipe 🏂 | Jake Seresin Imagine

Takes place before, during, and after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x pro snowboarder!reader (romantic), the dagger squad (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, profanity, | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 10k

Requested 📨 yes/no—for @gizmodear 🤍 (rules for requests)

Premise: Dedication, determination, blood, sweat, and tears. That’s what athletes put in when they say they want to compete on the world’s greatest sporting stage. Years of hard work that come with sacrifices. At a young age Y/n L/n knew she wanted to be the best when it came to snowboarding, devoting herself to the Olympic dream. Love wasn’t something she thought would happen for her as she was so focused on her career. But, as someone once pointed out to her years after she did in fact find her happily ever after, she was living in her own little Hallmark movie.

Note: ah I’ve finally finished and I’m so happy with how it turned out! @gizmodear I apologize for the long wait (i think you sent this request at the beginning of February) but I hope you like this and I delivered with everything you could’ve imagined 🥹 I really love writing the athlete!reader x dagger squad paring fics so this was so fun to write. I did so much research to be as accurate as I could since I am not familiar with snowboarding. I did watch Chloe Kim in 2018 & 2022 so a lot of what reader accomplishes in this fic was inspired by her so I hope you don’t mind that I did that (except the ending since the 2026 Olympics hasn’t happened yet obviously 😂). Please let me know what you think!

——————————————

“So one last run, huh?”

“One last one,” she confirmed, hoping he couldn’t pick up on the slight sadness in her tone. All good things must come to an end.

“Better make it count,” he encouraged her. “You got this, okay? Don’t think about it-like I always tell you: don’t think, just do. That gold medal is calling your name.”

“I better go claim it then.”

“We’ll be cheering when you do, babe. Go show them who’s the Queen.”

Some people like the heat. Going to the beach and riding the waves of the ocean. Others enjoy the rain. The soothing sound of water hitting the pavement brings comfort to their ears. Then there are those who prefer the cold. Not as popular as the other two. People feel the only way to enjoy it is by staying indoors to sit by the fire and watch the snow fall through the window.

Y/n L/n loved the snow. Having grown up in the mountains of Colorado, she was used to blizzards and snowstorms. But she loved it mostly because of the sports associated with it. You know, the ones millions of people gather across the globe every four years to watch at the Winter Olympic Games. Athletes who’ve spent their entire life working to achieve their dream of glory. People who are not even patriotic rep their colors. Children watching for the first time think, “That’s gonna be me one day.”

That’s how it was for ten year old Y/n Ln watching the 2002 Winter Olympics on the small tv screen in the living room of her home. It was a special year of the Games. Hosted on US soil in Salt Lake City, Utah. Taking place in the months after the country was met with tragedy following the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001. Not a dry eye in the stadium or on those watching from home as the flag that flew on Ground Zero was brought into the arena by members of Team USA along with the NYPD & FDNY.

The Olympic torch was passed by members of the 1980 gold medal winning hockey team, coach Mike Eruzione lighting the cauldron. One of the most notable teams in US Olympic history. They were just college students up against the number one team in the world in 1980, which ironically enough, was also on US soil in Lake Placid, New York. Anyone who watched them play could recall the chills they felt when the buzzer counted down to zero with sportscaster Al Micheals yelling, “Do you believe in miracles? YES!” Winning that game didn’t deliver the gold medal, no, it only secured their place in the final match. There they defeated Finland 4-2, shooting themselves into history.

Y/n was familiar with many of the sports she grew to love watching. Her family owned and lived on a ski resort, so the art of skiing and snowboarding came to her at a young age. She was around four years old the first time she went down hill with her father. By the time she was around eight she could do it on her own with little help.

While her parents enjoyed skiing, Y/n was drawn to snowboarding. More specifically, the halfpipe.

At a whopping 11 to 22 feet in the air and slopes between 16 to 18 degrees, the halfpipe brings fast momentum to snowboarders allowing them to perform difficult spins and skills as they pass from wall to wall. For the Olympics, 22 feet was the typical height of the walls.

The first time Y/n attempted to drop in on the halfpipe was at the age of ten. After watching Team USA sweep the medals in the mens and watching Kelly Clark win gold for the women, Y/n was determined to one day stand on the podium and be crowned the queen of the halfpipe. Nerves were present, as they usually are when one tries to do something they’ve never done. With her parents and a snowboarding instructor present, Y/n became the little daredevil she was and tried her best.

Of course she couldn’t be bold and attempt spins and jumps just yet. Surely that would end her career before it could even start. No, instead they would work on getting used to traveling down the slopes first. On top of that Y/n would have to unlock her inner gymnast so she could do the flips when she got air.

Her preteen years were dedicated to training. Homeschooling became a thing. Everyday she was out working tirelessly to the point her legs would ache. Often there would be a bad run where getting up from the snow would take an arm and leg to do. Balancing a social life as a teenager was impossible. Y/n pretty much sold her soul to snowboarding. But that’s what one has to do when they dream of Olympic glory.

By the time Y/n was 15 she was already making a name for herself after joining the U.S Snowboarding Team. She won titles left and right that people were coming to her family's ski resort just to watch her train. A competitor of the Winter X Games at age 16, Y/n secured the gold after her second run in the women’s superpipe final with a score of 83.75. Rumors speculated she was going to go for the 2010 Olympic Trials. Having just turned 18, Y/n was a leading contender for the Games.

But you know how there are always bad runs? Yeah….the Trials seemed to give her that.

Y/n was hoping to be the first woman to land the 1080 in competition since no one had done it before. Men had been doing the trick since 2002, not as difficult as some of the other moves they were keen to do. While practicing Y/n had successfully landed it a handful of times. So once she felt she was confident, she planned to put in her trial runs. Her coach insisted she’d wait, but Y/n was determined.

And unfortunately it was going to cost her.

After failing to land on her 1080 on both attempts, Y/n was left at the bottom of the leaderboard even with the lowest and highest dropped from her scoring. Embarrassed and humiliated, Y/n made no effort to hide how devastated she was. Tears fell from her puffy cheeks, the cold doing nothing to help. She tried to avoid the cameras but they followed her everywhere she went.

“Y/n, what does this mean for you going forward?”

“Are you going to train for Sochi?”

“Can we expect to see you at next year’s Winter X Games?”

Returning home from the trials, Y/n spent the first week watching the footage back to see what went wrong. Her coach of almost ten years was with her, scribbling furiously on the white board the error and how to fix them.

“You opened too late,” he told her, circling the area in bright red where Y/n messed up. It made her glare at the spot. “When you do that you come in contact with the snow much quicker than you want—that’s why you lost your balance and fell. You didn’t give much time to stop the momentum from spinning. You need to hit this mark—,” another red circle appeared just above the marked one, “to land on time on your feet without losing balance.”

“You’re gonna make me run this at least twenty times today huh?”

“You bet your ass I am,” he flicks the cap at her, “Now go get ready—we’ve got work to do!”

And so for the next four years Y/n worked harder than she ever did before leading up to the 2010 trials. She’d been snowboarding almost fifteen years at that point, nearly seven at the competitive level. 1080s were what kept her up at night. One of the most difficult moves in women’s halfpipe, Y/n spent the four years working to perfect it. Kelly Clark, the 2002 Gold medalist and 2010 Bronze medalist, ended up becoming the first woman to land it at the 2011 X Games, Y/n taking second place and becoming the second woman to land it the following year.

“Remember what I told you,” her coach squeezed her shoulders just before her turn at the 2014 Winter Olympic Trials. “Let the snow and air guide you, don’t guide them. Keep steady and eyes open—you’ve trained for this and you can do it, Y/n. Just do what you’ve been doing the last four years.”

Taking the advice sure as hell paid off. When Team USA marched into the dome of the opening ceremonies at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Y/n was amongst the 222 athletes representing the red, white, and blue.

Qualifications were nerve racking, but Y/n put her blood, sweat, and tears into the competition. The 1080 had everyone buzzing since it was to be the first time competed in women’s snowboarding at the Olympics. “Just get on your feet,” she told herself, placing her goggles down as she prepared to drop in. “Don’t think about it too much, just do it.”

“And here is 22-year-old Y/n L/n from Aspen, Colorado gearing up for her first run in the women’s halfpipe qualifications. This has got to be a big moment for Y/n, having missed out on the Olympic team four years ago for Vancouver. Here in Sochi she’s a favorite to make the podium after great runs at the Winter X Games, becoming the second woman to land the 1080–which we’ll see her in a moment. Y/n’s been snowboarding since the age of four—as one does when their family owns a popular ski resort. We’re excited to see what she’s got for us today.”

“For those of you watching at home who are new to competitive snowboarding, here’s how the scoring works. The athletes are given two runs—or attempts to score big by doing tricks between each wall as they go down the slope of the halfpipe. A team of six judges will then determine the scores through amplitude, another word for height, difficulty, variety, execution, and progression. The highest and lowest score are then thrown out and the remaining four are averaged together for that run. The highest of the two runs is what will determine their position on the leaderboard.”

With her first run of 90.00 and second a 86.75, Y/n advanced to the semifinals along with Kaitlyn Farrington, and Hannah Teter. Kelly Clark secured her place in the finals as the top qualifying score after qualifications. During the semifinals Y/n brought in a 92.50 and 93.50. Her coach was jumping up and down, her parents screaming and Y/n ran over to them when the results came in.

She was heading to the finals.

A silver lining moment was what she was met with after claiming a score of 91.00 following her two runs. Team USA sweeping the podium: Kaitlyn with the gold, Y/n taking silver, and Kelly the bronze.

At the press junket following the podium ceremony, Y/n could not stop smiling. Even when she was asked the question, “How does it feel to be wearing the silver medal after what happened at the trials four years ago?”

“It feels amazing as you can imagine,” chuckles erupt from all sides. “I try to erase the 2010 trials from my memory, but ultimately that is what made me determined to work so hard these last four years. Being able to represent Team USA and bringing home the silver medal alongside my teammates Kaitlyn and Kelly, who I’ve admired my entire career—and watching Kelly win gold in 2002 is what kickstarted my dream of going to the Olympics…” Y/n pauses, grin growing wider, “It’s truly an honor. I-I’m still coming down from the high of it all.”

“Y/n over here!” The athlete points to a lady, who proceeds to stand from her chair to ask, “I know you’re going to be asked this a lot so let me be the first to, are we going to see you in four years for Pyeongchang?”

Biting her lip, Y/n gave a shrug though her smile remained, “I’m gonna train so the hope is you will see me in 2018, but you never know in sports. Anything can happen. For now I’m gonna celebrate with my coach and my family who traveled all the way from the States with me and then get back to the snow when I get home.”

When one already has established themself as a name in their sport, with an Olympic medal, several national and world titles under their belt, then going bigger is to be expected. Higher difficulty in tricks, more air and speed, fighting with gravity to not fall on your ass. Y/n felt the pressure.

“You want me to do back-to-back 1080s?” She nearly dropped her granola bar, staring at her coach dumbfounded.

“You can do it,” he said as if it were obvious. “You’ve been getting so much momentum on the landing that you’re getting massive height on your 720. You can easily go for the 1080 on that.”

It seemed tricky, but Y/n wasn’t one to say no to a challenge. “Fuck it, let’s do it.”

The first time resulted in a face plant in the snow. The second time she lost balance and skidded the rest of the slope on her ass. Finally on the third attempt she managed to catch her feet, exclaiming “Holy shit! I did it!” Off to the side her coach was fist pumping, in a heap of joy for the athlete. Never had anyone successfully landed a back-to-back 1080. But Y/n did in a fucking practice run. “Pyeongchang, here I come!”

When Y/n landed the movements at the 2018 Olympic trials, she was the highlight of the competition.

“The 2014 silver medalist in this event, Y/n L/n dropping in. Great start—setting up for her 1080….beautiful landing—she’s been working hard to perfect and—-OH! Oh my gosh she just did another one!! Did we just witness what I think we did? Holy moly folks I don’t believe it—Y/n L/n has just done the impossible with back-to-back 1080s in a single run!! That’s gonna have a massive score I can already tell.”

Adrenaline was pumping through her veins like never before when Y/n came down from the slope after her final move. Giggling like a maniac, her hands covered her mouth as the crowd roared around her. Her coach was going crazy, as were her friends and family who came out to support. A score of 95.00 sent the audience into a frenzy. And even with her second run, there was no doubt in anyone's mind.

Y/n was heading for Pyeongchang.

“It was a successful Olympic Trials this past week with 241 athletes from across the country qualifying for Team USA in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team USA will be competing in 15 sports, with many returning to the stage—including two time gold-medalist in the Men’s halfpipe, Shaun White, and 2010 Olympic champion of the women’s downhill in skiing, Lindsey Vonn. The women’s hockey team is looking to return to glory after not having won the gold since Nagano in 1998–the team claiming either silver or bronze in the past Games. There’s been a lot of excitement among supporters for returning Olympian Y/n L/n, who will be competing in the women’s halfpipe once again—L/n was the 2014 silver medalist in the event and became the talk of the trials when she completed back-to-back 1080s in her first run of the final competition, securing her place on Team USA with a massive score of 95.00. L/n has stated she will be attempting the 1080 duo at these Games. If she can pull out a score like she did at the trials of even higher, we could be looking at a new Queen of the Halfpipe.”

For the Games in Pyeongchang, each competitor would do two runs in qualifications and those who make it to the final will get three chances to produce a big score. It was smooth sailing to the finals for Y/n. Both runs received a score of 90.00, making her the top qualifier and securing one of twelve spots in the final.

February 13, 2018 was the best day of Y/n’s life.

It was a beautiful morning in South Korea. Sun beaming down with clear skies making the snow sparkle. Y/n was the last contestant in each rotation, spending the time in between her runs to keep her mind at ease. The playlist she made was blasting through the headphones she wore, a mix of genres that included artists like AC/DC, One Direction, and Beyoncé. Sometimes the cameramen would catch a glimpse of her dancing while mouthing the words to the songs, making viewers at home and the NBC commentators chuckle. Throughout the competition people were tweeting about the athlete:

@ sassycassie: @Y/nlikesthesnow is such a mood at the @Olympics. I wonder what’s on her playlist.

@TeamUSA✔️: we’re all jamming with @Y/nlikesthesnow.

@Marvelicious: Petition for the @Olympics to include music in the halfpipe from here on out.

When it came time for her run, Y/n rolled her neck, said a mental prayer, and dropped in once she was given the green light. Her heart was racing by the time she finished her first run, which did not get a good score due to falling on her second 1080. A rocky start to her competition, the number came back a 41.00.

Quickly the athlete brushed it off. “There’s still two more,” she told herself, approaching her coach who voiced the same thing. Two more chances to score big. All she needed to do was land the 1080s and get high altitude on her 720 and backside 900. Once that happened the gold medal was practically hers.

And she did just that.

On her second run, Y/n delivered what everyone was on the edge of their seats for. She screamed in victory going into her 720 because she had landed the second 1080 perfectly. Letting the remainder of the slopes guide her, Y/n finished her run with a beautiful 900 and shot her arms into the air, the people in the audience cheering. When she crossed the line she fell to her knees, board still attached to her feet and let out a cry of joy.

“Wow, wow, wow! That was absolutely incredible! She completed the back-to-back 1080s—I know we already saw it in the qualifications, but seeing it today was even better—and that 900 was massive, she could’ve thrown in a third! Look at Y/n, she’s taking it all in—the fans are going crazy, Team USA are already celebrating. And we still have one more run left! Remember the judges drop the highest and lowest scores and it looks like it’s gonna be……A 98.75!!! THAT IS HUGE—THE HIGHEST WE’VE SEEN YET!!”

Y/n was doing her best not to cry when her coach and parents hauled her into a group hug. There was still one more run to do, but it would be her victory lap no doubt. No way would anyone be able to touch her score.

Smiling the entire time, Y/n was effortless in her final attempt. One couldn’t even call it an attempt when she was already the gold medalist. The remaining competitors had already gone, none close to the number she produced in the second run. Tears finally flowed when she finished her 900, coming to the end of the slope and unclamping her board before dropping to the snow. The sound of the cheers was so loud she could feel the vibration.

Cameramen surrounded the athlete. Feeling giddy she made a snow angel, laughing the entire time.

When the score came back a 93.50, Y/n was officially named the Olympic champion of the women’s halfpipe. She wasn’t the only member from Team USA on the podium, Arielle Gold claimed the bronze, pushing out 2002 Gold Medalist Kelly Clark by nearly two full points. Liu Jiayu was the silver medalist.

At the podium ceremony Y/n felt like she was in a dream. Even when the announcer said, “Gold medalist and Olympic Champion, from the United States of America, Y/n L/n!!” With the medal placed around her neck and the sound of the national anthem echoing for all ears to hear, Y/n thought she’d wake up in her bed and it would have all been a dream.

But it was far from a dream. The press conference assured that. Reporters and journalists from sports magazines and media swarmed the place, Y/n more nervous about answering their questions than performing tricks in the air that were life threatening if landed wrong. Several questions were to be expected:

“Y/n, how are you feeling after your big win today?”

“Can you tell us anything about your plans when these Games come to an end?”

“Is it true you and actor Dylan O’Brien have been getting rather close?”

“Y/n, are you going to train for Beijing in four years?”

Exhausted and in need of food, Y/n kept her answers simple and minimum. “I feel like I could run a marathon—but mostly I could use some snacks. Oh thank you so much—,” A volunteer brought over an apple they had, and a reporter gave some crackers. “I feel even better now, thank you.”

“Well for one I’m gonna sleep at least a whole week,” chuckles rang out. “Then I’m gonna go see Black Panther since it comes out in three days—anybody gonna go see it? The trailer looked amazing.”

At the question of Dylan O’Brien, Y/n refrained from making a face, “Dylan is a good friend of mine—we met at the 2015 ESPY’s and he’s been to my family’s resort. Not to mention I was a fan of Teen Wolf when it was running. There’s nothing more going on, he’s a great buddy of mine and that’s all.” Internally groaning, Y/n could already picture the internet reacting to her answer. No doubt would they start shipping the two. Dylan would likely get a kick out of it, but like she said they were just good friends.

Responding on the topic of Beijing, Y/n said, “I’m very lucky to call myself a two-time Olympian and would love to continue my Olympic career so yes, I do plan to train for the next Games.”

The rest of 2018 was memorable for Y/n. She was invited to award shows and movie premieres, including Avengers: Infinity War, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure (which only fueled more speculation about her and Dylan) and Spider-Man: Into The SpiderVerse. She even filmed a cameo in the upcoming remake of Charlie’s Angels with fellow athletes Aly Raisman, Rhonda Rousey, and Danica Patrick. At the 2018 ESPY’s, Y/n was nominated for four awards: Best Olympic Moment, Best Female Olympian, Best Female Athlete and Best Female Action Sports Athlete. She took the latter three, in disbelief each time her name was called.

Her personality drew people in and many young girls were interested in snowboarding because of her. Within weeks she accumulated 500 thousand followers on instagram. People begged her to start a YouTube channel, wanting to follow the journey as she trains for Beijing.

“Hello friends of the interweb,” she waved to the lens of her camera. “You’ve been shouting from the rooftops and I’ve heard you loud and clear. Today is my first attempt at…vlogging? Is that what you call it?” Shrugging, she starts to walk down the hallway of her home. At age 26, Y/n moved out of her parents home shortly after her first Olympics—-having went pro—and bought a cabin on the resort so she could remain close with her family and coach. Plus it was where she trained—a nice little plaque on the entrance of the resort reading, “Home of Olympic Champion Y/n L/n.”

Fans loved seeing a more in-depth look at the Olympian. Y/n would do Q&As, give snowboarding 101 lessons, collaborate with Olympians from other sports she grew to become close friends with, and do daily vlogs of training.

“Hi, I’m Y/n L/n,” she smiled at the camera from where she was sitting, a pale pink background behind her. “And I’m here with Buzzfeed where I’m gonna be answering some questions while playing with puppies.” Clapping her hands excitedly, she grinned, “Let’s do this!”

“Was Snowboarding always your first choice when it came to sports?”

“Yes it was,” there was a tiny bulldog in her lap, drifting off to sleep while an excited lab pup was trying to chew at Y/n’s shoes. “When your family owns a ski resort in the mountains of Colorado, usually snowboarding or skiing is going to be the first sport you’re introduced to. In my case it was just like that and while my parents were more for skiing, I loved snowboarding because it was like surfing….but on snow.”

“Where would you be if you weren’t a professional athlete?”

“You know I haven’t really thought about this,” she makes a face that reads, ‘is that bad?’. “I’ve always loved animals so….probably a vet or a career that involved animals. Since I’ve started my YouTube channel I’ve grown to love creating videos and editing them—that whole process. I would not go as far as to say I’d be an Internet personality but I would maybe use those skills to go into film work. But in all honesty, I’d probably be running the resort with my parents. It’s the family business after all.”

“Do you have any tattoos?”

“I do,” flashing her forearm, the Olympic Rings inked her skin with tiny lettering that read, Sochi and Pyeongchang. “I got the rings shortly after returning from Sochi—already set on where it was going to go. The names were done after Pyeongchang. I have other tattoos on my legs and back, but this one is my favorite because it represents the dream I achieved.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Ooh we’re getting to the hard questions now,” she laughed, grabbing a puppy that was tugging on her sleeve to hold. “Ummm…..not really. While I’ve been in relationships I don’t think any has made me feel what love is supposed to be like. It’s probably why they didn’t work out,” again she makes a face. “I had a genuine care for them, but there’s a certain way people describe being ‘in love.’ And from what I’ve heard, none of my experiences would be like that. I hope that doesn't make me sound heartless,” Y/n shrugs, not embarrassed at all by being honest. “I got too much going on right now to be worrying about love though. When the time comes, it will.”

Well she was right on that. However she wasn’t expecting it to be sooner than what she thought.

Around December of 2019, Y/n had returned to Colorado after being in New York for a couple weeks for a friend’s wedding. Since becoming a bigger name in the world of snowboarding and in popular culture, the resort got more attraction throughout the year where bookings were full. During this time Y/n would help run things to get some stress from her parents. She’d train early mornings and late at night, leaving the middle of the day to assist in any way she could. Regulars who’d been coming before she was an Olympian would treat her the same, whereas tourists coming for the first time were usually starstruck.

Y/n loved interacting with supporters. Every smile she received and autograph she sighed was met with love. Kids would ask questions, the Olympian kneeling to their level to answer with full transparency. Adults would shake her hand and say they can’t wait to hopefully see her in Beijing. Those moments are what motivated Y/n to do her best with each session.

“Y/n, could you come here for a second?” her mother called out one night after Y/n finished her final run for the day. She’d just entered the lobby to say hi to her parents before heading back home when she spotted them with a group of people. One of whom looked very familiar.

Removing her scarf from face and pulling the hood down, Y/n was met with several pairs of eyes that immediately went wide. She could imagine why, considering there was a huge photo of her with the gold medal framed on the wall dedicated to the gallery of famous visitors the resort had.

Moving closer, she noticed that the group consisted of about eight people, seven of which were guys and one lady. The older gentleman who appeared to be roughly her father’s age was beaming at her. Quickly he was introduced by her mother.

“Y/n, I don’t if you remember since it’s been so long, but this is Pete Mitchell. He and your dad go way back and he’s visited a few times since we took over this place.”

Now the face brought memories with the mention of his name. Grinning, Y/n shook the hand that was extended to her, “Yeah, I remember. Maverick, right?”

“That’s right,” he smiled. “Wow, it’s great to see you again. Congrats on everything you’ve accomplished, Y/n. I’ve been watching you compete since your first trials.”

“Thank you,” she tries not to look flustered. “Sorry for looking so busted—I just finished a run and was not expecting a reunion so soon.” The words have the older adults chuckling. Glancing behind Pete’s shoulder, Y/n nodded to his companions, which had the pilot scurry to introduce them.

Pointing to each person, he lists off, “these are my lieutenants and members of my Top Gun striker team. Bradley Bradshaw, Natasha Trace, Robert Floyd, Mickey Garcia, Reuben Fitch, Javy Machado, and Jake Seresin.”

As he calls their names they each go to shake Y/n’s hand, saying, “nice to meet you.” When she gets to the last person, Jake, Y/n feels a light spark as their skin touches, making both of them flinch.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” the tinge of a southern accent nearly makes her knees go weak, a dazzling smile to compliment the pilot.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” she returns before moving back to stand beside her parents. “Thank you all for your service. What brings you to Aspen?”

“Well we’ve seen enough of the beach and ocean—now that we’re all stationed in Miramar—and thought we’d like a scene change,” Pete explained, gesturing to her parents. “I called your folks up after our assignment to book us a getaway since these guys were in need of a break. We’re here for the weekend to hit the slopes—and teach some of them how to ski.”

“Fun,” she hums, glancing to see some nervous eyes among Bob, Javy, Mickey, and Jake. When she caught Jake’s gaze he smiled at her, making her look away before she blushed. “Who all knows how to ski?”

“Reuben, Nat, and I do,” Rooster answered, “this is the first time those clowns are seeing snow.”

“I’ll have you know, Bradshaw,” Jake lifts a hand, giving a mocking glare. “I have seen snow, but seeing as I am a Texas man we don’t get it down there.”

“I get snow where I’m from,” Bob interjects, blushing a bit, “But I was the type to stay indoors when it did. I’ve never skied though.”

“Well there is a first for everything,” Y/n beams, “and once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. Although I’m probably not the best judge…..since I pretty much live on the snow.”

“I personally wanna try snowboarding,” Nat admits, smiling when Y/n gives her a thumbs up and mouths, “good choice.”

“I’ll do it if you do it,” Mickey says and the two high five.

“Maybe Y/n can give you some pointers” Y/n’s dad suggested, glancing at her with a tilt of the head. “She’d be the best teacher here.” The Olympian smiles, offering a light shrug.

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Mickey and Nat nearly turned into school children right there, but where Nat was calm on the exterior, Mickey was unleashing his inner fanboy.

“If it’s not out of your way—.”

“Oh my God, to be trained by an Olympic gold medalist? Life goal complete.”

Y/n couldn’t help but giggle at the man, “That settles it then. I hope to see you on the slopes first thing tomorrow morning. How does ten sound?”

“Shit that means we get to sleep in,” Reuben said in relief, the others making the same expression. At Y/n’s confusion he adds, “we normally all get up at four in the morning. Ten o’clock is a dream.”

“I know what you mean—I get up at five for training. So I would definitely want you all to get a good night’s rest. Hours on the slopes will have you running to your bed,” checking her watch, Y/n lets out a yawn, chuckling when she finishes. “Speaking of running to bed, I am beat if you haven’t noticed.” She goes to shake their hand once more, “It was so nice meeting you all and I look forward to tomorrow. Pete, it was great seeing you again.”

Saying goodbye to the group and her parents, Y/n waves one last time and heads to the door. The entire short drive to her home, her mind wanders to Jake. A warm feeling she couldn’t describe boiled in her chest, not sure if it was a little crush or just that she was attracted to him. With his green eyes, sun kissed skin, blonde hair, and dazzling smile, the man was a looker. She definitely could see him being a charmer, maybe even a playboy.

She didn’t want to think about that possibility.

Compared to her snowboarding career, relationships were something Y/n didn’t have the best record with. Yeah she dated, shared a kiss or two with someone she was interested in, but she never saw someone more than five to six months. It wasn’t easy to balance time and energy for a partner. Snowboarding was her life and she permanently lived in Colorado. She stopped dating people in Aspen because they usually were driven by what Y/n could bring them. Relationships with fellow athletes were more difficult since they were dedicated to their sport just like she was to hers. The one time she did get involved with an athlete lasted less than two weeks.

Then you had the people in Hollywood. Since winning the silver in 2014, Y/n made plenty of friends in the film and movie industry. Anytime she was pictured with someone it sparked rumors. Even when they were with a group of friends it didn’t stop the gossip. Y/n did, however, get involved with an actor that was a friend of Dylan O’Brien. He introduced them at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards where they hit it off. It only lasted five months but it was enough to get the internet buzzing with excitement.

Since then Y/n hadn’t been serious with someone, focusing solely on training for the Beijing Olympics. As the defending Olympic champion in the halfpipe Y/n was determined to defend her title. There wouldn’t be any time for romance.

But that weekend left Y/n with a newfound feeling. One she wanted to keep the more she got to know Jake. Each night he was at the resort they’d meet at the lounge to have a drink, sometimes with a group, or by themselves. They’d catch each other in the mornings to get coffee, Y/n feeling the giddiness rise each time with every conversation. The boys caught on quickly what was happening, going as far to joke with Y/n about his history with women.

Her confidence dropped a bit, but Jake shut it down instantly, “I haven’t been with anyone in about a year. And I wouldn’t want something with you to be one and done, Y/n. I want to get to know you better and see where this goes.”

“Jake, how would this even work?” The two were sitting on one of the lounge couches the night before he was set to return to California. It was a good point to bring up. With him being in San Diego and her in Aspen, it would be difficult. “I like you and have enjoyed our time this weekend—a-and I’d love to see where this goes….but being with me isn’t easy.”

“Why’s that?” He asked, oblivious to her concern.

She gives him a knowing look, “Well first there’s the distance like I mentioned. But also I’m in a career where I prioritize that more than anything. I have to go out of the country for competitions several times a year,” her hand makes a motion to show emphasis. “This is where I train—and I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. My goal is to make it to the Olympics again.”

Jake is quiet for a moment. It worries Y/n, thinking that he was going to get up and leave without another word. But then he gently places a hand on top of hers that was resting on her lap, “I admire and respect you for being honest with me. Not many people are like that—hell, Lord knows I wasn’t five years ago. But even though it may be difficult, I don’t want to avoid it just because of the ‘what if’s’. So it doesn’t work out, that’s okay, but I’d like to at least try.”

Biting her lip, she looks at their hands, “You sure?”

“I’m sure,” he smiles, “plus it gives me a reason to continue coming out here. I think I’ve fallen in love with this place,” glancing around the building, his smile gets bigger at the sight of the sun setting making the mountains look beautiful from where they were. “Being from Texas, we don’t get this type of scenery. I thought I wouldn’t like the snow but it seems to have grown on me in the few short days.”

“Well, Lieutenant, you’re gonna have to get used to it if you roll with me.”

“I think I can adapt well, darling.”

When the squad left the next morning, a little piece of Yn’s heart left with Jake. She didn’t believe in love at first sight but there was no denying the feelings swarming like butterflies each time they were together. FaceTimes became their thing. Usually a couple times a week with casual texting since both had busy lives. Jake then flew out a couple weeks later to spend New Year’s with Y/n, the two sharing their first kiss that sparked like the fireworks in the sky.

Y/n traveled to San Diego in February with Jake returning to Aspen in March. What was supposed to just be a weekend turned out to be Jake having to stay for nearly three months due to the world shutting down. The pandemic was something no one could’ve predicted. Both Y/n and Jake had to scramble to figure out what to do, her parents offering him a cabin to reside in since they had to close down the resort. The competitions Y/n was set to compete in were canceled, Jake having to work remotely with meetings through zoom. There was no indication if he’d have to return to San Diego and frankly he didn’t know how he would since airlines were shut down.

It was a blessing in disguise, however, because it brought the two closer. Jake and Y/n were able to do things together despite being confined to the resort. Since it was only them, her parents, and her coach on the premises, Y/n was able to still train and even taught Jake how to snowboard downhill. He told her about his career and what it was like being in the air competing against the speed of sound.

“It’s an adrenaline rush most of the time,” He explained one night as they laid by the fire, a random movie on the Tv mounted above the mantle. “You can probably relate when you do your runs. Not being able to really think and just let your body take over. Feeling a high that’s indescribable and praying it will end how you think it will.”

In the mornings Y/n would drop off breakfast and coffee to his cabin on her way to training. After his meetings he’d bring her lunch or dinner since she was practicing most hours in the day. The 2020 season was canceled, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t prepare for 2021. Athletes training for the Summer Olympics would have to wait a whole year, meanwhile the plans for the Winter Olympics in 2022 remained. Speculations already arose that by the next spring things would slowly go back to normal with the implementation of a vaccine. Jake returned to San Diego as soon as the green light was lit, mostly because the Navy was ordering him to. Airlines only allowed certain people to fly with regulations set to accommodate social distancing. It was a bittersweet goodbye for the couple, Jake promising to return as soon as he could.

Their relationship continued to be long distance for a long time. San Diego locked down several times preventing either from traveling to see each other. Y/n kept busy by training from sunrise to sunset, Jake running missions the Pentagon tasks the Dagger squad with and the two FaceTimed consistently. Luckily by spring of 2021 things did in fact calm down. A vaccine was introduced, both wasting no time to receive it, and making plans for Y/n to fly out to San Diego.

When she landed she was met with the clear skies and warm rays of the sun, catapulting into Jake’s awaiting arms after exiting the terminal. “I missed you so much!” She giggled as he spun her around.

“I missed you more, darling.”

Everyone welcomed her with smiles, the pilots excited to see Y/n again after so long. They took her to The Hard Deck to celebrate her and Jake’s one year anniversary and for her qualification in the 2021 Winter X Games.

“Excited to get back in the pipe, Y/n/n?” Reuben asked her.

“You bet your ass I am,” she clicks her beer glass with his. “Can’t wait for the world to see what I’ve been practicing.”

The squad cheered on Y/n from Fightertown during the Winter X Games, watching her claim the gold of the women’s Superpipe for the sixth time. Jake was the loudest, his reaction to her win captured by Rooster, “That’s my girl!!”

Flash forward to January 2022. The team rang the year in, Y/n joining festivities where she and Jake celebrated their third New Year’s before they all traveled North to Mammoth to watch Y/n compete in the Mammoth Grand Prix. The first completion of the year, it would be where the Beijing Olympic Team members were named.

By the end of the competition, Y/n was going to have to set an appointment with her tattoo artist to add Beijing to the list of Games.

“YEAHH!!!” The scream released, arms shot into the air as her name shot to the top of the leaderboard following her second run, the score a 96.00. On the ground Jake, her coach, parents, and friends were losing their minds. Rightfully so, they just witnessed Y/n make her third Olympic team.

“And there you have it folks, the defending Olympic champion in the halfpipe is heading to Beijing in her third Olympic appearance. Y/n L/n has shown greatness this whole weekend, proving herself as one of the best in the sport. There’s been so much improvement in her form—the Winter X Games this past year was the last time we’d seen her since the pandemic shut everything down, but that didn’t stop Y/n from getting ready for Beijing. She is unstoppable. It'll be an exciting Games next month, not just for the women’s competition—Shaun White will return to the stage for the fifth time in an attempt to defend his gold model.”

A celebratory party was in store for the Olympian. Champagne was popped and music blasting in the restaurant the members of Team USA rented together. All their friends and family were there having a grand time. Y/n and Shaun got pictures together, the internet calling them the king and queen of the halfpipe. Pretty much all of the dagger squad, minus Jake of course, were chatting up with the Olympians—Bob received a thumbs up from Y/n when she spotted him talking with Mikayla Shiffrin.

Halfway through the night, Jake pulled her aside, “How you feeling?”

“Good,” she breathed, still coming down from the high of excitement. “Excited, nervous, internally dreading the long flight but overall I’m happy.”

“I’m happy for you, darling,” he kissed her head, “You deserve this. After watching you bust your tail these past two years, I can’t describe how proud I am of you.”

Y/n felt a wave of love course threw her, kissing him softly as a thanks. When they pulled away Jake asked what was next to which she replied, “What do you mean?”

“Well…I hear Italy is hosting in four years.” She made a sound of ‘Ahh,’

“That’s what you mean.”

Jake quickly explains, “I just wanted to know if that’s in your sights. You’re gonna get asked plenty next month, so see it as me wanting to be the first to know……and because I’m already planning on being there if you do.” Unfortunately due to covid restrictions, Jake and her family are unable to attend the Games in person. Only her coach was allowed to travel with Y/n, meaning everyone else would have to cheer from home.

Italy wasn’t even on Y/n’s mind. After a career of over fifteen years and having celebrated her 30th birthday, the next chapter was something she thought about often. Jake was her longest relationship, the two at two years and Y/n fell more and more in love with him each day. While the long distance was going well, it would only be a matter of time before one of them would want to settle. Marriage. Children.

Going for a fourth Games was possible—look at Shaun. Beijing was his fifth Games, and Kelly Clark competed in five.

“Confident you’ll be around by then? 2026 is a long way from here,” teasing at first, Y/n felt her heart skip by the look she received. It was one of love, determination, and admiration.

“I’m confident in a lot of things, Y/n. And when it comes to us,” two fingertips come up to hold her chin steady, green eyes boring into hers. “I see a cabin with a front porch and gorgeous sunrise over the mountains as we drink coffee and reminisce over our glory days before the little ones left the nest. That’s what I see when I look at you.”

February 2026–Livigno, Italy: Final of the Women’s Halfpipe in the XXV Olympic Winter Games.

“So one last run, huh?” Jake squeezes Y/n’s hand, easing her nerves as she feels the metal of his wedding band on her skin. She had yet to put her gloves on, waiting for someone to escort her to the top of the slope.

“One last one,” her tone was laced with sadness, not doing much to mask her anxiety. She was one run away from winning a third conservative gold medal. Beijing was already four years ago, Y/n adding a second gold to her collection to retain her title as queen of the halfpipe. She was met with international recognition following the Games. Her performance in Beijing resulted in the first 100.00 scored in the Olympics.

On the cover of Sports Illustrated and winning big at the 2022 ESPY’s, Y/n was on top of the world. Appearances on James Corden and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Y/n not only showcased her gold medal, but a diamond ring on her finger where she told the world her love story with Jake.

“Hi, I’m Y/n L/n,” she waved at the camera, a MacBook in front of her and trying not to laugh at where Jake was sitting in his own chair beside the producer of GQ, videoing her with his phone. “Two-time Olympic gold medalist in the women’s halfpipe and I’m here with GQ, about to go undercover on the internet.” Opening the laptop, she shakes her head with a nervous grin. “This is gonna be interesting.”

Ironically enough, she chose the username Y/ndoesntlikethesnow. “I’m sorta scared at what Twitter and Reddit will bring. Just because….,” she makes a face, “I go on the bird app religiously so I know what that’s like, but also I’ve heard horror stories about Reddit.”

“I wanna know how @Y/nlikesthesnow managed to get up after planting face first in the snow at her first Olympic trials. On live television. If that was me I would’ve retired right then and there.”

The laugh that escaped Y/n was equivalent to a wheeze, sending Jake into his own laughter. Calming down, Y/n had to wipe her eye, “oh my goodness what a great start. Okay,” her fingers hovered over the keys, typing away with each word she spoke. “Thank you for bringing this memory up—it was truly a defining moment in my career I would say. Not only did it humble me, but had it not happened I probably wouldn’t have busted my butt as much as I did to get to Sochi. So it’s kinda sentimental now….though I do die inside each time someone tags me when they use the gif.”

Clicking send, Y/n clapped, “next!”

“Does Y/n L/n and her fiancé know they basically lived in a Hallmark movie? Guy comes to a small town and meets a local girl who’s family runs a ski resort and they fall in love in just a few short weeks. I think about that a lot.”

Both Y/n and Jake make a snort, “Jake is here with me now,” she points to though he can’t be seen. “We both love this question. And to answer it, you know it never crossed our mind that this was happening, but if Hallmark would like some inspiration for their next movie we’d be happy to give some.”

The wedding took place in fall of 2023. Shortly after Y/n made the decision to move to San Diego to be with Jake, finding an indoor halfpipe training facility to train in. She continued to dominate the 2023-2025 seasons. By the time she made her fourth Olympic team, Y/n became the most decorated female snowboarder in Winter X Games history and won the Mammoth Grand Prix for the sixth consecutive time.

Now in Italy for her final Olympic appearance, the pressure was on.

Currently Y/n was in last position, shocking many as she had multiple errors in her first two after being the number one qualifier. Eight years ago in Pyeongchang, her friend and former teammate Shaun White stunned the world when he went from the bottom to the top of the leaderboard in the final rotation of the men’s final, claiming his third gold medal.

People were itching to know if the same would happen to Y/n. Commentators and twitter alike saying it was deja vu happening.

Only Jake, the squad, her coach and family were the ones to know she would be retiring. Her last run marking the end of an era in snowboarding. With her first two a disaster, Y/n wanted to end on a high note.

“Better make it count,” Jake told her, cupping her face in his hands to stare deeply into her eyes. “You got this, okay? Don’t think about i-t-like I always tell you: don’t think, just do.” Kissing her forehead, he adds, “That gold medal is calling your name.”

Confidence filled her, Y/n lifting her chin high to show her determination. “I better go claim it then.”

Jake mirrored her grin, winking just as the volunteer was calling her name. “We’ll be cheering when you do, babe. Go show them who’s the Queen.” Giving one last kiss of support, Jake says goodbye to his wife, “I love you.”

“I love you,” she returns and he watches her leave before heading to the area where the others were waiting for him.

“How is she?” Javy asks him, adjusting the lapels of his coat. It was a cold but beautiful day in Italy. Perfect for snowboarding.

“I can tell she’s worried,” Jake takes out his binoculars, setting up to see Y/n take her place. “But she’ll pull through. She always does.”

“Welcome back to our coverage of the women’s halfpipe final here in Livigno, Italy. Y/n L/n, the defending two-time gold medalist is about to take her final run in this competition.” The title card appeared on the screen for viewers watching at home, reading: “Y/n L/n-Seresin—Gold Medalist: 2018 & 2022, Silver Medalist: 2014–Hometown: Aspen, Colorado, USA.

“It’s been a rocky day for L/n—failing to produce a big score on her first two attempts: 39.00 in the first and 49.00. She’s got one more chance to beat the 92.25 and is currently in last position. If you can think back to 2018 Shaun White was in the same position, managing to come back in his final run to take the gold. In just a few moments we shall see if Y/n can do the same.”

It’s said that your heart beats on average 60 to 100 beats per minute. That’s a normal heart rate. Throw in emotions such as anxiety and you’ll find it increasing. If a doctor were to place a stethoscope over Y/n’s chest as she secured the clasps of her snowboard, pulling the goggles over her eyes, they’d find the number of her bpm to be at least 110 maybe even 120.

“Don’t think,” Jake’s voice echoed in her head, bringing a sense of calmness. “Just do.”

“Don’t think,” she repeated under her breath. “Just do.” Maneuvering her board once she was giving the go, Y/n starts her decline into the halfpipe, dropping in one last time. Unlike her previous runs where she focused too hard that led to the mistakes, Y/n moved effortlessly like the board was in control. Back-to-back 1080s, her signature move. Getting high in the air she spun. Backside 900 and frontside 700. Opening at the right moment to hit the snow correctly and set up for the next trick. Showing off her talent as one of the greatest athletes of her generation.

Thinking back to her first time her feet touched a board, Y/n felt the nostalgia in her veins. It was comforting, masking the nerves it soon replaced. She was in her element. Picturing the mountains of Aspen and the snow she grew up on.

She could hear the crowd getting louder with each move. It fueled her, pushing the Olympian to get higher in the air, spin faster, and land perfectly. When she came down on her 1260, a difficult move usually seen in the men’s competition, Y/n felt her heart stop as she hit the snow.

It was a golden finish.

A roar ignited from the crowd, Y/n’s hands flying to her mouth, making her final descent down the pipe across the line and falling to her knees like she did back in 2018. It was so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts, audibly shouting, “Oh my God!” Desperately searching for her husband, she found Jake jumping up and down with the squad, screaming like their lives depended on it.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, Y/n throwing off her goggles and unclamping her board from her feet to run towards them. The fucking aviator broke the rules and hauled is ass over the barrier to meet her in the middle, catching Y/n when she jumped into his arms. “You fucking did it!!! You did it!!”

Suddenly their little hug was interrupted by her coach, parents, the squad and members of Team USA joining in. The score hadn’t even come in, but it didn’t matter. Y/n just pulled the comeback of the decade. Going from the bottom to the top in the blink of the eye.

“All eyes on Y/n—here she goes dropping in. Good start on the grip to gain momentum as she sets up her first trick. Here’s her signature move as we’ve seen time and time again…two 1080s often called ‘the cork’ and she’s had trouble all day with this—well no problems right there that was beautiful. Now with the backside 900….looking good—if she maintains this then the gold medal is hers. It’s gonna be that last trick, the McTwist, that could make or break this run…..no problems on that frontside 700. All there’s left is the 1260–very difficult we don’t see it in women’s halfpipe but Y/n is determined to land it—can she do it for the gold medal…..AND SHE’S GOT IT!! She landed it—oh my goodness that was incredible! That’s gotta be enough—there’s no doubt in my mind, Y/n L/n has just won her third consecutive gold in the women’s halfpipe after being in last place for two rotations—putting on a show stopping performance in the final run.”

“She knows it too. Members of Team USA and Y/n’s support team including her coach and husband are celebrating with her. She needs higher than a 92.25 to take the lead—will it be enough? It has to be…..A 99.75 SHE’S DONE IT! A QUARTER OF A POINT AWAY FROM PERFECTION, Y/N L/N HAS WON HER THIRD GOLD MEDAL IN THE WOMEN’S HALFPIPE HERE IN ITALY. THE QUEEN OF THE HALFPIPE REMAINS ON THE THRONE.”

Y/n’s lifted onto Jake’s shoulders when the score comes into the uproar of cheers around her. American flags wave in her face, a sea of red, white, and blue against the glistening snow. It was a scene she would remember in the years to come following her retirement from snowboarding.

The Olympic Rings staring back at her along with the American Flag rising to the sound of the national anthem. Gold around her neck, the heaviness leaving a lasting mark as it would be the last time she would be crowned the Olympic champion. Jake clapping with tears streaming down his face as she waved to him in the crowd. Her parents crying with him, the guys and Nat are whistling and jumping up and down. Pete in a side embrace with her coach and former teammates beaming like they were witnessing history.

In fact it was history. Y/n became the first woman to win the gold in three consecutive Olympic Games. From a little girl with a love of snowboarding who missed out in her first trials. To become a silver medalist and most decorated Winter X Games title holder. To a three-time Olympic champion.

She truly was the queen of the halfpipe.

………….

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan @caitsymichelle13 @poppyalice2001 @cutelittlepotatofry @luckyladycreator2 @americaarse @elenavampire21 @back-tooo-black

[starcrossedxwriter]

Falling Apart Part 1 (MBJ x Famous Black OC)

Warnings: lots of angst… pregnancy loss (but don't hate me! Part 2 is coming!!)

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably in bed, her hand going to wipe a thin layer of sweat from her forehead. The heat in their bedroom was sweltering, a rare and odd occurrence as she and her husband were a rare couple who liked the thermostat at the same temperature: ice cold. She glanced down, unsurprised to find him fast asleep on top of her, his light snores filling her ears.

She was his favorite spot in bed. It did not matter if he went to bed first and was sound asleep when she slid in, he always found his way to her and slept with half of his body draped over hers and his head on her chest. Even on the rarest occasion they went to bed upset, they still found their way into each other’s arms to sleep. Charlotte usually had no complaints though, he was her personal weighted blanket. She missed their sleeping arrangement when one of them was traveling. His weight provided comfort, his touch soothed her, and his body temperature provided the perfect warmth for sleep. 

However, tonight she only felt suffocated, literally. Her body felt disgusting, covered in the tacky uncomfortable feeling of sweat from head to toe despite dozing off in nothing but a pair of Michael’s briefs when she got out of the shower. 

She pushed against his heavy upper half, hoping to move him so she could cool down for a minute. However, when he did not budge an inch, all she could do was let out a disgruntled huff. Their return to the set of Creed meant her husband was at the peak of his physical strength. He still enjoyed the residual weight of Erik Killmonger and perfected his training for the sequel. However, that meant he was far too heavy for Charlotte’s weak arms to move. 

Despite how uncomfortable she felt, she did not have the heart to wake him either. Neither of the pair had been this tired in a long time. 2018 had been a hectic and wild ride for the Jordans, both of them enjoying historic but exhausting accomplishments. While Charlotte started the year deep into the award season circuit, which was fun in some ways but she found it more emotionally and physically draining than anything else, Michael started it with an intense international press tour. And they both only had a week at home together before they packed up to move to Philly for filming. And though Charlotte’s days on set had not started yet as they worked on the boxing choreography and filmed the training montages first, she found that she still could not get enough rest. She felt as if she slept all night and most of the day in between studying her lines and writing Bianca’s songs while Michael was gone and still was exhausted when he got home. It did not help that she was fighting a mysterious stomach bug for the last week either. 

And the only thing Michael cared to do when he came home from set was fall into a deep sleep until his early call time the next morning. And it was only week one. However, she knew this was their last stretch. Their entire relationship and marriage had been one project after the other for both of them. Once they wrapped filming, they both would get a break and they could rest. She couldn’t wait. 

As she reached for her phone to turn the temperature down in their temporary apartment, a wave of nausea hit her. Within minutes, she felt the very familiar and unfortunate churn in her stomach. 

This time, she decided, he would have to forgive her for waking him up. This was now an emergency. She combined her pushes with loud calls directly into his ear to force him out of his deep sleep.

“Babe! Babe! Get off me! Off, off, off! ” She practically yelled at him, part of her feeling guilty for ripping him from sleep so rudely. But she was in a race to beat her internal ticking time bomb and make it to the bathroom or any trash can before it went off. To his credit, despite the jarring wake up call, he rolled off her immediately. 

Charlotte ignored his groggy “W-what’s wrong?” his gruff, sexy, sleepy baritone not having its usual effect as she darted out of their bed, barely making it to the bathroom before her dinner was staring back at her. 

She groaned as her stomach forced any and all substances out of her body, her side cramping with the pain of each heave. She was so distracted by the pain of each heave that she did not even notice Michael behind her. He wrapped her robe around her nude body and held a wet towel to her forehead as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. 

“G-go b-back to bed, love. You gotta be up in two hours,” she whispered as she leaned her head into her hand, the other going to massage the sharp pain growing in her side. “I’m sorry. I’ll b-be ok.” 

“Els. Please.” While he appreciated his wife being concerned about his schedule, the idea that he could ever just roll over and fall back to sleep knowing she was sick ten feet away was preposterous. “What happened? Something you ate?” He grabbed a hair tie from the bathroom counter and pulled her hair back, knowing she would not get to bed anytime soon if she had to spend the rest of the night washing her hair. 

“W-we ate the same thing yesterday and you s-seem totally…” Her words were cut off as she was forced to bury her head in the toilet again. However, Michael understood what she was intending to say. And despite his exhaustion, he did feel totally fine. 

“This is the third time this week, Els. This and the fatigue… You gotta go to the doctor.” 

She leaned on the toilet seat, her body sinking in slightly with defeat. She was trying to avoid the doctor at all costs, her usual MO. But when Michael insisted, she knew better than to fight him on it. He was relentlessly cautious when it came to her health, because to his frustration, Charlotte was not. 

“I’m fine, babe.” 

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You promised we wouldn’t do this anymore, Els.” He reminded her of the promise they both made to make their health more of a priority.

Charlotte was no stranger to pushing her body to its physical limitations. It was Michael’s biggest pet peeve. He thought he was a workaholic but his wife often made him feel lazy. And like most people overly committed to their work, her health often took a backseat to everything else. And it was not just work, Charlotte would prioritize Michael, both of their families, and her friends over her health, often to her own detriment.  It was not that she did not take her health seriously, she did. However, she took the mantra “the show must go on” to heart. Unless she was unconscious or on a stretcher, she would always find a way to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Was it a toxic way to think? Maybe. But had it guided her for her entire career and life? Yes. Which meant, try as she might, it was not a switch she could just turn off because her husband did not like it. She performed and worked through countless injuries and illnesses that should have landed her in the hospital or doctor’s office but her mental will to perform outweighed the physical pain. And after one long and scary night in the hospital while they were dating, Michael did not allow concerning changes in her health or behavior to go unchecked for very long anymore.

“Fine. But it’s probably just a stomach bug or something.” 

“Then the doctor can give you medicine to help you feel better faster. But I’d rather know it’s just that than watch you suffer like this.” 

She was thankful for Michael’s assistance in standing as her legs had fallen asleep beneath her. 

“I know, I know. I’ll go to the doctor, promise.” 

“Thank you. Wanna get in the shower first? You’re drenched. Can’t get back into bed like this.” 

“T-Thanks, babe. I’m sorry, I-I know you have a long day tomorrow.”

Michael chuckled. “Can’t control getting sick, honeybee. Don’t worry about it. Brush your teeth, I’ll start the shower and grab you some medicine. Get some rest and I’ll make an appointment with the studio doctor in the morning.”

A soft smile formed as she watched him leave to find her medicine. She had truly found the most attentive and perfect partner. Most of her friends’ complained about how their husbands were utterly useless when they were sick. But Michael was the exact opposite. His protective nature meant he also took amazing care of her when she wasn’t feeling well. Though he could also be overbearing at times, it was a sign he cared and she loved it. 

She showered quickly and slid into one of Michael’s sweatshirts before he helped her get situated back in bed with medicine and a trash can by her side. She drifted back off to sleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow.  

Despite having to get up in two hours, Michael stayed awake and watched to make sure she was comfortable and resting. He could tell that her sleep was not particularly restful in how she shifted in their king bed uncomfortably. Occasionally, he reached over and dapped her forehead with a towel, noticing the beads of sweat reforming. 

He hated that he had to leave her all day the next day, knowing his wife was unlikely to actually rest and relax to fully recover. But he knew he did not have much of a choice. He studied her for about half an hour before he drifted off to sleep for a quick nap, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. 

***

Charlotte paced back and forth in their apartment, waiting with bated breath for the sound of Michael opening their door. He finished training just a bit ago and should have been walking in the door at any moment. Every minute she waited felt like a new emotion, a rollercoaster between excitement, anxiety, joy, and more anxiety. She continued pacing, giving herself a pep talk to increase her courage until she heard his key turn the lock.

“Hey baby,” she offered brightly. 

He threw his bag down and wrapped an arm around her waist, one hand going to cup her face as he examined her. 

“How are you feeling? You didn’t call me after your appointment. What did the doctor say?” 

“Yea, sorry about that. I didn’t call because I didn’t think it was news to give over the phone. First and most importantly, I’m fine.” She assured him, his entire body visibly relaxing at her words. “Doc said I’ll be fine to go to set on Monday, no issues.” 

Michael could not hide his confusion. He was happy there was nothing serious but that did not explain why she was sick. “Ok, did he figure out what was wrong?” 

“Yes. But there’s nothing he can do. Said it should clear up in the next month or so.” 

“What?? Nah, give me his number. Ain’t no way you can deal with whatever the hell this is for another month. And if he knows it’ll clear up, why can’t he prescribe some medicine or some shit?” Michael ranted as he walked to his bag to grab his cell phone. “I’m calling your doctor back home, babe. That’s fuckin ridiculous.” 

If he had not been so angry, Charlotte would have laughed at his agitated mumblings about a doctor he did not even know. She supposed she should not keep the vague answers going and tell him outright. She knew there was a cuter way to do so but she also knew Michael would not let a vague diagnosis stand for long enough to put together a true surprise. The lack of fanfare surrounding this momentous occasion would have to be forgiven. 

“Put the phone down, babe.” 

“Nah fuck that. Was the doctor white?? Cause they’ve been comin’ out with more and more articles about doctors ignoring Black women’s pain. I’ll fuckin sue his whole practice. And I’m gonna tell Steven tomorrow. The studio needs to vet these people be-” 

“Babe!” She grabbed his arm to stop him from firing off a million texts that could ruin a man’s career. She pulled the phone out of his hand and locked it, throwing it on the counter. “He can’t prescribe me anything or do anything because there’s nothing to do for morning sickness. But it should go away in the next trimester.” 

Her big eyes bored into his expectantly, waiting for the words to catch up with him. She teetered on her heels as she waited, Michael mouthing the words quietly back as if he had not heard them correctly. 

“Morning sickness… but that’s…” he scratched his head, his eyes growing wide with shock as he glanced down to Charlotte’s stomach. 

She offered him a teary-eyed smile, one of her hands resting on her stomach. “Surprise?” She chewed on her lip as she waited for him to say something, literally anything. “Michael or Michaela C. Jordan’ll be here in 8 months or so.”

“Y-You’re pregnant?” 

She nodded. “7 weeks.” She let out a yelp and a giggle as Michael grabbed her and swept her off her feet, spinning her around. 

“We’re gonna have a baby?? That’s why you’ve been sick?” 

“Y-Yea. Of course now it seems obvious. But I only got through half the symptoms before he told me I needed to take a pregnancy test. Given the timing, pretty sure it was the Black Panther premiere or your birthday,” she laughed. She eyed him anxiously, her hands clutching his forearms as she braced herself for an answer. “Y-You’re excited?” 

“Of course I’m excited. I’m fuckin’ ecstatic. I-I’m gonna be a dad.  I fuckin’ love you so much, baby.” Charlotte giggled as he peppered her face with kisses and his hand went to her stomach. 

“You still gonna love me when I’m hormonal a-and fat with swollen feet?” She laughed, wiping away her tears.

“I’ll give you all the foot rubs you want, baby girl. God, I love you so much.” 

Her head rested on his chest as he held her. However, after a moment he pulled back and lifted her chin to his eyes. 

“H-How do you feel?” He asked, so wrapped up in his own emotions that he did not even know if Charlotte was happy. He assumed she was but he also knew it was different for women, they had to sacrifice so much for almost a year to have a baby. And their lives were just about to slow down, he could not fault her if she was not pleased with the timing. 

“I’m excited. Nervous,” she laughed. “But I think it would be weird as hell if I wasn’t. W-we talked about this so much. The timing is a bit earlier than we planned,” she admitted. “But I’ve always wanted to be a mom and I couldn’t have picked a better man to knock me up,” he chuckled. “So yea, I’m really happy.” She covered her mouth and her eyes fell closed as she yawned. 

“Why don’t you go lay down while I figure out dinner? Cool with takeout? You gotta rest while you grow the next greatest actor of a generation anyway?” 

“You’re already choosing their career for them??” she asked as she headed toward their bedroom.

“Definitely. They’re gonna wanna follow in mom and dad’s footsteps, of course.” 

Charlotte threw back the covers and climbed into their bed, laughing at her husband’s antics. She flopped down dramatically on the pillow, the beast of sleep already coming to claim her again. 

Michael sat on the bed next to her, his hand going to her belly as soft snores filled his ears. He just held his hand there, mesmerized by his wife and the life they created together. 

***

“You know, I woulda gotten pregnant longgggg ago if I knew it would get me these pancakes on a regular,” Charlotte teased as her husband moved around their kitchen and cleaned up from breakfast. The sweet taste of apples and cinnamon filled her mouth as she took another bite, a soft moan escaping her lips. “It’s like a taste orgasm.” She wiggled her hips and shoulders as if to do a dance in her seat that signified her pleasure. 

All Michael could do was laugh at her antics. He had made her those pancakes before going to set almost every day that he had a late call time. It was extra effort, but worth it to see the smile on her face and ensure she was eating. 

“Anything for you.” 

She eyed him for a minute, her manicured hand letting the fork fall to her plate. “You know you don’t have to do this? I love it and they are delicious but you’re gonna spoil me… and I’ll be bigger than our house by the end if you keep this up.”  

Bakari shrugged as he picked up his cup of coffee after starting their dishwasher. He slid over to her side of the counter and into a bar stool next to her. His free hand went to her stomach. Though there was no visible bump yet, his hands seemed to gravitate toward her stomach these days. 

“I just like to see you eating so if I gotta make pancakes every meal to make sure you eat, that’s aight with me.” 

While the pair were happy about the pregnancy, Michael found it difficult to witness the toll it already took on his wife’s body. She could barely keep food down, which did not make her want to eat at all, and despite sleeping every chance she got, she still felt fatigued all the time. Michael was the only person who could coax food into her these days. And right now, his baby’s food of choice were his world famous pancakes. He knew the taxing schedule on set was not helping, though Steven tried his best to ensure Charlie had enough breaks and time to rest. She was not very good at taking them and using them to actually rest though, despite his urges to do so. He hoped that as soon as they wrapped, he could convince her to take it easy. 

“I’m good. Just a couple more weeks, baby.” At his raised eyebrow, she nodded to reassure him. “Seriously, I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to it. It’s fucking miserable and they don’t tell you that morning sickness is a fucking lie. It’s all-damn-day sickness. But,” she concluded her mini rant. “The worst’ll be behind us in no time.” 

Michael leaned over and whispered to her stomach, “Go easy on mama today, ok? She’s working really hard to keep you healthy.” 

He peppered her stomach with kisses, causing Charlotte to giggle. She playfully smacked his arm to get him to stop, her hand lingering against the taunt muscles straining against his shirt. Her nails dragged against the length of his bicep, Michael immediately registering the look of lust in her eyes. He would say he and his wife’s appetite was generally in sync. However, her doctor warned that hers could diminish or skyrocket due to the hormones. Lately, it seemed like only the latter was true. Not that he was complaining. 

He shook his head. “Honeybee… We gotta go. You know Steven’ll fine us both if we’re late.” 

Charlotte’s lips curled up into a sly smile, deciding that his words were a mere challenge. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him as she sucked on his neck, teasing his most sensitive spot.

“You ain’t playing fair, Els,” he whispered in her ear. 

“Like you ever do?” She gently bit his skin before continuing her teasing. “Now, let me finish and I’ll make that fine worth it for both of us.”  

This girl…, Michael thought to himself. He knew they both should be heading out the door to work. But when it came to his wife, he lacked all self control.

“How?” 

She continued to suck on his ear and gently bit his neck as her hand slid into the waistband of his joggers, his member already straining against his boxers. Her touch immediately pushed the thoughts of a fine out of his mind, immediately picking her up and whisking her away to their bedroom for a late morning quickie before set because he knew she would make it worth it.

***

“And cut!” Steven called out, Michael immediately pulling on her arms to help her sit up off the bed.  “That was good, that was good. But Charlie… I need a lot more energy. Feels like it’s dragging a bit. I think we need a couple more takes to sharpen it up a bit and then I’ll cue straight into the intimate part of the scene. We probably only need to do that one once or twice. We’ll take 10 to reset and then we’ll start from you coming into the hotel room straight through the engagement and kiss. Sounds good?” 

The couple nodded, Charlotte letting out a groan of frustration at herself as soon as Steven walked away. She was trying her best today, but she was pulling from a well that had run completely dry. She was giving it every ounce of energy she had and she did not feel like there was much else to offer her director and scene partner. And she despised knowing that her all was still not enough. 

Michael’s hand cupped her head, avoiding her face to not disturb her makeup, his fingers gently massaging the base of her skull. Her eyes fell closed at the soothing and relaxing touch. “You ok?” 

“Yea, yea. Just tired.” Her words were emphasized by a long yawn she could not stifle. 

“I can ask him to take a longer break?” 

“No, no. I’m good.” 

“You wanna eat something? Did you drink water today? Always forgettin’ to drink water,” he mumbled under his breath. He glanced around until his eyes landed on a PA. “Aye, can you grab a bottle of water for her?”

“Right away, sir.”  

“I already ate and yes, I drank water today, dad.” She huffed with annoyance. “I’m good, Bakari. I promise. Just tired and a bit uncomfortable. If it makes you feel better, I’ll call the doctor as soon as we finish up this scene.” 

“Deal.”  

Though he did not press the issue farther, she could feel his eyes on her from that moment forward, following her every movement, examining every action for signs of pain, discomfort, or exhaustion.  

She pushed herself off the bed as she saw Steven coming back to the director’s chair, a sign she needed to return to her starting spot in the bathroom. However, she only made it a step before a searing pain rippled through her lower back. 

“Oof,” she whispered, sitting back down, her hand gently massaging it irritably as she waited for it to subside. 

“Places!” She heard Steven call. 

This time, she was able to get up with no pain and make her way to the bathroom  and closed the door to start the scene.

“Annddd action!” 

However, as soon as she went to open the door, the cue to start their proposal scene, she doubled over, her legs almost giving out as another cramp,  this one far worse than the last, hit her. She audibly and instinctually groaned in pain, a sound that immediately caught her husband’s ear.

She did not have to say a word or call for help as she braced herself over the sink, Michael having almost ripped the door off it’s hinges to be at her side in superhuman speed.. 

“Els??” 

“S-something’s wrong,” she whimpered, doubled over in pain, her arm wrapped tightly around her stomach.. 

“Aye! Call an ambulance!” Michael called out, the entire set jumping into action as he cradled her against his chest.

“F-fuck… fuck, it h-hurts.” 

“Ok, Charlotte, baby. You gotta breathe for me. We’re gonna get you to a hospital, aight? It’s gonna be ok.” 

She merely let out a sad whimper of acknowledgement, tears springing to her eyes as she knew in her heart what was happening. She did not need a doctor to tell her. She did not even look at Michael, fear that he would be able to see it in her eyes. 

His fingers interlaced with hers as they rode to the hospital, he did not let her go until the doctor came in to examine her and ushered him out, an action he did reluctantly.

He paced up and down the visitor’s lounge, occasionally sitting to answer a text from folks on set or their families as they reached out to check on her. His constant refrain, “no news yet,” got harder and harder to type as the time ticked by. He wished he had more to give, and had answers himself. In between staring at the ugly patterns littering the chairs of the waiting room and burning a hole in their carpet from his incessant pacing, he tried to google her symptoms to determine what could be wrong. However, he only got through one result before he could not read any further. He prayed his suspicions and crude google searching were not correct, that this dream they had created, built, and made a reality was not being torn from their hands just as they had started to cling to it. But he knew God’s plan rarely aligned with their own. 

“Mr. Jordan?” A nurse came up to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

He almost jumped out of his seat. 

“C-can I see her?” 

“Of course, I’ll take you back now.” 

He followed after the nurse, his body finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other for the first time. It was as if he was approaching the gallows but no one had told him yet. He just knew it. He hated that, that feeling of dread that followed him down the winding halls of the hospital like a ghost. It felt like deja-vu, this feeling, this scene was all too familiar, a dreaded walk down a sterile hospital hallway to his wife, a walk he had once prayed he would never have to do again. That instance had a happy ending, however, he did not think he would be so lucky this time. 

He took a deep breath before pushing open her door, finding her alone staring up at the tiled ceiling. Her bloodshot eyes shifted toward the door at the sound of it opening, the young woman immediately sitting up at the sight of her husband.

Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. 

“I-I a-am s-so sorry.” 

Michael had certainly experienced heartbreak before in his life. But he was not sure if he had ever felt it shatter quite like this as he heard the brokenness in his wife’s voice. He could see her guilt and shame so clearly, two emotions she did not earn or deserve to carry. 

He sniffled, a tear escaping before he wiped it quickly. Despite the pain he felt, he knew hers was tenfold emotionally and physically. He could process his emotions later. Right now he had to be here for her. He wrapped her in a tight hug, her body sagging into his and her fingers clutching him as if releasing him would mean losing the last bit of composure she had. He placed a lingering kiss on the top of her head and held her as she sobbed, the couple grieving the loss of a life and their dream.  

When Charlotte finally stopped crying and the doctor returned to give them her prescription and all the after care information they needed, Michael took copious notes. He could tell that Charlotte was not fully there, her despondent and unmoving gaze at the wall across from the doctor gave away the fact that her mind was far from the small room in the ER. 

She did not cry or even shed another tear after he entered, her eyes the only sign that she had cried at all. Her face was neutral, wholly unshaken and unmoved by the doctor’s explanation of the next week or two of their lives and the pain she was likely to be in. The only comfort he could offer was a prescription to speed up the process. But he still recommended she take a week to rest. Everytime he asked her if she had any questions, the shake of her head was miniscule and she spoke no words except the apology she uttered when Michael first entered the room. 

And that trend continued well into the evening when they returned home and into the next day. She merely existed, moving through the motions like a robot, mechanical and unfeeling. She accepted his help without protest, offered no rebuttal to his suggestion for dinner, which she barely ate, and gave him only clipped one word answers when he asked about her pain levels or offered her medicine. Even his “I love you,” when he got her settled in bed went unanswered, though he knew she heard him, felt her whole body tense and stiffen at the words before she turned away from him to go to sleep without uttering them back. Her icy actions did not improve the next day either, Michael having far too many one-sided conversations as he tried to care for his wife. Her actions were cold, colder than he ever knew them to be. And when all he wanted to do was cling to her and mourn their loss together, it only compounded his pain to feel that rejection and be forced to contend with it alone.

***

“Alright, thanks Mike. Charlie is in hair and make up and then we’ll do two scenes in the apartment before calling it a day.” 

Michael did a double take when he heard his wife’s name, figuring that Steven had merely misspoken. He glanced up from his cell phone where he was taking notes.. “Nah, Els is at home till next week.” 

Steven glanced down at his call sheet. “Nah, she is here.” Michael nearly ripped the clipboard out of the man’s hands, his eyes scanning it until he found her name with a call time of an hour prior. “She’s been in hair and make up for a bit. She said whatever was wrong cleared up and confirmed her schedule with me last night.” 

Michael turned away from Steven and expelled a deep breath of rage. His hands balled into a fist for a moment as he tried to not blow up at his director and lose his job. However, he did not know who he was more upset with, Steven for not checking with him or his wife for pulling this type of shit in the first place.  

“Why didn’t you mention that shit to me?” 

Steven seemed totally unphased by Michael’s anger. He was a husband, he understood. But work was work and he would not apologize or feel bad for doing his job. “She’s your wife but here she’s a peer, just like anyone else. She said she was good to go. I can’t ignore that just because you disagree. She’s her own person, Mike. If she said she’s good, I gotta respect that.”

As if on cue, Charlotte walked onto the set. She had her script in hand and engaged in a lively conversation with one of the PAs. Her laughter filled the quiet set, Michael not understanding how she could seem so bubbly and energetic when he knew she was still in pain and grieving. Her body was still reeling from the miscarriage. Even if she would not share the details with him, he knew she was still in pain. No one on set knew the real story, the pair lying about what was wrong since no one knew she was pregnant. So Charlotte made sure to put on a show, even if she did not feel like it and even though it was incredibly difficult as she played a new mom in the movie. Even though it was hard to push through the walls of both physical and emotional pain surrounding her, she knew she had to.   

“Aye Charlie!” Steven waved her over. 

Charlotte sighed and excused herself from the conversation before making her way to Michael and Steven. She knew this was not going to be a good conversation. When Michael left the house this morning, she had been in bed resting. She had purposely asked Steven to make her call time later so she could leave without the watchful eye of her warden. 

It had been four days and though Michael and the doctors’ said she should rest for about a week, she just could not sit in the house by herself and wallow in their loss any longer. Besides, being at home felt like it’s own form of torture for the last four days, she and Michael existed like repelling magnets, orbiting around each other but unable to be close.

Charlotte knew it was her fault, she was doing the repelling this time around, not him. But she could not help it. Her guilt and shame ate her alive every moment of the day. That coupled with the physical pain she was in and grief she felt was a dangerous combination. And while Michael was dotting on her and wanted to talk through their feelings, she just could not. Every time she tried to find the words to speak to him, she couldn’t, the shame stealing the words right from her mouth. She could not even truly look him in the eye, terrified of what she would see in his usually compassionate eyes when she did and terrified of what he would say if they talked. He would blame her for not taking care of herself and his child and he would see her as the failure she was. It was a long time coming, she supposed, a fear she had suppressed but lived with since she met Michael. But she feared this was the final nail in her coffin, the disappointment he could not live with. And it would be a completely fair assessment, that was the truth in her mind. However, she just could not bear to hear those words from him, not on top of everything else. It was easier, better, to just avoid him. She needed an escape from all those feelings that plagued her so she decided to return to work. She needed that now more than ever. 

“Hey!” She offered brightly, ignoring Michael’s furrowed eyebrows and tense jaw, telltale signs that he was angry. “What’s up?” 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to set today? The doc said you need to be in bed for a week, Charlotte.” 

“Yea if you need a few more days, that’s totally fine. There’s still a lot to shoot with Mike and Florian that we can work through.” 

“No, this is the filming schedule so I’m here. I feel fine.” Her tone was short, hoping to leave no room for debate or conversation. However, she knew her husband was too protective for that. Her words might have been enough for Steven but they certainly weren’t enough for Michael.

Michael shook his head. “You are not fine, Charlotte. You need to go home.” 

“No.” 

Her tone was not rude but the word settled in Michael’s ear and immediately angered him. They never told each other no without explanation or compromise. 

“No?” 

“I’m gonna go and check in with the AD while yall work this out.” Steven immediately excused himself, not desiring to be caught in a marital squabble. 

Michael gestured for Charlotte to follow him outside, the pair offering polite nods to people they passed as they walked to his trailer, the only spot on set where they could have privacy. His door slammed shut behind him loudly, an audible representation of his anger.

“Fuck you mean, no?” 

“No is a complete sentence, Bakari. I’m good. And now I’m gonna go do my job. It’s not a big deal.”

“‘It’s not a big deal??’ You just had a miscarriage, Charlotte!” He noted how her whole body seemed to flinch as he said the word. “Look me in my eye and tell me you aren’t in pain.” 

As much as she wanted to, she could not. The bleeding and cramping still had not stopped, even several days later. The doctor had warned her but knowing it could last a week or more did not make it any less torturous. But that did not seem reason enough for her to return to their home. She would rather work through every cramp than lay in her bed alone analyzing what happened and what she could have done differently, and obsessing over whether her husband might leave her.  

“Exactly. I’ll call you a car but you need to go home. And if you’re worried, I can tell Steven what happened. He’ll understand why you need the days, especially considering the contents of the movie. You don't gotta do this.” 

The thought of telling their director what happened only enraged her more. “Absolutely not! We aren’t telling him or anyone else!” 

“Why not??” 

“Because he already saw me sick a-and I don’t need the entire set, and because people fucking gossip, the whole world to know my body is fucking failing at its one job!”

She turned away from him, letting out a groan of frustration at letting her thoughts slip out. Michael had a way about him, of demanding honesty and vulnerability even when she fought so hard to keep it to herself. That is why she avoided long conversations with him lately. Something in him always demanded she fall, and she was not prepared to do that and face his rejection. However, she did not notice how his eyes immediately softened as her words settled in the air, the word failure hitting him harder than Florian’s punches. 

“Baby, is that what you th-” Michael’s hand went to the small of her back to turn her around but she flinched away from him. She could not hear lies to placate her or make her feel better about what happened. They would not work. She was a failure, she knew it and so did he. 

“I said no, Michael,” she cut him off, sliding on a cold exterior to hide the one that wanted to do nothing other than crumble into a thousand pieces. “And I mean it. I’m working until the day’s over.  And that’s that.” She knew her words and actions bordered on irrational and he was not in the wrong for fighting him on it. But work, the bustle of set, was the only place she could retreat to where she knew she would not fall apart, where she could feel something other than the harsh sting of failure and shame. So she could not leave. This set was her life raft and she would cling to the flimsy sides of it tightly to avoid drowning in her own sea of despair. 

“Charlotte. I ain't askin’,” Michael's voice got low, the tone he only reserved for when her stubbornness reached untenable levels, when he was done debating or arguing. She always acquiesced to his wishes at that point because he pulled out this tactic rarely, only to convey how serious he felt. But her need for self-preservation outweighed her desire to avoid a fight with her husband. So she clung to her stubbornness, an ironclad refusal to yield even an inch. She squared her shoulders and took a step toward him, his body blocking the door. 

“And I wasn’t negotiating. Unless you’re gonna have Steven kick me off set or close the set altogether, I am not leaving. And I know you aren’t gonna do either of those things.” She gestured toward the front of the trailer. “Move, Michael.” 

The pair stared each other down for a moment, their first true stalemate in their marriage where neither of them would concede. Michael knew he would have to be the one to bend this time, there was no other option. He could pick her up and force her into a car but that was not his way. If she would not leave on her own, he very well would not force her physically or by embarrassing her on set. He knew his wife’s coping mechanisms were unhealthy and that a day on set playing a mom would only amplify their pain but he also knew when her walls were up. She had stacked them higher than could be broken down or through today, it was a waste of both of their energy. 

He sucked his teeth and nodded, sliding to the side to let her pass. She marched by him, only stopping when he grabbed her arm, his touch was cautious and gentle, his grip loose enough that she could remove her arm the moment she wanted to. But she lingered, made no attempts to rip her arm from his touch before he could offer a final word in their argument. His finger went to her chin to force her eyes toward his. He could see her trying to look anywhere but at him. But he could see the thinnest mist cast over her eyes as he held her there for a moment. 

“I know you better than anyone, Charlotte. And I know you’re hurting. Lying and avoiding that doesn’t do shit for either of us. I love you and I just want to help. You’re gonna have to talk to me eventually.” 

She sniffled and forced her eyes to the ceiling to stop tears from falling. 

“I just want to work, Michael. I don’t want to talk, I don’t want help, I don’t want to wallow in it. I j-just…” her voice broke as she hastily wiped a fallen tear. “I just want to go do my job. It’s all I have right now and that is what I want to focus on. I just want to go do that. Now please, let me go.”  

He immediately dropped her arm, the young woman taking a deep breath before she wiped a stray tear from her face and stepped out of his trailer without a second glance. Michael watched her retreat until the door to his trailer swung closed again.

Tag list: @certifiedlesbianbaddie @bangtanxmegan @reelwriter19 @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @hi888888sworld @msniaimani @destinio1 @lynaye1993 @chaoticevilbakugo @blackerthings

A/N: So we got a one shot of Michael pushing Charlotte away, seemed only fitting that we get a parallel situation with Charlotte pushing him away. Drop a comment and let me know what you thought and if you want to be tagged! Thanks for reading :)

[rjzimmerman]

Dozens of Homes Burned in California, as Wildfires Rage in the West. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

Fueled by dry and windy weather, three massive fires in Southern California have now burned dozens of homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee from communities east of Los Angeles.

One of them, in the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles, ballooned by Wednesday morning to 48,000 acres, from a few thousand acres the day before. The blaze, known as the Bridge fire, has destroyed 20 homes in the Mount Baldy area, 13 in the community of Wrightwood and six cabins in rural areas, the chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Anthony Marrone, said at a news conference. An additional 2,500 structures are threatened, Chief Marrone said, and more than 10,000 people have had to evacuate their homes.

“This is currently the largest active fire in the state of California,” he said, adding that the fire was not at all contained and that its cause was still under investigation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has dispatched the National Guard to help with evacuations, and firefighters have been deployed from Northern California as well as from other states to help with the conflagrations.

Another fire, burning since Monday in a rural area of Orange County southeast of Los Angeles, has damaged or destroyed several homes, automobiles and other structures in the El Cariso Village neighborhood of Lake Elsinore, a city in Riverside County. The blaze, known as the Airport fire, grew to more than 22,000 acres as of Wednesday morning and triggered mandatory evacuations and school closures.

“I could see where flames were coming up to my property,” said Joel Pavelka, 55, who lives high up on the ridgeline of the Santa Ana Mountains.

In San Bernardino County, the authorities said they had arrested a 34-year-old contract delivery driver for FedEx as a suspect of arson in the Line fire, which damaged some homes near Running Springs overnight and was still burning on Wednesday near Big Bear Lake. [The Line fire is about 23,000 acres.]

All told, more than 70 large fires were blazing across the United States on Wednesday, mostly in the West, as a severe heat wave blanketed the region. So far this year, fires have torn through almost 7 million acres of land across the country — the largest acreage to have burned by early September since 2018, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: @cssns19 MC "Face to Face in the Broad Daylight"

(This week in reruns celebrating previous @cssns works, we have a sequel to my werewolf, alternate season two and beyond fic from 2018’s @cssns offering. This one partially exists just because I wanted to revisit these couples and enjoy a bit more of their fluffy happily ever afters. However, they also get into some new surprises and challenges, and: is Rumplestiltskin still under control, or is he back to his usual scheming and plotting? If you weren't around back then, I hope you will give this a try and enjoy.  If you read it back then and choose to revisit it, I hope you'll enjoy the walk down memory lane!! Either way, I'd love to hear what you think!

Complete in 9 Parts

(Thanks once again to @branlovestowrite for the stunningly lovely cover art she did for this story as well. I still absolutely love it!!)

Also available on AO3 if that's your preference...

Summary: After finding one another and triumphing against the machinations of the Evil Queen and the Queen of Hearts, Killian and Emma, and their friends and family are ready to enjoy the happiness they've earned. However, a new threat is about to rise that may put those happy beginnings in grave jeopardy.

by: @snowbellewells

~~ prologue: altogether in one place

As a cooling breeze blew in off the water of the harbor to combat the bright heat of an early May afternoon, Killian Jones smiled easily, enjoying the trace of air over his neck and ruffling his dark hair as he headed back up the street from the docks toward the center of town. It was a perfect day for the celebration he was on his way to attend, planning to meet Emma and Henry at the pretty little two bedroom cottage not far from the harbor that they moved into some weeks past, before the three of them walked the rest of the way to Granny’s together. The rest of their family and several friends were doubtless already gathering at the diner’s outdoor tables for the planned picnic. It was Mother’s Day, and the first which Emma would be able to spend with her mother, and with her boy as well. Killian smiled fondly at the tentative joy mixed with nervous anticipation on his love’s face as they’d spoken of it laying side-by-side that very morning. His heart had warmed right along with dawn’s first rays peeking through the curtains, glad that Emma could have her loved ones surrounding her, as she always should have. Though his own mother had been gone so long that he only retained the barest memories of a gentle voice singing to him and the twinkle in kind, loving eyes, he still felt not a fiber of his being to be jealous or begrudging of the wealth of love and belonging his lady had found. Emma deserved it all, and more besides.

It helped, he admitted to himself as he neared the front walk, their yard surrounded by white picket fence that he could now see Emma leaning on casually with Henry at her side, that he too had been welcomed into the fold gladly. With the wolf born inside him, his horribly checkered and painful history, and how long he had wandered alone in the world, Killian could never have imagined being accepted as a part of something so good, nor feeling that he mattered to others again. Despite his stunned disbelief, however, he could only continue to be grateful.

As he drew nearer, Henry caught sight of him and waved enthusiastically, a wide grin stretching across his face. “Hey, Killian!” the youth called out. “Are you ready for this?”

“Aye, lad, of course,” he answered with a chuckle, smiling to Emma as well, his heart swelling still further at the blush which rose on her cheeks as he waggled his eyebrows playfully. He turned his attention back to Henry quickly, not wanting the young man to feel dismissed, but instead leaning forward to whisper secretively to Henry, “We wouldn’t want to miss your grandma’s famed cherry chess pie, now would we?”

Henry agreed emphatically with Killian’s winking query, then scampered on ahead of them as Killian pulled Emma into a quick embrace while she stretched up to press a chaste kiss to his lips before they joined hands and followed her son the rest of the way to Granny’s before they were late.

Not many minutes later they were turning into the front seating area of the diner, entering under the arch and being greeted from all sides by family and friends. Ruby bounded over to gleefully wrap Emma in an exuberant hug, whispering in his love’s ear that she wanted to hear what they’d been up to at the new house in a blatant enough way to have the blond blushing once again. Killian followed Henry’s urging over to his grandparents’ table, shaking David’s hand and easing into conversation with Emma’s father thankfully.

He liked the people gathered around him very much, but so often in the past he had kept to the shadows, on the outskirts of society, either due to prejudice and ostracism or his own attempts to insure others’ safety from the beast within him. Having at last found his home in Storybrooke, and also a peace within himself that he had rarely known, Killian felt as stable as he had ever been in both parts of himself. His wolf had room and freedom to run, even a pack of sorts with Ruby and Graham nearby, and he rarely feared the howling need to break free he had sought to hide or contain in his youth and throughout his years of bitter, aimless wandering.  All that being true, he still sometimes preferred to ease into larger groups one person at a time. Once Emma’s slightly overprotective and traditional father had gotten to know him, Killian found the man quite easy to talk to and good company, so he naturally went to speak with him first.

Their friendship hadn’t taken long to develop once things had settled down around the holidays, some six months ago, after Regina, Cora, and Rumplestiltskin’s defeat. Both David and Killian served as reinforcements to the sheriff’s department when needed (though in sleepy, calm Storybrooke they rarely were) and so had spent many long afternoons when there were no calls sharing long chats, wadded up paper ball free throw contests in the desk trash cans, endless one-upping games of darts, and - if they grew truly desperate - filing of the somehow never ending stacks of paperwork. Their little town had been free of most trouble beyond cats in trees and neighboring fairy tale characters’ squabbles since Thanksgiving. None of them had forgotten that Gold was still simmering impotently in his shop (surely wanting revenge, but hands tied by the fact that his dagger forbade it, thanks to Emma’s brilliance).  In fact, the citizens were enjoying an everyday normality most of them had never been able to experience before - in either this realm or the Enchanted Forest.

So, though there was often hardly enough work to keep one person busy, Graham had remained Sheriff, and kept Emma on as his deputy. Killian’s eyes found his sandy-haired fellow wolf amidst the happy crowd of partygoers, attentively leaning to whisper something in Belle’s ear where she sat talking to Granny Lucas herself, along with Nova, Leroy, Bashful, and Doc. The Sheriff was clearly happy to watch over his girlfriend, glad just to see her in high spirits, having brought her a drink and standing behind her chair to listen and look on. Graham had always been a good and competent lawman, but now that he was completely free to act of his own will and as he saw fit, it became even more clear just how kind, compassionate, and worthy a man he was. He no longer had to glance over his shoulder at each turn, fearing retribution for his choices. The townspeople liked and trusted him even more than they had before, seeing how dedicated he was to their causes and thorough in handling problems immediately and lawfully for the good of all to the best of his ability.

Watching just a moment longer, Killian saw Belle pause in her conversation, looking up over her shoulder at Graham with an adoring expression in her eyes, resting her hand over his where he had placed it on her shoulder. Something passed between them wordlessly, so slight that it went unnoticed by most around them, but to Kilian’s honed and heightened senses, it sent almost a frisson of intense feeling all the way across the space to where he stood. He didn’t know what it meant, but he found himself more than a little curious, and happy for his friends whatever the cause of their joy.

His attention was drawn back to his own immediate circle when David threw his head back in a booming burst of laughter as Henry finished relating how Killian had recently taken he, his mom, and his friends Grace, Nicholas and Ava out fishing and swimming on the Jolly. It wasn’t the first time Killian had dropped anchor in the harbor where the preteens could dive off the bow and bob in the waves to cool off while he and Emma sat in the sun watching over them and talking, but what had gotten such a reaction from his grandpa was the mental image of Ava’s disastrous practice at casting and somehow catching her hook in Grace’s hair. The ensuing noisy melee had caused quite a commotion until they’d gotten Grace free from the painful tangle, reassured Ava that they all knew it was an accident and gotten back to catching fish rather than each other.

As the afternoon wore on, Killian relaxed into the atmosphere of easy camaraderie around him, graciously complimenting his hostess on the lightness of her dinner rolls and the fine quality of her rum - to which he earned a sniff of begrudging thanks but also a sidelong smile. He exchanged a few words with Belle on the last book she had recommended to him and what he thought of it so far, and though she carried an obvious glow of satisfaction and practically radiated good humor, he was no closer to the reason that it seemed so especially prominent today, even after conversing with her. He exchanged pleasantries with Graham, and let Henry drag him into a ridiculous game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey that Snow had organized to hilarious results with the assorted dwarves’ poor aim and inebriated states by that hour of the waning day.

Despite what else he was doing however, his eyes were continually drawn back to Emma wherever she was. There was the simple fact that he couldn’t help but marvel at her beauty, for one thing. Her golden hair stood out like a beacon in any gathering, this one no exception, and the very sight of those flowing waves cascading down her back against the red leather of her favorite jacket made his hand itch to brush through its silky softness.  Her long, lean form, her throaty chuckle, and the sparkle in her jade green eyes all made hunger rise in him that had him aching to pull her out of the party and into the first empty room he could find. A long life of practice made him able to rein in his desires, but it certainly didn’t slake them in the least.

He remembered too that it was nearing the full moon, which made all his more canine traits closer to the surface. As intensely protective as he would have been anyway, because he loved her, the animal instinct within demanded he be aware of his mate and her safety at all times. Especially when they were out in the open and not alone, whether or not those with them were friends and the gathering innocent. There was possessiveness as well that he could contain, but not vanquish completely. Between those two impulses warring inside his average human faćade, Killian was rather proud of himself for managing to eventually retreat to a corner table with his drink, lean back in a chair and observe the goings on around him with at least the air of calm.

Still, needless to say, he was relieved when the festivities did begin to break up an hour or so later. Many called out a friendly goodbye to him, and he waved back jovially to them.  Some, like David, came over to say ‘good night’ and make plans for when they’d get together next. When Emma finally came up to him with an easy smile and an outstretched hand, asking him if he was ready to head home for the night with a teasing tilt of her head and playful “Captain?” he was on his feet in a moment. With Henry in tow, they headed back toward their house on the shore as the stars came out above.

A deep sense of satisfaction warmed Killian once again at the very idea that this could be his life, while Emma leaned into his side as they walked and Henry pointed out the various constellations that he had learned to recognize through Killian’s tutelage. It was more happiness than he once could have imagined having in his life on a regular basis. In a few days he would need to prepare for shifting about three nights in a row, as was his monthly due, but for tonight, he could sense it was still safely far enough off to take his time seeing the two most important people in his life home safely and enjoy that they saw him as one of their own.

Once they reached the front gate, Henry hurried on up the walk and into the house with a “See you tomorrow!” for his mom’s boyfriend. Alone at long last, Emma turned to him, her face tilted up to his with a devious glimmer in her expression. Only moments ago, he wouldn’t have imagined things could get much better, but when she ran her hands up his torso to rest on his chest and whispered invitingly, “Wanna come in for a nightcap, Sailor?” she blew his mind all over again. 

A couple of drinks, an entire bowl of popcorn and a movie later, they were cuddled together on the couch in Emma’s living room, making out like two teenagers.  Killian didn’t leave his love’s arms again until the next day dawned. Slipping out to his boat before Henry could walk up and begin scavenging through the cupboards for his breakfast cereal, Killian stooped to place a kiss on Emma’s groggy forehead as she mumbled a sleepy farewell. No one else in the house was stirring as the former pirate headed away down the walk, and he was too cheerful and relaxed to be on his guard, so the eyes watching his every move from the shadows as he moved toward the docks, went unnoticed…

~~***~~***~~

Far removed from the cheerfulness and revelry of the rest of the town and their holiday celebrations, Mr. Gold was holed up in the dim, shrouded back room of his shop, scowling silently at a clouded orb with its contents swirling inside. He hadn’t bothered to unlock or open his shop doors today, not wanting to see the idiotic smiles of the townsfolk, nor to waste effort pasting on a smile and haggling to make sales that mattered little to him, all things considered. No, all that mattered now was possessing the one item which could free him of the Savior’s binding order stoppering his Dark One powers to set things right. He would be loosed of her interfering magical hold; it was merely a matter of tracing the artifact to its hiding place and summoning an accomplice he knew was powerful enough to aid him in the ritual needed to slip the noose of his Dagger’s control, and therefore Miss Swan’s meddling command.

All the pieces were in place; once the crystal showed him where his former compatriot could be found, he would set the ball rolling.  He would make Belle see sense, return her to her place by his side, where she clearly belonged. That Sheriff who had dared to try taking his place in Belle’s affections would rue ever having his heart put back in his chest. And that wretched cur ...that wolf he had nearly finished off before - and the woman who had prevented it, who had the audacity to tangle with him and think she could defeat the Dark One - both of them would pay, once and for all.

Tagging a few who might enjoy: @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @jennjenn615 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi

@jrob64 @apiratewhopines @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @xarandomdreamx

@motherkatereloyshipper @booksteaandtoomuchtv @anmylica @stahlop @myfearless-love

@teamhook @revanmeetra87 @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @darkcolinodonorgasm

@elizabeethan @donteattheappleshook @the-darkdragonfly @bluewildcatfanatic @xsajx

@undercaffinatednightmare @caught-in-the-filter @drowned-dreamer @jonesfandomfanatic @kday426

@lfh1226-linda @linda8084 @resident-of-storybrooke @optomisticgirl @tiganasummertree

@belovedcreation @eddisfargo @zaharadessert @laianely @goforlaunchcee

[phoebesspikytitties]

𝓑𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼

Lucy dacus x f reader

You and Lucy see each other at a party for the first time in years, and surprisingly remembers you.

Warnings for part one:

Mostly fluff and flirting, gets a little dirty at the end

This is the first story either of us (account owners) have written! Thanks for reading 🖤 -🦷

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

You couldn't believe it, you were at the same event as boygenius, especially Lucy Dacus. You've had an eye on her since about 2017. Yes you'd met and talked at some of her early shows, but then you were always just a fan, not at a fundraiser party with her.

Lucy was wearing this stunning bodysuit, mesh cross-front with a silver ring in the center of her chest. But most importantly this top was sheer, and she was only wearing pasties, something you never thought you'd see up close. Those little black hearts did something to you that you couldn't explain.

The night goes on, and since you didn't want to seem obsessive, you'd only waved and smiled at Lucy. As you're sitting in a secluded hallway you hear Lucy approach you.

"Hi!! I've been wondering where you went! I remember you from those shows so long ago, how are you doing??!" Is this actually happening?

You give Lucy a shocked smile and reply "Oh? Hi!! Just needed a break from the chaos, but, you remember me?"

Lucy smiles and says "I could never forget you, you're absolutely beautiful."

Lucy Dacus just called you beautiful. You could die happy.

"Oh my gosh, you're one to be saying that," as you look her up and down and smirk. Lucy gets that little pink tint to her cheeks and smiles.

"So, how have you been? How long has it been since I've seen you?" You say.

"I've been good! last time we talked was in 2018, so 5 years."

"Wow, it's been that long? Thats crazy." You can't help yourself from admiring her while talking to you.

"So I see you have a couple days off from tour! Are you staying here for the night?"

Her face lights up, "Yes! That's actually why i came over here, i was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner tomorrow night? That's the last night we're in town and I'd really like to take you out!" She has the purest smile as she talks.

"Oh my, um, yes I'd love that! Here's my number so we can work out the details." You hear a distant voice yelling for her, turning around to see Phoebe waving you two over.

You get to Phoebe and see her smile at Lucy and mouth the words "you did it!" to her. Julien appears from behind her and phoebe starts dancing with J, the song fades into Silk Chiffon by MUNA, honestly one of your favorite songs, and Lucy appears to feel the same. She takes your hand and starts dancing, pulling you closer to her.

She looks at you, in your long dress, and sings "she's so soft like silk chiffon," turning you around with her front to your back, swaying you to the melody. You turn back around as Sofia by Clairo starts playing, a song you are both very familiar with, and you smile up at her, grabbing her by the waist.

You two end up leaning against the wall to the side of the dance floor. By the end of the song, you look up at her, your eyes just at her lip level as she bends down to kiss you. You're too distracted by the kiss to tell what song is playing, and as you get lost in her lips you feel her pull you closer, bringing her leg in between yours, basically pinning you to the wall. She kisses you again, causing your leg to graze her crotch. Her breath hitches, but the kiss continues.

Before things can get any more heated, you hear a "Luuuuuucccyyyy! We've gotta go, the driver is here." She abruptly breaks the kiss, turning around to look at Julien. Turning back to you, she places one last gentle kiss on your lips.

"I'll text you when we're back at the hotel and we can make plans for tomorrow." Her hands come up to caress her face as she speaks.

"It's a date," you breathe out, breathless and ready for what tomorrow might bring.

[catherineflowers29]

SUMMER FOR SICKOS - JULY 1ST ROUND-UP

Summer For Sickos got off to a cracking first day with two fabulous fanworks posted!

First off the mark was a steamy hot gerribaird fic called heat waves in which the air conditioning goes out in the Waystar legal department, and Gerri decides to make the most of it. Lost of hot vintage Waystar action!

heat waves (5107 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Succession (TV 2018) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Baird Kellman/Gerri Kellman Characters: Gerri Kellman, Baird Kellman Additional Tags: Oral Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Boss/Employee Relationship, Age Difference, Sweat, Baird Kellman Has a Big Dick, Cunnilingus Summary: When the air conditioning goes out in the Waystar legal department, Gerri decides to make the most of it.

Next to post was a most excellent romangerri PWP full of smut and feels. and I'm a lawyer who's searching for redemption absolutely blew my mind!

and I'm a lawyer who's searching for redemption (5927 words) by Anonymous Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Succession (TV 2018) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Gerri Kellman/Roman Roy Characters: Gerri Kellman, Roman Roy Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Gerri Kellman Has an Orgasm, I do not know how to tag, Smut, they talk(?) Summary: Her 'yes' comes out weak, and it costs her more air than she wanted to give up on. His thumb strokes up and down the side of her neck, never giving up the pressure. She admires the control he has over his body. How well he knows when it’s enough before hurting her. Roman would have been like that, with the right encouragement. If she had opened the door instead of slamming it shut in his face, perhaps he wouldn’t have been inclined to figure out how much he could hurt her before she bled.

Remember that the Summer For Sickos Collection is open on AO3 until Aug 31st. For details and posting instructions, please see this post!

[undeadorion]

I'm a real adult now! I bought this all by myself! Well, I paid like 4% of the total cost so far. But I have papers that say it's mine and it's through a real bank, and everything!

I've felt like I was barley hanging on for so long. Finishing school, getting a subpar job, being sick through it all, getting my eye injured, losing that job, being unemployed, losing my old car, being stuck on the bus during a brutal heat wave. And all the while feeling like I was never going to get my shit together.

Only to find out that I've come a long, long, long way from where was in 2018. Like I could legit cry.

My tipping point was when someone puked into their lap on the bus and the driver just kept going. Then about a week later, on the hottest day of the heatwave, my bus to work was just cancelled and their app didn't tell me like they insisted it would. I realized that if I had to keep spending money on Lyft rides due to missing the bus or not being able to endure the bus, it was about what I'd pay for a monthly car payment.

All I needed was something that actually ran and had decent A/C. And I ended up with something that feels downright futuristic compared to the ancient relic that was my 1996 Pontiac with worn out shocks and a passenger door that wouldn't open from the outside.

The process of getting it required a sacrifice of my health, though. Just a few days of recovery needed, because it was 103 outside when I went to the dealership. And I had to spend that night full of anxiety not knowing if I'd be approved. But because I paid the price, I got something better than I'd gone in asking for!

[windyatticart]

“Goo’d Morning!” (human/dragon symbiote absorption safevore with cockgag)

found this old story from 2018 and spruced it up.

Edit: Story is now on AO3

　Something was wrong. This was what Shoutarou realized, as he shook off his slumber and came to consciousness. It was as dark as midnight around him, and he couldn't see anything. As he tried to wave a hand before his face, he found he couldn’t move. His arms stayed limply at his sides, overpowered by a force of some kind.

　“Oh, you’re finally up, huh?” Hisashi asked him then, but his smoky voice sounded strange, muffled somehow. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

　Shou tried to twist his head in response, searching for Hisashi in the blackness, but he could only get about an inch in either direction before his head was forced back to facing forward. He tried to move his arms again, but they likewise wouldn’t budge. He was wrapped up in something tight, he realized, but he couldn’t figure out what was pressing down on him all over his body. Why was it so dark? He couldn’t see anything.

　“Hisashi?” Daniel called out, his own voice sounding muffled to his ears. “Where are you?”

　“Around,” the dragon answered lightly.

　Shou was starting to feel uncomfortably wet, now that he was conscious. He put more force into his efforts, but he could barely move at all. Suddenly his arms started moving on their own, folding up into a cross-armed position, then stilled, but instead of feeling his arm hairs brush against each other there was still nothing but that same slick tightness pressing down around him.  Then something wet and fat started forming against his lips. He struggled harder, but he only managed to move any of his limbs an inch or two before they were snapped back to their original positions, his arms locked in a cross and his legs frozen solid. “Hisashi, where are you!?”

　“Around!” he answered again.

　Frustration set in for a moment, and then he realized Hisashi’s meaning. “Let me out!” Shoutarou demanded, his shout muffled by the rubbery flesh squeezing around his head, wet and red he remembered from seeing Hisashi's insides before, although it was still black as night around him now, without a light source. Slime smeared along Shou's face as he rattled his head inside Hisashi’s, trying helplessly to break free of the stomachlike flesh and muscles stretched taut around him.

　“Nah,” Hisashi answered breezily. He flexed his meaty biceps, and the oversized muscles squeezed against Shou's own measly arms with palpable smugness. Hisashi lifted a hand and flexed it with a flourish, and Shou felt his fingers tugged into curls, then released again as the hand fell back into position.

　Hisashi let his form relax somewhat, and his body pulsed and stretched around Shou, partially liquefying and providing some give but weighing him down further, while the heat around him intensified. Shou convulsed at the revolting sensation. “Let me out!” he shouted again more desperately.

　In reply, the wet and thick something only twitched at Shou's mouth, pressing insistently against him. Slick tendrils grew and yanked roughly at his lips, trying to pry them apart, and in reply Shou clamped his jaws shut. He didn't know what was forming against him, but being encased within Hisashi's sticky, stupidly strong body was already more than bad enough.

　Hisashi would not be deterred, and he sucked in a great breath and swelled his heavy muscles until they were bulging. He flexed his ample pecs, the hefty muscles curling inward in rippling striations, and the breath was squeezed out of Shou's chest as they bore down meatily on his ribs.

　Shou gasped and sucked in air, and then the fat thing was shoved past his teeth.

　Hisashi stretched out his thick limbs, his giant bodybuilder’s body arching catlike to one side, with his arms high above his head and a lazy, lascivious grin on his face. His brilliant teeth flashed in the morning light streaming in through the windows. Inside him, Shoutarou felt his limbs shoot out and his body arch sideways, tugged along for the ride and puppeted, unable to control his body in any way.

　The thing filling his mouth was thick and veined, and Shou suddenly instinctively knew what it was, from seeing the thing hanging like a cinderblock between Hisashi’s treelike legs whenever he would step out of the bathroom after showering without clothing himself first. This cockgag slid wetly through Shou's mouth and twitched excitedly against his throat’s entrance, happy to be lodged where it belonged.

　Shoutarou felt it drip some precum down his throat. He took a moment to steel his limbs, and then he thrashed about as hard as he could, but even with all his might Hisashi still gripped him firmly in place within his muscular form. His strength as a dragon spirit, even an unstable, symbiotic one, was overpowering.

　Hisashi continued stretching their bodies until he felt sufficiently limber, and then his solidified his form again, the flesh of his body turning from goo again to slick stiffness.

　As the rubbery flesh around Shou convulsed and constricted around him, cilia-like tendrils of his inner flesh squirmed their way across his body toward his crotch, and then wrapped around his dick, as the cockgag in his mouth swelled up and began thrusting in his mouth, in and out, out and in, swelling and swelling further in arousal against his roof and tongue with no room to spare.

　Outside, Hisashi yawned, and the muscles of his red mouth flexed against the inside of Shou's own mouth. The cockgag forced itself even deeper down his throat, and more precum shot out of it.

　Shoutarou was utterly trapped inside the pulsing, heavy flesh of his shapeshifter. The pale, lucent skin and white hair of Hisashi's exterior was only a mask for the morass of bubbling, amorphous flesh within him, a sticky goo that would puppet Shou's body easily with its superior strength. Hisashi’s enormous muscles were rolling and flexing continually around him, triceps and biceps and abs, curling pecs and the cobra hood of his lats, all contracting and constricting his chest and limbs in concert like the coils of a snake, filling his mind with a sensorial overload. He was at their mercy, all self-control torn away by him. All was slick and pressure around him. The cockgag swelled further, forming a knot, and it stretched his jaw to discomfort as it shoved in and out of his mouth in a steady rhythm. Shou bucked despondently, fruitlessly, as desperation and over-stimulation began to fog his mind. He was completely bound up, at the mercy of Hisashi’s cruel whims, and no amount of struggling was going to release him. His struggles became menial, unable fully to give up but knowing his efforts were utterly futile.

　“Ahhhh,” Hisashi sighed indolently, and smiled. He relished in the feeling of Daniel squirming inside him and vibrating his gooey insides so deliciously, so erotically. His entire body was an erogenous zone and he delighted in all forms of physical contact, the more the better. He had no plans to let his little Shou out before sundown, so they had many long, long hours to kill together, merged and coalesced into one being just as they ought to be. Hisashi slowed the cockcag's heady pace inside Shou's mouth, but only because he wasn't ready to release just yet. Instead he let his knot swell further, sealing up Shou's mouth to prevent any leakage once the time came. He'd come copious amounts. He decided against forming another cock of his flesh at Shou's rear entrance just yet; he had the rest of the day to plug him from both ends, and he was already overstimulated as it was, he could tell.

　Hisashi stroked a large hand along the rippling abs of his front, enjoying the silky-smooth texture of his skin. Gods, he was beautiful. he also enjoyed the feel of resistance from within as Shoutarou strained against his pervasive grip. Gods, it felt good to overpower that wimp. Hisashi let out another sigh, still grinning. “I think we’ll have some real fun today.”