#i really didn't feel like going on this date today but we've had it set for so long i didn't wanna disappoint him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mangostarjam · 6 months

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sore loser — kaiju no. 8, narumi gen x f!reader, "babe" as a petname, established relationship, suggestive, smut adjacent? aka they don't actually do it but they sure get naked, 1.5k words

"Are you still pouting about this?" you try to catch your boyfriend's eyes in the mirror, but he avoids your gaze and slumps further into the couch.

You roll your eyes. Narumi Gen ignores you, fingers flying over his phone screen, looking annoyingly handsome in his formal dress uniform even though he's rumpling it to high hell on the couch. You debate for a second about warning him of wrinkles and then go back to putting your earrings in.

"I would've won, you know."

"Sure, Narumi-kun, but the fact remains that you didn't."

He tosses his phone aside. That, more than anything, makes you pause. Your attention-seeking boyfriend abandoning his daily ego surf? This must be serious. "I'm your boyfriend, right?"

"… Yes?"

Gen's gaze snaps to yours in the mirror as he gasps dramatically. "Hey! Why'd you hesitate, huh?"

"Because it was a stupid question." You adjust the straps of your dress and smirk to yourself as his gaze drifts lower. The setting sun is golden and hazy as it spills into his bedroom, sending shadows stretching across the floor and catching along the mess scattered underfoot. You've long given up on trying to keep it tidy, merely shoving half-opened packages aside until there are clear enough pathways to the bathroom and door and his futon.

To be fair to Gen, since you've started dating his mess has gotten substantially less… messy. That might be because the first time you stepped on something while fumbling in the dark for the bathroom, you had threatened to never sleep over again and to scatter Lego blocks all over his floor when he'd least expect it.

You have a feeling the Lego blocks were what sealed the deal.

"Baaaaabe," your boyfriend whines, hopping over to you and grabbing your hands. He shoots you a pitiful look from under his bangs, though it doesn't really work when he's taller than you and keeps shooting glances down your dress. "Why're you kicking me while I'm down? Don't I deserve a pick me up?"

"That sounds like a you problem," you snort. "Besides, we're going to be late."

"As Captain of the First Division, shouldn't I get to choose what counts as 'late'?"

You squeeze his hands, smiling reluctantly at his declaration. He's so silly sometimes. "I don't want Hasegawa-san walking in on us again, okay?"

Gen's smirk spells trouble. He leans down a little until your noses brush. His sudden proximity makes your breath catch in your throat as his body heat seeps into your bare skin. "Oh? And what would he be walking in on, hm?"

"Just a little something to make you feel better after losing to Captain Ashiro today," you smile sweetly, stretching up on tiptoes to kiss him lightly. He chases your lips as you settle back on your heels, hands spanning your waist and pinning you against the mirror as he kisses you again.

It's so easy kissing Gen. His lips are soft but his kisses are bruising, all-encompassing and hot, a drumbeat beneath your skin. His lips move against yours like he's passing along secrets, messages that can only be transferred through his tongue licking into the depths of your mouth, and you find yourself clinging to his broad shoulders and wrinkling the fabric there even more.

"I like these earrings on you," he breathes, his hand smoothing up your back to flick one of the dangling strands. His other hand drifts lower and you squeak when he gives your ass a squeeze. "And this dress. You sure we've gotta go to this stuffy shindig?"

You fiddle with the button of his formal dress jacket as you pretend to think about it.

Gen tilts his head up so you can secure the high collar, waiting somewhat impatiently for your answer. You drag your fingers along his cheek, passing lightly over the bags under his eyes. He works hard, your captain, even if he acts like an idiot most of the time. "You'll be missed if we don't," you point out.

"Can't I eat you out first?" he asks, his voice rough.

"Gen!" you laugh, but your thighs clench as heat pools in your core. "Absolutely not. Even if Captain Ashiro kicked your ass in long distance shooting, you still need to show up to the ceremony! Besides, what about all your other titles? Don't you want to stand up there and show off your awards?"

"Nah, who cares about that stuff, anyway?"

You eye your boyfriend's pout. What a fucking lie. "Is this because of the bet?"

Gen doesn't look at you, but his hands settle on your hips. "No."

"I never would've thought the First Division Captain would be a sore loser."

"I'm not a loser," he shoots back immediately, "I'm the best. And all of those guys know it, too!"

You hum in what could be considered agreement, except there's a glint in your eye that makes Gen frown. He knew what he was getting into when he first asked you out — you, the newest engineer trained specially in Numbers weapons, well known throughout Japan for devising ways to lessen the strain on compatible users. You had come to the First Division to tweak Numbers Weapon One and and only stayed to make it your home base after Gen finally got you to date him.

And even after dating you for so long — after learning your likes and dislikes and the little quirks he associates with you — you still manage to keep him on his toes. You're easily his longest lasting and most serious relationship, and he has a feeling he's going to give you the rest of his life, too, because nobody else has ever come close to making him feel the way you do.

"It won't be that bad," you brush his hair out of his eyes and smile when he leans into the touch. "I'm sure Vice Captain Hoshina won't gloat that much, since we all knew you'd lose to Captain Ashiro. And you'll probably still look hot with your hair dyed another color."

"What — of course I'd still be hot but — wait, how did you know that?"

You raise an eyebrow. "I have my sources."

Gen's eyes narrow as he searches your face. "Don't tell me… you're still friends with that bowl cut bastard?!"

"I've known him for longer than I've known you, you know."

"Yeah, but you're my girlfriend!" Gen's fingers tighten around your waist, but it's not uncomfortable. He's always surprisingly careful with you, and the gesture warms your heart even as your brow twitches with annoyance.

"Don't be stupid," you tug a little harshly on his ear and smirk when he yelps in surprise. "He's letting me choose what color you'll dye your hair, but I'm not letting you have an opinion about it unless you can guess the color of my panties tonight."

Gen's eyes gleam in the mirror's reflected sunset and his lips curl into a smirk that tells you he's forgotten about protesting your friendship with the Third Division Vice Captain. "Do I get a hint?"

"You already got one earlier," you say primly, grabbing his hands and bringing them to his own hips. "Now hands to yourself, loverboy. We've got an awards ceremony to attend."

It isn't until much, much later that evening — once you're back in his room and he's shed his formal dress uniform jacket and shirt — that you take pity on him. He'd made guesses all night, whispering random colors and patterns in your ear between speeches, making you giggle into your sparkling cider while he watched with a grin on his face.

"Do you give up yet?" you ask, reaching for his belt buckle and leaning up for another deep kiss. Gen groans into your mouth, pressing you back into his futon as you arch up into him. His hand is hot against the soft plush of your thigh, a stark contrast to the silky fabric he's slowly drawing upwards.

"White with pink peaches," he mumbles, smiling into the kiss when you laugh.

"I don't even have a pair like that, Gen," you remind him. His hand pauses halfway up your thigh and skips up to your waist, the fabric bunching as he pulls you into him. Your legs fall apart to let him settle between them, but your dress is still blocking his view.

"I'll get you a pair like that," he says roughly, nipping at your neck just to hear you moan. "I'll get you all of 'em. You'll look hot as hell."

You've managed to shove his pants and briefs halfway off his hips and he quickly kicks them the rest of the way off, so the wet tip of his hard cock smears along the inside of your thigh as he settles. You hold your breath as he shifts, blinking slowly when his cock catches along your wet slit and he stills.

Gen's eyes are wide. You can't help but grin up at him as his jaw works.

"Isn't that cheating?" he huffs.

"I hope you don't mind rainbow colored hair."

#narumi gen x reader #x reader #kn8 writing #kn8 fic #kn8 x reader #kaiju no. 8 x reader #kaiju no. 8 writing #kaiju no. 8 fic #narumi gen #gen narumi #fuji writes fic #first time writing for gen but he's SO fun

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b0r3dtod3ath · 1 month

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requests for happy logan fics you say? 👀

i shall request happy logan, um i dont really have a good idea of anything tho

if u need a more solid idea maybe a younger grid kid reader x logan and um here are some possible prompts

"I don't procrastinate really, it's just that when I do, I prefer to do it last minute, that's all."

"I'm always right because who else will be?"

"I have a confession to make, and it's not going to be easy to hear. You just can't get mad okay?" (cue the confession being of the stupidest thing imaginable)

sorry theyre bad, my brain is literally refusing to function right now. have a nice day!

an: thank you for the request! i went with the third prompt. i hope you don't mind changing it so reader is a driver (it just suited the story better in my head). it's quite short as i haven't been writing for a while.

The rookie trio of 2023 was inseparable. Oscar, you and Logan knew each other since you were kids and joining Formula 1 at the same time made the bond between the three of you even deeper. But what many people didn’t know, you and Logan have been dating since the end of the season. One of the people that didn't know was Oscar.

At first the rush of adrenaline that accompanied hidden glances and stolen moments was exciting but for the long run it became exhausting. You couldn’t shake off the feeling that you were constantly lying to one of your closest friends.

As the clock struck midnight you heard a soft knock on your hotel room door. A shared tradition between you and Logan. Within seconds you opened the door just wide enough to let him slip inside. “I missed you today,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, as if scared to be heard by others in this silent hotel. His hands slid down your back, pulling you closer.

“I missed you too. But we can’t keep sneaking around like this forever, you know.” you ruffled his hair as he looked at you. “I know, We have talked about it. We are not teenagers anymore, but I’m scared of how Oscar will react”. Logan laid on your bed and set an early morning alarm to leave your room unnoticed. “But it’s starting to feel like we’re living two separate lives. I don’t want us to keep hiding who we are from everyone, especially Oscar. We’re not going to lose him, we just have to trust that he’ll understand. That he’ll see how much we care about each other” you responded.

Logan’s arms wrapped around you, pulling you down beside him. He held you close, his chin resting on top of your head as you laid together in the quiet room. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat under your ear was a comforting reminder that you were in this together. “We’ll talk to him before the summer break starts.” Logan murmured after a long silence, his voice filled with determination. Logan kissed the top of your head, his arms tightening around you. “No matter what happens, I love you,” he said softly, his breath warm against your skin. “I love you too,” you replied, scared of your friend’s reaction.

Later that month, the three of you sat at a nice restaurant as a way to close a race weekend. Oscar had been in a good mood all night, cracking jokes and telling stories. You and Logan shared a few anxious glances as you sat at the table, trying to enjoy the lighthearted atmosphere before everything changed.

As Oscar finished recounting a particularly funny story about his engineer Logan squeezed your hand discreetly, offering silent support. "Oscar," you began, your voice steady but your heart racing. "I have a confession to make, and it's not going to be easy to hear. You just can't get mad, okay?". Oscar raised an eyebrow, the smile fading slightly from his face as he sensed the seriousness in your tone. He looked at Logan’s still face, suspicion slowly creeping in. "What’s going on?" he asked, his voice cautious. Logan brushed your hand with his thumb to ease the nerves a bit. "Logan and I... we've been seeing each other, like romantically. For more than half a year now”.

There was a moment of stunned silence as the words hung in the air. Oscar blinked, slightly taken aback. "What? You and Logan?" He leaned back in his chair, processing the information. "And I didn't know?".

"It’s not that we didn’t want to tell you," Logan cut in, his voice calm yet apologetic. "We just… we didn’t want it to change anything between the three of us. We didn’t want to risk our friendship. It is very stupid of us”.

Oscar stared at the two of you, his expression unreadable. You felt a lump form in your throat, fearing the worst. "You two have been together all this time, and I had no idea”. A few moments passed before a small smile tugged at the corner of Oscar's mouth. "I can’t believe you managed to keep it a secret for that long," he said with a hint of admiration. "You know, I thought something was going on a few times, but I just brushed it off. You two did a good job hiding it or I’m just really stupid to not notice two of my best friends dating".

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. "So… you’re not mad?". Oscar shook his head, his smile growing. "Oh, no, no. Don’t worry. I’m not mad. I’m happy for you both. I mean, it’s a little weird now knowing you are dating, but as long as you’re happy, that’s what matters”. Relief washed over you as Logan grinned "Thanks, man. We were really worried about how you'd react”. Oscar rolled his eyes, but his face projected warmth "I’m not that scary, am I?".

August 14, 2024

#writers on tumblr #fan fic writing #f1 x reader #formula 1 x reader #logan sargeant x reader #logan sargeant imagine

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periprose · 11 months

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Heyyy I’m literally playing through ps4 Spider-Man again 🤣!

I was wondering if I could request a ps4 fic, maybe Peter and reader have been dating for a while, and she gets hurt during the explosion and he can’t find her but she’s with may at feast with like a broken arm or something?? (She knows he’s Spider-Man) 👀🫶🏼

hey lol thanks for requesting! I'm on the first playthrough of the game myself. Basically this is set during the explosion at the election event in the game, and Peter and you are there to proudly watch Officer Davis accept his award.

"Hey." Peter comes up from behind you on the sidewalk, fixing wrinkles in his civilian clothes. He must've just changed.

"Hey, Parker." You nudge him. "Ready to go watch Osborn smooch up to the well-meaning audience of Manhattan?"

"Well, ready as I'll ever be." Peter takes your hand. "I'm really just there to watch Davis get his well-deserving award, y'know. Hey, didn't I tell you to stop calling me Parker?"

"Meh, you love it." You joke. "You'll always be Parker to me, even if you are my boyfriend now. It's our thing."

Peter shakes his head, but you know based on his little smile- he loves that you have a little thing just for him.

Together, you walk to the intersection in front of City Hall, where many people crowd around, waiting for Mayor Osborn and whatever speech he's about to give today. They're all dressed in Osborn themed merchandise, cheering and clapping.

You can't believe this many people care about Osborn's so-called promises to the city- you and Peter are really hoping he won't be re-elected this term after all- but people are clapping for him, and you sigh knowing that your cost of living is about to go up.

"Hey. Wipe that frown off your face. We're here to be supportive." Peter whispers from next to you in the crowd, and you nod.

"Where's Davis? Is that him?" You whisper back, pointing to an older black man up on the stage.

"Yup. You wouldn't believe it, he was so helpful in Hell's Kitchen. Dude whipped out his gun and had my back like we've been best buds for years." Peter smiles. "There's not many out there doing it like him."

"He sounds like a real treasure. I'm glad you have someone on your side." You squeeze Peter's hand, and continue to look up towards the stage in mild excitement.

You don't really care for Osborn's speech- Peter laughs about his promise to open up technology for NYC when you both know that's reserved for the elite- but you both grin when Davis, looking nervous as ever, walks up the stage to receive his award.

"It is my privilege to present Officer Jefferson Davis with the Department Medal of Honour." Osborn hangs a medal around Davis' neck, and you and Peter clap.

"I'm so glad this is all over. The gang war, I think." Peter whispers to you, and you raise your eyebrows.

"Really? Does this mean you'll finally be a little safer?" You ask, but Peter frowns a little.

"Well, there's some loose ends still to be tied up, but-"

"Loose ends?" You give him a wary glance. "Like what?"

"Like whatever 'Consolidated Shipping' is. It doesn't make sense." Peter sighs, watching concern grow on your face. "It's not right, but I'll figure it out."

Davis says a few words- he thanks his wife and his son, Miles, who you can see is sitting up at the front of the stage.

"Aw, cute kid." You remark to Peter, and he nods, gaining a slightly sheepish smile.

"Officer Davis did say I remind him of his son. I'll take it as a compliment." Peter jokes, and you snicker, calling him even more of a baby.

Behind you, Sable guards are talking on their walkie talkies about "keeping eyes on Osborn," which to you sounds as if they perceive a threat. You turn back to tell Peter, when he suddenly flinches.

"Peter-?"

He grabs his head, panicking- you watch as his pupils dilate, and he's clearly in some kind of shock.

"Everything feels off-" Peter flinches again, and you know he's having a Spider-Sense meltdown. There must be multiple things happening at once- even worse, you're not sure what he's supposed to do in this situation. He's not suited up, and he risks revealing his identity if he does anything.

Either way, Peter runs behind you. He shoves people out of the way, trying to get to the back of the event, behind the audience, but he's not fast enough. There are men arriving out of cars- corrupted men, turning that strange grey-blue-transparent hue that confirms their connection with Martin Li.

Peter runs- he dashes- but you see him flinch again, cowering under such threatening energy. He turns to the stage in horror, and you gasp in shock.

There's another corrupted on stage, covered in explosive devices.

An explosion goes off behind you, to the right of you, than another massive one on stage- the ground shakes beneath you, and you're too in shock to move.

"Get down!" Peter shoves you back, attempting to push you out of the way, just as another two explosions cause the earth under you to rattle, and you lose your footing and fall back on the pavement. You twist your arm unnaturally and hit your head.

You black out, the last thing you see being massive blue-black explosions in the sky.

Peter wakes to floating ash in the sky.

He coughs- there's a sharp pain in his right side, and a slight ache at the top of his hairline- he touches his forehead and pulls his fingers away to see brown-red, dry blood.

It doesn't matter. He'll heal faster than most, anyways- he needs to locate you.

He gets up, seizes a little due to the pain- and to his alarm, you're nowhere in his near sight. He walks around seeing Sable guards help people off the streets- although Peter really thinks they're poking and prodding and shoving them away, so they can clean up the mess around here.

He hopes you haven't been taken away by Sable guards.

Peter rushes to the nearest clinic- but there's too many people crowding around there with their injuries, and the receptionist at the emergency room tells him there's no one by your name here.

He begins to panic. You're not responding to his calls, either. Peter doesn't want to believe the worst could've happened to you, but he does hear people talking on the streets about the casualties. Apparently at least 10 people have been found dead so far- Peter starts swearing under his breath.

He decides to head to FEAST- he's not sure if you'll be there, but it's better to ask Aunt May or some of the volunteers if you've been seen. FEAST also operates as an emergency medical clinic, too, even with limited supplies, and it's with this small amount of hope that Peter travels there.

Pushing through the doors, the front desk woman- Amanda- she's startled by how intensely Peter asks about you.

"I don't know, Peter." She points to the main auditorium, where many homeless and injured people are currently being attended to. "It's kind of an open house back here- you're going to have to look through the crowds."

Peter sighs. "Thanks, Amanda."

It takes him about fifteen minutes to do a full, quick walkthrough. The entire time, his heartbeat thumps faster as he realizes- he's not seeing you anywhere. There's nobody wearing your trademark scarf, your usual dark blue jeans- nobody with your fastidious expression, where you always seem to take in the entire world before speaking- nobody to relieve the steady ache in his heart.

Peter walks into the room full of medical supplies, expecting to see Aunt May- and while May is there, busy with another volunteer, the first thing he sees is you, with your hair all disheveled and messy, bruises on your cheek and a cut under your lip, and your arm wrapped in a cast and a sling.

But you have a soft, comforting smile. You're kneeling down to help a little girl- she can't be older than five- and you're placing a bandage on her knee. And the little girl squeals, hugging you after you say "It's all better now."

Peter would agree with that.

You look up, arms still embraced around the little girl- Rina is her name- to see Peter, looking wistful, sad, a clear lump in his throat. His eyes are watery.

"Peter?" You watch as he comes forward.

"I thought you were- I thought..." He wipes his eyes. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Well, Little Rina over here needed a little bit of medical attention." You kindly tap her shoulder and she nods up at Peter, smiling. "She tripped and fell and no one was paying attention to her knee, so I decided to help her."

"That's..." Peter trails off, wondering how you could be so selfless when your own face was looking a bit worse for wear. "That's sweet of you to do. How do you feel, kiddo?"

He kneels towards her, and she grins really big. "Better!"

"Alright, high five then." Peter high fives her, and she dashes off afterwards, most likely looking for the parent she came with.

"Why didn't you respond to my calls?" Peter asks you as soon as you turn back to him. "I thought... I thought the worst had happened-"

"Peter, please. Stop with the wounded ego." May calls him out, listening from the sidelines. "What's important is that she's safe and in one piece- that's more than enough to feel grateful about."

Peter looks down, ashamed. He knows May is right, and he has to swallow his pride for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Peter." You grasp his hand, and he looks back at you, jaw tight as he listens. "I didn't mean to not answer your calls- my phone got shattered. And I didn't know where to find you after I woke up- I was already being taken away by Sable guards to 'safety' and then I decided my best chance to find you was over here."

"Oh." Peter feels kind of dumb, but he also feels glad you think of FEAST as a spot to find him. "I should've kept you safe."

"Don't. Don't make yourself crazy with what you could've done." You plead with him, and he sighs but shakes his head. "My arm will heal with time. I guess I landed on it weirdly and broke it."

Peter winces. "Well, you can always ask me for help if it bothers you. I'm there for you."

He traces your lip, where the cut under is still a red-brown, harsh hue in comparison to the pink of your bottom lip, and May takes this as her cue to leave.

Peter snorts. "I wish you had my-"

"Super healing? Yeah, I wish that too." You laugh. "Were you lucky enough to not get hit, or did you just heal on the way here?"

Peter's reaching for a facial bandage and some rubbing alcohol. "The latter."

"Ugh, lucky bastard." You smile up at him, cringing only slightly as Peter rubs away the blood from your wound. "I'm just glad that means I don't have to worry too much about you."

"You still do." Peter remarks, placing the bandage on your face. "But that just means you love me."

And, being ever so thankful that you're safely back in his arms, Peter places a soft kiss on your forehead, and then a slightly-less-soft one on your mouth, hoping it doesn't hurt you, but happy that you kiss him back anyways.

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 5 months

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WIBTA For telling my partner I'd like to bring my ex into our relationship?

I'm copying this over from r/relationship_advice, because the responses are giving me the impression they don't really get what polyamory is & I'm hoping tumblr does. For reference: there's me (29M), my ex (28, Trans Man), and my partner (30M).

My ex and I were best friends in high school, went to the same college, & dated through the tail end of undergrad, for about a year and change. We ended things on very good terms, the only reason we broke up was a difference in life paths: I stayed in the city to get my Master's, he traveled constantly for his work (he's a sculptor who makes these huge custom multimedia pieces, they're genuinely some of the most beautiful things I've seen). We fell out of touch for the most part, but I'd see him popping up on social media occasionally, or he'd text me when he was in town and we'd hang out, along with some other school friends.

The last time I saw him before our present situation was about 3 1/2 years ago today. We went out for drinks, he came back to my place after, and we ended up hooking up. He stayed in town for about a week, and we hooked up a few more times, and then he left again. He sort of dropped off the face of the earth after that, but he'd always been pretty sporadic, especially when he had a big project, so I didn't think much about it.

Not long after that, I met my current partner. He's truly one of my favorite people in the whole world; he's incredibly thoughtful, and earnest, and passionate about his morals & principles (he's an environmental lawyer), and more than anything, he's someone I never feel like I have to pretend with. He asked for my number, we had our first date a few days later, and ended up staying awake the entire night just talking about anything and everything, so we went ahead and got 5am pancakes and called it our second date. We've been together for a little over 3 years now, we've been moved in together for about 2, and while we've had the occasional fight or rough patch I can definitely say I love this man, and I plan to spend the rest of my life with him.

So, the big change.

About a year ago (~2 years since seeing my ex, my partner and I have lived together for about a year at this point), my partner and I are having a night in, and there's a knock at the door. It's my ex, looking absolutely ragged, holding a 15 month old baby. As in, a baby who was conceived 24 months before then. Yep, it's pretty much what you're guessing. I let them both in, we had a sit down in the kitchen, and he told me everything he'd been doing in the past 2 years in between me cussing him out for keeping it all from me in the first place. I really do want to keep this as short as possible, so to give you the super condensed version:

She's my daughter, he's completely sure about that, there's no one else he's been with the math is even close to correct for

The second he found out he was pregnant, he more or less panicked. He's got a whole Thing about feeling like he's irresponsible/not a "real" adult, and this really set him off, so telling me felt like "admitting to fucking both our lives up" at the time. His OB/GYN said some pretty awful shit to him about not being more careful as a trans man too, which just made it all even worse

Because of all that, he'd genuinely planned to just never tell me I have a daughter & raise her completely on his own, but a few things compounded to force his hand:

The birth was really rough on him, and his recovery was slow enough he was having trouble going back to work, to the point where money was getting tight

On top of that, our daughter has celiac disease, and between paying out of pocket for blood tests & spending more on baby food she's safe to eat, things got desperate enough he went and took out a really dodgy loan from a scummy payday company

He was at our door because all of this had finally spiraled to a point where he'd lost his apartment, they'd been sleeping in his car for about a week, and he couldn't think of anything else to do

I think I was probably feeling every human emotion in existence at the same time through all of this, but the thing I remember most from the whole conversation was the way my partner kept drifting right back to the baby, and the soft way he looked at her. We put my ex & daughter up in a hotel room for the night and told him we needed to talk, and we'd discuss our options in the morning, but I think even then I kind of knew what our answer was going to be.

Sure enough, for the last year and a half we've been co-parenting our little girl, all three of us. We didn't want to juggle who's got her, or force my ex to find a place to stay, so we've turned my partner's home office into our daughter's room, and redid most of the downstairs layout so my ex could move into an actual bedroom, rather than just sleep on our pullout couch in perpetuity. We finally succeeded in convincing him that rest and recovery was more important than trying to contribute to the house finances right away, and it's been magical watching all that stress and terror slowly fall off him. It's like he's a little more alive again every time I look.

Which is where my question comes in.

I'd like to restate, I love my partner 100%. None of this changes that whatsoever. If I ask, and he says no, that will be the end of the discussion for me completely. But I have eyes. My ex is, objectively, a very attractive man. I know we work well together, and I have to admit I'm very curious to see where that same chemistry could lead now that he's not on the other side of the country half the time. I've also been noticing these little moments between him and my partner. Nothing I'd consider crossing a line, but I've caught my partner checking my ex out several times, as well as vice versa, and they get along remarkably well. Sometimes I'll go to enter a room, and see them both sitting there laughing and chatting and playing with our baby, and I'll just hang back to watch because it makes me so happy.

Add to all that, we're pretty deeply ingrained in each other's lives now. My partner and I don't often go out on dates alone anymore, but the last few times we did it felt as if my ex was missing from the table. We watched a movie together last night, and my ex sat in the middle of us with his feet in my partner's lap and his head on my chest, and it felt just as natural as my arm on my partner's shoulder. It's not about just having sex with him, and it's not that I'd want to invite any old person into our relationship. I know we already all love each other, and I think there's potential for that to become romantic between the two of us and my ex.

It just feels as though we're all holding our breath, waiting for someone else to say it first. My ex certainly isn't going to bring it up when he's living rent free in "our" home (it's his home too, but he doesn't seem to see it like that yet). My partner grew up sheltered enough that I'm not sure he's ever heard of polyamory at all, so he's not going to bring it up. That just leaves me.

My problem is, if I'm wrong about what I think I'm seeing, or if I bring it up the wrong way, I can't take it back. I don't want my partner to feel insecure or betrayed, I don't want my ex to feel pressured or put on the spot, and I definitely don't want my daughter to lose any of us, which I know could happen if we aren't all on the same page. Or worse, if we do all date and it goes badly.

Should I just keep this whole thing secret? Is that even worse? Would I be the asshole for opening this can of worms on everyone else?

Help!

#aita #am i the asshole

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1onescu · 2 months

Note

ayanna crushing on aubreys little sister whos also an actress? like shes taking classes at uconn but shes also a lil popular

𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - ayanna patterson

The bustling UConn campus was alive with the chatter of students heading to and from classes. Among the sea of faces, Ayanna's eyes were always drawn to one person: you, Aubrey's younger sister.

You were a striking presence on campus, balancing your studies with an impressive budding acting career. Despite your rising fame, you remained grounded and approachable, often seen laughing with friends or lost in a book between classes. Ayanna couldn't help but admire you from afar, her crush growing stronger with each passing day.

One sunny afternoon, Ayanna found herself in the student union, sipping on a smoothie and trying to focus on her assignments. She glanced up just in time to see you walk in, a bright smile on your face as you waved to a group of friends.

"Hey, Yanna," you greeted, your voice sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. "Mind if I join you?"

Ayanna's heart raced, and she quickly nodded, hoping she didn't look as flustered as she felt. "Of course, have a seat."

You settled into the chair across from her, setting your bag down and pulling out a script. "I'm just taking a break from rehearsal. Mind if I run a few lines here?"

"Not at all," Ayanna replied, trying to sound casual. "What's the play?"

"It's a new indie film," you explained, your eyes lighting up with excitement. "I'm really excited about this one. The character is so complex and challenging."

Ayanna watched as you immersed yourself in the script, your passion for acting evident in every word. She found herself captivated by the way you transformed, bringing the character to life with ease.

As the weeks went by, Ayanna and you began to spend more time together, bonding over shared interests and late-night study sessions. Ayanna admired your dedication and talent, and with each passing day, she found herself falling deeper for you.

One evening, after a particularly grueling practice, Ayanna decided it was time to take a chance. She found you in the campus café, scribbling notes in your journal.

"Hey, Y/N," Ayanna greeted, sliding into the seat across from you. "Got a minute?"

You looked up, your face lighting up with a smile. "For you, always. What's up?"

Ayanna took a deep breath, her nerves threatening to get the best of her. "I was wondering if you'd like to grab dinner sometime. Just the two of us."

Your eyes widened slightly in surprise, and Ayanna's heart skipped a beat. But then, a slow smile spread across your face, and you nodded. "I'd love that, Ayanna."

Relief washed over her, and she couldn't help but grin. "Great. How about tomorrow night?"

"It's a date," you replied, your eyes twinkling with mischief. "But just so you know, I expect to be wined and dined."

Ayanna laughed, feeling more at ease. "I'll do my best to impress you, then."

That day, Ayanna was in the gym, finishing up her solo practice session. As she wiped the sweat from her brow and started packing up, she noticed Aubrey entering the gym, a determined look on her face. This was the perfect opportunity to talk to her about you.

"Aubrey, hey!" Ayanna called out, jogging over to her teammate.

"Hey, Yanna," Aubrey replied, smiling. "What's up? You finished early today."

"Yeah, wanted to get some extra shots in," Ayanna said, trying to find the right words to broach the subject. "Got a minute to chat?"

Aubrey raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

Taking a deep breath, Ayanna decided to go for it. "I wanted to talk to you about Y/N."

Aubrey's expression softened, a knowing smile creeping onto her face. "Oh? What about her?"

Ayanna chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, we've been spending a lot of time together lately, and I... I really like her, Aubrey. Like, a lot."

Aubrey crossed her arms, her smile widening. "I had a feeling. She's mentioned you a few times. Seems like she likes you too."

Ayanna's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? What did she say?"

"Just that you're a good friend and she enjoys your company," Aubrey said, her tone teasing. "But I can tell she means more than that. Her eyes light up when she talks about you."

Ayanna felt her heart race, a mixture of excitement and nerves. "I asked her out to dinner, and it went really well. I want to make sure I'm doing everything right, you know? I don't want to mess this up."

Aubrey placed a reassuring hand on Ayanna's shoulder. "Ayanna, you're a great person. Just be yourself. Y/N likes you for who you are. Treat her well, and everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Aubrey," Ayanna said, her voice filled with gratitude. "That means a lot coming from you."

Aubrey nodded, her expression serious but supportive. "Just remember, she's my sister. If you hurt her, you'll have to deal with me."

Ayanna laughed, raising her hands in mock surrender. "I promise I'll do my best to make her happy."

"Good," Aubrey said, her smile returning. "Now, how about we get a few more shots in? I could use the practice."

"Sounds like a plan," Ayanna agreed, feeling a renewed sense of confidence.

As they started shooting hoops, Ayanna couldn't help but feel grateful for Aubrey's support. She was determined to make things work with you and to show you just how much you meant to her. With each shot she took, she envisioned a future where you and her were together, growing closer with each passing day.

The next evening, Ayanna picked you up for dinner, taking you to a cozy restaurant just off campus. The conversation flowed easily, and she found herself more and more enamored with you. As the night went on, it became clear that the feelings were mutual.

Walking you back to your dorm, Ayanna felt a sense of contentment she hadn't felt in a long time. You stopped at the entrance, turning to face her with a shy smile.

"Tonight was amazing," you said softly. "Thank you."

"It really was," Ayanna agreed, her heart pounding. "I'd love to do it again sometime."

You took a step closer, your eyes meeting hers. "I'd like that too."

Before she could overthink it, Ayanna leaned in, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss. It was sweet and tentative, but it held the promise of something more. When you pulled away, your cheeks were flushed, and Ayanna couldn't help but smile.

"Goodnight, Y/N," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Ayanna," you replied, your voice filled with warmth.

As Ayanna walked back to her dorm, she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest person in the world. She had taken a chance, and it had led her to you—a connection she hadn't expected but one she was grateful for every day.

#wlw #lesbian #uconn wbb #uconn huskies #uconn women’s basketball #wbb #ayanna patterson x reader #ayanna patterson #wbb x reader #ncaa wbb #womens basketball #uconn

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callmissrogers · 7 months

Text

There You Are Sweetheart. | Steve Rogers x Reader One Short.

Summary: Y/n just wanted to bring her sister a package. What she didn't expect was being picked on by two soldiers or being rescued by a handsome stranger.

Steve Rogers x Reader

Word count: 1,909

Warnings: fluff and some goofiness. Y/n does get harassed by some jerks, but nothing happens. Let me know if I missed anything.

Note: very minimal editing and gold stars to anyone who catches what this is a reference to.

It's beginning to feel like spring. The cherry blossoms have sprung into bloom, and Y/n has a date to bring her sister, Felicity, a package that was delivered to her house whilst Felicity was away. On the way there, her horrible sense of direction has her taking a wrong turn and into the pathway of some soilders on their lunch break. Will Y/N end up in some sort of trouble, or will someone dashing come to her rescue? Read to find out.

Hey! I'll be at on a coffee shop today at 3... Could you bring me my package then? It's a little hole in the wall place by all the fancy vintage stores you like.

Of course, Felicity would want to meet at a coffee shop. Y/n was positive her sweet younger sister couldn't survive even a couple of hours without a caffeine kick.

She looked around her office (which was really her apartment) for an excuse to stay in, but couldn't find any. All of the outfits that needed tailoring had already been tailored.

Plus, really, she hadn't seen her sister for a while, and they needed to catch up. Y/n just hated going out in the late afternoon. It meant that she'd likely be heading back during rush hour and would end up eating dinner late. If there was anything that y/n didn't appreciate, was having her routine messed up. . . She was well aware that she lived like a little old lady sometimes.

Closer to time, she got dressed in an outfit that was fit to be seen in. Her baby pink lounge set was incredibly comfortable for working long hours at home, but it was hardly a fashion statement.

The coffee shop in question was about 15 blocks away from her place, so she decided to walk. Admittedly, this probably wasn't the best idea in the world. Y/n has a tendency to get lost in her local grocery store.

So, with an earphone in one ear, she listened to her favorite oldies playlist, as life was better when it had a soundtrack and was on her way.

A few blocks down, she took a left down an alley that was its own hole in the wall. It held a bar favored by military members and directly across from that there was a karaoke pizza joint. Y/n always thought that made an odd coupling.

Tho, a part of her wondered if the college girls who favored the pizza place went there just for the chance of getting with an army man without any understanding of what military life was really like.

She was musing on this when two soldiers stepped out directly in front of her and thereby blocked her pathway.

"Um. Excuse me." She gasped, trying to get around them.

"Looks like this little mouse lost her way," one of them joked, taking a swig from his beer bottle.

She shook her head, "Oh no, I'm not lost."

The second soldier peered down at her with a grin on his face and then said, "This little mouse looks thirsty. We should take her to get a drink."

Y/n was beginning to get nervous, and she had no idea how she was going to get out of this situation. She had never had any issues cutting through here before, but now she was wishing she had taken the route that passed the pet store instead.

All she could think to say was, "No thanks, my sister is waiting for me." Hopping that by knowing she had some place to be that they would just leave her be.

But they just shared a glance, laughing to themselves before the one of the right replied with a "We've heard that excuse before." Then the one on the left winked at her and said, "She's actually pretty cute for a mouse."

His pal chuckled and then reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, "How old are you anyway? Live close by?"

Now they were both getting uncomfortably close, and y/n had a terrible vision about being stuck having to sit in this bar with them until they had gone from just tipsy to black out drunk.

"Leave me alone!" She tried to yell, but it came out as more of a loud statement.

"You see, your personality scares all the girls."So I think she's cuter when she's scared."

She was done for, body stiffening up, hands trembling, trying not to drop the package.

"There you are, sweetheart," someone said behind her. Only when someone tucked their arm around hers and pulled her from the soldiers' grasp did she realize that the stranger was talking to her.

But she certainly didn't know anyone who would call her that. That much she was sure of.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He said, gazing down at her. She had to crane her neck just to look him in the eye. He was a tall, blond headed man with strong features. His bright blue eyes bore into hers with concern.

Did she know this man? No. No, she did not. But all she could manage to do in response to his saving her from these two was to open and close her mouth repeatedly.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." Her rescuer continued acting like they knew each other. Not only knew each other but were in some sort of relationship.

Oh boy, was y/n's head spinning now.

"Hey man, we were just talking to your girl here." One of the soilders tried to explain.

Her rescuer looked at the pair and then said, "Really? It looked to me like you were trying to force a lady into drinks after she said no. Time to learn some boundaries, gentlemen. We'll be going." And then he gently led her up and out of the alleyway, only stopping once they were completely out of sight of the bar.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his head tilting to get a better look at her face. This man had to at least be 6"2, and he made y/n feel positively tiny.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I will. I will never take that street again. That's for sure."I'm sorry that it did. Letting off steam is no excuse to treat a lady that way."

"Thank you. . . I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along like that." She said, pulling the hem of her cardigan sleeve.

"I was just doing what anyone should do in a situation like that,"

"But. Can I ask-- No nevermind." She mumbled, feeling her cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

"No, no. Go on, please, " He encouraged, actually seeming eager to hear her out.

"Wh - why'd you pretend to be my boyfriend or something?" She asked, feeling really, really stupid.

Now he was blushing.

"To be honest, ma'am, it was the only thing I could think of on the spur of the moment." He said with a nervous laugh.

When her phone chimed, y/n pulled it out to see a text from Felicity.

where are you?

"Well, I thought it was smart. . . You're very much the gentlemen." She said with a smile, feeling much more relaxed than she had a moment ago.

He looked like he was about to say something when her phone chimed again

Beginning to freak out a bit, sis. Are you ok?

Y/n sighed, looking from the phone screen up to her rescuer. "I should... I should probably get going. My sister's getting worried about me."

"Where is it you're headed? If you don't mind me asking." He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. How was it possible for someone to look so at ease and yet so uncomfortable at the same time?

"She wanted to meet at a coffee shop a few blocks away from here." Y/n replied, adjusting her bag and trying to look anywhere but at him.

They made quite the pair.

After shifting from foot to foot for a moment, he said, "I could walk you."

Y/n didn't know why, but that small gesture made her smile in the biggest way.

"Really? You don't have to."Ah. Well, now I'm invested after all. I've been looking for you all day." He said, matching her smile. If she could read his mind right now, she'd know that he just congratulated himself for coming up with something that was smooth as a response

So he offered her his arm again, and the pair made their way to the coffee shop.

Meandering past store fronts and other businesses as they went.

"This is it." Y/n fianlly said, stopping in her tracks.

It was a coffee shop that looked like it hadn't aged for about 60 years.

"I love this side of town," He said as a response.

"Things feel a little more normal here." "More normal?" Y/n asked, not understanding what he meant by that statement.

"That would be a very long story that we don't have time for at the present moment." He said again, smiling down at her.

"Oh. I see." Y/n giggled at her own confusion. This man saved her, escorted her to meet her sister, and now adds some mystery to the mix.

"I'll let you go. Don't want to worry that sister of yours anymore." He said with a tip of his head and he started to walk away.

"Wait!" Y/n blurted, forgetting herself. He turned to face her again, judging by the expression on his face, he was surprised by her sudden outburst. Then his brows shot up as if to say, "Go on."

"What's -whats your name?" She asked, willing herself to hold onto this bold feeling long enough to get this out.

He smiled and then said, "Steve Rogers."

Y/n's eyes widened, and her boldness melted into total embarrassment. Perhaps she was drugged or something to be out of her mind enough to not realize she had been with not just some kind stranger off the street, but rather CAPTAIN AMERICA. And he had called her "sweetheart", even if he hadn't really meant it, he had still said it.

She would dream about that for the next month while she hemmed dresses.

"Miss. Miss!" Steve said, having come closer again to get her attention. Y/n jumped when she realized he was right in front of her.

"Sorry. I'm y/n y/l/n. "

"Well, y/n y/l/n," He said, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a pocket notebook he scribbled something down and then gave it to her. "If you happen to be free this Friday night. There's a restaurant in this neighborhood. Very old timey, like me. . ." He said nervously, laughing again. "We could have a meal, I could tell you that story and I could learn more about you. I mean, aside from the fact that you have a sister and listen to 'Sh Boom' when you walk around the city."

He had noticed what she had been listening to?

All y/n could do was squeak a "yes." Before running back into the coffee shop and slamming the door in his face.

Felicity looked up in surprise, "What took you so long? Are you ok?"

Y/n sat down and, in one breath, said, "I think Captain America just asked me out on a date, and I said yes."

NOTE: I wrote this in one sitting, and at first, I thought it was sweet. Now, I think I might have actually made it corny. I'm going with it anyways but please let me know what you thought of it. Thanks!

Note 2: Part 3 of 'That's my Girl' will be coming out soonish keep an eye out!

#steve rogers fluff #steve rogers x reader #marvel #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x you #chris evans characters #chris evans #steve rogers #steve rogers romance #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers short story #marvel shortstory #marvel fanfiction

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that-tmblr-blog · 5 months

Text

Practical Midwifery for Beginners

Stevie approached the doors of the labour ward with increasingly slow steps. As if putting it off long enough might mean she would never have to go in. But eventually, she reached them. Now she had to enter.

She tapped the large red button on the intercom and announced her name into the receiver. Without a word from the attendant on the other side, the door clicked open and she was free to walk in.

"Here we go then," she said quietly to herself. "now or never".

She walked into the ward with just as little pace as she had before and found it to be nothing like what she'd imagined. It was pleasant.

Ever since she'd found out she was pregnant, and for many years before, she'd imagine the birthing ward to be a place of near unimaginable horror. TV tropes of the 90s had always played through her mind whenever she thought of this place with screams of howling agony bellowing out from behind every door.

She imagined women being wheeled between one room and the next sweating, panting, cursing, and yelling at their poor befuddled partners as a melon-sized object bowled its way out from their womb.

Reality, she noted, was far more mundane. The corridor walls were a rather plain beige and entirely free of blood spatter or dents from objects thrown and embedded in their plaster. There was even a healthy-looking ficus that would have almost certainly have wilted at the first hint of foul language or violence.

Reporting to the front desk she announced herself to the pleasant receptionist who didn't look at all like the draconian torturer she had imagined in her prenatal appointments.

"Hi, um, I'm Stevie," she announced. "I'm the learning apprentice for today?"

"oh, of course!" The receptionist smiled. "When are you due?"

"Three weeks yesterday" Stevie replied.

"Wonderful, sound like you've come at just the right time. You're going to learn so much today," the receptionist continued. "Mothers always come back saying it really took the mystery and the fear out of the process for them"

Stevie wasn't so sure. She didn't want her face to give her feelings away, but she could only imagine how she'd react to watching a small human squeeze its way out of the vagina of another woman. She was pretty certain that she'd like some of the mystery left in.

This is not what she said to the receptionist, however. Instead, she smiled and nodded.

"Anne will take you through everything today," the receptionist continued "She'll be here in a minute, I hear she's got a doozy of a case for you today!"

Stevie wondered exactly what that meant. What kind of birth would she consider "a doozy"? The very idea of one human being creating and birthing another in such a short space of time was considered quite a feat to her just 9 months ago. What else could there be on top of that? She wondered if she really should stick around to find out.

She scanned up and down the corridor to look for hints of what she might be in store for. Perhaps she could see the danger far enough on the horizon. It was then, however, she realised that her time to make an escape had just run out. Anne, identified by her over-sized sharpie name tag, was barrelling towards her.

A heavy-set woman with red hair and a warm heart-felt smile, Anne reminded Stevie of a friendly neighbour or caring school teacher as she approached.

"Good morning," Anne smiled. "Don't you look ready to pop!"

Stevie ran her hand down the length of her swollen belly. She'd rather not be reminded, yet, everyone seemed compelled to remind her all the same. Already self-conscious about the size of her belly, a place like this did more to emphasize her approaching due date than anywhere else.

"Morning," she replied. "feels like it too.."

"Well not today, darling," Anne laughed. "I think we've got quite enough on our plate with the one baby we're paid to deliver"

Stevie winced a little. Hearing Anne talk about the pair of them helping to deliver a baby on their own made it feel so real and so close. She wished it was neither.

"We've got a lady in today, room 5, we think she's going to have a record breaker!" Anne said with enthusiastic cheer. "Could be one of the biggest babies we've delivered on the ward, everyone's looking out for it! You could be a celebrity in here before you come back!"

Anne laughed, but Stevie's anxiety only grew. Her hand unconsciously ran down her outsized belly as she wondered whether today was going to ease her mind or induce yet more terror at the worst possible moment.

Just then, a roar sounded out from far down the corridor. The first Stevie had heard, it sent a cold chill down her spine and formed a deep pit in the base of her stomach. Fear was approaching whether she was ready for it or now.

Anne perked up, apparently un-phased by the urgency or the intensity of what she'd heard. "Ah, that sounds like just our cue"

She turned on her heels and began walking down the corridor at a brisk pace. Stevie assumed that she was expected to follow.

"I hope you haven't made plans this evening" she continued while walking. "There's no telling what time we could be here till"

Having skipped breakfast on questionable advice, Stevie wondered if there was still a chance to grab some food if she wasn't going to get out of here for dinner. Another roar from the room down the hall told her that there most probably wasn't.

Rushing through the corridor to get to their patient, they passed room after room where endless numbers of women were deep in the throes of labour. Feeling as if she'd just entered a world she had known nothing about, Stevie couldn't resist peeking in through open doors and uncurtained windows as they raced past.

Everyone she saw looked to be in various stages of agony, desperation, and effort. Her stomach dropped again.

The next room she looked in was the most heavily attended. A handful of medical staff crowded around the bed of a young dark-haired woman pushing with every bit of effort and control it seemed she could muster.

With her legs raised in stirrups and her handheld by her partner, the beautiful young woman's face turned beet red as she fleshed her teeth and contorted her face into a grimace of pain curling around to bear down against the foreigner she'd grown inside.

"poor thing," Stevie thought, forgetting that it would be her own body heaving down in agony in just a few weeks.

Anne was walking faster now, or Stevie has accidentally slowed to watch. She picked up her pace as best she could for all the extra weight she was carrying. In the next few windows, she saw women in earlier phases of labour. Pacing around the room, bouncing on large blue exercise balls, resting bent over with their arms clinging on to the rail at the foot of the bed as if they were about to set-off and push them clean through the adjoining wall.

The next-door they found was their own audibly suffering patient. It was already open.

Entering the room, Stevie's first instinct was to leave again and perhaps come back another time. The patient, a young blonde woman with a slim body, save for the large round belly in its mid-section, had a loud booming moan that seemed to echo around the room as she squirmed in agony. Of course, Stevie realised there wasn't going to be another time. The young woman's labour was what they were there to help with. Though she wasn't exactly sure how.

"Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhh," the patient bellowed as she held tight to her partner's hand.

Unlike Stevie, Anne looked like a natural in this highly charged room. "Well done dear, you're doing just fine," she yelled above the patient moans. "I've got an assistant here today, due very soon, she's here to see how it's all done, is that ok?"

"Fine, whatever!" the patient cried out, clearly still suffering the effects of the previous contraction.

Stevie wondered if the patient knew how little Anne's assistant knew about birth or wanted to be in the room when it happened. Surely she must have had to have been an assistant at someone else's birth before. Why would she agree to inflict it on her too after that?

Moving to the centre of the room, Stevie looked around at the surroundings, it was nicer than she'd imagined. Freshly painted, clean, tidy, and almost homely looking. A far cry from the sterile white chamber of torture that often played through her mind. Yet, she couldn't ignore the large metal stirrups that hung on the side of the bed.

The straps, pulleys, and stirrups that hung on the bed looked like a medieval torture rack updated for the modern-day. Quickly, Anne brought her back to the present with a run-down of the patient's details.

"This is Katie, a nineteen-year-old first-time mum planning a natural birth here today with her partner, Sam"

Stevie smiled awkwardly at them both and introduced herself. Unsure of where to look, how to stand, or what to say, she worried that she might look half as uncomfortable as she felt.

As if on cue, Katie bellowed another echoing moan to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwrghh"

Stevie's sense of medieval torture was beginning to feel more and more real. She watched as Katie writhed and moaned on the bed in front of her, clinging on to Sam's hand, squeezing it hard as she gripped and clawed at the bedsheet beside her.

She wanted to do something. Better yet, she wanted Anne to do something. Yet, she also knew there was nothing that anyone could do to ease the agony so clearly coursing through the poor girl's body.

"Now that you're coming along so well, I think it's time we had another check," Anne announced.

"Please!" Sam interjected. "Last time you came in here you left her like this. One injection and now my wife is in so much pain! Can't you give her a rest?!"

Stevie would have found it hard to argue. Anne, however, seemed unmoved.

"Yes, we did give a shot of Pitocin almost an hour ago," she replied. "That was to help baby along and, by the sounds of things it seems like it's working just fine.."

"Honey please," Katie interrupted, waving him off with her free hand. "It's ok, do whatever you need to, but be quick please, it hurts so bad"

Stevie noted how tired the woman looked. Already exhausted but with so much work to do still ahead of her. She wanted to ask how she felt, how she was coping, how she thought she could go through with such an excruciating ordeal. But she wasn't just a casual bystander now, she was a medical professional tasked with looking after her patient.

Instead, Anne continued. Raising the bed to standing height, she asked Katie to bring her feet together, raise and part her knees, and lifted the hospital sheet until the poor patient was entirely exposed to them both.

Stevie instinctively moved her gaze away in embarrassment. Of course, she reasoned, she would have to look. It was, in effect, the entire reason she was placed there.

She steeled herself for a second and returned her attention back to Katie who was laying back in bed to rest between agonising contractions.

Anne was already applying generous amounts of jelly across her fingers, palm, and back of her right hand. Then, with barely a second of hesitation, she approached Katie and slid her fingers deep inside.

"Ok, Katie, deep breath for me, here we go.."

She tensed up and winced a little as Anne made contact. On instinct, Stevie braced herself and winced too. Quickly, she caught herself, realised she was mirroring her patient, and tried to act as calm and relaxed as she didn't feel inside.

Despite her act, Stevie's eyes still widened in surprise as Anne's hand continued to push further and further inside of Katie's body. With barely a second passed, Anne's entire gloved fist was pushing deep into Katie who grimaced and squirmed as the midwife stretched at her body.

"Wonderful, dear!" Anne smiled. "You're six centimetres already! You've been working like a champion since the last exam"

With Anne still deep inside her, Katie didn't respond but to deepen her grimace and take long and controlled breaths. Her head lifted from the pillow and an expression of relief only washed over her when Anne slid her hand back out of her body. Turning to Stevie, Anne gestured at her patient "now you try".

Stevie froze. She was about to reply, but how? Turn down the offer? Was it even an offer, or was it her role for today? Before she had the chance Anne had already handed her a set of gloves.

Both Katie and Anne appeared to be waiting on her next move. She put the gloves on, though remained unsure of what was expected of her. She covered her hands in a film of jelly before taking the place Anne had set aside.

Without any more time to think, she placed her hand at the edge of Katie's vulva and slid two fingers inside. She was shocked by how physically hot and vulnerable Katie's body felt under her touch. She moved deeper inside and felt every bump and ridge of Katie's body at the tips of her gloved fingers.

With her second knuckle passing inside she wasn't sure exactly how far she should go. This was closer than she'd ever expected to be. She looked to Anne, who nodded that she can keep going. She began to wonder how Katie was feeling at this very moment.

Tempted to stop at every second, Anne continued to guide her deeper and deeper until she came to a halt against a firm wall. Now, only the base of her hand was visible outside of Katie's birth canal.

Stevie gasped in surprise, hoping the patient or her husband hadn't heard her shock. The cervix was a doughnut-shaped wall, rigid yet soft, slowly making its way open in fits and starts of pain.

Stevie could feel its opening, already impossibly wide, and thought about it being barely over halfway. Wow, she thought, it goes all the way to ten?!

Katie had only appeared slightly uncomfortable as Stevie had pushed further inside. Something, she thought it surprising, given that it looked as if she was giving birth to Stevie's entire arm. Only now was she beginning to writhe and squirm with her eyes screwed tightly shut and her face contorted in pain. Then, Stevie felt it too.

She felt Katie's muscles spasm and clamp around her as contractions broke through her body. As the poor woman moaned out and began breathing heavily and huge gasping pants, Stevie wasn't sure what she should do.

She wanted to pull her hand back, to slide it out from her birth canal and do what she could to help her through the suffering. Yet, she found it difficult to move as Katie's body seemed to tighten and clamp around her. Katie's hot, writhing body gripped hold and release her hand in almost rhythmic pulses of energy.

"You see? You see now what she feels?" Anne asked her. "You see what you'll do one day soon?"

"Y-yes?" Stevie replied. The one thing she was trying so desperately hard not to do was to think about her own labour in just a few weeks time. She didn't want to take the place of this poor woman as she howled in agony on the bed in front of her. Not now, not in 3 weeks, not ever.

Already suffering from pangs of sympathy pains, she could feel her own stomach tense up as she felt Katie's body shift and contract around her. Empathy was giving her just a taste of what it would be like for her when she returned, and she already wanted to escape it.

She began to withdraw her hand against the tightening grip of Katie's body. It felt tight and stuck. She began to pull harder.

"no, NO!" Katie suddenly screamed. "Stay in. STAY IN. STAY. IN!"

Stevie was confused. She looked up to meet her patient's eye and saw a glare and a fury that told her she couldn't move a muscle.

"I am NOT birthing you right now!" she snapped. "STAY THERE!"

Stevie could only nod as Katie winced again and pulled the bedsheet tight to her body with her free hand.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggggggghhhh!" the patient howled.

Stevie's hand was crushed and squeezed as the wave of contractions passing around it peaked with an impossibly high crest. She gasped as she thought her hand might be crushed by the power of this woman's body.

She winced as she felt her own stomach tighten again in sympathy for what Katie was going through. The pair of them breathed and panted through pains of their own. Then, as quickly as it had grown, the wave began to fall again. The vice-like grip on her hand was released and she could finally ease herself free with a great sigh of relief.

Katie caught her breath too. Muttering a barely audible "thank you" as Stevie slid herself out from a less-powerful grip.

Anne was pleased. Things were progressing along nicely and she imagined both of her women were getting immense rewards from their experience here.

"Well, I think you too have got it from here, I'll be back in a little while to check on you both,"

Anne winked at Stevie and began to walk out of the room.

"W-w-wait, what" Stevie stuttered.

"You take care of Katie here, keep an eye on those contractions and I'll be back in a little while, but you can buzz if you need me"

Anne pointed to a doorbell that hung on the wall above the bed, turned on her heels, and left.

Stevie felt a cold wave travel through her again. She wanted to run after her, plead with her, beg her to stay. She had no idea how to look after a woman in labour and was still terrified of what she might find out if she did.

By the time she found her voice to call after her, Anne was already gone. It was just her, alone in the room with the couple going through their first birth. Two pregnant women—one of them terrified of birth.

To Stevie's growing horror, Katie was already panting as a new wave of contractions built up inside her.

Katie laboured with the attendance of her husband and apprentice midwife for what felt like endless hour after endless hour. Waves of contractions broke through her with an agonising grip as both Stevie and Sam poured everything they had into comforting the poor woman through an ordeal none of them would wish on anybody.

Time blurred into a haze of agony and effort as waves of contractions came and went and she took various positions in bed to help ease its passage. Stevie could feel her level of care and her compassion grow with every minute she spent at Katie's side. She began to time out her contractions, almost to the second and could confidently measure how far dilated she'd gotten—eight at last count.

The pangs of sympathy pain that Stevie kept experiencing before were only growing with her compassion and sympathy, however. For every ten contractions, Katie was feeling one of her own in some kind of twisted sisterhood solidarity. Perhaps she had too much empathy, she thought, as she suffered through another alongside her patient.

Unwelcome interruptions, Stevie was more than ready to put a halt to them to get through the rest of the day and go home. Doing nothing to ease her mind about her own labour to come, they only solidified her resolve that she could not do this herself.

Perhaps, she thought, she could ask Anne for something to help put a stop to them today when she comes back. Not worth ringing the buzzer for, but she'd have to get on top of it soon.

By now, Katie was screaming at ear-shattering volume every 90 seconds or so. If Anne wasn't going to arrive with that noise going on, when was she going to come?

"Can't you do something?!" Sam yelled as Katie clawed at his arm, swung her fist into the bed and pulled at the sheets.

"I'm sorry!" Stevie shouted back. "I—I wish I could! Katie! You're doing great! Just keep breathing for me sweetie!"

If Katie had heard her then she showed no outward signs of reacting. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut, her breathing sporadic and intertwined with moans of agony.

Stevie's own body was now mirroring Katie's. A tight, gripping contraction took hold of her abdomen as she tried in vain to comfort her patient.

she reached out and gripped hold of the bed frame herself, breathing in long steady breaths as she fought to keep her trembling knees under her and her body upright. Sympathy pains were no joke, she thought to herself. She badly needed something to put a halt to them and focus now.

"I HAVE TO PUSH!" Katie roared in a deep, booming voice that caught Stevie off-guard.

"What?! Oh no no no! it's not time yet!" Stevie replied, increasingly thinking of pressing the buzzer as a matter of dire urgency. "Just hold on and we'll get you checked out and see where you are"

"I. HAVE. TO. PUSH" Katie replied. "I'M NOT ASKING!"

Stevie's stomach dropped, what now? Before she had a chance to reach for the buzzer, Anne came gliding through the door, seemingly unconcerned. Stevie didn't know if she'd come because she'd heard or on some kind of midwifery instinct.

"Now then, how are we doing in here?" Anne asked in a calm, flat tone.

"I think Katie wants to begin pushing soon" Stevie replied.

"I AM PUSHING!" Katie screamed over her. "NOW!!"

Stevie was startled but Anne was entirely un-phased. "Ok, sweetheart, let's get you into position first, shall we?"

She pulled at a metal lever attached to the bed and two stirrups emerged from the frame.

"Shouldn't you check her first too?" Stevie asked.

"and will you be the one to tell her not to push if she's only nine and a half?" Anne replied with a laugh.

The heavy metal stirrups clunked into place. Two footholds were raised high above the patient at the foot of the bed. Stevie helped Anne to steer Katie's legs into place as the poor girl panted and fought not to bear down against an intense pressure rising up within her.

"Good girl," Anne yelled above Katie's heavy panting.

Stevie felt another pang deep inside her stomach and grabbed at her side. It felt as if her own pains were getting more intense, but she would feel ridiculous complaining within earshot of her dearly suffering patient.

"Anne, I—I," she managed to stutter out before a deep, full-bodied roar informed both women that Katie was beginning to push.

"HNnnnnnghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhARGHHHHhhhhh!" Katie groaned as her head curled forward and her face scrunched tight.

Anne turned to Stevie as their patient was beginning the final stage of her labour. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Stevie replied. She couldn't imagine complaining about just cramps now.

"Good, come on, get in here," Anne said, wheeling a tall metal stool to the foot of Katie's bed. Stevie did as instructed, taking the seat in front of her patient.

From here, Katie's feet towered high above her head to the left and the right. Her enormous belly looked like a dome-shaped hill approaching over the horizon in front of her. Above it, like a setting sun, the beet-red face of the woman she was here to care for was straining and howling in searing agony.

Was this what it was like? For everyone? Was it supposed to be her in that bed exposed to a new apprentice in just a few weeks?

She allowed her mind to drift to that scenario. She thought again about how close it seemed to medieval torture. She imagined herself lying in this bed now. Her own voice ringing in her ears, as she found herself screaming in agony, just like Katie.

Imagining what she could do to escape, when the pain and the effort got all too much, she came up with nothing. After all, what could she do for Katie here and now? There was no escape she could offer her and there'd be no escape for herself when the time came around.

The only thing she could do for Katie was to push her through, to lean into that agony, embrace it, suffer through it and aim to reach the other side. One day, it would be all she could do for herself too.

She didn't have to imagine too long to get a feel for what that might be like. As if aware of the thoughts racing through her mind, her stomach cramped again with an intensity and suddenness that took her by surprise.

She wanted to double over, to hold her belly and close her eyes until this one passed just like the last. But Anne was watching her now, and here she was, sat at the foot of the bed expected to bring this patient through her labour while she could barely control the pangs of agony she kept experiencing.

Instead, she poured her energy, anger, and frustration into Katie's labouring efforts.

"Come on, that's it!" she yelled, louder than she would have intended. "push, push PUSH!!"

Anne was impressed. The quiet wallflower she'd met a few hours ago was matching decibels and intensity with her labouring patient. Not only had she come out of her shell—she seemed to be relishing the process too.

Katie gasped for breath at the end of another excruciating push and Stevie directed her straight into the next.

"That's it, grab a breath and give me another great big push down while we've still got that contraction!"

Katie did. Wrapping her hands just behind her knees, she took in another gulp of air and curled herself up and around her enormously swollen belly.

"Yes! Yes! That's it!" Stevie yelled.

She watched as Katie's stomach appeared to rebel against her with every contraction and convulsion. Stretching tall and then wide, and then tall again—her stomach made all kinds of shapes and figures as the pair fought a battle that neither side could win. Poor thing, Stevie thought.

"Yes Katie! Yes! You're doing it! Keep that coming for me! Just like that!"

With Katie's contractions still coming on strong and fast, Stevie directed her through pushing against each and every one with an increasing ferocity and anger. Every time she pushed Stevie could see just that little bit more effort, that little bit more traction, and a lot more progress. But her strength and her energy were both beginning to wane.

"I can't!" Katie gasped at the end of a particularly intense trio of pushes. "I can't do it, it won't budge!"

Anne was ready to intervene. Her experience and her patience was often her greatest asset here, but Stevie stepped up before she even had a chance.

"Of course, you can Katie, look how far we've come already, we're so nearly there! You're doing so so good! Just the final stage to go" Stevie reassured her. "We're in this together now, and we're going to get through it"

Neither Katie nor Anne could know how literally she meant it. For every four contractions of Katie's, Stevie was suffering intense cramping of her own. Anne watched as Stevie clutched at her stomach while guiding Katie through some particularly intense contractions.

She thought little of it. Many women in Stevie's position turn their minds to their own babies as they meet with women meeting theirs. Then, it happened again. In the middle of another intense contraction and pushing effort, Stevie almost doubled over in pain, wincing and holding her belly as Katie pushed.

"You're doing great Katie, we're going to be seeing this baby in no time!" Anne said as she drew closer to Stevie.

"Honey, are you…?" she asked in a quiet, tone. She didn't want to draw attention from Katie or Sam.

"What? No!" Stevie replied. "Well, I've been… I don't know!"

Stevie felt like she was admitting the truth to herself as she admitted it to Anne. This could be it.

"It's… it's been a few hours…"

"Oh, my god" Anne replied/ "Why didn't you say anything?!"

Before she could reply, another contraction crashed through her. Admitting how intense they were really getting now, she grabbed at her stomach and moaned out in pain. Anne put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her belly. s

"Honey, we've got to get you to a ward," she told her. "We'll get you taken care of down the hall"

"What?! No!" Stevie replied, surprising herself as well as Anne. "I've got to take care of Katie, I think I can begin to see the head a little with each effort. It can't be long. At least let me be here for the delivery"

"Stevie, you're in labour! That would be insane" Anne replied. "I'm a senior midwife, usually I go from one patient to two, not from one to four! How would I explain that"

"I'm in the early stages of labour in a maternity ward," Stevie smiled. "What's crazy about that? Isn't that why it's here?"

Anne put up light protest, but Stevie continued. "It's my first baby, once Katie's delivered and we're done here I'll go get checked out straight away, I promise"

Still unsure of even what she was agreeing to, Anne didn't have the power or the strength to argue while trying to look after two labouring women at once.

"Fine, we'll keep you here but I'll be keeping a close eye" she replied.

"Of course" Stevie smiled.

In truth, she knew she needed the distraction. She needed something to do, someone to focus on, and to keep her mind on anything but the consistently growing pain that was building within her hips. Katie's labour, she thought, was the perfect antidote to hers.

"Come on now Katie, big big push with that next contraction, that baby is ready to come, lets get him moving down now"

Katie obliged with another mighty heave that brought everything she had to bear against the mass making its way down out of her body.

"I can see it! I can see the head Katie!" Stevie screamed in excitement. "Keep it coming for me! Let me see more of that head make its way down!"

"Heeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhh!" Katie's voice seemed to echo louder through the room now, something Stevie took as a good sign they were getting closer to the end.

"Is it coming?" Katie gasped out at the end of her biggest push yet. "Is it moving?!"

"It's coming!" Stevie confirmed. "I can see a little more of the head with every big push, just keep those big efforts coming for me and he's going to be here in no time at all!"

Stevie smiled with a reassurance comfort, but also steeled herself against another onslaught building inside. Reaching out to grab the frame of the bed, her fingers curled around the cold metal post and her hands gripped tight as she felt her belly tighten in agony.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhieeeeee" she moaned as quietly as she could.

Was this really happening? Was she really in the depths of labour herself? Already?

She had no idea if she even wanted to embark on this journey ever, but she certainly knew she wasn't ready now. She had to hold back as long as she could. She could barely handle the journey of delivering one baby today, she couldn't begin to imagine having to push put her own.

Time to focus, she told herself. Regather her thoughts and help Katie deliver, then she could think about what she'd do next.

She took a deep breath, still holding the metal bed frame, and instructed Katie to push again, really giving it everything she had now. Stevie wanted Katie's baby out almost as much as Katie did.

"Good! Good Katie! That's it! Yes YES!"

With every effort Katie put in, Stevie could see more and more of the head beginning to emerge. Growing from the size of a small coin, it was rapidly starting to emerge.

"What do I do?!" She asked Anne as every push caused her vulva to bulge outwards as the pressure of the head bore down through the birth canal.

"Place your right hand to the side of the head there," Anne instructed. The circle of hair forming with every effort was beginning to resemble the shape of a teardrop as it grew.

"Good, that's perfect, now place your left hand on the other side, good, just like that. I want you to apply gentle counter-pressure against the weight as the head comes down to meet you, just guide it and it'll go how it needs to"

Stevie's hands were poised against both sides of the head as Katie's body bulged down into them and pressed against her fingertips. The power and the sensations were surprising as Katie bore down into her.

With some effort required, she held back the pressure of Katie's efforts against the tips of her fingers as the head moved a little further down between her hands. Each push felt like a monumental effort and came with a strength that Stevie wasn't sure she even had in her.

In that moment, another contraction hit her and she cried out in agony alongside Katie's groans. Her own labour was progressing at pace now, contractions coming as often now for her as they were for her patient.

"Are you OK?!" Katie managed to ask between pushing efforts.

"Yes! Yes! Probably just Braxton" Stevie replied, beginning to pant. "I'm fine. Just. keep. pushing!"

Katie did as instructed and barrelled straight into another strong effort.

"Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh!"

"Good..G—GOOD!" Stevie encouraged her.

The next contraction was already barrelling down on top of the last and what she could no longer ignore was the immense sensation of pressure bearing down inside her. She knew what Katie meant now when she said she had to push. She was just barely clinging on to hold things together herself.

She carefully slipped off the stools she was perched on. She could no longer comfortably sit, or stand without rocking and shifting her hips.

Instead, she took a half-standing half squatting position at the foot of Katie's bed. Shifting her hips from side to side seemed to help her through her next contraction.

Anne saw what she was doing and immediately knew that things were more advanced than she'd said. But now, with her hands poised on Katie and in such a late stage of delivery, there was little she could do to stand in her away.

"AIeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! IT'S TOO BIG. IT'S TOO BIG!" Katie yelled, unaware that hers wasn't the only drama happening at the foot of the bed. "I'M STRETCHING SO FAR"

"I've. Got. You." Stevie managed between laboured breaths. "You're stretching beautifully! Just keep pushing for me and we're going to get this baby delivered!"

"I CAN'T!" Katie replied.

"Listen, LISTEN," Stevie shouted, suddenly finding the sternest voice she had ever used in her life. "You CAN do this! It's not far now! We can do this together! I just need you to take a deep breath in and PUSH as hard as you can and I need you to do it NOW"

Taken aback, Katie did exactly as instructed. Giving the largest, most productive, and most convincing push so far. The teardrop was now a dome emerging from her body. Still growing in size, Stevie didn't have the spare capacity to encourage her on as she swore and sweated through her own agony with her hands still poised for Katie.

With every push her patient produced, Stevie began bearing down too. Enough, just, to relieve some of the pressure and feel like she was at least doing something.

"HNnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnghhhhhhhhAAAAAAAAAaAhh" Katie growled as she bore down into her hands.

Stevie pushed too, with a quieter more controlled effort as she stood at Katie's bed."Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"Arghhhhh it's coming! It's coming!" Katie screamed

The head pushed its way through and strained into Stevie's hands. She tried holding it tight but struggled to maintain composure amidst her own labouring efforts. She closed her eyes, focused on the baby emerging out under the tips of her fingers and tried to ignore, for the time being, the one bearing down through her body.

"Come on baby, come on baby" she muttered under her breath. Urging one to slow down and the other to speed up. Caught between two worlds.

The experience felt so entirely surreal that she barely had a chance to focus on the agony that wrapped around her body. She continued to push and, as she pushed, Katie's baby was quickly emerging into her hands. She felt as if the two of them were labouring together now as one.

"keep pushing honey!" is what she wanted to scream. Yet, she found that she didn't have the power or the focus to make the words come.

Katie, however, could do nothing else but push. She screamed and shrieked as the head emerged to its widest point and Stevie repositioned her hands to support its heavy weight. She was holding it now, still emerging from within Katie's lips she held the weight in her hands.

With one more heave, the head emerged with a sudden gush of fluids. Katie, relieved, collapsed back into the bed for brief respite.

Stevie, however, was only getting started. Her knees trembled under her as one contraction after another seemed to sap her strength away. Anne jumped into action, first supporting the weight of Stevie's body and then examining her latest apprentice to see how much time they had to work with. It wasn't much.

"Stevie, you're crowning!" She shouted. The head was already at the tips of Anne's fingers and ready to emerge at seemingly any moment.

"no, I can't be, I have to deliver… AHhhhhhhhh!!" Another contraction rocked through her and she found herself desperate to push again for the slightest sliver of relief. With her arms supporting Katie and this baby, however, she knew she could scarcely shift an inch.

"Katie. you. have. to. push" Stevie struggled out through tortured breaths. "We have to. Delver. the shoulders…. please…."

Tears formed in Katie's eyes. "I can't! it hurts so bad!"

Stevie locked her eyes on hers. Sweat poured off her brow and every part of her body seemed to tremble.

"Katie, I know… urghhhhh… I know, but We have got to get this baby out now. We need this. I need this! Now PUSH!!"

The last syllable impacted with a strength that only a woman bearing down on a birth of her own could ever replicate. Katie knew what was still left to do.

She grabbed behind her knees, curled her body around her stomach and heaved down with her teeth grit tight and her face contorted in agony.

For a second there was nothing. No movement at all. Stevie thought her heart would sink through her chest as Anne held her in place.

Katie felt it too. The pain was intense as it was before and the weight seemed stuck fast as she bore down against it. "PULL IT OUT! PLEASE! OWWWWwww PULL IT OUT!!!"

"PUSH KATIE!! PUSHHHHH" Stevie screamed. Quickly, she felt something again. The head began to work free in her hands, moving just at first before picking up speed and finally gushing forward into the world where Stevie caught him.

"AieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Katie collapsed once again into the bed while Stevie held the baby.

"Now, let's get you into bed" Anne announced, but Stevie shot back fast. "NO"

"I… I can't move… just.. let me push.."

"OK," Anne knew better than to argue. "Just do what you've got to do"

Wrapping the baby in one arm, Stevie held firm to the bed with the other. Taking a deep breath in she steeled herself for the pain to come and pushed with everything she had in her.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" she wailed.

"Yes, that's it! push push PUSH!" Anne encouraged her with her hands poised on either side ready to catch.

Slowly she felt her body stretch and shift itself around an enormous head. For seconds at a time she felt as if she might split in two, but she kept heaving downwards with every bit of her remaining strength.

"Come on! You've got this!" Katie yelled, now sitting up on her elbows. "Keep that push coming, this is it! This is what it's all about!"

She was right. Stevie thought. She was doing it, what had seemed impossible just hours before, birthing her baby, was now within her grasp. But she knew there was an immense agony to suffer first to get there.

A ring of fire seared up from within her and Stevie knew this was the moment to give it everything. She regrouped and refocused, screwed her eyes shut tight and pushed down hard.

The head, already sliding down, began to pick up pace. Stretching out through her body, she thought there was no more she could do. Agony radiated upwards through her as pressure pulled downward from within. Soon, pressure won out and the head shot free from her body followed by the shoulders in one fluid motion.

The relief, joy, and exhilaration pulsing through her body were almost intoxicating.

Both Katie and Anne cheered. Handing Stevie's baby to her, Anne commented on the apprentice that appeared to take her lessons to heart.

"It's not every day they're as eager as you when they come" she smiled.

74 notes · View notes

gentlebeardsbarngrill · 8 months

Text

01/29/2024 OFMD Crew Recap

TLDR; RenewAsACrew/SaveOFMDCrew; UK News; Current UK Efforts; How to Help the UK Crew; Pets for Pirates/ Cast & Crew Sightings; Upcoming Events; Jan 30 Push the Petition!; #OurFlagMeansDeadloch; #OurCrewMakesADifference; How To Help; Stats and Trends; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika

Wow all. We had so much going on today I had to start a draft up way early. I hope I caught it all-- as usual please let me know if I didn't!

== Save OFMD Crew==

So it looks like the sun is finally setting on #RenewAsACrew and #SaveOFMDCrew is taking their place. I'm going to include their infographics from twitter here. I'm reaching out to them regarding other socials so I'll update this once I have them. One thing I notice from reading through all this is that these folks are using our #SaveOFMD hashtag that we've been using along with #RenewAsACrew to help keep the brand up, which is great! I know that was something a lot of us were concerned about.

SaveOFMD Crew Instagram

SaveOFMD Crew Twitter

==UK News==

Thanks @lamentus1 for keeping us up to speed on what's going on with the UK Crew!

= News =

In the UK our focus is mainly on promoting the show since season 2 will arrive here on Monday night. News wise one of our UK fans @LisaHafey wrote this great article for essentially pop ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Set To Make Bittersweet Return To BBC2 Amid Fan Efforts To Find The Show A Safe Harbour No word yet on Wee John Wednesdays start date yet, but he seemed keen to do a podcast afterwards so fingers crossed!

= Current UK Crew Efforts =

The UK Crew has been working hard tweeting at Netflix and Netflix UK, Amazon Prime and Amazon Prime UK, and Apple TV+ using the following hashtags: #renewasacrew, #saveofmd #adoptourcrew

We have also been tweeting about the UK actors in the show, focusing on the other shows they’ve been in and hoping to gain viewers from other fandoms. Example Tweets you're welcome to use! @LibbyRoseITM made some illustrations to show the other characters each had played which we also tweeted. Twitter Thread:

= How to Help =

**Let's make the S2 release a HUGE success!** We'll be tweeting #RewatchAsACrew #OurFlagBBC in addition to the usual. Season 2 will start at 10pm on Monday Feb 5, so that’s 5pm ET and 2pm PT. We'd really like to see a huge boost in viewers to help support #AdoptOurCrew! We think a lot rides on how well it’s received in the UK. **We have a few resources including:** Tumblr: 6 reasons why you should watch OFMD Twitter: 6 reasons why you should watch OFMD Feel free to use the images above to tweet about UK actors! **Reach out to your local Students!** We had the idea of getting OFMD fans who are students to put Our Flag Means Death posters up around campus. Perhaps they can also see if the LGBT student groups can help to promote the show. So we are on the lookout for students!

= Upcoming Efforts =

We also want to tweet/email at the UK TV guides to tell them how much we love the show. Getting some contacts together.

= Outside the US Support =

For those outside the UK, There's a lovely guide on how to watch with iPlayer as well if you want to support the efforts - Thanks @reallygoodplants

==Pets for Pirates==

There was an AMAZING turnout today for #PetsForPirates. If you wanna checkout the thread on twitter and you have a login you can visit: #PetsForPirates There were so many pets to share I couldn't put all the pictures up here or Tumblr would yell at me, so instead, I'm just adding some highlights! TW: There is a Spider in there, I put it near the end in case you wanted to skip by (I love spiders but just wanted to warn because I know there are some folks with phobias)

== Cast And Crew Sightings ==

The main cast sighting I'd like to point out today is the lovely Damien Gerard, our Father Teach, participated in the #PetsForPirates with his sweet babies! It was so sweet to see him coming out to support everyone! Thank you @damientgerard!

==Upcoming Events==

Tomorrow there will be some efforts to really push the petition! Please see below and thanks to @LCWebsXOXO on twitter for the info!

Renew As A Crew was kind enough to also share a QR Code you can use to help people get to the petition! Looks like 100K is the next goal!

==Twitter Watch Parties==

=Our Flag Means Deadloch Watch Party=

Hey all! New Watch Party tomorrow 01/30/24 at 9 PM GMT (1 PM PST, 4PM EST). Episodes 1-2 for the first night, 2 a night after. Deadloch is available on AmazonPrime

Watch Party Hashtags:

#OurFlagMeansDeadloch

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

== UK Watch Party ==

Wanna join in the fun with the UK folk?

Place: As mentioned above you can do so using this lovely guide on how to watch with iPlayer as well if you want to support the efforts - Thanks @reallygoodplants Time: Season 2 will start at 10pm GMT on Monday Feb 5, so that’s 5pm ET and 2pm PT.

Watch PartyHashtags:

#RewatchAsACrew

#OurFlagBBC

SaveOFMD

AdoptOurCrew

RenewAsACrew

==StewAsACrew==

This is still in the works, but apparently Feb 4th is U.S. National Homemade Soup Day! @sgtblackbirdpie has been kind enough to let us know more information once it's available!

== Articles ==

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Set To Make Bittersweet Return To BBC2 Amid Fan Efforts To Find The Show A Safe Harbour

The $20,000 Reason That ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Might Score a Resurrection

Queer Fans Fight to Keep Our Flag Means Death Afloat

Save Our Show! Why Fans Fight Back When Shows Are Cancelled ty @starrynights137 for bringing this one up!

==Our Crew Makes A Difference ==

New Fundraiser dropped to help Gaza with eSIM purchases and Sanitary Products by OurFlagMakesADifference. They've already helped fund multiple campaigns to help the people of Gaza.

BTW when I post this, we're already at $900/8000 HOLY. MOLY ALL!

==How to Help ==

How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US ^-- These will be updated with items from todays recap tomorrow morning.

==Queerties Reminder==

Since these are going on for a while I'm gonna add them to the daily task list so you can reference them there. OFMD Categories: TV Comedy Best TV Performance Taika/Rhys verse: Kaimana for Best Film Performance in Next Goal Wins!

==STATS and TRENDS==

Some cool stats people are using for tweeting netflix, thx @peachilys!

Also #PetsForPirates and #AdoptOurCrew did really great today!

== Love Notes ==

Wow. Just wow. Look at this list of stuff. Please pat yourselves on the back. Do you see this? This is crazy. Tomorrow marks day 21 in the Gravy Basket and you all have blown everything OUT OF THE DAMN WATER. Seriously, can I even say anything that this entire recap doesn't tell you already? You are WONDERFUL HUMAN BEINGS.

Say it out loud: "I am awesome, I am kind, I am creative, I am generous, I am gorgeous!" CAUSE YOU ARE!

Everyone's been talking about feeling like tomorrow is gonna be a good day and I'm with them! Be safe, get some rest, all the love my friends!

==Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika==

Okay so I had different plans tonight but the SaveOFMD crew threw me for a loop so we're gonna go with a combo gif tonight because I've used all my 30 images. Courtesy of @celluloidbroomcloset on this post.

#ofmd daily recaps #ofmd daily recap #ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #gentlebeard #renew as a crew #edward teach #save ofmd #rhys darby #blackbonnet #save our flag means death #renewasacrew #adopt our crew #uk crew #petsforpirates

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cher-rei · 2 months

Text

afterglow pt- 14 [ T.A.A ]

pairings: trent alexander arnold x fem!reader

summary: young and aspiring marketing and business major jamie carter (you) is privileged with working alongside the liverpool marketing and public relations team while also getting entangled with their star player and right back, trent alexander arnold.

genre(s): friends to lovers, workplace romance, fluff, slowish burn

[wc: 4.8k] masterlist

notes: time to meet the in-laws heheeh

previous next

the sound of his parents chatting in the kitchen caught trent's attention. he didn't expect them to still be at home seeing as it was a saturday. they were often out together, shopping or just taking a drive to a museum just to get some fresh air.

and judging by their expressions when they saw their son come downstairs fully dressed as if he had somewhere to be, they thought the same. diane set down her coffee on the table and nudged her husband as well.

trent stood frozen for a moment, unsure of the reason for their looks of shock. "what's wrong?" he asked, checking himself to see if it was an issue with his outfit.

michael, his father, stifled a laugh and turned his attention back to his breakfast which left the stare off to diane who had the faintest idea of what the occasion was. it's been like this for weeks now, the same routine of trent coming home late or leaving early in the morning.

sure he was a grown man, but diane knew her son and it was out of character. "do you mind me asking where you're off to?"

trent shrugged his shoulders, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "jamie has some errands to run today, so I'm tagging along."

the familiar name made diane smile. she craned her neck to get a better look at trent who had just blatantly lied to her. he could of just said that you were going on a date, there was really no reason to hide it and he knew that.

it's just that you weren't official yet so he didn't know whether to properly call it a date, or mention to his family that you were possibly the best thing that's ever happened to him. during supper he always had to refrain from gushing over something that you said, or making it obvious that he had feelings for you.

he was merely being careful and didn't want to give himself and his family false hope. was it eating him up on the inside? definitely. but he kept it up, and tried to mellow his emotions until you were ready.

"you know what's funny?" diane said, causing trent to shake his head. "I keep on hearing about jamie but--" she looked around the kitchen and made a gesture to the empty space. "--I never see her."

trent couldn't hold back his groan, his frustration mixing with the sound of his father's amused laughter. "mum, there's no reason for you to see her." he said honestly, a hint of apprehension slipping through his tone.

diane pulled a face. "since when am I not allowed to see your girlfriend?"

trent's heart dropped, his immediate reaction being to cover his face in embarrassment. "she's not my girlfriend, how many times--"

"oh wow." she threw her hands into the air with an exasperated laugh. "it's dua lipa all over again."

the mention of the pop star sent trent into a spiral, his words lodged into the back of his throat while his mother complained to her husband who was trying his best to stay neutral.

"remember dua lipa, michael?" she hit his arm. "we had to find out about her through an article."

"we've been over this, I've never even met dua lipa." he leant against one of the cabinets and rubbed his temples to calm himself down.

it was a few years ago when the rumour began to spread out of nowhere. a few of them said that he was dating the singer, but the vast majority were convinced that he rejected her. where they got that information from? he had no idea.

"so is she better than dua lipa?" michael spoke up, a ghost of a smile hiding behind his coffee mug. he loved to tease his son like this, usually he was the neutral party but not today.

a few muttered words left trent's mouth, incoherent as he tried to figure out what to say. his frustration was on the brink of boiling over and it was evident in the blush on his cheeks. he felt cornered, trapped even though he could just leave. but he didn't.

maybe this is what he needed. enough pressure to finally make the girl he'd been head over heels to light. "I mean she's..." he awkwardly scratched the nape of his neck. "she's nice."

diane's eyebrow quirked. "nice? that's something you say about a dessert, not your girlfriend."

this prompted trent to roll his eyes, not being able to find the words that were resting on the tip of his tongue. "she's a lot of things, okay? a lot of good things."

"oh," it was his fathers turn to lean closer. "so she is your girlfriend?"

"what? no I--"

"yes, you did."

"why don't you invite her over for lunch tomorrow?"

so many things. so many things were being at the same time and it felt as if his head was about to explode. here he was— a grown man being interrogated about his love life. it was all too much and be was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

bring you over for lunch?? with his entire family being here?? INCLUDING HIS BROTHERS?? what were they thinking?

the last thing that he wanted to do was make you feel uncomfortable or rushed and as much as a small part of his softened at the thought of you meeting his family, his logic knew what was right.

so before he burst into tears in front of his parents he covered his ears and darted out the front door straight to his car. he was sure that they were still calling out for him but he needed to be gone. away from all that apprehension.

"are you sure that it's okay for us to be going out in public like this?"

that question had been sitting at the back of your mind ever since he picked you up, and now that you were nearly at the café it only worsened. ever since the efl final, you've felt a little more cautious about your presence— not just with trent but with the team in general.

your question made trent frown. "I mean it's bound to happen eventually." he watched from the corner of your eye and you fiddled with the clip of your hand bag, a soft "uh huh" leaving your lips.

"are you okay?" his hands caught yours for a gentle squeeze which only managed to supply half of the reassurance you needed. "you've been awfully quiet lately."

your pulse quickened at his observation and managed to bring a small but noticeable smile to your lips. "yeah it's just--" you let out a heavy sigh. "--you know how people are and I don't want this to cause a scene."

almost as if it were planned, trent parked the car not too far from the café, and immediately unbuckled his seatbelt to face you properly. he searched your uneasy expression for answers while you shuffled in your seat, your cheeks growing warm.

"jamie," he said softly, gaining your attention. "is this about the interview last week?"

your expression depicted an ease you didn't necessarily feel, uncomfortable with his ability to figure you out so well. you could have lied and said no, but trent's gaze was intense in a way that you couldn't bring yourself to hide anything.

your composure was under attack, so you simply nodded. trent's expression grew still and serious, not having thought that the post match interview a week ago would've gotten to you, and neither did you.

you were headstrong, the type to not let the words of others cut deep enough to fracture your demeanor but this gnawed at your confidence.

it happened for the past few days, where you'd find your thoughts trialling back to that evening as you stood in the press room not too far from the back as jurgen and virgil were interviewed respectively. it was going as per normal until your name slipped from jurgen's mouth.

you weren't paying much attention until then.

"she was rather rowdy today from the bench," the reporter prompted and your shoulders tensed, not catching the way that jurgen's brows drew together in an angry frown but the reporter continued. "this happens often. what is it like having her around during matches? she's not a part of the team so does it cause any issues?"

issues? was there a line that you crossed?

jurgen was quick with his answer but the hint of anger in his tone was clear despite his chuckle. "jamie likes to be part of the action, she's always standing on the touchline with me and asking questions. she's very passionate about the sport and it's nice to see that she cares."

the reporter opened his mouth again to further his question but jurgen cut him off, his gaze intense which contraindicated the smile he adorned. "If I had the choice I'd say she should take after me when I resign."

that wasn't even the worst, the entire press conference you felt targeted as if everyone was watching you with more criticism than usual. you were used to the attention but this was suffocating— and it had gotten to you unfortunately.

trent's gaze softened, cupping your chin. "you did nothing wrong. they were just prying for something and didn't get what they wanted."

"they said I'm too intense." you stiffened with a heavy sigh mimicking the weight on your chest. "I think that I need to take a few steps back, trent."

"well you're thinking wrong," he said, his voice raising a bit at your absurd idea. "we love you when you're screaming on the touchline, we love you when you're dragging us to do stupid tiktoks for the supporters, and we sure as hell love you when you give us the energy we need."

you bit your lip to stifle a grin, letting trent's lecture settle in the air for a moment. "you think my tiktoks are stupid?"

an easy smile played at the corners of his mouth and he leant forward, his lips grazing yours as he spoke. "very."

the feeling of trent's lips gently melting into yours lifted an immense weight from your shoulders. the sensation sent your thoughts spinning, any doubts vanishing almost immediately until you pulled away, breathless.

when the two of you finally entered the café— the whole reason for this entire trip, you were pleasantly surprised to see that there were fewer people than you expected. trent casually took the liberty of ordering, happy to know that you trusted him enough to know what you liked.

you picked out a spot at the back of the café, a few tables away from the window so you weren't spotted too easily. just in case. as you settled, trent couldn't help but notice the way that the soft light from the window and how it danced on your features.

he smiled. feeling grateful for the moment of peace despite what happened in the car. he knew better than anyone than this being a dangerous idea, that no matter how well known that you were, it was only bound to ruin your image if certain people saw you together.

trent has had his fair share of crazy or delusional fans that took it a step too far on more than one occasion, and it was one of the main reasons that he kept his social life as private as possible. but not with you. it was impossible in every way.

but that didn't mean that he was going to back off.

his attention was drawn back to you began uncontrollably giggling from the seat opposite him.

"what's so funny?" he asked, trying to peak over at your screen.

you teasingly held the phone out of his reach, a playful smile etched on your lips with the twinkle in your eyes. "just sofía. pablo walked in on her changing."

trent raised an eyebrow. "they're still living together? I thought that they would've killed each other by now," he joked and you nodded your head.

"alex says that they're bound to crack under pressure any day now."

your comment had trent fighting back his laughter, mostly agreeing with the statement seeing as their personalities classed and complimented each other's in the best way possible. he didn't know much about them, but with the stories that you've told him, they needed to get a room.

when your desserts arrived your eyes lit up immediately and almost instinctively your hand reached for your phone and opened the camera. trent was just about to taint his cake when you slapped his hand away.

his eyes widened at the harsh act, looking to you with his lips parted. "what did I do?"

you rolled your eyes and continued to take pictures of the food, making sure to get every angle possible. "it's like you've never had a girlfriend before," you muttered in slight irritation.

trent on the other hand couldn't let the comment slip by, his lips tugging up into a smile. "oh? so you're my girlfriend now?"

your body tensed immediately, unable to look him in the eye as he held your flustered state under his playful gaze. the heat rushed to your cheeks quicker than you expected and to save yourself the embarrassment you remained silent to prevent stuttering.

it hadn't even been a month yet but you were definitely ready to jump into whatever he wanted. you couldn't bring yourself to say it though and decided to wait until he brought it up. which was now apparently.

after a bit of forced laughter, you scoffed. "nobody said that I wanted to cancel my trial. yet. you haven't done anything to chase me away yet either, so at least there's hope."

he rolled his eyes at your quip and watched as you continued to eat your cake, your mouth moving as you talked to him but nothing registered. instead his mother's voice sounded through his mind.

it was now or never.

"would meeting my parents be enough to chase you away?"

spamjam._.

liked by trentarnold66, sophiaamelia and 3 292 125 others

spamjam._. girlfriend core ☕️💍

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user my girlfriend core

→ user watch sofía spawn out of nowhere just to tell you stay in your lane 😭

→ fía.messi stay in your lane.

→ user I'm howling 🤣😭🤣😭🤣😭

trentarnold66 free trial coming to an end core 💍

→ spamjam._. stfu 😃

sophiaamelia if gorgeous was a person 🎀

→ spamjam._. have you seen yourself??

saffiekhan we were supposed to go to that café together!! you absolute traitor 😃

→ spamjam._. well I'm sorry that you had a date with your BOYFRIEND

→ saffiekhan this isn't about him!

→ curtisjr I don't even know why I try at this point tbh 👎🏼

"no way you got my mum flowers," trent said in awe when you got into the car, the vibrant colours of the assorted bouquet set on your lap.

you buckled your seatbelt and gave him a knowing look at the absurd remark. "of course I did. what do you take me for? an animal?"

the footballer didn't bother responding to the question and scoffed, leaning forward to kiss your cheek before heading back to his house, where his family were gathered for sunday lunch as usual.

at the café yesterday, he wasn't sure what overcame him when he asked you to join them as his mother suggested, but something swelled in his heart when you happily agreed. there was a glint of excitement and disbelief in your eyes that he couldn't help but reprocicate.

and even if you were anxious (which you definitely were) you hid it well enough for trent to feel at ease too. the two of you shared one last look of reassurance before getting out of the car and leaping head-first into something that would either be a mistake or just what you both needed.

you felt his hand slip into yours and give it a light squeeze to ease your nerves, finally opening his front door. you were familiar with his house, just not when there were other people besides the two of you inside.

a wave of nausea washed over you when you stepped into the foyer, trent's hand not letting go of yours even when his mother caught you both before you could walk any further.

the woman adorned a gleaming smile at the sight of you st her son's side, even better that he was holding onto you for dear life. "hello, jamie sweetheart," she greeted with her arms out for a hug. "it's so good to see you again."

you let go of trent's hand and gave into her embrace with an even bigger smile knowing that she was actually happy to see you. "hi, diane. it's good to see you too."

from a few steps back, trent watched with lovestruck eyes and his heart pounding in his chest at the exchange between the two of you. the look on his mother's face was so familiar— the same glint of comfort and adoration she had for him and the rest of his family.

he watched as you handed her the bouquet with diane nearly bursting into tears at the kind gesture. trent couldn't tell if he was overwhelmed or simply in love, ready to get down on knee right then and there. but it was only when the two of you walked further into the house and he was left behind in the foyer that his mother's greeting registered in his mind.

it's so good to see you again.

he didn't have time to ponder on it however and made a beeline for the living room where the rest of his family were. tyler and marcel were standing in front of the television, playfully arguing about something that didn't matter. his father was sitting on the sofa beside tyler's girlfriend olivia who had her daughter resting on her lap.

it was nothing out of the ordinary but trent couldn't find the words lodged in his throat, only managing to watch you greet the rest of his family members who were more than delighted to meet you.

you were familiar with tyler and marcel after having run into them a few times at matches, but this was your first time meeting olivia. the happily handed her daughter over to her father-in-law to stand up and properly greet you with a hug, complimenting your outfit before you could compliment hers.

"and this angel must be aura," you cooed and bent down slightly to tickle her stomach earning a slight giggle from the infant. "there's not a second that goes by where your uncle isn't talking about you and I can see why."

you look up at olivia with a smile. "I love her name. it's gorgeous."

she waved her hand in front of her face at the compliment again. "thank you. it's been in my notes app since I was in year 10."

your lips parted at the familiar answer and you immediately reached for your phone. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours..."

"shut up, deal. tyler watch aura, jamie and I are heading to the kitchen to help with lunch," olivia said hurriedly took you by the hand and led you to the kitchen without further discussion.

you didn't even spare trent a final look before you were swept away, the comfort finally setting in around the family. trent was still stood silent in the archway of the living room, watching as your figure disappeared further into the house as your laughter rung through the air along with olivia's.

"ew, he's in love," tyler commented with a face of disgust, completely disregarding the fact that he had a girlfriend and a daughter.

the afternoon progressed smoothly with you and olivia helping diane in the kitchen (you spent a good 40 minutes talking about absolute nonsense). it got to the point where you forgot that trent was somewhere in the living room.

"you've never been?"

olivia shook her head at your question and sighed. "I haven't had the time. aura is literally all I see 24/7."

a small frown took place on your lips. "leave her with tyler for a few hours. I'll tell you when I'm free and we can try it out. I'll make it my mission that you see the light of day again."

the rest of the afternoon was filled with laughter and getting to know each other. your main fear was that you were going to be interrogated about every single part of your life, but it was nothing like that. instead, the questions were out of genuine intrigue.

"have you always wanted to venture into sports marketing?" michael asked, from one end of the dinner table and you eagerly nodded.

"I wanted to work in the industry one way or another," you said with a genuine smile. "I wasn't too keen on journalism, so when I started gaining a following online I thought that I might as well put it to good use."

michael hummed in acknowledgement and looked at trent with a smile from beside you. "well if you hadn't then I'm sure you wouldn't be sitting here right now."

diane laughed at her husband's comment, taking notice of the blush on her son's face as his brothers teased him. the entire afternoon she couldn't help but watch in awe at how he acted around you.

it made her heart ease knowing that he acted comfortably around you, how he could joke and tease you with you doing it back with just as much playfulness. even at the dinner table, when you spoke he couldn't keep his eyes off you and listened attentively.

a blush rose to your cheeks at marcel's question about when you started to develop feelings for his brother. trent shot him a glare from across the table but you waved him off, giving him a moment to think even though you knew exactly when it was.

you leant back in your seat casually and nudged trent's arm. "he kicked me with a ball during training. it hit my arm and there was this huge bruise for two weeks."

"trent john alexander-arnold!" diane gawked in shock, turning to him with a disappointed look, causing him to raise his hands in defence. "how could you do that??"

"it wasn't on purpose!" he defended and looked at you beside him, the smile etched on your phase because you knew exactly what you were doing. "jamie, you said it didn't even hurt."

you shrugged your shoulders. "I didn't want to make you feel bad. you were already bummed over the injury."

tyler laughed at the memory of his brother's hamstrings injury last year. "I remember that. he was so depressed, ugh take me back. life was so good back then."

"tyler don't say that, you know how upset it makes him," olivia scolded her boyfriend, slapping him on the arm but he had no regrets and let the comment stand.

trent sent her a grateful look, but you couldn't help but laugh. "you think that was bad?" a laugh escaped your lips. "you should've seen how he waddled down the stairs at the training center."

the rest of the dinner table burst into laughter, except for trent of course who was covering his face in embarrassment. not sure of who's side you were on in this case. and it only got worse when you showed them the video of you and dominik shutting the elevator door before be could make it in.

the cheeky laughter of both you and his best friend brought back the memory, the video perfectly showing just how pathetic he was when trying to catch up, but obvious didn't make it.

it was a bit before 5 p.m and aura had just woken up from her nap when you all gathered in the living room. the saudi arabian grand prix played as a form of entertainment as you sat with trent's head resting on your shoulder while aura sat on your lap, occupying herself with the rings on your fingers.

"oh, come on these mercedes drivers are going to be the death of me," michael said in frustration, gradually bringing the conversation around to the mechanics of the car and how the season hadn't been too good so far.

you were fairly quiet for bit, watching the rave with immense concentration until you were pleasantly surprised. "oh my gosh!" your excitement made both aura and trent jump up, but you were too busy taking pictures of alex on the screen to bother.

"sorry, you know how I get when I see alex show up at races," you apologised and trwnt shook his head, resting it back onto your shoulder.

"you talk to her every waking moment of the day, you're insane," he said, still not understanding how you could get so giddy just by seeing her on screen.

olivia looked at you with her eyes widened. "you know her?"

you nodded with a proud smile. "she's one of my best friends. just haven't seen her in a while."

"oh, so you're famous famous," marcel added. "how did trent even manage to catch your eye??"

after the race, you found yourself helping diane with the dishes. well that was until trent decided to interrupt the moment to which his mother happily leave you two be, a fond smile on her face as she left the kitchen.

the two of you didn't exchange any words for a few minutes and instead packed away the dishes in silence, your bodies moving in a familiar motion that happened quite often at your own home when he helped you with cleaning.

you took a moment to breathe, leaning back on the counter as trent finished up the last of the utensils. a fond smile formed on your face for some reason but you didn't fight it and kept your attention on him even when be caught on.

he quirked a brow in confusion. "why are you looking at me like that?" he took a few steps towards you.

"looking at you like what?" you teased and he eventually stopped in front of you, casually draping his hands around your waist as if there was any sort of privacy.

you didn't fight it though.

the footballer rolled his eyes jokingly, unable to believe that you still had the energy to joke with him after outing him multiple times today. he was sure that at some point his face was unable to remain any other colour besides red with the way that he was blushing.

"you know what?"

your question raised even more confusion but he nodded slightly, allowing you to carry on with whatever you wanted to say.

"I think it's time to clear up the fog," you said and took a deep breath. "I like the way that we work."

trent's lips parted and he went immobile for nearly a minute. the words that came from his lips made no sense, to the point where you had to pinch him. suddenly he let go of you and walked to the other end of the room, purpose in his stride as he shut the kitchen door and locked it.

oh, shit.

he was frantic with his movements and you were struggling to keep up until he took your hands into his and gave you a look. "are you sure?"

"100%." you retorted with so much confidence, making trent's smile widen in excitement, the twinkle in his eyes nearly losing you.

"jamie," he started softly, gaining your attention. "would you like to--"

he didn't even get to finish his sentence before your lips were on his, ever so thankful that he locked the door so that you could cherish the moment properly.

your body melted under his touch, the feeling of his lips tugging into a smile having your heart pounding harder than it ever had before. all those months of uncertainty led up to this moment— late-night drives, weeks without talking to each other, advice from your friends. everything led up to this feeling of bliss and relief.

when you pulled away you were both breathless, with childlike smiles and laughter sounding through the room that you felt your tension drip away in.

spamjam._.

liked by landonorris, fía.messi and 2 224 937 others

spamjam._. spot my girlfriend 🤭

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landonorris help. HELP ME (you look good but please answer my messages)

→ spamjam._. security!!!

trentarnold66 spot my girlfriend

→ fía.messi bro stfu that's my line. get a life or something! [liked by spamjam._.]

user @trentarnold66 UHM WHAT DID HE SAY??? HE'S KIDDING RIG&/??

→ user I THREW UP

→ trentarnold66 I was talking about the car 😭

→ user oh... OH

→ user he's just a man fr 😔

alexandrasaintmleux I was smiling at the camera because I knew you were watching ml xx [liked by spamjam._.]

→ spamjam._. I love you ❤️

charles_leclerc please stop stealing my girlfriend 🙏🏻 [liked by spamjam._.]

#cherrei writes #trent alexander arnold fluff #trent alexander arnold fanfic #trent alexander arnold x reader #trent alexander arnold imagine #trent alexander arnold #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #liverpool fc #football imagine #fanfic #afterglow trent alexander arnold #football #liverpoolfc x reader

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vivalas-vega · 6 months

Text

match // new perspectives universe // jake 'hangman' seresin x reader

heyooo - i'm back from the dead - it's been a while since we've seen these two and for this one we're going back in time !! this is kind of a rewrite of something that’s already happened in the main chapters 🤭 i haven't written jake and jupiter in what feels like forever so this feels rusty to me lol but hopefully you enjoy!

match // new perspectives universe // jake 'hangman' seresin x reader

add yourself to my taglist

part of my new perspectives series !! it will make a lot more sense if you're caught up on these two:

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine

word count: 4.8k

warnings: language, mention of alcohol, college/med school/residency inaccuracies (I didn't go to college and it shows lol any and all knowledge on any of this comes from tiktok or greys anatomy)

Sitting at your vanity (if you could even call a plastic set of drawers with a handheld mirror duct taped to the back a vanity) you briefly thought to yourself that you should be excited… and you were, for the most part. Today was one of those days that marked the start of a new chapter. You’d been lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you looked at it) to have had a few of these already… first opening your acceptance letter into college, then med school, and now you were getting ready to find out where you had been matched for residency.

The excitement and nerves you were feeling were subdued because really the only thing you could focus on was the fact that the only person you wanted here wasn’t… and you didn’t know where he was. He could have been on a ship halfway across the world or at a base a handful of hours away but in the end it didn’t really matter much… he wasn’t here, and that was just part of the deal. You knew what this was long before it got to this point, and that point was only accentuated by the floppy haired boy walking into your dorm just as you stood from your spot in front of the window to change.

“Well, don’t you just look darling,” he teased and on another day you might have laughed… struck a pose and had a witty comeback, something about ratty college tees and soffe shorts being on all the runways these days, but it wasn’t another day. It was today and your future was hinging on something written in an envelope waiting for you across campus and this boy wasn’t the one you wanted teasing you today.

You undressed and stood with your back to him, a silent request for him to help zip your dress and he obliged just as quietly. There was an expiration date on you and Matt, this much you knew… but the way his fingers trailed down your arm and the lingering question he’d been asking all month told you he wasn’t on the same page. He had a vision for his life, one that very much included you and perhaps you felt a little guilty for continuing to keep him in your orbit but the more logical part of you reminded you that the vision you had for your life had been set in stone long before he showed up. He saw residency right here in California, with you by his side. He saw you switching your area of focus to general medicine, something less demanding to create room for starting a family, something you’d do within the next few years. You hadn’t had the heart yet to tell him that sounded like your own personal hell.

Your vision was Boston, in a cutthroat surgical residency program before moving on to whatever hospital offered the best fellowship for your chosen specialty… that was the one area of your life you’d yet to nail down. Most of your peers pursuing the surgical route knew what they wanted to focus on, some vying for cardio or neuro, others trauma or general but not you. That was the one thing you were leaving up to fate, deciding to instead let yourself make that decision a few years into residency… and if that fellowship happened to come along where the boy you missed more than anything was stationed? Well, you wouldn’t be one to complain. The vision didn’t include Matt, it never did.

And so, as you turned to face him with a tight smile you wanted more than anything to tell him this was over, that it would be best to head into residency as individuals but then you saw that look on his face and you couldn’t do it right now… not right before finding out whether or not you were getting everything you’d spent the last eight years working towards (seven for you, but you wouldn’t point that out to him anymore than you already had). You’d wait until after, even if that meant walking into the ceremony with someone you had already decided you wouldn’t be seeing after today.

“Hey, did you guys get settled okay?” you asked your parents as you set your bag down on the table and exchanged quick hugs. You’d already seen them this morning when they’d arrived and they’d decided to give you a little space to get ready.

“Your mother has taken photos of about a dozen things at the hotel, taking notes for our upcoming remodel which… I was just informed of this morning,” your dad said and you laughed. Matt said his hellos before going off to find his own parents and you rolled your eyes at the look your dad fixed you with. “He’s still around?”

“Oh hush,” you replied. Your purse started ringing and you fished around lip gloss and old flashcards to find your phone, immediately feeling more settled at the voice on the other end.

“Hey you,” Jake said and you actually let out a sigh of relief. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh me? You know, cool as a cucumber. Not freaking out at all,” you answered with a small laugh and he just chuckled.

“Of course not, not like there’s anything big going on today.”

“Definitely not, just a normal day around here,” you said.

“I just wanted to call and tell you to breathe, because you forget to do that sometimes-”

“I do not-”

“Yes you do, and to remind you that no matter where you end up you’re going to be just fine.”

“Thank you,” you said softly. “I know you can’t say where you are but I hope you’re flying safe today,” you added.

“Always do, sweetheart. I’ll call you tonight, yeah?”

“You better.” you said with a smile as you hung up and put your phone on silent just as the announcer gave the two minute warning. You could practically feel the rising tension in the room, a mix of nervous excitement and pure dread. So many fates contained within tiny envelopes and as you picked yours up you found the whole notion of this rather silly. You felt bad for anyone who got news they didn’t want today, having to find out in a room full of people celebrating and you prayed to a god you weren’t sure you even believed in you wouldn’t be one of them.

“I think I’m going to, uh…” you started, looking at your parents and then back at the envelope in your hand. “I’m going to just take a minute and open it myself, if that’s okay?” you asked hesitantly and they nodded.

“Whatever you want, honey,” your mom replied and you turned around as the announcer told everyone to open them. You took a deep breath, because you did forget to breathe in times of stress, and with shaking hands practically ripped the envelope apart to pull out a folded piece of paper… a piece of paper that you hoped contained two specific words.

Massachusetts General.

Your shaking hands persisted as you read and reread what was right in front of you. Massachusetts General. You blinked and read again, did it really say that? Massachusetts General.

“Oh my god-” you started as you turned around to show your parents with the paper facing outwards but they were gone. Really they’d only stepped a few feet to the side but they, and everyone else in the room, may as well have disappeared because all you could focus on was him, standing right there in front of you in his dress whites looking so proud as he read the words in your hands that quickly fell to the floor in shock. “Jake?” you asked so quietly, your mind still not catching up but it didn’t matter, in an instant you were launching yourself at him and he caught you with ease as you wrapped around him.

“Hey you,” he repeated his words from just a few minutes ago on the phone and you let out a sound that was mixed with a laugh and a sob as you clung to him. “You did it, I knew you would.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” you asked as you pulled away slightly to look down at him and he just beamed up at you.

“You didn’t really think I’d miss this, did you?” he replied and you just smiled, but it was quickly wiped away as you heard someone clear their throat behind you and you didn’t need to look to know who it was as you slid down Jake’s body to the floor and turned to see Matt, who was looking at the pair of you skeptically.

“Jake’s here,” he said, trying to muster some kind of enthusiasm but it fell flat, “yay.” You stifled a chuckle as you looked at him expectantly, “I matched here, what about you?” You knew what was coming as you took the paper your dad held out for you and Matt nodded softly when he read it. “I thought we talked about staying here for residency?” You didn’t miss the way Jake scoffed behind you, clearly disgusted that that was the first thing out of his mouth.

“You talked about it, Matt… I was always clear about my goals.” you said firmly. “But this is what we’ve both been working for. Congratulations, really,” you said, wrapping him in a tight but quick hug. “Go, celebrate with your family. I’ll see you at the party later.” you finished, nudging him off and when you turned around Jake was giving you the most unimpressed look.

“Don’t even, I will not be seeing him at the party later, if you must know.”

“Is that so?” he asked with a smirk and you rolled your eyes as he chuckled.

“Congratulations, sweetheart,” your mom said, pulling you in for a hug.

“We’re so proud of you,” your dad added, pressing a kiss to the top of your head and you went to respond, to thank them for everything they’ve done for you but they didn’t give you the chance. “Go celebrate and spend time together, and have fun at the party tonight.”

“What? No, you guys flew all this way… I thought we could go out for dinner-”

“Hush, you two have some catching up to do,” your mom replied. “Besides, I think whatever celebrations you get up to tonight are best kept from us,” she added with a knowing smile and you tried to fight your own.

“We’ll do breakfast, just the four of us like old times… but we won’t wake you too early,” your dad said and you watched as Jake gave them hugs before they slipped away.

When they left he turned to look at you, all pride and adoration, and you flushed under his gaze as you gave him a look that said what? “You fucking did it, Jupiter.”

“I fucking did it,” you replied, your laughter bright and uncontrollable as he lifted you from the ground and spun you around.

“How’d he take it?” Jake asked as you entered your dorm, and you chuckled as you took him in, sprawled out across your bed, one leg hanging off the side because he simply didn’t fit.

“About as well as could be expected,” you said and he laughed as he sat up.

“So… not well at all?” He laughed again when you nodded. “Tell me about this party we’re going to.”

“It’s pretty standard, I expect things will go as they always do with a campus party… just a little more celebratory with a slight drinking to numb the pain vibe from some.”

He nodded, “all your friends got what they were hoping for?”

“For the most part… a few didn’t get exactly what they wanted but that’s kind of how it goes… matching is about a little bit of hard work and a shit ton of luck.”

“So, I’m guessing dress whites aren’t the vibe for tonight?” he asked, watching as you discarded your jewelry onto your desk and you chuckled as you turned and walked towards him, stopping in between his legs.

“Not at all,” you said with a shake of your head and you laughed again as he pouted and rested his hands on the backs of your thighs. “But they were a nice touch, you look very official and handsome,” you added on, hoping to turn his frown upside down.

And you did, he looked up at you with that same look he’d given you in the event hall. “I know you know this, but I really am so fucking proud of you, J,” he said and you softly smiled, feeling crimson creep onto your cheeks and you quickly diverted, trying to break some of the intimacy of the moment by pulling the hat from his head and plopping it on your own.

“Well, you should be, cowboy,” you said, stepping back and grabbing two beers from the mini fridge that doubled as a nightstand, handing one to him and he looked at you expectantly as you both cracked them open. “Because your best friend got into the fucking brig,” you said as you clinked the cans together and he let out a few cheers before taking a generous gulp.

He stayed by your side as you got ready together, only engaging in a few quarrels due to the lack of space that only got smaller when your roommate Katie showed up, and you couldn’t help your amusement as the two of them got on each other's last nerves. Their relationship was very akin to that of siblings, they’d scream at each other through the phone on facetimes when the other was pulling too much of your attention and on the rare visits Jake managed she’d spend the whole trip pouting about how no one else existed when he was here.

“Are we not going to this party together, Katie?” you said, interrupting her latest spiel about Jake’s evilness, as she put it, and she held her hands up in surrender as you laughed. She put on a good show but you knew she liked having Jake around, it meant she got to see more of her favorite version of you… party Jupiter. And party Jupiter was in full effect as you strolled down the street lined with fraternity houses. The parties you attended these days were typically on the other side of campus and not quite as rowdy, you couldn’t even remember the last time you’d been down here but it had been negotiated that the frats held parties for the med students this year, to give you all one more truly college party before everyone went their separate ways into a new journey of adulthood.

“You’ve been here before, right?” you asked Jake as you watched him mix you a drink and he nodded.

“Mmhm, your third year of undergrad,” he answered and you snorted.

“Oh god, yeah,” you briefly reminisced on that party, one with no cause, and the shocked look on Jake’s face most of the night. As it turned out, you had actually been understating just how much Stanford kids like to party that day on the phone all those years ago. You mingled with Jake in tow, socializing with friends you hadn’t seen since the beginning of the year to due rotations and interviews across the country, and really emphasizing the fact that you wouldn’t see each other for a number of years after tonight in your drunken states much to Jake’s amusement.

You weren’t much of an emotional drunk but that didn’t seem to be the case tonight… Probably something about the finality of it all, going from college to med school didn’t seem like a huge transition for you because you stayed in the same place, but this was different. After graduation next week you’d be packing up and moving across the country, to somewhere that couldn’t be more different than where you were, and you would officially be a doctor.

Jake watched as you let loose, cackling with friends about professors or that one time you stole a dozen mice because you couldn’t bear the thought of them being used for research (and you maintained that you’d been in the right each time it was brought up). The last time he’d come to visit you’d been so entrenched in your coursework he actually became worried, watching you study for hours on end from your bed as he realized this is what your life was. You’d always done a good job at completing everything before he arrived so you could focus on the fun but that visit just wasn’t the case… There were exams to prep for and applications to be sent out and interviews to be scheduled, and all he could do was half-heartedly read a book he’d plucked from your shelf about internal medicine and force you to come up for air every now and again.

But this time was completely different, there was nothing to worry about because you were done. You’d gotten to the end of your journey here at Stanford and were in that blissful reprieve period where there truly was nothing to fret over, and it simultaneously warmed Jake’s heart and broke it to see. On one hand, you were finally getting a true break after years of achingly hard work… but on the other that break would only last a few days before you went into a tizzy packing to move cross country and start your residency. He knew you were happy, and that you would be happy in Boston but he also knew things were only about to get harder, and that a few days of true relief weren’t enough.

Granted, this wasn’t how you felt, despite the fact that as you downed your drink and chatted with Katie about her upcoming move to Nashville you had no idea this was going through his head… you felt nothing but joy knowing that you got to spend the next few days with Jake before diving into your future. Residency is what you feel you’d waited your whole life for. You did the hard stuff, you laid the foundation and stuffed your nose in a book for years and now you were finally going to be able to do.

“I think I might actually miss these parties,” you said as you sat down by the edge of the pool with a sigh, unclasping your heels and actually moaning in relief as you dipped your feet into the cool water and Jake chuckled beside you.

“I find that shocking considering that after that one your third year you said you never wanted to set foot on this block again.”

“I’ve grown, things have changed,” you protested which coaxed another laugh from him. “God, I can’t believe I’m leaving this place soon. It almost feels like just yesterday I showed up here with nothing but a suitcase and a dream. And you! Mr. Top Gun graduate,” you added, nudging him playfully.

“Don’t let Coyote hear you, he’ll bust my chops even more than he already has.”

“I miss Coyote,” you said, leaning your head on his shoulder. “Are you going home for Christmas this year?” you asked and this took him slightly by surprise, considering it was spring and he didn’t expect you to be looking forward to anything other than residency.

“I don’t think so… the way it lines up I’d have to fly in on Christmas Eve and leave the day after… I think the short trips make my mom sadder than me not going home at all.”

“They do,” you said. “For my parents too. I don’t know why but they do. What do you think about me coming to you this year? If you’re on base.”

“I think that sounds perfect,” he replied, turning to press a kiss on the top of your head. “I’m sorry I can’t stay for graduation,” he said and you lifted your head to shake it, waving your hand dismissively.

“Truthfully I don’t care about graduation, it’s more for my parents and yours. This was the important one,” you replied, giving him a warm smile. “I still can’t believe you pulled off surprising me. How long have you known you’d be able to make it?”

“Since you first told me the day,” he answered and your eyes widened as you hit his chest.

“You asshole! You made me think you couldn’t come and this was your plan all along? I was really sad, you know.”

He let out a loud laugh, “yeah, I know. But it was worth it! The look on your face was priceless.”

“You’re unbelievable,” you muttered.

“Had to get you back for my tap out ceremony somehow,” he pointed out and you sighed, because he did have a point.

“That’s fair. Though, I could argue that it was a surprise for me as well, mine was not premeditated.”

“To-mato to-mato,” he replied. “So, when do you make the big move?”

“Well, tomorrow you’ll be helping me scout apartments, tough part is I’ll have to pick a place sight unseen so we’re going to have to be very thorough in our search and then hopefully I’ll be out there within three weeks… My program starts in four.”

“Unless a last minute deployment pops up, I think I can meet you out there… help you get settled and all that.”

“Really?” you asked, eyes wide and full of hope as you beamed up at him and he chuckled, knowing you were definitely drunk right now. “Seeing you twice in one month? I don’t think we’ve gotten that lucky since we were teenagers.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” he said with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows and you were startled by your own laugh, not expecting the turn in conversation.

“That’s right, forgot I was talking to Hangman, eternal stud.” you joked. Briefly you thought joking about it should sting, and deep down maybe it did a little, but this was the first time it’s come up and the sting wasn’t the first thing you noticed.

“You haven’t done so bad for yourself either,” he said and you just gave him a deadpan glare.

“Really? You think Matt was making me feel lucky every time?” you asked and he went through the same range of emotions. He thought it should hurt, and it did somewhere deep down, but it wasn’t the first thing he noticed.

“He wasn’t? Then what was the point?” he exclaimed and you hid your face in embarrassment.

“Oh, I don’t know! Truthfully it spiraled and I didn’t have time for anything else so…” you trailed off before letting out a groan. “Oh god, I’m a terrible person.”

“Now, how did we end up there?” he asked, brows furrowing in confusion at your statement.

“I knew all along I’d dump him right about now, how awful to not do it so much sooner.”

He shrugged, “maybe… but knowing you he did get lucky every time so don’t feel too bad. Broken heart or not he reached the mountaintop, good for him.”

“That’s a better, if not slightly twisted, way of looking at things.” you mused, resting your head on his shoulder again.

“Tired?” he asked and you nodded. “Don’t quite have the stamina of an undergrad anymore?”

“Shut up,” you said. “It’s been an emotional day.”

“Wanna go home?” he asked and you nodded, allowing yourself to be pulled up and you awkwardly shook your leg over the pool to rid yourself of excess water, to which he just shook his head in amusement.

You spent the walk back towards your dorm lost in conversation, giggling about nothing in particular and squealing when he picked you up and tossed you over his shoulder, “Jake! I’m too drunk, don’t make me hurl,” you laughed but he didn’t seem to care, carrying you like it was nothing until suddenly you were on the move again, sliding down to the ground with Jake’s firm hands on your waist to guide you. Your brows furrowed in confusion when you noticed you weren’t at your dorm but instead in front of a shiny car.

“I love Katie,” he started, but was cut off by the questioning look you gave him, “really, I do, but you didn’t really think I was crashing in your dorm, did you?” he asked and he did have a point… the last time he visited she was on rotation so he crammed himself onto her tiny bed and complained all the next day… there simply wasn’t anywhere for him to be this time around. “I have a hotel room a few blocks away, do you want to come stay with me? Or I can walk you back to your room,” he added the last part a little hurriedly and you chuckled, you thought you just caught a glimpse of a younger Jake… nervous and not wanting to overstep.

“Are you kidding me?” you asked, gesturing towards the door and he was quick to open it for you, “a night away from that thing they call a bed sounds like heaven.”

“And here I thought you just wanted to spend more time with me,” he said after walking around and getting in the driver’s side.

“Well, that’s certainly part of it… just not the main part,” you teased and he shook his head as he navigated towards his hotel and you looked over at him in amusement when you entered the parking lot. “Very fancy, Mr. Seresin,” you said as he opened the door for you and he extended his hand which you gladly took.

“Shut up and come on,” he replied and you did as you were told. Following him through the hotel and to the elevator, where they opened to reveal a cozy and beautifully decorated rooftop bar and you just looked over at him, eyes wide and questioning. “Tonight was a goodbye to your college life, and I thought what better way to end it than here, welcoming in this next chapter?”

“Jake…” you started, the lingering alcohol in your system still present enough to have you feeling a little more emotional than usual. You sat at a cozy loveseat positioned in front of a firepit and thanked the waiter when he brought over your cocktails, gin and tonic for you and something whiskey based for Jake.

“To you, Jupiter. You’ve worked so hard the past seven years, and you never once wavered when things got hard. You are nothing short of incredible, and being here with you right now, marking this occasion… it means a lot to me, and I’ll never stop being proud of you.” he said, and you felt your eyes well with tears that mirrored his own.

“Stop, you can’t cause then I’ll really lose it,” you warned, laughing softly as you wiped your cheeks. “Thank you… not just for saying that but for being you, and for being here. I was a wreck all morning and then I turned around and saw you and everything felt… settled. You being here means more than you know.” you said and you clinked your glasses together before taking a sip. “I’m really proud of us.” you said added a few moments of silence. “Do you remember the day we decided to break up?”

“Vividly,” he chuckled and you couldn’t help but laugh too.

“God, we were so young, with such big dreams… and going into it all so devastated… I wish we could go back and tell them it wouldn’t be for nothing, that we made it.”

“We did make it didn’t we?” he asked and you nodded, a smile creeping onto your face. He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and you didn’t know if it was the weighty realization that seven years ago you broke each other’s hearts to pursue the dreams you’d just achieved or the alcohol or just the fact that you simply wanted to but you leaned forward and let your lips brush against his. Soft and questioning but he pressed forward and captured you in a searing kiss. Years of pent up emotion and love spilling out, and you smiled when he chased your lips as you pulled away.

You didn’t need to say anything, didn’t need to acknowledge any of it. You both knew it didn’t change anything, you both might have made it but only to the next stepping stone… it still wasn’t the time. You kissed him once more before scooting closer and resting your head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping around your waist as you just enjoyed the moment for what it was. A celebration of what was to come.

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