#it's something I struggle with in my own stories sometimes. I get caught up in wanting the audience to know all my themes and shit

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: December 22

"Until Olympius Returns" by The Mountain Goats

[eymie]

PHOTOGRAPHER !

pairing: thomas webb x fem!reader

warnings: smut, nudes?? kinda, alcohol, dry humping, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), thats it i think

summary: you were a new york photoprapher and thomas lived in your apartment. and after one frustrating night you invite him into your room.

a/n: WHERE. IS. THE. MF. CALLUM. TURNER. FICS. i’ve been on this game since fantastic beasts. (ive found a few scrumptious callum fics and yk who u r @willyoubemycherryy) also i have not written in a hot minute and none of you expected this.

You lived on the story above Thomas. Not that you ever really noticed him at first, you were relatively new in the complex too. Sometimes you’d hear him having a conversation on the stairs with the old man from 2B. Mix of words you didn’t bother to put together.

Well, you didn’t care until you saw him for the first time. The old man from 2B liked to talk a lot, often chatting you up when you got home from work. Sometimes bringing up Thomas which you didn’t care for.

"He could use a nice girl like you.”

To which you would’ve scoffed. You heard someone running down the stairs, to which you met eye contact with Thomas. Wavy brown hair, pink cheeks, glasses that sort of turned you on.

The real New York type of guy, to be honest, your type of guy. His lips parted as he looked at you, a small nod and than sliding past you.

“Where you going Thomas,” He called out, to which Thomas turned around laughing.

“I gotta go, meeting up with Mimi.” Thomas turned on his heels to leave until he was stopped again by the man.

“I want you to meet me friend.” The man gestured to you, Thomas smiling at you in return.

“No, it’s alright. I have to get going.” You smiled back, walking to the door where Thomas stood. You brushed past him, your clothes brushing his own.

“Where?” Thomas asked, furrowing his brows.

“Around, I’m a photographer.”

That’s how it started. After that, coincidentally you ran into Thomas a lot more after that. Usually alone, and to that he’d usually greet you and say hi. After a specifically draining day, a frustrating one at that, he ran into you in the front door.

He rubbed his eyes, apologizing and then he started talking. Going off about something you honestly didn’t care much about. You liked hearing him talk. You didn’t mean to say it, but you did.

“Wanna talk about it? In my room.” It came out like word vomit, immediately embarrassed. You watched his eyes for a second, not even processing his nod.

You grabbed his hands pulling him up to your apartment, dragging him close behind you. His hand was big compared to yours, you weren’t surprised you had already noticed he was a lot taller than you.

Your anxiety kicked in when you struggled to unlock the door. Him peering over your neck, watching you struggle with your keys. You felt his lips brush your neck slightly, your panties dampening.

You flung your door open a little too excited, a small laugh leaving his lips. He followed you in, to which you immediately grabbed your alcohol off the shelf.

When you turned around, Thomas caught you off-guard, pressing his lips to yours. It was quick, aggressive a bit, which you assumed was probably from nerves. He was quick to shake his head and apologize.

"Shit, I'm sorry." He mumbles, looking down at his shoes. You examine his face, his expression. You hand him the full bottle of alcohol off your counter, to which he takes from you with ease. "Thanks--"

You pull him back down, pressing your lips harder to his than he had before. You threaded your fingers through his hair, slightly tugging on it making him groan into the kiss. He still held the bottle in his hand, but his free hand slid to your waist.

He had you pressed against your counter, nowhere to move. His tongue slid over your bottom lips, you parted your lips allowing him to slip it in. Pressing and sliding against your own making you moan softly into the kiss.

Thomas pulled away, taking a sip of the alcohol, furrowing his brows at the taste. He placed it back on the counter beside you, who was breathless and needy.

He tilted your chin back up, pulling you back into another heated kiss. Both hands now free, groping whatever he could. You could taste the alcohol on his tongue, his kiss was intoxicating.

His hand slid up your skirt, tracing the apex of your thighs. His fingers slowly slide up to the wet patch of your panties. “Fuck, you’re soaked.”

"Thomas," You gasp, pulling away from the kiss. He trails down your jawline and neck, leaving soft wet kisses. He hums into your skin, hands pulling your waist closer to his body. "Wait--"

"What?" He was barely audible, too busy tainting your skin with his marks which you would certainly cover up the next day.

"l don’t know," You gasp, his tongue running over the mark he had just left. You feel him smile into your skin, a small laugh leaving his lips. His fingers sliding over your panties, pressing onto your clothed clit.

"Do you want me to stop?" He pulls away looking at your flustered face. His hand pulling away from the apex of your thighs, sliding up your waist and under your shirt.

“No,” You were too quick to answer, a small laugh leaving his lips. The way Thomas kissed you felt urgent, like he needed you now and he could’ve wait. And if you knew any better you would’ve known why.

You walked backwards to your bedroom, never breaking the hungry kiss. His hands were large, pulling at your waist. Your hand pulled back to push the door open further, backing into your small room. He turned you, pushing you against the white door, shutting it with your body weight.

You let out a soft moan as his knee slotted between your thighs, pressing into your clothed his. His hands travelled down to your hip, pulling your cunt harder onto his rough pants.

“Look at you, getting off on my thigh.” You whined at his words, a wet patch forming on the fabric of his pants.

“Thomas, I want you—“

“I know,” He mumbles against your lips. Thomas was usually quick when it came to sex, at least with the foreplay but he wanted to take it slow so bad. Talk you through it. “Don’t worry, gonna fuck you.”

“Now,” You move your head to the side to give him more room to mark your neck. His hand slides up to cradle your jaw, lips attacking your skin.

“Not yet,” His hot breath against your skin, lips pressing to your neck.

Thomas’ hands slid under your thighs, you jump up wrapped your legs around his waist, His fingers press into your skin, holding you up against him. Your arms wrap around his neck as he tosses you down on the mattress.

“Take off your clothes, okay?” You nod in reply and quickly pull off your skirt and panted as he pulls off his shirt. You pull off your own shirt, tossing it onto the hardwood floor next to his discarded clothes.

You look up to see Thomas, pulling off his pants leaving him in his tented boxers. You suddenly feel yourself getting hotter than before.

It was in a flash, he was on top of you, hot skin against yours. His hands pried your thighs apart then slid up to your bra clad chest. He slid his fingers under your bra while he nipped at your jaw. His glasses were still on and pressed into your skin

Your fingers slid up to pull his glasses off his face, to which he tried to resist. “I can’t see without those.”

“Shut up,” You cut him off with a kiss, fingers tangling in his brown hair. His glasses were held in your free hand, falling against the pillow beside you.

He broke the kiss, still brushing his plump lips against yours before speaking. “Put them on.”

You knew what he meant but you ignored him, pushing him on his back instead. You climbed onto his lap, your hands pushing him down against the mattress.

You placed his glasses on your face, they made your vision blurrier and you wanted to see him. You went to pull them off but he gripped your wrist, pulling your hands away from your face.

His cock twitched through the fabric of his boxers, you slowly grinded your hips in return. A small whimper left his lips, his eyes shut. You slid you hand up his body to his lips, your pointer finger slowly parting his lips.

You watched as his eyebrows furrowed, parting his lips for you. You roll your hips again and you listen as another soft groan leaves his lip. You smiled, leaning down to press your lips to his. Deep in the kiss, your hands slide to slowly his boxers down allowing his cock to spring out.

Your lips parted at the sight of his hard cock, pre-cum drooling down the tip. His large hands slid up your waist and pulled you down onto his cock. Your wet folds sliding across his length .

“Want you inside,” You whined, nails gripping his chest. He bit back any noises, nodding at your request and let go of your hips. You bit your lip, positioning his tip at your entrance.

“What do you want?” He asked with a smirk, a little too amused for your own liking. You tried to sink down but he had a firm grip on yours hips stopping you.

“Please, need it.” You whine, trying against but his grip on your hips stopped you from it. You clenched your jaw in frustration at his lack of sympathy.

“Want me to fuck your pussy?” He asked with a small laugh, you scoffed in return.

“You’re too vulgar.”

“I’m about to be inside you, what type of vulgarity would you prefer?”

“Shut up—“ You didn’t get to finish before his hands were pulling your hips down, his tip pushing past your entrance. Your mouth fell agape and your eyes were shut closed. You whimpered at the slight sting, he was bigger than you expected.

“Yeah, take it like a slut.” He smirked, watching as he bottomed out, stretching your cunt wide open. God, he wished he had his glasses on to see how your cunt looked around him.

You didn’t noticed his hand fumbling onto the night table, grabbing your old camera you retired from taking photos. The flash made you squint through his glasses.

The small photo came up on the screen, your perfect body sitting on his cock, tits full and being held in his free hand. He was saving that for later. He put the camera back on the nightstand, hands trailing up to steal his glasses back but you grabbed his wrist.

“I don’t think so.” You swatted him away, adjusting his glasses on your face. Your vision still just as blurry as his own.

“I wanna see you.” He whined, leaning back on his elbows, squinting back at you.

“The photo for later wasn’t enough?” You tease.

“Come on, give me my glasses so I can fuck you.”

You pushed him back down on the bed, raising your hips before dropping them. A groan slipping from his lips as his head falls back on the pillow, bucking his hips up.

“Fuck me, Thomas.” You whined, grinding your clit into his pelvis. His nails dug into your hips leaving red crescent shaped marks. His lips were parted, head back as you rode him. "Please."

With that he flipped you onto your back, pressing your legs to your chest. The small room was filled with obscene noises and the slapping of skin. He thrusted his length into you harder, pulling you to meet his thrusts.

"Fucking begging for it," He grunted, his tip pressing into your sweet spot. Strained moans left your lips, despite your best effort to keep quiet. New York apartments had thin walls.

Your hand slapped against your mouth to muffle the loud moan that had just left your lips. His hand slid to your wrist, sloppily grabbing it and pinning it above your head.

"Don't hold back," He ordered, lips connecting to yours to swallow your moans and whines. His free hand travelled down from where he pinned your legs to your clit, pressing your sensitive bud.

"Fuck--" You moaned, the knot in your stomach tightening. His thumb rubbed your clit harshly, pressing his thumb hard against it. "So close."

"Come for me, baby." His lips brushed against yours, his saliva coating your kiss-swollen lips.

A gasp left your lips, then a strained whine. Your walls clenched around his cock, the knot coming undone. Your head thrown back against your pillow as he fucked you through your orgasm.

"Yeah baby, just like that. Come for me." His whispered into your skin, your hips bucking against his thrusts. He pressed soft kisses into your skin as you arched off the mattress. His hands travelled to the arch of your back, rubbing your spine. "So good for me."

You fell back to the mattress, soft whimpers leaving you between your pants. His hand left your sensitive clit instead holding your hips as he neared his own orgasm. Pulling out, his hot seed coating your thighs and stomach.

"Give me back my glasses, I wanna see that photo."

[erdariel]

Maybe it's just me, but one reason I love getting comments on Ao3 that point out details of the fic that the commenter liked, is that for a moment it lets me see the fic through their eyes

Like, I have a pretty big self-criticism problem, like usually within 24 hours of posting a thing, be it a drawing or a fic or whatever, I start finding more flaws than good sides in it and feeling that actually it's a pile of shit, utterly pointless and bad and thoroughly unlikable. I know this is my issue, and something I need to work on, btw, but I just. struggle ever seeing the good sides of my own work. Even work that was an idea I truly deeply liked and wanted to see done! Even things I enjoyed working on!

But when someone leaves a comment that's like "oooh I like how [x] and I love [y] detail!!" it kind of. Let's me for a moment see past my own issues. It lets me look at the work, and the details pointed out, and go "you know what? yeah, that thing there is very good". Sometimes, on a good day, it might even give me enough time to actually re-read my own fic and enjoy it

So, readers: if you read a fic, and there's a detail you like - no matter how big or small, whether a minute detail of the description of someone's clothing, or something about the way the story is structured, or literally anything! - let the author know! If there's any detail that stood out to you in a way you liked, and you feel at all inclined to leave a comment, then please, let the author know the detail that caught your eye! It can brighten up their day so, so much!

[rougecreator1]

Beauty is Pain

|| Regina George x female reader

|| Warnings: gossip talk, hookup mention, Regina's got an attitude, light swearing, y/n use

|| Sumary: Regina's high heels have been hurting her all day. Reader notices and offers that they switch shoes.

Requests open!

~~~~

Regina would never admit it out loud, but she was exhausted. Walking around school all day in heels was never easy. Sometimes she might sneak a break in the bathroom and take them off for a few minutes. But she hasn't had the chance to do that yet. Well, beauty is pain. Isn't that what they say?

At the sound of last period bell, Regina headed for the cafeteria. Her and the rest of the plastics (including you) had planned on skipping and going shopping. Karen, Gretchen and Y/N were already seated at their usual table. Talking about any and all things gossip related as they waited for Regina.

"Oh my God! Did you hear that a jock hooked up with an art freak?" Gretchen asks, grinning as she talks about the latest gossip.

"Ew, seriously?" Regina makes her presence known as she joins them at the table, taking a seat next to Y/N who smiles and gives the blonde's cheek a kiss.

"Yes! Oh my God! It's been like all over snapchat private stories." Gretchen nods, taking out her phone to show Regina the stories," seriously not fetch."

"Gretchen! Stop trying to make fetch happen." Regina rolled her eyes, Y/N would raise an eyebrow at the blonde. Noticing how she seemed to be in a mood. Not wanting to ask out right with the girls there, she takes out her phone to text Regina.

Y/N: 'Are you okay?'

Regina glanced down at her phone in her hands when she felt it buzz. Looking back at Y/N who was watching her with a concerned gaze. The blonde scoffed and texted back.

Regina: 'Fine. Obviously 🙄 shut up'

Y/N read the text and sighed. She knew Regina well enough to know she wasn't actually fine and that her attitude was the result of something. She just didn't know what; Regina's attitude was not going to scare her away from finding out.

After chatting a little more, the girls all got up and started heading towards the front doors of the school to go shopping. That's when Y/N noticed Regina was walking slightly different. Almost like she had a slight limp? Everything fell into place and made sense.

Without warning, Y/N grabbed Regina by her arm and pulled her off to the side as Gretchen and Karen went to Regina's jeep. Too busy chatting with each other to notice Y/N and Regina stopped following.

"The hell are you doing?" Regina snapped, looking at her with a look mixed with frustration and confusion.

"Switch shoes." Y/N replied, in a tone that wasn't quite asking or demanding. It was somewhere between the two.

"Excuse me? No, I'm not wearing your sneakers." Regina folded her arms as she stared down Y/N. Y/N, however, wasn't intimidated. Something Regina found awfully annoying." Plus, you can't even fucking walk in heels. You'll just embarrass both of us."

"I wasn't asking, Gina." Y/N replied, standing her ground on this. She wasn't going to let the blonde torture herself just to make a fashion statement.

Regina was taken aback. She wasn't used to being talked back to. Who in their right mind would dare talk back to Regina George? Clearly, Y/N would. Whether it was stupid or brave, Regina didn't know. Part of her couldn't help but feel impressed by her girlfriend's stubbornness with this. Usually she would argue with her, but the blonde wasn't in the mood. So (very reluctantly) she agreed. Not without groaning and rolling her eyes first, though. Obviously.

Regina reached down, one hand on Y/N's shoulder as she took off her heels. Y/N smirked, feeling pretty proud of herself for getting Regina to agree. She places her heels in Y/N's hands.

"Thank you." Y/N takes off her own shoes and hands them to Regina, the two then put on the shoes. Y/N struggling more than Regina as she nearly falls over once both feet were on the ground. Instinctively, Regina caught her before she could and scoffs. Though she makes no effort to let go of her. Even going out of her way to link their arms together so she could support her girlfriend. Y/N raises an eyebrow at Regina when she does this.

"Don't even. I'm just making sure you don't embarrass us both." Regina mutters, glaring at Y/N. Though her tone didn't come out as harsh as she wanted it to. She wasn't exactly truthful in her statement. She refuses to admit the real reason, but Y/N can tell.

With Regina's help, the two get to the jeep where Karen and Gretchen are waiting for them.

~~~

feedback and requests are welcomed :)

[sometimesanalice]

Leave a Light On

Summary: When Bradley had given you a key to his place, what he probably didn’t expect was to find you there at 2 am sitting at the piano you’d helped him find.

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Length: 7k

Warnings: lots of pining and yearning (Minors DNI)

(this was the story I was working on back in January, before the 'Like I Can' series and anything else on my masterlist. I'm so excited to share it with you all!)

When Bradley had given you a key to his place, you imagine he probably thought you’d check on his plants every now and then. That you’d pop by to give them a quick water and then be on your way.

Maybe that you’d take the Bronco out for a quick spin, so that his baby it didn’t sit there too long going unused. You were one of a very small handful of people he trusted to drive his most prized possession. There was something special about being behind the vintage wheel with the sun on your face as you cruised along the highway, even if it wasn’t the same without him sitting there smiling next to you.

He’d already put his mail on hold with the USPS, but you knew that he knew he could count on you to rescue any stray package that might slip through the cracks and make its way to the front door of his charming craftsman bungalow.

What he probably didn’t expect was for you to be there sometime past 2 AM sitting on the creaky bench of the old, but well-loved, piano that you had helped him to find.

You should be tucked away under the comforter of your own bed, in your own room, at your own place.

Instead, your fingers are navigating over the black and ivory keys trying, yet again, to make it through a tricky passage on a song that you’ve spent the better part of the last three months trying to perfect.

He was coming home soon and you couldn’t wait to hold him, to love him, to surprise him.

Each time he leaves, it gets a little easier to miss him. You wear your longing like a locket rather than an albatross around your neck, always there but easier to bear.

Rooster had a way of filling a space in a way you’ve never experienced before. His larger than life charisma was one of the first things that had caught your attention, followed by that damn smile of his.

He was always humming in the kitchen.

Or whistling in the car.

Or playing the piano to decompress after a long day.

Or listening to something on his mom’s refurbished record player.

His presence always so tangible and warm, like a blanket pulled fresh from the dryer. With Bradley around, you could wrap yourself up in the sheer comfort of him.

And when he was gone, it was the quiet that you struggled with the most. A constant reminder of just how far away he was. No texts or calls or voice memos throughout the day. No little everyday sweet somethings that let you know he was thinking of you.

The sound of silence followed you everywhere. Its heavy companionship making itself known regardless of how loudly you sang along to his favorite songs on the playlist he had made you or how many times you played through the song you were learning just for him.

You had grown up in the silence, you knew it well.

Parents who stayed together because it was easier than splitting the house and sharing the kid. And on the rare occasions it wasn’t quiet, it was loud. The kind that was inescapable regardless of how much you buried under the covers or how far you tucked yourself away in the corner of the backyard.

Until one day the glossy, satin walnut upright piano appeared along the wall in your barely used dining room. And then it soon became your favorite way to cover the quiet and to mask the loud.

Looking back on it now, maybe your parents had wanted something to fill the silence too.

The hours and hours of lessons you and Bradley had both been forced to sit through as children was something that the two of you had bonded over pretty early on. And while he had kept up with playing, it was something that had fallen to the wayside in your life. First with school, then with a career, and now with purposeful avoidance.

There was once a time when reading sheet music had come as easily to you as reading a book. And then one day, they were just a bunch of random dots scattered in between and across five lines on a piece of paper.

There was once a time when you didn’t even need to look down to know where your fingertips were flying to. And then one day, all your fingers could do was stumble and trip over the keys as you winced at the dissonance it created.

And when Rooster had learned about your mutual musical upbringing, he had made it his personal mission to try and get you to play something for him. He was so sweet, so sincere in the way he’d ask you, all big brown eyes and hopeful smiles.

It had always made your chest tight to brush him off. It was something he clearly wanted to share with you, but that part of you ached like a phantom limb. You didn’t know what would be worse embarrassing yourself or disappointing him with your lack of skill when it was something that you used to be so proud about.

It was easy to dodge him at first during nights out at the Hard Deck with your understandable Not with all these people here’s to your practical Mozart would just bring the vibes down’s to your evasive Maybe next time’s. 

And when his polite requests were met with empty answers, he took it a step further.

One night in his bed, the curtains fluttering as the sea breeze mingled with his sandalwood scent, he’d whispered into your heated skin, “I’ll get you to play something for me one of these days. Maybe I just need to find the right form of bribery.”

His teasing innuendo juxtaposed deliciously with the deliberate touch of his fingers and tongue as he’d played your body to a perfect crescendo.

It reached a point where you couldn’t stomach to see the dejection in his eyes, the hurt he tried so hard to hide when you’d deny him yet again, that you had to own up to your closely guarded secret.

The confession had whooshed out of you in one breath, leaving you feeling deflated and defeated afterwards.

When you eventually mustered the courage to look at him, he’d been wearing the softest look of understanding on his face, as if he could sense the toll it took to admit the loss of that part of yourself. Then he gathered you in his lap and held you, all while the tears of frustration simmered behind your tightly squeezed eyes.

And when he offered to help remind how to read that language without words, to help you remember the letters of the keys beneath your fingers, it had made your heart hurt a little less.

You weren’t ready then, not like you are now.

But nothing gave you as much pleasure as it did to watch Rooster seated in front of the well-worn and well-played upright piano of Penny’s at the Hard Deck. There was nothing more exhilarating than seeing him in his element so at home on the bench, scuffed and scratched from performers of the past, as he shared that part of himself with everyone in the bar.

He made it look so easy. So damn effortless. His thick fingers flying purposefully over the keys as he played from memory. His joyous enthusiasm electrifying and substantial enough to get the whole bar singing along with him.

It always drew him a lot of attention.

How could it not? He was magnetic on a bad day and captivating the rest of the time. And entirely too handsome for his own good.

Interested eyes, curious eyes, hungry eyes followed him around more often than not after an impromptu performance.

However, those brown eyes of his were always set on you.

Never wavering, never straying from you as he’d weave his way poco a poco, little by little, back through the packed bar. Handing out high-fives to people on autopilot as he passed by to return back to your side. Glistening with the sweat he worked up and grinning widely as he’d greet you with a How’d I do, sweetheart?. Those big, capable hands sliding around your waist, in the back pocket of your jeans, under your top to rest on your low back.

The two of you never stuck around for long after he wrapped up. You didn’t mind helping him find ways to put that excess adrenaline to good use. Usually in the backseat of the Bronco.

You’ll never forget the first time Bradley serenaded you. The song meant for you and you alone.

If someone were to cut into that soft, pink part of your brain, you’re pretty sure they would find that memory pressed there like flowers between the pages of a book. Forever apart of you.

It was the song that always took you right back to that little vinyl shop along the pier. And back to that date that had almost derailed it all.

When Rooster had picked you up to take you to dinner all those months ago, he had seemed a bit antsy and absentminded.

Sure, he had gotten out of the Bronco to come fetch you like a gentleman, instead of sending some half-assed Here text like your ex had been fond of doing. You thought for sure he’d be hustling you back inside after he caught a glimpse of what you were wearing once you opened your front door to greet him.

So you were surprised when he’d simply pressed a dry kiss to your cheek and escorted you to his car with a hand placed respectfully between your shoulder blades instead of cheekily in that space between your low back and ass.

That spot that toed the line between decent and indecent. That spot that made him smirk when you’d give him a pointed lift of the eyebrow, because the two of you knew exactly what he was doing. And better yet, liked it.

However, that night it was almost like he was going through the motions, like he was already somewhere else.

The car ride to the restaurant was silent except for the white noise of the highway as he drove. The circular knob for the radio set to the left.

Off.

Which in hindsight should have been your first warning, since Bradley was never not listening to the Oldies station. A vintage vibe for your vintage boy. 

When you were finally seated across from him at that new trendy Thai place you had been dying to go to, his fingers wouldn’t stop tapping out some unheard tune. On the tops his thighs. On the top of the table.

His eyes were landing everywhere else other than on you. On the large leaves of the potted palms, on the ornate pattern on the gold silk that was swathed across the ceiling, on the intricate hand-painted tiles on the floor.

You’d been trying to carry on a conversation for the past fifteen minutes and were feeling completely on edge when you had to repeat yet another question for him.

The anxious feeling growing in the pit of your stomach had been getting more and more difficult to ignore. You could tell he wasn’t really there, what you were trying to figure out was whether or not he just didn’t want to be there with you.

And god, the drinks hadn’t even come out yet. There wasn’t anything for you to distract yourself with other than your water glass, and even that was already empty except for a few melting ice cubes.

His half answers and noncommittal noises were rapidly clearing things up for you.

He’s breaking up with me.

It was at that crushing realization that the waitress had returned with your drink orders. The bright orange concoction that she set in front of you had been topped with a lovely purple orchid and glittery swizzle stick.

A happy looking cocktail for the girl who thought she was going to have another great date with the guy who was saved in her phone as “Golden Boy”.

“Have you two decided on what you want to eat? Or would you like to hear the chef’s specials again?” the waitress had asked, her gaze bouncing back and forth between you and Bradley.

You could tell that she was sensing the brewing tension between the two of you.

“I don’t think we’ll here much longer, maybe just the check--”

“Sorry, if we could have a few more minutes to decide--”

You’d both started speaking at the same time only to turn to the other wearing matching faces of absolute confusion. He’d gone ramrod straight in his chair, his fingers finally still on the tabletop. The shock in his eyes was apparent, and you could only assume it was there because you beat him to the punch.

The waitress had looked at you sympathetically before saying she’d come back in check in a few minutes and then quickly spun on her heel to take her hasty leave.

It was the look that she’d given you that had really sealed the deal for you, and wasn’t that just great? You wouldn’t have been surprised if the rest of the waitstaff was already hearing about the couple fighting at Table 12 and taking bets about whether or not they’d break up.

Lucky them, dinner and a show.

You’d reached the fruity drink in front of you, the condensation from the glass leaving a ring on the table and took a large sip for moral support. Feeling the weight his stare on you the whole time as you savored the tart taste of passionfruit as it burst across your tongue.

He’d just have to wait. It was your turn to ignore him.

As you’d swallowed it down, it had left you feeling more than a little angry that it tasted so good when you were feeling so shitty. He knew how much you liked an over the top cocktail, why couldn’t he have picked some dingy hole-in-the-wall to do this at rather than ruin this place for you? The hot prickling sensation of righteous indignation filled your chest.

You really didn’t want it to drag out any longer, setting your liquid courage back down you’d met his stare and got right down to it, “If you’re going to break up with me, Rooster, can you just do it now? I’d like to still be able to order Pad See Ew in the future without thinking about you and this moment.”

You removed the napkin from your lap, folding it up primly before placing it back upon the table as you waited for the final nail in the coffin to be pounded in on the remains of the happiest-and-easiest-and-clearly-too-good-to-be-true relationship you’ve ever had.

“Wait, what? I don’t want to break up.” His eyes were wide and searching, the hurt in his voice had been evident. And it was the first time all evening that he seemed to be present with you, like your Golden Boy had finally showed up to the date. “I thought things were going well. More than well, actually.”

“Yeah. I mean, I did too. Until tonight,” you’d agreed, defeatedly. “I’m really confused here. You’ve been completely distant tonight. Not to be vain, but look at me,” you gestured to the sexy lowcut dress you’d worn for the evening. It was something you’d been saving in your closet for the right occasion. And you’d thought it was going to drive him wild, but he hadn’t even given it a second glance.

You’d leaned in a bit, lowering your voice, “It’s a boob and leg dress, Bradley. I look really fucking hot, and frankly, I didn’t even think we were going to make it here once you saw this. It wouldn’t have been the first time we’ve missed a dinner reservation. And you haven’t said a single thing about it.”

It felt like a silly thing to be upset about in the grand scheme of things, but his inattentiveness that evening had stung more than you’d wanted to admit to.

“Trust me, sweetheart, I noticed,” he’d retorted hotly. His eyes had been heated as he’d matched your movement and leaned in further across the table. “Half the men in here noticed it too the second you walked in.”

You didn’t bother trying to hold back your scoff of frustration, the man was infuriating.

“Then I don’t understand why you’re making me feel like being here- with me- is the last place you want to be right now?” You’d given up on trying to sound unaffected, this was not the evening you had envisioned. It felt like being blindfolded on a rollercoaster, unable to see what exactly you were hurtling towards.

“I got my new orders today,” he’d blurted out, his eyes trying to read yours for the reaction. “I’m being send as aerial escort for a diplomatic mission. I ship out next Monday for six weeks.”

He’d told you later that he was grateful it wasn’t a longer one, he knew he was lucky because he could have just as easily been sent away for a deployment longer than you’d actually been together.

“Oh.”

You’d known that that moment would have happened eventually with his job, so you shouldn’t have been surprised. However, it was one thing thinking about it theoretically rather than looking at a ticking clock with a deadline.

“Cards on the table, sweetheart?” He’d waited for you to nod before continuing on, “I am really fucking into you. I’m trying not to put pressure on this, because I’m pretty sure you’re my dream girl. I wanted to take you out for a nice meal, get you a couple of those complicated fun drinks you like. I even looked at the menu in advance, they have one here that they light on fire and it seems like something you would love.”

He was right, it was something that you’d love. You had even eyed it when you first got the menu, but you hadn’t wanted to get anything that would draw you more attention when you already felt like you had too many pairs of eyes on you.

“Then I wanted to take you home with me and tell you after we had a great time out. I wanted to ask you to save that Sunday before I leave for me, so that we could spend the whole day together.” His fingers had started playing that unheard tune on the table again. “I wanted to show my girl the best time, to keep her wanting to come back and to stick around. So that someone else doesn’t catch her eye, so that I don’t lose her to someone better than me while I’m away.”

His confession had your heart taking up residence in your throat. Having him lay it out for you so clearly and knowing that he’d felt as serious about you as you did about him was everything you had wanted to hear. However, one thing nagged at you.

“Bradley, you make me happy. Like really, really happy. I’ve only got eyes for you. If I’m being honest, this stopped being casual to me around our third date. And I trust you enough to know you’d tell me if this”, you’d gestured between the two of you, “wasn’t what you wanted anymore before starting up with someone else. I hope I have that same trust in return, because if you’re worried about me stepping out on you while you’re away, I don’t know how this is going to work. And I really want it to work.”

“Shit, I’m really striking out here. Batting 0 for two,” he’d sighed out more to himself than to you, leaning back in his chair and running his hands through his hair. “Our third? Really? I thought for sure after that disaster that you were going to block my number.” He huffs a laugh, cheeks turning the same shade of pink that they had that chaotic evening on the beach.

“Bradley, it was comically bad.” You couldn’t help but crack a smile at the memory of it. “You were trying so hard and you were so flustered. It was so endearing.”

“Who would have guessed getting attacked by seagulls and coming home covered in sand flea bites could have been so appealing?” He joked self-deprecatingly.

“Me, I could have. Since I was with you,” you said sincerely, “No one I’ve dated has ever put half as much effort into trying to make me happy as you have.”

The two of you exchanged a soft, tentative smiles.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply you had a wandering eye or anything, I promise.” His eyes pleaded with you as he reached for your hands and threaded his fingers through yours, his palms slightly sweaty. “This deployment is different for me. I’ve never had to ask someone to wait for me before, never had anyone who wanted to. And I’ve been really in my head because I was trying to find the right way to tell you, to ask you.”

You were still getting to know all of the expressions of his face, but the look of open insecurity he was wearing was new to you. And you’d felt something deep in your chest release and unlock.

For how easily he owned a room, for how confident he could be, getting to see these tender parts of him because he trusted you with them had made you ache in the most bittersweet of ways for the man who was in front of you.

You held his gaze, taking in his anxious expression. How anyone couldn’t want this man or didn’t think he was worth the wait was incomprehensible to you.

“So Sunday the seventeenth, huh?” you’d said with a grin.

His relief was palpable as he’d squeezed your hand a bit tighter, “Yeah, baby, you up for it?”

“A perfect day with my dream guy?” you mused, squeezing his hand back, “Yeah, I think I’d be up for that. I’m up for all of it.”

Not just the date. Not just the deployment. You already knew. With him, you wanted it all.

When the waitress returned a few moments later, Bradley ordered a green curry for himself and the Pad See Ew for you. Along with one of those complicated, fun drinks that arrived with fanfare and flames, all while he played with your fingers.

And after you were finished, she’d dropped off a fluffy looking coconut covered dessert that she’d stated was on the house as walked away with a wink.

You’d totally called it, dinner and a show.

As you’d left the restaurant, he tucked you in close under his arm pressing kiss after kiss to your temple as you made your way back to the Bronco.

And later, when he had taken you back to his place for the night, your boob-and-leg dress forgotten somewhere on the floor, he’d apologized again. This time with his mouth on your body.

Twice.

It had been a fluke, really, finding that record tucked away in that small, but well-kept shop on that Sunday before his deployment.

You’d surprised him with a certificate for a haircut and hot towel shave at an upscale barber for a little pre-deployment pampering. He’d gotten his hair trimmed the day before and he was somehow looking even more sunkissed than usual. His patterned shirt was mostly buttoned up and he had on your favorite pair of jeans- the ones that might have been a bit too snug, but did devastating things for his ass.

It was the outfit he’d been wearing when you had first met.

You and Bradley had spent a lazy, perfect morning at the beach reading and lounging and trading sea salt kisses before changing and to grab a bite to eat. He’d held up a towel up around you to slip into your sun warmed dress, behaving himself for the most part. But you’d still caught him sneaking a peek from over the top of the terry cloth.

After eating a late lunch at his favorite little café that served the best cioppino, you’d popped in and out of the various shops that dotted the boardwalk near the pier. It might have been the bottle of wine you shared, but he made sure to stop at every photobooth you passed along the way, collecting strip after strip of snapshots and tucking them into his shirt pocket.

His hand staying in yours the whole time.

When he’d spotted the tiny record store, he’d cheerily pulled you along with him wanting to look for new additions for his ever-growing collection. It was his newest hobby after getting his mom’s old record player restored. You had even helped him build the sideboard he had specially ordered for it to display his prized collection in the living room of his home.

You could hear him talking excitedly to an associate about some Jerry Lee Lewis albums, who offered to take a look in the backroom for him. You never had good luck when you tried to search for specific things, so you were happy to meander around a bit aimlessly and see what spoke to you.

Casually flipping through the stacks, you’d gasped when you landed on what appeared to be the holy grail of all vinyl records ever made.

“Bradley, look!” You’d held out the record for him like a prize. And he abandoned his own search to come join you on the other side of the store.

“Soldiers’ Sweethearts, huh?” He grinned at your find, his eyes crinkling around the edges. The navy colored jacket highlighted a trio of glamourous looking women, each of the three records featured a different performer and their covers of songs popularized during WWII.

“Mm-hmm,” you’d preened, feeling entirely too pleased with yourself. “You’re a soldier, I’m a sweetheart. I’ve never seen anything more perfect in my life. I have to get it.”

“Well I’m not a soldier, technically,” he’d chuckled, as you’d rolled your eyes at him. The joke had you scrunching your nose, and his mustache grazed you as he leaned in close to press a quick kiss to it. “But you’re definitely a sweetheart, sweetheart.”

You were still trying to learn the ins and outs of that part of his life. But you’d liked how he never made you feel stupid when you had questions. More often than not he seemed excited to answer them for you, that you were interested in what he did.

Rooster gently took your newest most prized possession into his big hands, “Let’s see what we’ve got here.” Flipping the album over, he’d scanned the tracks listed on the back for the three records. “Some classics, but a lot I don’t think I know. Definitely some intriguing titles, like ‘Daddy’,” he read aloud with a raised eyebrow and a grin that could only be described as lewd.

The man was a menace and had no problem finding new ways to make you blush. You were grateful that the shop was empty except for the two of you, as you felt the heat rise in your cheeks.

“What about ‘Who’s Taking You Home Tonight’? Have you heard that one before, sweetheart?” His large body moving in and crowding yours, the smell of his cologne making your thoughts go a bit fuzzy around the edges. Your heartbeat kicked up in tempo as he brushed a piece of hair off your forehead.

That find was definitely a jackpot.

Him and those records.

“Mm, or how about ‘Make Love To Me’?” He’d murmured into your ear, his free arm slid slowly against your waist, making a home for itself low on your back. The warmth from his hand seeping through your dress and into your skin.

It was heady being the target of all his heated words and teasing tone. The pull in your low stomach getting more intense with every moment you’d stayed pressed against his hard body. You could see how his pulse was pounding arditamente con forza, boldly with force, from how close your face was to that thick throat of his. And you had wanted to--

“I knew we had it somewhere!”

The associate’s cheery announcement as he returned from the backroom startled you back into yourself. Feeling flustered you’d tried to pull away, but Bradley just kept his arm locked around you as he’d made his way to the counter.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it. We’ll take this one too,” he stated as he’d smoothly placed your Soldiers’ Sweethearts album on the top of the pile he had accumulated. Only letting go of you to pay.

Naturally, you’d wanted to play the record the second you made it back to Bradley’s place.

He set it up for you before giving you a lingering, deep kiss leaving you to your own devices as he worked on the final few things left on his to-do list before his deployment early the next morning.

You were happy to make yourself comfortable on his wide seat couch with an Old Fashioned listening to Jo Stafford’s soothing voice with your eyes closed, wanting to luxuriate in the moment.

One where Bradley was less than twenty feet away puttering around in his kitchen and humming and murmuring to himself.

One where you could call out to him and he would be in front of you in a few long strides.

You wanted to avoid thinking about the next day and the beginning of your new normal.

One where you couldn’t expect text messages from him throughout the day.

One where concern and uncertainty would follow you around like a dark cloud until he came back home to you.

But he was here for now. And you wanted to savor it all, to soak up all of its sweet, syrupy goodness like the expensive cherry in your glass.

He must have sensed the turn in your thoughts because his sandalwood scent gave his closeness away before his voice did, “What do you say, Miss Soldiers’ Sweetheart? Can you spare a dance for me?”

You opened your eyes to see him standing before you with his hand outreached for you. The smile so gentle and open on his face, made it impossible for you to do anything other than wordlessly nod your head in agreement as you’d let him pull you up from your comfy perch.

“Apologies in advance for any injuries caused by my two left feet,” you joked a bit bashfully as he wrapped his arm around you.

“Lucky for us, I was gifted with two right feet. Don’t worry, we’ll even out each other,” he murmured.

He pulled you into his gravity, pressing your joined hands against his chest where you could feel the steady beat of his heart. The hand on your lower back urging closer, closer until there wasn’t an inch of space between your bodies. His chin rested lightly on the top of your head where you had tucked it into that safe space where his neck meets his shoulder.

take me in your arms, and never let me go whisper to me softly while the moon is low

True to his word, he’d guided you in a smooth, easy rhythm. The confidence in his steps as you were held within his sturdy arms was enough to make you feel secure in your own movement. With him you were completely taken care of.

hold me close and tell me what I wanna know say it to me gently, let the sweet talk flow

Your other hand slid up slowly from where it was resting on his shoulder to wrap around his neck, fingers threading through the fine hairs at the nape of his neck as your thumb traced the thick column of his throat.

Come a little closer, make love to me

He held you tighter, held you closer, as the song came to an end. The easy rhythm turning into a gentle sway that continued as the next song began. And the one after that.

That night in his bed he moved against you with such purpose, such tenderness. The sex with Bradley was always stunningly good, he was never content to let himself come until he’d rendered you thoroughly boneless and breathless. He was easily the best you’ve ever had, but that night it was different between you two.

The mood weighty and intense, both of you exposed in a way you hadn’t been before. But there was no mistaking the deliberate way he touched you, the unwavering way he rolled his hips against yours, the unguarded way he held your gaze as if he was committing that moment to memory as he made love to you.

He’d held you close to his warm body, his fingertips leaving trails of goosebumps, as you shivered through your orgasm. His mouth pressed against your ear as he whispered soothing sweet somethings until he followed you over the edge.

For Bradley, you were up for it. For him, you’d be up for all of it.

yesyesyes

Things were a bit too quiet for you.

You heart clenched in a different way when you looked at Penny’s piano on those evenings you spent with the Dagger Squad without him. The ache was still there, but so was a new kind of longing. Part for him, but also for yourself.

But you’d made it through that deployment with the help of your three favorite sweethearts: Jo, Vera and Anne. Although you always queued up one song in particular anytime you found yourself missing him a bit more than normal.

And when Bradley returned back home to you six weeks later, it was easy to fall right back into him. That quiet period was almost too easily forgotten when he was around to fill a space.

That night at the Hard Deck when he serenaded you for the first time, it was normal for him to strut over to the old jukebox to unplug it. His timing impeccable as always, silencing whatever country song Jake had queued up.  

What wasn’t normal was the way he took you by the hand leading you directly to the old upright and pulled you right onto the bench next to him.

There was already some sheet music spread across the shelf, you’d noted as he’d wiped his hands on the outside of his jeans before settling his hands on the keys. It only took you a couple bars of the intro to realize what song he was playing, already completely enamored before he’d even opened his mouth to sing.

It was your song.

Nothing in the world could ever compete with Bradley Bradshaw’s deep, raspy voice singing just for you. The significance of the song meant for you and him alone.

You heart had swelled in your chest until you thought it might burst from happiness. Never in your life had you been so thoroughly swept off your feet. It was a gesture came from his heart that made a home in yours.

Ever the showman Rooster put on a full performance, his aviator sunglasses sliding down his nose as he really leaned into it.

Your wide grin had turned to laughter when a few members of the Dagger Squad jumped in as back-up vocals, singing into their beer bottles in a way that obviously had been rehearsed. You didn’t know how he managed to keep it a secret. While Rooster was a vault in his professional life, when it came to his personal life Bradley couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.

The whole bar was having fun with the jaunty tune, some couples dancing along in smooth circles on the sticky wood floor as he crooned. He’d leaned over to place a kiss on your cheek every now and then in between verses, and you’d felt yourself fall for him even harder.

He’d pulled you into his lap once he was done playing, as the din of the resumed chatter softly cocooned you. You’d seen all you needed to know reflected in his eyes as you wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss.

“Will you play it again?” you’d asked against his lips.

“Yes, ma’am.” And you rested your head on his shoulder watching his fingers get into position on the keys once more as he played the few opening notes.

Somewhere you heard a groan followed by a grumbled, “Not again.”

“Shut it, Bagman,” you bossed at him, not even bothering to look in his direction. You only had eyes for Bradley.

“You heard the lady,” he chuckled. “Shut it, Bagman.”

And then he played it again.

take me in your arms, and never let me go

You should be asleep in your own bed and not at his place with only the soft light of the lamp above his piano and a now cold cup of tea to keep you company.

Tired of tossing and turning, you’d given up on the idea of getting any sleep at your own place after the second hour of trying. Throwing on your slippers, you’d grabbed your keys and then drove over to his place, still in the oversized t-shirt you’d put on before bed, in hopes that scent of his sheets would help lull you to sleep.

But all it did was make you miss him more.

It was too quiet without his soft breathing next to you as he held you close and tucked against his chest.

Too quiet without his records.

Too quiet without his happy humming.

Too quiet without him.

The sound of the tea kettle on his gas range had helped fill the silence, but it was his piano that had called you as you had waited for the water to boil. The sheet music you had left there from the last time you were over beckoning like a siren’s song.

It was your secret.

Only for a few more days, only until he came home.

You wanted to surprise him, to sweep him off his feet the way that he always did with you when he played for you.

During that first deployment, for the first time in years, your fingers yearned for the feel of cool, smooth keys beneath your fingers.

You hadn’t even told Bradley, the one person who would understand it the most, that you’d been thinking about it. Let alone that you were actually taking classes again. Making up excuses about manicures or errands or spin classes for why you were busy for an hour every Tuesday at five PM.

The thing that had once hurt your heart the most, was now the only thing that helped soothe the ache of missing him. The only thing that made you feel close to him when you were thousands of miles apart.

You wanted that familiar comfort of making music. You wanted it because you missed him, but you also wanted it for yourself.

A co-worker had given you the name and number for her kids’ instructor, Mrs. McMullen, an elderly woman who started teaching after her husband passed away. It took you couple weeks to work up the courage to make the call, the sticky note burning a hole in the pocket of your purse you had tucked it into.

You had been an anxious mess the day of your first lesson, hands shaking like you’d had one too many shots of espresso. It felt strange, a little surreal sitting there in the body you’d grown into on the padded bench in her cozy living room. One of the walls filled with shelves and shelves of sheet music, her own personal library.

And for a brief moment, you were transported to a different year on a different bench in a different room. Now and Then. Older and Younger. Both versions of you there to learn. All too familiar, yet entirely new.

You started with the basics. A reintroduction to those lines on the page and the notes that spoke their own language for those who knew how to read it.

Your fingers wanting to move quicker than your sluggish mind, like an echo of a memory of how it used to be. You winced and apologized after every wrong note, until she put her hand on yours, her skin looked as delicate as her fingers did, and said gently, “We learn by doing, mistakes only mean that you are trying. Once more, once again.”

After that first lesson, you’d gone back to your car and promptly burst into tears. Overwhelmed tears, happy tears. That tender part of you still soft, however no longer aching.

You’d left feeling lighter as you pulled away from her house to go meet up with everyone at the Hard Deck, but also with a packet of sheet music to practice for your next lesson.

When Rooster had told you about getting his new orders, when he had asked you again if you were still up for it. You’d told him the same thing you had at that date, you were up for it all.

You would take the sadness with the sweet any day of the week for as long as he was yours.

You’d known how you would fill the space he left behind. And exactly how you wanted to welcome him home. You’d been excited to put that certain song just for him in your cart, and then tacking on one more song to your order, a song that would be just for you.

Both you and Mrs. McMullen had be surprised at how you’d been able to pick things back up over the months, you still weren’t anywhere as good as you were when you were younger, but it wasn’t nearly as daunting as it used to be. And when you showed up to your next lesson after your songs had been delivered, she was more than happy to help you figure out ways to simplify the songs a bit so that you’d be ready when he returned.

And now you’re bent over Bradley’s piano with a pencil tucked behind your ear as you played through the hardest bit of the song, you’ve lost track of how many times you’ve gone over it tonight. This morning? You were in that liminal space between yesterday and today. Where the time on the clock was just a suggestion because it felt neither here nor there.

You had practiced and practiced the song you had wanted to play for him once got home. You’re pretty sure Mav wasn’t supposed to tell you the significance of that particular song, but it had made your heart flutter wildly in your chest when he’d told you. And every time you’ve heard it since then.

It was polished, it was perfect, it was ready. All you needed was him.

The one you’re playing now con amore, with love, is the piece you pull out when you long for him the most.

The cover of the song had made you think of him from the moment you’d heard it. It was more lyrical and delicate than the original, and captured just how you felt about him. Just how much he meant to you. Sometimes you sing along with it, sometimes you just let the keys and pedals express the things you otherwise could not.  

It was the song of your heart.

Your fingers trip over one of the notes yet again, probably from the lack of sleep, but you weren’t ready to crawl back into Bradley’s comfy bed. Not just yet.

Sighing, you pull the pencil from behind your ear, muttering to yourself out loud as you note the spot on the page. It was already filled with little pencil marks, some older and some newer. All made because you were trying.

Once more, once again.

Breathing out slowly, you settle your hand back on the keys-

“Can you play it from the beginning this time, sweetheart?"

Read {vol. ii} here!

He's a sneaky one, friends! I have Part 2 in the works, not to worry! We have to see how it all plays out! (put intended)

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you would like to be added to my taglist for the grand finale!

Here's a link to the Soldiers' Sweethearts Album, if you're curious!

But this is their song, the one Bradley serenaded her with! Jo Stafford's version of 'Make Love to Me'

I ended up making two moodboards for this part!

Here's the more colorful one! And here's the more yearn-y one!

You can check out my other stories here!

And a big thank you to Jordan (@gretagerwigsmuse) for letting me spam you about this one!

Taglist:

@gretagerwigsmuse @sehnsuchts-trunken @notroosterbradshaw @tongue-like-a-razor @laracrofted @bradshawsbitch @starryeyedstories @top-hhun-main @startrekfangirl2233 @callsign-viper @teacupsandtopgun @shanimallina87 @angelbabyange @oneelleandaneye @mizzzpink @cornishkat @alana4610 @20th-centu-fairy-girl @pono-pura-vida @donttouchmycarrots @eg-dr3amer3 @whaledots-blog @a-beaverhausen @hangmanscoming @mandolin22 @theweekndhistorybook @lilpeekabooze @high-bi-imgonnacry @ahintofkiwistrawberry @ruewrote @spiderman-stilinski @jayniebop @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @imaginecrushes @keyrani @chicomonks @artemissunn @mayempress @eddiemunsonreader

[loupy-mongoose]

I wish my art motivation and my "want-to-move-the-story-along" motivation would get along, lol.

There's so much I rather would've drawn for this, but my brain is still in the Hisui rot. So, I'll have to make due.

Speech guide:

Randy's speech Jamie's speech (Pokespeak in parentheses) ~~Telepathy is in... these things... Whatever they're called. XD~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

~~~~~~

The group spread out among the foliage, keeping their eyes keen and calling out Midas' name.

As they searched, Akoya sent her husband a private vent.

~~Rrrrrrrrrgggghhh! ~~ ~~Why'd she have to come with us?!~~ ~~We'll find him fine on our own, then get right back to her. She doesn't need to babysit us! What threat do we pose anyway??~~

Randy struggled to suppress a sigh. ~~I know, Hon. But we really shouldn't do anything to upset her. We're on her turf right now, and she seems to be a high authority on it.~~

~~Huh. Well I'll be happy to be done with this and back home safely in Paldea.~~

~~I know. Believe me, I know. But let's just focus on one thing at a time, okay? Right now we need to make our way to Midas without her figuring out we can feel him.~~

Randy felt a stab of regret from her direction, and glance at her to see her giving him a remorseful look.

~~...I'm sorry.~~

Randy struggled to hide shock from Jamie.

~~For what?~~

~~For being difficult...~~ ~~Thank you for being patient with me, and... all this...~~

Seeing that Jamie was searching facing away from them, he met his wife's eyes and gave her a warm smile.

~~Of course, Akoya!~~ ~~I look forward to having Midas back and getting a chance to really talk in private.~~

Akoya sighed lightly.

~~Me too...~~

Midaaaas!

The pink-and-blue Mew perked up his ears, his tear-stained eyes opening wide.

(Mamah?)

His companion, a fluffy pink and russet Mew, also looked toward the calling voice. A purr was rattling from her in an attempt to calm the poor child she'd come across and curled around reassuringly.

Suddenly the young Mew bolted, startling his companion into silence.

(MAMAH!)

Midas slammed into his mother's chest. His voice came out as a whimper.

(Mamah...)

After a brief shock, Akoya smiled and hugged the little Mew close under her chin, and her eyes welled with tears. Midas... Oh thank Arceus...

Midas' fluffy companion flew up and nuzzled Jamie's head. Before Randy could comment on her, the girl gave her a startled look, but quickly recomposed herself.

(Hey, Jamie! Good to see you!)

It's good to see you too! But... a little surprising. Randy caught the quickest dart of her eyes in their direction. Clearly she was implying something, but what that was, he had no idea.

The stranger Mew smiled at the three newcomers. There was an... odd gleam in her eyes, but she turned back to Jamie, not giving any chance to ponder it.

Randy and Akoya exchanged glances. There was no avoiding it this time. She'd caught them all red-handed.

The man sighed. Yes, we all understand it.

Akoya's face turned serious, although she couldn't hide the shock she'd received. How did you know?

Educated guess. You reacted when Clover mentioned the bag. The red-haired girl met Akoya's eyes, but she appeared neutral, rather than hostile. Randy noticed that that subtle curiosity had returned.

Beside him, he saw his wife shudder. ...I don't like how sharp you are...

Much to Randy's surprise, Jamie gave a regretful smile. Force of habit. She took a snappy breath, as if to recenter herself, and straightened her postured. Shall we move on to the house?

The three Lindens looked at each other and nodded, and they set off again. But before they went far, Jamie turned to look at Akoya once more.

...So, did Midas call you "Mama"?

Feeling a wave of exasperation from Akoya, Randy answered for her, desperate to escape this weird dance of secrets they'd ended up in. We'll explain later. Can we just get somewhere where we can breathe?

The group continued on as the sun began to sink. Jamie's fluffy Mew buddy, Pari, floated leisurely around them, sometimes humming happily, sometimes picking up a chat with Jamie. Sometimes they would pass folks on the road, and Pari would wave cheerfully or let them pet her as she purred.

Randy realized then what Jamie had meant about this being a safe place for Midas to be lost at. Clearly the locals were used to having a Mew around--or two, if Jovie was as friendly and close to the people as Pari. Some Pokemon that roamed close by would come greet Jamie warmly, happy to see her back after her time away. And Randy caught glimpses of a deep, genuine smile on her face as she talked with them

He sighed, wishing things could be straight-forward, and hoped the two parties could soon find a comfortable middle ground.

He felt a gentle hand take his own, and looked over at his wife, unable to resist a soft smile as he met her eyes. Her other arm was tucked into her jacket to support Midas, who had refused to go back into the bag and was now hidden in there. Randy had taken possession of the bag.

He looked to his other side at Lav, who seemed as drained as he was. She'd been very quiet since they arrived, and he longed to pick her brain. But now wasn't the time. He felt a pang of guilt that she'd been so sidelined by all this.

He placed his hand on her far shoulder, looking for a cue that a hug would be okay. She turned up to him with tired eyes, giving a half-hearted smile and leaning into him. He tightened his grip around her.

As they walked, seeing their escort and new Mew companion at ease with the residents, his children safe in their arms and his wife and best friend by his side... he felt a deep peace settle in him.

Once they could get all the secrets and misunderstandings out of the way...

It wouldn't be so bad here.

~~~~~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

[lvrcpid]

disciples.

your eyes fluttered open as the sun peered through the entrance of the mauri. your body ached in all different spots, the feeling almost dreadful.

“you’re awake, how are you feeling?” a voice called from behind you. it was tonowari. wasn’t he the olo’eyktan? why was he here with you?

noticing your confusion, the metkayina man smiled down at you and lifted you up slowly, minding your head in his hold.

“my wife and daughter went out to gather more herbs for your medicine, i offered to watch you until you woke up.” a small smile spread across your face as your looked up at him “thank you..” you spoke softly as he stood up and gave you a curt nod.

“here child, you need to eat” he brought over a bowl of soup for you. you took the bowl and set it down, your appetite not really setting in just yet. tonowari noticed this and sat down in front of you, taking your hands into yours.

“what’s on your mind child? you seem troubled” you hesitated for a while, you didn’t know if to trust him or not. you haven’t had a stable male figure for basically your entire life, you didn’t know how to open up to anyone.

“well i uh..” you stopped yourself, catching your breath before sighing. you had only met tonowari a few times, and those times were genuinely horrifying, he was a big scary man, you didn’t know he could be this kind hearted.

“well it’s my family..” you started, staring down at the bowl , refraining from eye contact. “i was under there for 4 days before they realized i was gone..they probably would’ve gone longer if we’re being honest” you began to choke up. the thought of their betrayal running circles in your mind.

“it’s been like that my whole life..when neteyam was born it was fine for a while, of course he was a baby he needed more attention .. then came lo’ak..then kiri..” you sighed and looked up at him, his eyes softened as he listened to your troubles, the man took pity on you. you were just a child. no child should go through this

“my parents were more worried about them..my brother was to train to be the next olo’eyktan and kiri to be tsakarem..my parents didn’t believe that i was good enough to do any of the important stuff, they wanted me to stay the hunter of the family..so they gave them all of the attention.”

you pulled a small beaded string from your hair and showed it to the man in front of you. “the last time something was added to my songcord was when i was 3, i had to add things myself..like when i completed my right of passage..alone..or when i caught my first fish..alone” you sighed, reminiscing over your childhood, how blank and bleak it seemed.

tonowari listened to it all. all of your troubles, all of your struggles. he was fuming. you were such a beautiful soul, so innocent and curious, how could your own family treat you like this.

you both didn’t notice ronal and tsireya return. the pair both shared a pitiful glance before carefully sitting at your side. ao’nung was standing there the entire time, he hadn’t left for the morning just yet. at first he didn’t like you, you were some forest freak who came intruding on their land, but after hearing your life story, the male felt for you, he felt bad for you.

he sat next to tsireya as they all began comforting you. the feeling was uncomfortable to say the least, but you weirdly felt safe with them, like that lonely void was being filled little by little.

after the conversation, ao’nung came and sat next to you, offering his hand “i know my mom said you shouldn’t leave just yet..but you need some fresh air, i know it can get stuffy in here sometimes”

you hesitated. didn’t he JUST try to fight you not even last week, now he’s being a sweetheart? you thought for a minute, hesitantly taking his hand as he raised you up, walking with you outside.

“hey uh..im sorry about last week and..your entire family, nobody deserves that..even if you are a forest freak” he smiled at you. you rolled your eyes at his last comment but smiled anyways, appreciating the apology.

“hey nung!- woah (y/n)?! where have you been?!” you turned your head to see neteyams friend rotxo, he had been there the day you all had arrived to awa’atlu.

“you know..died..came back to life you know, the regular” you joked. “come on not funny (y/n)” he said. your face went serious “oh no im not joking see?” you pointed to your chest and he almost fainted. “man you’re such a wimp” ao’nung laughed and pushed his friend back up on his feet.

soon eclipse fell onto awa’atlu, the sounds of the ocean waves and forest critters filled the air. you were back in tsahìk mauri with ronal checking up on you.

“you know you don’t have to go back home..you’re more than welcome to stay here with us” ronal spoke, breaking the silence.

“no im okay..i don’t wanna intrude into your family” you spoke, your bones still sore. “nonsense child..it is clear your family has..forsaken you..” ronal trailed off, attempting to be careful with her words. “you are only a child..you need a place to stay..now im not asking..i am telling..” she finished, standing up and looking down at you.

“ao’nung and tonowari will retrieve your things tomorrow..from now on you are staying with us..as a family..i need to keep an eye on you child..” she bent back down and cupped her 4 fingered hand on your cheek.

you felt her warm hands turn into an embrace. you weren’t sure if it was because she was the tsahìk or what but her embrace felt motherly, something you hadn’t experienced. she smelled of flowers and the ocean. a welcoming smell. you held back tears as you softly returned the embrace, mumbling out a quick thank you before breaking the hug. you didn’t want to go back home, you didn’t want to be with that family anymore.

they have the other kids, they’ll be fine without me. i’m pretty sure they don’t even care

when tsireya and aonung heard the news , they were over joyed! ao’nung was finally glad to not be the oldest anymore and he seemingly enjoyed your presence after the day. tsireya was over the moon, she finally had someone who she felt comfortable enough around to tell anything. ronal and tonowari were just as happy, your smiling face after seeing your tearful expression with your family made them happy. they silently promised to eachother they were going to give you the best life you could have.

you finally had a family. a place you were accepted and loved. no matter the conditions.

when news broke to the sullys, they were truly distraught. you felt bad as you stood in their mauri, head hung low as tonowari stood tall behind you.

“you can’t just take our child!” neytiri yelled, walking towards you and attempting to pull you into her embrace. you shook her off and sighed “they aren’t taking me mom..i’m going willingly” the family fell silent.

jake furrowed his eyebrows before moving to a now sobbing neytiri as she attempted to open her arms to you. you moved back harshly as you turned away from her.

“(y/n) you can’t just leave! we’re your family!” lo’ak shouted, stomping up to you and grabbing your hand. you quickly shoved him away and hissed at him. lo’aks face dropped. you never hissed at him before.

“(y/n) come on just think this through..we’re sorry okay? just don’t leave..we need you..” neteyam slid over to your slowly, refraining from touching you seeing as though that was the last thing you needed.

“neteyam stop-“ you felt a body attach itself to your leg. you looked down and began tearing up. it was tuk. she was sobbing. “(y/n) please don’t go! i’ll be good i’m sorry just please don’t go!!” she clung to you like glue.

kiri couldn’t stand to look at you, knowing she would cry at the scene.

lo’ak was now stomping over to his dad and looking back at neteyam “dad do something!!” his voice cracked , almost crying.

jake looked at you with pleading eyes, almost saying “please don’t do this to us”. you stared down at tuk, tears glossing your eyes as you softly moved tuk from your leg and stormed out of the mauri, mumbling a quick “im sorry” under your breath.

ao’nung walked inside and gave his father a look before beginning to grab your things , jake having to hold neytiri back as ao’nung began to grab your things and move them out.

“dude come on..mom! dad! do something!!” lo’ak was now sobbing as he attempted to plead with his parents. but there was nothing anyone could do, you were gone, out of their grasp.

ronal was outside of the mauri and had heard everything, taking your now sobbing figure into her embrace, rubbing your back as you sobbed into her shoulder. she felt bad for you. she knew you wanted to leave, but knew it would pain you to do so.

neteyam had been crying before a wave of anger washed over him. they were your family, how could you just up and leave them like that.

he pushed past ao’nung before storming to where you and ronal were, yelling out “we’re your family!! sullys stick together remember!! this is selfish!!” he yelled purely from anger and hurt.

his words trigged something in you. selfish. you? selfish.

your sobbing began to die down as you turned to neteyam, storming up to him and grabbing his braids, tossing him back into the mauri.

“you wanna talk family? let’s talk family shall we?”

previous || next

tags 🏷️ : @23victoria @avtprint @bucky12345 @boilingpots @Marcswife21 @elegantkidfansoul @itsyogurl @stars4deku @stvpidscvpid @uniltsatirey @urdeadpoet @annamarieisbae @graysonmalik2550 @blueberryfailureclinic @jordan-network @newjeansbonnie @stickyfictioninwriting @fanboyluvr @zatarias-pandora @jjkclub @elvyshiarieko @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @adaiasafira @scarletrosesposts @spicycloudsalad @vane28282 @nuttyrebelflower

[dckweed]

Sooo glad you posted a second part of the Jakex best friend baby story. A huuuge hug for you =) so in a matter of fact I squealed a bit as I read that you're accepting requests for this story. So I would have an idea, maybe you like it, if not I'm still going to read EVERYTHING you write =)

I'm thinking of reader is feeling off for days, like feeling dizzy and stressed out. The nausea is also taking a toll on her. One evening at the Hard Deck with the whole squad a woman is approaching Jake... Unfortunately it's his ex girlfriend. She immediately flirts with him and making the reader really uncomfortable. Jake tries to get rid of his bitchy ex by showing off reader and introducing her to his ex. She's already sporting a small bump, which his ex notices. Later reader goes to the bathroom, not feeling so hot, but Jake's ex follows her and corners her at the bathroom insulting reader for being a slut, being pregnant and stealing Jake, absolutely stressing the pregnant woman out. After her harassment she leaves the bathroom leaving reader alone. The whole situation worsens her feeling sick and she collapses in one of the stalls.

Just need some huuuge whump and Jake and the Daggers being protective. Maybe you can use some of my ideas.

P.S.: it's so brave that you share your personal story here with us. You're a strong young woman. I belive in you!

hiii thank you for sending this in! absolutely love the idea! and thank you so much, i feel like eating disorders and the struggles that come with them aren't something thats spoken of enough and i really would like to bring awareness by sharing my own story :) so, if anyone has any questions about that, feel free to send them in ! I'm here to advocate and be a voice..if you think you have one or know someone who does and dont know how or where to get help, i got you, if you're wondering how to cope with symptoms, i got you!

in the meantime however, i give you my comfort loves, jake and babygirl! please feel free to send in any requests, comments or thoughts that you may have for this particular series ! and in lieu of halloween, this is officially halloween themed.

p.s. how are we doing today? are we hydrated? have we had a snack or two? this is your reminder to go do both if you haven't already! also does someone want to possibly make a boodboard for jake and babygirl?? full credit would go to you in every post if i use it !

warnings: elusions to sex and actual soft sex mentioned and described as well as cockwarming briefly mentioned, pregnancy, fainting, hospitals, grown adults bullying essentially

the babygirl series part three, part two here

BABYGIRL, the playlist

INSECURITIES. jake 'hangman' seresin

Your breathing was even as you layed on your back, one of your legs caught between his. The NAVY tshirt you were wearing (his navy tshirt) rode up to rest just beneath your glorious breasts with your arms raised up, one tucked under the pillow next to your head, the other laid across his chest, your tummy on full display. You had been with him for just over a month now, having extended your two week vacation indefinitely. He knew you two would have to fly home sometime soon, to pack up the things in your apartment and eventually make your way over to your families ranch's to let them know what was going on, but he didn't want to think about that, not now when had what felt like all the time in the world to admire you.

Your stomach rose and fell with every breath and almost instinctively he finds his hand resting there, thumb rubbing gently back and forth over the small but slowly growing more prominent baby bump you were beginning to sport. You had been shy about him doing that, and he knew that it was because in the back of your mind, that little baby growing in you hadn't come from him, but if you asked him, that little girl in there was his, even without the Seresin blood. He hadn't ran away or called you names when you had told him, infact, it had only drawn him to you more. You were his, and so was the little miracle you were growing and he wasn't afraid to admit it either. Hell, he had gone that night to the Hard Deck, a dopey grin on his face as he walked in with your hand in his and had announced it to the entire bar, happily telling his friends and Penny about the bun in your proverbial oven. He couldn't help but smile at the memory.

You shift after another moment, a small groan coming from your throat as you turn towards him, head pressed against his chest now. He presses a content kiss to the top of your messy hair adjusting you so that his arm was under you now, holding you against him. The bedroom was still dark but sunlight was slowly starting to seep through the small slit in the curtains, lighting up a small patch of the floor and the bed. He wondered if he should get up and open the window for you, maybe brew a pot of the decaf coffee he'd immediately switched you to when he found out about the baby.

He's about to decide against the thoughts, not wanting to wake you, not when you were sleeping so soundly after having a rough week of being sick and uncomfortable, you beat him to it though, your soft whine reaching his ears. "Mornin' babygirl.." He says, southern accent more prominent in his gruff morning voice. A smile spreads across his lips, as easy as butter glides across toasts as you lift your head up slowly, sleepy eyes meeting his before planting a long and slow good morning kiss on him. "You were sleeping so good, i didn't want to wake you up.."

You hum, trying to gather your sleepy wits about you, even though it had only been a month, jake was usually the only thing you noticed in the mornings, his warmth and love completely enveloping you, the only thing your mind could register besides the nausea usually rolling in your tummy, so it took you a moment to fully wake up.

After a few minutes of snuggling into your boyfriend, his hand rubbing your belly almost soothingly, you decide that you don't feel queasy enough to run to the bathroom right away (a godsend, really) and you shift yourself so that you're sitting atop of him, legs on either side of his hips, comforter slouched around your legs.

He looks up at you with an amused smile, large hands gliding up your thighs to land on your hips, just underneath of the baggy tshirt you'd stolen from him. "Somethin' i can help you with?" He asks, sleepy southern drawl sending shockwaves through your body as the hands on your hips grind you down against him, you were still bare from the night before, the two of you having stayed up late together just making love to each other.

You were insatiable when it came to him, maybe it was years of pent up sexual tension, maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was just that you guys were so perfect for each other that you literally could not get enough of one another, whatever it was though, neither of you was complaining. You had never been more satisfied from just one single touch before, had never been left craving more of the person you were with until you had been with Jake.

"Have time for a proper good morning, fly boy?" You ask teasingly, already lifting the hem of your shirt to toss it onto the floor, which was where most of your clothes had been finding their home these days when it came to the bedroom.

"Keep it on for me, babygirl, want you to wear it while i watch you ride me," You hadn't even noticed that one of his hands had already been between your bodies, but he was sliding his cock out of his boxers and gliding you down onto it as he spoke, a sigh of pleasure already leaving your lips before you're even sunk down fully onto him. "Feel so good babygirl," He groans, already pussy drunk off of you.

His fingers grip tighter onto your hips as you ride him lazily, hips moving back and forth in a languid but pleasurable pace, his hips bucking up into yours softly. "Jake," You whine, hands planted on his hard chest, fingers curled into the coarse hairs that scattered there, he grunts in response as he thrusts up into you, his massive hands pulling you down to meet his cock with each one. "so full baby, feels so good jakey.." Your words only fueled his ego, his eyebrows furrowing as he pumps up into you, you were both still overly sensitive from the night before and he knew that he wasn't going to last long, and neither were you judging by the way your nails dug into the skin of his chest.

Jake furrows his brows deeper, watching your face contort with pleasure as he continues to slowly fuck up into your overly sensitive body, his own toes curling into the mattress as he tries to stave off his own orgasm, a feat proving much harder than he had originally thought with the noises that escaped you and the way your pussy felt clamping around him right then.. "..so pretty, babygirl, always so fucking pretty for me.." He grunts out, feeling the way you clench down on him, hearing the whine come from your throat as you cum, your thighs shaking on either side of him. "..that's it baby, thats it.." He says, not too far behind you. He cums as your body sags against his, his hands on your ass the only thing holding you steady as you bury your head in his neck, leaving small kisses along the top of his collar bone.

"..Do you have to go to work, baby?" You ask, lifting your head up to look at him, the pout that he had never been able to say no to adorning your lips.

You can't help but smirk a little as your boyfriend throws his head back with a groan, one of his hands snaking its way up your back. "Babygirl, i would give anything to stay home with you attached to me like this all day long," his voice is thick, that accent ever so present as he tucked a wild strand of hair behind your ear. "but i gotta go to work, we're running flight trainings today.." Though they were a permanent mission squad within the TOP GUN training academy, they weren't always training for missions and today was one of those days where they got to run flights with the newer admissions who all thought they were the shit. Otherwise known as, Jake Seresin Gets To Show Off day.

You groan and drop your head to his chest, listening to him chuckle at you before he kisses the top of your head. "Fine, shower with me?" You lift your head up, a playful waggle to your eyebrows that he just can't say no to.

"I think that can be arranged." He says with a smile, his arms wrapping around your ass to hold you as he swiftly stands up with you, making you squeal in surprise as you wrap your arms around his shoulders, clinging to him in fear of falling. Your ass meets the cold counter of the bathroom sink as he sets you down on it, peppering your face with kisses as he flips the light switch, making you giggle and smile that beautiful smile he loved so much. "Don't move."

"Yes Sir!" You chuckle, watching as he opens the shower door and steps in, turning it on. "Make sure its hot baby!" You instruct, practically feeling his eyes roll into the back of his head despite doing as you said.

"I will never understand you and the volcanic level of hot water you bathe in, how do you even have skin left?" He asks, voice serious as he walks over to you, stepping between your legs as he reaches behind you to turn the faucet on with one hand while the other reaches above your head, grabbing the bottle he'd seen you use every morning since you'd been with him.

"It's relaxing!" You argue, voice raising an octave as you try not to laugh at him when he suddenly splashes your face with cold water. "Excuse me for not liking to take an ice plunge every time i step into the shower," You cackle, causing him to start laughing as he brings his hands to your cheeks, gently rubbing them with your favorite facial cleanser. You hadn't even noticed him put it on his fingers, but it felt like he was massaging your face and it felt damn good. "You spoil me, you know?" You hum, relaxing into his touch, eyes closing. He could have lulled you back to sleep like that if he wanted to.

Jake grunts in disagreement. "I don't spoil you nearly enough, babygirl." He states, completely believing it. He wouldn't tell you but he was already planning how to ask you to marry him, he didn't need to wait a year, or even until the baby was born, he knew you were the one for him and he just couldn't wait to spoil you even more once you were his wife, and spoil the hell out of the little hellions you guys would have together.

After a minute he grabs a soft wash cloth from the drawer by the sink and wets it only a little, gently wiping the cleanser off of your face for you. The action of the thing was just so freaking sweet, and so fucking Jake that you didn't have the heart to tell him that you weren't supposed to wipe away the cleanser like that. It doesn't take long before the shower has steamed up the whole bathroom and he's helping you off of the counter before leading you into the shower, letting you step under the water first after he helps you slip his navy tshirt over your head.

You hum as the water hits you, your body relaxing as you feel his thumbs kneading the skin at the base of your neck, the spot where you tend to hold all of your tension. You lean back into him and just let the water wash over you, enjoying the closeness with him.

The pleasantness of the morning only lasts for a couple of hours, not too long after Jake leaves for work (with a kiss to your cheek and a smack to your ass) the intense feeling of nausea and a pounding headache that had been plaguing you with it for the past two weeks came crawling back, you thought you had been rid of it finally when you woke up feeling perfect this morning, but of course it was too good to be true. You're hunched over the toilet for hours, the breakfast Jake had been kind enough to make you crawling its way out of your stomach.

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" You ask your stomach after a nasty bout of vomiting, and as if in answer, your stomach lurches unpleasantly, though you manage not to spew everywhere this time.

You seem to be fine for the rest of the day, though your head pounds and you sit in darkness until about the time that Jake gets off work, knowing he was going to be home and excited to head straight to the hard deck with the crew for Penny's Halloween party. You had been excited too, had even planned out your costume with him but god you hadn't felt this bad before, this was the most intense day of morning sickness that you'd had the entire time you'd been pregnant. You were tempted to call it off, send him on his own, but you knew he wouldn't go. He would stay by your side and take care of you, and you didn't want that, not when he had been so excited to show you off tonight.

Despite your better judgement you start getting yourself ready around the time you know he's getting ready to leave base, you know your timing is right because you get a 'be home soon babygirl' text from him a few minutes into your endeavor. You smile at your phone for a second, wondering how you got so damn lucky to be able to be in love with your best fucking friend in the whole world..

You're in the middle of painting your small but ever present swollen baby belly with safe, brown paint, standing in the full body mirror as you do it. You're trying to make it look as much like a bun as possible, which isn't as easy as it seems when you can't physically detach your stomach and lay it flat on a table to look at and paint like you could literally anything else. You hear the front door open, and his voice carry's through it's usual greeting. "In the bedroom!" You holler back. You hear something thump onto the floor (his duffle, probably filled with his sweaty khaki uniform and underclothes) and his boots thud down the hallway.

"Hey, Babyg-" You turn to face him as soon as you peek him and his dark green flight suit in the doorway, showing off the bun you were working so hard on. Thankfully, focusing so hard on something else had pushed your nausea and headache to the back of your mind, the least of your worries as you locked eyes with your grinning boyfriend. "That looks so good Babygirl! Look at you and our little girl all dressed up for Halloween.." He steps into the room, his smile lighting his face as he brings his lips to yours, before he can even kiss you though your nose scrunches up at the smell of him, sweaty and smelling like airplane fuel and oil.

You know it's coming before your stomach even lurches and you shove him away from you so hard he lands on the bed, a shocked noise escaping him as you rush into the bathroom, sliding in front of the toilet just in the nick of time. Somewhere in the back of your mind you hear Jake rush into the bathroom behind you, crouching down with you to rub your back. You manage to wave him away as you heave and he seems to get the hint, taking a step back.

"You smell." You groan when you're sure you've finished, trying to find the strength to stand up and rinse your mouth out. Jake makes an offended noise in the back of his throat, but you shoot him a glare that tells him you're serious and it seems to shut him up.

"Right," He says, clapping his hands together as you finally stand up. "i'll shower, you finish getting ready if you feel like you're able to go..if not, we'll stay home and watch 90 day Fiancé or something.." He wouldn't admit it to you, but your reality show addiction had become one of his new favorite hobbies and he would be more than happy to spend the night in bed with you binging. Who needed a Halloween party anyway? "How many times have you done that today?"

"I'll be fine to go, that's the first time that's happened all day." You lie, sidling up next to him to rinse out your mouth, trying desperately not to breathe through your nose so you don't repeat the emptying of your already empty stomach for the tenth time today. You meet his eyes in the mirror, he's looking at you like he doesn't believe you. "Really baby," You smile, turning around to face him. You look up at the handsome man before you, trying your hardest not to breathe in his scent. "I'll be okay, just take a shower and wash all the airplane gunk off of you before it happens again."

He gives you a long look, green eyes searching your face for any sign that he shouldn't let you go tonight and just make you stay home instead, he really couldn't have cared either way about the damn halloween party, now that he had you, you were the only thing that he ever cared to spend his time with. "Okay," He concedes, ruffling your hair with his ginormous hand. You roll your eyes at the action, but your body relaxes despite feeling horrible about the lie. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

You pushed through the next hour or so, finishing your costume while Jake showered and got himself ready, eagerly talking about how the two of you were going to kick Phoenix and Bob's asses in the costume contest that Penny was hosting tonight, and how he was so excited to show you and the belly off and as you checked yourself out in the mirror, you were once again reminded of just how lucky you were to have Jake to love you and the little miracle growing inside of you.

You pushed through Jake cooking himself a quick snack, you even made it through the drive to the bar like a champ, driving his big ass truck all the way there while he lay in the back seat because he refused to take his costume off until after the contest.

You had been at the bar for a couple of hours, mingling with Bob and Phoenix for the most part, who looked adorable in their Buzz and Woody costumes, when you took a turn for the worse. You and the rest of the squad had gotten to the bar quite early to help Penny finish setting up and as it started filling up with other people from base and some of the new TOP GUN students you and Jake had somehow gotten separated and after a while of talking with Phoenix about doing a shopping trip and lunch date on her next day off you started to look around for him.

Jake was at the pool table, high fiving Bradley as he sunk a ball into one of the pockets, very obviously wining the game of pool he had been roped into with the new recruits. You cant help the smile that lights your face when he catches your eye, sending you a signature Jake Seresin smirk and a wink of his eye. You giggle to yourself, your heart feeling full of nothing but love and happiness when it came to him.

"God, you guys are so in love its honestly sickening.." Natasha mutters, rolling her eyes with a playful smile on her face as she sips her whiskey on the rocks. You cackle in laughter, pushing her shoulder gently as you leave her side and make your way over to Jake, you'd had enough of being away from his side for one night.

A couple of people move in front of you as you're walking, and you have to stop and say hello to Maverick, who had arrived stylishly late to the party. "You're glowing!" He had said, giving you a kiss on your cheek. He was honestly in complete awe of you and the affect that you had on Hangman, he had done a complete 360 since you'd gotten together and he couldn't thank you enough for it because he wasn't sure how to handle it some days.

You chat with him for a few moments before making your way to Jake, except when he comes back into your view this time there's someone else with him. A tall bottle blonde in a risqué nurses costume that was honestly probably lingerie, she had fishnet stockings on and mile high platform stripper heels.

She was the kind of girl that had always caught his attention before you.

She was the kind of girl you had always been underlyingly jealous of.

And that jealously came rearing its ugly head. Fists clenched to your sides you walked over to your boyfriend with a purpose, not even catching their conversation before you wrapped your arms around his always so toned and tight bicep that was sticking out of the arm hole of the costume he had spent time making himself.

"Hey Babygirl," He says immediately, turning his head to plant a big fat kiss on your lips, you could practically feel his body relaxing at your touch and that seemed to cause you jealousy to ease, knowing that he was being held hostage in the conversation. "Jessa, this is my Babygirl.." The woman in front of you looked at you with narrowed eyes and then looked down at your costumes, her eyes roaming from your painted pregnant belly to his oven costume and and then back again, it seemed like it took a moment for all of the wheels to turn but they finally clicked into place.

"We dated for a while, not that long ago..just wanted to come over and say hello." She says. "I had heard you were settled down but i didn't think it could possibly be true.." Her eyes never leave his as she speaks, batting her eyelashes at him as if trying to entice him.

Jake raises his beer bottle to his lips, glancing down to you as if he wasn't quite sure what to say. "Well, I hate to break it to you but..its true.." You grind out, your queasy stomach returning as you catch a whiff of her strong perfume. "I'll be right back baby.."

You barely make it to the ladies room all the way across the bar before it spews out of you. You're hunched over the toilet for a good few minutes heaving and queasing and so focused on yourself that you don't hear bathroom door squeak open again, or the stripper heels smacking against the tiled floor that Penny thankfully kept in pristine cleanliness.

You don't notice the other presence in the bathroom until you've stood up and turned around, headed to wash your hands and try to wash the small bit of vomit off of your black shirt. You stop in your tracks immediately when you spot her, arms crossed over her outrageously exposed breasts as she stands with her hip popped, as if she were looking for a fight.

"I always knew he liked easier girls, but i never thought he liked actual whores." She states, eyeing your pregnant belly with clear disdain. "I'm not stupid, i can do basic math. He stopped calling me almost two months ago, way too soon for you to be thus far pregnant with his baby."

"..excuse me?" You utter, mouth watery again as you fought of what you hoped was just nerves and not another round of throwing up..you didn't think you could go 12 rounds today and still make it through the party.

The woman cackles damn near evilly. "The way Jake always spoke about his babygirl I thought she was this pure angel. Turns out she's a fucking whore." She shakes her head, eyeing once more. "You're not his type either, he really must fucking pity you if he's fucking you like this, the poor thing.."

You can't think of anything to say, you could barely hold your head up with how suddenly dizzy you were. As she turns to leave the bathroom, the door swinging open, the vomit spews out of you like lava spewed out of Pompeii and as you sink to the floor, trying to keep your own head up, too dizzy to see straight or use your voice or even think, you couldn't help but to remember the words that she had said..that he must have pittied you..that wasn't true..right?

Natasha noticed Jessa come out of the bathroom that she had seen you go into earlier, and maybe it was just because she was slightly paranoid but she felt like she needed to poke her head in and check on you, especially after she sauntered right back up to Jake and ran her hand down his bicep after you had very clearly made it known that she needed to back off.

"Keep an eye on Jessa," She says to Bob, catching her Wizzo's attention as she slipped off of her bar stool. "I'm gonna go check on Babygirl.." Everyone had taken to calling you by Jake's nickname for you, it was practically your God given name by this point.

"On it." Bob says, taking his Shirley Temple with him as he strides from the bar top to the pool table.

Natasha pushes people out of her way, the wings of her Buzz costume doing all of the work for her as she makes her way to the restrooms, pushing the door opening and entering sideways. She hears your moan before she sees you slumped in a pool of your own throw up, your skin paler than the flourescent lighting in the small bathroom and a small sheen of sweat on your forehead. "Holy sit.." She says, crumbling down next to you, taking your head in her hands. "Babygirl? You awake?" A slight moan is the only response. "Fuck...fuck.."

She doesn't leave your side, but she thanks God for having long legs because she's able to catch the door stopper just right with her foot and open it far enough for her voice to carry. "JAKE! BOB! SOMEBODY HELP!" You moan again, your head thumping to her chest. Her voice must be loud enough because there's a drawn out silence before a scattering of feet pounding against the hardwood flooring of the Hard Deck. "Call 911!"

Jake's heart drops into his stomach as soon as he sees you, his eyes widening. "What happened?" He doesn't bother to care about the emotional crack in his voice as he drops to his knees, Bob and Rooster right behind him in the door way. "Nat, what the fuck happened?"

"I don't know, she was like this when I came in - Jessa had just come out!" She says panicking because she had never once seen Jacob Seresin look so scared and vulnerable before. "She keeps moaning and she's sweaty..Jake what if it's the baby?"

He squeezed his eyes closed, he couldn't bare to think of it, he couldn't bare to think of how sad and broken you would be..he couldn't even begin to think of how to pick up those broken pieces if that were the case, so he didn't think about it. He focused on Bob's voice behind him, on the phone with the 911 operator.

"...17 weeks pregnant, semi conscious.." Bob spoke to the person on the other end, Jake had told them all this morning how far along you were, forcefully showing everyone the pregnancy tracking app on his phone screen. Bob had remembered because of how excited Jake had been.

Jake looked at you, your head in Natasha's lap and then glanced back at Bradley who's eyes were wide with fear, an exact mimic of his own facial expression he was sure. He remembered suddenly that Natasha had said that someone had been in here before she found you..Jessa.

He was on his feet before he had even finished having the thought, shoving past Bradley who had the wherewithal to dutifully follow him as he stalked down the hallway and into the main area of the bar.

"Jessa!" He thundered, the bar going silent. She wasn't hard to find, she was one of the few girls dressed like a hooker. "What the fuck did you do? Huh?" He asks, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her.

"Jake, back off man-" Bradley's hand is on his shoulder pulling him back. Jessa scoffs at both of them and rolls her eyes turning around.

"Not my fault the skanky trash can't handle the thing growing inside of her." She says to her group of friends, causing them to start cackling.

She was lucky that Nat hadn't heard her, and that he didn't go crawling back to the bathroom to send her out here to do what he knew she would have because just then flashing lights shined through the front windows of the bar. Paramedics had arrived.

"Oh now that's just fucking dramatic!" She groans to her friends as Jake walks away, causing him to turn back around to start yelling at her once more. Bradley spins him back towards the door though and he runs outside to rush them in.

When you come to you're scared out of your mind, the last thing you remember were the words Jessa had said echoing in your mouth. Your heart starts to race and you hear a monitor start to go off, there were things attached to your stomach and your arms and all of a sudden his hands were on your shoulder, weary eyes looking into yours.

"..jake? what happened?" You ask, your heart already starting to calm down and you realize that the monitor that was going off was attached to you.

"You were dehydrated, you passed out.." Jake says, pressing a kiss to your temple as one hand goes to rest on your stomach, right next to the fetal monitors. "Your OB says that it's from throwing up so much, says that you weren't getting in as much as you were getting out.." You closed your eyes, leaning your head back against the pillow, kicking yourself for letting it get that bad. "Why didn't you tell me it was that bad babygirl? You scared me shitless..you scared all of us..Nat found you laying in your own vomit..she came with me, wouldn't even go home to change..she's off hounding your doctor for more information.."

You process his words, hating yourself for putting your friend in that situation, for ruining the halloween party. You open your eyes and turn to look at him. "Is the baby okay?" Your lip quivers and tears begin to stream down your face. "Jake im so sorry baby, I thought I could tough it out, I didn't want you to worry.."

Jake sighs, kissing your forehead as he wipes the tears from your eyes, letting you know that the baby was okay, and that you would be okay too. That he was going to take care of you always, and his words washed over you completely, emptying your head of whatever doubt Jessa had temporarily placed in it.

taglist:

@bellaireland1981 @sky0401 @memoriesat30 @bat-luna-cat @memeorydotcom @mamachasesmayhem @kmc1989 @justherebecausesafarisucks @mrowphine @djs8891

[caffeinetheif]

I'm back :3c

Angst idea - Mc struggling to feel like their own person after the whole reveal of them being Lilith's descendent. The slight slip ups from the brothers (minus Satan, obv he didn't really know her,) the small comparisons from the angels that might've known her that make it appear that mc is now a stand in for her or that their new-found worth/importance only comes from their relation to Lilith.

You know me so well. I love angst so much lol. GN!MC as always <33 Since this got so long, the entire fic is under the cut lol. Might continue in a part 2 if this gets enough attention. If you notice my bias for solomon, no you don't

Am I Even Me?

WC: 1.5K

No Romance, but it could be romantic/platonic between Solomon depending on interperitation

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 16, existential crisis/MC knows that they aren't the original MC, some harm done to MC by Lucifer (nothing extreme, just bruising), CURSING, Escaping/running away, talks of murder/death, MC gets compared to Lilith

GN!MC

The brother’s behavior is different than it used to be. Verbal and physical mannerisms have changed, both subtly and not. 

At first, you didn’t notice it and thought that the brothers were just warming up to you even more. It was hard to notice at first, but the more it happened, the harder it was for you to ignore.

When receiving little trinkets and candies and treats from the brothers that you never knew existed became more frequent, you started to suspect something was up. For example, Beelzebub goes out of his way to make special snacks and treats just for you. Asmodeus has given you articles of clothing and accessories that are definitely not your style and it has gotten to the point where you need to store them in a box under your bed. Every time you look at them or any other gift the feeling of not being seen as your own person crawls up your neck.

However, Belphegor’s behavior is the most noticeable. You find him unpredictable, off kilter in a way. When you first met, he seemed lonely and in need of company. You were blindsided when the switch flipped and he started to rant about how much he despised humans like you. He killed you, then you came back, told the story your ancestor Lilith told you, and now everything seems hunky dory. Just like nothing happened. You never really felt safe alone with him since then, even with his new sweeter mannerisms. 

How many times have the brothers almost called you Lilith? The ‘L’ being slurred in before your name is getting annoying. Sometimes you hear Beel and Belphie whispering to each other about you reminding them of their younger sister. Mammon is the least guilty of it and Satan has never compared you to her. It’s hard to compare someone you know to the sister you have only heard of.

The angel Simeon isn’t without fault, either. When he said that you hold yourself similarly to Lilith has played on repeat ever since he mentioned it. It makes you feel like you aren’t your own person. You’re tired of it, but you have to endure.

But you can’t help but think. Are they seeing you as you, or as her?

When dinner time rolls around and you join the brothers at the table, you idly chat about classes with Satan and Mammon. The chatting continues as you and the brothers pass around the various dishes of food and take your servings before passing it on. 

Cutlery clinks against the plates and bowls once everyone begins to eat. It’s the peaceful type of quiet that doesn’t need to be filled with chatter. AS usual, the silence doesn’t last forever.

“Could you pass the gravy, Lilith?” Leviathan asks. 

He quickly realizes his slip up. Leviathan stammers as he corrects himself.

That was the stick that broke the camel’s back. Every other time the brother’s have caught themselves before her full name slipped out. It was never subtle, but they tried to stop themselves from saying her name. 

You have had enough, “Do you think I haven’t noticed?” 

Beelzebub is the one to reply, “What do you mean, MC?”

Your anger grows and you announce, “Do you think I haven’t noticed that you all have been giving me things I have never asked for or talked about? Foods that I have never heard of or sweets that don’t exist in the human realm? They were all for Lilith, weren’t they?”

It’s Asmodeus that speaks this time, “Oh, MC. We didn’t mean… You just-” 

“Just what? Just remind you of her? Even Simeon has mentioned her to me.”

Mammon looks like he wants to say something too, but stays silent.

Tears collect on your lashes, “Is that all I am? A replacement for your dead sister?”

Every single one of the brothers falls quiet as they are caught off guard by your outburst.

Frustrated with the silence, you demand, “Answer me! Am I a stand in for your fucking sister!”

Lucifer breaks the silence first by slamming his hands on the dining table, silverware and dishes clinking as a result. “MC, that’s enough!” 

“No! If anything, you’re one of the worst about it! Everyone has been ignoring the fact that Belphegor fucking killed me! That whole incident has been just swept under the rug! And on top of that, you all have slipped up and nearly called me her name except Satan.”

Beelzebub stands, about to defend his twin when Satan stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

You take a step towards Lucifer and continue, anger and confusion getting the better of you, “Am I even me? I saw my own dead body! I don’t even belong in this damn timeline! What if I wanted to stay in my timeline? What if the Belphegor in that one didn’t hate my guts and didn’t want me dead? I can’t remember my own life because I was forced to take the place of the MC your brother fucking killed!” 

“MC, I said enough!” Lucifer bellows and grabs your wrist.

You wince as his hand wraps around your arm. His grip is strong, much harder than necessary and you know it will bruise. You know how he can be when he’s angry, and the sudden reality of what he could do hits you. Anxiety pulls at your lungs. None of the brothers move, though they look like they want to interfere. 

“Oi, Lucifer. Let MC go!” Mammon demands, getting up from his seat and preparing to jump the table at the eldest.

The break in his concentration allows you to wrench your arm from Lucifer’s grip. You run. You recognize the voices of the brothers yelling out to you, but you pay them no mind. Your legs carry you out of the dining hall, up the stairs, and down the halls.

You slam your door and slide the lock in place. It wouldn’t hold against the brothers’ strength if they really wanted to get in, so you take time to shove your armoire in front of it. The piece of furniture is heavy and takes time to move. By the time you have it where you want it, your adrenaline has worn off and your arms are shaky.

With your DDD in hand, you call the only other human you know in the Devildom. It wouldn’t be long before one or more of the brothers would try to talk to you. Eventually, you would need to talk to them about it. Just not tonight.

As your DDD rings, you hastily pack clothes into a duffel bag. It’s difficult with one hand and a bruising wrist, but you manage. Just before the last ring, the other line is finally picked up.

“MC, why are you call-”

“Solomon,” you sniff, cursing yourself for still crying, “can I stay at Purgatory Hall tonight?” 

Despite his arrogant facade, you can hear concern creeping into his voice, “Is everything alright?”

“I… Yes? Just come get me. Please. And be quick. I don’t know how long my door will hold.”

“I’ll be there in a minute. Call me again if something happens.”

Solomon hangs up and you finish packing your essentials. You pace with your bag over your shoulder, thinking he will appear in your room any second. Your thoughts are interrupted by your DDD ringing once again. You pick up.

Solomon starts, “I’m under your window. I’m unable to teleport into your room. There is a strong protection ward over the dorms.”

You hang up and run to your window and unlock it. Opening the window, you spot the sorcerer down below. Solomon opens his arms and motions for you to toss your bag down. He catches the falling luggage with ease.

Solomon faintly mutters something and a thick plant sprout shoots up to your window and forms a little platform in front of you. His magic never ceases to amaze you as you climb out of the window and onto the little step. The sprout shrinks back into the earth, bringing you down with it. As soon as your feet touch the ground, Solomon’s hand grabs yours and he gives you a quick warning before the two of you are teleported to Purgatory Hall.

The two of you arrive just outside the front entrance to Purgatory Hall and Solomon leads you inside. He shows you to the common room and sets your bag down besides the couch.

“I’ll be right back,” Somon says, “I’m going to go start some tea. Please make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”

You nod and he leaves the room. You sit down and rub the dried tears off of your cheeks. Out of curiosity, you check your DDD to see several messages from Mammon. He’s always been the most protective. Emotionally drained, you power down your DDD to avoid any messages or incoming calls.

A few minutes pass and Solomon comes back with a tray of fresh sweets and tea. You’ll deal with the fall out tomorrow.

[avonne-writes]

I’d love your thoughts on gales relationship w his father in any of ur modern AUs + how John reacts to/fits into it!!

Thank you so much ❤️ Great question! I will describe their relationship in the high school AU, because the others are not yet defined in my head.

In the HS AU:

Gale's dad is often drunk or at a bar in the evening and gets home in the middle of the night

If he’s drunk at home, he keeps Gale up, if he gets home at night, he wakes him up by being too loud

So Gale has sleep problems. Because of this, he sleeps at Bucky’s as often as possible, which usually means every weekend and sometimes during the week too

When Gale’s dad has a bad night gambling, he gets verbally aggressive, berates Gale and his mom, blames them for bad luck etc. Bucky told Gale to call him even during the night if this happens. Gale never does, but the thought that he could feels really comforting to him.

Gale's dad isn’t overtly homophobic and he doesn’t threaten Gale for being gay. But all Gale's life, he has been saying stuff about what a real man should look like and how he should behave. The older Gale gets, the more he disagrees with the man’s ideas. This is why he grows out his hair.

A few times, Gale’s dad hit him when drunk. Bucky helped hide the bruises with his mom's make-up.

Gale asks his mom to get a divorce multiple times, but she's always torn about it and if she tells Gale's dad she's going through with it, the man sobers up for a while and acts all nice and decent to keep them.

When he starts drinking again after a nice period, Gale goes to Bucky and just lies in complete, silent defeat in his embrace.

He tells Bucky he’s moving out as soon as possible and will never go back.

None of their friends know about all this, they just know he fights with his parents and spends a lot of time hanging out at Bucky’s place.

He goes to the school psychologist every week, and Bucky always waits for him, often kicking a soccer ball around in the schoolyard. If Gale had a session that shook him / left him drained, he sits on a bench and Bucky shows him tricks with the ball and plays around until Gale smiles again.

Gale's parents almost never attend school events / swim meets / competitions.

Gale's mom is so caught up in her own struggles that she uses him as a crutch too in dealing with his dad. Gale is used to taking this responsibility on his shoulders but as he gets older, and especially after meeting Bucky's mom, he realizes that this is not how it should be and he grows resentful. It’s perhaps unfair but he resents her more than his dad and then feels guilty for it.

Gale loves Bucky's mom and she loves him too. One day, when he has a crisis, she tells her that she'll always be there for him, even if he and Bucky break up.

Bucky's mom is a single parent and is away a lot due to work (which feeds into one of Bucky's problems, but that's a different story). But she's laidback about a lot of things and doesn’t try to hold Bucky back from exploring, so it's not really an issue when they start having sex. There’s none of that bullshit "open door policy".

Gale categorically refuses to take Bucky home with him. They've been dating for like two years or something already when he lets Bucky enter the house with him for the first time.

By the time this happens, Bucky is taller than Gale's dad. He’s gangly but he’s not intimidated by the man. Him being all protective actually makes Gale feel a mix of affection and arousal.

There’s definitely an altercation between Bucky and Gale's dad at one point, possibly close to graduation, but Bucky disengages when he realizes that it makes Gale upset.

Bucky helps Gale learn how to relax and enjoy things. Gale reassures Bucky that Gale is someone he can always count on and who won't abandon him.

[sweet-potatah-pie]

Masterlist👸🏾💚🤴🏽

Here's my full list of Tiana x Naveen fan fiction!

Fun fact: all of my fics exist in the same canon universe! Below, I separated them into fics that make sense when read in a certain order and ones where the order doesn't matter.

Do I take requests? Sometimes. Click here for the types of requests I'm open to.

Just wanna chat patf? Send me an ask or message!

I'm still protecting my work from ChatGPT/AI theft, so please log into your AO3 account to read them.💖

This list updates as I update!!!

✨Best read in this order✨

A Place of Their Own | 7.8k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | Tiana and Naveen's wedding night/first time.

Tell Me a Story | 5.9k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | One night when Tiana can’t sleep, Naveen tells her a bedtime story worth staying awake for.

Just Drive | 3.6k words | One Shot | PG-13 | Naveen takes Tiana on a drive around the lake after an argument.

A Loneliness Like Theirs | 5.4k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | Tiana is lonely while Naveen is away in Maldonia...but not for long.

🆕 The People's Princess | 10.8k words and counting | Chapter 2 of 5 available | PG-13 | On Tiana’s first trip to Maldonia, she is confronted with a surprise that determines what type of princess she’ll be.

The Chocolate Venus | 13.6k words | 4 Chapters, Completed | Explicit, 18+ | On a trip to Paris, Tiana fears that she has reason to be jealous of Naveen’s famous old friend, Josephine Baker. But is that really the case?

Those Who Wait | 21.1k words | 5 Chapters, Completed | Explicit, 18+ | Someone special from Tiana’s past has turned up unexpectedly—and he’s not showing signs of retreating. But Naveen comes from a long line of conquerors, and he won’t back down so easily either.

King for a Day | 2.4k words | One Shot | PG-13 | Tiana wants her family and friends to try her new king cake recipe, but there's a bigger surprise hidden in the cake than expected.

Caught in the Storm | 10.4k words | 3 Chapters, Completed | Explicit, 18+| When a tired Tiana struggles to fall asleep one night, Naveen takes her to the restaurant’s rooftop to pass the time. But will the unexpected rain ruin their fun—or add to it?

Lovers for Life | 1.8k words | One Shot | Mature, NC-17| Another day. Another lucky morning Tiana and Naveen get to wake up to each other, even if they have to keep a few guests waiting.

Make a Wish | 7.2k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | When their snowy getaway doesn’t go as planned, Tiana turns her husband’s birthday trip into a night that’s hotter than he ever imagined.

✨Read in any order✨

In the Hot Seat | 7.9k words | 3 Chapters, Completed | Explicit, 18+ | Tiana and Naveen try their best to escape the Louisiana heat. But will they end up keeping their cool, or heating things up instead?

I'm Going to Make You Scream | 8.6k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | When Tiana’s voodoo costume does not flatter as intended, Mama Odie makes Naveen teach the princess a Halloween lesson she won't soon forget.

The Most Important Meal of the Day | 4.6k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | As Tiana prepares breakfast, Naveen gets a craving for something a little different.

Girls' Night Out | 2.4k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | Tiana, Georgia, and Lottie get ready together before a night out. Of course, their gossip turns towards Tiana’s love life—and if all those rumors about her husband are true.

Heat and Steam | 5.3k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | Naveen has just finished building a shower for Tiana in their bathroom. He wants her to test it out. She wants him to join her.

Midnight Masquerade | 6.3k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | After a night full of mingling and dancing at Charlotte’s masquerade ball, Tiana and Naveen sneak away for a moment—and hope they don’t get caught.

Drunk in Love | 5.6k words | One Shot | Explicit, 18+ | Tiana and Naveen are readying the restaurant's store room for health inspection. But things take a turn when they discover a not-so-empty wine barrel in their inventory.

💖💖💖

[secondhandsorrows]

The Deal with Character and Plot: Which is More Important?

All stories have characters and plot.

Sometimes as writers, however, we pour all our focus into one of these aspects, overshadowing plot in favor of character, or getting too caught up in plot and leaving character for last. Really, both are the nuts and bolts of story — they work in unison, thriving in tandem. Without the other, the story just falls flat. But, there’s a little something that is the glue between plot and character.

So what is this glue?

That, my friend, is conflict. 

Conflict is the glue that brings together these two aspects, creating balance and making a compelling and engaging story. All good stories have conflict.

It’s helpful to remember that plot is the sequence of external events in a character’s environment  that get the ball rolling, whereas character give a window to the internal, the emotional. Internal conflict is often of the character’s own making: a secret motive, a battle of emotions, the opposing want versus need, the dissatisfaction in their life, the indecisions or hesitations. 

A character tends to get affected by the external events. A messy divorce may lead to one character’s depression before they finally motivate themselves to get a new date, going through multiple failed attempts until they meet their second-soulmate. A character getting a new job may catapult them into —what was supposed to be a fresh start— a waking nightmare as they try to navigate their unfair, demanding workplace. 

With these two examples, we can pinpoint their internal and external conflicts. In the first, we have the character’s external conflict of a heart-breaking divorce and the struggles of moving out and getting the papers settled. As for the internal conflict, this character goes through bouts of depression, wondering if she’ll find anyone for her, before finally getting encouraged to get back out into the dating pool once again, helping her to discover that nothing is too-late or at the end of road.

For the second example, the external conflict is the character navigating their new environment, driven up the wall from tedious work and snobby coworkers, but they can’t leave because of *reasons*. Their internal conflict, in turn, is their dedication as to not quit coupled with their eventual desire to climb the ladder of success. 

We can start to see here that there’s a clear cause-and-effect relationship between the external and internal: one cannot exist without the other. How a character might see the world can impact their relationships and other external factors, such as their environment. Similarly, external events can prompt a character to react or spark inner conflict that they have to deal with in one way or another.

I hope this is helpful. Thanks for reading!

[sweet-honey-tears]

🩹Please Be Okay🩼

There’s a mix of both head cannons and a bit of stories. I hope you enjoy it and it’s not too confusing!

Thank you so much for this lovely person for giving me this idea! I had a lot of fun with it! If y’all have any others, please leave them and I hope you enjoy!🤍🤍 this is probably one of my favorite things I’ve written!

PLEASE READ

Warning: Description of wounds, blood, burns, broken ribs, mention of death, disturbing topics, characters are AGED UP, Angst with a happy ending.

○ Dabi ○

Dabi should have figured nothing would be simple, especially with the League. ‘Just a simple-‘ yeah no that’s not how it EVER goes.

Your quirk was similar to Togas in a way, mostly with vocal changes. You were able to lure people in with your song. They called it Siren. It left your throat raw and cracky but it was worth it. To say the least, your quirk relied on you being able to throat.

“ So you have two sets of vocal cords! Can I try!?” You were patient with Toga, and with everyone. Toya never said anything about it, but just ever so lightly grinned.

“Jeez leave ‘em alone will ya?”

You were nice to be around, not annoying or too loud. You also threw it right back at Toya anytime he tried to comment on something you did. But you also called others out of their shit.

“I could always just make you walk to me ya know.” You sighed. Arms slug over his shoulders as the two of you dance to some shitty song you were playing on your phone. Each of you shared an airpod.

“You’d lose your vocal cords if you do.” He tightened his hold on you.

• Injury •

“Dabi” your voice was strained, bubbly as you choked on spit, air, and blood. Burns encased your neck with no particular pattern. Meaning someone was aiming for your throat or head area with a fire-like quirk. Your mouth was sputtering blood. “D-Dabi”. Your body had collided hard with a wall, likely causing a broken rib or hopefully, just some intense bruising. Burns and sizzling skin covered your neck, jaw, and upper chest. Drops of blood slide down to mingle with your charred clothes.

Toya sees red, grating his teeth as he watches a shifted Toga sprint to your side. Her face turned worried, as she touched your shoulders.

Toya knows in the back of his mind it was likely to happen, that the so-called heroes would go for your ‘weak point’ - he would too. But that doesn’t stop him from seeing red. Someone hurt you.

Toya has a small family, and it is the League and you. And you just got injured.

If he notices it was Endeavor that caused this. He’s lost way too far in rage to be consolable.

Blue, complete blue and he doesn’t give a shit who’s caught in the crossfire.

“Why do you destroy everything good? Do you get off on it? By destroying our family.” He’s yelling outputs but no one can hear him due to the sound sod cracking fire.

• Weeks Later •

When you turn your head to face Dabi, your fingers reach out toward his own. His jacket lays crumbled by your face. Something you kept snuggling into m, breathing in the Smokey sent.

“I don’t have to get staples, do I?” You asked, peering out of the black fabric

It causes Dabi to grin. “Not yet doll didn't earn them”

“Thank f-“ you started coughing, your voice straining hard. Davis holding your hand in both of his.

“Take it easy doll.”

• Recovery •

Dabi lets you practice your quirk on him. You have to retrain it a bit after the damage caused by the fire. Though you sometimes wish he wouldn’t let you practice on him, it lets him see you struggle and fail. It angers you. But he’s always there to calm you down.

“Breath doll.”

Dabi allows you to call him, aiming in your wobbly voice to lure him over to you. Allowing you to kiss his lips before you completely let control go. He’ll hold you from behind, sometimes lifting you and saying “C’mon on doll, get out of this.” You have to sing to take it over, causing his body to relax and let you go. Dabi will barely agitate his quirk, giving you the chance to try and Solti him into a dull state of mind to have him stop. tell

“Getting a better doll.”

○ Izuku ○

• Injury •

You were both so close to finishing this damn chase. It had gone on long enough. Your legs sprung you forward, past Izuku as you used more of your strength in your jump. Your target only an arms length away.

“Come on ZuZu!” You yelled out, adding your final stretch.

Izuku lost sight of you for only a minute. His chest burned as he pushed himself farther. He didn’t always like the fact you could go faster than him (your quirk), it made him nervous sometimes. What he if wasn't there in case you needed-

Your screams pierced the air. They were terrifying, bloodcurdling, and horrible. Izuku could feel his breakfast cuddle in his stomach. He felt how is heart momentarily stopped and his lung squeeze. How every breath felt hundred time more Labor-sum and sink into his chest. With his final stretch into the ally you disappeared into, he find you and the target on the ground. The target was more than likely knocked out, seeming motionless. But Izuku could care less. He watched in horror as your body contorted, back arching as your feet pressed into the ground. Your bare fingers attached into the dirty ground. A heavy line of tears rolled down the side of your face, your eyes rolled back. Izuku fell to your side, grabbing your body tightly.

“Y/N! Y/N!”

Your body shook in his hands, you yell for stops and no’s continuing.

• Reaction •

People questioned where the top hero disappeared to, a month had gone by with no sign of Deku or his lover. People questioned your and Izuku's friends, asking either out of concern or anger what happened.

People noticed how Bakugou and others seemed to appear in place of Deku and you on patrol routes. When Bakugou's numbers started rising, the world noticed how he wasn’t flaunting it. He didn’t say anything about how he deserved it, he almost seemed angry at the fact he was rising slightly. No word of Deku.

“Dynamight! Dynamight! What happened to Pro Hero Deku?””

“Why don’t you extras mind your damn business for once.”

“Uravity! Can you tell us what happened to Pro Hero Deku and (hero name)”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure.”

• Healing •

You had seen your work nightmares. Things that have happened or never could, but things that scared you to your core. You never told Izuku what you saw, but you woke up one night screaming ‘Eri’.

Izuku took a month off hero work, only able to because of his friend. When news broke to them about what happened to you, everyone came to your side.

After a month you seemed alright, able to function as you use to. But you and Izuku always did patrols together now, there were no ‘lone’ shifts anymore. Which Izuku didn't mind, he got to spend more time with you and just be with you. Ensure you’re safe.

Nighttime was still a struggle, with instances of Izuku staying awake all night to rub his back. On these nights you slept through the whole night. When he holds you while you sleep as well it seems to help.

“I’m so sorry Izuku.”

“Hey- no everything’s okay.”

Izuku got you a weighted blanket and finding out the pressure seemed to help you too.

When you start going to therapy, Izumi is there for you every step of the way.

○ Katsuki Bakugo ○

People thought Bakugous nickname for you was interesting, Bee. People mostly thought of those cute little honey bees. The fluffy ones people take pictures of when they’re a mid-flower. But that’s not where the name came from,

“Ha!? They're not that quiet. Loudest thing around” ironic coming from him.

Bee is a firework, a loud one that twirls in random directions and lets out a high pitch noise. It grabs people's attention, just like you did his. Plus your quirk. One that allowed kick-up sparks when you ran, allowing you to twist your body in the air in a way most would find disturbing. But not Bakugou, man called you money when he first saw you. And on the news.

“Moving like a damn Monkey.”

You and Bakugou had an interesting relationship. Some would say your love language was aggression. But those people didn’t see you both out of the public eye. That was a different story.

• Injury •

It was just another villain attack, something you had both become desensitized to after your time in U.A. You both had already had your near-death experience before you even graduated. It made every day more sacred that you both were still alive.

Your body lay in a crater, an after-effect of a quirk that blasted you into the sky and casted you back down. Heavy needles had shot through your body, exiting and then being retracted. Ejecting you with something while leaving open gaps in your thighs. You were motionless, wheezing breaths as you felt your limbs become something similar to static. Poison. The villain had injected you with Poison. You likely had broken bones. Ribs. Maybe a skull? Had your quirk not allowing you to twist mid-air You’d be dead. You had to maneuver your spine and legs in a certain way to protect yourself from the fast-coming blow. Accumulating just enough friction to slow yourself down slightly. Your fingertips twitched as you gasped. “K-ka-kat-see” you could feel wetness trail down the sides of your face and drop off the shattered ground. Blood or tears, possibly both. Your shattered body wheezing at even the action.

“Sue-key” your upper teeth cut into your bottom lip as the weight behind your eyes grew. Black spots flitter in and out of your vision. The sky was so blue. So pretty. ‘Kat, be okay.’ You willed yourself to look down though at your body, barely catching the notice of twisted limbs before you were pulled back down by gravity.

When the villain you had been chasing found his way to Bakugou, he knew something went wrong.

“Where are they!?”

“In a ditch slowly dying. You’ll see them soon too!”

Fire, You could see the smoke in the distantanve. Feel the Earth shaking of explosions. If the ringing in your ears wasn't so bad, you could probably hear them.

“You’re going to fucking die!”

The rumble shook your body.

He’s broken. Loosing almost all self-control and restraint as his body propels him into the air. Howitzer Impact. A war-like battle cry rips through his throat. Every emotion he felt, anger and fear, came out in that one moment. Maybe if he were in the city, or with civilians, things would have been different.

Your body physically shook, the pain radiating through every cell. You let out a pained scream, shock fully wearing off.

Katsuki wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he found your mangled body. Maybe 5-8 minutes. He slid into the creator, running on wobbly limbs to your limp body. He lashed his arms out, ridding himself of his gauntlets as you slid to your side.

“Wake up! WAKE THE FUCK UP.”

• Infirmary •

“Suki, please just look at me.” Your shaking hand reached for his face, palm cuppings his cheek. Surgery had gone well. Healing quirks also came in use.

“You dumbass.” He grabbed your hand, bringing it to his lip. “You could’ve- I would have” you watched tears trail down his face. Your heart shattering.

“But I’m here Kitkat” you quietly whispered. Pulling at the childish nickname as a resort to try and comfort him.

“Damn straight you are Baby,” Kat spoke with his eyes closed.

• Recovery •

Bakugoi allows himself to hold onto you a bit tighter when he’s helping you with walking. Your legs had been pretty much shattered and if it wasn't for your quirk, you would have lost them both… likely your life.

Bakugou is taking the time off every chance he can get to help you with your physical therapy. Cast- Wheelchair to walker to cane.

He picks you up on days they hurt too much.

Putting you on his back one day while you two were shopping. Your light as air to him, so he’s effortlessly picking up.

Katsuki takes over your patrols for the coming months. Refusing to let you go back even after the wounds had healed

“Kit, I’m okay. Doctors said so”

“So what?”

“So I’m okay to go back to patrol.”

“No, I’ll tell you when you are ready, and you're not”

Doesn’t mean to come off rude and controlling, but it’s kinda how it happens. You know better tho, with the slight gloss in his red eyes.

“Kat-“ your voice is soft, “I can decide when I’m ready to go and I’m ready to go.”

Bakugou would just stare at you, the annoyed look on his face present as he walks up to you grabs your shirt collar, and tugs you towards him. His arms wrap around you as you stand in silence.

“‘M don’t wanna lose you, Bee.”

He talks into your hair since he can’t talk to you face-to-face when he’s being vulnerable

“Please stay home, just for a day or two more.”

[soireegurl]

Chapter 4

PSH x reader (feat.YJW)

Synopsis:

Your childhood friend who went through traumas and hardships finally evolved and grew into a successful and powerful man... However, something about him seems to be different...

Summary for chapter:

You stayed at your personal cabin after the fight with your sister... But an unexpected guest appeared...

No Copyrights @soireegurl

Note🖇️: This story contains Yandere themes, Mafia themes. Mention of killing, blood, violence, vulgar languages.

After leaving your house Sunghoon went to the pharmacy and got a reduce swelling cream.

After that, he went back to your house and stood outside.

He wanted to go in to give you the medicine but he has no reason to do so. Especially because he is your sister's boyfriend.

Unexpectedly he heard someone talking.

"Where's Y/n?"

He recognises that voice, that's your mom.

"Oh, Miss Y/n is at her cabin..."

"Oh... Okay... "

"Cabin?"

Sunghoon thought to himself.

He looked around and saw that the fence was low... He could easily climb over it.

He went the the back of the house and looked for he lowest fence and climbed over it.

After Jungwon left, you went to your personal cabin, the one that you asked your dad to build for you when you were 7... It's a place where you can spend sometime with yourself.

Only your family and Sunghoon have came here before.

You sat down on the single bed and let out a deep sigh.

You touched your cheeks and it was still swelling because of the strength your sister used to hit you.

She has never hit you before... This is the first time and it was because of Sunghoon...

You were in your own thoughts when someone came in to the cabin.

The sound of the door creaking open caught your attention.

You look up and saw Sunghoon.

"What are you doing here?!"

You were shocked to see him here.

"Get out!"

You shouted at him while walking towards him.

"Shh... Shhh... Keep it down..."

Sungmin came towards you and used his hand to cover your mouth.

"Mmm! Get! Out!"

You tried to remove his hand.

"Shhh... You don't want people to see us like that don't you?"

"older sister boyfriend and the younger sister alone while being so close to each other... What will other people thinking huh?"

You were still trying to free yourself from his grip.

"Oh... I know... You want people to see this, don't you?"

He smirked as he saw you stop struggling.

You tapped his hands and signal him to let go of you.

"Promise me you will not shout if I let go of you."

You nodded while having a frown on your face.

Sungmin let out a satisfied smile and finally let go of you.

"What are you doing here?"

This time, you asked with a normal voice.

He put his hand into his pocket and took out something.

After he took out the thing from his pocket and took your hand.

He placed the thing in your hand.

You took a closer look and saw that it was a reduce swelling cream.

You rolled your eyes and took his hand and gave the cream back to him.

"I don't need it."

"Stop being so stubborn Y/n... Look at your face, it's swollen."

He said and tried to give you the cream again but you hit his hand away and the cream fell on the ground.

"Get out."

You really don't want to see him now.

Everytime you see him, you will remember how lovey dovey his is with your sister. You can't help but to feel betrayed.

Sungmin let out a big sigh and picked up the cream.

He grabbed you by your arm and pulled you towards the bed.

He forced you to sit down and took a chair and sat down Infront of you.

"What are you doing?"

You tried to stand up but was held down by Sungmin.

"Stay still... I don't want to hurt you."

He opened up the cream and you realised what he was trying to do.

"I don't want it. Get out!"

"Stop moving. "

Sungmin warned you.

"No! Get out!"

"Look here, I can hold you still with my hand and I can shut your mouth with mine. Would you want to try that?"

Sungmin said as his face moved closer to yours.

You immediately covered your mouth and moved your head back.

He smirked at your actions and said.

"That's what I thought. Now stop moving."

He brought your hands away from you face, and put the cream on the side where your sister hit you.

"It must hurt alot right..."

Sungmin said as his eyes showed worry and pain.

You kept quiet...

After Sungmin was done, he let go of you and gave you the cream.

"Apply this until your face recovers."

You took the cream from his hand.

"Why are you acting to caring towards me?"

"It's because you are Sunghoon right? You can't see your friend hurt right?"

You looked at him with hope in your eyes.

Suddenly you realised something, which made you more sure that Sungmin is Sunghoon.

"And how did you know here? Only few people know this place my family... And Sunghoon.... If you are not Sunghoon then how would you know this place?!"

Sungmin gulped and stood up from the chair.

"You are thinking too much... I just heard your maid saying that you are in the cabin and I found it on luck... And also, you are my girlfriend's sister, and you got hit because of me... So of course I am being nice."

"Is that so? Then show me your necklace!"

"Sunghoon has a necklace with his mom's name engraved on it, if you are not Sunghoon, then prove to me!"

You said as you walked up to Sungmin and grabbed his necklace

"Yah! what are you doing?!"

Sungmin held your hands and pushed you away gently.

"You don't want to show me because you are scared right? You are Park Sunghoon right? The one who got pushed into the river... "

You said as tears started to drop from your eyes.

You are 100% sure that he is Park Sunghoon now.

"Like I said, I'm not Park Sunghoon... Please stop saying that I am... It is annoying..."

He said in a cold tone without looking at you.

He ran out of the cabin without looking back...

You dropped onto the floor and started crying.

You are crying from happiness and from sadness too.

You are happy that you finally found your long lost friend. But sad because he doesn't want to admit...

You spend the night alone in the cabin and cried yourself to sleep, hoping that everything will be fine tomorrow.

[Sungmin's pov]

I ran out of the cabin while holding onto my tears.

I ran and ran until I was far from the cabin.

I couldn't hold on to my tears anymore and started crying.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry Y/n.."

I let out all my emotions.

I kneeled down and covered my face full off tears.

As if the heavens felt my pain, it started to rain all of a sudden.

I didn't care if it was pouring or not, I just continued crying and let the rain fall on me.

[Jungwon's pov]

I stood behind a tree while I watched Sungmin crying in the rain.

I was here to find Y/n and to give her the reduce swelling cream but I saw Sungmin suspiciously walking about Y/n's house.

Next, I saw him climbing onto the fence of Y/n's house. I got suspicious and followed his quietly.

I followed him to a small cabin, I saw hime going inside, and next, I heard Y/n shouting.

I immediately went closer to see what was happening.

I saw Sungmin and Y/n standing so close to each other and Sungmin was hugging Y/n.

I blood boiled as I watch his moves, but, I still stayed quiet because I wanted to see what will happen.

I witnessed everything that happened in between them.

I fists clenched harder and harder as I watch their interactions.

And of course... I heard Y/n saying that Sungmin is Sunghoon and tried to see his necklace.

My heart skipped a beat because I was really scare that Sungmin is really Sunghoon. But luckily, Y/n didn't see Sungmin's necklace.

When I saw that Sunghoon was going to come out, I immediately hid behind a big tree. After Sunghoon left, I went to see Y/n and saw her crying... My heart hurt at the sight, but I have more important things to do now.

I quickly followed behind Sungmin.

After following him for awhile, he finally stopped running. He suddenly started crying and kneeled down.

It started to rain and as if he couldn't feel the rain, he continued staying there without moving.

This event made my suspicions grow.

This makes me more suspicious that Sungmin is Sunghoon...

But even if he is... I will never let Y/n find out.

NEVER....

Chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5

Love is pain Masterlist

Taglist: @heeseung-min @whateverhoon

[yanderes-galore]

Request a scenario where romantic yandere master chief somehow ends up in our world and finally meets the reader.

I can try! This is a continuation of the fic with the same name. I hope I didn't make it too short since I was struggling how to make it... realistic? (I have to have a certain amount of realism in my fics even if I'm bending rules, lol.)

Bigger Picture

Yandere! Self-Aware! Master Chief Scenario Part 2

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Invasion of privacy, Size difference between John and darling, Dubious companionship/relationship, I tried making it yandere but it may have been butchered, Manipulation, Stalking mention, Tamer compared to my usual stuff.

Halo had been one of your special interests for awhile. Be it for years or only a couple months, you've enjoyed the series. Even to the point of buying the books and playing all the campaigns.

You have fun putting together the lore and looking for collectibles. You like to play with friends despite the toxic online community. It's one of your favorite past times.

Unfortunately, your MCC disc had been acting funny lately. Whenever you tried to play inputs didn't register at times. The screen often glitched and sometimes the game was unplayable. As a result you've been spending less time on the game.

Even if you wanted to play it through yet again... it felt so invigorating to play as a super soldier fighting a space war against all sorts of foes.

To satiate your growing Halo urge you take a book you bought from your shelf and begin to read on your bed. The room is quiet, your xbox softly playing music while you immerse yourself in your story. You smile as you read through to lengthy story...

Then your Xbox begins to glitch.

A groan leaves your lips when you realize the issue may not be your disc. The idea of your hardware failing you worries you and you begin to get up to turn it off. However, you end up stumbling back when a loud popping noise occurs... a blinding light from your TV blinding you.

In response you turn around and bury your face into a pillow. You try to calm your worry as a ringing greets your ears. You have no idea what to do... you freeze and hope something changes enough to allow you to do something.

Then there's silence.

You pause, standing up slowly to turn around. Only to do a double take as something strange graces your vision. Your breathing stops momentarily as you take in your surroundings.

Once your vision clears you see a hulking figure in front of you. They're wearing armor similar to the Halo game you love and adore. In fact... they almost exactly resembled Master Chief himself.

You find yourself unable to move. You're overcome with fear and confusion as the hulking soldier stares down at you. You begin to wonder if the silence will ever end before the soldier looks over to the book you long discarded.

You flinch when he reaches over and picks up the books. You see him read through it, his visor concealing any thoughts or emotions. You don't think you want to draw attention to yourself....

Meanwhile John is just starting to learn more about you, his player. The book you were reading caught his attention. Inside were stories of his own missions and events... even his origins.

It surprises him that you know so much about him... yet he knows so little about you.

John's attention is only torn from the book when he notices you try to slip past him. A tightness in his chest urges him to act, quickly dropping the book and cutting you off. He sees how quickly you squeak before backing off... almost feeling bad.

"Where am I?" A simple question, he knows it's your world but he isn't quite sure where this is.

"Earth? My home? Who even are you!" You cry, John only responding with silence as he looks around the room. It's exactly as he saw it looking like.... His gaze then transitions back to you. He's never really been one for words.

Looking at how small you are compared to him, John can't help the fondness bubbling in him. It's just like all civilians compared to him yet he still feels a strong connection between you. Even though any sort of sexual desire is driven out of him due to the concoction of drugs he was fed when he was young... he still felt an urge to keep you close.

"There's no way you're actually Master Chief. He's a fictional character, that's impossible. You have to be some sort of alien or deity taking the form of something I enjoy to send me a message or something. I have to be rational...." John hears you mumbling to yourself. You're overcome with fearful worry and John wants to help you through it. He doesn't understand what you mean.

"What are you talking about?" He asks, only for you to shoot your head up from your hands.

"Me!? Oh, pardon me if this isn't a rare occurrence! I'm saying you're not supposed to be real! Yet here you are in front of me...." You panic, cautiously reaching out to touch his armor. John takes the chance to reach for your hand, holding it in his gloved one. As a result you freeze... silence overtaking both of you.

"I'm real."

"I'm crazy...."

"No you aren't."

"How...?"

"I'm not sure."

"...."

"Let's talk."

"Do I even have much of a choice?"

It's then the large soldier sits on your bed, nearly flinging you off due to the weight of the armor. You two then begin to discuss your situation and experiences. John is careful not to reveal too much on his desires but does mention that you two are connected somehow.

He can see as you talk you struggle to put things together but begin to accept certain things as fact. The fact he's here right now is shocking enough, at this point you'd accept anything as fact. Including him saying you two are bonded in a way.

Your fear is still deep in you but most of it ebbs away, curiosity and even a sense of respect taking its place. You're essentially meeting your long time hero. A video game character in the flesh.

The feeling is similar for John. He respects you for being his player and showing such interest in him. He's curious about how you know so much about him. In fact, he promises to answer questions you ask about him if he can ask about you.

Soon he plans to erase all fear you have for him.

If anything he'll protect you, not harm you.

----

Hiding a super soldier in your house is a difficult task. Even though you're still trying to get over the fact Master Chief is in your home, you still promised to hide him. If anything maybe he'll find out a way to return to his world.

Meanwhile you did your best to accomadate for him. You let him borrow exercise equipment and keep in shape outside when it was night. You even tried talking to him when you could, although he didn't answer much.

You weren't sure if you should feel safe, lucky, or terrified? It really does feel like the equivalent of hiding an alien from the government. In fact daily life became strange.

It's not like you could just disguise him. He's in literal power armor. You doubt you could even convince him to take it off?

The good thing you guess you could say is John likes to talk to you. He likes hearing about you and your past. If anything he's about as interested in you as you are him.

In fact you began picking up some sort of fondness towards you. He often expresses concern when you leave the house and doesn't appear to like those around you. Plus, you've caught him reaching out to put a gloved hand on your skin or offering to hold you for comfort.

At first it put you off. Any attempt to be closer to you was met by your shifting away, which upset John at times. Although... with time... you accepted it.

In a way he brought you a new sense of comfort. You began to believe the insanity of the situation and decided to make the best of it. You offered him to help him get back, the response you got was silence but you assume he appreciated it?

Not quite.

John didn't quite like the idea of going back to a fake and chaotic world. Even if he was supposed to hide he liked being around you. He liked holding you... he liked feeling like he could protect you.

He belongs in his world, but he can't go back to just watching you. He likes being a genuine part of your life while you gush about your adoration for his missions. It makes him feel... nice.

Even if you found a way to bring him back, he probably wouldn't accept it. He wants you to continue to adore him. Maybe even fall for him like he has you... just him and his player whom he swears to protect.

He'd give up everything if it meant he kept you in his lap. He'd do anything you order if it meant he served you. His old purpose is obsolete now.

Now... John dedicates himself to you.

If you or anyone tried to change that he won't allow it...

He'd sacrifice it all for you... no matter the amount of blood or pain, just so he can stay with his player.

[myseungsunglove]

Until You Found Me | Hjs

Pairing: Han Jisung x reader

Warnings: angsty fluff, implied struggle with depression and anxiety

Word Count: 1k

𖠫Summary: Essentially, the MC is remembering when she first met Han and how he really saved her from a dark place. She vows to always save him from the dark as well.

Thoughts: I don’t know really know how to describe this. Not sure where it came from. It’s probably not that great and something only I can relate to. This one was kind of personal, I guess. Sorry for my brain.

✎WIP✎: working on a few Han pieces and Seungmin as well. Hopefully they’ll be a little less angsty than this one.

◠ ◡ ◠᭚ιαᵕ̈

「© July 23, 2023 by mysweethannie」

— a feeling —

When I found you, Han Jisung, I had never been more lost. Sure, life loses its trajectory every once in a while, but when I stumbled across you, I was certain I was so lost that maybe it was time to throw in the towel. Nothing felt worth it. Nothing was worth it. Until you found me.

— a meeting —

“Can I sit with you?” a deep and familiar, calming voice sounds from behind you.

You wipe the tears from your cold cheeks, somewhat irritated that someone has interrupted your dark thoughts. You had come here thinking no one would disturb you. Thinking you could drown in the darkness of your own thoughts and be left to marinate in the pain, alone. You turned to look at the face of the voice, a man staring back at you with the kindest doe eyes.

Han Jisung. A guy you had only known for a few weeks thanks to your best friend Felix, who had introduced you at a party telling you the two of you had to get to know each other. He just knew you’d get along and be great friends. You’d spent a fair amount of time with Han since then, and Felix had been right. There was an undeniable spark between the two of you. It was too bad that your own self loathing was pulling you into a place you weren’t sure you could get out of.

“If you really want to,” you respond, suddenly brought back from your thoughts and answering Han’s request to join you. He clambers over the concrete wall, swinging his legs over the side of the bridge like you are sitting, settling right next to you, legs pressed close together as if he has known you forever.

“Wanna talk about it?” he asks.

You look over at him and he is staring out over the water. The look of deep contemplation on his face can be seen even in the dark. The lights along the river illuminate his face which you realize is absolutely gorgeous. His soft, rich golden skin, his brown hair blowing gently in the wind. Your breath is caught in your throat for a moment. You’re not sure why you haven’t really seen him before now. You’ve been with him pretty much every day for the last few weeks, but something about this moment really allows you to see Han Jisung for the first time, and he is beautiful.

He looks at you then, your eyes meeting for the first time and a small, sad smile works its way onto his face. His eyes flicker to your lips briefly then back to your eyes, searching for an answer.

“We could also not talk at all,” he whispers, his voice low and daring, pushing into your space questioningly, and you initially can’t believe his audacity. His dark eyes flicker back and forth between yours. As you look into his eyes, you can see a familiar pain in them. A pain you’ve felt dozens of times, hell that you are currently feeling. A loneliness and desperate desire to just not feel the weight and pressure of the world’s expectations for one damn minute.

“Sometimes words can’t tell the whole story,” he adds, his hand reaching up to your face, his thumb wiping away another cold tear. His nose bumps yours as his lips hesitantly brush yours, his breath fanning across your mouth and you're completely lost in how safe he makes you feel in that moment. Something about feeling that you both are feeling similar emotions makes you want to fall into him and never let go. You nod slowly and close your eyes, his lips meeting yours as soon as your eyes flutter shut.

You can’t describe the feeling that rushes through you in the moment you connect, the kiss gentle and questioning at first. His taste is intoxicating, and you can’t help but reach out and grapple for his waist, holding him desperately close to you like he is the only oxygen you ever want to breathe again.

Your lips dance together like that for what feels like hours, the two of you clinging to each other finding comfort in the closeness, chest pressed firmly together as his tongue licks into your mouth. The way his hand caresses the back of your head, his fingers dancing along down to your neck and holding you firmly against him makes you feel safe, like he would do anything for you. And suddenly, you’re crying again, your tears falling down your cheeks again.

“Shhh,” he pulls away from your lips; his arms encircling you, your face falling into his neck, tears falling freely again. “I’m here, y/n. I’m never going anywhere,” he promises. “I love you too damn much to leave. I love you madly. I love you desperately. I want to see you happy. I want to be happy with you, so let me be here with you and we will figure this life out together.”

— a promise —

When the world becomes dark and the pressure of life is crushing you, I’ll wrap you in my arms and pray that you can feel how much my heart needs you. How much I love you. I would move heaven and earth for you, Han Jisung.

I don’t want to see you hurt, but we both know that life struggles are what make rising from the ashes even more powerful, more meaningful. Life without struggle is no life at all because what have you even fought for if you have never had to fight?

We both have known struggles like they’re our secret twin we keep hidden away, hoping to whatever gods that no one knows the true depth of our darkness. We know each other's darkness and understand it immensely. I will be your light in the darkness and you are mine. Together, I’m sure we can conquer any darkness that unfolds before us.