#text reads: “ready to stay with my mami”

[sleepy-bebby]

[milesandcorysupermacy]

miles with a hello kitty partner???

SURE, POOK! Btw I didn't know what miles u were talking abt so I just did 42 because I thought the personality contrast would be cuter, enjoy!

---------------x-o-x-o---------------------------

"YOU LOOK GOOD IN PINK"

42!Miles x Hello-Kitty-Black!Reader

Genre: Sugar, spice, and everything nice 🤩

Warnings: Nun, just super cute!

Summary: Your mom finally let's Miles have a sleepover with you, the two of you participate in some hello kitty activities, but not without some convincing!

Miles has always had a soft spot for you, ever since your first day at Visions. You came in 10 minutes late, (You were trying to figure out how to put your hello kitty claw clip into your braids) and sat in the only chair available, the one next to Miles. Everyone else was so afraid to sit next to him after that incident with his dad, they all treated him like he was a ticking time bomb. Like even the slightest touch or wrong thing said would cause him to go off on anyone or anything. But you, you were different.

You sat down next to him, your triple pink dunks lightly tapping against the floor as you sat down. You turned to your left and saw a brown-skinned boy with braids. He was lightly tapping his pencil on the desk to the steady beat of 'Stay Ready (What A Life)' by Jhené Aiko & Kendrick Lamar. "Hey, I know that song." You gently say, trying to make conversation. The boy looked over at you, starstruck. If anyone else would've said that, he'd roll his eyes without missing a beat. But your pleasant smile with glossed lips, your eyelashes gently fluttering, and your shared music taste drew him in. He gave a flirtatious smile, turned to you, and said... "Really? Well I wanna know sum', what's your name, mama?"

Ever since that day, Miles never left your side. That was something you took notice of, but so did your mom. She never let the two of you have a sleepover, when you asked why she always said the same thing.

"That boy never leaves your side, in 9 months we're all gonna need jobs on the side."

This constantly made you roll your eyes, not every teenage girl is the same! But, no matter what you said, she never thought otherwise. So, you and Miles made a Google Slideshow with reasons why you two should have a sleepover. To your suprise, your mom actually agreed under one condition, it had to be at your house. So, with a little bit of convincing Rio, Miles was making his way over. As you were thinking about what the two of you were gonna do, he texted you.

My Big Baby 💞

Outside, mami.

Ok, coming down rn.

Read

You excitedly hopped out of your hello kitty, pink colored bed sheets. The pink LED lights illuminated your room, making you subconsciously even more excited. You speed walked out of your room, catching your mom's attention.

"Your little friend must be here."

"Mom, he's my boyfriend and has been for 10 months. But, yes he is here!"

You say before clapping excitedly and opening the front door to reveal Miles standing there with a pleasant smile on his face, plus two bouquets of eternal roses. One was a pink and white bouquet that resembles hello kitty, and the other with royal blue and white roses to match your Mother's kitchen.

"Hey."

He said before stepping into your home with you closing the door behind him, wearing the hello kitty slippers that he bought for you to wear around the house. He handed you your bouquet and you squealed excitedly, taking the flowers from his hand.

"Ahhh! Thank you, Miles!"

You say, hugging him tightly. He smiles as you pull him into an embrace, happy with your fulfillment.

"No problem, Cariño."

He walked past you, approaching your mom with the flowers.

"These are for you, Ms. L/N."

He said before handing over the 2nd bouquet to your mother. She took the flowers, but not before a lecture.

"Thank you, Miles. This bribe won't work, you still can't sleep in her bed."

Miles chuckled at that.

"No bribe, just an appreciation gift for allowing me to come over."

He said slyly, giving her his most charming smile. You started walking over to him, intertwining your fingers.

"We're gonna go in my room, mom."

"Ok, I'm ordering pizza."

You and Miles walk into your room, excitedly. He admires your whole room aesthetic.

"Mami, this room is somehow more pink than the last time I saw it."

"Well, atleast it's not depressing like yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He said before cooking his head to the side and putting his hands on his hips, something his mom also does a lot.

"Well, mine has color. Your room is just dark purple and black."

You say, also putting your hands on your hips playfully.

"Well, atleast mine doesn't have a cartoon character cult."

He says, before motioning over to your collection of hello kitty plushies and mean mugging you playfully.

"You do, a cult full of random action figures that haven't been opened yet, and just sit on a shelf collecting dust."

"First of all, those are limited edition, collectibles. And you know that, Miss Thang."

He says, holding a finger up and shaking his head side to side sassily. You two burst out into laughter before sitting on your bed. You checked the time and saw it was 6:51 pm. Which reminded you that it was about time to put on the matching pajamas you bought for the two of you.

"OH! Miles?"

"Yes, mama?"

He replied with his arm wrapped around you and tv remote in hand. You stood up, walking over to your dresser, opening your pajama drawer.

"I know you tell me to never buy you anything unless it's your birthday or Christmas, but I saw this and I just had to get it because it was just so cute, plu-"

"Where is this going?"

He said cutting you off, by the way you were trying to convince him he could already tell he wasn't going to like this suprise. You pulled out 2 pink pairs of hello kitty pajamas with kitty's face on them and red hearts. Along with that, there was 2 white shirts with kitty's face on them. Miles looked at the outfits in disgust.

"No."

"C'mon!"

You whined.

"No, there's no way you're gonna make me wear those pink pants right now."

"Fine, then I'll make you wear them later."

Miles opened his mouth to speak, but you decided to respond before he could add a sassy remark.

"Right now, let's do these face masks!"

You say, holding up 2 hello kitty face masks. Smiling, before walking over to him and grabbing his hand. Dragging him into the bathroom with you. Once you two make it into the room, you show him your routine.

"Ok, so first we're going to cleanse our faces, then, we're going to add toner, next a cucumber, hello kitty face mask, next a serum, and finally moisturizer."

"And what exactly is all this stuff gonna do? All I use is cleanser and moisturizer."

"Miles, I love you. But, shut up."

"Yes, ma'am."

He said, before holding his arms up in surrender. You playfully roll your eyes and squirt some cleanser onto both of your hands. You turn on the sink and lather up the cleanser on your hands, Miles does the same. You two lather up your faces and turn off the sink.

"Ok, what'd you say was next? This tone stuff?"

"Yes, Miles. The rosewater toner."

You grabbed the toner and sprayed it 3 times on your face and once on your neck. You began to rub it in with closed eyes. Miles grabs the toner and you hear the sound of the bottle spraying 7 times before you told Miles to stop.

"Miles! That's enough, jeez. That thing was like $28."

"You act like I can buy you another one, I don't care if it was $2,800."

You smirk at his confidence before grabbing the hello kitty masks.

"Ok, grab one!"

You say excitedly, before Miles sighed.

"You're so lucky I love you."

"I am."

You say before kissing his cheek, making him smile. You two take the masks out and he asks a question.

"How long is this supposed to stay on?"

"The label says 15 minutes."

"But it's cold."

He whines.

"Aw, do you want me to put it on you, my big baby?"

You coo.

"Yea."

He says before sitting on the toilet lid. You put your face mask on in the mirror, making sure that it's on right. After yours is on, you make your way over to Miles, straddling his waist before fully taking the mask out the package. You apply it to his face, but not without him squirming.

"Be still."

"It's cold!"

"It won't be in like 2 minutes."

"That's too long!"

You rolled your eyes and finished applying his mask after an extra 30 seconds of him whining.

"You wanna take a photo?"

"Sure, whatever makes you happy, mami."

You pull your phone with a hello kitty case out of your pink legging pocket. You open Instagram and take a picture, adding the caption 'Sleepover day with Bae! @milesdontgaf'.

You two walk into your room and watch an episode of TV to pass the time, guess what show.....Hello kitty! You two watched a 15 minute compilation of season 5 on YouTube. By the time the video was over the two of you walked back into the bathroom to take off the face mask. You told miles to rub the extra serum.

"Now it's time for the Vitamin C serum."

"World's longest skincare routine."

Miles muttered, you slapped his chest.

"Ow."

You applied 4 drops, one to each cheek, one to your neck, and one to your forehead. You did the same to Miles because he whined about not knowing how to do it (🙄). You both applied the moisturizer with SPF 15 and finished in time for dinner. Your mom told you that the pizza was here and you and Miles rushed down the stairs. You saw 2 boxes, one pizza for you and Miles and one pizza for your mom. You two grabbed your pizza, 2 apple juices, thanked your mom, and ran upstairs.

You opened the box to reveal a Hello Kitty shaped pizza. You gasped, squealing from excitement. Miles shook his head smiling at your reaction.

"Miles, baby! Look!"

"I see, mama."

You two ate the pizza and drank your juices while watching hello kitty. Once the two of you finished and threw away the pizza box, you got an idea.

"So, you still don't want to put on those hello kitty pajamas?"

"Y/N, no. I'm not wearing that pink shi-"

You waited outside the bathroom door with your hello kitty pajamas for Miles. You had convinced forced him to put his pajamas on. Once Miles walked out the bathroom, you smiled, hugging him and kissing his cheeks. You were so thankful that he would do anything to make you happy.

"See, you look good in pink!"

"Don't push it."

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

Taglist: @we-loveebony, @im-miss-simp

[bmbsonmondaymornings]

Earth42!Miles Morales x FAB!Reader

DO NOT STEAL OR TRANSLATE MY WORK AT ALL.

Warnings! smutty (aged up miles and reader he is not a minor!!) black reader! pet names: mami, ma, beautiful, sweetheart, baby, etc. some degrading

Synopsis: Miles notices you aren’t home after a heated argument over text. He calls you to ask where you are but you don’t answer. This leads to his search and his punishments.

1:42 PM

Mami😍: Miles where you at???

4LIFER💍: Out.

Mami😍: Wym out ive been searching for you everywhere 🤨

4LIFER💍: why you worrying where I’m at mind your business that’s where I’m at stop texting me.

Mami😍: okay it’s gon be the same shit when you ask me where I’m at.

4LIFER💍: i want you to say that to my face 😂

Mami😍: okay don’t bother asking where I’m at when I’m gone 😚.

4LIFER💍: don’t worry ma I’ll know where you at.

“Mami😍 has phone on do not disturb”

——————————————

7:30 PM

Y/N’s POV

As I pulled up my skimpy dress over my thighs I heard a soft ding coming from my phone on the bed. Walking over to my bed to check who it was from it read..

MaKayKay😇: GIRLLL YOU READY??

Y/N😈💜: wait ugly im almost done 😒😞

MaKayKay😇: HURRY DAT ASS UP

—————————

8:25 PM

Miles POV

As I was getting ready to leave the stressful world of being “The Prowler” I was thinking about how I was gonna make up my rude tone in my texts with a nice old fashion loving. I get a notification from Instagram..

“ERRYBODYENVYZY/N posted!

As I watched the 3 videos that Y/N posted. I stood, stared stopping in my tracks because I knew I told her to stay at home knowing that there’s usually criminals at this time of night.

Opening my messages, I go to her number to scold her about leaving the house to go “party” outside AT NIGHT with her so called friends who obviously don’t have self respect.

—————————

4LIFER💍: Y/N bring yo ass home NOW.

4LIFER💍: Y/N I’m not gonna tell you again.

4LIFER💍: okay dont let me find you..

Mami😍: she busy rn.

Mami😍 has phone on do not disturb

—————————

Y/N’s POV

9:13 PM

I knew he was gonna be mad because I sent that text but to be honest I don’t care. He wanted to act out so I’m gonna do it back, Though the party is starting to die down I was gonna call a Uber and have my last drink.

9:22 PM

I thanked the Uber driver and got out the car. The party was short but, pretty fun and I needed to get out the house anyways. I unlocked the door thinking the house was empty. I was so wrong….

As I stood in-front of the couch Miles greeted me with a serious and if-stares-could-kill facial expression. I didn’t know what to say but sorry, almost immediately after I was gonna apologize he got up and grabbed my arm harshly.

——————————-

(Both 1st and 2nd person)

Miles grabbed the restraints out the closet where we kept the toys at I was a shriveled mess out of scarce but also slight arousal.

Miles POV

I grabbed her soft and delicate legs to spread them apart and tie them down onto the bed pillars. Repeating the same steps only with her arms ties to the bed post slightly behind the pillars.

(Bed pillars)

———————

2ND person?

“I told you to stop being dumb did I not?” Miles said with a sharp tone it was obvious he was tired cause his accent was more pronounced.

Y/N didn’t answer and only gave him a dirty look of disobedience and annoyance. But finally she answered “It was your fault anyways if you would’ve stopped ignoring my questions maybe we would be in a more comfortable position” signing her arms tied with her eyes going up to the bed pillars.

Miles annoyed and sexually frustrated he pulled her dress up slightly to reveal her absence of panties but her presence of wetness. Miles sticks the tip of his finger in her wet hole.

Y/N’s whimpers a soft “please amor” and a slight back arch moaning after miles sticks his finger further in.

“quieres otro?” Miles says quietly into her ear trailing his free hand up her neck and giving a soft squeeze.

“Yes please, more, more..” Y/N whimpers out but because of Miles anger of her disrespect towards him he pulls his finger out “beg for it mami” Miles says with entertainment of her want and need.

“Please papi..I’ll be good for you, promise” Y/N whimpers her pleads over and over until Miles finally takes out his length.

Miles spits onto her heat giving lube so he can easily slide into her wet, tight heat giving her pleasure that he knew she didn’t deserve for pulling a stunt like she did.

Miles decided to tease her by slowly moving knowing she couldn’t do anything to make him move any faster or harder.

Y/N moaned and begged “Please Miles I need it I’m sorry I won’t do it again please..” Y/N begs Miles felt remorse but still wanted a answer “What do you want mami?” Miles says in a loving tone.

Y/N answers fast with a loud “Fuck me! Fuck me! fuck me!” And Miles took the answer and pounded into her hard and fast giving her and himself pleasure.

Y/N morning and grunting and her toes curling hard and eyes rolling back. Miles let’s out a soft groan into her neck grabbing her braids while harshly pounding his tip into her cervix.

The pain and pleasure make her feel so good causing little squirts to spurt out of her and onto Miles abdomen and the soft silk sheets she just washed.

Miles grabs her hands and says “let go ma it’s okay you can cum.” As he was about to he softly yells “cum for me mami.!” And Y/N did so with him.

Miles and Y/N lays there for a minute to cool down before Y/N is untied. After Miles asks “you wanna take a bath while I wash the sheets?” And Y/N responds with a “only if you join me?” Miles softly smiles and grows a soft frown and says “don’t ever pull that shit again.”

THE. END.

i fr wrote this with my friend man I hope y’all like it and don’t come for me cause they are both ADULTS bruv.

[futbolfanficpunk]

Who is it?

Player: Pedri Gonzalez x Fictional Female Word count: 6330+ Summary: Pedri and his girlfriend break up when she can't handle the downfalls of being with someone famous, as they try to navigate their post-breakup friendship Pedri is having a really hard time because he is not over her, at all. Themes/Warnings: Fluff, Angst, Love Smut, Alcohol A/N: This came out pretty quickly, in a week and a half, which is really rare for me. Got inspiration from Rauw Alejandro's Dime Quien?. The timeline goes back and forth a bit, so be mindful of that. First time doing a long sex scene with a real plot, hope it works.

Pedri couldn’t get Camila out of his head, it’s been four months since they broke up. She left even when he pleaded, and pleaded, crying his eyes out like a teenager being rejected for the first time. She assured him that they could stay friends, he hadn’t done anything wrong, she just wasn’t ready for all the attention and outside drama of being in a relationship with him. They dated in secret for six months and once they went public she couldn’t deal with it anymore, four months later they were done. She wanted to be his friend but she needed some time by herself before that could happen.  He accepted what little she had to offer. Two months ago Camila texted him late at night saying hi and asking how he was. Pedri was miserable, if he had been honest that’s what he would have said but he didn’t want to take a step back and lose contact with her because he was needy. He replied

<Hi Camila, doing good. How about you?>

<I’m good, just wanted to check on you>

<Thanks. How’s everything?>

< Not much. Lots of work. 

I’ve seen your games. Glad the team is doing so well>

< We appreciate the support from our fans 🙂>

<hahahaha. Let’s chat soon or whatever. Going to sleep. > < I’m down. Good night>

He just smiled, reading the conversation again. He still loved her, wanted her, missed her, loved her, loved her, loved her. He ran his hands through his hair and pulled it in desperation while letting out a small groan. The first time they kissed, they made out for an hour, he couldn’t get enough of her, and she of him. Now Pedri couldn’t get Camila out of his head, if he could, if someone showed him how he would but he couldn’t. He had a small dip in training the first few weeks after the breakup, causing him to get benched for two straight games, and then got subbed into the third game with a sketchy game at that. He just couldn’t get his head straight. His teammates were trying to be understanding but outside people started noticing and he was getting criticized heavily. He wasn’t his normal self, not smiling in team photos, and Camila was nowhere to be seen in games or his cars, although she was very private she would be seen with him in public once or twice a month. The last month? Nothing, plus all her socials were now private. It got so bad the rumors got to his mom’s circle and mom, who at times treated her son as a friend, called him “Mi amor, todo bien?” (My love, is everything all right?) “Si, mami todo bien” (Yes, mom, everything’s all right)

“¿Cómo esta Cami? No me has enviado fotos con ella hace semanas y están comentando en internet cosas sobre ustedes” (How’s Cami. You haven’t sent me a pic with her in weeks and their saying things on the internet about you two)

“Ma’ , Camila  y yo no estamos juntos ya” (Ma’, Camila and I aren’t together anymore)

“¡Cariño! ¡Que pena!, ¿pasó algo?”  (Honey! What a shame! Did something happen?)

“No, mami, lo de ser famoso es un puta hostia” (No, mom, just that being famous is shit)

“Lo puede ser, sí….de veras, que pena. ¿Quieres que te vayamos a visitar?” (It can be, yes…it’s a real shame, Do you want us to visit you?)

“No, no te preocupes, ya me voy sintiendo mejor. Estamos de amigos” (No, don’t worry, I’m starting to feel better. We’re just friends now)

“Vale, te quiero, mi niño. Sabes que estamos aquí para ti” (Okay, I love you, my boy. You know we’re here for you) “Lo se, mami, yo tambien te quiero, chau (I know, mom, I love you too, bye)

“Adios” (Good-bye)

And after that call he decided that everything else would have to suffer except his football career, he would have to get used to not thinking about her before or during games or training. He had a habit of going through the photos he had of Camila on his phone whenever he was missing her desperately. He would touch himself when he felt lonely looking at pictures of her modeling lingerie she had sent him for away games. Nobody could make him as hot and hard as she did, he missed being inside her while kissing her the most because at that moment he felt like they were one thing, she was his and he was hers. He felt so empty every time he came, hand full of cum, he hated not having her around. In private he could hate himself and his situation all he wanted but not in public, not in football. He didn’t want his family to worry anymore. He usually shut the world off from his brain when he was playing but this last month Camila was creeping into his mind but from then on, he shut her off from his safe space, the pitch. He started playing better at training. Next month, he tried his best, even Camila herself noticed he was doing better and she started thinking maybe enough time had passed by and they could actually start talking again soon. She missed him too, she missed his friendship the most.  Even though they had said they would talk soon, they didn’t but they did start subtly interacting with hearts and likes on their social media, and neither of them was really ready to talk for another month. Pedri went by himself to a restaurant they used to love to go and decided to take a picture of his food and send it to her <“Guess where I am at?” >. Camila didn’t answer right away, so he just ate the delicious food that was in front of him and enjoyed the view of the city even if he had a bit of a knot in his chest. After asking for the check his phone vibrated < Is that fucking Don Jordi?>

<Yep! You guessed right> 

<It’s sooo good! I love that place! What I wouldn’t give to eat their chocolate mousse cake>

<If you’re home I can bring one over>

<I’m home but you don’t need to do that! >

<Oh, don’t be silly. Don Jordi is not far from you>

<You don’t have to ! I was just wishing out loud>

<I’ll bring it over and be on my way, see you in 20>

<god, I shouldn’t have said anything but okay, I love chocolate too much> He just needed an excuse, anything to see her in person. It had been three months and a week since he last saw her, Camila leaving his house with the last box full of her things, never to return. He order the dessert to go and went to the bathroom to check how he looked. He looked fine, this new fine of having eyes of someone who never sleeps through the night, just needed to fix his hair. 

He knocked on her door and waited, small bag in hand with a small dessert inside. She knew it was him, she had buzzed him in. “That was fast! Hope you weren’t speeding” she said as she opened the door “Hi”

‘Hi, and don’t worry, I wasn’t ” he replied with a small smile She gave him a small hug and said “It’s good to see you”. He could barely move, his mouth was dry, and his nerves were on edge but that hug made him feel a tingling all over his body he hadn’t felt in months. He wrapped his free hand around her and gave her a small squeeze back. “You too”. He said

She stepped back and looked at the bag he was carrying

“This is for you,” he said as he gave her the bag “I hope it’s not ruined” “I’m sure it’s not,” she said with a smile “Thanks so much!” “No problem” he said as he took the opportunity to look at her for a second. Her hair was longer, but she looked the same. She was wearing a cropped sweater and tight-fitting joggers. He could see part of her belly and lips were shiny from wearing a bit of lipgloss. He could fight 10 men at a time just to get to kiss those lips again. 

“Well, thanks again” She interrupted his thoughts ”Maybe we can hang out soon and catch up?”

“Yes, lets. Now go inside and eat it” 

“Oh, I will!” she gave him a lil pat on his left arm “Bye” she turned towards the door and opened it, she turned around and said, “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

He smiled, nodded and turned around to go towards the stairs, down to his car. 

His heart was racing when he got into his car. Time had not changed anything at all, maybe his love-wounds hurt less but seeing her again in person made him want her back more than ever.

From that day on he would put his cell phone right next to him with the sound notifications on just in case she texted or called, even when he went to bed early because he had training the next day he placed his phone next to his pillow hoping she would. He would stare at it, trying to conjure her with his thoughts. A week and a half had passed since they saw each other when his phone vibrated and made a noise when he was putting on pajama pants to sleep, he took his shirt off and jumped into bed to check his phone. And there it was, a text from her, asking to meet up next Sunday, at the time of his choosing, whenever he could. He said that he could meet her after 3 PM, anywhere she liked. She decided that they would meet at The Café on Rosell Street at 4pm. He counted the days, every day waking up to check how many days were left. He got a haircut two days before. He had a game the day before their meeting, and he was sure he would be in the starting eleven, so it wouldn’t look like he was trying too hard since he usually got a haircut before big games. 

     Rosell Street, 4pm. The Cafe. Camila was there already. Pedri saw her right away because she was already looking and waving at him when he got in. She must have seen him coming from the street. Camila stood up “Hey, you” opening her arm as to welcome a hug. Pedri gave her a shy hug and quick kisses on her cheeks being afraid of himself and his reaction “Nice to see you” he said while pulling away from her “Is this table okay? She asked said nervously “What kind of question is that? Of course” he said, surprised. Something is off, she’s nervous, he thought. She asked about the game and training, she had seen the game and congratulated him on his goal. He was so concentrated on this day’s arrival that a goal seemed like something so stupid and unimportant, he never thought of bringing it up in their conversation or known she would bring it up “Yea, that was awesome. I got a good assist from Frenkie, so it was pretty easy” “You always make it seem easy, then I try to play and I feel embarrassed at how bad I am” she said laughing.

Pedri laughed with her, she’s right, she’s pretty bad. “You’re not that bad, Cami” he said

“Yea, THAT bad” she replied giggling Pedri drank water and the waiter came over. They both order drinks and a few small plates. “I’m so glad you came, it’s so good to finally be able to talk to you, I missed talking to you“ she said “Me too, a lot” he replied, feeling himself getting excited with hope “ Speaking of talking to you. I have something to tell you” she said

“Oh?” he said with curiosity

“I want to tell you before anyone else tells you. I’m seeing somebody. It’s been going on for a few weeks. It’s not super serious yet but, you know, I thought you would probably want to know”

He felt his chest burn and his stomach churn while she was speaking, every word that kept coming out of her mouth was worse than the one before, the more she talked, the worst it got. “Who is it? he said as he frowned

“It’s a friend of a friend from work. You know, Daniel?  We met a party at Daniel’s apartment, his name is Unai”

“Ugly fucking name”

“Hey, be nice!” He held his face in his hands and breathed, “Get it together” he thought

“I’m just kidding. I’m happy for you” taking his hands off his face “At least one of us is not a single idiot”

“You’re not an idiot, anything but”

“I am single though” “And I’m sure I won’t be won’t be for long" she said as she flicked her hand against his forearm “Oh, I don’t know about that” “I’m sure of it, you’re a great catch, you could have anyone you want”

“Not the one I want, though” he mumbled “What was that?” “I don’t want anyone, though,” he said, speaking up, “Does he treat you well?”

“Yes, very much”

“Good” he looked up and saw the waiter coming “Our drinks and food are here”. He really wanted to change the subject

They spent the rest of the time catching up on their every day, their families, talking about what movies or series they were watching, making jokes about each other. He paid their check even though she protested and they said their goodbyes, she said while nervously moving “Thanks for coming out, today was really important. You know I care about you a lot and I really hope we can keep being friends” 

“I care a lot about you too, honey, of course we can be friends. Even if you date guys with ugly names”’ he replied shrugging

She laughed and hugged him  “Chau, Pedri” “Bye, Cami” he said as she walked away and picked up her phone from her purse. 

He really just wanted to jump off a bridge, feeling the cold water hit him like a brick when landing would have hurt less than his whole being right now. She was moving on and he was not. Three weeks later, they had only texted twice. Once after a game. He had scored again and she had watched. She complimented him. And he sent her a picture of a meme he thought she would find funny, and he was right.  Almost every other day Pedri thought about her with her new guy. Who was that asshole? Why was he the one getting to kiss her? To be with her? To make her laugh in private? Why can’t it be him? Why were things outside of his control fucking up his happiness? It was Wednesday night and she texted him. <Hey Pedri! Are you going to Sira’s get-together? she invited me>

< Hey Cami. I’m planning to> <oh, cool! at least I’ll have more than just Ferran and Sira as people I know at the thing>

<It’s me, the dude you know. 😛 I’ll see you there. Should be fun>

< haha.for sure, and we get to hang out>

< looking forward to it>

< 🙂 bye> <later>

This interaction made his head spin. Was Cami going to be there with the dude with the ugly name? Or by herself? Why did she care if he was there? But the first thing he thought was “I need a new outfit for it”

     That Friday, he got to Sira’s place, new outfit on. She opened the door and he gave her a gift bag with booze as a thank-you gift for inviting him. They said hellos with the customary two kisses and he met Ferran right after. He didn’t see Camila right away when he scanned the room but he thought he would see her at any minute because he came fashionably late and she was always on time for everything. He sat down with Ferran and Eric, who was there too, and talked as they all had a beer. After talking and joking around for a bit, he noticed her. She was coming in from the kitchen by herself with a drink in hand. It had been over four months since they broke it off, and nothing had changed about the way he felt about her. He was still in love. He excused himself to go to the bathroom, he was freaking out. She came by herself. He splashed himself with cold water and fixed his hair, he didn’t know how else to make himself more comfortable and less pathetic. He came out of the bathroom to find her in the hall. 

“ Pedri!” she shouted “ I hadn’t seen you! When did you come in?” “A while ago”

“You can never come to parties on time, can you?” she said in slight slurred voice

He laughed “ I guess not” “Let me go to the bathroom, but wait for me here”

“Here?” 

“Is anyone waiting for you?” she said frowning

“Besides Eric and Ferran? No” he replied raising his eyebrow

“They don’t count”

“Definitively not, then”

“Then stay here, don’t get lost”

He did not move, he didn’t know what to think, he was confused but his heart was racing from just getting this much attention from her.

She came out of the bathroom and said, “Let’s go get a beer and go out to the balcony. I have gossip to tell”

“What?” “You heard me, come on!” she said almost stumbling on her words They went to the kitchen to get some Estrella Damm beers. She pulled him by holding his hand to get to the balcony, it looked down at the patio at Sira’ house, which was lit and landscaped by a professional, no one else was hanging out there. Everything was getting more confusing for him. She let go of his hand and leaned into the edge. “It’s so pretty here, Sira’s lucky. My balcony just looks at the street” she said and had a good amount of beer from her bottle. He didn’t say anything, he just looked at her and realized she was trying to get drunk, fast, on purpose. “Don’t drink so fast, honey, unless you want to go home early”

“Oh, whatever. Don’t you want to know the gossip?”

“Let’s hear it”

“I broke up with Unai” 

“Oh, fuck. Are you okay?”

“I’m great, actually. I don’t think I was as into him as much as I thought. Or maybe I’m just a cold bitch”

“Or maybe he just sucked”

“And the sex wasn’t that good”

“No surprise with that ugly ass name”

She laughed and flicked his arm

He smiled. He was happy to hear the news. Best news since she decided to text him again. He hated the idea of someone else being with her. He didn’t own her or anybody else but he was happy there wasn’t going to be another guy kissing her and calling her at bedtime to say good night before she went to sleep.

“Have you been with anyone?” she asked looking towards the garden leaning towards the balcony again putting her beer on the ledge.

“Not really” he said as he leaned into the balcony looking at her; placing his beer on the ledge as well.

“Not even a one night stand?” she said now looking at him “No” “There’s no way, you were such a low-key fuck boy before we started dating, no te creo.”  ( I don’t believe you)

“No, de verdad que no”  (No, the truth is no)

“Why?”

“ 'Cause”

“ 'Cause of me?”

He sighed, “Yea”

Camila bit her lip and smiled, she got closer to where he was until she was in his space

“What would you say if I said I want you to fuck me?”

“I would say you’re drunk” he replied

“And you’re not?”

“No, and even if I were, I wouldn’t fuck you while you’re drunk”

“You don’t want to fuck me?” “You wouldn’t want me if you weren’t drunk” “I would” “I think you should stop drinking now and leave it that”

“I want you to kiss me, take my clothes off and fuck me, Pedri” she said in a low voice “Cami, I’m not going to. I’m going home. I can’t deal with this right now. I’ll come to your place tomorrow and we’ll talk about it. But not like this.” he insisted

“No, please, don't leave”  she said grabbing his hand “ Cami, I’m going, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow” he said caressing her free hand with his other hand, a bit of sadness peaking through his eyes. “Can you at least kiss me?” she begged He cupped her cheeks with his hands and gave her a small kiss. He left the balcony to excuse himself from leaving the party. Camila just looked at him leave, not knowing what to do next.

Pedri got into his car and just looked at the dashboard lights. “Joder!” he screamed. He tugged his hair and groaned “¡Que hostia, carajo!”. Everything he wanted just happened in the worst way possible. Did she really mean it? or was she just lonely? horny? Did she love him? a bit? or at all? Right now, he just wanted to get home and sleep it off. Tomorrow they had the last training before Sunday’s game.

          The next day after training he was driving towards her apartment, he had texted that he was on his way and she sent him a thumbs up in return. His hands on the steering wheel were sweating and fidgety. He was thinking of two possible scenarios;  she still feels the same or last night was a mistake. He was trying to prepare himself on how we would react to either of them because what he really wanted to do is say he loved her the same way he did before, the same as always, kiss her, make love to her, and be hers forever but wouldn’t dare, couldn’t. Not unless she showed interest. He played loud reggaeton to calm and distract himself.

           Camila buzzed him in. He went up the stairs and was met with an open door and her head and half her body sticking out waiting for him. “Hola” he said as he got closer to her door. “ Hola” she replied and stepped back to let him in. Pedri gave her one kiss on each cheek and asked her “ How’s the hangover?”

“It’s okay now. This morning? Not so much” Camila replied

“Lesson learned?” he said while he fidgeted with his fingers behind his back.

“Oh, please” she chuckled. “Should we sit down?”

He nodded

They sat down in her small couch in her studio apartment, small golden rays from the hour of late sunshine coming in between the white curtains from her balcony that faces the street

She sighed “Te pido perdón por lo de anoche” (I want to apologize for last night ) she stayed silent for a moment while looking at him looking for any reaction

“It’s okay” he said quietly after the awkward silence

 “I’m sure that made you uncomfortable, and if we’re to be friends, that’s not cool”

“We all have said and done things when we’re drunk that we don’t mean really mean”

“It’s not about meaning it or not, I shouldn’t have said that while I was drunk”

“Wait what?”

“I’m sorry, I've just missed you”

“ I miss you every day, Camila” “You never act like it, though” she said holding her own hands

“But I do, I just wanted to respect you and your wishes. I didn’t want to ruin the chance to be your friend. I care about you too much” “Fuck” She said as he pulled her knees toward her torso and wrapped her arms around them, she sighed “What did you mean when you said ‘it's not about meaning it or not?’” asked Pedri

“Um…” she lowered her legs and shifted her body towards him ” ‘cause I did mean it, I wanted to sleep with you”  she said “Oh…were you feeling lonely or something?” “No, I miss being with you, Pedri” That’s all he had been wanting to hear, just a hint of wanting, of interest, of love, just an excuse.

He acted almost on instinct, didn’t wait, didn’t ask;  his lips landed on hers, letting his lips feel her to remember what it was like to kiss her. The kiss from the night before was so fast and full of nerves that he didn’t get to feel the kiss, or how she reacted to it, that wasn’t happening now. She let out a lil' approving hum contrived in her mouth and she opened her mouth a bit so that she could feel her lips eat his. He pulled her in by wrapping his arms around her as he deepened the kiss with his tongue. He had been starved of her for all these months, he would be damned if he didn’t take this opportunity to have her, so show her his love. She tilted her head and let her tongue savor every inch of his mouth as she held onto the back of his neck. She felt him pulling her in even more, chest almost touching, her legs open to make room for him. He unwrapped himself to touch her hair, gave her one last small peck, and said “ We can sleep together tonight if you want”, giving her another kiss. 

“I want to, obviously” she said as she caressed his face with her finger and gave him another kiss.

“I don’t have condom, though” he said in between kisses

“I think I do. In my nightstand. You wanna come to bed?” she replied 

He nodded

The bed was hidden behind a vintage hand-painted divider between the couch and the bed, so they went around to the bed where he sat while she looked through her nightstand’s drawer

He looked around, she lives in a studio that somehow she managed to make cozy, styled in a sophisticated but simple manner. Kind of like her, an amazingly beautiful woman, who’s smart yet unassuming and was never full of herself,on the contrary, quite sensitive with a simple yet classy sense of style and self. He loved being around her and her things, her vibes again. 

“Found it,” she said, showing the wrapped product off like it was a golden ticket. “but, why are you still wearing all those clothes?” she said with a smirk plastered across her lips.

He chuckled, “I was waiting for you”

She put the condom on top the nightstand “No, sir, you take it off first. It’s not like you’re shy, you get naked in front of dozens of men all the time”

“god, okay” he said. He took his jacket and shirt off showing her his athletic physique. He looked up at her, looking to be desired. He hadn’t been with anyone in almost five months and he wanted to, needed to be desired.

She got close to him, still standing next to the bed, placed her hands on his shoulder and caressed them and his chest “You’re so hot, it’s unfair” she said as she sat down next to him, as he smiled. 

“You’re turn, bonita”. She was wearing a short skater dress with string sleeves and a cardigan. She took off the cardigan, slipped the sleeves off, and took the whole thing off while he looked on, staring at her while she was only wearing her tiny panties. 

“Eres hermosa, no me cansaría nunca de mirarte quitarte la ropa” (You’re beautiful, I would never get tired of looking at you take your clothes off)

She went over to hover over him, reaching for his belt and pants. She commanded him to take it all off and so he did. 

He went in for her mouth while his hand slipped in between her panties and her slit, feeling her wetness, he rubbed her up and down then went for her clit, drawing circles on it. She let a few small moans die in his mouth.

“I want you, now, please” she said

He reached over the condom, his cock was throbbing hard. He slid in the condom on saying “I haven’t been with anyone in a long time. I might not last as much as we both want to”

“I don't care, I just want you inside, please” she said laying down, taking off her panties. 

He kissed her again, and got himself lined up in between her legs, he slid his member up and down her slit getting her juices all over his dick. She moaned and whined with “baby” when he did. He thrust himself inside her and then again slowly, to get adjusted and to not hurt her. She was so wet it went right in without any resistance. He was beside himself, she was the prettiest girl and she was under him taking him in. He kept his thrusting steady as he felt a warmness in his chest and cock at the same time, he never wanted and loved anyone so much in his young life. 

“ I love you” he said as he kept giving it to her and kissing her  “dios— so much” he said between breaths,

She opened her eyes, taken out from her pleasure trance, and said “Sit down”

He kissed her cheek, got off her, and followed her orders. She got on his lap, held his hard and wet member with her hand and put the tip inside herself, then slid into it, they both hissed at the overwhelming feeling. She started riding his dick with intent. In between moans, groans, and breaths she asked

“Do you still love me?”

“god, yes” he said looking up at her

“ Do you love being- joder, que rico- inside me?” (fuck, so good). She felt him getting even harder inside her

“It’s my favorite place to be” he answered pulling her closer to him 

Resting her forehead on his she asked  “Are you going to come for me?”

“Yes”  

“Now?”

“Almost”

He helped her go faster with his hands on her hips as her juices flooded his cock and part of his inside thighs. “Do you love me?” he asked kissing her neck

“I love you so much” she let out a desperate little moan “ I want you to come for me”

 He couldn't hold it much longer, her words were putting him over the edge

“Me voy a correr” (I’m going to come) he said as her riding got faster and harder, feeling the friction of his cock riding up against her walls.

“Come for me, baby” she said, riding him until he was a mess of groans and whines feeling his cock twitch inside her. He let out a loud moan and let his body collapse against hers, his face landing on her chest, breathing like he just had sprinted across the pitch. “Joder, te amo tanto” (Fuck, I love you so much).

She hugged him and peppered his cheek with kisses.  “yo también, amor”. (me too, love)

“Lay down for me” he said as he tried to calm himself down from his high. He took his condom off, knotted it, and threw it on the floor while she moved to rest on her pillows. He told her to open her legs as he went in to eat her out, not wanting her to go unsatisfied. Pedri sucked, touched, licked and teased her clit and core until she was begging him to keep going, to not stop, she was so close. He looked up at her, while he kept fingering her hole and licking her clit, met her eyes staring down at him, mouth open only being able to make noises. Camila came on Pedri’s mouth just as he wanted, screaming “sí, Pedri, sí”,  his mouth and chin full of her. He wiped his face with his fingers, and while she looked at him unable to catch her breath yet, he licked his fingers clean and said “You always taste so good, Cami”. Camila let an embarrassed giggle out and said “Come here, Pedro Gonzalez!”  while signaling for him to come on top of her. She kissed him, tasting herself all over his mouth. He moved next to her, and laid there looking at her, the happiest he had been in months.

Camila ran her fingers through Pedri’s hair, styling his messy waves, “Can you stay the night?” she inquired.

“Only if I can stay over tomorrow night after the game and the day after that too” replied Pedri, caressing her naked hips.

“Only if I can stay at your place the rest of the week” she said 

“Deal” Pedri said and gave her a small and soft peck on the lips. 

       The last game of the season was coming up, and Pedri had asked Camila to come and sit with his family to see his game and join the La Liga trophy celebrations. They had guaranteed the league title win two matches before. Pedri and Cami had kept their reunion on the download, telling only friends and family. When he sat down to ask her, he gave her a mini-speech about how much he loved her and respected her wishes to be private but he really wanted to share this important moment with her at Camp Nou, his first league as champions. Camila didn’t need a lot of convincing, she had been thinking about it since they had the mathematical win of La Liga. “I’ll be there, next to Fer” she told Pedri, she was ready. He gave her a long hug, kissing her neck. He loved her and wanted everyone to know she was his girl, he wanted to share everything with her, including this very important but public moment in his life.

The whistle blew on their last game and all the players ran to the pitch, jumping and celebrating. The first league title for Fc Barcelona since Messi left, since the 2018-19 season. Camila sat next to Fer and Pedri’s parents. They all talked, laughed, and got excited during the game. Fer was making Cami laugh during the game trash-talking against the rival team, Celta Fc, and at one point said, “You wait, I’m going to tell Pedri he was shit for missing that goal opportunity”. Cami laughed and said, “Don’t you dare, Fernando!”. People had already seen Camila with Pedri’s family and fan pictures and videos were already being shared on social media, although she noticed some phones pointed at her, she decided that these things were not going to affect her today, today was Pedri’s day and she was focused on being happy.

There was Pedri trying to look up at where his family was, waving towards them. The trophy and celebration decor were being put up and the players went to change into the champion's shirts. “We’re going down after they present them with the trophy, going down to the pitch, ok?” said Fer 

“Okay” said Cami giving him a thumbs up and wink.

After the trophy was presented and Xavi, Busi, and Alba gave speeches, they played music on the speakers, and families were cued to come down. They went down along with Ferran Torres' family and Sira. Sira covered her mouth and whispered, “Pedri is really excited you're here, you can see it on his face”. Camila just smiled and looked up to see if she could also see him. She saw him jogging down to meet them. He first gave his mom and dad a big hug and then met Fer who also gave him a hug. Camila was just a few steps behind. Pedri pulled away and his eyes met with Camila's. He couldn’t believe how pretty she looked, wearing an Fc Barcelona jersey, her hair down, red lips, and a big smile on her face.

“Hola, mi amor” (Hello, my love) he said as he went to hug her

“Hola, bello”  (Hello, beautiful boy) she said as she embraced his hug

“Felicidades, campeón” (Congratulation, Champion) she said as she pulled back to look at him

“Thank you, honey” he said smiling and gave her a small kiss on her lips.

She gave him another hug. “Come on, let’s go take a picture with the trophy” said Pedri The whole family took a few pictures and he also asked for a picture just with Camila. She looked up at the stands and saw there were thousands of people still in there. The team, along with the families, went around the whole stadium waving and celebrating with the fans. After walking with his parents Pedri walked towards Camila again, who was goofing around with Sira, Ferran, Eric, and Gavi, and held her hand. 

“Thanks for coming, Cami” he said covering his mouth with his free hand “I love you”

She looked at him and smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy, without covering her mouth she said “ I love you too”. They finished doing the lap and they all went to the tunnel. He said bye to his family. “I’ll see you later at home, yea?” he said to Camila “Vale, nos vemos en casa.” (Okay, see you at home) she said, gave him a kiss and walked away with his family The video of Camila and Pedri's moment on the pitch went viral, people had figured out she had said “I love you too” by reading her lips. The reaction was positive, unlike last time. She wasn’t going to be negatively harassed en mass like before. Pedri was so happy while changing in the dressing room, he had a stupid grin on his face, it meant as much as the league trophy to have had her there that night. The boys celebrated even more in the dressing room and he just sat down on a bench, laughed, and sang, getting hugs and cheek kisses from his teammates, thinking how lucky he was. It had been 7 months since Camila had walked out of his house, to turn his happy life into a miserable one and now he was the happiest man in Barcelona. He had his Cami and her love. No one else to claim her, to kiss her, to call her, to hug her, to miss her, only him, to love her, love her, love her.

[rainsmediaradio]

Sarkodie - Try Me Lyrics

Sarkodie - Try Me Lyrics S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Ad3n na wo dada aa mi Wo de Mami me we aa na wode akoma Kwame Ma mani so ataataame S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Me ma menkoo Na obi fofro taataa me Wo gya me ho no wankra me Baby girl make you no try me make you no try me I never thought I was gonna be on this wave 'Cause I was ready to take a couple things to my grave First of all lemme clap for you baby you brave But you can’t pick and choose what to say please behave Obiaa ansomawo so ohemaa if you wanna talk You gotto tell the world every other nigga you fuck You can’t just play the victim and paint a picture Like you were looking for love from all the dicks that you sucked I’m not gonna sit here and lie we had a thing First no thought you were cool till I had a hint Na me fiis3 boys a clocki with the baddest bitch Nanso s3na yenyinaa y3 Sesa so s3 Cuban links I was trying to stay away from you but then you came Wo kyer3 me s3 wo nyem and I’m the one to be blamed Ok, of course I thought that you were trying to start another drama Abi boy from the street I know the game Yes I wasn’t ready but then I told you to keep it Wo kyer3 me s3 wo school na wo ko gotto complete it To be very honest till today I don’t believe it Cos me kaas3 Meaa me doctor Mb3 wh3 wo you said you don’t need it After conversation naa then you sent me a text S3 wadanfo bi wo doctor bi hut you know he’s the best So don’t you make it seem like I was the one pushing you for abortion, 'Cause that b the only part wey make I vex S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Ad3n na wo dada aa mi Wo de Mami me we aa na wode akoma Kwame Ma mani so ataataame S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Me ma menkoo Na obi fofro taataa me Wo gya me ho no wankra me Baby girl make you no try me make you no try me Few weeks ago you try to set me up again Wo hy3 da twer3 me whatsapp s3 you still go through the pain But me knowing you I kinda knew that you were really up to something So I said that we should meet so you explain Me arrange meeting wo Skybar Wo se ho nipa no dooso I’m like ah And then you told me s3 nka mensan bra wo fie na me se me? Na mensan mb3 hy3 wo d3m you lie bad Nea owo aka no p3n osuro sonson Me nsan mmra wo fie biom anadwo nonsoo 3nn3 wiase naa nea 3maa b3 ka biaa Y3 b3 gye edi berma na b3 nom aduro aa 3nyon We know what it is shorty just chasing the bag 'Cause after wei does it really bring happiness back Take the blame cause nobody is the 'Cause for your bad choice in life stop the personal attacks First few hours heard the book is doing well Who is really shocked cause everybody can tell So it’s not because your book is really good But we living in a world where negativity sells I pray you get the healing that you need M3n be claimi good girl, you are for the streets Strategy na hot obaahemaa gye wo 2 Meaa ma gye one copy sharp I’m about to read S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Ad3n na wo dada aa mi Wo de Mami me we aa na wode akoma Kwame Ma mani so ataataame S3 wonp3mede3 gyai mi Me ma menkoo Na obi fofro taataa me Wo gya me ho no wankra me Baby girl make you no try me make you no try me Read the full article

[happys-crazy-queen22]

Not The Right Nipple

Gif credit @angelreyesgirl

Hope you all enjoy

Happy reading dollies

Taglist @ilovetaquitosmmmm. @nocturnalherb16. @jesseswartzwelder. @leaalfred. @twistnet. @baylishh. @tranqs-main-mami. @mayans-mc

"So I left you four breast milk bottles in the fridge and there's pouches in the freezer if you need extra but I shouldnt be gone that long". You explained to Angel as you got ready for a girls day out. Since having the baby two months ago you hadn't been out of the house and you were going stir crazy.

"Do you really have to go? I mean, you've never left Danny with me more than an hour and that's just to take a shower. I'm not sure that I'll survive". Angel rubbed the back of his head nervously, looking down at his sleeping son in the cradle.

"Angel, you'll be fine. I promise. If you need me, I'm just a phone call away. I love you. Now don't lose my child or burn down the house". You gave him a quick kiss and headed out the door.

Angel sighed. "Just you and me kid".

"Waaaaaawaaaaaaa". Danny screamed to the top of his lungs. His little face beet red.

"Come on. Come on". Angel growled at his phone as he tried to call you. Danny wasn't eating and he didn't need a diaper change so Angel didnt know what to do.

"Angel"? Ez called out as he, Coco and Taza entered the house.

"For fuck sake, what the hell did you do"? Ez snapped when he saw his little nephew.

"Nothing. I tried to feed him but he wouldnt take the bottle. He's clean, I know because I changed his diaper every fifteen minutes". Angel stressed.

"I see now why you need to get diapers every time we go out". Coco chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up". Angel hissed, he was already irritated and he didn't need Coco on his case.

"Let me see the bottle". Taza grabbed the bottle and tested on his wrist. "It's warm enough". He handed it to Ez to see if he could get him to eat.

"Wondered why he wont take it"? Ez questioned when Danny wouldnt take the bottle for him neither.

"He's breastfed, right"? Coco asked.

"Yeah"? Angel, Ez and Taza eyed Coco confused.

"Then that's what he wants. He doesnt want a bottle, he wants the warm breast on his cheek and the face that goes with that breast". Coco smirked.

"I'll kill you, Coco. Don't talk about my wife's body". Angel pointed his gun at Coco.

"Alright, settle down. Put the gun away". Taza stepped in between the two.

"Have you called Y/N"? Ez asked rocking Danny. He was still screaming.

"Yeah, no answer".

"We'll figure something out, dont stress, daddy". Taza patted Angel's back.

Angel took the guys to the living room and tried to stay calm and feed Danny. While Coco had a idea of his own, he went to the kitchen got a pair of scissors and went back to the living room.

"Give me the bottle". Coco held out his hand.

"What are you doing. I dont trust you around my kid with scissors". Angel hesitantly gave Coco the bottle. Coco scoffed.

"What the hell are you doing"? Angel asked as he saw Coco cut a hole in his shirt right where the nipple was at.

"I'm going to feed your kid, so he'll stop his screaming. Or would you like this to continue on until Y/N got here"?

"Now, hand me the baby". Coco held out his arms. Ez looked at Angel then Angel nodded.

"See if Danny boy thinks that the breast are where is should be, he'll drink and all your problems will be solved". Coco explained. He put the bottle nipple into Danny's mouth and he began to suckle.

"See. Not all my ideas are stupid".

"Okay, give me my kid. You're not breast feeding him. It's weird".

"Fine. Cut a hole in your shirt".

Angel did just that and they quickly switched off. Danny seemed happy as he ate. Angel's stress level went down and Danny's screaming stopped completely, he was even cooing.

"Thanks, man". Angel nodded to Coco.

"Dont say I didn't get you anything".

"You didn't. You didnt even show up for the baby shower".

"I was busy".

"Doing"? Angel asked as be rocked Danny back, still feeding him.

"Doing what Danny's doing right now but on a smoking hot red head". Coco smirked.

"Aaaah, that's disgusting. Dont be talking like that around my child, you nasty pervert". Angel scoffed in disgust.

"Do you want me to tell Danny that you were in his position a year ago"? Coco teased.

"Get out of my house, Cruz". Angel bluntly told Coco.

"Fine. I have a red head to see anyways". Coco rolled his eyes and headed out of the house.

"You cool here, brother"? Ez asked.

"Yeah I'm good. Thanks. See you guys later".

Ez and Taza left. Angel relaxed on the couch, cradling his sleeping son. A moments peace.

After a good squeeze and snuggle session, he laid Danny in his bassinet.

Angel was thrilled when he heard you pull up. He was still sitting on the couch when you walked in.

"Hey, my loves". You tip toed up to the couch. Leaning on the back of the couch.

"How was your day"? Angel asked with a whisper.

"It was wonderful. Thank you. How was your day? I seen you called but then texted you were fine".

"Oh, I missed place the wipes and forgot where we put the others but I found them. No problem". Angel lied.

"Okay, I'm going to go change. I need to snuggle with my boys". You giggled and kissed his cheek.

Angel saw the bassinet moving and got up to check on Danny.

"Angel"? You called out from the other room.

"Yeah"?

"Why does your shirt have a hole at the nipple"? You asked looking at it oddly as you went to put it on.

"Um, about that". Angel chuckled to himself as he picked up his son.

[daisyachain]

hi!! i've been reading through your ao no flag liveblogs lately and they're really interesting! i enjoy seeing someone so passionate about this manga and it makes me want to reread it .... i'm really interested in hearing what you have to say about masumi's ending though!! part of me thinks it makes sense but i'm mostly conflicted on it and would love to see it from your perspective ^^

haha well thank you! ah yes, the arc that created as much controversy as you can get in an active readership of like 10 people...

Blue Flag is an imperfect story, but it also gets a lot of flack for things that a) didn't...actually...happen, b) didn't happen in the way people think they did.

Part 1: Is it actually straightwashing?

The most common criticism I see of Masumi's ending is that she was written as a lesbian character and straightwashed at the end. Marrying off a female character as a way to 'fix' her issues is a common and harmful trope, and saying that lesbian women just need to get a man is a widespread homophobic trope and talking point. So, it's not a good look. To have a character angst over interest in a woman and end up happily married to a guy reads like a '50s pulp novel that just uses f/f attraction for marketing.

But, if the intention of the ending was to show that Masumi should give up on women and force herself to date men, then it doesn't. Mitsuyuki's description of her is 'look at my bisexual wife who has dated both women and men and could also have married a woman', which is an odd choice if the intention was straightwashing. It feels more like a clumsy way to make sure that, in a series full of ambiguity, there could be no argument that Masumi was queer. That isn't to say that cisstraight people don't view bisexuality as less/better than/straighter than her being lesbian and that making a previously gay character bisexual isn't still straightwashing (increasing the appearance of straightness).

Part 2: Was it actually a retcon?

So: Masumi's ending reaffirms that she's a WLW. One question is, was she always meant to be bisexual, or was she originally written as lesbian?

Blue Flag doesn't have a lot of straight (no pun intended) answers. Taichi never expresses any explicit attraction to guys, but there is enough subtext to suggest he's attracted to Touma well before the finale. Futaba believes she is attracted to Touma at first and is shown to be attracted to him using the visual shorthand of manga (blushing, etc.), but she later says that it was just misinterpreted admiration. Mami doesn't want to date Touma or any man, but she implies that she is attracted to Touma when she says around him she was 'glad to be a woman.' Within the main romance, Futaba says that it was specifically because Taichi was a friend to her that she grew to like-like him. The lines between friendship and romance are blurred in Blue Flag, and sometimes romance can only grow out of friendship.

Masumi has a tense conversation with Taichi in the first half after she breaks up with her boyfriend that most people (me included) read as her saying that she tried guys and she just isn't and can't be attracted to them. However, it's Blue Flag, so the conversation is unfocused and doesn't paint a complete picture.

"Even if I get a boyfriend, I can never make it work"/"I don't know why [I don't like him anymore]" seem to imply that Masumi realized that she was feeling compulsory heterosexuality and that she will never like men. "[I don't know] why he like someone like me"/"You can be friends with potential sexual partners? With both guys and girls?"/"I just wanted to hear how you men feel about [a girl liking other girls]" seem to imply that Masumi is bisexual and is afraid to date because someone might find out. Maybe she's written as questioning--she knows she likes Futaba, but she's feeling out other possibilities. It's Blue Flag, so it's unclear.

Part 3: How does it work with Masumi's arc?

Diving further into Masumi's story, she acts as a foil to Touma (and Futaba, see later). Touma feels free to show his affection for Taichi as a friend as well as a love interest and almost confesses to him of his own free will, well before he's forced to. Touma tells her that he intends to try and set Taichi up with Futaba (because they would be good for each other), and also that he intends to pursue Taichi in some way. He tells her he's "not like [her]."

For Masumi's part, she tells Touma that she wants to express more affection for Futaba--not necessarily in a romantic way, just to participate more fully in that relationship--but she's afraid to, she doesn't feel confident enough to try, and that she's "the worst" because of it. We see this theme repeated, that Masumi is pessimistic, is afraid to trust people and hates herself for being afraid. Her conversations with Aki and Mami explore this; Aki tells her that it's not bad to be insecure or unready and that it's fine to keep a secret/stay closeted until she's ready, Mami tells her that she does have people she can trust, who care about her and who will do their best to understand her and help out. Why am I typing all this out? Because Masumi is a bitter, insecure wlw and that is an Established Trope, but her twist on it is that her negativity or bitterness isn't over her attraction to women/to Futaba or even over the reaction she might get from others (as Touma's is), it's over her own insecurity. Like Futaba, she's hesitant to act on her feelings, and like Futaba, she gets frustrated and hates herself for her own inaction.

All that is to say--Masumi is never shown to have a problem with her attraction to women. Her angst isn't gayngst, she's not ashamed of her feelings for Futaba bur rather her inability to express them. Her problems are with social attitudes and more with her own personal feelings--she and Touma face similar problems, but Touma is simply aware of the consequences (being roughed up and ostracised by a certain group of people) while Masumi feels a more generalized and ambiguous fear.

If Masumi were shown to have mixed feelings about her queerness/were shown to be in denial/were shown to be trying to move on from Futaba, then her ending would read more as straightwashing. As it is, there's nothing in her character and arc to say that she'd ever want to erase that part of herself or get rid of it, rather, she wishes she could embrace it but she just doesn't feel confident in doing it. Her ending shows her as an openly bisexual woman who is out to her friends and husband at the very least, which is a completion of her arc in the manga (of learning to trust other people and express her feelings honestly).

Part 4: What context clues does the rest of the series give us?

This is branching off a little from the strict text of Parts 1-3. As I've said, as we know, Blue Flag is 50% subtext and interpretation. Characters speak, but they don't say what they mean, characters think, but they're not always honest with themselves or in tune with reality. Mami is an ominous and antagonistic figure in the first half, but then it just turns out that Taichi was jumping to conclusions. Taichi is the main character and narrator, but we get radio silence from him for like 7 chapters after the climax. Taichi is bisexual, but the reader has to guess that from the way the art style shifts between PoVs, the similar panelling between Futaba and Touma's confessions, the things he does and does not think about Touma and how he feels about them. It's safe to say that there is room for speculation.

First, there is no explicit evidence that Taichi could be bisexual before ch 54. It's easy to tell that he is, but again, there's nothing specific. Some people reading Blue Flag have said that him marrying Touma was out of character, unforeshadowed, bizarre, inexplicable, etc. because their experienced is coloured by their own heterosexuality. Masumi is shown to have dated a guy and in saying she didn't like him "anymore," implied that she did like him. Her conflicted feelings over her bf could well have been foreshadowing her liking men as well, and my reading that as comphet could have just been my own experience colouring the text. Who knows! Taichi's bisexuality was intentional from the start but could be read as a last-minute twist, so why not Masumi's?

Second, Mitsuyuki is Futaba 2.0. Same colouring, same personality. This could feel like a way of saying "Masumi just needs to like guys instead," but to me it reads deeper with some of the trans subtext around Futaba. One of my issues with Blue Flag is that it doesn't go further into Futaba's admiration/envy for masculinity and her uncomfortable relationship with femininity. As a cis woman who wants to be buff and mildly masculine, I can understand why she's a cis girl throughout and I don't necessarily think that she was supposed to be a trans guy. However, her relationship with masculinity draws a parallel to Mitsuyuki. Reading Mitsuyuki as a cis man, he is the combination of Futaba's personality and looks with her 'ideal form.' So, Masumi marrying Mitsuyuki can read as Masumi marring Ascended FutabaTM.

Third, Futaba having a faceless prop husband is interesting in the context of Mitsuyuki getting a name and personality. Mitsuyuki = Futaba and Mr. Kuze is a blank space, so the reader is prompted to reduce the scenario and slot Masumi into that blank space. Given Masumi and Touma's history as foils, I'm inclined to think that Mitsuyuki exists to show the road not taken. Back at the fireworks, Touma tells Masumi that he hasn't given up on Taichi, and Masumi says she doesn't intend to pursue Futaba even though the pining is making her miserable. Given that Futaba reacts a lot better to the idea of Masumi liking her than Taichi reacts to the idea of Touma liking him, given that we see Masumi has successfully wooed male!Futaba, I think that Masumi's ending shows that she could have ended up with Futaba if she chose to pursue her. She didn't and she still got a happy ending where she is confident in her sexuality and unafraid to trust, but she could have also had a happy ending where she married Futaba. Mitsuyuki is a man because desire-for-masculinity is a key aspect of Futaba's character, and Mitsuyuki is a named character with a personality because KAITO wanted the reader to know that Masumi could have ended up with Futaba (as Touma ended up with Taichi).

Fourth, KAITO's notes on volume give us a few hints. He comments that there was remarkably little interference with his story and that he was able to tell it as he wanted, and that the ending was meant to be a "question" to the reader. The way I see it, Masumi's ending wasn't meant to say "maybe you'll be fixed if you get a man" but rather was meant to complement Taichi's ending and say "things happen in ways you might not expect, but that doesn't mean they're bad."

Fifth, Touma/Taichi ending up together shows us that the series is willing and able to show queerness as a good thing and a happy ending, so it's unlikely that Masumi was meant to come off as "actually she just needed a man" and more as "life can be unpredictable but you can always find happiness"

Summary

It's unclear whether Masumi was written as a bisexual woman or a lesbian woman or a questioning wlw

I personally read her as a lesbian and I wish that part of her character had gotten more exploration

Masumi's ending wraps up her arc (struggling to trust other people with her feelings in general and her queerness in particular) in a satisfying and logical way

Masumi being bisexual does not in any way negate or lessen her identity and experienes as a wlw, bisexual people still face external and internalized homophobia and all the associated issues

Masumi's bisexuality may well have been foreshadowed, but the execution makes it easier to read her as a lesbian, which makes her ending seem like a homophobic cop-out in the style of the Hays Code

Masumi's ending doesn't straightwash her and goes to unusual lengths to affirm her attraction to women

Masumi's ending seems to be written to contrast Touma's ending, showing that getting or not getting the love interest depends entirely on whether you choose to pursue them

It's unlikely that authorial intent was to straightwash Masumi

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ I'M GONNA PROTECT YOU ❜

with Angel Reyes, and reader as Che ‘Taza’ Romero' daughter.

Request: Oooh Could it be where you are a younger sibling to one of the guys or a daughter to either the older three? And you and Angel are somewhat good friends? Well one day you are alone at your house and you hear a noise outside and it freaks you out so you grab your gun and call your brother/dad and they are busy at the moment but they send Angel to check it out and he comes and turns out it's someone trying to break in. Anyway the guy runs away and it ends in some Smut? Then your relative comes!

BY @firebenderwolf

Warnings: brief violence described, I think.

Word count: about 1.8k

Aurora says: I wrote it listening a cover of ‘La Llorona’, by Natalia Doco, so I recommend you to listen this song while you read it. This writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: @angels-reyes

Masterlist.

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The barks coming from the open field, next to the barns, suddenly wakes you up. Your dogs never barks in the middle of the night. You don't give them much importance, lying back on bed again, until they start to howl. Getting up and sticking your head closer to the window, you find some big figures cutting part of the wire fence with a pair of shears. Grabbing your phone, you call your father while leading your feet to his room, to grab the gun under his pillow. A nine millimeters semi automatic, enough to chase them away. Taking off the safety and raising your arms to the high of your eyes, you hang up the call. Probably, Taza will be at Vicki's house getting drunk with Bishop and Tranq, so you type Angel's number by heart. Going downstairs, your eyes looking straight forward, trying to make the least noise possible while you hear the howls and barks getting louder.

“Angel, there's two guys trying to come into my house, and my dad doesn't answer”.

“I'm going, mami. Hide and don' fuckin' move”.

The adrenaline was running through your body, and until you listened to his voice, you didn't notice that you were actually terrified. Gulping, you just hope that they don't hurt your animals. Keeping your phone muttered in a pocket, you hold the gun with both hands. The logic act would be calling the cops, but that is not an option for someone like you, nor your father. Crossing the huge and open living room, you decide to hide yourself into a wardrobe behind a folding screen that your great-grandfather made with his own hands.

Your heart races jumping inside your chest when you are able to hear their voices. Mexicans with a terrible american accent. Sticking your left ear to the door, you try to glimpse if you know them. And it is possible. Biting your bottom lip really nervous, you begin to text your father telling him what's happening, until your body shakes violently when a lot of small glasses fall to the floor after a heavy racket. The thieves are now entering into your house. And actually, they're not going to find anything. Your father is too intelligent to keep his money and valuables belongings inside there. But you're actually terrified because, yes, you know how to fire a gun; but you have never done it to defend yourself. And the only thing you can do right now is to wait. Your father is also coming with the older part of the crew after reading your text messages.

The barks outside don't cease, but your dogs are locked taking care of the animals, and you prefer it. You don't want them to get hurt. And the different noises of more glasses crashing, and different pieces of furniture falling to the floor are turning you anxious. The tears filling up your eyes and your shaky breathing don't help to stay calmed. Resting your back against the wall, with the gun raised to the door, you think that you are ready to fire it as soon as someone opens it.

Gulping a bunch of saliva, when you stop to hear them whispering curses in spanish after some minutes, the heavy steps upstairs call your attention; as the continues buzz of an engine getting closer to the ranch, speeding up in the moment it crosses the main fence. In complete silence, you step out from the wardrobe, with your trembling fingers securing the weapon between them. Checking that there's no one around you, your feet run to the main door to open it. Angel is already there. Without taking off the helmet, the man passes you away with his own gun lifted up in front of his dark eyes. Following him to the stairs, each other take up a side of the wall, waiting for them to go downstairs. The first one appears asking the other to leave, after not finding anything, but before he can warn his sidekick, Angel is already pointing at him, making him a sign to stay silent.

“Mario, where are you?” You hear from the top.

Taking off the gun from the thief's hands, you leave it over the table. But making a false move, the mexican manages to punch Angel, starting to wrestle with him.

“RUN, ANTONIO! MAYA—MAYANS ARE HERE!”

Your mind goes blank by the shock of seeing him fighting, and the weapon sliding itself over the floor, in the meantime the other man runs away jumping through a window and using the bindweeds around the house as stairs. Watching how the other tries to beat the oldest Reyes, you point at them with trembling hands.

“Leave him, pend—”.

Because of the nerves running through your veins, your forefinger presses the trigger shooting the thief by his back. A painful grunt floods the living room. Angel pushes him away, while the mexican writhes between tears and growls. Grabbing the gun from your hands, to not fire anyone else, your friend places an arm over your shoulders to turn you, giving your back to the thief. At the moment he tries to fight again, almost standing up, Angel shoots him again. Twice. Straight to the chest. Clinged to his body, you can't help but break into cries, hiding your face in his neck.

“Look at me… Look at me. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He mumbles, leaving away the weapon, so he can cup your cheek in his hands.

You just nod swallowing, feeling his lips pressed on your forehead, before stretching an arm to the wall to turn on the lights.

“Com'ere, baby”. He says, urging you to slightly jump into him, wrapping your legs around his waist.

Your tears wet the franel shirt he's wearing inconsolably, leading his steps to the kitchen, away from the dead body staining the floor with the blood gushing out of it. Helping you to sit over the island in the middle of the place, Angel hurries up to bring you a glass of water, not knowing how to calm you down more than with leaving some caresses in your hair. You try to swallow but your throat is hermetically closed, coughing some times, while the salty tears keep flowing onto your lips.

“Did I… Did I ki—killed him?”

“No, no, no”. He says, putting the ringed fingers by both sides of your face, affected deeply by the look of horror in your orbs. “I did it, okay? You hear me? I did it”.

You know him from seven years ago, having a special connection from the beginning. You have been through a lot of shit together, but you never expected something like that happening. Putting the glass away from your trembling fingers, Angel holds you against his body, tightly hugging you, trying to make you feel somewhat better while the crew come to the ranch.

“Please… Stop crying… It's okay”. He mutters with a broken voice, not used to feel you so terrified. “I'm here, baby… I'm gonna protect you”.

“I'm sor—sorry, Angel”.

“Don' be silly. You don' have to be sorry 'bout nothing”. He chuckles softly, leaving a kiss on your right cheek. “Am your superhero, remember?”

The Reyes finally breathes when he hears you laughing with a low, low tone.

“I would never let anyone hurt you”. Sticking his forehead on yours, he closes his eyes for a second, feeling how your fingers get intertwined in his shirt.

You just nod, trying to catch back your breath, almost drinking his. The strokes by his thumbs over your skin helps to maintain a calmed pulse, beating your heart with a low pace; only focused on his touches. Your mind plays a dirt trick on you, making you lean forward some inches until his lips are being pressed by yours. But Angel isn't surprised, and doesn't have any intention to pull himself away, strengthening his fingers on your neck. Your mouths look like two pieces from a puzzle, destined to fit perfectly. Settling himself between your legs to be closer, your hands travel to the back of his head, as your lips start to move softly, tasting every single inch of his. Sliding his tongue inside your mouth to find yours, you can't help but feel a mix of feelings about it. Now you are confused about the fact that you don't know if you're doing it because of the horror lived, or because you really wanted to do it since long ago.

Running out of air, Angel continues kissing your cheek up to your temple with short and gentle gestures, clinging his arms around your body. You have never felt so serene, even if there's a dead body in the middle of your living room and the buzz of some engines are getting louder. He is warm, and seems like he smells better than never, resting your face on his chest with closed eyes. Angel's heart beat is like a hypnotic melody that could make you fall asleep just like that, as if you two were completely alone and you haven't been about to kill a man, for the first time, some minutes ago.

“BAB—HOLY SHIT! BABY! BABY, WHERE ARE YOU?”

As soon as Angel pulls away himself from you, your legs jump down to the floor, running to the place where your father's voice comes from. Your body collides with his surrounding him, breaking in crying again when you feel him finally holding you. Bishop, Tranq and Riz are also there, examining the man lying on the floor with no breath of life in him.

“¿Estás bien? ¿Estás herida, mi amor?” (Are you okay? Are you hurt?) Taza is desperate, looking at you with reddened eyes as you nod in silence. “What happened?”

“There were two men. This… son of a bitch's name is Mario. The other ran away by a window. Antonio, I think he said”. Angel explains under the gaze from his brothers. “Man… they knew where they were getting into”.

“Why?” Bishop asks.

“They knew we are Mayans”. Angel shakes his head slightly, rubbing his forehead with two fingers. “And they were mexicans”.

“I think I know him”. Tranq is squatted close to the dead body, narrowing his eyes as he studies his face. “Vatos or Coyotes, I am not sure, Bishop”.

“Figure it out and put in on the table”. Taza demands with the rage consuming him, hugging you tightly under his arms.

“Let's go”. Bishop moves his head to the main door, making the others know that they must go. “Angel, calls the guys. Take care of the trash”.

“Come here, mi vida”. Your father whispers carrying you into his arms upstairs, not wanting you to continue there. “We're going to take some clothes and leave to the club, okay?”

✨ Tag list:

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[impalas-r-important]

Love of my Life - (8) Decapitation is usually a cure-all

Summary: Sam, Dean and Y/N travel to Idaho to help out a friend.

Warnings: Show level violence.

A/N: I'm trying my hardest to get the chapters I already have written published quickly. I have a final coming up that I'll have to take a few days to study for before I can get back to this story.

Series Masterlist

You were the first to wake in the morning, probably because you slept on a couch made of bricks. You stood up and stretched your sore back, looking over at the boys sleeping soundly and feeling a pang of jealousy at their comfort. Grabbing your bag, you quietly went into the bathroom and closed the door then started up the shower. By the time you were cleaned up and ready, the boys were awake and shoving clothes into their bags.

“Mornin’ sunshine.” Dean beamed at you.

“Hey yourself. You guys ready to go?”

“Almost.” Sam grumbled and rubbed his hands over his face. “I dibs the bathroom next.” He grabbed a small black toiletry bag and yawned as he shut the door behind him.

Dean was wearing a dark green henley and you couldn’t help but stare at the man as his muscles bugled through the thin fabric while he packed his things.

Don’t fall for Dean Winchester, you idiot!

“So, who’s the hunter we’re helping out? Maybe I know him.” Dean looked over to you and zipped up his bag, tossing it by the door.

“You know Mitch Miller?” You neatly folded your pajamas and placed them in your duffel.

Dean thought for a moment before answering. “The name sounds kind of familiar, but I can’t place him. Maybe I’ll remember him once I see him. Any details on what’s going on?” He walked over and sat on the couch where you were packing.

“Nothing so far, he just said he couldn’t figure out what he was dealing with and would fill me in on the rest when we got there.” You could feel Dean’s eyes on you and met his gaze, feeling your stomach flutter when he smiled softly at you. As you finished gathering your things and pulled your bag over your shoulder, you felt a tug that jerked you backwards. Dean had pulled your bag from your grasp, leaving you dangerously close to him.

“Why don’t you let me take your bag to the car?” Dean insisted, just inches away from you.

“You don’t need to.”

“I want to.” He spoke gently as his eyes traced your lips then looked up to meet your gaze. Were you really about to do something as stupid as kissing the man that people had warned you about? Both of you stood silent for a moment before Dean slowly leaned down, almost touching his lips to yours before the bathroom door slammed open and pulled you two apart.

“Let’s get out of here, there were four spiders in the shower.” Sam complained as he shook his hair dry and tossed his bag by the door with Dean’s. “You riding with us or driving, Y/N?”

“Driving, I guess.” You looked at Dean with a longing glance which he returned. Maybe it was for the best that you don’t explore that avenue of a relationship with this well-known womanizer, but all you could think about was kissing him.

The drive was short, and you made good time following Dean in the impala. The man had a lead foot. Mitch had asked you to meet him at his motel room, and you pulled into the parking lot in the early afternoon.

“So, some guy wants you to meet him at his motel room, and that doesn’t sound sketchy to you?” Dean questioned as you stepped out of your car.

“Oh, no, I’m actually meeting my bookie here. You guys want to wait in the car for like five minutes?” You rolled your eyes. The frown on Dean’s face was quickly followed by an amused smirk. He appreciated when a girl was fluent in sarcasm.

“You know what I mean. I don’t trust this guy yet.”

“Do you trust me?”

Dean seemed surprised by your question but was quick to answer. “Yes.”

“Then come on.” You nodded towards the motel and Dean followed, draping his arm around your shoulder.

The two of you followed Sam to room seventeen and knocked. Mitch answered with a smile. “Y/N!” He looked at the two brothers standing behind you and his smile turned into a questioning frown.

“Hey, Mitch. Do you know Sam and Dean Winchester?” You pointed to the boys.

“I’ve heard of them. Never met before though.” Mitch hesitated for a moment as he saw Dean’s hand placed protectively on your shoulder. “Come on in.” He stepped aside and you entered first, followed closely by Dean and then Sam.

“So, what do you have?” You asked as you looked at the newspaper clippings and maps that were hung on the wall.

“Three women dead. Each of them drowned in their sleep, nowhere near any kind of water.”

“What the hell?” Sam muttered as he read through a case file.

“Witch?” You and Dean say at the same time, exchanging a proud glance.

“I didn’t find any kind of hex bags.” Mitch countered.

“Not all witches use hex bags.” Dean argued, glaring at Mitch. You couldn’t help but notice the crusty looks exchanged between the two.

“Get this,” Sam spread some pictures out on the bed, “all the victims have the same pictures in their house.” He pointed out identical pictures in the background of each crime scene, just hidden enough that the average eye wouldn’t find it.

“Good catch. Let’s figure out who that is and go from there.” You suggested and the three boys nodded.

“I’ll hit the internet.” Sam declared as he sat down at the desk and pulled out his laptop.

“We’ll go back to the crime scenes one more time. See if we can get a closer look at those pictures?” Dean suggested. Mitch nodded and they headed for the door. Dean paused when he saw you hesitate. “You coming, Y/N?”

“Nah, I’ll stay behind and help Sam. We don’t need three of us looking at a picture.” Dean sent a betrayed look your way when he realized he would be partnered up with Mitch. You sent a snarky smirk back his way. Mitch huffed as he opened the door and stomped out.

“Play nice.” You instructed Dean with a wink.

“You owe me one!” He pointed in your direction sternly, but the light in his eyes told you he was just playing around.

You pulled out your laptop and sat across from Sam.

“You know, you could have gone with Dean.” Sam looked up from his screen.

“I know, but what do you think Dean would have hated more? Staying behind and helping you with research or going out alone with Mitch? Those two have some kind of seriously misplaced testosterone battle going on.”

Sam chuckled and answered with confidence, “Definitely going with Mitch.”

“That’s what I thought! He was getting too comfortable around me anyway. I gotta keep him on his toes somehow.” You shrugged and sent a playful grin Sam’s way. He gave you an approving nod, knowing full well that he had found an ally to mess with Dean when the opportunity presented itself.

An hour had gone by when you found something that sparked your interest.

“Sam, check this out.” He leaned back in his chair, listening intently as you read. “Known throughout Africa and the African Atlantic, Mami Wata embodies the spirit of water. Much like the ocean, she can be volatile and dangerous. She brings good financial fortune and also governs water sprites.” You scrolled down the page and stopped on a picture that looked identical to the ones from the crime scenes. You spun your computer around to show Sam.

“Good work, Y/N. That’s gotta be record time. Sounds like it could be our mystery monster. I’ll call Dean and let him know.”

You pulled out your phone and called Bobby for any info he might have on how to kill the thing. He told you he’d do some looking. You and Sam continued your research for a few more hours when the grumble of his stomach interrupted your reading.

“Come on,” you shut your computer, “let’s go find some food. We can take our stuff with us and keep looking but I have to get out of this creepy motel room.” You looked around, referring to the wallpaper that you were sure had been in at least a few horror movies.

“Agreed. I’m starving.”

There was a cute mom and pop restaurant down the street from the motel where you and Sam decided to set up shop. You sent Dean a quick text letting him know to meet you there when they were done. You ordered drinks and some appetizers to hold you over until the other two joined you. You were flipping through a book about African culture that you checked out of the library and Sam was still online, both of you searching for a way to kill this water spirit.

“Hey, Y/N,” Sam began, “I just wanna say thanks.” You shot him a confused look. “We’ve have had a rough time lately between Dad dying and Dean going to hell and coming back. It’s really taken a toll on him, but he’s been different since we met you. The past few days, he’s the almost fun Dean that he used to be.” He shut his computer and sat it on the bench next to him. “I know you’ve probably heard stories about him being a lady’s man and normally I’d be telling girls to run for the hills, but he’s smitten with you. I can see it in the way he looks at you and talks about you.” The waitress brought the drinks and onion rings over and Sam paused.

“Sam Winchester, are you being a wing man for your brother?” You joked as you took a bite.

“I guess I am. Which I never thought I would ever do.” Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. “But I mean it when I say that he’s different with you. It might take him a little while to admit it, but he’s a better person when you’re around.” Sam took a big drink before adding, “Plus, I think he’s a little scared of you, so I doubt he’d try any kind of funny business.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Sam’s honesty. You should be focused on the case but your mind was on Dean. It was rare that you ever felt so at ease with someone so quickly. Although you had never known what a true home felt like, you imagined the comfort that you felt with him was as close as you’d ever get.

You spent the next while talking with Sam about himself and how he had tried a different path at Stanford. You were genuinely intrigued to know about college. Maybe in a different life you would have gone, and you soaked up every word he told you about a life so foreign to yours. Dean and Mitch arrived soon after. Dean was clearly annoyed and walked a few paces ahead as Mitch babbled on about something. Dean plopped down next to you and put his arm on the back of the booth. You instinctively scooted closer to him.

“How’d it go, boys?” You asked and slid the basket of onion rings closer to them. It was obvious the two hadn’t cleared any of the ridiculous tension between them. Neither answered and Mitch glared at Dean who had a mouthful and was looking out the window.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” Mitch grumbled.

You waited until he was out of sight, then you and Sam both turned to Dean with judgmental faces. He slowly caught on and looked between the two of you, midchew.

“What?” Dean tried to play innocent.

“Why is Mitch so pissed?” Sam interrogated.

“Because he’s a baby? Why the hell would I know?” Dean answered straight. Sam rolled his eyes.

“Well, did you find anything at the crime scenes?” You looked up into his eyes, realizing you missed him more than you should have for him being gone just a few hours. Dean pulled out a coin with a water serpent on it and set it down on the table.

“Found these behind each picture on the wall along with a photograph of the victims.”

“Great, so we know who this thing is after next?” You were happy to catch a break seeing as there was only one person left in the photo who hadn’t been killed. “Maybe we set a trap?”

“We gotta move fast though. Someone has died every night and it’s almost six already.” Sam added.

“We still don’t know why she’s here, either.” Dean interjected as he finished off the appetizers. “Let’s order. I can’t hunt on an empty stomach.” He grabbed the menu and waived the waiter over.

That night, the team had gone over to the next victim’s house on the list. She was clearly scared and easily believed you when you told her what was happening. She explained that she and the other four victims were in water aerobics together and had read online that if you summon her with those weird coins and enslave this Mami Wata, that she would make you rich. So, they did. Idiots. But soon after, the water spirit became angry at being held captive and turned on them. Lucky for you, Bobby came in clutch and had found that stabbing it in the heart with a blade forged with African ore would kill it. Unluckily for you, you had nothing like that and no chance of finding something like it this late at night. So, you would have to try and make do. It was a stupid plan, but the only one you had.

You instructed the woman to lay on her bed like she was going to sleep, while you, Sam, Dean and Mitch hid, waiting for her to show up. You had an arrangement of weapons, hoping something would work. Hours passed, and it was getting late. You felt your eyelids began to droop, but a sudden clang from the bathroom woke you right up. You were in the closet and peaked though the crack to see water overflowing from the tub and into the bedroom, soaking the carpet. You waited a few moments more to see a horrific serpent woman crawling from the bathroom, slowly slithering her way towards her next victim, leaving a trail of slime in her path. You couldn't help but subconsciously pull a disgusted face.

Mitch was the first to jump out from his hiding place just outside the door. Mami Wata quickly tuned her head and held her arm out, throwing him across the room, his body going limp as he surely was knocked unconscious. Sam and Dean were next. Dean shot at the monster while Sam stabbed her with a silver blade. Both taking a toll, but neither doing much damage to her. She stood up tall on her tail and threw Dean up against the wall, holding him by his neck. You sprang into action, using a long blade to chop her head off. Her body stayed writing for a few moments, but eventually stopped.

Dean rubbed his neck and caught his breath. “How’d you know that would work?”

You gave an innocent shrug. “I didn’t. Decapitation is usually a cure all.”

“We should burn the body just to be safe, Sam added.” You and Dean nodded in agreement.

You pulled Mitch from his unconscious state and after the woman you had saved thanked you profusely, you left with the body in your trunk, finding a remote location to burn it. It was almost eight in the morning by the time you were finished and were pulling into town, heading back to the motel. You went and got a room for you, Sam and Dean and all four of you went to go sleep off the post-hunt exhaustion.

Sam was the first to pass out. He hadn’t gotten very dirty and was sprawled out diagonally, face down across the mattress. You and Dean both had blood stains and slime on your clothes. He let you use the shower first, then took a quick one when you were done. You pulled on a comfortable t-shirt and some shorts, then began to set up your bed on the couch. Dean grabbed your hand and stopped you from laying a blanket down.

“Nope, you need to actually sleep. Come on.” He pulled the blanket from the couch, wrapped it around you and led you over to the bed. “You can share with me.”

“Are you asking me to sleep with you?” You asked in an accusing tone of voice and kept a serious face before slowly letting it turn to a small laugh. Dean turned bright red and swallowed hard. It was fun to mess with him. You laid next to him and he pulled you close.

“Thanks for saving me. Again.” Dean whispered in your ear. You turned to face him.

“I’m not going to let some creepy ass mermaid kill you. That’s not a very ‘blaze-of-glory’ way to go out.”

“What makes you think that’s how I want to go out?”

“Sam told me when we were talking earlier.”

Dean smiled and kissed you on the forehead. “Get some sleep, Y/N/N.”

Little did you know, Dean wasn’t planning on going out in a blaze of glory at all anymore. He was planning on retiring with you by his side, holding you close just like he was now. You drifted off to sleep to the sound of Dean’s steady breathing. For the first time since you could remember, you slept peacefully without waking up in a cold sweat from nightmares. You knew you had someone there to protect you. Someone who you fully trusted, and someone who made you feel like you belonged.

Chapter 9

Tags:

@panicking-outside-the-disco

@vicmc624

[cancerfairy]

Hey! I hope you're having a great day. I am so bored so I decided to do an exchange reading for you. I will be doing the reading on the topic the relationship dynamic with your future spouse

Relationship dynamic with your future spouse

So I see a couple holding hands in public, your future spouse loves pda to the extent it makes you blush. They have so much creative hobbies and when you both will be in relationship, they will include you in their hobbies like painting together (so much playfulness omg!). They love you so much they will help you to dress when you will be going out on dates or events like putting on a necklace for you, brushing your hair, helping you choose a dress. They adore you so much. They will be waiting for you even if you take 2 hours to get ready. They really like to stare in your eyes, they tell so mamy stories. They like to be lost in those deep eyes. They adore you so much. (God forbid you should never get sick) but when you will gey sick they are so sweet they will stay with you till you are healthy even though they have to take a week off from their work. They will keep on checking your temperature, he will hold your hands and applying ice packs. They will get you whatever you want. They are your midnight-snack partner and your partner in crime. (If you want to hide a body they will be the best just kidding about the body you know. They are obsessed and addicted to you. You are on their mind constantly. They love to cuddle with you.

You love to adore your future spouse especially when they are sleeping. You just adore and their cute face while they are sleeping. You love their every little bit which makes them, them. You love when he acts as a child, when you want to be comforted they are there for you, they give you a big teddy bear hug. You love to buy gifts for them even if it's small what matters for you is that whether he will like it or not. You love to surprise them with your ideas and achievements. They will be so proud of you when you achieve something. They will be like That's my baby! I'm so proud of you. How do you do all this? I'm so happy Muah! 🤭 You both literally can't live without each other. No relationship is perfect, every relationship has their ups and down you both will have your ups and down too but both of you will be in the same team and fighting against the problem together. Neither of you will ever let each other's hand go. They are so determined to be with you and will never ever dare to think their future without you.

Let me k kw how I did. Hope you will love this😊💕

i got your initials in the other ask c: but WOOWOW THIS IS SO CUTE 🤍 i especially loved the staring in my eyes cause i honestly have a staring problem with people i know specifically and the taking care of me when i'm sick bruh how cute omg :( this whole reading was so lovely thank you so much my love <3 mwah

your relationship dynamic with your fs:

i feel like when they propose to you it'll be really grand tbh like they're the type to maybe overdo it sometimes.

okay so you and your fs are gonna be so romantic with each other. i'm seeing a lot of dates but more so indoor dates.. occasionally they'll wanna take you out to expensive restaurants and i see you two drinking fancy wine 😼 your fs is the type to bring you flowers randomly after work and i'm seeing red and white roses. your fs is someone who's gonna be completely devoted and loyal to you so whenever you ask them to do something they're always gonna try their best to do it. they're very reliable and they want you to know that you can depend on them. they'll send you cute text messages while they're away and they're the type to tell you "i love you" at random times. when you two are alone at home they like to cuddle with you and i'm hearing that you help them sleep. they like to be the big spoon ofc and when you two are together you'll feel so relaxed in each other's presence. i feel like you two might sleep a lot together or till late in the day because it's just that comfortable together. i also am seeing a lot of passion in this relationship too if ya know what i mean 😼 your person will be very physically attracted to you and will probably always want to touch you. they also like kissing you a lot hehe but specifically they like kissing you while you're laughing/smiling it's so cute. you two also might like to do a lot of activities at night like watching movies at 3am or randomly baking or stargazing sometimes. anyways this person will really like to spoil you with things. i feel like they just have that kind of money. they'll spoil you with trips half way across the country and ofc they'll plan everything out from the car you take to the airport to the hotel you stay in and activities throughout your vacation. you two will feel like you're each other's soulmates and it'll feel like complete bliss and satisfaction. with your fs you just can't stop smiling. a problem i do see is that one or both of you might hide certain things from each other but you're being asked to have trust in these situations. i see trust is important in this connection. also either you or you fs might have to heal your family issues. for example, your love life might benefit from you or them forgiving your parents. your fs wants you to know that you can trust them but you need to work out your family issues and heal your heart. stop holding onto things that don't serve you. it's time to let go and heal. others channeled messages from them are: "i'm sorry", "i replay our convos over and over", "you are my one and only", "have faith in me" and "i will take care of you" <3 i hope it resonates c:

these channeled songs bruh...

[youllneverknowrac]

Oscar Diaz- Baby Boy

For @mrs-spookyd1az

Leave a request!

You waddle over to Oscar as he cooked on the grill, smacking his butt playfully with a laugh. He sets the clamps down and turns around, a grin forming on his face when he sees that it’s you. He instantly reaches out for you and pulls you in for a deep kiss, his hands resting on your large belly which held your baby boy who was soon to be born in the next few weeks. Your life now was completely different than what you would have imagined it two years ago. Oscar having left the Santos, leaving Cesar and him to fall out completely and him take over the gang. He had a real job now with legal income so you guys could actually afford to move to a nicer area with a huge backyard, which was currently filled with the few friends and the family that you guys actually associated with. However Oscar’s tattoos always being a reminder of the past along with his hard attitude that jumped out from time to time. You were proud of how far he has come, everything in your life going almost perfect. The only thing stopping that was your guy’s nonexistent relationship with his little brother.

“Making us a plate daddy?” You ask him when you pull away,”We’re really hungry.”

“Right on it mami.” He chuckles,”Now go sit down. I don’t want your feet to swell up again.” He instructs as he turns back around to make you a plate filled with a little bit of everything.

“Yes sir.” You tease before heading back to the table under the tree and taking your seat in the shade. Sitting by yourself until a familiar face joins you.

“Jasmine?” You ask with a small smile,”You actually came.” You say to the once little girl that you use to think was weird until she became apart of Cesars friend group a few years ago. Of course him not being friends with anyone any more you figured none of them would show up so you were really happy to see her.

“Hey Y/N! You look amazing.” She says and reaches down to give you a quick hug, which you return.

“Thanks! So do you.” You compliment.

“I just wanted to stop by and drop off a gift. I can’t stay for long. I have plans with Ruby and his mom but I wanted to come. Even if only for a few minutes because Cesar gave me something.” She tells you with a sad smile.

“Cesar? Really?” You ask with surprised eyes.

“Yeah, he came by my house and left this. Just asked if I could give it to you. He didn’t even let me reply before taking off.” She says and hands you a little blue box,” oh and this.” She adds, pulling out a small folded piece of paper.

You grow sad as you open it up and look at his hand writing,”For my niece or nephew, Uncle Cesar.” You read aloud. Jasmine reaching for your hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. You take in a deep breath and open the small box, tears welling in your eyes as you pull out the traditional tiny gold bracelet that was common for Hispanic baby’s. You and Oscar had planned on getting it made but couldn’t actually splurge on one since you had so many bills to pay now,”Thank you for bringing this by. I’ve missed you and everybody. I know things are different but you don’t have to be a stranger with me. None of you guys do.” You say and stand up to give her a proper hug.

“I know. It’s just been crazy with how much things are so different now.” She reply’s,”I’ll text you. Promise. I really have to go now though. I can’t be late.”

“Okay. It was good to see you Jasmine. Tell Ruby I said hi.”

“I will. Bye Y/N.” She says and hurry’s out the side gate as you sit back down and play with box.

“Sorry I took so long mamas. I got caught up talking.” Oscar says as he places a plate down in front of you,”Hey, what’s that?” He asks curiously.

“It’s a gift...from your brother.” You tell him and hand him both items. Oscar snatching both items quickly and looking over them,”Jasmine dropped it off.”

“So he can give us a flashy gift but he can’t stop by?” Oscar says angrily as he pulls out the seat next to you and takes a seat, that attitude that you mentioned earlier on full display as his eyebrows furrow.

“We don’t stop by and see him Oscar. At least he thought about us.” You say and use the table to help yourself stand up,”Don’t get upset, not today. We’re celebrating our baby. Your son, remember.” You tell him and sit down sideways in his lap so your able to face him,”Just be happy that he thought of us, this is proving that their is hope for us all to be a family again.” You say and press your fingers to his forehead to smooth out his face,”Calm down, Spooky is starting to make an appearance.” You say quietly, not wanting anybody to hear you call him that anymore.

He sighs and closes his eyes, his face softening,”You’re right. Let’s just enjoy our party. I’m going to go put this inside.” He says and pats your side, signaling for you to get up. You let him walk inside and take a few minutes to himself before he rejoins you. The two of you being called over to open the pile of gifts that had formed through out the day. You take his hand and go sit down in the two lawn chairs, the both of you being handed gift after gift to open for your baby boy. The rest of the baby shower went wonderful, now all that was left to do was wait until your son wanted to make his grand appearance into this crazy world.

~

It’s the middle of the night, a few days before you are due to deliver. You’ve been having contractions but not close enough to be able to be admitted to the hospital. You’re sound asleep when your stomach begins to hurts, the lower half of you body soaked from your water breaking. You gasp and turn the lamp on before shaking Oscar awake,”Baby. Baby wake up, my water broke.” You urge, shoving his side harder.

“Hm what?” He says sitting up and taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts before everything in his head clicks,”Oh shit.” He exclaims and jumps up quickly. He gets himself dressed before helping you up to your feet.

“I want to change first. I’m not going in this stupid gown.” You tell him seriously as you hold your stomach. Surprised that you weren’t scared and actually pretty calm,”Help me to the bathroom please. I want to wipe myself down. You might have to do that though, I can’t really lean down anymore.” You say, your stomach being on the larger side, your last ultrasound confirming that you would be pushing a almost nine pound baby out of you.

“How are you not freaking out right now?!” Oscars asks frantically.

“Not sure, I probably will once everything seems a bit more real.” You say and hold onto him as you walk into the bathroom. He helps you get undressed before grabbing a towel to dry you off.

“What do you want to wear?” He asks rushing around the room as you stare at yourself in the mirror,admiring your belly.

“Just get me a shirt and some leggings.” You shout out before quickly brushing your teeth and throwing your hair up. He comes back in and hands you the clothes before grabbing his truck keys and bags that you had pre-packed to load it up, thankful that the car seat was already installed and ready to go. You carefully manage to get yourself dressed, making sure you have your phone before going outside, Oscar nearly throwing you into the passenger seat as he helps you up.

As Oscar drives like a maniac to the hospital you use this time to text the most important people in your guys life. Only wanting a few people at the hospital to visit so you don’t get overwhelmed.

“Babe slow down.” You say,gripping the arm rest as a contraction hits,”Ow fuck,okay don’t slow down just be careful.” Oscar doesn’t respond as he keeps his eyes focused on the road.

When he reaches the entrance of the hospital he runs inside as you unbuckle yourself and open your door, your feet dangling as they hang. He comes back with a nurse who was pushing a wheel chair and helps you into it,”I’ll meet you inside.” Oscar tells you before hopping back into the truck to find a parking spot. Your wheeled inside and get admitted fairly quickly, Oscar joining your side in no time. In a few hours all this hassle being worth it when you finally get to hold your baby.

~

“Hi. I’m your daddy, that’s right, daddy...oh bless you.” You hear Oscar whisper softly as you stir awake. The bright room making you squeeze your eyes shut.

“I want to hold him again.” You say as you use the control on the bed to put you in a sitting position.

“You hear mommy? She’s awake now. Let’s go see her.” He says and joins you on the bed as you scoot over to make room for them.

You smile and carefully take the chunky baby from him, leaning over to kiss Oscar briefly,”He really does look like you. Oscar Junior is a fitting name.”You inform you,”It’s not fair though, I’m the one who carried him for nine months.

“He has your little toes.” Oscar says with a chuckle.

“Seriously?” You laugh,”his toes are small cause he’s small.”

Oscar grins and wraps his arm around you, staring at the two greatest accomplishments in his life,”Thank you for making me a daddy, baby.” Oscar says into your ear lovingly.

“Thank you for making me a mommy.”

“So are you still down to have four more of my baby’s?” Oscar asks, referring to a conversation that happened many moons ago.

“Definitely.” You nod with a giggle, no doubt in your mind that you would be in this same position in the next year or two with a new bundle of joy, and you would be absolutely okay with that

[thegoodgayshit]

Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter Fifteen: Gus’s Mom Reminds us to Eat our Vegetables

That night, the four of them actually got sleep. Luz had another dream where she was back in the mountain, but once again the woman in the cage just regarded her with big eyes, encouraging her to have hope. When she was woken up by Gus for her turn at guard duty, she had the last shift before dawn and sat outside the tent watching the sun rise with a fairly optimistic outlook on the day to come.

She’d changed into her only set of fresh clothes but kept her hoodie and shorts over her leggings and white shirt, and she was feeling like today would be a fresh start. After all, if Hestia could be trapped in that cage for weeks, looking as terrible as she did and still remind Luz to have hope, then she would have to make sure she still had hope.

Around her neck, she shifted the dog whistle Eda had given her. They’d been in plenty of dangerous situations so far, but Luz was still very hesitant to blow the whistle. She didn’t want to use it unless she absolutely had to, and even if she did, she wasn’t sure it would even work. Luz had relied on a lot of chance so far on their quest, but this one seemed like too big of a stretch to rely on.

Eda had never let her down, but this strange bronze dog whistle might. Luz didn’t know what to think.

Amity woke up first, meeting her outside in the morning and sitting next to her on the grass outside the tent, splitting one of the last wraps silently with her. Luz took the half thankfully, and the two watched the rest of the sunrise together, Amity occasionally sipping little bits of nectar. There was one point where her skin was starting to look feverish, and Luz got nervous and pushed the canteen away from her.

“Maybe that’s enough for a little bit,” she said quickly, and Amity giggled, nodding her head.  

“That’s probably a good idea. There isn’t a lot of it left anyway.” She packed the canteen away and put it at her side, tucking her knees against her chest as she nibbled at the wrap.

“How are you feeling?” Luz asked, but she already knew the answer. She looked so much better. Amity’s skin had returned to a soft cream color instead of the sickly pale it had been yesterday. She’d lost the slight summer tan she’d had at camp, but Luz was certain she’d get it back after a bit of travel. The bruises had almost completely faded from her body, and she seemed to be back to most of her previous strength. Luz was happy to see her so energized.

“Good, much better than I was yesterday, I should find a change of clothes though.” Amity picked at the shirt she’d been wearing, which was definitely worse for wear. There was a slash mark right across the stomach. It was definitely going to make them look suspicious. When Amity lifted her arms, Luz could see her bellybutton through the tear. “I lost my backpack in the mountain, so I don’t have any of my stuff. I haven’t showered in so long, I’m starting to smell like a satyr.”

Luz laughed, almost choking on her wrap. “I think that can be arranged. We can stop before we get on the bus to Colorado and you can pick up some stuff.”

Amity’s smile wavered a little bit. Luz noticed it always did that when she mentioned Colorado. She was going to ask about it, but before she could Willow and Gus walked out of the tent, Willow looking ready to go with her backpack slung over her shoulder, and Gus yawning, blinking sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning you two,” Willow said with a smile. “Are we ready to keep moving?”

Amity and Luz nodded, both of them getting to their feet. They offered to help break camp, but it didn’t involve much work. After pulling a string on the side of the tent, it popped back into the canister Gus had opened it with. Luz was seriously impressed.

“And you mocked me for being over-prepared,” Gus said with a teasing grin, and Luz laughed.

“Consider this my official apology.”

Gus produced a water bottle from his bag, and his toothbrush and toothpaste. Luz and Willow did the same, leaving Amity staring there wistfully. Willow smiled at her and reached into her bag, handing her an unopened toothbrush still in the packaging.

“I figured there was a chance you lost yours, so I packed on just in case,” she said shyly, and Amity offered her a grateful look.

“Thank you so much. This is more than I deserve.”

“You’re a part of the team now!” Willow just said with a smile. “If you need anything, just ask.”

After they brushed their teeth and did their best to “get ready” for their day on the go, Willow waved her sword and the thorn barrier fell. They walked out of the forest and back towards the main road.

“I don’t usually encourage this, but we don’t really have a choice,” Gus said slowly. “Luz, you should use your phone to call us a cab. It would be a couple of hours to walk back to downtown.”

Luz nodded, figuring if Gus gave her permission that was as good as she was going to get. When she turned on the phone, nervous notifications of messages from her Mami popped up, and she did her best to ignore those and call the cab company first. When she was assured a cab would be on the way, she ignored Willow’s disapproving look and went to her messages to look at her Mami’s texts.

“I can’t just ignore her,” she said quietly, and Willow sighed but turned her head away, giving her the go-ahead.

Luz looked down, reading the three messages carefully, each sent two days ago about twenty minutes apart.  

Ok, mija. Have fun on your field trip. Stay out of trouble, and if you ever need anything just give me a call.

Wait, I thought you weren’t supposed to have your phone at camp?

Some things never change with you. Te quiero mucho, carino xoxo.

Luz knew she shouldn’t risk it, but she typed back a quick response anyway.

Te quiero mucho, Mami <3

She turned off her phone and tucked it back into her backpack. When the cab did eventually roll up and the four of them piled in, Luz went to sit in the front. The cabbie was an older man who looked at the four of them and turned to Luz with a raised brow.

“You kids have money for the cab, right?”

Luz did her best not to get irritated with the cabbie for being so rude, especially since he was looking at Amity and her dirty clothes with unmasked suspicion. Luz thought that was pretty brave, especially since she had an actual sword on her belt. She remembered what Eda had said about the thing that stopped mortals from seeing their world. She wondered if the sword just looked like a weird belt. She doubted it helped them in this case. She was really missing the magic of Antheia’s flower crowns.

“We have money,” Luz said. “What’s the fair to downtown?”

“From here, probably forty.”

Luz felt like that number was high, and judging by the look on Gus’ face it was more than they could afford, but they didn’t have much of a choice. Nodding, Luz got in the passenger seat, and her friends got in the back.

While they drove, Luz noticed the odometer on the front of the cab. Her eyebrows raised. Like the map, the price on the reader was not what Luz’s gaze had fixated on. Above it, there was a floating yellow number, with a price a lot cheaper than the odometer. Luz grinned. She was starting to love the perks that came with being a Hermes kid.

Sure enough, when they pulled inside the city near the bus terminal, and Luz told the cab driver to pull over, he told Luz the price was going to be forty-three fifty. The number Luz saw said thirty-two sixty. When Luz told him this, that same mist appeared over his eyes, and he accepted their money without hesitation. The four of them got out, and as he drove away Amity blinked at Luz in awe.

“How did you do that?”

Luz shrugged, “the odometer said thirty-two sixty was the real price.”

Amity’s mouth opened to protest, and Gus nudged her with her shoulder. “Her dad’s the god of merchants and travelers, remember?”

Amity made a noise of understanding. “Right.”

Luz’s eyes however had shifted from her friends to the map station outside the bus terminal. When she opened it and saw her custom display of information, she gawked.

“Oh no! The bus leaves in twenty minutes. If we miss it, we won’t catch the next one until tomorrow.”

That urged her friends to move. They raced inside the station, and Luz pushed through the crowd to one of the open terminals. There was a lady waiting there who smiled as she approached.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

Being a child of Hermes was really benefiting Luz on this quest. Not only was she able to get a decently priced ticket for Amity to Denver, but she had also been informed that their three other tickets would suffice on this bus as well since they hadn’t been able to make the full trip to Denver. Luz had a feeling when she stamped their other tickets with approval she had been making a big exception, likely due to a little magic, and a little bit of Luz’s friendly smile.

They boarded the greyhound right on time. Making their way to the back, Luz sat between Willow and Amity, with Gus on Willow’s left.

“Well, that’s basically all the money we have left,” Willow said with a grimace, gesturing to their now significantly emptier change pockets. “We have about twelve dollars in change between us.”

“That’s not going to do much when we get to Denver, and we still have about a seven-hour bus ride ahead of us,” Amity added with a frown. “We’re going to need to find some more money. We don’t want to have to walk the whole way up the mountain. We’re be swarmed and surrounded in no time.”

“What do you mean swarmed?” Luz asked, turning to look the half-blood in the eyes. A light blush fell over her cheeks at the eye contact, and Amity’s gold eyes looked away nervously.

“Its… it’s just dangerous for half-bloods.” Amity stuttered, and Luz frowned, not understanding why Amity was acting so strange all of a sudden. Did she have something on her face? Luz wiped her face with her sleeve anxiously.

“It’s a translated Greek landmark,” Gus explained helpfully, and Luz turned her head to look at her friend instead. Gus was fidgeting with something in his backpack, and he pulled out a sheet of parchment that Luz peered over to look at.

It was a hand-drawn map, but unlike most of the maps, Luz had seen recently, there was nothing usual about this one. It showed North America, but where a lot of big landmarks were there were also hand-drawn additions. Luz’s ADHD brain went bonkers trying to take it all in at once, and while there were countless drawings, she only had time to look at a few. The first one Luz noticed was the Empire State Building, which had an addition to show Mount Olympus. Camp Half-blood had been outlined on Long Island Sound, but Luz also noticed another camp on the other side of the country near San Francisco labeled “Camp Jupiter” with the Roman SPQR above it. Not far from that, near Los Angeles, was an addition labeled “Entrance to the Underworld”. There was a castle in Quebec labeled “Boreas’ Palace”, and where the Bermuda triangle was had been labeled the “Sea of Monsters”.

Gus however, directed her to Colorado, where he pointed towards modern-day Mount Elbert. It had been relabeled “Mount Pelion” with a drawing of a group of Centaurs. Luz recognized them easily enough by the half-man, half-horse biology.

“This is why it’s dangerous,” Gus said grimly. Luz frowned, not understanding.

“I thought centaurs were friendly, didn’t that group of them come to Camp Half-Blood right before I arrived?”

“Most centaurs are friendly,” Willow assured her, but her eyes were also trained on the map. “But the ones who live in Mount Pelion are known to be dangerous.”

“In Greek times, Mount Pelion was a place where many famous demigods came to train,” Gus said, running his finger over the map. “Achilles and Jason were two really good examples. When the fire of Olympus moved to different empires, Mount Pelion kept its role as being a safe haven for new demigods to train. It always spouts out some of the best demigods of the era, like Nero, Ferdinand the Seventh, Lord Byron, and Lafayette who all trained under Chiron like Achilles and Jason. When North America became the new flame of Olympus, Mount Pelion moved, just like it did every time before then. But Chiron didn’t return to Mount Pelion. He left and founded Camp Half-Blood.”

Luz’s brain was hurting from processing everything Gus said. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of Lord Byron being a demigod. She was pretty sure her English teacher would heavily disagree with the idea of him being any kind of hero.

“Why did Chiron leave?” Luz asked, and Amity finally spoke up from next to Luz, the blush now faded from her cheeks. But Luz noticed that even though she was talking to her, she kept her eyes trained on her camp necklace, fiddling with the beads.

“Nobody knows. But he warned heroes against going to Mount Pelion. Before I left on my quest, Lilith told me to be careful. The Centaurs that live there are smart and ancient in their own way. It’s not that they don’t like heroes, but legend has it they can detect when a hero is lying, or misguiding their intentions. If they think you are doing that, they will tear you limb from limb.”

Luz gawked, dropping her mouth open. She suddenly was feeling a lot less confident. She wasn’t trying to deceive a Centaur, but she didn’t have the best track record with ancient heroes, and she worried a Centaur might notice that.

“How did you, Boscha, and Skara avoid them?” Luz asked with a frown, and Amity winced like she’d been hoping Luz wouldn’t ask that. She didn’t respond, and Luz was going to let it go before she sighed.

“I visited my parents in Cherry Hills Village. My father gave me a map to an alternate route up Mount Pelion that would be away from the Centaurs. He did warn me that I’d find monsters on the way, but we decided we’d rather take on a couple of hellhounds than a pack of Centaurs.”

“I don’t suppose you still have that map?” Willow tried, and Amity sighed, shaking her head.

“Achilles took my backpack. I don’t have it anymore.”

“I don’t suppose your dad would have extra copies of the map?” Gus asked, and Amity hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek.

“He might.” Luz could tell from the look on her face though that she didn’t really want to go back to see her parents. After what Luz had heard about them, she didn’t blame her.

“Ok, then it’s an option. Options are good.” Luz said carefully, trying not to rock the boat. Her three friends nodded in agreement, and the four of them settled into a comfortable silence.

Luz found herself staring out the window as they passed through the American south. She realized this was the first time she’d ever been out of state. Her Mami had always wanted to take her to Disney Land when she was little, but because of all the weird things that’d happened to Luz, and her Mami’s busy work schedule, they’d never gotten the chance. Maybe now that she knew how to defend herself, they could go sometime when Luz saw her again.

Before she’d even realized what had happened, she’d dozed off around midmorning, tired from having the latest guard duty. Unfortunately for her, her dreams this time were not as pleasant as they had been from the previous night.

Luz was standing in the mountain, in front of Hestia’s cage. She was kneeling, and dark smoke was curling around her feet, blocking her from being able to look at Hestia. Before she could process what was happening, she had cold sharp metal pointed against her back. Luz couldn’t help but gasp, and cold hands wrapped around her shoulder, steadying her.

“I see you’ve been watching me, little hero. If you have no problem eavesdropping, then perhaps I should give you a glimpse into what you are about to experience.”

Chills ran up Luz’s spine at the cold voice of the mountain man, and when she looked at the hand grasping her shoulder, she realized it was completely gloved in the dark fabric. She couldn’t see any exposed skin.

The man jerked Luz to her feet, and she bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out in fear. She didn’t want to look weak, but the mountain man seemed to pick it up because he laughed. There was nothing warm about the gesture. It was cold, just as cold and dead as his voice.

Hestia’s eyes flashed in the darkness, letting Luz know she was there, but the man didn’t let her look much longer. He turned her away from the cage and towards the back wall, and Luz couldn’t stop the gasp that left her mouth.

Against the wall was what Luz could only recognize as a massive portal. It was made of dark obsidian gemstone shards and chunks of mix-matched metals and bricks stacked against it. Next to it was a table, with a bronze goblet sitting on top of it. On the top of the portal’s edges, there was a hearth glowing with red fire. Luz’s eyes widened. Hestia’s fire. Inside the portal, what Luz saw made her want to shrink away and hide forever.

It was a dark and barren landscape, with a black river flowing in the distance. There was a line of ashen and despondent people – no, spirits – floating by, but they acted like the portal didn’t exist at all. Luz felt the ground shake beneath her feet when she heard a ferocious growl, and the shadow of a three-headed dog bigger than some of the apartments in Manhattan glowered in the distance.

The Underworld.

“Not an encouraging sight, I know.” The man said silkily into Luz’s ear. Luz shivered, she hated when he did that. “I myself was subjected to this torment for far too long. It took long, hard, work, but I freed myself, and I will free others who are so much like you. Heroes, cheated of their lives and forced to suffer in the dark. Why would you try and stop something so good? Something that will cleanse this world and stop cheating out demigods of their chance to truly live?”

Luz couldn’t tear her eyes away. Fear and panic were racing up inside her quicker than she could control. The man seemed to sense this again because he hummed removing the point from Luz’s back. Finally tearing her eyes away, Luz spun sideways away from the portal and the man, looking at him in the face for the first time.

His face was completely covered by a gold mask with horns protruding the top of it. He had the white cloak on she’d seen in her last dream, and his eyes glowed an eerie and unnatural blue. In his right hand, he had a pure celestial bronze staff, sharpened at the end. Luz was once again paralyzed, too terrified to move or speak.

“I’ve seen this prophecy, Luz Noceda,” he said, his voice somehow right in her ear like she hadn’t gotten away from him. “One of your friends will die in this mountain, and you will be unable to stop me. Which one will it be? The daughter of Demeter? The son of Athena? Or… will it be the daughter of the love goddess who thought herself worthy enough to stop me on her own?”

Luz finally found her voice at the mention of her friends, and she snarled, stepping forward. But she might as well have tried to walk with cement up to her knees. Something was holding her back, keeping her in place.

“Leave my friends out of this,” she said, glaring daggers into his eyes. “We will stop you and free Hestia, and none of them are going to die while we do it.”

The man chuckled, turning her back away from Luz to look into the portal. “You better hurry then. You’ve already met Theseus and Orpheus, and the other girl knows from experience how strong and mighty Achilles is. Do you think you could take on hundreds of demigods who are also going to rise from the grave? Hestia can only hold on for so long, daughter of Hermes. You better hurry.”

Luz was snapped out of her nightmare by someone shaking her arm. When she woke up, she saw Amity leaning over her, her gold eyes wide in concern.

“Luz! Are you alright? You were moving around in your sleep.”

“That’s an understatement,” Gus said from next to her, clearly happy he hadn’t been the one to wake Luz up after their head collision the last time he’d tried. “You were yelling. We were getting some looks from the other passengers. But we’re here, so you better get up.”

“We’re here?” Luz shot up, almost colliding her foreheads with Amity’s. The daughter of Aphrodite yelped like Luz had shocked her again, recoiling with such a fierce blush it ran all the way to the tips of her ears. “How are we here? There’s no way I slept that long.”

“You looked tired, so we just let you sleep,” Willow said from next to her, already collecting her things. “We have to move though, Gus said he thinks he knows where we can restock on supplies.”

Luz blinked. “You do?”

A grin split across Gus’ face and he nodded. “I do! Follow me.”

They walked off the bus and Luz came face to face with downtown Denver. As Gus lead them down the busy streets, Luz realized it was now Monday morning and three days since they’d left camp. Foot traffic was pretty heavy, which meant nobody spared them any glances, except maybe Amity, who’s face flushed in embarrassment whenever somebody looked at her clothes. Luz felt guilty remembering she’d said they would find her new clothes in Kansas City and that they just hadn’t had the time.

Gus cut left and right down streets, and if Luz wasn’t paying attention she would have lost him for sure. Eventually, they passed down a busy mall looking area and Luz caught sight of a street sign that read “16th Street Mall”. There were no cars on this street, so Gus speed-walked down the middle of the walkway, and Luz was quickly starting to lose patience.

“Gus, where are we even going?”

“It’s around here somewhere, trust me!” Gus said certainly before his eyes widened in delight. “Here it is!”

They dipped right along the side of one of the building corners of a department store Luz hadn’t had time to read the name of when Gus stopped right in his tracks and Luz had to jerk to a halt not to hit them. Amity wasn’t fast enough, and she cried out in surprise and crashed into the back of Luz. Luz stumbled but managed to catch Amity’s hand and keep them both steady.

“Thanks,” Amity said, and when her eyes locked onto their connects hands she blushed again. Behind them, she thought she heard Willow made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a mix between surprise and understanding. Luz turned with a raised brow, but Willow must have seen it coming because she just smiled simply at Luz, wiping any expression off of her face.

Deciding she must have imagined it, Luz let go of Amity’s hand and Amity immediately used it to clutch her arm. Gus hadn’t noticed anything at all and was busy examining a spray-painted graffiti on the wall with narrowed eyes.

Luz looked at it and blinked. It was an owl, that looked just like the one above the door to Cabin Six. The Mark of Athena.

“There’s no way that can be a coincidence,” Luz said aloud, and Gus shushed her, clearly trying to focus. Luz quieted, deciding to just watch him instead.

Eventually, Gus ran his hand over the beak of the owl, and it glowed up white. Stumbling back with a grin on his face, the brick began to shift until there was a door. Whooping in excitement, Gus pulled on the handle, and it swung inwards, leading them inside.

“One of the children of Athena’s many on-the-go workshops,” Gus said with an excited grin. “After you!”

Luz and her friends made their way inside, and when she saw the interior of the workshop she couldn’t help but gasp in delight. It had everything a demigod could ever need. There was a fridge, counter space, and a stove in the back of the room, and cabinets above it. There was a set of four bunk beds lining the back wall, and a linen closet behind it. There were three huge workshop desks, packed to the brim with notes, maps, charts, and a blackboard that still had written equations on the wall. There was a bookshelf literally lined with books, and upon further examination, Luz realized that it was filling itself as she and her friends walked in.

As a matter of fact, everything seemed to be adjusting as they walked in. Certain maps vanished, a microwave appeared on the counter (Luz was especially excited about that), and next to her Amity literally shriek in delight when a wardrobe appeared full of clothes. She ran right towards it, taking a fresh shirt off of a hanger.

“Gus, what is this place?” Luz exclaimed in glee, doing a full circle around the room. Even as Luz talked, the room seemed to be adjusting. The walls went from white to grey, with a light blue accent wall behind the bunks. A larger zoomed-in map of Colorado appeared pinned next to the blackboard over the formulas. Willow opened the door to the fridge and started shuffling through it, pulling out trays of food that looked so fresh it might as well have been picked off the vine right before she pulled it out.

Gus had made his way right over to the fridge as well, and Luz remembered neither he or Willow had eaten yet today. He grabbed a can of Spite and popped the tab, taking a swig before responding to Luz.

“Children of Athena have known about these for decades, they were originally workshops used by our mom but then she abandoned them and left the locations for some of her kids. One of my siblings told me that there was one rumored here ages ago. The room will give you whatever you need within reason, and we should be able to restock all our supplies here for our quest. If we need to plan, this is the place to do it. Monsters won’t be able to find us here either, it’s enchanted with Athena’s protection. But we won’t be able to stay long, it’s meant to be a rest spot, not a permanent residence.”

Luz’s eyes had locked on the blackboard, and she moved closer to take a look. One side was still stacked with chalk and equations, some notes, and other things Luz could barely read, let alone understand. But on the right side of the board were little signatures and notes left by other demigods to show they had been there. Some of them were funny, and Luz laughed while reading them.

“Spiders will not come into the workshop – this is fantastic news.”

“Malcolm, Julia, and Travis were here. Percy Jackson, unfortunately, was not.”

“The fridge will not speak to you like Siri, don’t try”

At the very bottom right corner were the initials P+A drawn in awful handwriting around a heart. An arrow pointed up to the line where Percy Jackson was mentioned, and in chalk, there was an arrow above the line which read “I am now” with a crudely drawn smiley face sticking out its tongue.

“Luz! Are you going to come to eat?”

Luz turned and saw her friends all sitting around a little table that definitely hadn’t been there before. There was a tray of foods on the table, and someone had even grabbed her a lime soda out of the fridge. Grinning, she joined them, sitting down and noticing something odd about all the foods.

“Uh, Gus. Why are half of these foods vegetables?”

It was impossible not to notice. While most of the food was arranged in a charcuterie kind of style, with various meats and cheeses and crackers, there was an enormous variety of vegetables and dip. Gus flushed.

“Look, she might be a goddess but she’s still my mom. Even godly mothers want their kids to be eating healthily.”

Around the table, everybody laughed, and that didn’t stop Luz from digging in. As she was eating, she eyed Amity from across the table and smiled.

“You finally got some new clothes!”

She was now dressed in a long black shirt with sleeves that came to about her forearms and magenta leggings. Her camp necklace sat right above the shirt, and the amethyst pendant was now clearly visible. Her mood had clearly gotten much better too because she was grinning at Luz, clearly happy.

“Yep! It feels great. And I just looked next to the wardrobe, there's a bathroom back there with a real shower!”

The reaction was instant. Luz and her friends all gasped in delight, and Gus slammed his fist down on the table.

“I call going after Amity!”

“Hey!” Luz squawked, turning to him with a playful glare. “I’m a quest leader, so I should go after Amity.”

“You’re not allowed to use that against me!” Gus complained, crossing his arms. “I’m younger, so I should go first.”

“We’ll all have plenty of time.” Willow reasoned though she was smiling at the pair of them bickering. “We’re going to need some time to collect ourselves and plan our next move.”

Luz’s smile faded, and she swallowed nervously. “Right, about that.”

She took a deep breath as her three friends turned to face her. While Willow and Gus were confused at the sudden tone change, Amity recognized the expression on Luz’s face right away because she paled.

“It’s about your dream, isn’t it?”

Luz nodded. “I saw the man in the mountain, Belos, and I know what his plan with Hestia is. He’s used her fire to create a portal to the Fields of Asphodel.”

[marmolady]

Livita: Part Three

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Post-ending. Freed from Vaanu, Taylor has been building a life with her soulmate… but their family remains not quite complete. Read PART ONE and PART TWO.

Word Count: 3551

Reviews and reblogs are hugely appreciated!

Tagging: @sceptilemasterr​ @saivilo​ @greengroove​ 

La Huerta, June 2023

  The pair returned to La Huerta with a couple of months spare to get ready for their new addition, and come the fourth Catalyst reunion –the very first day-- it was time.

Her waters having broken in the middle of the anniversary party, Estela had quickly been swooped upon by an attentive Michelle, who’d determined it was high time they took the proceedings back to their own home where there was a little more comfort and privacy. Taylor lovingly tended to her wife, cleaning her off and helping her into the back of the car that would ferry them along the track between The Celestial and the hut in Catalyst Village.

“Taylor,” Estela took her wife’s shaking hand in her own. “You don’t have to be so nervous. It’s not like you’re the one who’s gonna be doing all the work.”

“Hey, this is likely to be the most important day of both of our lives. I’m allowed to have a few jitters, okay?”

Taylor caught Estela’s eye and grinned like an idiot. This is actually, finally happening. The smile faltered just a little as she felt Estela’s body stiffen beside her; another contraction. That there was only so much she could do was difficult; all their battles were fought together, as equal partners, and to essentially be a bystander was a role Taylor wasn’t sure she suited.

As she helped Estela up to their bed, Taylor was left with the distinct impression that she was being humoured; the fussing really wasn’t necessary, but the care behind the gesture appreciated. Maybe that was what was most needed after all… just that support that didn’t even need to be spoken. She had to hope so, because there was really little else she could offer.

“You’ve got this, ‘Stel,” she murmured as she kissed her wife’s temple.

“Querida, we’ve got this. Just stay with me, okay?”

“Always.”

Estela approached childbirth in much the same manner that she did most of life’s challenges; just getting on with it. She was no stranger to pain, and refused to be daunted, breathing through contractions with minimal grumbling. Taylor sat upon the bed beside her, offering massages and holding her hand through the worst of the contractions, all the while enjoying a rare opportunity to catch up properly with Michelle, who’d offered herself as midwife.

“First delivery you’re assisting in, hey? That’ll be one for the photo albums.”

Michelle chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure Estela would appreciate those photos going up on the wall. I’d be surprised if this won’t be my only midwife appointment. This isn’t exactly my field.”

Catching her breath after another contraction, Estela nodded. “Thank you for preserving my dignity. And… this. After everything…,” She had to physically shake off the memories… memories of one of the most torturous periods of her life. That kind of fear would only cripple her now. “There’s no one I’d trust more to help us through this.”

“Brain surgery will still be waiting for me once I’ve put that baby in your arms.”

Every now and then, a text message would come through from someone or another, asking for a progress report, and in return receiving an update on the annual anniversary party. Naturally, bets were being made all over the place… the sex of the baby… the time of arrival… whether or not it came out brandishing a weapon…. The attention from the rest of the Catalysts was welcome, breaking up the monotony otherwise punctuated by Estela quietly huffing through contractions.

“I don’t know how you’re so calm….” Michelle was saying.

“You know the thing with ducks?” Estela asked. “Perfectly calm and composed on the surface, but below the water, the legs are frantically paddling? I’m pretty sure that’s me right now.”

“Well, your impression of ‘not freaking out’ is convincing. But it’s good. Obviously, these things tend to be drawn out; you need to pace yourself, emotionally.”

“Right now it’s just… pain. Pain doesn’t worry me. I’ve done pain; I know I can survive it. But what comes later; that’s what’s scary. Nene has to go through a lot to get here… and there’s only so much I can control.”

Again, Taylor offered a hand, and gave Estela’s a soft squeeze. “We’ve already put the med centre on alert,” she said gently, hoping to reassure herself as well as her wife. Those jitters were starting to escalate. “The healers have delivered plenty of babies by emergency C-section; if bub needs a hand, help will be here in minutes.”

Estela stroked Taylor’s fingers. She was a great comfort. Far greater than she could say. They’d been through a lot together, faced down impossible odds; this, Estela told herself, was something totally different. Babies were born every minute of every day, and she was strong, and fit, and healthy. All she had to was grit her teeth and power through.

The sky outside darkened, and it seemed quite clear that the night would be a long one. With progress slow, Taylor killed some time by rustling up some snacks from the kitchen. When she came back upstairs, she couldn’t help but let her eye linger upon the small room, the one that would soon belong to their child. All of a sudden, that their lives were about to change became very real. She’d never had a childhood herself, so to have the blessing of experiencing it through her own son or daughter was a great unknown. Taylor was certain she was ready. The one her friends would turn to with all their problems, she would be an open and supportive parent. And in Estela… well, she couldn’t ask for a more fiercely loving partner. It would be scary, but as Taylor saw it, all the best adventures were.

The hours dragged by so slowly. Taylor found herself fidgety, and took to slowly pacing beside the bed. She still felt like a spare part, and nervous energy built up within her as she picked up the same from Estela. They were now hours in, and there was a sense that they were turning towards the last, dangerous stretch… and still Taylor could do little to ease the process.

Estela’s staunch stoicism began to falter. A trembling bottom lip betrayed her fear as she hit a wall, scared for the first time since her labour began. The contractions kept coming, with barely a pause. Wave after wave, stronger, as if her body was trying to tear itself apart, and no chance to come up for air. It felt as though she had no control over her own body… and by extension, the baby. She was a passenger along for the ride, powerless. After so many hours, countless nightmare scenarios had time to run through her head, now haunting her, and doubt in herself set in with a vengeance. As soon as she let that primal fear take hold, a wave of grief hit her, so strong that she might drown.

Worried, Michelle rubbed her arm. “What’s going on? Estela?”

There was no response. Estela looked away; her expression distant as she retreated into herself. She wanted to cry, to scream, but it would not bring what she needed.

“It’s getting more intense because we’re getting near the time when you need to push. This is normal. Talk to us, okay?”

Still nothing.

Taylor leaned over the bed, reaching for Estela, unnerved by the change, so swift and profound. Something was really not right. She took her wife’s shaking hand and squeezed, and the pressure returned was fierce, panicked. Still, she struggled to get eye contact; Estela appeared lost, far away. “…Hey…” When she finally met Estela’s eyes, she saw a plea for help. The penny dropped.

“Hey, could you give us a moment?” she asked in Michelle’s ear, her voice hushed.

Once they were left alone, Taylor climbed onto the bed and brought Estela’s head to her chest, stroking her sweat-drenched hair. “You want your mom…”

The painful lump in Estela’s throat gave way. She leaned into Taylor, who cradled her as she cried and writhed in agony.

“I’m so sorry, my love, my beautiful Estela… I’m sorry she can’t be here, holding your hand like she should be…”

The floodgates had opened, and Estela sobbed into her wife’s shirt, her hands clutching desperately at her back, hanging on as if afraid of losing her too. It made Taylor’s heart ache.

“That’s it… let it out…” Taylor kissed Estela’s soaked brow and held her close, gently rocking her as her body convulsed through a contraction that just seemed to go on forever. “I’ve got you. You just hold on tight, okay? I’ve got you, and I’m never… I’m never letting go.”

“Taylor… it hurts.”

It hurts so bad. Mami….

“I know… I know…,” Taylor whispered. More kisses, the only inadequate comfort she could offer. It just wasn’t fair.  “She’s part of you always, sweetheart… nothing can ever take that from you. And our little baby… she’s part of our baby too. All that love your mom gave you, you get to pass it on, share it with bub.” Taylor sighed, feeling the weight of her helplessness as her wife gripped her ever tighter, gasping in pain. She couldn’t help with the baby, and she sure as hell give Estela what she really needed. Her voice caught in her throat. “I know it can never be enough.”

Slowly… agonisingly slowly, the intensity receded, the contractions slowed, and Estela could finally catch her breath, her vice-grip on Taylor’s back slackening. It felt as though the worst was over. She felt a tender kiss to the side of her face, and returned it, even as she trembled in Taylor’s arms.

“Sorry,” she panted, offering a weak smile.  “I didn’t expect it to creep up on me like that. I just… started to get nervous about the baby coming, and… God, it hurt so bad… and the more scared I got… it was almost like I was a kid again, needing her so much.”

“That’s natural, Stel.”

“And I guess I can feel that it’s close now. It doesn’t… it doesn’t feel right for the baby to come… and her not be here. I’m sorry, I just…”

“Hey…don’t apologise.” Taylor took Estela’s face in her hands, stroking away tears with the gentlest touch. “This is where your strength comes from; your big heart… even the part that’s always going to be broken. It’s why you’re gonna be the most wonderful, incredible mama to our little baby. Your mom would be so proud of you, Estela. God, I know I am.”

Estela nuzzled against Taylor’s fingers, taking one to her mouth in a soft kiss. She looked at her through her tears, feeding off the devotion that shone back in those brilliant blue eyes. Her mother would be so happy that she had Taylor, in her corner through it all. In a way… it was she who’d brought them together.

She exhaled shakily, and groaned through another godawful contraction. “I can’t wait for you to hold our baby…”

Taylor pressed her forehead to Estela’s, her heart full to bursting. “You are so, so strong, love. You’ve got this.” And I’ve got you.

Estela closed her eyes, soothed by the intimate touch. “Taylor… thank you.” A kiss to her cheek told her that Taylor understood. That they were in this together really went without saying. She took a deep breath. Time to do this. “We should bring Michelle back in; I think I’m ready to start pushing.”

There was a small flurry of activity as Michelle hurriedly resumed doctor duties, and confirmed that things were indeed moving along. Getting comfortable was all but impossible, but Estela eventually settled kneeling up against Taylor, letting gravity help her out.

Another shuddering cry rang out as Estela dug deep to push against the all-consuming pain. Progress felt excruciatingly slow. Her powerful body strained with every ounce of strength, willing the baby onwards, while she held on desperately to Taylor’s hand.

“You’re doing great… you might just break my fingers, but you’re doing great.”

Again and again she switched positions, her frustration growing. She pushed and panted, all the while feeling as though her body was trying to tear itself in two.

At long last --to the expectant mothers it might have been an eternity-- the baby’s head appeared, and Taylor reluctantly eased away from her wife, to be helped into position for delivery by Michelle. Her heart pounded wildly at the first glimpse. There it was. Their baby. Their baby…

Michelle leaned in close, nervous exhilaration clear on her face. “Are you ready? I’ll be right here with you to check baby over.” Receiving a confident nod, she returned her attention to the person who was doing all the hard work. “Estela, you’re so, so close.”

“…I fucking hope so…”

“On the next contraction, I want you to pant through it… gentle pushes so the head doesn’t come too fast.Once the head’s out, I think… I think one more big push should do it.”

Estela whimpered and looked to Taylor for reassurance. This had gone on long enough… she needed to know that the baby was all right. Gentle, murmured words of encouragement and a soft rub against her leg helped to steady her, and she steeled herself for the next wave. In Taylor’s eyes she saw everything she felt herself; fear, exhilaration, and desperate, desperate longing. This was it now; she was bringing her baby home.

A strong cry rang out as the baby entered the world, straight into Taylor’s waiting hands, instantly bringing her to tears. Tiny arms reached out in bewilderment and the baby hollered in shock at the sudden transition. Murmuring gentle words of comfort, Taylor brought the child up to her face, softly kissing as the indignant cries quietened.

“Is the baby okay-- Taylor, is baby okay?”

Taylor bundled the wet, disoriented infant close to her, while Michelle checked it over, and responded with a voice thick with elated tears. “Stel, she’s perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes, and she’s already got a lot to say for herself.”

Tears streamed down Estela’s face as her hands flew to her mouth in sweet disbelief. Their baby was here… she was here and she was safe. Her voice trembled when she spoke, the briefest glimpses of the child enough to send her into emotional overwhelm. “She? She’s a girl?”

“She’s a beautiful girl.”

Receiving an encouraging nod from Michelle, Taylor brought the baby, now wrapped in a towel, and gently eased her into Estela’s waiting arms.

Estela’s breath caught in her throat. When she met her daughter’s eyes, she thought she might never look away. “Oh my god…” She wept, clutching the child to her bare chest, and her heart skipped a beat as a tiny mouth latched onto her breast. “Mi dulce niña, mi bebé, mi bebé…”

She reluctantly tore her gaze away from her precious baby to look up at Taylor, whose eyes were swimming, face shining with love. “Taylor…”

Sniffling helplessly, Taylor leaned in and kissed the top of her wife’s head again and again. “Oh god, I love you, Estela… I love her… I… I…”

Michelle looked on, a hand over her heart and her eyes misty. “Congratulations, both of you. She’s just… absolutely, completely gorgeous. And… and thank you.” The slight shake of her voice gave away her emotions. “That you wanted me to share this with you… it honestly means the world.”

Taylor stood up and wrapped her friend in the tightest, most loving of hugs. “Thank you. So, so much. I don’t know what we did to deserve you, but we love you so much, Michelle.”

Wiping tears from her eyes, Estela have a little nod, looking at Michelle with fierce gratitude and affection. She couldn’t find the words, but a quiet understanding was all that was needed.

“I love you both. And your little angel…” Michelle felt endless satisfaction as she watched the infant nurse at her friend’s chest. To have played even a small part in making that happen, her heart might just burst with pride.

Taylor climbed into the bed and wriggled down under the covers, drawn into the heat of Estela’s body. She nuzzled her face towards her chest and took in a deep breath as she pressed a long kiss to the baby’s soft head, taking in the sweetest of scents.

“So… Olivia?” she asked.

Estela’s eyes welled as she nodded her head. She knew Taylor understood, and in that moment, she couldn’t love her more. “Our Livita. Maybe, Olivia… Andromeda? You should be a part of her name.”

“Oh. Oh, wow.” For a few moments, Taylor was lost for words, and she simply looked at her beloved with starry eyes. She took Estela’s hand and kissed it before going back to kiss their daughter again--how she’d ever get enough of smooching that child’s dear little face, she’d never know. “That’s… that’s perfect. She’s perfect.” She stroked Olivia’s dark, downy hair, her skin so impossibly soft. “Oh, my Livi… our angel… we love you all the way to the stars.”

“All the way to the stars, and back again,” Estela corrected with a wink.

Michelle quietly bustled around them, cleaning up and making sure all the boxes were ticked on her baby delivery checklist. It was some hour later before the afterbirth was delivered and she was confident enough to say that all was well. Completely ecstatic though Michelle was, she was more than ready to collapse into her pillow by the time she headed to the door.

“I’ll give you some privacy,” she said softly, knowing that her work there was done. Both mothers were handling the baby confidently, and with a tenderness that was heart-warming to behold. Tucked up against Estela’s chest, a hand protectively cradling her tiny body, no child could wish for a safer, more loving embrace in which to rest. “I’ll be back in a minute if you need anything at all, but I’ve got a feeling you can take it from here.”

The first rays of sunlight filtered through the floaty drapes, a welcome dawn after the longest of nights, bringing the colour of day to the new life that settled, fed and contented, against the warmth of her mothers’ beating hearts.

Before she turned to go, Michelle left a kiss each on her friends’ foreheads and stroked under the baby’s tiny chin.

“Olivia Andromeda Montoya, welcome to the world.”

[seblaineaddict]

"Nine"

Seblainiversary 2020

Chapter Two

*A quick note; there's very (very) little Sebastian in this chapter, which may well surprise whose who know that Bas is my baby, but the focus shifts to him in the next chapter. Promise. Please read on if you want to understand exactly what this graphic is telling you*

...............

The second "Nine" happens very quickly after the first. One week exactly after Blaine's grocery store encounter with Glad You Came and all the memories (and the guilt) that resurfaced as a result of hearing it, Blaine is wrestling with himself about his next move. He knows he wants to talk to Sebastian - that much has become obvious, given he tracked down Nick and Thad to ask for his phone number; on the premise that Kurt wanted to visit Paris (true, but utter fabrication in this context), and Sebastian had always promised Blaine he'd let him know the best places to visit if he ever ventured there.

Nick was as open and trusting (gullible?) as always, handing over the information without a second thought, but Thad.... well Thad was another story entirely. He'd actually asked - no, demanded, that Blaine meet him in person that night, because he "wanted to see his face while he asked him some questions." Blaine hesitantly agreed, knowing Kurt would be out with Rachel...again, and arranged to meet Thad in two hours.

He races back to his apartment from the studio that night. His next album not due to be released until next spring and no tours on the horizon, so he has time to spare getting ready.. and time to work out just how he wants to respond to the inevitable barrage of questions from Thad. Blaine had graduated Tisch and become something of an overnight musical sensation in the Pop/Rock world - they referred to him as the latest "It"-Boy (which always made Blaine uncertainly scrunch up his nose in a way that Sebastian used to call "adorable," and that never failed to make Blaine smile), but he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the accolade.

He'd ironically enough been "discovered" when he was singing in a bar owned by a friend of Sebastian’s dad; a contact passed on to him enthusiastically by Alistair Smythe, during one of his many visits to what Blaine had affectionately dubbed "Smythe Mansion" - a name that always brought an exaggerated eyeroll and a quirked eyebrow ("it's not that big, B. When we go to Paris you'll see that it could comfortably fit twice into our home there.") from Sebastian. But that was when they were both still Dalton Boys. That was before Blaine fucked things up quite spectacularly between them...To be fair, Sebastian had done that too - with Slushie-Gate. But as he shakes his head to rid his mind of a memory that he'd rather stayed buried, and had forgiven Sebastian for long ago, (as had his entire family), the creeping cold fingers of guilt threaten to choke Blaine, as he finds himself thinking back to a string of texts he received from Sebastian - right before he realised Blaine had cut him off...without a single word to him about it.

With shaking fingers and heaving a ragged sigh, Blaine unlocks his phone and scrolls through his contacts (he had deleted and re-added Sebastian’s old number so many times that he knew it by heart now, anyway), clicking into the last texts he'd received from Sebastian, not long after his 18th birthday party at the Smythe Mansion...a party Blaine hadn't attended in the end, despite being Sebastian’s best friend. Simply because he didn't want to upset Kurt - again. He opens the messages and time slips away from him.

Bas: B! Maman is having Grand-mère (Sebastian affectionately called her "Mamie" as did all the Smythes) and Grand-père ("Picsou" - after the French equivalent of Scrooge McDuck), bring over some cases of wine from the vineyard, for my party, given that I can legally drink in my home country now, unlike over here with its asinine and antiquated laws. So you'll get to try that incredible Cabernet dad was telling you about, for yourself!

Blaine stops reading for a second, placing his phone on the table; easily conjuring up the unguarded, open way Sebastian always smiled when speaking about his beloved grandparents. No patented smirk or quirked, cynical eyebrow in sight; just a toothy, eye-crinkling and warm, guileless smile. But as well as Sebastian could read Blaine (and boy could he read Blaine), it hadn't taken long for Blaine to realise that there was so much more to Sebastian Alexandre Smythe than just smirks, endless innuendos and a razor-sharp wit. Those were largely just his defence mechanism; a wall he erected solely to stop people from getting close and making him "feel" things he wasn’t capable of handling.

The truth was, Sebastian had a very sweet, thoughtful side to him, especially when it came to his grandparents, his parents and even (grudgingly) his older sister. He was multi-layered, super smart and generous to a fault... and Blaine had always wished he would let more people see that side of him. But he knew Sebastian wouldn't let that happen - didn't want to show himself as vulnerable or weak... despite Blaine constantly assuring him it was actually a sign of great strength to open yourself up to people, and let them in.

Sebastian would just shake his head and say "Nah, Killer. It's better if people just think my default setting is "Asshole," and if anyone finds out that I can be...'nice' well I'll know exactly who to blame!" He'd said with a glare that held no heat, just affection and mischief. To be fair, "Asshole" very often was Sebastian's default - but still... Blaine had fervently hoped that one day he'd let more people see that he wasn't just the "villain out of some cheesy 80s High School movie," but right up until they'd....parted ways (aka Blaine failing to inform Sebastian that their friendship was effectively over), he'd sadly never allowed that to happen.

Blaine picks his phone back up and resumes reading...

(Two hours after the first texts were sent)

Bas: Blllllllllaaaaainnne! Where are you??? Text me back, you fuckwit. I need to choose my party outfit and outside of that brief time when you allowed Hummel to take control of your wardrobe *shudders*, your "fashun" sense is second-to-none!

Blaine allows himself a small smile at the memory of Sebastian’s horrified face when Blaine had informed him that Kurt wanted him to "diversify" his wardrobe and branch out of his comfort zone. "But...sequins, B, he'd lamented. "He's gonna put you in head-to-toe sequins, and even your perfect bubble ass cannot make sequinned pants look good!" Blaine had just brushed off Sebastian’s concerns..until the moment Kurt had turned up at Blaine’s home with an armful of very sequinned pants, and shirts and sweaters and...underwear! At which point Blaine had declared the experiment into "zhuzhing up" his wardrobe, officially over. Much to Sebastian’s (and Blaine Mom's) relief. He returns to Sebastian’s messages; knowing that after rereading just a few more of these texts, he's going to be wracked with guilt, all over again.

(Four hours after the previous texts)

Bas: B? Have you broken your phone again? Did it not survive yet another onslaught of being chucked at the wall in a fit of temper, after your weekly phone call with Cooper? Hahaha! Enquiring minds want to know the deets!! Text me back so I can talk you down from the ceiling - again!

(A further two hours after the previous texts)

Bas: B...is everything okay? You've got me worried now, and you know I don't like feeling something alien like.. concern. TEXT ME BACK!!! We need to discuss my outfit (and yours) for Saturday!! Tell Hummel he's only being granted entrance if he doesn't look like a glitter cannon just vomited its entire arsenal!

With a frown, Blaine remembers that yes, it might have taken him six long months, but he'd eventually managed to persuade Sebastian (more like he'd worn him down until he was too tired to object any more, but...semantics), to let Kurt attend his 18th Birthday party. Blaine had been ecstatic about his victory, but that feeling was short-lived, when he'd caught the brilliant green of Sebastian's eyes dimming and darkening to the colour of moss, at how happy Blaine was that he’d acquiesced. Blaine never gave it too much thought at the time. He knows now that he should have... Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. He'll continue reading the messages later he resolves, but right now he needs to head off to meet Thad...

He decides to take a cab to the bar they're meeting at, as he has a feeling he's going to be needing a stiff drink or three to deal with Thad's suspicious questions and stoic, closed-off demeanour, so having called one, he walks outside the apartment complex to wait for it, in the chill of the just turned Spring, night. While he does so, he thinks again about how much he's missing Sebastian, and how shocked he was to discover that his (friend? Illicit Flirt Partner? Confidante? All of the above?) had never changed his phone number... and just like that, a memory invades his mind; Sebastian with his perfect French accent ("I'm French, B, he'd drawled, "and proud of it. My accent's not gonna vanish in a puff of thin air, just because I'm temporarily living in the Sinkhole of Hell itself - Oh-Hi-Fucking-Oh!") helping Blaine with his French homework, and patiently explaining all the (many) idiosyncrasies of the French language. Blaine’s not afraid to admit even now, that Sebastian speaking fluently in his Mother tongue, turned Blaine on and physically did things to him to such an extent that he stored them up for his...alone time. Many was the time he left Smythe Mansion with a boner, having raced out of the house citing "Something" he needed to take care of. He'd never known if Sebastian had realised the reason for his quick exits or not. But thinking back with a rueful grin, Blaine realises - of course, he knew. He's Sebastian Fucking Smythe; King of Innuendo, and Master of lewd comments. But he never mentioned it, and Blaine was eternally grateful for that.

Cursing his butterfly brain, he focuses again on that night. The night when Sebastian taught him what is to this day, one of his favourite things about the French (or indeed any) language.

"So, B - in French, the literal translation of 'Tu me manques' (I miss you) is "You are missing from me.' Maman always comments on how beautiful that sentiment is, so I just know your hopelessly romantic mind is salivating over this detail and filing it away for future use on...Hummel..." When he'd said this last, Sebastian’s face had quickly morphed from the wide smile that had taken over it at his explanation, to a tight, sad, expression, as he'd wrinkled his nose and shaken his head - almost as if to stop himself blurting out what was really on his mind.. Again, Blaine never gave it much thought at the time. Again, he really should have paid better attention.

"It really is beautiful, Bas" he remembers saying. "What do you say back to the person?" "You respond, 'Toi aussi' - 'me too,'" Sebastian had said with a soft sad smile. After that the conversation had turned into one of their favourite Superhero rants; ("The Flash could sooo knock Cap into next week, B.") and Blaine hadn't thought again about the beautiful way the French had of saying "I miss you" until he was safely tucked up in his bed, thinking about his chestnut-haired, green-eyed best friend, and wondering not for the first time, why he had chosen Kurt over him, despite the numerous, incredible makeout sessions they had shared together... before Kurt exploded onto the scene and...pushed Sebastian out...

.................

In the present, after an enlightening and shocking conversation at the bar with Thad, Blaine makes his decision. On the ninth day following his epiphany during his grocery store Glad You Came encounter, Blaine is gonna call - call, not text, Sebastian. He doesn't know why it has to be the ninth day when he attempts to re-establish contact with Sebastian, it's just a deep, inner feeling he has, that it has to be then. Feeling better than he has in weeks (but that's another story for another time) now that he's come to a decision, Blaine sits down, unlocks his phone and resumes reading Sebastian’s last messages. "Tu me manques," he softly says out loud.

In Paris, Sebastian who has been looking at his phone for days as if it would sprout arms and legs and run away from him, if he did the thing he sooo wanted to do, is startled by it ringing right after he's scrolled for what seems like the millionth time in exactly one week, through his contacts to Blaine’s number. He checks the Caller ID and with a frown accepts the call. Without waiting for the other to speak, he says, "To what do I owe the....honour of you calling me at... (a quick glance at the clock that allows him to keep track of the time in New York) what is currently 2:36 am on your side of the the pond, Harwood?" Without even bothering to dwell on the dripping sarcasm in Sebastian’s tone, Thad pushes forward before he loses his nerve.

"We need to talk, Bas, and so help me you are gonna listen to me, and will not interrupt until I have finished talking, or I'll be on the first flight out to Paris to beat the living crap out of you!"

Staring at his phone once again as if it has sprouted arms and legs, an open-mouthed Sebastian nods before quickly realising Thad can't see him doing so, and says, "Right. Fine. Start talking, Harwood!"

..............

*A disclaimer: I am not a writer. I leave that to the wonderful and talented Seblaine writers, many of whom are my own very dear friends, but as much as this started out as a ficlet to accompany my Seblainiversary 2020 graphics, it has since taken on arms and legs, much like Sebastian’s phone (hah!) and I think it may have reached beyond *just* being classified as a ficlet now.

To this end I'm still writing the last part of 5 (sorry, Ei) and while I'm hoping to have it completed by the end of Seblainiversary, it might not be. What I WILL be posting, are the rest of today's graphics and tomorrow's, too, with brief descriptions to give a heads up as to what they depict, pending a fuller explanation in my...fic.

If anybody does take the time to read my WIP, thank you. This has been a shitshow of a year (apart from the incredible and joyous news from my friends in the US today, that I will be celebrating in style in my home with Champagne later tonight, whilst enduring lockdown), and I spent the best part of three months really ill, and now my pervading feeling is that we all need an outlet for our stress. This hss become mine and has been freeing in a way I never imagined writing could be.

I love creating Seblaine graphic snd that's never going to change, but I have had so much fun writing this so far, and am committed to completing it.

The next few graphics indicate a time jump, but getting to it will be covered in my story.

@seblaineaffairs

[goldenonionstan]

      | chapter one

            | the sound of forgetting

summary: after being wrongly accused of the murder of her fiancé, Bella Swan is trying to find stability in her broken life. Until a mysterious brown-haired boy reveals a harrowing secret about the man she loved, and she embarks on a time-bending journey to clear her name…

a/n: hooray harooh harrah i finished chapter one and this baby is ready to go! i can’t communicate to you how pumped i am to explore this world and all the dark fantasy that comes with it! let me know what you think x

October 14th, 2012

It was still dark when I pulled my ancient Chevrolet pick-up into the parking lot of the café, and I settled the beast into an open space next to Dad's favorite oak tree. Killing the engine, I reveled in the heat of the truck's cab, bracing myself for the crisp, Washington air that awaited me outside. Unfortunately, I always drew the short straw when it came to taking the early morning shifts from my siblings – Seth and Leah knew how to get exactly what they wanted from Sue.

"Morning, Dad," I called out as I strode into the café, hitting the switch for the neon OPEN sign that hung on the front door; it awoke with a dull hum. Garish lights reflected off the green gingham tablecloths Charlie had bought the other day from Billy Black – I made a mental note to look for replacements when I got home.

"Morning, sweet pea," He replied from the kitchen, and I could hear bacon already sizzling on the grill.

Dad had been the proud owner of Clearwater's Bites, sharing the responsibility with his wife, Sue, for almost ten years. Nestled into the sleepy heart of Forks, Washington, Charlie had surprised Sue with the café as an engagement present after she told him about her life-long dream of owning a restaurant. In the summer of 2002, he became the head-chef, Sue ran the front-of-house, and waitressing shifts were shared out between me, Seth and Leah. I was happy to see that the place was still standing when I was released from prison.

I doubted anyone else would have wanted to hire a convicted murderer to make small talk with their regulars.

"Expecting it to be busy today?" I inquired, making polite small talk as I rolled napkins neatly around pairs of knives and forks.

"Not too sure, Bells. It is a Sunday so I doubt we'll be rammed, but, then again, I could be wrong. We'll have to see."

Thank goodness, I thought, breathing a sigh of relief into the growing stack of cutlery; at least there wouldn't be so many whispers and stares.

"Sounds good, Dad! I'm sure we'll be able to hold down the fort!"

I enjoyed working shifts with Charlie – neither of us were particularly big talkers, so we worked side-by-side in comfortable silence, nodding at each other as we passed. While he set about preparing for the breakfast shift, I worked at serving the odd customer, giving the place a scrub when we were quiet – my siblings were not as pedantic at cleaning as I was, so I think Charlie and Sue were happy to have me in the shop.

The early birds were my favorite people to serve because, where the café was quiet, I was able to pay close attention to what they ordered. Gladys, along with her Labrador, Skip, came in for her regular one-shot cappuccino with extra chocolate dusting, while an elderly gentleman in a bowler hat ordered a simple tea and sat against the far-window, reading a newspaper. I let my mind conjure a story where the two used to be high-school sweethearts, but were torn apart when Gladys' mother died, and she went to live with her aunt. After seven years with very little to do, I had learned to become reliant on my imagination.

It was around two hours into my shift that a stream of customers began to build, and our small parking lot became crammed with a plethora of vehicles. A buzz of chatter filled the room as people shared stories over cups of steaming liquid, and my heart swelled. When people were paying little attention to me, I felt content to find myself amongst a crowd again.

"Welcome to Clearwater's Bites," I chirped cheerfully, placing two laminated menus before a new table of customers. They were two brawny construction workers, and both wore black t-shirts that clung to their bulging chests, stained with streaks of paint and dust. "What can I get for you today?"

"Aren't you the woman who murdered her fiancé?"

The pen began to shake between my fingers, but I couldn't tell whether it was from anger or the tears that stung my eyes. My prison sentence came to an end a month ago, and, although the accident happened in 2005, my presence in town seemed to stir up old memories. The front page of every national press had covered the story from the moment the coastguard pulled The Victoria to shore, and I had been led off the deck in handcuffs. I would get the occasional inquiry as to whether I was happy to be back in town, or what I planned to do with my time now I had returned to Forks.

It was the direct questions that always threw me off.

"Uhm," I murmured, struggling to get my thoughts straight. "No, I don't think that was me, but I appreciate the inquiry."

"Oh, come on, it's definitely you! Isabella, isn't it?" The weaker of the two men smirked as he leaned back in his chair, taking in the view of my beat-up Levi's from behind. "I would recognize that ass anywhere."

I clicked my tongue against my teeth as I turned away from his gaze and looked around briefly to see if anyone had overheard what he said. No-one seemed to be paying attention to our interaction.

"Would you like some tea with that misogyny, Paul?" His friend remarked from behind his menu, throwing a glare in his direction. Paul sat back up in his chair.

"Would you just fuck off, Jake? I'm only messing with the pretty lady." He turned back to me. "You were definitely the lass I had pinned up in my locker last year."

"That's wonderful. Do you want me to autograph it for you?"

"Ay, Mami, is this that famous temper of yours? Hopefully, there's no sharp objects around."

Paul winked; I seethed.

"It's eight in the morning, for Christ's sake," Paul's tanned friend spat as he handed me his menu. "We'll take two Americanos. Black, no sugar."

"No problem," I replied, plastering my best customer service smile across my face. "Coming right up!"

"You could always leave me your number instead," Paul hollered at me as I shuffled back behind the counter, drowning out my racing thoughts with the noisy whirr of grinding coffee beans.

"Alright, sweetheart?" Charlie poked his head around the entrance to the kitchen, forehead glittering with sweat. He held two plates of eggs in his hands. "Not causing you trouble, are they?"

I punched the double-shot button a little too hard on our clunky coffee machine, watching the black liquid splutter into the awaiting cup. "Nothing I can't handle, Dad."

"Are you sure? I haven't seen them around before, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I told them to move along?"

I peeked over at the men again as I waited for their cups to fill. Paul sat texting on a cell-phone, no doubt something about me; his friend…Jake, I think it was, glanced over and smiled. I darted my gaze back to the coffee.

"Honestly, Dad, it's chill," I placed the now-steaming cups of coffee onto two saucers, grabbing a pot of sugar cubes. "Like you said, they're not regulars. Probably won't ever see them again."

Charlie nodded. "Chin up, Princess, don't let-"

"-Your tiara fall," I finished, turning back towards Paul and Jake. "I got it, Dad."

Gingerly returning to their table, I placed a cup in front of each of the men and practically ran back behind the counter before they could make any more remarks. I avoided looking in their direction for the duration of their stay, feeling relaxed as I watched them take the last swigs of their drinks.

Until Jake started walking towards the counter. Feeling my heart in my stomach, I pretended to be writing something on a spare blackboard.

"Hey," He said, standing awkwardly in front of the register. "I just came to bring this back. No sugar, remember?"

He placed the neglected sugar pot in front of me; I shook my head. "Oops, sorry. Just one of those mornings."

"No problem, I get that." He chuckled. "I kept waiting for you to come back to collect it. Seemed like you were avoiding our table…?"

"You're observant," I remarked. "Didn't want your friend to harass me again."

"Yeah, I also came over to say sorry about Paul. He's a bit too forward sometimes."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it." I picked up the sugar pot and wiggled it. "Thanks for bringing this back."

Jake smiled, and we stood there in silence for a moment. His brown eyes bore into mine for longer than I expected, and I looked away, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Right, I completely forgot to introduce myself, I'm Jake-" He stretched his hand towards me. "Jacob Black. My father owns the furniture shop in town."

"Isabella Swan," I giggled, taking his outstretched hand. "You must know my dad then. Charlie?"

"Probably not, I only just moved into town. I used to live with my Mom."

"Oh, cool, what happened to your Mom, if you don't mind my asking?"

"It's nothing like that, she just got remarried." Jacob looked at the floor. "Moved to Canada."

"Didn't fancy it?"

"Not really; wasn't up for moving sticks, I'd just got my job here."

"Construction, yeah?"

"At Forks High School."

"Nice – I used to go there, definitely could have used a revamp back then."

"Well, luckily we're here now!" We both smiled at each other. "That must mean you know Forks pretty well?"

I crooked an eyebrow at him. "Hmm, it depends why you're asking..."

"I was looking for a tour guide if you were up for it? Need someone to show me the ins and outs, stuff like that."

"Paul's not good enough for that?" Looking behind him, I expected to see his friend leering at us, but I was pleasantly surprised to find an empty table.

"He's not the greatest company."

"That's fair. I'm working the next coupla' nights, but maybe Thursday? I get off at 6."

"Sounds great." Flashing another smile, I realized how perfect his teeth were.

"Perfect – I'll show you the literal two bars in town."

Jacob took a napkin from the stack next to the counter, and pulled a pen from his back pocket, roughly scribbling down a series of numbers before handing it to me. "My number. Call if you need to cancel."

"I'll try not to," I flushed. "See you Thursday."

"Looking forward to it."

My heartbeat did not slow to a regular pace until Jake had safely clambered into his truck, and I watched Paul drive them out of the parking lot. I hadn't been the subject of a man's affection for what seemed like a lifetime. Had it always made me this giddy?

"Hey, Bells," Charlie's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"What's up, Dad?"

"Would you mind making me up a large pot of tea? I'm just going to say hello to Carlisle over there!"

Nodding eagerly, I set about grabbing our best porcelain pot from the shelf, settling the open-top under the tap of hot water, and switched it on. Charlie always spoke highly of Carlisle, a doctor who worked at the local hospital, and I was always in awe of his wife, Esme, when she accompanied him for a coffee and a croissant. They looked perfect, like models, with porcelain-smooth skin, and matching caramel-colored hair. I felt scrawny and inferior in comparison.

He occupied the corner table, where the elderly gentleman had sat this morning, but his wife was nowhere in sight. Instead, he was joined by a statuesque blonde with legs for days, a Herculean man who looked like he could break my head between one bicep, and a willowy boy with unruly, russet hair. Despite his form being covered by a long-sleeved black roll-beck, I could see his hands were extremely pale. In fact, they all were.

They all looked as though they had never felt a drop of Vitamin D in their lives.

Dad tottered over to their table, shaking Carlisle's hand with a grin. He had it draped on the shoulder of the tall, pale boy when I arrived with the tea.

"Ah, Isabella, perfect timing! This is Rosalie and Emmett, Carlisle's niece and her boyfriend," Charlie said, gesturing at the blonde and her burly man; I nodded politely and they returned the favor. "And this is Edward, Carlisle's son."

Once again, I nodded in the direction of Edward but he only grunted in response, grabbing for the pot of tea, and pouring himself a cup. Compared to Jacob, he had the manners of a toilet brush.

"He's a little shy," Emmett reassured, nudging Edward in the ribs.

"No worries," I blathered. "Enjoy!"

I hurried back to the counter almost as quickly as before, except I was sure no one was trying to stare at my butt this time. I knew Edward did not owe me anything – it had been a pretty awkward introduction from Charlie anyway – but a smile wouldn't have hurt anyone. I glanced back over towards Carlisle's table and caught Edward staring at me, eyebrows furrowed together. Just as Jacob had done earlier, I pulled my lips into a tight smile. He cocked his head to one side, briefly, as though mentally sizing me up. Finally, he smirked back, turning then to engage in passionate conversation with his family of perfect specimens.

I had a feeling, deep within me, that this wasn’t going to be the last time I saw this brown-haired boy.

[naptoons]

V-Day Concepts:

So happy Valentine’s Day!!! To everyone even if you don’t have one love yourself !! Treat yourself!!! Consider your friends your valentine or your animals!! You don’t need a valentine it’s not really necessary, as long as you know you have people that love you that’s all that should matter🤍

Austin:

I feel like Austin would do something very simple, he would probably take you to the beach teach you how to surf. He’d call you at a certain time knowing how you love your beauty sleep. “Hello?” you answer groggy “get ready bubs, I’m on my way” Austin explains and without your answer he hangs up, making your furrow your eyebrows in confusion, adding more to his plans. Getting dressed you slip on a t-shirt and some shorts. The weather wasn’t too cold but it wasn’t too hot either. Twenty minutes later Austin pulls up to your house, you walk out getting in the car to see the mocha haired boy smiling harder then a kid on Christmas.

“Why are we doing?” You ask with a rasp still.

“I guess you’d have to wait and see beautiful”

Arriving to the beach, there was a table set out with roses and candles, Austin smiled at how your eyes were sparkling like fireworks. He grabs your hand walking you guys to the table he pulls your chair out, then pushing you towards the table. “I can in a t-shirt and shorts to a dinner Austin!” You exclaim through the lump in your throat.

“Well, I wanted you as rare and organic as you are, no makeup with me baby” Austin smiles, you smile as he grabs your hand kissing you knuckles one by one “happy Valentine’s Day” he whispers you gasp not realizing today was Valentine’s Day. You knew it was this month but you didn’t really care for the day that much. After you guys ate y’all waited a while before getting in the water, none of you bought swimwear , literally as raw as he wanted it to be. Austin taught you to surf seeing your fear and happiness in spilt seconds.

NICK:

I feel like nick would do something kinda bigger but not so big it causes a lot of attention. I feel like he would take you out to dinner and watch a movie back at the crib on a projector. Nick was already at your house because he spent the night over helping you with your college homework. His fingers caressed your skin softly looking at the time on his phone as it showed ‘6:45 pm’ , nick taps your thighs softly trying to wake you up, when tapping you was futile he started to kiss your face softly and slowly. Your hands sliding through his hair smiling when his lips attach to yours. “How May I help you?” You ask still smiling

“by getting dressed, we’re going out tonight” Nick mumbles against your neck because you’ve pulled him in a hug.

“Hmm, but what if I wanna stay in all night?” You mumble, nick shakes his head tickling you, you let out a sharp scream almost falling off the bed. After the both of you take a shower nick said he had to pick up some stuff from the store. So you got dressed did your makeup and patiently wait for nick. As if on time he knocks on the door. Opening the door he has a bouquet of roses sitting on a top of assorted cheesecake platter along with chocolate covered strawberries. “Nick...” you whimper in admiration, nick walks in the house giving you a quick peck on your lips, and placing your gifts in the kitchen.

“The big bear I wanted to get you isn’t coming until tomorrow , blame amazon prime” nick expresses, you walk up behind him and hug him. “I love you...” you choke, nick spins around in your arms titling your head up to him “no crying!! can’t ruin a hardwork ma’s” he cleans your tears with a napkin. Nick reserved a table for y’all on a rooftop, letting you see how beautiful his hometown was at night, he loved taking you to his hometown, cause you’d be shocked at the scene everytime. Throughout the whole night he just got lost in your eyes. Occasionally picking up in the conversation until you yelled at him “nick! Are you listening?” You smile bigger than ever tonight “not really you’re just to fucking beautiful ma” his accent finally comes out, that’s when you knew he was serious. After dinner you went back to the house seeing him pull down the projector he installed in the living room, sliding in the CD. Half way into the movie, it stops showing text upon the screen, “I’ve finally found out what true love is, I realize I deserve happiness, so now there’s only one thing to do” Nick then pulls out the box in his jacket, getting on one knee, you gasp covering your mouth, your body shaking in shock.

“Will you marry me y/n?” Nick smiles “trust me I have more words to say after this” shaking your head he grabs your left hand sliding the ring on, almost falling off the couch to hug him, he kisses all over you. “God I love you” he repeats with every kiss.

EDWIN:

So with Edwin I feel he would be a little more extra than nick and Austin combined. He’d probably check off your bucket list. So on there you wanted to go ice skating, stargazing and to a sea aquarium. Not only was that on your bucket list you wanted to take a trip to universal studios. So Edwin planned all of it for you. As you were packing your bags Edwin runs in with a bouquet of your favorite flowers “good morning amor, sorry for waking you up this earlier, but it’ll be worth it I promise” he bends down to your level kissing your head softly you grab the flowers out of his hand smiling. Even though you were pretty upset at him for waking you up literally 8am you knew you couldn’t be mad at him “all done here?” He asks grabbing your hand to stand you up.

“Yep, all done” you answer, the boys woke up early to send you guys off on y’all road trip Zion being the extra one he is he advises you to wear a helmet cause Edwin drives crazy. Nick disagrees and says that’s the right way to drive. After hours of driving you made it to the hotel. Y’all rest and the next day the adventures start. He took you to the aquarium, holding your hand as you stare at the jellyfish, his smile increasing the more you gasp and rant. It’s been a while since edwin has dated someone he just wasn’t ready. He just wanted to focus on music, live his life and be happy. But you came by and just changed the moral of the story.

You wasn’t part of his plan, but now everything he ever does revolves around you, you look up at edwin who looks brain dead, just blinking slowly. “Edwin you’re spacing out again” you giggle, his smile appearing again showing off his marshmallow teeth, he pulls you in and kiss you softly. “You’re to beautiful mami, that’s why I keep spacing out” Edwin answers you. Later that night you guys went ice skating. He got on the ice holding your hand as you tried to stand on the ice. Letting out curse words with tiny screams, Edwin just laughs at your cuteness “you think this is funny? I’m going to crack my spine” you exaggerate, Edwin scrunches his nose up laughing at you harder his fingers intertwined with yours. Edwin never takes his hands off yours teaching you how to skate little by little, in that short span of time you caught on quick. The next day edwin woke you up after 11am to eat breakfast, and took you to universal studios. You saw the sign and screamed. Your back lifting off the seat and looking around.

Edwins lips curve slowly, his hands caressing your inner thigh, you turn your head back to him, smiling harder you grab his chin squeezing his cheeks in your hand you give him a soft peck, laying in his shoulder.

“I love you so much” you mumbles

“Impossible, but I love you more babygirl” Edwin says before he kisses your head.

Throughout the day y’all tried to ride everything , when with fast passes it was nearly impossible. It was time to go back to the hotel, you were exhausted from all the walking, the hot weather, but you don’t regret it at all. If you could do it all over again. You sure as hell would. Sliding the key card on the lock you twist open the door seeing the rose trail you turn around and punch edwin’s chest. “Happy Valentine’s Day baby” he whispers on your earlobe and hugs you around your waist.

ZION:

I feel like this would be y’all first Valentine’s Day, cause he really wasn’t looking for love and you had to many heartbreaks. So you caught zions eye and obviously he worked hard to have your heart in his hands. And he wasn’t planning on stopping even though he had you. So Valentine’s Day was kinda special for you, you don’t really ask for much, just and I love you text. But he said you deserve everything and more. You deserved to be treated the way he saw you. As a queen, a goddess. Zion had took you to get your nails done, your eyebrows, paid someone to do your makeup, earlier he reserved you a spa treatment. He went above and beyond for you.

You got home after Zion had you running around getting pampered, you went to the room confused by the dress covered in a transparent bag, with the tag on it and everything. A box of Louis Vuitton sitting on the floor, a note was attached to the dress picking it up you read the more Zion left you “get dressed mamas, we’re going out tonight, you thought I would stop spoiling you after I finally got you?” Smiling you shake your head you unzip the transparent cover revealing the beautiful black glitter short dress, you open the box seeing a sliver strap heel. Fifteen minutes later, Zion knocks on your door, dressed in all black to match with you, he offers you to grab his hand. And you see a whole horse and a carriage.

“No way Zion...” you whimper, Zion slides your hand in between his. “Yep, this ain’t a dream mamas” he proudly smiles. Helping you get into the carriage you cross one leg over the other while his hands were on your knee caressing it with his thumb. “You look beautiful” Zion compliments you.

“Of course i do, you picked it all” you laugh

“Nah, it picked you, anything looks good on your fine ass” Zion eases you up and down. You guys went to an art museum that recently just opened, he remembered how excited you were about going to that museum so he figured today was the day that he could take you and so presently they also had a indoor dinner lounge on the backside of the art museum so he also reserve that for the both of you walking around and admiring the art wow Zion is admiring you he figured it was time to give you a promise ring that he has bought for a while but hesitated because he was scared he would overwhelm you.

“Hey mamas?” Zion says has he fidgets with the box in his jeans pocket you turn around smiling as he grabs your left hand caressing it softly with his thumb “ so you know how I promise that I would do everything in my power to keep you and to love you, now I’m promising to never leave you and to forever make you happy no matter what happens to us or no matter where I go even when I’m on tour I promise to always be there for you and to always be the shoulder you need” he pulls out the ring and slides it on your finger. “ I promise that one day when the time is right I will be your husband”

You throw your arms around his neck crying on his shoulders, “aw mamas you’re so fucking beautiful”

Afterwards you guys at dinner and sat in his car watching the stars.

BRANDON:

you guys were at the prettymuch house in his room. You just woke up twenty minutes ago. Brandon busted in the room with an assortment of paints and canvases. “We’re painting!” Brandon yells “I see that baby” you giggle, getting out the bed you pull down Brandon’s hoodie and sit on the carpet, he hands you a canvas and a bottle of water. After three hours. Y’all were both covered in paint from the neck down, laying on your back playing with his fingers. You turn to look at him on the corner of your eyes. “So what did you paint bubs?” You asked smiling.

“You’ll see in a minute but first..” he pulls out a bandana and covers my eyes “grab my hand” Brandon mumbles, while this is going on Zion takes the painting and goes to the backyard, he sits you down on the chair in the backyard throwing a blanket around your shoulders because it was kinda chilly. “Brandon?” You whisper “yeah baby I’m here” Brandon answers “are you ready to see the painting?” He nervously asks. “Yeah” you answer once you open your eyes you see a painting of you and Brandon , with the words ‘will you marry me?’ Brandon is down on his knees smiling at the tears flowing down your cheeks. “You mena everything and more to me, and to make you my fiancé would just be a fucking goal to me, falling in love with you is just as important to me as music, you’re my dream baby, so will you marry me?” You nod your head hearing his members scream and whistle as he slides the ring on your finger.

Afterwards you guys cuddled in a tent watching a movie on the projector, he begins to play with your fingers. “Hm I love you” you whisper then kiss his knuckles softly “I love you more” he tilts your head up to kiss him, smiling in between his kisses. “Happy Valentine’s Day Babylove”