#ive been with it since day 1 and never got off the ride

[otogariado]

How do you get the motivation to start new shows and not stop a few episodes in? There are so many shows i want to watch (bcs included thanks to your blogging) but even when i have nothing else to do, it just winds up feeling like a chore

it depends on the show really! you have no idea how many shows i've forgotten to watch and/or dropped in the middle of watching them bc my brain doesn't wanna. (answer: most of them.)

in the case of PoI i started watching it mostly bc of my friend christy and bc michael emerson is in it. but it also has an intriguing premise. if you look at the past shows i've completed since last year only like 2 or 3 of them don't have some sort of intriguing mystery/thriller element. i'm mostly curious abt where the show's gonna be headed since the premise itself leaves you open to explore a lot of like themes and topics.

[runa-falls]

Please write a story where Marc and Jake tease Steven for being soft in bed so he becomes this dominant rough guy who overstims the reader IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ALL DAY I JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO WRITE IT DOWN

a/n: idk how to write it down either, but i'll give it a shot! btw, marc and jake would never talk to steven like this, but just for the sake of the story they're assholes :( also sorry this is a YEAR late 0-0

cw: smut (18+), voyeurism (3x), f!masturbation, mean/ooc!marc + jake, rough sex, overstimulation, oral (f!recieving), multiple orgasms!, slightly possessive lovemaking, slight breeding kink (creampie), sad-ish/insecurity, feelings, dom-ish!steven, fluff -- (idk why it got so soft so fast im sorry), L-bombs, commentary from the other moon boys~

wc: 3.5k

masterlist

---

he watches from the doorway as you whine and mewl on the bed, desperately attempting to get yourself off.

your whole body glistens with heat as you squirm under the dull lighting of the room-- clearly, you've been at this for a while.

you are dressed in a familiar white undershirt that is definitely from the boys' closet, but your bottom half is bare and spread out, dripping onto the comforter as your fingers work their magic.

a perfect eye-full for your 3-in-1 boyfriend.

"this is why you're not allowed to have her on the weekends." marc taunts from a nearby mirror, though his eyes are locked on your writhing body. steven clenches his jaw as the grating voice in his head pulls him away from the alluring scene in front of him.

god knows why he decided to put up so many mirrors in the flat. it's like he's trying to drive himself crazy.

your eyes are squeezed shut as your finger delicately circles against your clit, spreading your slick all over your pulsing cunt until wet sounds begin to fill the air. you suck on your bottom lip as you frantically tease the sensitive bud, your legs tense from the build-up, and your back arches off the mattress.

"she needs a real man to take care of her after a long week of work."

that irks steven.

you've never talked about being unsatisfied by his slower pace -- by his need to savor each look, sound, and touch that you give him.

of course, jake needs to chime in as well, "look at our girl, stevie, she's so needy. let me have the body. i'll give her what she needs."

steven tries to block them out, but it's hard when their voices are coming straight from his own mind.

when he thinks back on your time together, everything is perfect. at least to him, it is.

he loves hearing your soft breathy moans, tasting the sweetness of your pussy dripping from his kitten licks, and feeling those delicate kisses that you share as you ride him gently. you fall apart in his arms, hold him close, and exchange whispered 'i love you's.

sure, he's always been the softer side of the three -- kissing over jake's bites or gently caressing marc's bruises -- but he thought you liked that. he thought that was enough.

but now you're getting yourself off without even seeking him out first.

you're close, so fucking close, panting out stuttered breathes, thighs clenching together, and body shaking, but --

"fuck!"

it's not enough.

your heart beats rapidly against your chest as you start to come down from that unreachable peak you've been chasing all day. as your foggy mind finally clears up, you sense someone at the door.

"s-steven!" you're surprised to see him, especially just standing there, watching you fail to pleasure yourself.

his work shifts have been running later and later since marc's last mission (donna is forcing him to work unpaid overtime instead of firing him) so you weren't expecting him until dinner time.

the shifts have been brutal for him.

these days, he just eats sleep for dinner, too tired to do more than just collapse on the couch and cuddle you. you've tried to convince him to just quit, that jake's cab escapades and marc's more 'eccentric' job opportunities can pay for everything, but he really loves the job, despite the weirdly toxic work environment.

"darling."

it's a flat greeting, a tone you've never heard from his lips, especially not when he's fronting. he doesn't seem happy to see you. actually, he looks quite upset.

you cover yourself up with a blanket, suddenly uncomfortable with your partial nudity when he's unhappy like this.

"why are you back so early?" the usual glimmer in his eyes is snuffed out, instead replaced with an eerie darkness. "what's--are you okay, honey?"

"take it off."

"w-what?" you know he's referring to the blanket, but the way he demanded it --

"off."

you hesitantly move the blanket, revealing the evidence of your unfulfilled desperation. you shyly look up at him, embarrassed and terribly turned on that he's making you do this.

you can't help but press your thighs together, already feeling another spark of heat simply from seeing your darling boyfriend with his head of messy curls.

"keep them open."

you obey his command and spread your legs, leaning back to give him a good view. his eyes meet your center, the frustration you couldn't get rid of. you immediately see need blooming in his body, particularly under his slacks.

soft-spoken steven has never been as forthcoming as his counterparts, but he doesn't need to be, his body does all the talking for him.

you're watching each other as he slowly approaches you, tension thick in the air. he's so desperate to give you exactly what you need and deserve.

steven's mind runs through all the times he had stuck around while marc and jake fucked you.

the first time it happened, he didn't mean to watch through marc's eyes, but once he saw how easily you submitted for him, how utterly ruined you are once marc is done with you, he couldn't help but pop in once in a while.

steven nearly flushes in shame from the memory. he's so perverted...

marc is possessive, steven learned. he likes to know that you're his. he marks you up with his hands and mouth so you'll never forget who you belong to, then he makes you scream his name as you reach your high as he fucks his cum into you.

of course, you're happy to give him whatever he demands, laying right where he wants you and taking anything he'd give you.

jake's methods are different: he makes you cry.

it's the overstimulation that gets him off the best. the sight of your body shaking and writhing to get away from his insatiable touch gets him hard, makes him growl against your tacky skin. he gets off to getting you off, and you love it.

so maybe a mixture of both is what you need.

he can do that.

"i need you to do something for me." he curses inwardly at how soft his voice is when he talks to you. it's a reflex. he's supposed to be confident and rough.

"anything." you breathe out.

"turn around for me, love." he's standing right by the bed, leaning over you. "on all fours."

the surface of your body ripples with goosebumps as you position yourself on the bed for him. he hasn't even touched you and you're already humming with pleasure.

you hear him sigh behind you before he shuffles closer and delicately caresses your bare hips and bottom with warm hands. you feel yourself melt against the mattress as you drop from holding yourself up by your hands to leaning on your forearms. he always makes you feel soft and cozy, even with the simple contact of his hand against your body.

steven watches you arch your back as you get comfortable, hungrily taking in the way you unconsciously push your ass toward him. you're effortlessly sexy to him. you could simply put your hair up into a ponytail and he'd be rock-hard in his slacks from seeing your bare neck. so this...is distracting him.

"so..." marc's voice pulls him out of his thoughts, "you gonna do anything or just stare at her all night?"

"I'm working on it!" steven grits out (in his mind).

"alright, show me how it's done then, loverboy."

you gasp quietly as steven suddenly forces your legs to spread wider for him. you would have lost your balance if it weren't for his steady hold on you.

he slowly kneels in front of the bed, briefly adjusting himself in his pants to relieve some of his desperation. you struggle to keep your legs apart when you feel his warm breaths brush against your needy cunt. you swear you're literally throbbing with need for him.

jake's done this before, steven recalls, eating you out from behind. you seemed to really enjoy it despite the intense overstimulation that pushed you to tears and the bruises left on your thighs from his tight hold and nipping mouth.

he can do this.

he leans in and lightly brushes his plump lips against your wet center to test the waters. your muffle a whimper against the pillow you cling onto, but he hears it loud and clear.

you're so soft and wet, already falling apart in front of him. he can't help but poke his tongue out to taste your sweetness. the warm softness of his tongue has you urgently pushing yourself against him and he takes that as his sign to go deeper.

this time he holds you closer, wrapping his arms around your thighs as he dips into the hot opening of your cunt, working his tongue against your tender walls. his mouth waters at the taste of you and he's desperately leaning in for more.

he thrusts his tongue into your cunt, filling the room with slurping noises that nearly make you blush with how lewd they sound. he's pressed so closely behind you that he's practically supporting your weight as your legs grow too weak to hold you up.

"s-ste-- a-aah-- mm..." you fall apart when he starts licking from your entrance to your clit, flicking eagerly as you start to gush against his tongue. he can already feel your legs twitch and tremble as you try to escape his hot mouth.

your eyes roll to the back of your head when you feel his soft lips wrap around your aching clit. it's almost too much for you to handle. he suckles on your sensitive bud until you're whining out against your pillow as your body trembles with the crash of your orgasm.

steven ignores your pleas and your attempts to escape his mouth as he continues to work you through your high. he cleans you up with a gentle mouth, making sure not to miss a single drop. drool pools against the pillow as your exhausted body struggles to stay conscious.

“hm, not bad…” jake admires your trembling frame from a reflective surface nearby, hungrily taking in the scene and wishing he were in steven's place instead. "maybe we were wrong about you, stevie."

steven watches you as well, but with a hint of reluctance. he's never seen you like this first hand. usually, you're the one staring down at him with a small smile as he attempts to catch his breath from your teasing antics.

he's not sure if he likes this any more than the usual dynamic the two of you have. of course he loves knowing that he can make you fall apart just as much as marc and jake, but it's not him.

"you're not done with her yet, right?" marc asks, "'cuz if you are, i'd be happy to finish her off."

jake is quick to argue, "actually markie, i'm pretty sure it's my turn to spoil our little princess."

steven finally bites back, "no, tonight she's mine."

he grumbles, making an effort to push his annoyances into silence so he can give all of his attention to you.

steven nudges you to lay on your back so he can see your face, "love, are you alright?" his tone is light, despite the fact he's eager to continue ravaging you -- even if you do end up falling asleep.

"mhm," your eyes flutter open, sparkling with satisfaction as you stare up at him. you're adorable with that post-sex flush on your skin, highlighting the tops of your cheeks. "i just... wasn't expecting this from you."

"did you like it?"

"steven, i can barely feel my legs."

he lets out a nervous chuckle like he's unsure whether that's a good thing or not, but you ease his mind with a soft smile. you reach up and cradle his face, "yes, baby, i loved it." he presses his cheek against your hand, enjoying your embrace, "i always like it when you touch me."

"then can we do more?"

of course, you want to have sex with him, but...that, no matter how mind-blowing it was, wasn't him. steven is the type of guy to hold eye contact with you while eating you out, wanting to catch every expression and moan of praise as he brings you to the edge. he's the type to hold your hand as you cum, squeezing lovingly to encourage you to fully let go because you're safe with him.

all night he's been acting off. he's been distant and in his head -- and you have a faint idea as to why (their names rhyme with "bark and bake") but you want your sweet and gentle steven back.

you take his hand, "w-wait...steven?"

“yes, darling?"

you sit up, "can you, um, kiss me first?" it's a bit embarrassing to ask when he's already been nose deep in your cunt, but you need that sweet embrace that he's always given.

"of course." steven’s eyes soften.

cool relief rushes through his body. maybe he was wrong, maybe you do like his soft touches and sweet kisses. maybe you like him for being himself. it's not like marc and jake are the same anyway. each of them gives you something special.

he leans in closer and presses his lips against yours, his body trapping you against the bed. he immediately feels you relax against him as you start to move your mouth over his. he kisses you gently, taking time to trace over the sensitive edge of your bottom lip before dipping in and laving his tongue against yours. 

when you separate from each other with puffy lips and heated breaths, you can't help but admire the pretty man above you who regards you with pure admiration in his eyes.

"make love to me steven," you whisper, "a-and hold me after, please." his soft brown eyes, full of longing and admiration, meet yours.

"always, love." he pecks you once more on the lips, "i'd do anything for you." you feel his lips move down from your mouth to the edge of your jaw, then your shoulder, and finally the top of your covered chest.

he sits up briefly to pull your shirt off before doing the same with his own clothes. once he's in nothing but his briefs, he's back on top of you.

steven has stars in his eyes as he watches his hand slide over the softness of your curves. he loves how perfectly you fit against him.

you gasp softly as he teasingly brushes his thumb against your nipple. your body is already so sensitive to his touch.

"you're so beautiful..." he whispers.

as he leans in and captures the bud in his mouth, his hand drags down to the spot where you need him the most, sending a wave of sensations through your body and causing you to arch against his mouth.

you're already wet enough for him to slip his fingers inside of you, so he immediately begins thrusting deeply against your spongey walls, letting sloppy sounds of your wetness echo through the bedroom.

you tangle your fingers into his curls and arch your back as he starts to suckle at your nipple. his slick tongue flicks over the hardened bud, sending tingles up your spine. you are already half-delirious from how expertly he's working your body.

everything seems to speed up when you start to squirm under him. he's pushing you harder onto the bed, he's nipping love bites at your tits, his hand is moving faster against you -- from the sounds coming between you, you're sure you've made a mess of his hand.

"s-steven...mm...please!" your thighs squeeze around his wrist as he gets overzealous, hitting your g-spot over and over again without giving you a breather. he groans against your breast when you tug at his hair.

without any warning, he pulls away.

you reluctantly let him get up (though you're definitely too weak at this point to stop him) and you're left to breathlessly watch as he licks his fingers clean and pulls himself out of his briefs.

pleasure continues to buzz against the surface of your skin as you hungrily stare at the way he pumps himself delicately in front of you, his cock is already dripping with desperation. he looks at you with glazed eyes and flushed cheeks while he touches himself.

what a pretty boy...

"need to feel you," steven mumbles, shifting closer to you to press his cock against the seam of your cunt.

"feel me," you beg, canting your hips upwards to meet him.

steven gently moves himself against you, rutting himself against your wet center. he pants when his tip just barely presses into your entrance, proving how ready you are for him.

slowly, he pushes himself in, shuddering at how soft and wet you feel around him.

you whimper softly when he starts fucking you at a slow pace, forcing you to feel how perfectly he stretches you out, over and over again.

your body shudders every time he bottoms out and presses so intensely against that spot inside of you, making you feel like you're about to burst if he doesn't pull out soon.

steven looks down at your face, wanting to see if you're liking this -- but it turned out to be a mistake. he meant to make this sweet, to hold back and make love to you like you asked, but when you look up at him with those shiny eyes and that blissed, fucked-out expression, he can't help the way his hips start to frantically grind against yours.

"i'm sorry, love, i can't -- uhh -- c-can't help it when you look at me like that!" steven pushes your thighs upwards, forcing them closer to the mattress on either side of your head. you cry out as the new angle pushes him deeper within you, hitting every buzzing nerve inside of your sopping cunt.

"mm...steven!" the bed below rocks as his hips violently slap against you in a rhythmic motion.

he groans as he watches his cock thrust inside of you, making a mess of your wet center as you gush around him. you look so small under him, yet you're eagerly taking every inch in that tight cunt.

"i-i want to be inside of you forever..." steven pants out, "and i want you to feel me," he reaches between your bodies to press against your stomach, "here, forever."

"ahh~" you pant heatedly as the added pressure of his hand makes him feel even bigger inside of you. you squirm under him from the intense feeling, but you can barely move out from his hold.

"i love you, darling." he chokes out as he grows closer to the edge, rutting deliciously against the top wall of your pussy. "t-tell-tell me you love me too."

"fuck -- i love you, steven. i'll a-always -- nmph," you flutter around him as the heat of your own climax explodes throughout your body. "love you~" you can barely get the words out as he finishes inside of you.

you don't mind the way he rests on top of you as he attempts to catch his breath. his body is hot and sticky against yours, but it feels comforting nonetheless.

"mm...i missed you and your sweetness." you sigh, enjoying his weight over you, even if it is a tad difficult to breathe.

steven sheepishly mumbles against you, "but that wasn't exactly sweet lovemaking."

"sure, but it was you."

he simply hums happily in response, dotting light kisses against your tacky neck before nuzzling his face against you.

when you both cooled off, you decidedly needed a little space from the man pinning you to the mattress, "ok i need to breathe a little, steven."

"oh, oops, i'll get up." he pushes himself up so he can give you some air. you can't help but shudder as he starts to pull out of you.

"ah~" you can feel the warmth of his cum start to drip from your center, "you came so much, steven. look -- you made a mess." you tease, opening your legs for him.

"m'sorry, love." he sits back on his knees in front of you, staring down at the mess he made (as if he isn't just as messy). "didn't mean to..."

it doesn't sound like he's sorry though -- not by the distracted way he mutters out the apology while scooping up his cum and shoving it back into you.

"steven."

"i'm just trying to minimize the mess!" he defends.

you don't stop him because it feels oddly pleasant to be doted on like this. you'll just have to do a final cleanup later, you decide.

"imagine if i weren't on birth control," you joke, "i'd definitely be pregnant by now."

"..."

"steven are you hard again?!"

[vex91]

Naoi Rei - Finally

Pairing: Naoi Rei x Female Reader

Fandom: IVE

Summary: Being an idol and maintaining a secret long-distance relationship was hard for Rei and you knew it. That's why you decided to do something about it with a help from a certain leader.

A/N: I love her❤

3rd's POV

"-ei, REI!!!" A voice broke Rei from the trance she was in. Looking up she saw her leader already standing "Break time is over, come on we need to practice" Nodding she turned off her phone after taking one last look at the sent message and putted it away.

After going through the choreography for 2 more hours it was finally time to come home. Rei picked up her phone and smiled at the displayed message.

Rei❤

Did you passed? Message me when you have time, I love you💕

You

Sorry for not replying earlier, my mom needed my help😅 I PASSED MY TEST SO I'M FREE FROM THIS HELL🥳 Love you too <3

Rei❤

Congratulations baby, I'll take you to a dinner when we finally see each other again to celebrate❤

"I wish you were here" Rei mumbled still looking at the message, not noticing Gaeul staring at her. Worried for her younger member Gaeul ran up to Yujin was was packing her stuff with Wonyoung "Yujin-ah" hitting her on her back a few times successfully got Yujin's attention.

"Ow unnie? What the hell?" Yujin turned around to look at the older member. Her annoyed expression changed to a worried one when she saw how sad Gaeul looked "Something's wrong with Rei" Looking behind her, the two girls could see Rei waiting for them like normally but she definitely looked a little down "Yeah she looks quite sad lately, even more than usual. And she's also looking at her phone more often" Wonyoung chimed in also worried for their friend.

"I'll talk to her when we get home okay? Don't worry guys" Yujin smiled to assure the other members a little but it was obvious that she was worried too. Rei used to hide from them if something was wrong with her to not worry them (Flashback to 1 2 3 IVE Ep.4, I was tearing up watching🥲) and fortunately she became more open about her health and troubles with them so when she did hide something, it worried everyone even more.

Rei was quiet during the ride back to the dorms. Gaeul, Yujin and Wonyoung kept glancing at her while Jiwon and Hyunseo were playing some weird game. To cheer her up a little they even played a Red Velvet song but even this didn't worked. The members were left puzzled.

Back at the dorm everyone went their ways to rest before another tiring day. When Yujin noticed Rei going to her room, she stopped her "Rei-ssi, can we talk for a second?" Nodding she took a seat beside the leader and motioned for her to continue "Rei, you know that you can talk to us if anything's wrong right?" Rei was surprised by Yujin's sudden words but quickly realized how obvious she has been.

"I know, I'm fine really" Rei tried to assure Yujin but a few seconds later she decided that maybe it was better to talk to somebody. She did wanted to vent to someone about everything she felt and she knew that Yujin was the best person to do that. She trusted her and knew that the older girl would never judge her no matter what.

"Okay I'm not. The truth is I have a girlfriend-" Yujin's eyes widened at the news, not expecting something like this. How did no one knew that Rei was in a relationship "Really? For how long? What is her name? Is she good to you? Is she cute?" Laughing at her leader's quick questions, Rei answered "Her name is Y/N. We met when we were kids and started dating in middle school and yes she is cute" Yujin giggled and told Rei to continue what she was saying earlier.

"Continuing, ever since I came to Korea to pursue a career as an idol, I missed her. And lately it has been more apparent and I don't know how much longer I will hold myself back from going to a first flight to Japan just to see her" Yujin squeezed Rei's hand to give the girl some comfort, it was obvious that the situation hurted Rei. Yujin wasn't sure if she would manage to survive without seeing her girlfriend for more than few days so she guessed how hard it was for Rei to not see you for months.

Suddenly an idea came to her mind as she looked at sulking Rei. After comfort her for a little longer, they bid a goodnight and Rei went to her room while Yujin stayed behind. After making sure that she was alone Yujin made a call, determined to make Rei happy again.

"Hello? I hope I don't disturb. Could I ask you a favor?"

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

The practice continued like always, only difference being Yujin cutting it off and letting everyone go home earlier than usual. She was the one who left first, followed by Wonyoung's eyes. She already knew that the older had something planned but due to her trust she didn't questioned it much, instead she went to help Gaeul pack her stuff.

Yujin came back to the dorms some time after midnight. From the entrance first thing she was met with were Wonyoung's eyes staring a hole into her body. Trying to act innocent Yujin walked up to her to give her a quick kiss on the lips but the younger one dodged it "Where were you?" Suddenly feeling nervous Yujin tried to turn it into a joke "Is it some kind of interrogation? I don't remember stealing anything, well except for your heart" Saying it with a wink caused Wonyoung to turn red and Yujin to laugh.

"I'm serious. You never come back so late, especially since you didn't had any schedule today" Wonyoung intertwined their fingers as Yujin hummed, listening to her "I had something to do to help Rei okay? Don't worry, it's nothing" She reassured her and kissed her on her nose "Now come on, it's late. Let's go to sleep" Nodding, Wonyoung let herself be pulled by Yujin.

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

Days. It took days for Yujin to finally finish preparing her surprise for Rei. Now all of them were backstage of their comeback showcase and Yujin waited for the surprise to arrive. Everyone were doing their own thing. Yujin was suspiciously standing close to the door (Sneaky my love🙃), Gaeul and Wonyoung were recording some behind the scenes content for their fans and Rei, Jiwon and Hyunseo talked about what kind of food they would eat after this. Rei looked at her phone a lot that day, probably wondering why weren't you answering her texts, seeing this Yujin smirked.

Around 10 minutes later a knocking could be heard and after checking the time Yujin knew who was behind them "Rei you should open the door" Confused Rei asked "Aren't you literally standing next to them?" A few seconds of silence took over as Yujin stood with her mouth hanging open "Just open the door" Rolling her eyes Rei stood up and walked over to the door, opening them. What she saw shocked her.

You stood there with a smile, looking at her with tears pricking at your eyes, causing her own to glass too. Without any warning you crashed into her, her arms instinctively wrapping around you as the rest of the girls finally noticed what was going on. The scene left them to wonder who you were but they decided to wait after seeing how emotional both of you were in this moment.

Rei was overwhelmed. The feeling of finally being able to hug you, to pull you impossibly close to her, to smell you and to kiss you were too much for her causing her to start crying on the spot, the pent-up emotions that she kept in all these years finally pouring out. Yujin who watched the scene also teared up "Y-You're here? You're really h-here?" Rei sobbed into your shoulder and you laughed lightly, rubbing her back "Yeah, I'm here you dummy" You kissed her cheek.

Rei pulled away from you slightly "But how? Weren't you too busy to come here?" Your girlfriend's question made you look behind her and at Yujin "I had a help from a certain someone" Following your eyes, her own ones widened. Before she could ask Yujin about how she did that, the latter already answered "I asked your mom for help and we managed to make it happen somehow" Hearing about what her mom and Yujin did for her warmed Rei's heart. She sure was lucky to be surrounded with people like them.

"There is also one more surprise that I have for you" You got Rei's attention immediately "I don't think anything is going to beat you visiting me" You smirked at your girlfriend's words "Yeah? What if I tell you that I transferred schools and I'm moving to Korea?" Rei's eyes widened at your words.

What?

You're moving to Korea?

"Really? Oh my god, I can't believe it" Rei yelled excitedly, hugging you and spinning you around a few times. You giggled at her antics before she stopped you with a kiss. Gasps could be heard around you not only from the other members but also the staff working there. Yujin was the only one not surprised, instead she just smiled at you two.

The rest of the members looked at you both in shock, not believing what they were seeing. Gaeul's hand automatically covered Hyunseo's eyes, earning a whine from the youngest who was curious about the situation. After the need for some air kicked in you pulled away from your girlfriend who in exchange gave you a disapproving look "Don't look at me like that baby. Now that I'm going to live in Korea with you, you will have a lot more chances to kiss me" Smiling at the thought Rei pulled you into her more and kissed the top of your head "I surely hope so. I need to make up for the time I wasn't able to do that" She looked down on you.

"Then I can't wait, love" Quickly stealing another kiss from your lips, your girlfriend pulled away from you and dragged you over to her members to introduce you to them and listen to their interrogation that she knew was coming. She didn't cared though, too busy thinking about how happy she was to finally have you close to her for longer than a few weeks.

[wexhappyxfew]

shannon hi!! i've been eyeing bessie and thomas for a while, so could i ask for them and the prompt "smiling by instinct when they see the other/breaking into a grin and being unable to stop it" from the subtle otp prompts? thank youu and happy ttpd day!! ;)

BLU!!!! HELLO!!!! the fact it's been such a long-time-coming getting to this prompt, so very sorry for that lol! college finals hit and i was swamped and *NOW* we have some time haha! pleased to say, you are my final prompt from my prompt collection (and we can tell how long ago that was - i happily enjoyed ttpd day more than ANYTHING and i hope you did too!! <3 lets just say ive been looping 'loml' for some reason haha!!) THIS PROMPT!!!! literally for bessie and tommy i was obsessed with and went to town.....and then i went back and added a bunch of stuff because i went this is for BLU!!!! SO, i hope you enjoy these two!!! <3

my bessie marie

(a/n): blu, my #1 bessie x tommy stan, please enjoy this look into the before and after of their lives <3 bessie carlisle is an absolute joy to write - from her good-hearted nature, willingness to be kind and caring to all, her steadfast and natural call to doing what is right and her easy-going humor - by far one of my favorite Silver Bullets girls to write! <3 she just always has such a presence in scenes for me - so please enjoy her and tommy! :D

Bessie Carlisle had always been in love with Tommy McKenzie down the street ever since she was little.

And that was just a fact.

She always lived by the truth, by the facts and by the book.

So usually when things went off the page, in a different direction than intended - that's when life started to go haywire. That's probably why she excelled in school - everything was either fact, truth, or reality. Things were what they were at the end of the day. Attending Barnard College had opened up more opportunities than she could imagine and with Tommy right in Columbia, they'd been able to get closer to one another more often than not in those times, sharing all those secret promises amongst one another before finally admitting their feelings their junior years. And since then, they'd been inseparable, side-by-side, doing everything and anything they could together. And it had all been fact, truth and reality.

Dinner on January 4th, 1942 changed that.

"Bes, honey!" her mom called up the stairs to her, as she slammed her book closed and came to the threshold to her room, hearing the doorbell ring, "Tommy's here, dear - we'll be eating in a bit though, your father's not home yet!"

"Coming!" Bessie called, a smile riding her features as she quickly turned to the little mirror above her dresser and smoothed out her baby blue dress, fixing the small collar and turned to hurry down the stars like she was a 16-year-old lovesick girl again.

Coming to the front door, she pulled open the golden handle and there stood on the other side was her Tommy McKenzie with that beautiful glowing grin on his face. A smile broke out on her own cheeks as she stepped forward and launched her arms around his neck, pulling him into her embrace, relishing the comfort it brought to have his arms wrap right around her at the contact.

"How's my Bessie Marie?" he whispered quietly in her ear, a small laugh leaving her lips as she gave him an extra tight squeeze before pulling back and resting her hands on his arms, meeting those bright blue eyes that never left her mind.

She was never just Bessie to him - always Bessie Marie. And supposedly, from some of his friends, he'd started calling her Bessie Marie at the end of high school, and they had teased him about it for years. And now she got to be his Bessie Marie.

"Happy. Happier now that you're here," she said with a grin, catching her eyes on the book in his hand, "new book?" Tommy grinned at her, before swooping down to press a kiss to her cheeks.

"Billie wanted to give it to you," Tommy said, pulling the book from hands and gently handing it to her with another one of his winning grins that had quite honestly won her over in the first place, "he knows how much you love to learn more about the lay of the land. You should've seen how excited he was to get it to you. He would've been standing here by my side if I didn't tell him I was going over for dinner and not just a hangout." Bessie broke out into laughter as she looked down to the book cover and found it entitled A Deeper Understanding into the Geography of the Appalachians.

Tommy's 13-year-old brother, Billie McKenzie, was by far one of the smartest people she knew and someone she'd become incredibly fond of with family dinners at the McKenzie's, along with library trips. He always had the best books and it always made her heart warm to know he was thinking of her when getting books out.

"Found it and he swore up and down that he had to give it to you," Tommy said, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, "you mentioned the Appalachians one time and he zeroed in on it." Bessie let out a chuckle and looked back up at Tommy, reaching up a hand to cup his cheek, her thumb delicately brushing against his soft skin, the quietness of his gaze holding that smile on her lips.

"I love it," she whispered softly, "thank you, my Tommy Dean." And yeah, she got to be his Bessie Marie, but he was her Tommy Dean.

That was their thing with each other. And it felt so sacred and special that she would never let it go.

Tommy smiled at her, and God his smile got her heart going in all sorts of directions, before he reached forward, his fingertips delicately resting on her waist, pulling her closer to him, flush against his tall and broad form, that soft smile gracing his lips.

Gently, he pressed his lips onto hers, and she could feel all her worries about school, what was going on across the Atlantic and Pacific, and every other horror that existed in this world drip away.

But, something in her stomach felt off, something about the hold he had on her, that look in his starry-eyes, like it was the last time he'd see her, made her uneasy. She pulled back from the kiss for a moment and looked into his eyes boring into hers. Her smile fell a bit - despite the fact they'd only been together for a year, they'd been friends, the best of friends much longer, and she could pick out anything that was wrong with him in a second.

"You okay, Tommy?" she asked him quietly, her eyes turning sad with the way he was watching her. Something deep down was telling her something was wrong, but she couldn't figure it out.

Tommy was already set for graduation, alongside her in early May - he was going to get involved in his father's business and go for an even higher degree. And they'd talked about it all - their future, staying in New York City or moving to the suburbs - they'd talked about marriage. All of it. Kids, a family, a black cat named Milo. But something was off. Something that made her want to hold Tommy as close to her as she could and tell him whatever was wrong would make things alright again.

"Yeah." Tommy whispered quietly, the corners of his lips struggling into a smile, "Just…." He stared at her a little longer than he normally did, his gaze roaming every inch of her face, like he was trying to memorize each and every aspect of her face from her lips, to the freckles across her cheeks and nose, to that scar on her forehead from the fall she had taken as a kid when playing with the local kids outside.

"Just what?" Bessie asked him quietly, reaching up to brush a piece of his brunette hair behind his ear - she really loved his hair - soft, lush, always beautifully combed and gelled. She loved him.

"Ask me again later." he said quietly, "Your mother's meal smells delicious." He smiled at that and Bessie couldn't help but feel her heart sag. Her gut was still telling her that something was off, something was wrong and she needed to figure it out.

Bessie smiled at him though, and took his arm, shutting the front door behind her as they waded into the family dining room where her mother was setting the giant roast she had cooked up - beef, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, with a house-made salad and a champagne bottle to top it off along the table.

"Oh, Tommy, how are you, honey." her mother said, coming towards Tommy with open arms, pulling him into her.

Her mother loved Tommy McKenzie with her whole heart - she was always cooking him extra things; just last week, she had baked up strawberry scones, but made an extra blueberry one because she knew it was his favorite. She usually kept old newspapers and cut out different clippings she thought he'd like, along with always setting an extra spot at the table incase he'd be stopping by.

Her father was just as loving towards Tommy as her mother - probably more so. Her father loved having daughters, he always spoke proudly on it, but in a way, it healed that youthful boy part of her father, to have someone who was like a son. They talked politics, baseball, economics - everything. They'd sit outside at night, share a cigar or a cigarette, talking about life. They'd have a laugh and real heartfelt conversations. Her father usually made sure to invite him out when he could, or bring up opportunities that he heard about.

Bessie's little sisters loved Tommy, too. At 17 and 14, Jillian and Krissy Carlisle were always loving on Tommy when they could and if anything, Tommy had taught them the proper way to be loved right back.

"I'm doing well, Mrs. Carlisle, how about yourself?" he said, pulling back and squeezing her mother's arm gently, "Food smells delicious."

"Well, I knew you were coming, dear, and we can never have enough food," she said with laughter that sounded like Bessie's own, "go on, have a seat. Bessie, can you go grab some napkins?"

"Sure, Mom." Bessie said, looking to Tommy with a grin, before she stepped past them and into the kitchen, where she found Jillian and Krissy sitting there and giggling.

"What's got you two all giggly?" Bessie said, coming in and grabbing from the stack of napkins her mother always had in the corner, "Is that Joey Spinelli still coming around knocking, Jill?" Jillian let out a laugh and shook her head.

"Maybe-" Jillian started, but Krissy bounced up.

"He's in love with her! I swear!" Krissy said, "You gotta start asking Tommy what it means when a guy offers to buy your ice cream and not anyone else's - do you think he likes her?" Bessie looked to Jillian and raised a brow, watching as her sister's cheeks turned red.

"He bought only your ice cream, hm?" Bessie said with a smile, leaning back against the sink, "Jillian Cassidy Carlisle, when were you going to tell me this?"

"I didn't think anything of it!!" Jillian swore standing to her feet and waving her arms, "We were in a group, I was near the back, he offered because he was in the group, too. He was just being nice!" Krissy scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Just being nice my ass-"

"Watch your language, Kristen." Bessie said with a look to Krissy who pouted and crossed her arms.

"Ask the romance books, Jilly, you'll see otherwise." Krissy offered back.

"Romance books?" Bessie heard Tommy's voice say as he entered the kitchen, ducking through the entrance a bit because of his height, "Didn't think you'd be reading those yet, Krissy."

"Tommy! Tomo!" Krissy yelled excitedly, forgetting about her previous admonishment with Jillian and racing towards him, and jumping into his arms for a hug, "You won't believe it, Tomo!" her nickname for him, "Joey Spinelli down the street is in love with Jilly and she doesn't believe it!" Tommy let out a chuckle and glanced at Jillian standing there, red in the face and pouting.

"You sure about that?" Tommy asked Krissy who nodded."He bought her ice cream. The only one out of the group." Krissy offered.

"He was just being nice." Jillian surmised and placed her hands on her hips, "That's it." Tommy let out a chuckle, before Krissy let go of him and he looked to Jillian.

"Joey Spinelli, huh?" he asked her and Jillian nodded, "You know, I know his older brother - Luca Spinelli, I could ask hi-"

"Don't you dare, Tommy!" Jillian said, her cheeks turning a deeper red as she reached out and gave his shoulder a shove, "I can't face that." Tommy let out a chuckle as Krissy looked to Jillian with a smart look.

"You know Tommy bought dinner for Bessie that one time-"

"We were already dating, Krissy-"

"It counts!" Krissy said looking to Bessie, "Isn't that right, Tomo?"

"Sure, kiddo." Krissy proudly looked to Jillian.

"Party in the kitchen?" Everyone turned to find her father walking into the kitchen, work bag on his shoulder, suit looking as pristine as ever and a smile on his face.

"Dad!" Krissy called excitedly, as Bessie went over and hugged her father, Tommy shaking his hand and Jillian hugging her father jus as tight.

"How's it going, Mr. Carlisle?" Tommy asked her father as he pulled his work bag off.

"Same old, same old," her father said with another one of his winning smiles that hers looked nearly identical to, "stock market's up." Tommy laughed.

"Always a good day to hear that," he said and Bessie watched her father laugh.

"Alright, dinner is set, everyone bundle in!" her mother called coming into the kitchen, pressing a kiss to her father's cheek. People chattered as they went to settle into chairs and pulled napkins onto laps, Bessie placing the stack of napkins she had pulled from the stack onto the middle of the table, before everyone was settled in. They said prayer, and then everyone sat awaiting when they would be allowed to dig in.

"May I say something real quick?" Tommy asked from beside Bessie, his voice a bit more solid and confident than it had been when she first had opened the door to him. She watched him for a moment, and her parents exchanged glances with each other before encouraging him on.

"Go on, Tommy," her mother said with a smile. Jillian and Krissy looked to Bessie who could only shrug. Tommy cleared his throat.

"I just….I wanted to thank you all for being like a second family to me. More than anything. Feeding me, taking care of me, allowing me to be with your beautiful daughter, Bessie Marie," he said with a smile, before reaching out and taking a grip on Bessie's hand and squeezing it tight, "and I felt it was important to tell you all this now that we're all here. Because it matters to all of you and to me and especially to Bessie." Bessie watched him.

"I enlisted. For the Marines." he said, his voice sounding slightly constrained in his throat as he spoke, "And I ship out for training in a month."

Bessie woke up to knocking on the door. Her head pounded, her mind was scrambled, and her heart ached. Jack Kidd had come and sought her out with a tapping on the door to the women's barracks, where the front door had an interesting poster saying Silver Bullets.

Marianne had gracefully painted the sign one evening until Frank, that pesky orange cat, had gotten the one corner of it and nearly tore it to shreds. Now, it hungry quite lopsided with teeth marks in the side. Judy surmised that is gave it some character. They all went along with that.

Annie had answered the door, looking half like she had fallen out of bed to get to the door and then had shaken Bessie awake at the call. Bessie came hurrying to the door, sticking her crusher cap on her head and attempting her best to get the tie on herself before following after Kidd to the mess hall.

"What's up?" she asked him - the thing with Jack Kidd was, he was firm, to the point and ironed things out into straight lines - but she had been just the same back to him and had earned the capability to not have to therefore, be so formal. Not everyone was like that but Bessie…..let's just say, she'd attended college before with plenty of stuck up pricks with enough money it was coming out of their eyeballs. Jack Kidd wasn't like that, but he seemed to get along with her capability to maintain herself above water with the higher-ups. Therefore, 'what's up' was probably the most pleasant thing she could've said.

"Seems that making me Air Exec was the most recent decision with that new Colonel Harding showing up - West Point guy." Kidd said and Bessie raised a brow.

"Damn, Air Exec, you look thrilled," Bessie said and Kidd sighed and glanced at her.

"Demoted Bucky then?" He nodded and she made a clicking noise with her mouth and nodded.

"So, what's that gotta do with me?" she asked him, stopping him and looking his way with a smile, "There a reason I'm up as the sun's rising, or is this just for fun?"

"Figured you could give us some extra hands in Operations, flight paths and all. You'll still fly in Silver Bullets, but I trust you more right now than some of these other guys with all these variables moving about." he said, "You'd get a new title, too."

"New title, huh? Which is?"

"Lieutenant. Lieutenant Carlisle. 1st that is."

"Intriguing."

"Take it or leave is, Bes, we got work to do."

"Alright, deal." she said, and followed him towards Operations. Opening the door for her, she stepped inside and removed her cap to find a group of the navigators all awake and huddled around the center table, talking quietly with one another and sending each other looks.

"What's this, Jack, a get-together or an intervention?" she murmured to her side and watched as Jack shut his eyes and sighed.

"Gathered all the navigators up. Seems like in coming missions, they want to go deeper into Germany," he said, catching her eye, "wasn't my plan. Not ideal. But it's what's happening." Bessie looked away from him and caught Crosby's eye, who removed himself from the group and came up and over to her.

"Met Harding yet?" he asked her, giving a salute to Jack, "He's been extra curious about your crew."

"Afraid not, Croz, but if he happens to stop in this morning, I'll be sure to shake his hand and butter him up," Bessie said, before giving him a smile and nodding to the rest of the navigators, "Boys. How's it going?"

"Morning, Bes." A few greetings came as she moved in beside Croz and stared down at the map of continental Europe in front of them and the formations of planes scattered about. For about half an hour, the group went over ideas, as well as drawn-out arguments for what the plan was for the next mission. And it wasn't until nearly about lunch time when they were dismissed, did a runner come in from outside, calling her name.

"Lieutenant Carlisle?" Bessie turned from her conversation with Crosby and walked over to the runner, who held out a letter in his hand and smiled at her quickly, "For you, ma'am, seemed urgent." Then he was gone, the letter was in her hand and her heart was racing.

Slowly, she looked at the front and there it was, her name, in his handwriting. She hadn't realized she missed until she had started getting his letters and seen him signing it as Bessie M. Carlisle. She didn't realize she'd been standing there frozen until she was heading outside and peeling open the letter in a rushed frenzy just to read it.

Dear Bessie Marie,

Just staring at those first words, she couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a letter from him. A few weeks? Nearly a month? He had said the fighting had been bad. She didn't know how bad, he never did tell, probably not to freak her out or get her riled up. He knew that sort of stuff always did her in. He knew her too well sometimes. But just seeing those few words at the top had her breaking out in a wide grin, knowing he'd held that paper, writing to her, in that delicate bit of handwriting, just for her eyes to read. He usually always got that grin she wore right now on her face, even when he wasn't around. Even halfway across the ocean.

Dear Bessie Marie,

I'm sorry it has taken me a bit to find some footing and get to some letter writing. The war out here has been downright horrid and I wouldn't even want to try describing the horrors we have encountered here to you. I have no doubt, telling from your last letter, that you are experiencing the same in your own ways, if not worse in those flying birds. No doubt I must have worried you, and I'm sorry for that. As I sit and write here now, one of our younger guys, Armstrong, is sick with a fever and the shakes - he tells me he's been trying to write to his family, but he can't seem to think straight or hold a pencil long enough to get his thoughts out. I've been helping him the best I can, especially at night and usually the letter writing takes a whole lot of time then. But a lot of the guys just want to get those letters out, just want to make sure their families know they're okay. So, I didn't mean to worry you, Bessie Marie, just know I am safe.

I got a recent promotion; my Senior Officer thought I'd be suited best for moving up in the ranks. You can consider me your Lieutenant Tommy McKenzie now! I still have my guys with me - Armstrong and Godfrey included, those two goons, but I enjoy their presence so. As well as all the others I've been with. I think it's because of how fast we lose guys out here, they can't be switching you all around, up and down, sideways and back. They keep you where you're comfortable for the time being.

I hope you've been doing well though, my Bessie Marie. I know I write it every time, but it is me in my truest form that I can not wait to get back to you in Brooklyn. Just the two of us, in our own home, going about our everyday lives side by side. I wish things were that simply again, back home. I guess as a kid I thought going out and fighting this sort of war was all I ever wanted. But I think what I wanted most was just for things to be normal again. For you and I to have our own place, start a family, finishing out schooling, get comfortable. Dance at night, have dinners together, have our friends over, spend our nights side by side. I wish I hadn't wanted to race into my adulthood as fast as we both seemed to.

I hope your crew is doing well - Annie Bradshaw sounds like she's got herself in order to be leading the plane, especially after what happened to your Birdie. I'm really sorry again for those circumstances, and if I could hug you from this island I'm on, I would. Bradshaw sounds good though - I don't think the Air Force would make the same mistake twice. Tell the other women I said hi, and let Judy know that Godfrey's been enjoying the book she recommended. Little Women I believe? He found it on the shelves out here when he was sent on medical for a little while. Came back raving about the March family, he loved it I must say!

Bessie Marie, please know I count the days until we can be together again. For now, stay safe, write back whenever you possibly can, and know I am thinking of you across this war-torn sea. I love you with all of my heart and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of you. Stay safe in flight, my love!

Yours,

Tommy McKenzie

Bessie stared at the letter with an onslaught of wet tears in her eyes, but unable to keep the smile from her face and truly feel those grieving emotions previously. Even if she couldn't look upon him fully, she could still see his face in her mind and that look he always gave her. Tommy McKenzie would always find a way to make her laugh even if she couldn't see it on his face. She smiled, wiping at the emotions crawling down her cheeks and let out a shaky sigh.

"Hey, Carlisle, you okay?" Bessie looked up and found Crosby coming towards her, hands shoved in his pockets, a concerned look on his face as he approached - if anything, Crosby was one of her closest companions outside of the girls and someone who looked out for her on the daily.

"Yeah, yeah," she said quickly, wiping carelessly at her cheeks again and letting out a sigh, "what's up?" Crosby watched her for a moment and then quirked out a grin.

"I asked you first." Bessie stared at him; she rolled his eyes and stepped forward to wrap an arm around his shoulders as they walked back towards the door to the inside of Operations.

"Must it always be how I am, what about you, Croz?" she said, squeezing his shoulders lightly, "Please, enlighten me." Crosby looked over at her and shrugged.

"You were the one outside."

"You were the one that came to find me."

"Key word, Carlisle; I came to find you." Crosby said with a chuckle, before his face dropped, "Seriously what's up." Bessie watched him for a moment as they continued to walk and then sighed.

"Nothing." she surmised, "Just….a letter from Tommy that's all." Crosby caught her gaze.

"Good, I'd assume?" Bessie smiled and nodded.

"Good." she said softly and then felt her smile widen, "Good."

[spacecowboyhotch]

The Sun Also Rises: Part 1

summary: yes. that’s it. he’s missed you and your familiar comfort. that’s all.

pairing: f!reader x javier peña

contents: 18+/NSFW/MINORS DNI, best friends to lovers, angst/fluff, mentions of a deceased parent, perceived unrequited love, food mention, allusions to ptsd

word count: 2.3k

an: ive been sitting on a good chunk of this for months now, and finally ive started to flesh out the ending so i thought…why not. not sure when the next part will posted but soon come, i promise! <3

part 2 | series masterlist | writing masterlist

He’s done enough.

That’s what he keeps telling himself. And while it readily applies to his fight in Colombia, sometimes it creeps into other places. He’s done enough. God take him. There’s nothing left for him to be good at. Nowhere in life that his hands won’t stain, the darkest of sins on his hands.

What else could a guy like him do?

He doesn’t feel like anyone was wrong for asking him that question. He doesn’t know the answer to it himself.

What else could a guy like him do?

A guy with no roots, no relationships, nothing but loyalty to a government he doesn’t even trust. Well that’s not entirely true. There are some he doesn’t like to admit, like Steve or the soft dutifulness he feels towards Lorraine even all these years later. But then there’s his father.

There’s you.

If anything is true, he can go home and try to do his best by his father and you. Even if you are many miles away from home.

When you’d first become friends with Javier freshman year of high school you thought something was wrong with you. He flirted with almost every other girl, and if he wasn’t, he didn’t give them the time of day at all. But then he saw you, lost look on your face, and that all changed. He picked you out of that treacherous sea of kids hitting puberty and the rest was history.

You got to see sides of him that weren’t smooth and suave— sides that wiped ketchup off your cheek while eating fries, that taught you how to ride a horse and carried you all the way home when you’d fell off and twisted your ankle. Sides that cried for his mother in the darkness of the night, nothing but the stars gazing down at you as you held him.

Nonetheless you wondered what was wrong. The older you get, the more stupid it feels when you reflect on it. Sometimes the questions still sit in your head.

Why didn’t he treat you like others? Were you ugly? Was the shape of your lips not kissable? Your perfume not sweet enough?

Your mother, god rest her soul, had noticed. Even with your happiness in having Javier as a friend she saw your confidence fall.

She told you something that you’ve held onto— something you model your life after to keep yourself safe. She told you to never lose sleep over something that wasn’t a sure bet. And since then you buried any acknowledgement of Javier’s potential deep in the most inner parts of you.

He’s attractive, he’s sweet, he’s charming. Buried.

He’s funny. He’s your best friend. He makes you feel safe. He’ll always be here for you. Kept.

The sure bet was that he’d always be your friend no matter what. It’s what you hold onto in any rocky situation.

You don’t blame him when he leaves for Colombia and practically vanishes off the face of the earth. You’d seen it coming, prepared for it so that he could focus and do his best down there. But then you get the first letter and your heart jumps. You relax for the first time in months and finally realize all the tension that’s gripped your body.

He’s okay. He’s alive. He’s still your best friend.

Near the end, the letters turn to postcards and you know that he’s struggling to find the words for what’s happening to him. You write as always, hoping to be some constant in his life of chaos. In the news, you see that he’s successful in taking down the Cali Cartel. You assume he just needs time, that he’ll reach out again once he’s processed everything.

A couple months later, your gracious assumption is proven wrong. You’re home for the summer, and at the grocery store grumbling your way through the terrible list of things your father wants to pick up when you spot him in the produce aisle.

For a few moments, you just soak in every detail about him. His hair is just as floppy as always, his skin is smooth and golden. He’s still your Javi but he looks tired, frayed at the edges. You notice how he scans his surroundings often, one of his hands sat on his hip as if ready for action. Once he’s satisfied with the distance between him and others around him, he goes back to picking through the apples, his nimble fingers pressing and prodding.

You cross the aisles, keeping your distance as you call out to him gently, “Javi?”

He turns around immediately, his hand ghosting the empty place where his gun once sat. His eyes rake over your frame, and he straightens up. The sight of you knocks the air out of his lungs, sitting his head right and clear on his shoulders.

Have you always looked like this? So comforting and…ethereal?

He breathes your name almost as a prayer, the relief permeating him.

With an easy smile pulling at the corners of your mouth, Javier can’t remember why he was so worried to see you again. You look at him with that same unconditional affection you always have, and put his nerves at ease. He reaches for you, bringing you in for a hug that you eagerly return.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming home,” You whisper against the shell of his ear.

“I needed time.”

Pulling away you see it, how his eyes glaze over slightly, looking haunted. While that softens your heart further for him, you couldn’t be mad at him if you tried.

“That’s okay. I’m not angry,” You say with a soft smile and he relaxes, releases you until it’s just your hands in his.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m home for the summer. Perks of working at a university.”

“I get you for the whole summer?”

“Till the second week of August then it’s back up North.”

“And how’s Ricky?”

“Good. I’m here picking up all his house essentials, along with some food that’ll actually give him some vitamins.”

Javi leans in to look at the list you hold up, eyes squinting, “His entire list is junk, huh?”

“Shit tons of it,” You agree with a laugh before nudging him with your elbow. “What about Chucho? How’s he?”

“Happy I’m home. Working me like a dog.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“Are you happy you’re home?” You clarify.

He stares at you a beat, that shy smile that’s always been reserved for you spreading across his face, “I am now.”

The two of you make quick work of the rest of your father and Chucho’s lists. Javier mentions that Chucho’s at bingo too, and invites you over to the house for dinner.

“Javi, unless something’s changed since the last I saw you…you don’t cook.”

He laughs, “No, nothing’s changed.”

“Then you come over to mine, let me cook in my own kitchen.”

It takes no time for you at all to whip up dinner which is two juicy steaks, mashed potatoes and a veggie mix. Javier sips a glass of whiskey slower than usual as he watches you float around the kitchen, barefoot, your hair down and framing your features. He can’t take his eyes off of you, not even when he offers to help you, and he ends up nicking himself when cutting up carrots. You tease him as you bandage him up, claiming he can fire all sorts of firearms but was defeated by a carrot, to which he protests.

It's easy to slip back into the comfortable relationship that you have always had. He asks you a multitude of questions about the last 10 years, the two of you huddled up at the corner of the kitchen table as you eat and chat.

He can’t bring himself to bring up what he wants to know most about; your love life.He feels like he’s in a fever dream with the thoughts he’s been thinking since he saw you. Was he…interested in you? Is this what this is? The unusual flutter in his chest and the slickness of his hands. You’re so pretty. You’ve always been this pretty though, he doesn’t understand. Maybe it’s because he’s missed you.

Yes. That’s it. He’s missed you and your familiar comfort. That’s all.

When you walk him to his car, he turns to you, thrumming his fingers against the fabric of his jeans.

You frown, noticing his nervousness, “What is it?”

He hesitates, running a hand over the back of his neck as he looks up at the night sky, “I don’t know, I just…I’m sorry.”

“What for?” You’re genuinely curious, not just trying to make him work for it.

“I stopped writing and I didn’t tell you I’d be home. I pulled away.”

“It was horrific wasn’t it?”

He hums, rough in his chest, both of hands coming to rest on his hips as he looks down at the ground.

You reach out, lift his chin with the tip of your finger, “Then you were just trying to protect me. It’s alright.”

Javier’s eyes widen slightly at your proximity, and the aching need to sink into your touch. Instead he takes your hand into his, plants a kiss on it like he always used to.

“Thanks. Thank you. Really, I’m…I’m struggling.”

“Not alone though,” You remind him tenderly and he smiles.

“Let’s go to the lake tomorrow?”

The lake. A place that you only brought each other to. It’s stupidly sacred to you both, even though it’s a public park. He’d never even taken Lorraine there, though that all made more sense when you sped him away from his wedding in your old pickup truck on that hot summer day.

“Sure.” You agree easily, “What time?”

“Sunrise?”

“Sunrise.”

It’s around 5 a.m. the next morning when you wake, getting dressed and brewing coffee. The first sips of it sink deep into your bones, perking up the rest of your senses. You pull out a thermos, pour Javi a cup and then head out to sit on the porch.

Javi pulls up in his truck, and when you run down the stairs and hop into his truck with coffee in hand, it feels like the good ol’ days, untainted by all the politics and violence. He’s got classical music playing like always, and the two of you just sip coffee and ride in a comfortable silence. It’s always so easy with him, in a way it isn’t with anyone else.

He brings his coffee when both of you walk to your designated picnic table, the one that’s a little high up and overlooks the lake. It’s the best place in town to watch the sunrise, though maybe you’re biased because of the nostalgia and the company.

Gold and red and orange, the first colors of the sun peak over the horizon. Javier feels like he’s completely at peace, like his past doesn’t exist and that life has always been just like this. He wishes it had been. That he’d just stayed with you and that he’d made his number one priority being your best friend.

“Did you ever watch the sunrise in Colombia?” You ask, head perched on his shoulder.

“A few times when I couldn’t sleep.”

“Were they this beautiful?” You lean forward, and Javier can get a good look at you like this.

He doesn’t look away from you when he answers, “No, nothing beats this.”

“Will you tell me about it? You say after a few moments of quiet.

He makes a disagreeable sound in the back of his throat, “There’s not much good for me to tell you. And what happened to me protecting you from it?”

“I didn’t say it had to be good. I mean…have you talked to anyone about it? When’s the last time you talked to Steve?”

“Murphy and I don’t talk about it. He’s got a family, a kid, he’s moved on.”

“He’d be there for you if you needed it. You just never let anyone in.”

“I let you in plenty.”

“You stopped writing, Javi. You didn’t call. You didn’t tell me you were home,” And though your voice isn’t unkind it makes him wince.

“We’ve already established-“

“That you were protecting me, and it’s sweet. I appreciate it, you know that I do, but maybe I don’t need protection. Maybe I just need you to let me take care of you.”

He doesn’t reply, your words gripping his ability to formulate a response and holding it hostage.

“I didn’t know what to think. I was worried about you, about everything.”

He frowns, “Everything?”

“About us,” You whisper, feeling so stupid again. Feeling like that girl he’d befriended all those years ago.

He’s been through so much, horrible, scarring things that you could never imagine, and this is what you bring up.

He wraps an arm around you and pulls you closer, “You don’t ever have to worry about us.”

You’re so warm against his side, you fit perfectly. Soft and comfortable next to him, he wants this, always. It isn’t just your familiarity and comfort. It’s you— your essence.

He wants you.

You nod, taking a deep breath as you get yourself together, “You’re right, this isn’t about us, it’s about you.”

“I’ll tell you some of it tomorrow, right now I just wanna sit here with you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

You sit there with him until the sun is all the way over the horizon, mostly in silence, but occasionally one of you will point out a bird or squirrel that passes by. When he gets you home, he walks you up to the door as always.

“Lunch and a ride tomorrow?”

“Is it your goal to wear me out all summer?” You tease, hand resting on his chest.

He shrugs with a smug grin, “Somebody’s gotta do it.”

You poke him in the chest with a serious look, “Don’t work too hard out there today.”

“Take that up with Pops,” He captures your hand with his, brings it up for that habitual kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

javi taglist: @honeybrowne @lesbianhotch, @hotchs-bitch, @jazzelsaur, @bubblybubbubs, @sheresh0y, @midnightwolf04, @mccn-bcys, @jxvipike

[quinloki]

Some Direction

Fem Reader x Roronoa Zoro

CW: Language, stalking, violence, sexual themes and situations, ptsd 18+ only

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 21: Solid White Line

Things were a bit of a blur. You had injuries enough to warrant going to the hospital, and Zoro needed to have surgery for his gash on his face, along with a few other cuts he'd gotten during the fight. You yelled at him until he got on the gurney and then rode in the ambulance with him to the hospital. It was a little comical to see you practically growling at him until he obliged, and you apologized during the ride to the hospital for embarrassing him.

The EMTs in the ambulance with you had grins in their faces, but no one said anything. Zoro just squeezed your hand while the EMTs did their job.

The longest time you spent separated from him over the next three days was when he was in surgery.

Usopp survived - the shot that hit him didn't penetrate the mask he had been wearing, but the impact had knocked him out cold. He was still unconscious, and under police supervision and custody.

"Once he regains consciousness, he'll be processed and imprisoned pending trial." Smoker was explaining things to you and Zoro.

Zoro's surgery went as well as it could, but the bandages on his face - protecting his eye as it healed - weren't coming off yet. The hospital, with help from you and Mihawk, were keeping him on minimal activity and maximum bed rest until things healed enough. He was sitting up while Smoker and Tashigi were here, but he hadn't been arguing when you made him lay down otherwise. Though you imagined the lack of his complaining was because you'd often lay down with him, or at least stay nearby and hold his hand.

"You might be called to testify, but there's enough evidence that testimony might not be needed. His residence was filled with proof enough of his deeds." Smoker continues to explain.

"I... wouldn't be surprised if he confesses when he wakes up." You say, a troubled look on your face.

Zoro nods. "After he calms down."

Smoker grunts. "Given what he said to you in the warehouse, I wouldn't be surprised by any of that either. However things play out, I'll keep you as updated as I can. After all that you've both been through, it's the least I can do."

The officer looked like he had aged almost two years since you had first interacted with him over the break-in. You knew he had been stressed about how things had been handled, and you couldn't believe yours was the only case he had on his shoulders.

"We appreciate that. I'm glad everyone survived, and I hope Usopp gets the help he needs." You smile sadly and then squeeze Zoro's hand. "Preferably from quite the distance away from us, if I'm being honest."

"Understandable." Smoker admits.

"If there's anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to contact us." Tashigi offers, giving you a small card with her and Smoker's personal numbers on it.

"Thanks, and uh, I mean this as kindly as I can, but I hope I never have to see either of you after this is over." You admit sheepishly, gratefully accepting the card despite your words.

You hear Zoro grunt and after a second Smoker laughs. You're surprised, maybe even relieved, to hear actual joy in the man's laugh, given how serious and stressed he looked.

"May you never have need of us again," he agrees as he and Tashigi bow before leaving.

"How are you feeling today?" Zoro asks, running his hand gingerly over your midsection.

"Bruises hurt worse with time; I think." You admit, wincing a little as you let him shift you around so you're laying down beside him. The hospital bed is barely big enough for both of you, but ever since they disconnected most of the IVs from Zoro you had been spending a lot of time like this.

"Ready to leave tomorrow?"

"I'm ready to leave now." He grumbles.

You smile. "It's so awful being medically mandated to snuggle."

His ears flush red and his hand goes over your eyes, since he's not supposed to touch his. "You know that's not what I meant."

You giggle, tilting your head enough to kiss his palm. "I know." You snuggle into him a little, taking care not to press against the few stitches he had on his torso.

37 stitches in total. Twenty for the line on his face, and 17 others on his shoulder, arm, and torso. Nothing fatal. You had an assortment of bruises and rope burns, the worst of which were the ones on your stomach and the slap from Usopp that had split your lip and cut your cheek into your teeth. You were able to eat solid foods without too much pain, but two days of jello and applesauce had not put you in a pleasant mood.

Not that you had said much on it. You felt horribly guilty about the entire ordeal. You felt like you had gotten off light compared to what Zoro went through. You had dealt with Usopp for hours and had a few bruises and a busted mouth. He had dealt with him for a few minutes and might have lost his eye because you couldn't get away fast enough.

In that vein of thinking, you had several sessions of therapy to attend as well. It had been offered by the government, and Mihawk had recommended that you both accept the offer. Better to work through what had happened with a professional, than to lean on another alone and hope for the best. Since you were having a hard time even talking about what was on your chest, you couldn't disagree.

"I wanted to ask," you say after a moment's silence. "I love the ring, but why is there a star etched in it?"

Zoro's face was instantly red, and his hand was over your face as you felt his whole body tense. There was a long silence, and you could feel his heart beating faster in his chest.

"Later." He finally manages, a moment before you were going to tell him he didn't have to tell you right now. "After we get home."

You nod. "Okay."

. . . . .

You and Mihawk were in the room with Zoro as the attending doctor, a man named Hongo with dirty blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, was checking Zoro's eye wound. The doctor was tall and broad-shouldered, but not overly bulky. He looked bigger than Mihawk and Zoro only because the other two were leaner than you expected from a couple martial artists.

"It's healing up nicely. The blade was sharp and that has actually helped." He leans back. "I've cleaned off the glue we were using to keep it still, can you open it for me?"

"Yeah, I think so." Zoro answers.

You had a death grip on Mihawk. You were sure you were almost crushing his hand, but he made no noise and offered no complaints. His other hand was over yours, offering comfort while you both watched things unfold.

"Seems the initial prognosis was correct... what do you see?"

"It's blurry."

"Painful at all?"

"Not really. Things are bright."

"That's good. Give it a couple more days, keep it clean, feel free to cover it up so you don't strain it. You might come away with this only needing some glasses, Mr. Roronoa." Dr. Hongo says, straightening up and tucking a light back in his pocket. "Bit of a miracle, honestly."

"It's okay then? His eye's okay?" You question hopefully, worried you had been misunderstanding the exchange.

Zoro turns to you, and you can see for yourself. It's red and swollen a little still, but it's intact and you can see that he sees you with it, blurry or not. Your legs buckle and Mihawk lowers you gently to the ground as you start crying in relief.

"I thought... you were gonna lose your eye... b-because you had to p-protect me!" You manage to choke the words out for the first time, covering your face in embarrassment, already well aware he would be irritated knowing you had been thinking that way. "I was so worried, and I couldn't say anything..."

"That's my cue," Hongo offers quietly, excusing himself from the room with a nod.

Mihawk pats your head lightly and steps out of the room as well. Zoro stands up from the bed and comes over to you. He stands there quietly for a moment before sitting down beside you. He doesn't say anything, just sits beside you while you get the tears out of your system. Giving you time and space to calm down without pressure.

"I'm sorry," you say quietly, after you get your tears and breathing under control.

"For what?"

"... For... for feeling this guilty about it," you say after a moment. "I know it wasn't my fault, but it feels like it is and-."

His arms wrap around you, and he moves you into his lap easily. Sitting on the floor cradled against him calms you down. You want to admonish him for moving around so much even though he still has stitches, but you don't feel him flinch or twitch in pain, and the warmth of his embrace is comforting.

"It's okay." He says softly, kissing the top of your head.

"D-don't say something like you would've given both your eyes, or some other equally unacceptable outcome." You pout and feel him flinch. "Marimo."

Zoro clicks his tongue. "Don't you start."

"Marimos are cute."

"That's half my problem with that name."

"The other half?"

"... I like the way you say my name better."

Your face flushes as he hugs you.

"I can't promise I won't risk myself for you." He says, after a moment. His tone is a little apologetic, but it's more that his conviction is set.

"I know." You admit, a small pout in your vice.

You knew who he was. You knew his protective streak was only matched by his scowl. You knew he would've given an eye or more to see you come out of the ordeal unscathed and would've been almost inconsolable if you had suffered any loss yourself.

The double standard could be aggravating, but you understood it at least. You did what you did during your time with Usopp because you knew if you risked too much and died, he would never forgive himself. But you had to risk something in order to do all you could to protect him. Better to regret your actions than to lament your inactions after the fact.

Even if you weren't as strong, or as skilled, it didn't change the fact that you needed him to be okay. No matter what he risked and no matter what you faced.

"Hey, say it again." He prompts you, hugging you close.

You smile. "I love you."

[nonamem9]

tanay rizal trip thing from 3 weeks ago (rough details sorry) (bad storytelling)

monday and tuesday

resort is called Martessem

went to tanay (duh) on the days where my sister has to go to school since its schools days but she didnt due to no one taking care of her (awesome schedule)

throughout the whole 2 days, me and my cousin played chess on his tablet as we wait for the meals (best idea honestly), he checkmated 3 times, a stalemate, and i only won once on chess960 without knowing, we all individually chose our own dishes, me and my sister chose the meals as a duo

our room is G1, cousins' at G2

on the 1st day we ate the meals on the restaurant in the resort, both dinner and lunch

the time we ate our lunch is at 3PM due to travel time since us at antipolo are gonna ride at the van my tita was at, she's at taguig. i forgot what we ate.

looked at the view and i saw the clearest rainbow ive ever seen, and technically my first rainbow i saw since on other times i wasnt paying attention or see it clearly

this might've the mighest place i've been in since flying an airplay several years ago back when i was a toddler, the clouds are nearer to my reach

i put out the laptop and its overheating as fuck on sleep mode, draining the battery that i charged to max for nothing, had to force turn off since its lagging as fuck.

in the back balcony with myself, my sister, and my male cousin, said cousin is talking about his preference for shitting out water since its more comfortable in great length and detail, we lost our shit laughing at such absurd, disgusting and vile conversation topic. we've struggled to argue against it due to how hard we're laughing, can't barely hold it in. me and my sister jokingly called this the poopshitters podcast.

i tried booting in my laptop and connect to the wifi, you must put in the token password (lasts for 1 day) via the pop out website for this hotspot (if thats the right term), they gave a lot of these password tokens when we first arrive to the room. hopped on discord and told (i think) the spica discord that im here in tanay (doxxed)

laptop is lowbat so i get my charger and try to connect to the wall outlets, the thing is that there is no 3 holed wall outlet, no 3 prongs, we didn't brought an adapter because who the fuck does that while traveling, so i had to accept that i cant use this laptop again throughout the day.

at night my tita's employees/friends came in to my surprise and they bought in cup noodles, ate the mildly spicy one as my sort of mini dinner

i struggled to sleep my ass and move a lot, producing squeaky bed sounds as i roll, to much to the elder's dismay

2nd day we woke up

chess and chess960

ate breakfast at the resort's restaurant, i think i chose bacsilog/baksilog?

i found out that all of this was for my tita's daughter's brithday

resort people did the happy birthday thing, they drizzled chocolate and spell out "happy birthday!" on one of their plates

back to room interacting and such, apparently according to my mother, during night someone knocked on the balcony door and she checked and no one is there.

traveled to a restaurant that has a minigolf thing, a massive swimming pool, two of them this did not became our lunch destination since they said "the kids cant rallt do things here" (??? we never really did anything at the future two restaurants) so we went back to the van and traveled again

i ate shrimp sinigang and garlic rice for lunch in the a new restaurant by the mountainside (the one with a video that i posted)

back to our units at G1 & G2, oh yeah and G3 since the one that arrived at day 1 nighttime, recorded the "M" pool video

back to the van traveling

tempura for dinner, my first time eating it, dipped in sauces and such.

our family got home a day earlier while the rest will continue until wednesday, my sister got sick and nose snotty hence we go home.

while on our way home us and the van driver are mesmerized by the 5 motorcycle and approximately 7 people gang/riders where they guy at the front does the turn signals and the rest of the group who're in a line formation follow. i joked about our van driver being hypnotized by it and forgetting about the part where we go home and instead chasing them. lmao

in the entire 2 days at the traveling by van part, we shuffled seat to seat, from the furhtst of backs, the middle row, and in my case, got the front seat (i called shotgun, dibs on that [what am i even saying??]). saw the beautiful views that didn't bore us, didnt took photos though so there's that.

yeah i think thats all of it about the tanay trip

its 2:27 AM now, january 31 as i finishing writing this feeling thirsty.

[sodasback]

Slapped

ER Nurse Rafe x ER Nurse Reader

Warnings: Cursing, physical violence

Not my GIF. All Credit to owner/creator: @the-mighty-div

You walked into the med room, just needing to catch your breath. The only other person in there was Rafe. You walked in, dramatically slumping your shoulders. “Aghhhh!” you all but yelled. 

Rafe looked up from the computer in the med room to you with a surprised expression that quickly turned sympathetic. 

He chuckled a little. “Rough day, baby?” 

You just looked at him and nodded, on the verge of tears, but not wanting to cry at work. 

He looked over your shoulder out the window that was in the door, before leaning against the shelves that were kind of out of view and pulling you into his chest a tight hug. He rested his cheek on top of your head. He felt you stiff as a board in his embrace. 

“You can cry, ya know?” He said softly. 

You shook your head. “You know me, if I start I won’t stop and I got stuff to do. My patient is crazy noncompliant and giving me a really hard time.” You explained, reluctantly letting go of Rafe. 

“You wanna switch?” Rafe asked sweetly. 

“No, Rafe. We can’t do that.” You said. He already knew that too. 

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked, pouting and feeling helpless. 

“Give me a massage tomorrow when you come over?” You asked. 

“You got it babe.” He said pecking your cheek. 

-

“Can you guys be nearby as witnesses? This patient is refusing everything and getting really combative.” You asked your charge nurse, Edgar and Rafe.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” Edgar asked. 

“Heart failure patient. Non compliant with his meds. Came in for shortness of breath and weight gain. Signs of hypokalemia. Super tachycardic. I need to draw blood so I can check his potassium. His BP when he came in was through the roof so I need to give him a IV metoprolol and lasix. He’s refusing everything now.”

You approached your patient with your coworkers standing nearby behind you, but not enough to seem threatening.

“Hi Mr. Kaplan, I have some medication that’s going to make you feel better, but I need to take your blood pressure first.” You tried to explain sweetly.

“No! Leave bitch!” He yelled. You took a deep breath.

“Sir, I understand you’re upset, but you can’t talk to me like that. I’m trying to help you. I don’t want to do anything you don’t want, but I don’t know why you’re here in the hospital if you don’t want any treatment.” 

“I said get out of here you cunt!” He shouted, standing up and taking a step toward you. You took a step back and Edgar and Rafe were immediately between you and the patient. 

“Page Dr. Strong” Edgar told you, even though you were already dialing. 

“Woah. Hey, you don’t talk to her like that. That’s not okay.” Rafe said, trying to stay calm. “You need to sit down, sir.” 

You went and grabbed AMA paperwork in case this patient really didn’t want treatment he was free to leave against medical advice, while the overhead page for Dr. Strong went off and security, a pharmacist and a psychiatrist were walking toward where your patient was. 

The Dr. Strong team had gotten the patient to calm down and the doctor explained to him again how important it was to take the medications. 

The doctor left to take care of something else, so a while later, you again came with your supplies to hopefully get everything done and the patient stable so he could get admitted upstairs. 

“Mr. Kaplan, I’m back. I just need to take your blood pressure real fast, it should only take a second.” 

He didn’t say anything and just glared straight ahead. You approached the side of his bed slowly and grabbed the blood pressure cuff to wrap around his arm. 

“Okay, I’m just putting the cuff on, okay?” You said as you started to touch his arm, the back of his hand collided with your face. 

“Don’t touch me! You bitch! I don’t want anyone here to do anything to me! Leave me alone!” 

You gasped holding your cheek. 

A lot of people saw it happen. Rafe was there in a second with murderous eyes and clenched fists, but luckily Edgar was fast enough to walk in front of Rafe anticipating this reaction. 

“Take care of Y/N” Edgar told Rafe, while he and the charge nurse tried to deal with the patient while paging the Dr. Strong team again. 

“Shit” You cursed at the sting as you grasped your cheek and tried to understand what just happened. Rafe immediately softened looking at you. You looked so small as you held onto your reddened cheek. He put an arm around your shoulder and ushered you away and sat you in a chair at the nearby nurses’ station. You were still kind of in shock. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, kneeling in front of you. You closed your eyes and shook your head trying to suck it up.

“Yeah!” You told him trying to sound confident. 

“Hey Estephany, can you grab her an ice pack? Y/N, stop, look at me.” He said more sternly. “You sure you’re okay?” He asked.

“Yes, Cameron, I’m fine” You assured him and tried to stand up. 

Rafe pushed you back into the chair. “Uh uh. Stay right here. You’ve been injured at work. So you need to be assessed.”

You rolled your eyes at him using those words knowing now you had to do all the workers comp formalities.

Rafe gently reached up and pulled your hand away from your face. He inspected your cheek and under your eye as Estephany passed him an ice pack.

“It doesn’t look like you got cut anywhere” he said.

“Yup! See? Totally fine!” You confirmed, trying to get up again.

“Y/N, sit your ass down and let me check you out.” You smiled at the choice of words but you knew he didn’t intend to try to flirt with you right now.

“Okay, we’ll if you’re gonna check me out, then I guess I can sit here and look pretty.” You decided, straightening your posture and flipping your hair over your shoulder.

Rafe glared at you but it broke into a small smile he couldn’t hold back as he shook his head and pulled out his pen light.

“Look at my nose” he said, tapping his nose. You felt your heart melt as Rafe treated you like a patient for a second and you thought about how many times you’ve both said that to patients. You knew he was checking your neuro status and to see if you were concussed since the patient who slapped you was pretty big and strong. But you were focused on the butterflies in your tummy at your caring, some would argue overbearing new boyfriend, and his sparkling blue eyes. 

“Nose, Y/N.” He reminded you when you were still swimming in his eyes and then he checked your pupil reactions. “Can you tell me what day it is?”

“I can tell you every One Direction song Niall Horan plays guitar for?” You offered.

“That doesn’t tell me anything. You could do that even if you were in a coma. Come on.” 

“Rafe” you groaned, now finding this ridiculous.

“What day is it, Rookie?” He asked more firmly.

“It’s Thursday ...which by the way, means it’s been 4 days since the last time you fucked me, which is way too long in my opinion.” You whispered the last part.

Rafe widened his eyes. “Shhh! Frickin trouble maker!” He scolded, looking around to see if anyone nearby heard you. 

“See? Now, you know my memory is intact, I can count, I know what day it is and my sex drive is healthy.”

"I never had doubts about the last part, dirty girl.” Rafe teased quietly as he placed the ice pack on your cheek. 

“And I’m the one that needs to sush!” You protested in mock offense at his comment. 

“No but seriously, are you okay? ..like emotionally?” Rafe asked softly.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” You nodded. “Promise.” 

-

You were walking out of work when Rafe and Edgar caught up to you. 

“Hey Y/N do you need a ride home?” Rafe asked. 

You looked at him truly confused. “Why would I need a ride home?” 

“You got smacked in the face.” Rafe said like it was obvious. Even Edgar furrowed his brow at him. 

“It happens.” You shrugged and chuckled. 

“Yeah, Rafe I think Rookie over here can handle driving 2 miles.” Edgar joked. 

“Text me when you get home?” Rafe asked you quietly, despite all 3 of you knowing that Edgar knew about you and Rafe. 

You rolled your eyes. 

“Y/N.” Rafe warned. 

“Yes, Cameron, I will text you in 10 minutes when I get home.” You said, exhausted by Rafe’s overprotectiveness, even though it still made you all warm and fuzzy inside. 

-

“Bro” Edgar said to Rafe when they got in the car together.

Rafe looked at him expectantly. “What?”

“You gotta be careful man with this whole situation.” Edgar said, gesturing to Rafe and where you were getting in your car in the parking lot.

“What are you talking about?” Rafe continued to play clueless.

“With Y/N man. You’re too protective of her at work dude.”

Rafe just scoffed and shook his head.

“What would’ve happened if I didn’t step in front of you tonight?” Edgar asked.

Rafe was quiet for a second, “I probably would have beaten the shit out of that patient and lost my job and nursing license.” He admitted.

Edgar gave him an I-told-you-so smile. “This is why you don’t fuck your coworkers, bud.” He said, turning the key in the ignition.

Rafe shook his head again. “It’s not like that dude-“

“Yeah, I know, you’re in love with her.”

“Well- I mean- I don’t know if I’d go that far. We’ve only known each other-“

“Oh my god. Shut up!” Edgar groaned, “You fell for her the first day she started working here and you know it.” Rafe just smiled to himself. “You just have to be careful Rafe. She’s not made of glass. She’s a badass. She can handle herself. You can’t be protective of her here. You’re gonna get yourself in a lot of trouble. ....And plus it really makes the whole secretly dating each other thing superrrr obvious bro.”

“Do you think anyone knows?” Rafe asked.

Edgar shook his head, “Nah, I don’t think so.” Even though Edgar knew pretty much everyone knew from day 1.

Taglist: @moniamaybank @abbyj1822 @october-cameron @hernameisnoell @railmerafe​

[spacedikut]

“i want to love someone and be loved” ; spencer reid - part 2

pairing: spencer reid (criminal minds) x f!reader

summary: spencer decides it’s time to tell you, but he needs some help. 3887 words. part 1

a/n: THIS is the longest fic ive ever written but im actually kinda proud of how it turned out? i hope this is a good sequel :)

Spencer chickens out of telling you the next day.

He avoids you all weekend, actually. You resisted texting him the day after Rossi’s because you assumed he’d be busy – with his big plan involving a girl that isn’t you. You’re not bitter – but Sunday comes around and you message him not long after you wake up and six hours later there’s no response.

Twelve hours later - there’s no response.

Monday, you don’t have time to say hello to anyone – there’s a case waiting for you, somewhere in Florida.

Reid avoids your eyes. His body language tells you something is wrong, so you assume whoever he confessed to didn’t reciprocate (they’re insane) and he’s dealing with it. So you don’t press.

Spencer pretends to sleep the entire jet ride. He’s avoiding everyone, not just you.

He spent the whole weekend beating himself up. He drove to your apartment on Saturday, sat outside for so long a neighbour knocked on his window and asked if he was lost, but couldn’t bring himself to step foot out of his car.

So he locked himself in his room, away from you and your loveliness and away from his phone because he knew you texted him and he knew you’d send some soft message about being there for him if he needs anything and he didn’t need to be reminded of how beautiful and out of reach you are.

Derek seemed to be waiting for him Monday morning, arms crossed as he held a cup of coffee. It was weird seeing him in before Spencer.

“How’d it go?” He immediately asked.

“How’d what go?” Spencer mumbles, flinging his bag on the floor by his desk. He slumps in his seat.

Derek raises a dark eyebrow, “You know what, pretty boy. You had a big thing? Big plan?”

“Didn’t work out.”

It doesn’t take a profiler to realise Spencer is very clearly saying leave me alone. Leave it alone.

Derek isn’t one to leave it alone. Especially when it comes to Spencer.

He sighs and moves a little closer to Spencer’s desk, just in case someone overhears them.

“What happened?”

“That’s exactly it,” Spencer slams open a file, “Nothing happened.”

“And why did nothing happen?”

“Because I’m an idiot that can’t even tell a girl how I feel.”

“Whoa- hey!”

Derek spins Spencer’s chair so they’re face to face. Derek takes one look in Spencer’s eyes and knows what’s going on – he got too into his head and backed out at the last minute.

“You’re not an idiot. Why didn’t you do it?”

Spencer shrugs, “I got to her apartment. I had flowers, too. I don’t know.”

Derek’s evidently concerned – Spencer’s beaten up over this, over whoever this girl is, and he deserves the chance to experience love. Spencer deserves a lot more than he himself thinks he does.

“You seemed really excited, man. You can still do it. Just cause you try once and it doesn’t work out doesn’t mean you can’t ever try again.”

Spencer stares off into the distance, accidentally ignoring Derek as his thoughts slip out of his mouth, “Yeah, it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway – I was stupid to think I could get someone like her.”

“Hey, no.” Derek nudges Spencer’s shoulder so he looks at him again, “Don’t talk like that. You’re one hell of a guy, Reid. All you gotta do is get that confidence that you had Friday night back, and you’re all set. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Spencer gives a feeble nod. Derek moves back to his desk, knowing he isn’t convinced, but he isn’t done yet.

+++

Later, in Florida, Spencer’s making a coffee in the precinct’s kitchen after waiting twenty minutes for you to leave. Luck’s on his side, for once, and you’ve been working non-stop with Prentiss going crime scene to crime scene so he hasn’t had to actively avoid you. You smile at him every chance you get, though, and it distracts him.

Someone clears their throat behind him. It’s Penelope, whom Spencer didn’t realise was invited on this case.

She looks guilty. Spencer recognises that face; the face she has when she’s done something she shouldn’t have or knows something she isn’t really supposed to. Given current circumstances, Spencer bets it’s the latter reason.

“Morgan told me something he shouldn’t have.”

Bingo.

He leans against the kitchen counter, stirring his coffee absentmindedly.

“What did he tell you?” He asks, feigning tranquillity. Inside he’s screaming non-stop.

She’s got her hands clasped together in front of her, almost innocently, and fiddles with her fingers, “He told me you needed assistance in the love department.” Before he can object, she continues, “And I am willing to do anything if it means our resident weirdo-slash-genius falls in love and gets to experience some much needed cuteness.”

There’s no point in lying to her. There’s also no point in being mad that Morgan told her about his situation – they’re kind of a package deal. And, who knows, Garcia might be able to help.

“So…” She sways, trying (and failing) to appear nonchalant, “Who’s the lucky lady?”

Spencer shuffles on the spot, scuffing his shoes against the floor. He debates whether he should tell her, since, you know, you’re in the next room over, but Spencer worries that Garcia is so good at her job she’d somehow find out through hacking Spencer’s phone, or maybe somehow hacking his dreams. His subconscious. He’s terrified of Garcia and her abilities.

“You can tell me.” She insists, “I’m much better at keeping secrets than Morgan.”

Spencer turns away from her, she steps closer, and he mumbles your name.

“What?”

“Y/N.”

“WHAT?!”

Spencer spins, hands coming up to tell Garcia to shut up and Garcia immediately covers her mouth in both shock and hopefully so she doesn’t shout again.

“Since when?!” She screeches. “How could I not have known?! Oh God, almighty Doctor Reid, I feel like I’ve failed you by not realising earlier.”

Her enthusiasm makes him smile, for the first time in far too long. Garcia has that power – this innate skill to comfort those around her and make them feel special, make them smile when the world feels like its collapsing.

“Let me help!” She requests.

Spencer’s clearly hesitant. He knows it’s a bad idea.

“Please!” She begs, “I just- I have so many ideas of how you can go about this. Let me brainstorm, get back to you, and if I’m too over-the-top you can tell me no and we’ll pretend it never happened!”

He takes a deep breath. Yes, Garcia is the definition of over-the-top, but that’s one of his favourite things about her. It’s your favourite thing, too. And he did tell Morgan he had big plans. Anything involving Garcia is a big plan with big payoff.

“This is between us.”

“I’ll take it to the grave. Unless you realise how amazing my ideas are and use one to tell Y/N how you feel and then years later I get to commend myself during my maid of honour speech at your wedding.”

She looks ecstatic, hands now together under her jaw as her eyes twinkle. Spencer can’t help but laugh at her eagerness.

+++

The next day, the team returns to Quantico after a semi-successful case. The general mood is good and Morgan invites everyone out for drinks – Spencer declines, but you have your first full conversation since last Friday.

“C’mon, Spence,” Your head rests against the jet seat and you blink sleepily at him, “I feel like I haven’t spoken to you for years!”

Spencer gives you a small smile, “I promised my mom I’d call her tonight. Sorry, Y/N.”

You nod in understanding, “Will you tell her I say hi?”

“Of course. She loves you.”

You grin at eachother, immediately lost in your own world. You’ve missed him more than you realised, and you have no idea what’s going through his head, but you’re happy that you’ve had this – a Spencer Reid smile that makes you feel at home and on top of the world simultaneously.

Spencer has to tear his eyes away before he blurts something stupid, like she’s not the only one that loves you.

+++

“Spencer!” Garcia greets, Cheshire cat grin on her face. “I need to see you in my dungeon, please. Immediately.”

Spencer drops the file he’s holding. Unfortunately, Penelope’s request caught the attention of the whole team.

“What business do you have in the villain’s lair, Reid?” Derek asks. You’ve looked up from your computer, Emily smirking and leaning back in her chair in expectation.

“Uh…”

“Important nerd business. Go away.” Garcia says, eyes narrow as she tugs Spencer’s hand. He’s whisked away from any further questioning, leaving the befuddled team behind.

He isn’t sure what to expect when he stumbles into Penelope’s second home, but the display in front of him explains why he overheard a conversation about missing evidence boards earlier. Penelope’s obviously been using the new printer in her cave to her advantage – there’s at least twenty different pictures printed out on one board titled “date ideas”, then the board on the right has a picture of Spencer and you in the centre with a perfectly drawn heart around it. Under and around that is a mixture of love quotes, including song lyrics and quotes directly from romantic movies. He notices “The Parliament of Fowls” on there – Garcia remembers that he mentioned it’s considered the first Valentines poem?

“Whoa,” Is all he can say.

“I know it’s a little intense,” Garcia squirms, “But! I started scrolling through Pinterest and couldn’t stop. I don’t know what came over me, maybe some type of love deity, but I started thinking about you and Y/N in a classic love film in, like, black and white and I…”

She’s out of breath from animatedly explaining.

Spencer laughs through his nose, almost a scoff, but he’s impressed. He shouldn’t have expected anything else from the Penelope Garcia.

As Spencer wanders towards the first board, Garcia follows him like a shadow, “My personal favourite is-“ She points to a picture of chocolate fondue with faceless people in very little clothing, “-this one.”

Spencer awkwardly clears his throat when he begins to think of you and him like that.

“A little much for your declaration of love, though, I get it,” Garcia nods.

He scans the board – heart speeding up when he moves from idea to idea and picturing you and him in each one. He can’t help but think no, that one would be good for our anniversary – ah, she’d love to do that one for her birthday.

“What’re you thinking?” Garcia asks quietly. She knows his brain is whirring like her computer drive, so she approaches him gently.

“This one.” He says. “Where should we do it?”

Garcia grins behind him. The one he’s referring to shows a dinner table set up outside, brown wooded table with white wooden chairs opposite eachother. There’s flowers at the centre, a bottle of wine already poured in each glass in front of a basket of cookies, and the area around is shrouded by shrubbery, fairy lights hanging delicately from every-which-way.

It’s perfect. You love fairy lights, Spencer loves cookies, and the set-up looks private enough for Spencer to feel confident when he empties his heart and soul to you.

“The roof.” Garcia says wistfully.

“We have access to that?”

“Yes.” They both know they don’t. “Leave it to me. Oh… one more thing.” She adds, hesitantly, “Can Morgan help? I’m a lot of things, including emotionally strong and your love guru, but physically I’m gonna need some assistance.”

Spencer doesn’t even need to agree – Morgan’s gonna involve himself no matter what.

+++

Five o’clock is quickly approaching and you’re slumped over your desk, lost in your work. You need to be lost in it, because ever since Garcia released Spencer from her office right after lunch he’s been sneaking glances at you (he’s not sneaky) and has made several attempts to approach you but decided against it, sharply turning and pretending he meant to go another way instead.

You are beyond confused. You assume it’s to do with the girl he’s been trying to get over – you hope he’s been trying to build the confidence to tell you exactly what happened and maybe, you really hope, he’ll invite you over for the weekend so you can slip back into your old routine.

“Psst.”

You assume they’re not trying to get your attention, so you don’t move.

“Psst!”

You still don’t move.

“Y/N!”

Your head snaps up to Spencer leaning over the divider between your desks. He looks alarmed – which is odd, given he’s the one who called you – and he opens and closes his mouth a few times before he finally speaks.

“Are you busy tonight?” He sits back and, if he wasn’t so goddamn tall, all you’d be able to see would be his eyes. His added height means you can see his eyes and his nose. You wanna kiss it.

You smile – this is an olive branch, “I am completely available for whatever it is you might need.”

You sound incredibly eager, which you are. You miss him.

His cheeks move upwards, a smile, “Can I talk to you, later, on the roof? Uh-“ He clears his throat, “-I need to tell you something.”

You raise an eyebrow, “You’re not gonna push me off, right?”

“No,” He laughs.

“Promise me.”

Now he guffaws, “I would never, Y/N!”

“Promise me, Reid!”

“Alright, alright! I promise!” He’s jokingly raising his hands in a form of surrender.

You give him another smile and turn back to your work. You feel at ease, now, thinking he’s finally gonna tell you what happened on the weekend – finally you’ll be able to help him and go back to normal.

Spencer, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of ease. He’s about to pour his heart out to you.

He takes a deep breath and looks back to his computer, which is open on a tab titled “How to Tell Someone You Like Them.”

Step 3: Be Confident.

Spencer opens a new tab and searches, “How to be confident.”

+++

Garcia hacks into Spencer’s computer to open a document and type that the roof is ready. She wishes him luck, tells him she loves him, and calls dibs on being the godmother of your future children. As if she doesn’t have enough godchildren as it is.

He clears his throat and your head snaps towards him. You’ve been done for a while, playing Tetris on your phone, waiting for Spencer to take you to the roof where he swears he won’t kill you – you’re not entirely convinced.

“Um-“ He scratches his neck, “You ready to go?”

You nod and give him a weak smile in hopes it gives him some type of reassurance.

“Whatever happened, it’s okay, Spence.”

All he does is nod in return, gathering his coat and bag. He doesn’t really register what you say, or he would’ve been very confused.

You follow him up to the roof. The elevator ride is silent and Spencer is jittery; his hands twitch and tap against his legs, he’s bouncing on his toes and he keeps looking at you through the corner of his eye. You’ve taken several deep breaths to calm your racing heart – you hate heights, and this is the closest you’ve been to Spencer in a week. This will be the longest conversation you’ve had with him in a week, too.

The second the doors open, Spencer leaps in front of you.

“Wait!”

You jump back in surprise, “What? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Completely fine. Just… when we get there, let me explain first, okay? Before you say anything.” He’s pleading, as if you’ve already told him no. You look at him with furrowed brows and mumble an ‘okay’.

You’re visibly confused as you trek up the flight of stairs to the roof. Spencer pushes open the fire door and the first thing you notice is how bright the roof is – you always assumed it’d be dark, little light, especially at night like this.

Wait.

There’s fairy lights… everywhere. You’re pretty sure this isn’t the norm for the FBI roof.

Spencer is equally as awed at what he sees before him - it’s exactly the photo he saw in Garcia’s cave brought to life, but he’s too distracted by you to fully appreciate it. You look like a child on Christmas; eyes wide, pupils blown, mouth slightly agape. You’re gorgeous.

“What…is this, Spence?” You wonder, noticing the set table, fingers grazing the roses that sit in a vase in the middle. They’re fresh and smell wonderful.

He stands a little behind you, fiddling with his hands, and clears his throat, “Would you like to take a seat?”

You do. When he finally sits, he pours you a glass of wine and you immediately take an anxious sip. Although Rossi is a big fan of wine, you rarely take interest in it only when Spencer’s involved. You’ve come to associate wine with him – a smile peeks out from your glass as you stare at the man opposite you.

“I need to get something off my chest. But there’s cookies, if you want one,” He picks one up from his plate, breaking it in half and giving it to you. He’s stalling, but you seem to take the bait and bite into it.

“Are these from the bakery two blocks away?”

“Yeah,” He replies, but he isn’t really paying attention. He doesn’t know where to begin.

You wait patiently for him to open up. You’re still unsure of what to make of all of this – the beautiful setting, the wine, the flowers, the lights. God, the lights are dazzling in the Virginia night sky. You need context, and you need it now.

“Spence-“

“Listen.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry, I just…” He trails off, “I need to say what I need to say before I back out again.”

You fold your hands in your lap. You’re ready for whatever’s to come.

“Do you know how long we’ve known eachother?” He asks. His head tilts like a puppy.

“Nearly five years. Our friendaversary is coming up, you know.”

You realise, then, that this must be a celebration for that – that explains the… typically romantic setting. Before you can open your mouth to ask if that what’s this is, Spencer speaks.

“Four years, three-hundred and sixty days. That’s how long we’ve known eachother.”

“If we were dating, we would’ve been my longest relationship the second we passed a year.”

You don’t know why you said it, but it flusters him. He has to pause to take a breath and collect his thoughts.

“I’ve been in love with you for four years and three hundred and fifty-eight days, Y/N.”

It’s silent as you process and he figures out how to continue.

“I knew you were special when you were introduced to us. Hotch already had such a soft spot for you, and you had this way about you that made us all fall in love instantly. I remember Garcia did a background check the second she found out your name and she said you remind her of me and I… that freaked me out, to be honest. I thought you’d try to replace me.” He huffs a laugh, but can’t bring himself to look you in the eye, “I realised I was in love with you when you drunkenly defended me. Do you remember that?” His eyes flicker to yours for half a second – you’re wide-eyed, “You’d known me for two days at that point, but we’d already done a case together so we were celebrating. And these guys at the bar were whispering about me, acting like I couldn’t hear them, and the second you realised what was happening you stood up, stormed towards them and gave them a piece of your mind. It was incredible.

“You barely knew me, at least personally, but you thought so highly of me you scolded a group of drunk bodybuilders without a second thought. You made them apologise – it was hysterical watching someone half their size force them into submission like that – and when you were done you asked if I wanted to leave and go get ice cream. We couldn’t, cause you vomited on the way there, but I knew in that moment I loved you and I feel so hard, so quickly, I didn’t know what to do. And you never… you never indicated you thought of me as anything other than a friend so I didn’t try. Then you dated Greg who, in my opinion, sucked on his best days, and you encouraged me to date Abigail and I…”

He’s run out of breath and of things to say.

“I just love you, Y/N. I’m in love with you.” He adds, “I hope that’s okay.”

He finally looks at you, then. You’re just staring and he panics when he can’t make out what you’re feeling. He’s always been able to read you, you’ve always hated the saying that eyes are the windows to the soul because your eyes are always your tell, but now they’re… glassy.

You’re crying.

“Spencer…” You gasp, throat tight.

“It’s okay.” Spencer gives a tight-lipped smile. He knows what’s coming. He should’ve expected it. He has been expecting it.

“I love you too, Spence.”

Spencer chokes on air. He takes a gulp of wine.

You give him a teary smile in disbelief, “I’ve always loved you, Spence. I thought you knew that – I thought that big brain of yours knew exactly how I felt and… you didn’t do anything about it so I thought you didn’t feel the same. Spencer…”

He slowly moves a hand to place it palm-up on the table. Immediately you place your hand in his, your grip tight as you lovingly stare at him. This feels unreal.

“I’m in love with you too, you idiot.” You half laugh, half cry, “If you’ve really loved me this long, we’ve wasted so much time! God, we’re both idiots.”

Spencer’s crying too, now, and he starts laughing with you.

You’re two idiots in love, sitting opposite eachother on the roof of your place of work in a dream-like surrounding filled with fairy lights and flowers, and you could’ve been doing this for years.

Spencer sniffles, looking at you through his wet eyelashes, “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

“If I say yes, will I get more dates like this?” You tease.

“Well, Garcia has a whole evidence board of date ideas she stole from Pinterest. We have enough ideas to last a lifetime.” He giggles.

“Penny was in on this?!”

Spencer gives a heh, “This is all thanks to her, so yeah.”

“She’s always had our backs.”

“She’s also now going to be convinced she’s cupid.”

You laugh again, and can’t help yourself when you lean across the table, still gripping Spencer’s hand, and letting your lips fall on his. Spencer leans into you, lips moving against yours as you both try to suppress grins.

You pull back slightly, Spencer’s lips following you, and whisper, “I would love to be your girlfriend.”

He kisses you again. And again. And again, just cause he can.

Big plan, big payoff. You’re worth every little stress and more.

[17wishbones]

Here is the FINAL part (3) of Chapter VII: War’s End! So glad that you made it all to the end. A rather bittersweet sort of sensation but, it was fun writing this to the very end. I so wanted a happy ending, but I still sort of followed Rengoku’s path and cried my eyes out again but it was worth it. Again, this one I know I could write better so I’m going to work on it. Thank you all for reading through this and sticking with me. This was just so fun to do!

- - - - - - - -

                                      Chapter VII: War’s End

“Everyone ready to go?” Tanjiro asked his ‘lively’ crew.

Zenitsu was sitting with Nezuko who was comfortably set in her box. “Yep, yep! Me and Nezuko-chan are as ready as we’ll ever be.”

“Finally! I can get out and stretch my legs!” Inosuke shouted with glee as he grabbed his two blades.

“Hope you have room for one more.”

“Oh, sure, we do-- _____, is that. . . is that really you?”

“In the flesh.” You stepped through the doorway in just the uniform. Over the weeks, you garnered a leveled bob cut of your locs, an eyepatch over your left eye, and scars littering your arms and around your face. “I’ve missed you all so much.”

“COOOOOOK!!!” Inosuke bum-rushed you into a hug, sniffling loudly beneath his boar’s head. “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?”

Zenitsu joined him, well, more like pushed him out of the way as he hugged you next. “____, WE WERE WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU!! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A GONER!!”

“I’m so sorry for up and leaving just like that. There was a lot to process after the Mugen Train incident, and I didn’t want to muddle your healthy minds with my emotions. I wanted to be mentally strong for you guys.” 

‘Her scent is still sad. Of course, she has a reason to be. She lost Rengoku-san, and has had to cope with that loss on her own. I know how tough that can be, but I have Nezuko with me still. She doesn’t have any kin or home to return to. Demon slaying is all she has. . . and us.’ Tanjiro’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! You have us.”

“Hmm? What was that, Tanjiro?” You asked.

“We’re a family, isn’t that right, _____?”

His words surprised you, and it made your heart jump with joy. You looked at all four of them as a part of your family. There wasn’t anything you wouldn’t do for them. “You’re absolutely right. That’s why I want to come with you. Besides, as a Hashira, it is but my civic duty to protect Kyōjurō’s juniors.” Tears formed in the corner of your eyes as you spoke fondly of him. “He was so ecstatic to have more apprentices under his belt. Therefore, I must follow in his footsteps and watch over you.”

“YEEEESS!! Having Cook with us will make traveling even better.”

Zenitsu frowned at him. ‘As if traveling with you has been anything pleasant.’

“Now, before we go. I want to see Senjuro. Did you relay the message to him already, Tanjiro?”

“Mhm. As soon as we got back, and when I was able to move. Do you want us to come with you? We’re heading through that direction anyway.”

“Perfect! Let’s be off then.”

You all travelled down to the Rengoku Estate, seeing Senjuro sweeping out of his home. He was caught off guard when you embraced him.

For a moment, there was silence as he held you back tightly, his eyes swelling with tears. Seeing him reminded you of all the times you spent together. The three of you were a team when you and Rengoku were training for the Final Selection. Senjuro, sweet and kind, had a quiet fire burning in him. He was going to be something amazing, just like his brother.

“Senjuro, how have you been? Are you alright?” You inspected him from his ember-tipped hair down to his sandals.

“I’m better now, after seeing you. You left in such a hurry, I was worried that you weren’t going to come back.”

“You’re stronger than I, Senjuro, and I wanted to be that for you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, _____. Are you leaving with Tanjiro and the others now?”

“Yes. I want to follow in your brother’s footsteps and protect those that I love and those that can’t protect themselves.” You knelt down, looking into his big, soft eyes. “I really wanted us to be together.” You said this, not knowing when death would knock at your doorstep. “I love you, Senjuro. I know you’ll be a great man in the future.”

“Mmm, I think I will be, too.” He hugged you one more time. “I love you, too, _____!”

You returned the favor before you both let go. You reached for your belt, pulling out a small box of goodies. “For you. Hope you like them. Take care, Senjuro.”

Your days, though filled with amazing memories, came to a close as you fell protecting the children. More than anything, you wanted them to succeed. Sacrificing yourself was the only way to win. It was a swift pain, a slow burn, and then darkness bled into your vision as your soul lifted towards the light and your warm, wavering aura vanished from your body.

You were sorry that you couldn’t stay as you walked halfway across the red bridge, spotting flame-tipped hair just over yonder. He peered over his shoulder, a proud smile spread on his handsome features as he held his hand out to you.

Over the red bridge did you both cross, fading into the distance.                                                          

                                       ( B O N U S - E N D I N G)

Summer had come and college was out! Most couldn’t wait to spend it goofing off on a beach, traveling across the States, or going right back into school a couple weeks later for summer courses. Many people had many things to look forward to, but you? You had woken up at the ass crack of dawn, taking in the morning air as you raced down the steps with your suitcase fully packed.

“Mom! Dad! Come on! We have to get the airport now! I can’t be late.” Your parents were so slow sometimes and that made you anxious. You could leave them here and catch a ride there or make it on your own but they were not having any of that.

“We’re coming, _____, we’re coming!” Your dad said with a mouthful of foaming toothpaste.

“You usually don’t wake up this early with this much energy.” Your mom added. 

“It’s not everyday you get to study abroad in the land of the Rising Sun! I have a day’s worth of traveling to do so I can always sleep later.” Yeah, you didn’t get any kind of sleep last night as you’d be spending most of it in the air.

You hurried them up and sped to the busy airport to meet with the group of classmates you were leaving with. You said your goodbyes to your parents, boarded the plane, and wished for a safe trip. 

As soon as service was offered, you grabbed a couple drinks, ate whatever they served in the trays, and knocked out until landing - save for the few bathroom trips -. 

Your horizon suddenly expanded the moment you walked out of Japan’s airport, looking around you in amazement. You had to keep murmuring to yourself, “Do not weeb out. I repeat, do not weeb out.” You loved anime, you loved Japanese culture, and you loved their idea of cuisine. Japan felt like the place for you.

“Okay everyone, please come together,” spoke your sweet, endearing Japanese princess of a teacher, Mayamoto-sensei. “We’ll be heading two hours out by bus to Kimetsu Daigaku (Kimetsu University). Rest up and be ready for a little surprise set up by a few students who were interested in meeting you guys soon after arrival.”

You internally squealed with glee. You weren’t dressed up for the occasion but who was going to tell you that you couldn’t wear a pair of sweats on the ride there. With your short locs retwisted and your good outfits packed, you were set to go!

So set that you were the first off the bus and getting your things out. “This is going to be a great experience, I know it!” 

“Nn! I agree!” 

“Oh my god!” You jumped, scared by the booming voice beside you. “Oh… oh my god.” You had laid eyes on one of the most unique men you had ever had the pleasure of gazing upon. He was different, what with his flame highlighted tips, dazzling eyes, and charming smile. 

“Yes. . .?” He slowly stood, his eyes never leaving yours once locked. This man, a vocal and expressive man, was left speechless. He ogled you for much longer than he’s ever done, going over your brown skin, your brown eyes, your short locs, everything! He immediately bowed before you, introducing himself. “Konnichiwa! Rengoku Kyōjurō to moushimasu! Yoroshiku onegai-shimasu!” (Formal: (Hello!) I’m called Rengoku Kyōjurō! Nice to meet you!)

Your eyes bugged out of your face. ‘Shit! Wasn’t he speaking English a minute ago? Okay, okay, what did he say?’ You looked back to see your sensei and the students watching the two of you interact. This was not how you kept yourself out of weeb trouble. Hell, you were still trying to figure out what his fine ass said so fast.

“Onamae wa, nan desu ka?” (Polite: What’s your name?)

You sighed, being able to understand that. “Watashi no namae wa… _____ _____ desu. Doozo yoroshiku.” (Casual: My name is _____. Nice to meet you.)

‘_____?’ He eyed you for a second longer before he placed his hands on his hips, smiling wide from ear to ear. “Very good, _____! I’m Rengoku Kyōjurō, and I am with a few classmates to meet you all. Welcome to Kimetsu University!”

“Woooow, his English is so good.” You thought. Aloud.

“Thank you! I have been learning since elementary! Your pronunciation is good, but your flow is slow. However, I am sure you will improve after being here for a month!” 

‘Oh, thanks for putting me out there!’ You smiled nervously. This handsome, wild man was nothing like you had expected. “That’s what I’m hoping for as I’d like to work, live, and travel here in the future.”

“Is that so?” He faced you with his arms crossed over his chest. “Be my student!” Your mouth, along with the others, dropped at his proposal. You looked to your sensei for help, and she encouraged it with an approving nod and smile. “Great, then it’s settled! You’ll be fluent in Japanese in no time!” He looked off to the distance, laughing loud as you smiled in confusion.

(Modern AU Sequel coming SOON!) - - - - - - - - - Chapters: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII (Part 1) / (Part 2) / (Part 3)

[summersun4youforever]

✨ Tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

tagged by my fav @loulovehome thank you pu hope that this quells your curiosity! 

MUSIC

fav genre? not to be that person but i think i have a toe in most genres, i suppose my favorites have got to be anything taylor swift does, pop punk, r&b pop/new age r&b, and bluegrass

fav artist? again, not to be that person but i love so many artists! let’s do this based off of genre: taylor swift, 1D, 5sos, massive focus on ZAYN, the Avett brothers, and counting crows

fav song? fav song of all time (since i was young) is going to be come around by rhett miller but more currently i’d say you are in love by taylor swift and dRuNk by ZAYN

song currently stuck in your head? i have no idea how it got there but i have stressed out by 21 pilots stuck in my head??

5 fav lyrics? ok let’s do this kids. edit: this went in a “fav love song lyrics” way so sorry in advance.

1)  I hope that I don't sound to insane when I say / There is darkness all around us / I don't feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me / And reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin' (January Wedding - The Avett Brothers)

2)  Hands around my waist / You're counting up the hills across the sheets / And I'm a falling star / A glimmer lighting up these cotton streets / I admit I'm a bit of a fool for playing by the rules / But I've found my sweet escape when I'm alone with you (Disconnected - 5sos)

3)  This is the worthwhile fight / Love is a ruthless game / Unless you play it good and right / These are the hands of fate / You're my Achilles heel / This is the golden age of something good / And right and real (State of Grace - Taylor Swift) 

4)  What if I changed my mind / What if I said it's over / I been flying so long / Can't remember what it was like to be sober / What if I lost my lives? / What if I said "Game over"? / What if I forget my lies? / And I lose all my composure (Back to Life - ZAYN)

5)   I never said I was perfect / Or you don't deserve a good person to carry your baggage / I know a few girls that can handle it / I ain't that kind of chick, but I can call 'em for you if you want / I never said that you wasn't attractive / Your style and that beard, ooh, don't get me distracted / I'm tryna be patient, and patience takes practice / The fact is I'm leaving, so just let me have this (Jerome - Lizzo)

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

fav book genre? murder mystery and young love!

fav writer? jane austen, lisa jewell, and rick riordan (nostalgia ok?!)

fav book? the way i used to be my amber smith, rebecca by daphane du maurier, and then she was gone OR watching you (both by Lisa Jewell)

fav book series? i guess the whole percy jackson situations? i have everything RR every wrote, and i liked it all but i havent touched the older ones in ages

comfort book? not one specifically but the nancy drew books

perfect book to read on a rainy day? bird summons by leila aboulela

5 quotes from your fav book that you know by heart? i hope i can name five...

1)  “The point is, life has to be endured, and lived. But how to live it is the problem.” “I am no traveller, you are my world.” (both are My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier)

2)  “And I’m terrified he’ll see through the tough iceberg layer, and he’ll discover not a soft, sweet girl, but an ugly fucking disaster underneath.” (The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith)

3)  "I cannot make speeches, Emma," he soon resumed; and in a tone of such sincere, decided, intelligible tenderness as was tolerably convincing. "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am. You hear nothing but truth from me. I have blamed you, and lectured you, and you have borne it as no other woman in England would have borne it. Bear with the truths I would tell you now, dearest Emma, as well as you have borne with them. The manner, perhaps, may have as little to recommend them. God knows, I have been a very indifferent lover. But you understand me. Yes, you see, you understand my feelings and will return them if you can. At present, I ask only to hear, once to hear your voice.” (Emma by Jane Austen) (sorry for the length, the shortened versions were not cutting it for me)

4)  “Read, read, read. That's all I can say.” (The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene)

5)  “...amazing how boring you can get away with being when you’re pretty. No one seems to notice. When you’re pretty everyone just assumes you must have a great life. People are so short-sighted, sometimes. People are so stupid. I have a dark past and I have dark thoughts. I do dark things and I scare myself sometimes.” (Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell)

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary (im a very judgmental reader) | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

fav tv/movie genre? i like dramedies, mockumentaries, and procedurals 

fav movie? ive got a massive list on my phone but ill pick Doob (No Bed of Roses) and 3-Iron as my favs for today

comfort movie? 2000s romcoms, im talking clueless, 13 going on 30, how to loe a guy in ten days, ten things i hate abt you, legally blonde

movie you watch every year? mamma mia and all listed in prev question

fav tv show? too many, currently im rewatching arrested development

comfort tv show? new girl

most rewatched tv show? new girl

ultimate otp? shawn and jules from psych (ultimate bc ive been watching since diapers literally)

5 fav characters? winston bishop, stiles stilinski, bellamy blake, clarke griffin, lydia martin

tv shows or movies | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

super fun even though it took me an hour lmao, I'm tagging @technosoot @hometothecanyonmoon @sassylilnoodle @sushiniall @rosegold-thorns no pressure and sorry if youve already been tagged!

edit: i somehow managed to forget what i consider to be one of the greatest opening verses ever???? so bonus lyrics:

Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog / Where no one notices the contrast of white on white / And in between the moon and you / The angels get a better view / Of the crumbling difference between wrong and right (Round Here - Counting Crows)

[troubatrain]

four times you talked about having a baby + one time you did - k. hayes

a/n: here’s a very cute fluffy 4+1 from my old blog! :)

I.

You watched Kevin on the floor, listening to the babbling toddler in front of him, laughing along with whatever his niece was trying to tell him. His sister had made the trip down to New York, and was out getting lunch with a friend while you and Kevin had offered to babysit. It was the first time you were meeting any members of his family, and you’d only been dating for a few months - but watching Kevin with his niece was doing something to you.

You pull your phone out of your pocket, snapping a photo of the two, “This is too cute.”

“You’re too cute,” Kevin says instantly, his niece walking over to you to be picked up, a grin finding its way to Kevin’s face.

You pick her up kissing the top of her forehead, “I think she’s cuter than both of us.”

You spend the rest of the afternoon in Kevin’s apartment, playing house with his niece. Watching Kevin run around his apartment with his niece was straight up endearing, and you were happy that she liked you too. She’d fallen asleep snuggled between you and Kevin, a couple of goldfish stuck to her Uncle’s shirt and she rested on your lap. By the time Kevin’s sister and her headed back to their hotel, you were absolutely exhausted - not even considering the idea of headed to your own place and opting to crash at Kevin’s.

“Do you think you want kids?” Kevin asks, plopping down next to you into bed, blue eyes looking at you full of hope.

You’d never really thought much about having kids, just thinking that at the time you were too young. It was something you wanted one day but you didn’t know when you wanted that. You’d just started your career and your relationship with Kevin was new but the way he took care of his niece and the way he always took care of you was starting to make you think a little differently.

“Yeah, one day. Don’t get any ideas though,” You scold, waving your finger at Kevin.

“I know, but one day sounds good,” Kevin says, pulling you into his chest.

Kevin lulls you to sleep that night, talking about the future he wants with you. You’d get married, Kevin would prefer in Boston but he’d let you pick regardless. Maybe you’d move to the suburbs, get a house outside of the city with a yard, so you could have some space for your future children. But he told you he’d be okay staying in the city if that’s what you wanted to do. It was romantic to hear him talk about your future like that, deciding that he would just come for the ride.

II.

Kevin’s large hands were tying your skates, while you looked down at him in his stall at MSG. It was Christmas and with Christmas came the family skate that you’d grown to love. The first year, you were terrified, considering you didn’t even know how to skate and you’d only met a handful of Kevin’s teammates.

“Do you think this will be our last one here?” You whisper, low enough so none of his teammates would hear you.

It was a thought that you’d tried to push out of your mind but there was no way you could at this point. The trade deadline was coming in a few months and Kevin was certain he’d be on the trading block. You’d pushed him to talk about it about tons of times but he kept putting it off, knowing he was nervous about a move out of New York.

“If it is, we’ll make it a memorable one,” Kevin places a kiss to your lips, pulling you up to step out onto the ice. 

You watch as Kevin skates around the ice, Marc Staal’s kids chasing after him in the intense game of tag they’d been playing, while you smile at him from the bench.

“He’s so good with them,” Lindsay, Marc’s wife, says to you on the bench, “I think they’re going to miss him if you guys go.”

You nod, know how many dinners Kevin’s had at their place long before you’d even started dating, “I know it’s going to happen but, we haven’t even talked about it.”

“You’d go with him no?” Lindsay asks, trying to gauge how you actually felt about it.

“I mean, yes, he’s the one but-” You start to say only to be interrupted by the woman next to you.

“Just talk to him about it,” Lindsay says, “I’m sure you guys will be okay”

That night you’d been sitting in your shared apartment, a rerun of some terrible reality TV rerun playing in front of you. Kevin was out grabbing ice cream, insisting you spent the night off snuggled up with a movie. Your mind wanders to the conversation you’d had the family skate, and how you felt watching Kevin skate around with Marc’s kids. It was what you wanted and you knew you wanted it with Kevin but you were scared of the future. You’d been so lost in your thoughts you didn’t even hear Kevin walk back into the apartment. A pint of ice cream finding its way into your hands.

“Hey Kev?” You ask, your voice small, “What are we going to do if you get traded.”

Kevin looked confused, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, am I going to stay here or do you want me to go with you?” You ask bluntly, deciding to just get to the root of what’s bothering you.

Kevin takes a deep breath, walking out of the room and into your shared bedroom. You can hear him rummaging through a dresser, or it could have been a nightstand and step back into your living room with a velvet box in his hand.

“I was planning on doing a better job at his, you know, I was going to plan a nice dinner, make sure you’d just gotten your nails done, the whole thing but I think I need to do this now,” Kevin says, dropping down to one knee, “Baby I love you, and I want to be with you. I want to have a family with you, and spend the rest of my life with you by my side - wherever that may take me. Will you marry me?”

You nod, tears threatening to spill from your eyes, flinging yourself forward to kiss Kevin, over and over again, “Did you actually just do that?”

Kevin smiles against your lips, “I’ve been hiding that since the summer.”

You pull back smiling at the man in front of you, “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Kevin grins back at you, “I can’t wait to have a family, we could be like Marc and Lindsay with all those kids running around the ice.”

The idea seemed like a dream to you, but in reality you were getting to live that life with a man who loved and cared about you. Kevin spends the night talking about your future, the plans seeming more definite than the first time he’d done that. Settling on having three kids, and a summer wedding - even mentioning you could get a dog even though he was afraid of them.

III.

You’d ended up following Kevin to Winnipeg and then to Philly easily. You’d been making an adjustment, but Philadeliphia was starting to feel like home more and more everyday. Kevin was happy and he loved his new team - which made it easier for you to follow suit. You’d both started to become acquainted with the city and you knew this was going to be a good place for the two of you.

You bounce the baby on your lip, singing a nursery rhyme while moving around your kitchen, causing Gavin to laugh. You’d ended up babysitting, Claude’s wife, Ryanne, calling you last minute to complain about their sitter canceling their date night. You and Kevin had agreed on a night in, so you offered to take their son for a few hours. You loved Gavin, and quite honestly you spend more time at games playing with him than paying attention to your fiance on the ice.

“I think we should have a boy first,” Kevin says, sitting on the island watching you with the baby.

“I don’t think that’s for us to decide Kev,” You joke, blowing raspberries into Gavin’s cheek, causing the baby to giggle, “Right Gav, tell him, he’ll be happy with what he gets.”

“What do you want?” Kevin asks, holding his arms out for you to pass him the baby.

“A boy doesn’t sound too bad,” You admit, thinking about how many outfits you’d bought for Gavin that you’d love hanging up in a nursery of your own, “What brought this up?”

“You know, we’re getting married soon, and you just look really good singing nursery rhymes in our kitchen,” Kevin admits, “And c’mon you don’t want a little me running around?”

Kevin holds Gavin next to his face with a pout, rubbing his beard onto the baby’s cheeks causing him to giggle and wiggle in Kevin’s enormous hands. It was a sight for sure, and one that often made you think about just letting Kevin knock you up before the wedding.

“I’m not going to be pregnant at our wedding,” You scold, “I’ve spent too much time planning to not be able to drink.”

“You’ve got a good point, we’ll make a honeymoon baby,” Kevin assures you, as if you had a choice.

IV.

Newlywed life was coming to a halting stop the second you touched down in Philadelphia. The summer of bliss that you’d just experienced was about to be burst in with the reality of a new season starting. You’d bought a new place, the space in the city was far more family friendly than the apartment you’d been living in last season. There were plenty of bedrooms, and some outdoor space that still resided in the city. You’d finally finished unpacking, stepping back after hanging up the last of your wedding photos in the living room.

“They look good there,” Kevin says, wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you off the couch, spinning you around, “You were right, I do like this place.”

Kevin wasn’t entirely on board with moving, but you knew he wanted to start a family and you wanted somewhere in Philly that you would come back to - a real permanent home. It took a little convincing but you managed to get him to crack while you were on your honeymoon.

You had one surprise that came with the house, and it sat in a box in your kitchen. Inside was a pregnancy test - that you’d taken a day before you moved down to Philly for the season. A very tiny jersey, with your now shared last name on the back, a bright number thirteen stitched onto the back. And to complete a very small stuffed Gritty that you had bought on impulse one day. You were excited to finally share the news with Kevin, keeping it a secret while you both handled all the craziness that came with moving and training camp coming up.

“I have something for you,” You say, slipping out of his arms and grabbing the box from the kitchen - dropping it into his lap, “Open it.”

You were on the edge of your seat watching him open the box and pulling the small jersey out, looking down at what was underneath it, “You’re pregnant?”

“I’m pregnant,” You confirm, placing your hand over your stomach.

“You, my wife, you’re pregnant, we’re having a baby,” Kevin blurted out, a goofy grin gracing his face, “Baby, we’re having a baby!”

You laugh, knowing this is the exact reaction you’d get out of your husband, “I take it you’re happy?”

“Easily the best thing that’s happened to me,” Kevin says, grabbing both sides of your face and kissing you over and over again. He spent the next week telling everybody he came in contact with that he was, in fact, having a baby.

Plus One

You hear a large crash, and a chorus of laughs coming from what was supposed to be your future son’s nursery. You sigh, curling your hands around the def-caf tea you’d been drinking, counting down the days until you actually start drinking coffee again, and you walk into the room, a piece of what was supposed to be a crib on the floor, and TK, Nolan and Kevin’s eyes staring at you.

“Sorry,” They all said in unison, guilt across their faces.

You give them a smile, “It’s fine guys, please be careful, and get this done.”

You decided to stay in Philly until you had the baby, the season ending when you’d hit around eight months and the stress of heading up back to Boston just seemed like too much at the time. Now, you were a week until your due date and you and Kevin had pushed everything till now in regards to setting up a place for your son. It was starting to stress you out, and honestly you were grateful for Travis and Nolan’s help, even if it was like having two kids in your house already.

You felt your stomach cramp up and a feeling in your stomach that this baby was coming, you gasp and look at Kevin, your eyes scared, “Kev - I think it’s happening.”

--

Nine hours of labor later, your son entered the world in a way somehow more chaotic than the way Kevin entered your life. Kevin did good, keeping his cool for most of your pregnancy and labor that you were honestly surprised. He finally cried, when he held your baby for the first time, calmly talking to the little boy who he loved probably more than he loved you. You got lucky, in all the craziness of what was going on, Travis and Nolan stayed back and somehow put together all of your furniture in the nursery, even leaving a few gifts behind for your baby boy.

“Thank you for this,” Kevin confesses, the two of you and your son being the only people left in the hospital room, exhausted from the day of visitors, “I mean I knew we’d get here, but I’m grateful we actually did.”

“I hope you’re still grateful when you have to change diapers at 3 am,” You say, knowing the hard part was definitely coming.

“I promised I’d do it, and I will,” Kevin assures you, intending on keeping the promise that you carried that baby for nine months and that he would take on the middle of the night diaper duties.

And you fell asleep that night like you did so many nights before, Kevin rambling about your future, all the things he wants to teach his son. How he can’t wait to teach him to skate, and how he can play whatever sport he wants - or it would be fine if he didn’t play sports at all. Kevin’s voice lulled you and your little family to sleep - and you knew he’d do that forever.

[hayleygray08]

You are my home.

Introduction: this is my first writing on here. Bare with me.

Summary: you are a new member of the team after tony finds you in a hydra raid. You are shy, reserved, and not very talkative at first until you realize the team is not going to hurt you. Once comfortable you show them your powers and fall for a certain super soldier, again.

I used google translate for words in Russian, so if the words are wrong. I apologize.

In my writing, no one is dead.

Pairing: bucky x reader, everyone else is platonic.

Genre: fluff, anguish, mentions of torture, blood.

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

I am crouched in the conner,on the floor of my cell waiting for the guards to come get me. My daily training. More like torture.

They make me train as hard as I can and if they think I am slaking, I get a few thousand jolts of electricity shot through my body. Or even a few punches.

Yesterday was one of the worst days so far, that I can remember. I was getting random images flash inside my head, almost from a past life from what I saw, which made me loose focus quite a bit. In return the men who watch me train were heavy with the electricity jolts and even harder punches, anywhere they could land on my body. So, I was not looking forward to today's training.

I don't have a clock or windows in my cell but I knew every time they would come to get me. Like my body knew the exact moment every day. So when that time came and I was still in my cell I was growing a little worry. They are never late, sometimes early, but never late. Just then a siren rang out and the lights dimmed then went red. Was that the alarm for an intruder? How is that possible?

As a million thoughts ran through my head at what could possibly cause the alarm to go off. A very vivid picture or memory came to me and played on repeat. It looked to be the 40's, on a dock or a pier, I was laughing and looking out at the water. There were two guys with me. One was small, blonde hair, blue eyes, and had a small smile on his face. The second was bigger then the first, had brown hair, bright blue eyes, and laughing with me. Why do they look familiar? Why do I have two names on the tip of my tongue? Who are they? Just as I was about to say those names my cell door was blown off and there was a cloud of dust.

As the dust settles and I can properly see, there is a man in a red and gold suit of metal. He walks towards me as he says "Cap we got someone here. She looks no older then 24, covered in bruises, and looks terrified.""Yes, I'll make sure to get her out.""No, I can't tell if she is dangerous." He sighs and crouches down so he can look me in the eyes.

"Hi, I am Tony Stark, and I am going to take you away from here." Tony says and offers me a hand. I take it cautiously and follow him out the door and eventually outside.

Once we made it outside I take a deep breath. It felt so good to get clean air. I don't even remember the last time I was outside. Must have been years. I had to shield my eyes, it was so bright out. I didnt notice more people joining us. I was to busy looking at my hands and arms. Was I always this pale? I look up at the guy who took me away, Tony, and then darkness.

Tony catches me before I could hit the floor and runs into the jet. He lays be on a table and Bruce starts an examination. Nobody dared bother him. Nat hands Tony a flash drive and sits back down with the others.

While I was unconscious and now in the medbay at the compound, I was getting more images. Some are to fast to register what it was and some stayed a good while showing me a life I do not remember, but wish I did. Also things I did, hurting people, a chair, and training. It was all to much. To much pain, suffering, lose. I could feel myself have a panic attack. Which alerted everyone.

I jolted up into a sitting position clenching my chest and taking big gasps of air. My heart monitor going off like crazy. I looked around frantically, not recognizing where I was. I tried to rip out the Iv's but a pinching sensation in my shoulder makes me stop. I look up and see a women, before I am unconscious again.

Meanwhile in the common area Tony, Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Sam, Clint, Vision, Bucky, Bruce, Thor, Loki, Scott, and Peter all sat around looking at my file.

"Her name is y/n, y/ln. She was born in 1918, lived in Brooklyn, New York. Was taken by Hydra in 1946 while she was working on a S.H.I.E.L.D mission. Hasn't been seen since. Until about 2001 when she was spotted riding a motorcycle from a crime scene. Looked to be an assassination. Then again in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012 and the last time in 2014. So the last time was 7 years ago. It shows she was trained like the winter soldier, but never met one another. But her powers got out of control and they have been training her to keep them in control since 2014. She has assassinated 6 men, 4 women, 2 children, and 1 hydra agent in a training gone wrong on that one." Tony reads outloud to everyone.

Steve and Bucky look at each other with a look in their eyes, as if they can't believe it. Then Tony brings up a picture of me for the group to see. Everyone gasps as a few photos show up. One is me, Steve, and Bucky at Coney Island. Then one of me and Bucky smiling at each other. Then there is one of me and Peggy Carter. Once all pictures are shown, all eyes are on Steve and Bucky.

"You know her?" Asked Natasha. Everyone silently asking the same thing.

"Yes, we know her. She was our friend. She grew up with us. She was our best friend. And a little more to Bucky." Steve answers quietly, looking at Bucky. It has been 78 years since he has seen her.

As they tell the others about me and what they remember, I am waking up again at the medbay. This time more calm. The nurses and doctors where asking me questions but I wouldn't answer them. They could tell they were not going to get anywhere with me, they called Tony and Bruce. I still would not talk to them.

How could I trust them? I don't even know them. For all I know they could be Hydra as well. With all these images popping up I don't even know what to believe anymore. Both men were throwing question after question at me. I didnt know how to answer. Or if I even should. Once they realized they were not going to get anywhere they left.

By the time I got the okay from the doctors, I was put inside a cell. Something I am all to familiar with. But this one was clean, had a comfortable bed, running water, and was warm. All the walls were glass and I could see people standing around watching me. Two I kinda recognized due to the images that I get. Each one would ask a question, each time I just stared ahead.

"We want to help you." A women with red and blonde hair spoke up after a few minutes of silence. I laughed.

"You want to help me? You don't even know me. How can you help me?" I responded quietly.

"Wanda has some powers and is able to look inside your head. Put the pieces together for you. Help you remember." The same women responded looking at another women with red hhai. I am guessing is Wanda.

"We read your file, y/n, let us help you remember the things they have taken from you." Tony says as he walks around. I don't respond, just look at everyone.

They gave up after 3 hours of silence from me and them asking questions. They leave me alone until a few days later. For those days they would bring me food, check to see if I am okay, then leave. It was Wanda, Tony, Bruce, and Steve that came a few days later. I watch them as they open the door to my cell and take a seat on a bench.

"If you are okay with this, we would like to try something. It does involve bringing back everything Hydra took from you. It might be painfull. But we think you should have the choice in remembering your life."Tony speaks up after a few minutes of silence.

Do I trust these people to try and help me? Do I even want the help? To remember all the pain I have caused and I life I will never get back.

I look at the four people in front of me and when I looked at the blonde man named Steve a memory came to me. It was just us two in a tent that looked to be on a base of some sort. He was the way he is now bigger then the other one I have seen. As if he grew or got on steroids. He was telling me about someone but it was fuzzy but I had this feeling of sadness.

I take a big breath in and look at them. "What do I have to lose? Not like I am going anywhere anytime soon." I tell them as I look at my hands.

I didnt see Tony nod at the door but did hear it open. I look up to see a young girl, with a different wardrobe then the others. She smiles kindly at me as she sits next to Wanda.

"Hi, my name is Shuri. I am from Wakanda and I can help you remember." I just stare at her.

"How long will this take?" I ask quietly.

"Depends on the damage they have caused for you to forget everything. Could be a few days, weeks, months. If you have trigger words. We will make.."

"Trigger words? What does that mean?" I interrupt her.

"Words that change you into a different person. Like they did witht he winter soldier. When we got the files from the base you were held in, shows you do have some." Tony says to me.

"Oh, so then I guess we should start this thing." I tell them. They did not expect me to say that.

They step out of my cell and start to say 6 words in Russian.

"девять- nine"

"машина-car"

"цветок-flower"

At this word I started to feel a crawling sensation run across my skin. I started to blink rapidly, my vision was getting foggy.

"слива-plum"

"банан-banana"

Now I'm rolling my shoulders, flexing my hands, shaking my head. That crawling sensation is getting thicker, heavier.

"рок-rock"

Once that last word was said I stand up, look at them with a blank expression, and cock my head to the side a little. "готов подчиниться- ready to comply."

They ready the words and I am me again. Well the shell of me that I know. I sit on the bed and take deep breaths. I did not like the feeling of having no control.

They watch me before they leave me alone for a little bit. I don't remember those words but it felt like my body did and it hurt badly.

As i sit and then pace and sit again for I don't know how long, everyone else is in the common area trying to figure out what to do next.

"Her words are different from Bucky's, why?" Same asks as they watch me in my cell.

"They made the words unique for that person. Hers are more girly because she is a girl and what she likes. They make it so only one person gets triggered and not all at once." Bucky says with a frown.

As they continue to talk and see the next step. I am going a little crazy in my cell. I started to throw everything that I could, I tried breaking the walls, the floor. I was screaming, crying, and bleeding. No one knew of my powers because it was not put in any files. So when I fall to my knees and scream everything shuts down and I pass out.

Once the lights were out, they were up and running to my cell. As people in the building were trying to get the power back on.

When they get to me I was laying on the floor and covered in some weird goo. That started right as I hit the floor. Bruce went to check if I was okay and when he tried to check my pulse he got shocked. He steps away and goes to the others.

"This is not in her file, didnt show if she had powers or not. Why would they do that?" Natasha says as the nurses come in hazmat suits.

"Because she is more dangerous then we thought." Steve says sadly.

*********

That is part 1. Possibly a part two.

[rheallsim]

Who will be the last sim standing? Place your bets now…!

Thousands applied, but only eight were chosen… these are the sims hoping to be the Last Sim Standing!

Deep in the Strangerville Desert lies a derelict plane, left exposed to the elements since it crashed there of unknown causes over fifty years ago. The rusted remains of sun-bleached metal hide a dark secret, however… deep beneath the wreck lies a massive complex filled with dastardly tasks meant to challenge our contestants to determine- through luck and sheer force of will- which one is worthy of the title of Last Sim Standing.

But more on the compound later. Just what is it these sims are competing for?

It’s not just glory that awaits them, though that would definitely be enough of a prize on its own. The winner will also receive §1,000,000 (tax-free!), a lavishly furnished mansion in Del Sol Valley, and the chance to live out their lives as they see fit in the background of a frequently played save file. What more could a sim ask for? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Without further ado, let’s meet our eight contestants! Like our compound, many of them also hide dark secrets of their own. They are…

1: Mimi LeBeurre​

Mimi is a neat, erratic foodie with a passion for baking. Don’t let her sweet looks fool you though… not all who have tasted her goodies survived it… She’s a tough cookie and ready to rock this challenge!

(Sim and blurb by @kimbr3)

2: Penelope Garcia

Her official title is “Technical Analyst”, but some say her talents are better suited to more… anonymous pursuits. Under the alias “The Black Queen” she used her hacking skills to reroute millions of dollars from shady off-shore corporate accounts into the coffers of charities and non-profits. Some call her a modern-day Robin Hood, but they don’t know about the hundreds of thousands she skimmed to line her own pockets (and fund her obsessive Funko Pop collection)… She managed to avoid jail-time by becoming a consultant for the FBI, and now uses her skills to track down and convict cyber criminals just like herself. She’s become the thing she once hated most, but she seems totally fine with that.

(Sim by ACMWhitney (Origin ID), blurb by me.)

3: Rufus Dunbrow​

If there’s a health fad out there, Rufus was probably a part of it at one point. Juicing? Been there. Enemas? He’s had so many he’s lost a lot of feeling down there and now needs to wear adult diapers to bed. Detoxifying, cleansing, miracle pills, homeopathic cure-alls, IV “therapies”… he’s done it all, so much so that if he donated his body to science they’d probably turn it down.

It may be obvious, but he’s obsessed with his body image. This has lead him in recent years to start working out; a noble goal, except the results weren’t as instantaneous as he would have liked. So, he got a little help from a friend- and their magic syringe filled with steroids, hormones, and other chemicals- to help him instantly “bulk up”.

He probably couldn’t lift a baby if you asked him, but hey, at least he looks good. He spends his time strutting around trying to pick people up at the beach in Del Sol Valley. He’s rarely successful, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. Who wouldn’t want a ride on the Dunbrow Train to Boneville?

(Sim by @shoobysims, blurb by me.)

4: Kristie Sewell​

This is Kristie. She’s a “famous” simstagram model who thinks the world revolves around her and she’s allowed to do anything just because she has a couple followers. Her traits are snob, mean and jealous and she really acts like it!

She’s a vegan but doesn’t realize that vegans shouldn’t wear real fur, she also eats chicken because it’s “not real meat”. She wears dreads and will bring up vikings when you try to educate her about cultural appropriation. She also wears a saree as formal wear because her simdian yoga guru said “You can wear anything you want!” and she didn’t realize he meant she could wear any athletic wear for the yoga class.

She uses slurs on the regular and if you call her out on any of this? She will post a teary-eyed snapchat non-apology rant and if you don’t accept that as an apology she’ll claim that you’re just jealous of her.

(Sim and blurb by @mooodlet)

5: Jacob Daramus​

This is Jacob. How to describe him? An outdoor enthusiast, avid mountaineer, kombucha master, possibly a serial killer…

Well, many who have gone mountain climbing with him have never returned. He claims it’s just a coincidence, but locals think differently.

Who knows, maybe all the hardships of this challenge will loosen his lips, and he will confess his crimes.

He’s innocent until proven otherwise.

(Sim and blurb by @bakersimmer)

6: Monica Rawls

Monica always loved animals. Growing up on a farm in the boonies meant she was always surrounded by them. Whenever she found a sick or injured animal she would bring it home and beg her parents to let her nurse it back to health. Despite her good intentions, however, few of her charges ever made a full recovery… and being a good farmer’s daughter, she always thought: “Why let them go to waste?” 🤔

Nowadays she self-publishes a cookbook on how to make that perfect “Memorial Meal” for your pet- after they’ve passed, of course. From Parakeet Parmesan to Rotisserie Horse Legs, she’s got you covered for when the only way to move on from the loss of your pet is to make them into a Grand Meal worth remembering.

(Sim by by TheTazzaful (Origin ID), blurb by me.)

7: Kellissa Miller​

Kelly Miller always thought she was too good for college. So, she dropped out, changed her name to Kellissa - with two L’s and two S’s, she’ll get mad if you misspell it - and went to pursue her true goal: being famous. She’s tried some acting, singing, playing instruments, but so far nothing. It’s not only the lack of talent: surprisingly, she’s quite a decent musician, but her personality… Oh, she’s rally nice and friendly. As long as you don’t stand in her spotlight. You DO NOT wanna stand in her spotlight. When she heard somebody was organizing a Last sim standing challenge, she had to sign in: becoming famous is worth dying for!

(Sim and blurb by @oswanily)

8: Milo Rees​

Milo Rees is the son of two extremely rich and wealthy sims who appears to be a successful artist. One problem, though… he doesn’t actually want to do any of the work needed to be an artist. He just wants to party and enjoy the finer things in life without having to work for them, so his parents forge artworks for him and sell them under his name. Honestly, his number one reason for signing up for this challenge is that it gets his parents off his back about actually working on his painting skills for a while.

(Sim and blurb by @blackfern)

Those are our contestants! Which begs the question… who do you think will be the Last Sim Standing?

Vote here!

(You won’t win anything if you guess correctly, I’m just super interested in who the fan favourite will be. :D You can vote as often as you like, no restrictions!)

The game starts soon… ⏱

[Review the challenge rules here!]

[king-finnigan]

5 times Jaskier didn’t realize Geralt was giving him a gift for his birthday and 1 time he did

As part of my 500 followers celebration! Masterlist

***

I.

Jaskier practically falls down on the chair opposite Geralt, giving his cheering audience one final wave, before he turns his back to them, dumping the coins he earned on the table, setting his lute down next to him gently.

“Well, that went swimmingly,” Jaskier says, and Geralt rolls his eyes at his wide grin, but can’t stop a small smile from appearing on his own face, as well.

“Hmm.”

“Oh, please, Witcher, even you can appreciate a good performance when you see one, no need to be so dismissive of my charms and talent.”

Geralt rolls his eyes again. Usually, he would’ve simply hummed noncommittally, and dropped the subject for the evening, but today’s Jaskier’s birthday. It’s been nagging at him all day, especially because Jaskier hasn’t even said anything about it. He knows humans like their birthdays, like to celebrate another year lived in this damned world – and he would’ve expected Jaskier to be prancing around all day, demanding special treatment and gifts and attention.

But he hasn’t. And that confuses Geralt. It’s not like Jaskier’s forgotten when his own birthday is – hell, he let the date slip a few months ago, so he certainly remembers, but he simply hasn’t mentioned anything about it, today. He doesn’t even seem particularly happy about it.

If anything, he seems almost sad. Which makes matters worse, because what kind of human is sad on their own birthday? Certainly not the kind he expected Jaskier to be, of all people.

So he’s conflicted. On one hand he wants to say something, but on the other hand, Jaskier doesn’t seem to be in the mood for it.

Also, he doesn’t really have a gift he can give. Hell, he doesn’t even know what kind of gift someone expects for their birthday, it’s been so long since he’s celebrated one.

He does get an idea all of a sudden, and clears his throat. Jaskier, already distracted by a fair maiden on the other side of the room, turns back to the Witcher, eyebrows raised. “Something the matter, Geralt?”

The Witcher purses his lips, shakes his head, decidedly staring at his own ale, instead of meeting Jaskier’s eyes. “Uh… You’re right. Good performance.”

He looks up right in time to see Jaskier’s face light up like the morning sun, and the bard reaches across the table, softly pushing at Geralt’s shoulder, leaving a trail of fire in his wake when he pulls back again. “Why thank you, Witcher! I knew even you could see that.” He throws Geralt a wink, before he downs his ale, standing up and sauntering over to the lady on the other side of the room, who welcomes him with open arms. He doesn’t have the strength to watch them leave, so he retreats to his own room, and hopes the compliment he gave is enough of a gift for Jaskier. At least this year.

 II.

It’s Jaskier’s birthday. Geralt only remembers because the bard seems sad again, which means that, unfortunately, this time he’s as unprepared as he was last time.

So he spends the entire morning desperately looking around, searching for ideas for a gift – though, he comes up basically empty-handed. What he does notice, though, is that Jaskier seems to be limping slightly.

He frowns down at the bard from where he’s sitting on Roach, before he pulls her to a halt. Jaskier walks a couple of steps more, seemingly lost in thought, until he realizes he’s walking alone, and turns around, looking confused. “Why have we stopped?”

“What’s wrong with you?” He closes his eyes, mentally cursing himself when Jaskier’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, face indignant.

“Ex- excuse me, Witcher, but-“

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he interrupts Jaskier before the bard can go on a long, offended tangent about how absolutely rude and uncaring of his feelings Geralt is, or something similar. “You’re limping.”

Jaskier shrugs, the slight hurt disappearing from his face again. “Ah, well, yeah, I sort of sprained my ankle this morning when I went to the river to wash off. It’s nothing really, but- Geralt, what are you doing?”

Geralt’s feet hit the dusty path, and he steps to the side. “Get on Roach.”

“I- what?”

He resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Get. On. Roach.”

Though still clearly very confused, Jaskier obliges, and gets on the mare. “Not that I don’t appreciate this, but- why? You never let me ride Roach.”

If Geralt could’ve blushed, he would’ve right now, as he takes Roach’s reigns and starts walking again, pointedly looking at anything but Jaskier. “You’ll just slow us down.” A blatant lie, but he hopes Jaskier won’t be able to tell. At least the bard seems a little less sad now, and he hopes that it’s enough of a gift for Jaskier. At least this year.

 III.

The next time, he’s still very unprepared, and he starts to doubt that he ever will be. He’s also run out of ideas for gifts for Jaskier, and frantically tries to figure something out before the day is over. But it’s well past dinner time, and he still has no idea what to do.

Worse than that, he has no clue where the hell Jaskier even is.

Well, until he walks out of the inn, and hears a raised voice coming from the alley.

Well enough, there Jaskier is, against the wall, three men surrounding him, shouting something about how the bard slept with their sister or something like that – because of course he did. Honestly, it’d be a miracle if Jaskier could stop sleeping around in every town they come across for a week.

He rolls his eyes, the little tendril of fear that had been awakened in him at the sight of Jaskier getting threatened by three men slowly dying down when he sees that none of them have weapons. Really, the only thing they can do is beat the bard up a bit. Though, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean Geralt won’t step in – he always fucking does, for some reason.

He walks forwards. “Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?”

One of them turns towards him, fear creeping into his slightly rancid smell. “He slept with our sister, Witcher.”

He looks at Jaskier, eyebrows raised, and the slight guilt and exhilaration in the bard’s eyes tells him the men are right.

He sighs. “Not possible, he’s been by my side the entire night.”

“But Witcher-“

“Are you saying that I’m lying?”

The three men look away. “No, sir. We’ll… we’ll go.”

“Hmm.” He watches as the brothers hurry past him, before turning towards Jaskier, who’s smoothing down his clothes.

The bard looks at him with a shit-eating grin, and Geralt rolls his eyes again. “Thanks, Geralt! Knew you’d come save me. There does seem to be a slight problem, though…” He looks down at his bare feet. “I forgot my shoes in her room. Maybe I should go back and-“

Geralt shakes his head, then turns around, motioning for Jaskier to follow him. Any other day, he would’ve let the bard fetch his own shoes back, but today is not just any day, he knows. “I’ll buy you a new pair,” he grumbles. He hopes that it’s enough of a gift for Jaskier. At least this year.

 IV.

The next time it’s Jaskier’s birthday, he’s a little bit more prepared – but only barely, still. He’d realized that it was coming up soon a week before the actual day, and had gone to the market in a dingy nowhere town shortly after that, while Jaskier was busy at the inn, cleaning his lute. (Geralt hadn’t been sure in which way Jaskier was cleaning his lute, but he’d decided that it didn’t matter.)

An old woman at a jewellery stall had told him humans liked objects for their birthdays – preferably expensive. Unfortunately, they were short on coin, so Geralt had asked the lady what kind of non-expensive gift he could give his long-time travelling companion and friend.

She had pointed to a ring, silver and engraved with waves. It had cost him a fair deal of coin, still, but he’d taken it – after all, silver protects against monsters, and he figures it’s both practical and, as Jaskier prefers things, nice-looking.

However, that did leave him with one question: when and how is he going to give it to the bard?

It’s been plaguing him all day, that simple matter. At first, he thought it best to give it at breakfast, but they had been attacked by a small pack of Drowners, so that hadn’t been an option. After that, he decided it would be best to give it at lunch, after they had arrived at the next small town. Except, Jaskier was nowhere to be found – at least, until Geralt walked past the blacksmith, and heard soft gasps in a familiar voice coming from behind the building. He’d walked away as quickly as possible, ignoring the small jab in his chest.

And now it’s already dinner time, and Jaskier’s performing and showing absolutely no signs of stopping, even though it’s well past midnight. So should Geralt give it to him afterwards? Or should he wait until tomorrow? Or should he toss the ring away, dig a hole in the wet dirt outside, bury himself in it, never to be found again? He decides the last option is the best one, but unfortunately, he doesn’t have a shovel and there’d be no one to take care of Roach.

Eventually, he decides to just head to bed. All this worrying and the heat of the tavern has got his head pounding, and frankly, he can’t wait for all this gift-giving bullshit to be over. He’s a Witcher, for crying out loud. Witchers don’t give gifts. Except he still bought a silver ring for Jaskier, last week.

He sighs, downing his ale, heading up the stairs. He pauses for a second in their shared room, when his eye falls on Jaskier’s bag, sitting in the corner. He strains his ears, hears that Jaskier is singing ‘Toss a Coin’ – which is always the last song for the evening – and decides he has to hurry up. He quickly opens the bag, burying the ring at the bottom of it, before he closes it again.

He’s barely stood up again, when the door to the room opens, and Jaskier walks in, lute in hand, grin on his face. “Ah, Geralt! Was wondering where you went…” he muses, setting his lute down in the corner, pulling his slightly sweaty doublet over his head. “So, what’d you think? Another stellar performance, I presume.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Geralt rolls his eyes, and quickly takes off his clothes, laying down in the bed. After a short while, Jaskier joins him, laying down on the other side. He doesn’t say anything except a “goodnight, Geralt”, and his mood seems unchanged – still slightly sad – so Geralt assumes he hasn’t found the ring yet.

A few days later, his eye is caught by something glistening in the afternoon sun. It’s a silver ring, engraved with waves, on Jaskier’s right hand, and Geralt barely suppresses a small smile at the sight. The bard seems in a particularly good mood as well, and Geralt hopes that it’s enough of a gift for Jaskier. At least this year.

 V.

The next year, he’s prepared. A month beforehand, when they stop in Oxenfurt for a few days, he goes to a little shop, tucked between two tall buildings while Jaskier catches up with some old friends in a tavern nearby.

He buys some bath salts that smell of roses, some soap that smells like red berries, some lavender oil against irritated skin, and, for good measurement, a lemon candle. It’s a pretty hefty sum, but he buys it all anyways – he tells himself it’s because they’ve been doing well monetary-wise lately, not because Jaskier’s smile is worth all the money in his purse and more.

Once again, he still doesn’t know how he should give it, though, and he simply hides it in Jaskier’s bag on his birthday again. He keeps a close eye on the bard, that evening, as he rummages through his bag for soap and bath salt, after Geralt suggested they could afford the luxury of a bath tonight, and offered Jaskier to go first. The bard had looked at him weirdly, but Geralt had pretended he didn’t notice.

“Oh!” Jaskier exclaims, as he fishes rose bath salts and berry soap out of his bag. “Huh. Must’ve forgotten about these.” He shrugs and stands up, closing the door to the adjacent bathroom behind him. Geralt smiles softly as he hears Jaskier getting into the bath, hears him humming softly. He seems in a good mood – more so than he did this morning. Geralt hopes that it’s enough of a gift for Jaskier. At least this year.

 + I

This time, he’s prepared months in advance, when they visit Novigrad. He finally has an idea of what Jaskier might want for his birthday, and as soon as the bard is gone to find a tavern to perform in, Geralt hurries to the nearest instrument builder.

There, he buys an expensive set of lute strings – once again, because they’re doing well monetary-wise, not because he wants Jaskier to be happy and is willing to pay any price for that. As soon as he gets back to the inn, he hides them at the bottom of his bag, smiling slightly when he imagines Jaskier’s face when he gets them. Though, he’ll need to find a way to actually give Jaskier his gift this time. Or maybe not. Maybe he’ll chicken out again and hide it in Jaskier’s bag, waiting for the bard to find it. He’ll see.

It isn’t until a few months later, on Jaskier’s birthday, that he knows for sure he’s going to chicken out again.

At least, that is, until Jaskier starts rummaging through the Witcher’s bag. Geralt pales, his heart sinking to his feet, and he’s ready to tell the bard to get his fucking hands out of that bag, for the love of the gods.

But it’s too late.

“Geralt, have you seen my chemise somewhere? The white, frilly one, with the metal buttons and-“ He stills, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape as he looks down into Geralt’s bag.

Geralt can only stare in horror as Jaskier pulls the lute strings from the bottom of his bag. “Geralt, why do you have these in your bag?” He doesn’t give him time to answer. “And they’re expensive as w- Geralt why do you have expensive lute strings in your bag?”

If Geralt could’ve blushed, he would’ve, and he looks away. “Uh… They’re uh… For your birthday, today.”

Jaskier simply stares at him, eyes wide. “How do you know it’s my birthday?”

Geralt shrugs, rubs at the back of his neck, trying to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling in his spine. “You told me, a few years ago.”

“And you remembered.” He says it flatly. “Even though I don’t celebrate it, you remembered that one time I mentioned my birthday years ago.”

He shrugs again, looks away.

“Wait, then why would you give me something this year, but not all the other years?”

Geralt bites the inside of his cheek, still looking at anything but Jaskier. “I did, but-“

“You did? I don’t remember…” This time Geralt does look at Jaskier, and sees the bard staring at him, so wide-eyed it’s almost comical. “The soap,” he whispers. “I didn’t buy that myself, you did”

Geralt nods, then shrugs.

“And the ring? That was you, too?”

Geralt nods again, and Jaskier shakes his head.

“Why the hell didn’t you just give it to me, instead of sneaking it into my bag like… like some- some reverse thief?”

“Because I thought you didn’t want any gifts. You always seemed so sad on your birthday, and you didn’t mention it, so I figured you don’t want to celebrate it.”

Jaskier suddenly laughs, and stands up, lute strings clutched to his chest as he walks towards Geralt. “I’m always sad because I don’t get any gifts. I never did. My parents were horribly against it, saying I would get spoiled or something, and I never mentioned it because I didn’t think you’d give a shit.”

Geralt feels a sharp pang in his chest, as the realization kicks in. “But I do give a shit.”

Jaskier laughs again, looks at the lute strings, still in his hand. “Clearly. I just wished you would’ve said so sooner.”

“I thought you knew.”

Jaskier scoffs, looks at him with eyes the colour of the sky and a smile that would make the sun hide away in shame. “Well, I didn’t. If I did, I would’ve kissed you sooner.”

Geralt furrows his brow. “Wh-“ His breath hitches in his throat when Jaskier lays a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer, their lips separated less than half an inch – so, so painfully close, but not yet touching.

“May I?” Jaskier whispers.

Geralt doesn’t respond, but merely closes the gap between them, kissing his bard softly. Jaskier smiles into the kiss, and the witcher can’t help but smile as well, as he pulls his bard closer. Too soon, it’s over, and they’re leaning their foreheads against each other, breaths intertwining.

“So,” Jaskier whispers to him. “When’s your birthday?”

Geralt grins. “Don’t even think about it.”

[otonymous]

A Bolt From The Blue (MLQC Shaw - NSFW) - Part IV (End): Courage, My Love

Description: The final chapter.  The Big Bang 😉  Warnings: NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language & mature themes — reader discretion is advised.  Potential trigger warnings: physically aggressive behaviour, ex-boyfriends, angst, size kink, profanity, vaginal fingering and intercourse Word Count: 4237 words (~21 mins of thrills, real talk, fluff and smut) Author’s Notes: To all the lovelies who have been patiently following this story: you’ve made it! 🥳  Welcome to the final chapter in this Shaw saga, where we aim to go out with a massive bang (pun intended 😆).  Once again, thank you all for every like, reblog, and comment I’ve received on this story.  You are all amazing, and I appreciate your support! 💕

As always, tagging the lovely @op-peccatori​ — I hope you enjoyed this story!  I certainly had lots of fun writing this!  Please note the potential trigger warnings listed above, dear readers, and happy reading! 

Jump to Chapter(s): One | Two | Three

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

The quiet is back.

But there is no peace, no relief in the monotony that follows after the man known as Shaw burst into your life like a bolt from the blue, stirring up long forgotten feelings like dead leaves animated by a carefree wind — here one minute, gone the next.

And with each passing day, hope erodes.

Little by little, your heart learns not to race as the clock above the magazine rack approaches 1:30.

It becomes harder to remember the sound purple sneakers made walking through the store.

You stop hoping, wishing, to see a head of lavender hair; that the next person to approach the register would place a cup of Pepsi mixed with Coke on the counter, amber-eyed gaze speaking volumes without uttering a single word.

Days become weeks, and then eventually…

…you stop counting them altogether.

* * *

“You’re looking good.  I see you’re doing well for yourself.”

He reaches for the jade pendant hanging around your neck, eyes flashing with amusement when you hit his hand away with an audible smack.

“What the hell do you want?  Haven’t you already done enough?” You say through grit teeth, steps quickening as you head for the better lit part of the street, trying to outpace the man and silently cursing the fact that returning to the convenience store was no longer an option at this point.

“C’mon baby, don’t be like that.  It took a lot of effort to track you down and I waited a very long time for you to get off work.  It’s cold, dark and lonely out here.  Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?  Or friend, at least?”

“ ‘Ex-boyfriend,’ asshole, and you’re no friend of mine, especially not after the way you took my life’s savings and ran.”

“Baby, it wasn’t like that—”

“Oh yeah?!  Did you try telling that to the loan sharks too before they came and trashed my place?  I had to move, Leto, because it wasn’t safe for me anymore, not with the way they kept harassing me and the neighbours asking about your whereabouts.  They even came to my office.  I lost my fucking job.  So don’t come around here and tell me that I’m doing well for myself.”

Breaking into a sprint, your mind races as you try to think of a way to lose your ex, anger and anxiety prickling every nerve in equal measure.  He had ruined your life, singlehandedly taken away everything you had.  And though you had known him once, desperation has a way of making monsters out of men.

And right now, for all you knew, he was desperate and dangerous.

“Please, I just want to talk.  I don’t need much this time, just a little bit to get me through this rough patch.  I’ll pay you back, I swear, just…just STOP FOR A MOMENT!—”

You shriek to feel Leto wrap his hand about your wrist, but before he could tighten his grip, another arm is thrown around your shoulder, pulling you back until you’re pressed up against a hard, muscular chest, staring at a close up of Snoopy riding a skateboard.

“You got business with my girl?”

That voice.  Dangerous and cocksure, yet comforting like nothing else as the muffled words reverberate through the tiny bones of your ear, a prelude to the soothing ba-bump of his heart, rhythm steady and concrete as the ground upon which you stood.

Shaw.

He’s really here.

“Hehe.  Your girl?”  The derision in Leto’s voice makes you sick to your stomach; you can’t help but hold your breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop as he looks Shaw up and down, zeroing in on his old t-shirt.  “Tsk, tsk.  So, not only do you enjoy wearing second hand clothing, you also have the habit of picking up sloppy seconds?”

BOOM!

Deafening thunder rolls moments after a bolt of lightning rends the night sky in two, throwing a jagged spotlight on the fury written on Shaw’s face when he moves just as fast to grab a fistful of Leto’s collar.  The muscles of his forearm bulge as he holds up the entirety of Leto’s bodyweight in one hand, the sky opening in a sudden downpour as your ex struggles in midair, rain dripping almost comically from dangling feet.

And when Shaw brings Leto’s terrified face up close, the ferocity in those amber eyes sends a chill up your spine.

“This is the last time you’ll ever talk to her, see her, even think about her.  Or else I’ll find you and take my sweet time making you wish you were never born, do you understand me?”

Head bobbing in vigorous nods, drops of water fly off the tips of Leto’s rain-slicked hair.  Seemingly satisfied, Shaw tosses him onto the ground at your feet, voice low yet audible as it cuts through the din of the storm when he says, “Beg for her forgiveness.”

The fear in his expression almost palpable, Leto looks between you and Shaw — cowardice etched onto features you had once found so pleasing a lifetime ago.  He prostrates himself onto the wet pavement, voice cracking in between sobs as he yells over the sound of the rain:

“P-please…please forgive me!  I’m a piece of shit!  I’m nothing, I’m garbage!  I…I deserve to go to Hell for what I did to you!  I-I’m so sorry!  Please forgive me!”

Leto reaches out a shaky hand towards your soaked shoes before he remembers Shaw’s warning, but it is too late.  Black combat boots hit the concrete hard within an inch of Leto’s face as Shaw stoops, yanking back a fistful of hair and pulling until your ex is looking up at you like a pitiful supplicant begging for mercy.

“Satisfied?”  Shaw looks to you as if he were asking about something as mundane as the weather.  You nod, suddenly too tired to even speak.  You wanted to wash your hands of Leto, wanted nothing to do with all that had happened since you finished your shift at the convenience store.  All you could do was watch as Leto scrambled away on all fours the moment Shaw loosened his hold, running until he was nothing more than a speck of darkness merging with the night.

The rain is cold, wetness driving against your body to leech even the final bits of warmth from bone.  Your clothes are drenched, heavy as they cling uncomfortably to skin.  But you are too drained to care, lacking the energy to even notice when the dim light of the streetlamp above is blotted out — Shaw holding his leather jacket over your head in the place of an umbrella.

All you are aware of before your vision goes dark is the anxiety in his voice when he calls your name over and over again, how weightless it felt to be carried in the cradle of his arms.  

How much you missed the scent you thought you had learned to forget.

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

“Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty?”

You opened your eyes to gaze into irises of warm amber, the situation similar to one you experienced before except for the fact that this time, you were the one lying in bed, staring at a man who sat on its edge, brows knit with concern beneath soft lavender strands.

“If you slept for any longer, I would’ve had to knock on your neighbour’s door.” Shaw chuckles but the sound is hollow, mirthlessness obvious like the blanched knuckles of his tightly clenched fists.

“What…how did we…” You begin, voice raspy as it dies, a sudden sharp pain in your throat making you wince.

And immediately, Shaw is on his feet, rummaging through cupboards in your kitchen until he finds a glass.  You watch him run the tap, fill it to the brim.  Feel the strength of his arm around your back as he holds you up, touch lingering even as you down the water in gulps to chase the discomfort away.

“You passed out not long after your douchebag of an ex ran off with his tail between his legs.  I found your keys in your purse, so I let myself into your apartment — hope you don’t mind.  Although, to be fair, I was also carrying you at the time, so it’s not really breaking and entering.”

Head feeling like it would explode as the events of the evening come rushing back, you turn towards him…slowly…slowly, afraid Shaw might disappear before your eyes should any movement prove too sudden.

Thank him.  Now.  Before he goes away again.

He is close, so close that you can count those long, beautiful lashes; almost feel the minuscule shifts in the air between you every time he blinks — those pupils encroaching onto gold as they expand and pulling you into their depths as they do.

“Why are you doing this?”

He doesn’t flinch at your question, and you can’t bring yourself to be shocked by the discrepancy between what you meant to say and the words actually spilling from your lips.  And as the grey memory of days spent counting the hours of his absence settles like lead in the pit of your stomach, the only thing you knew was that your heart couldn’t survive latching onto this sliver of hope only to have it ripped away again.

All you wanted…was the truth.

“Because I can’t stand to see you sad anymore.”

There is no smirk to stretch across that handsome face, only pain that hurts your heart to see it.  Resignation heavy in his voice, Shaw takes a deep breath before he continues.

“Turns out I’m weak when it comes to you.  Selfish.  I know I’m no good for you; there’s no future with me.  I can’t give you anything, can’t even promise you tomorrow, but…I just can’t stop thinking about you.  Wondering how you are.  Whether you’re eating well, sleeping well.  If you’re safe…happy.

“Tonight wasn’t supposed to happen.  I just wanted to make sure you got home okay, that some asshole wasn’t going to hassle you at work.  But then your ex showed up and when he tried to get fresh with you, well…I couldn’t let that slide.

“Listen, I don’t know what’s wrong with me but…I’m sorry, if I ever made you sad, if I scared you.  I’m sorry for everything.”

His gaze drops to the rip in his jeans, the drip, drip of the leaky faucet the only sound in the ensuing silence of his confession.  That is, until you say,

“I’m sorry too…that you’re such an idiot.”

His head whips up, brows furrowed and mouth slack as if caught in a rare moment of speechlessness.  The shock makes him seem years younger, lending him an air of innocence that you couldn’t help but smile at.

“In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m a grown woman, capable of making my own decisions.  I’m not so naïve that I don’t know what I would be getting into by being with you.  You say you can’t promise me tomorrow, but tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone.  All we can ask for — hope for — is the here and now.  

“Love takes courage, as does life.  But a life without love…it’s not much of a life, is it?  So I’m willing to be brave if that’s what it’ll take for us to be together.”

As quickly as they came, the words are gone, leaving you cotton-mouthed and faint as your heart pounds to send the blood rushing to your ears.  That could’ve been the only explanation as to why Shaw’s “I knew there was a reason why I loved you” sounded so muffled you had to ask him to repeat himself.

“Too bad, I only say things once.”

And there it is again: the spark in his eyes, smirk on those lips — igniting the fire you only allowed yourself to feel in dreams of his body on yours, skin to skin like kindling to flame.

“Are you that single-minded about everything?”  You ask, the smile on your face mirroring his as it approaches closer…

“Only when it comes to not letting go of the one I care about.”

…closer…

“Tell me one thing.”  Your voice is barely above a whisper.

…and closer still.

Lips now a hair’s breadth apart, the gentle rhythm of his exhalation blows soft upon your cupid’s bow; a shy request.  Your vision is filled with him, wonderfully awash with colour — lavender, amber, the soft pink of his mouth — and you wished you were the very clothes upon his body; saturated in his intensity, dyed in his hues.

His eyes fixate on your tongue when you wet your lips before asking, “That night, when you were hurt so badly you passed out in my store…why did you still insist on coming in?”

Shaw’s breath catches, hitching in his throat.  You know because you can feel it, the way the warmth stops short on your skin.  And when he speaks, the eyes that hold yours tell you this is no lie.

“Because if it was going to be the last night of my life, I didn’t want to go without seeing your face one more time.”

Love is a funny thing.  Formless, senseless, yet the strongest thing that could bind two strangers.  You hadn’t known Shaw for long, could count the days you spent together on one hand.  And still, entirely without reason, he bled into each and every hour, crept into the darkest corners of your mind to fill your weary heart with a desperation that made it very clear that love was far from done with you.

That right or wrong, the only place you wanted to be was here — held in the arms that wrapped around your body: hot, tight, safe…

…Shaw.

His lips are softer than you ever imagined when he brings his face to yours, plush silk gliding corner to corner to cover your mouth in reverent kisses — one for each night he came into your store, watched over you from afar.  

Your stalwart protector.

You tasted it now, the remnants of cinnamon on his tongue from the gum he was so fond of chewing, intensified by the memory of all the times you wondered about its flavour: pink bubbles popping in his mouth as he coolly dealt with the robber, the night you emptied his pockets as your neighbour stitched him up on your bed.

Shaw tasted sweet.  Far sweeter than you ever imagined.

And when his tongue slides against yours — slow and sure as it explores your mouth with increasing fervour before drawing back just as you clenched around emptiness, yearning for more, the beast within you refuses to abide.

You like the shock that passes over his face when you move, sudden and forceful, to push him onto the mattress beneath you; the artless way Shaw sinks teeth into his bottom lip in response.  You like how he watches as you straddle his hips — gaze earnest and body honest, hardening as you grind undulating circles upon his groin.

But, perhaps most of all, you liked the spark of something wild in those amber eyes, an unpredictability warning that if you weren’t careful, you’d be the one to find yourself pinned to the bed.

Because wasn’t that ultimately the push-and-pull that characterized so much between you and him?  Maddening at times, but always, always binding you to Shaw like some red string of fate.

So you nod when he whispers “May I?”, unable to suppress a moan to finally feel his hands on you: tracing along your jaw, cradling your face…resting the pad of his finger on your lip before pushing past to stroke your tongue.

Every sound he makes pleases; the soft hiss preceding the bob of his Adam’s apple to feel your lips pucker around his finger to suck, pink tongue enticing as it swirls along the length of that digit, drawing it deeper into the hot wetness of your mouth.

You never saw yourself as seductive before, but Shaw made you feel sexy.  Perhaps the impulse stemmed from some primitive desire, an instinctive call to please the man you felt so profoundly for that shame was the farthest thing from your mind when you pulled his hand from your lips to guide it to your breast, only partially aware of how wet you were becoming from his gaze alone — half-lidded and heavy with lust.

The heat of his touch permeates your blouse, white and transparent still in patches from the rain.  You watch his hands as they play: cupping your breasts in a gentle squeeze, thumbs and forefingers catching your nipples to pinch and roll until they stood stiff against the drape of your clothing, the flush of your flesh bold through fabric.

“You’re so beautiful that there are times I think you can’t possibly be real.”

His voice is low, husky.  You let it wash over you, almost frightened by how stupidly happy you become, willing the magic to linger even as his words dissipate amongst the sounds of the night: neon buzzing and the faraway screams of sirens in the distance.

A world apart.

Your hands find the broad expanse of his chest, tracing along muscle before circling the nipples that stood erect against his damp t-shirt.  Each twitch is endearing, every erratic breath he draws to feel your touch making you fall harder.  And when he tries to focus on unbuttoning your blouse while fighting the impulse to tear it clean off your body, the stirring between your legs grows in intensity until he finally pulls the silken panels aside, a quiet gasp escaping his lips to see his necklace nestled between your breasts.

“It really does belong on you.”  

The admiration in his tone is laced with a hint of possessiveness that makes you throb.  Shaw pushes himself to sitting, gathering you onto his lap in one smooth motion as he buries his face in your chest, inhaling deep.  You gasp to feel gentle teeth sink into the flesh of your breasts, Shaw following the chain of precious metal with his lips until it leads to the pendant.  And when his tongue slips out to draw the piece of jade into his mouth, he brings your nipple along with it.

“Oh!…”

The sensation is unlike any you’ve known before, the soft wetness of his pliant tongue a searing contrast with the cool, smooth stone rubbing against the sensitive tip of your breast in equal measure.  You feel his smile on your skin when you fist your hands into lavender hair, spine curving as your legs begin to tremble.

And he had yet to touch you below the waist.

“Your body responds so well to me.  I knew you were a good girl.”  He looks up at you, teasing shamelessly even as he continues to lavish attention on your breasts.

“Just your girl, if you’ll have me,” you say without second thought, long past the point of caring to keep your cards close to your chest.

Something breaks in that expression, the final walls crumbling like dust when Shaw blinks once…twice, revealing eyes that shine with emotion when he replies, “For the rest of my life, if you’ll have me.”

* * *

“Hmm!—”

Your moan is muffled, swallowed by Shaw’s greedy lips like he does with every sound of ecstasy that leaks like you do around his cock, buried impossibly deep in your body as it rocks back and forth, back and forth on his muscular thighs…

…doing your best to adjust to his ample size.

He had barely suppressed a chuckle when you first slipped your hand into his jeans, a subtle mix of pride and amusement on his face to see your eyes widen when you couldn’t quite wrap palm and fingers around the entirety of his girth.

And foreplay had only just begun.

“Still doing okay?” Shaw asks, touch tender as he brushes loose strands of hair from your eyes, lips smoothing along the apple of your cheek to feel its pink heat.  “We can go as slow as you want, there’s no rush.  If it’s too much, we can stop—”

“No!  No…I’m okay.  More than okay, I’m great.  Please…please don’t stop…don’t stop…”

Struggling to string words together, your breath comes in disjointed pants as Shaw begin to thrust up — the look on his face effortlessly sensual when he bites his lip to feel you spasm around him, tight wetness yielding in increments to accommodate his body as it broke new ground.

For you had never taken a man of that size, the litheness of Shaw’s muscular body belying the impressive package he’d been hiding in those jeans.  Your jaw ached just to look upon the length of that thick cock, mouth watering as a fresh wave of arousal made you press your thighs tighter together.  The movement didn’t go unnoticed.  Shaw had drawn you to him then — deft fingers dipping low to trace the outline of your swollen folds through moist panties, lavender head bending to kiss its lacy trim.

He took his time preparing you, licking his fingers before he eased them into your pussy — first one, then two…curling deep until the slippery sounds of arousal told him the time was ripe to introduce the third, leaving you blooming for him even as he whispered, “Think you’re ready for me to make you my girl for real?”

It borders on overwhelming, this sensation of fullness — between your legs, within your heart.  And as skin stretched to capacity to accommodate the sweet friction of his slide, you wished there was a way for the euphoria of this connection to last forever:

To the one you could never forget, no matter how hard you tried.

To this man you loved like no other.

“Shaw.”

His name is faint on your breath when he falls back onto the bed, taking you with him.  And as you found yourself straddling his hips once more, the altered angles of your bodies gave him the leverage to make you gasp when he begins to thrust in earnest.  The eroticism of his face, lost in lust, drives all thoughts from your mind as you drop a hand to your clit, fingers drawing tight circles before his hungry eyes.

The violence of your climax takes you by surprise, having no time to consider neighbours and thin walls as the lewdest sounds escape your lips at high volume.  Intense convulsions wracking your body in waves, you clench in time around your lover.  The sensation proves too much to bear, drawing out Shaw’s own release as he pulls out to spill onto the folds of your pussy — swollen and pink and trembling still beneath the coat of his pearlescent seed.

* * *

“I love you.”  

Morning light trickles across your walls like the slow crawl of spidery legs.  Shaw’s words hang in the air between you, a final, sacred moment shared between lovers before the rest of the world wakes.

You loved the hoarseness in his voice; a testament to the hours of noisy lovemaking you had shared in lieu of sleep.

You loved the weight of his hand, stroking softly at the crown of your head.

You loved the rhythm of his heart, echoing just below your ear to confirm his existence.

“I love you too.”

You look up into those amber eyes, trying to discern whether those four little words were sufficient in conveying that fact that you adored every fibre of the man before you.

The smile that graces his face in return is tender, honest…more brilliant than the day breaking in the East.

Your hands find his body, bare beneath the sheets.  And as a curious finger traces along the ridge of the scar that runs in a broad stroke across his sculpted abdomen, your gaze falls on his t-shirt, draped over the back of a chair.

“You should probably throw that Snoopy shirt away, especially after what happened last night.”

Shaw follows your line of sight, chest rising and falling in a deep sigh.  “Shitty as its previous owner was, I could never bring myself to hate something that reminds me of you.  Aside from saving my ass, this was the first gift you ever gave me.  And I never throw away gifts from my girl.”

His girl.

The mystery of life is that filled with unknowns though it is, we continue to live, brave in the face of the uncertainty that comes with every passing day.  You had no idea what fate had in store for you or Shaw, had no way of knowing if your relationship existed on borrowed time.  

The only thing you were certain of was that your feelings for each other were real, that try as you might, neither of you were very good at forgetting the other.  That in this moment, here and now, the only thing that mattered was this love that hit you…

…like a bolt from the blue.

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Thanks so much for reading!  I hope you all enjoyed this Shaw saga! 💖 

Check out more of my work here! 📚 (Please do not repost/copy/alter my work.  Reblogs, on the other hand, are perfectly fine and much appreciated! 💖👍🏼)

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