#that's a ship name of theirs right?

[monarch-boo]

Hey @jesse-png ! I was your art buddy for this @gtavfest ! I hope you like this and you have a great day this Valentine's Day!

The prompt wasssss "Both visibly tattered, Niko and Packie sharing some secret kisses in the middle of a heist/mission from the sidelines.”

[tinyowlthoughts]

The EC-Theobromine: Bluffing

There were many risks to exploring uncharted space. Unknown blackholes, near-invisible debris fields, hostile civilizations that had achieved space travel but had not yet been contacted by the Intergalactic Governing Body, pirates.

So. Many. Pirates.

Taurvin wasn't a big fan of pirates. Sure, he understood some of their motives - there were those who stole from the rich to give to the poor, or who attacked species intent on slavery and sapient experimentation to rescue the victims. But the majority were just, well.

To use a phrase from his new navigator, they were straight-up assholes.

And unfortunately, his ship was currently taken over by said assholes.

Five of them, to be precise. Normally his crew of nine could handle themself, especially with Lenzoill handling their security, but the bastards had taken them by surprise and used a blaster to Elaana's head to get them to cooperate. So there they were, eight of the best deep-space explorers the Intergalactic Exploration Committee had, kneeling (or the equivalent) before the pirates, limbs pinned behind them with cuffs, completely disarmed. 

Wait.

Ignoring the monologuing pirate captain, Taurvin glanced at his crewmates on either side and counted. Eight. Gorvan and Elaana to his left, Epitak and Dhaca to his right, Lenzoill and Quals slightly behind them, the former knocked out and leaning against the couch, while Ir'ith (who had mouthed off when they yanked out a handful of his feathers) glared daggers from the other side of the room. He'd been trussed up like a zagtul and was gagged, though that was doing little to stymie his attempts at cursing the pirates out. The one guarding him looked more amused than anything, which was likely the only reason the zad was still conscious. 

Still, that only came up to eight. Where was Max?

☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️

Az was having an absolutely stellar day. His crew was meeting expectations, his first mate was being competent for once (even if he hadn't knocked that huffing, cursing zad out yet), and the IEC ship was theirs to plunder. Not that there would be much beyond rations - these types of ships weren't the goldmines the Elite Star Cruises were, but they always had some type of laboratory equipment on board that would fetch a good price on the blackmarket. All in all, a good catch, and not a drop of bodily fluid spilt!

"Uh, did I miss an email?" 

Every head in the room swiveled towards the large doors that led to the halls, revealing a ninth crewmember they had missed. It was upright, bipedal, with two legs and two arms, and a head with fluffy hair. It was wearing standard-issue IEC sleeping garments, down to the slippers, though there was a belt loosely thrown around its waist, a blaster in the holster at its side. As they watched, it opened its mouth wide. At first Az thought it was some kind of threat display, until it stretched its arms over its head and arched its back. A yawn - had the simpleton been sleeping while they captured its crewmates? Pitiful. 

"You," Az motioned to one of his crewmates - he couldn't remember her name - "Tie it up with the others."

"Yes sir." Crewmate nodded, reaching for the extra cuffs hanging from her belt. 

The newcomer scratched at its head as she approached. "What, not going to ask me to dinner first?" It pressed its hands to its hips and leaned back, creating a horrible cracking noise that shot through the room like thunder. The pirates winced, as did some of the hostages. "I keep telling them not to do that," muttered the captured Lepidae, her antennae curling tight in annoyance. 

Crewmate hesitated, glancing back at Az. Surely a motion that produced a noise like that should have broken its back? But the creature seemed fine, now swinging one arm across their chest, caught in the bend of the other, apparently - stretching? They switched arms, seeming to bounce a bit as they moved, and Az gave her an impatient glare. He didn't know what creature this was, nor did he care - it was an obstacle, and needed to be dealt with.

In the second they had taken their gaze off it, the interloper had drawn their blaster. It was unlike anything Az had seen before, made of some kind of blue metal - perhaps cobalt? Vanadium? - with brighter markings painted along the sides. The barrel was blocked by some kind of disc - he couldn't see down it for a projectile, nor could he see any kind of energy-concentrating device for a laser. A type of deterrent ammo, perhaps? One not made to kill, but instead drive away? Little good that would do - they had already captured the ship.

"I've gotta say, I'm not really a fan of how you're treating my friends." It bounced a bit on its heels. "Then again, this gives me an opportunity to use the latest in human technology!" It waved the blaster a bit, and Az felt his internal organs shudder. Human technology? He'd never met a human himself, but he'd heard of them. Great, hulking beasts woven of dense muscle, with teeth able to tear through flesh and bone and a penchant for destroying first and never asking questions. How did this scrawny thing get its hands on a human weapon?

Before Az could demand the crewmate take care of the bipedal thing, it fired. The projectile was not particularly fast, but it was silent - no hum of energy or blast of the more primitive explosive some species favored. A near-silent click, and then Crewmate screamed and ducked away. They hadn't been shot, however - the projectile had hit Az. Right in the chest. The disc had attached to his armor, and there was a long, thin rod sticking out of it. He reached up to snatch it off, but a 'tut' sound from the interloper had him freezing.

"Don't touch it," the bipedal advised, still holding the blaster as it gesticulated. "Skin contact with the probe will make it work faster."

"Work?" His first mate asked with a strangled sound. The zad at his feet had gone silent, and was looking between Az's face and the probe attached to his chestplate with wide eyes. With so much of his beak and face covered by the gag the captain couldn't make out his expression, but he assumed it was terror - identical to his first mates. 

"Mmhmm." The interloper beamed, looking proud of itself. "The disc - the part attached to your armor there? - is reading and calculating the material makeup of your form. Then, when it's settled on what will be most painful, the foam will be atomically altered into the most effective acid for destroying you and then be injected into your torso - or whatever fleshy part is closest - and eat you from the inside." It was still bouncing on its heels, looking excited. "I've never seen it happen in person, do you mind if I take notes?"

Az didn't respond - he was frozen, staring down at the probe sticking out of his chest, terror curling in his chest. This was what the humans were up to? Creating biological acid weapons? No wonder they were so widely feared! "Crewmate, remove it!" He turned to the woman, only to find her with her backing up, hands raised, cuffs clattering to the floor.

"N-no way! I don't wanna be digested!" She gasped. Az turned to his first mate, who had lost the usual green flush to his face and backed away as well. 

"If you really want to get it off, you'll need some really strong pliers. And probably some anesthetic. It'll be painful - you can't feel it, but the probe's wires have already drilled through your chest plate and into your skin. They're made to be sneaky," it waved the blaster. Az glanced back down at the probe and grimaced. The thing sounded outlandish, but the interloper spoke with such conviction that he couldn't doubt it. And there were more of the probes - he could see them in a clip attached to the blaster.

The interloper tapped his chin with the blaster. "We don't have anything strong enough on board, but-"

"Fall back to the ship." Az snapped, all seven hearts racing in his chest. His crew didn't argue, falling in line at his side. They stared at the interloper, who took a step to the side, leaving the door open. It didn't point the blaster at them, but kept it in hand, watching them carefully as they rushed out, heading towards the docking port. 

When Az glanced behind them, he saw it following at a leisurely pace, blaster still in hand. Not wanting to get a second probe to his back, he practically threw his crewmates into their ship and set about undocking and getting as far from the cursed ship as possible. 

It was not a good day. 

☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️🏴‍☠️☠️

Ir'ith was losing his gods damned mind. He fell onto his side, cackling and wheezing, fighting against the gag to get enough air to keep up the laughter. The ship shuddered as the pirates undocked, then Max was standing in the doorway, looking exhausted. 

"Max! Are you unharmed?" Taurvin demanded, using Gorvan to lever himself to his feet. It was a bit awkward with his hands cuffed behind his back, but he managed to stumble to the human. 

"I'm fine." The navigator waved him off with the hand still holding the blaster. Taurvin flinched back, not wanting to come into contact with one of the probes, which set Ir'ith off into another gale of muffled laughter. Max rolled their eyes and, before Taurvin could stop them, pointed the blaster at the zad and fired several rounds. The probe's bright-orange discs hit and stuck to Ir'ith's uniform, and one hit the bit of his beak that wasn't covered, giving him a blue growth in the middle of his face.

"No! Max, how could you?" Elaana cried, struggling frantically against her cuffs. "Don't worry Ir, I'll be right there! We can save you." 

"Wait, did he get hurt?" Max stuck the blaster in its holster and hurried over to Ir'ith before Taurvin could stop him. The human dropped to their knees and helped the still wheezing zad sit up before pulling off the gag. 

"I'm fine!" Ir'ith reassured the others. "The darts don't do shit, stop worrying." He turned slightly so Max could fiddle with the cuffs around his wrists. They were an older model, nice and rusty the way pirates liked it, and only required two buttons being pressed at the same time to release. It took a bit of effort, but then the zad was freely rubbing his wrists. 

"But Max said it was a new human weapon!" Epitak accused, wings fluffing up and hitting Dhaca in the face. The snallygaster, being only three feet tall, was knocked over on his tail. 

"Oh, the probe stuff?" Max reached out and plucked one of said probes from Ir'ith's chest. "This is just plastic and foam - no technology at all." They wiggled the probe in their fingers, then stuck it to Ir'ith's beak, giving him two blue horns now. Elaana made a worried squeak, but didn't protest when the cook didn't show any ill signs. 

Max moved to help Taurvin with his cuffs. Once the captain had his two arms free, he had to ask, "Max, what exactly is that weapon?"

The human grinned, pulling the blaster from their belt and wiggling it. "This? It's Nerf, or nothin'." 

EC Theobromine Character & World Building Notes

EC Theobromine: Chocolate

[twistedmionn]

Twisted Wonderland iceberg

Explanations ahead (slight spoiler warning)

Tier 1:

everything is self-explanatory, I think

Tier 2:

Haruhi = the protagonist of Ouran High School Host Club. She's a girl who dresses up as a boy (correct me if I'm wrong) and many players who have a female MC consider theirs to be like Haruhi. [EDIT: Thanks for the anon pointing out that I misspelled the name!]

Tier 3:

self-explanatory

Tier 4:

A fair amount of people headcanon Vil as a trans woman because he presents androgynously/feminine and doesn't care about gender roles. This has also caused discussion in the fandom because breaking gender roles ≠ trans.

Tier 5:

People sometimes wish TWST was more like a dating sim and had character/dorm routes.

Some people headcanon that Silver is based on Prince Philip (from Sleeping Beauty) and/or is a prince himself. I haven't played all of book 7 yet (only the parts out in the ENG server) so idk if the theory has been proven right.

Lilia is old and hints at dying soon.

Hot NPCs, such as Deuce's mom and Sebek's grandpa.

Ace and Deuce have expressed interest in Yuu at various points in the game.

Genshin VAs: Leona/Alhaitham, Silver/Kazuha, Idia/Razor are the ones I can think of

Tier 6:

A beastman (I think it was Jack) has stated that he has problems talking to animals, and Ruggie's talent at it is considered something special.

The tweels are considered intersex by some due to eel anatomy (I'm no eel expert).

Kalim is considered the real villain by some due to never really bothering to help Jamil.

Epel's backstory/attitude has many elements that a fair amount of trans men relate to.

There are theories that Lilia and Sebek are twisted from Peter Pan characters. I'm unsure about Silver, but I think I've read something about him being from another movie, too!

Tier 7:

Some people headcanon that Ace has experienced domestic abuse.

There's a theory that Ace will betray Yuu.

Cater has two sisters who boss him around, which is a resemblance to Cinderella.

Malleus might have two pps because well... dragon.

Epel and Deuce had a whole ass beach date. Deuce constantly cares for him and broke the school rules in order to make Epel feel better. Their scenes together (the settings) looked straight out of a shoujo manga. If Epel were a girl, this ship would be considered canon by most.

I'm not sure EXACTLY which languages Jade's VA speaks, but I do remember that he knows German.

In one of his Halloween vignettes, Ruggie — as opposed to Lilia — has indirectly expressed that he has no interest in romance/relationships.

Tier 8:

UH.

[samandcolbyownme]

Summary: Anon request - "sam and y/n are watching edits of sam and theirs a ship edit and sam says something and it ends in smut ??"

Warnings: SMUT18+, strong language, friends to lovers, flirting, hair pulling, biting, scratching, fingering, unprotected sex, fluff with smut

Word count: 2.2k | Not edited

I'm going to make this a friends to lovers one shot where y/n makes Sam watch edits of himself and then yeah, you get the rest - I have also tagged specific edits in this one shot.

CREDIT TO THE EDITORS ON TIKTOK!

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

"Hey."

You peak around your phone and see Sam shutting the door, "Hey. How was the meeting?" He sighs, walking over to kick his shoes off, "Boring. You know, like usual."

He laughs as he walks over. He pulls his phone out and walks to the side of the couch you're leaning up against.

You look up at him and he nods for you to lean forward. You comply, sitting up to look at him over your shoulder before seeing his arm extend over the back of the couch.

You lean back, your back against his chest as your legs are extended over the rest of the couch.

As you're scrolling on TikTok, an edit of him pops up and you laugh with a smile, "Aw, look, Sam." You tease, "It's you."

You didn't hear the first part, but your heart skips a beat when you hear the words, "I'm gonna ride it, do it just how you like it."

You swipe away and he looks over, "What are you doing? Sorry I was texting Colby back."

You shake your head, "It was an edit of you." You laugh trying to cover up your nervousness. He turns towards you more, looking over your shoulder, "are you watching edits of me, y/n?"

You couldn't tell if he was joking or not, so you try and cover it up, "Yeah, and so are you."

He shakes his head laughing, "No, no. I'm not."

"Too late." You say as you type in Sam Golbach Edits to the search bar, "Look at you." You scroll to show him how many there are.

A part of you didn't realize how good these edits are.

You liked them, but you weren't sure if Sam did exactly.

The edit plays and your stomach flips at, "Into my room I hit her from behind."

"Wow.. okay." You clear your throat and Sam laughs, "They doing something to you or what?"

You roll your eyes, "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

He laughs just enough for you to feel his chest puff out once, "Mhm."

You scroll to the next one, biting down on your lip as it plays, "Sam, what's your biggest kink?"

You pause the video and tilt your head back to look up at him, "Do you remember answering that?" He smiles and looks up, his cheeks slowly turning into a red shade, "Nope."

"Mm I think you're lying." You squint, "Tell me."

He shakes his head, but you're persistent, "Saaaam." You reach up, poking his cheek, "I can just watch the vi-"

"School girl."

You raise your brows, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, yeah." He rolls his eyes, "Moving on."

You smirk, lifting your head up to look back at your phone, "Onto the next." You laugh as you swipe.

"Oh, this one is glitchy." Sam says and you laugh, "Yeah.." you keep your eyes on him through your screen, "It is."

You've come to the conclusion that making Sam watch these edits of him, while being next to him wasn't the best idea, because now you're afraid to even look at him without him seeing right through you.

"Your hair is so fluffy." You smile, "I like it."

He shakes his head as he smiles, ruffling his fingers through it, "Thanks." You look back up at him, "You know what I do miss."

"What's that?" He looks down at you and without thinking, you bring your hand up, running it through his hair, "Brunette Sam."

He smiles and laugh slightly, "Sometimes I miss it, too." He looks back down at you, eyes scanning over your face.

You keep your eyes on him for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and lifting your head. You blink a few times and swipe to the next, pausing the video when you see your name in the hashtags, "This one is me."

"You have an edit?" Sam leans in and right now is when you should have read the full caption because little did you know, this was about you and Sam.

"Touch my neck, and I'll touch yours.. you and those little high waisted shorts.. oh.."

Your eyes are glued to the screen, heart beating harder each time you see a video of yourself switch to one of Sam.

"I think.." Sam pauses as the words - I lied, this is a ship, I love them together, flashes at the end, "Yeah, it was definitely about us."

You don't say a word, mainly because you would love to be with Sam.

"Y/n?" Sam asks quietly. You turn your head slightly, "Hmm?" Sam leans in, tilting his head to look at yours, "You went all quiet. What's up?"

You shake your head, "Nothing. I'm just.. trying to remember what that mashup is."

"Oh.." Sam nods, looking down at your legs that just so happened to be exposed by shorts. His arm slowly drags down from the back of the couch, fingers moving to drag up your leg, "I think.. it's Sweater Weather with.." his fingers hook into the hem of your shorts, "I'm not sure."

You bite your lip as your eyes watch his hand, "Yeah, me either.."

"I think they like us together." Sam chuckles quietly as he brushes hair from your neck, "Wouldn't it be, I don't know.. crazy if-"

You turn your head to look at him and he bites his bottom lip as he stops talking. Your eyes flick from his lips to his eyes, "Tell me what you're thinking."

He pulls his lip from between his teeth, "We make it happen?"

You raise your brows, setting your phone on the couch, "do you want to?"

He shrugs, a smirk toying with his lips as he tilts his head, "Do you?"

"I asked you first." You bite your lip and he sighs, "Well damn. I guess I have to answer." You nod, moving to sit up. You turn around, sitting on your calves as you look up at him, "I guess you do."

He reaches out, laying a hand on your hip, "come here."

You move closer to him and he pulls you into his lap, both hands resting on your waist, "I think we both know the answer to your question."

You tilt your head, "Do we?"

You smirk as he leans up, sliding a hand up your back, "Mhm." He nods as he pulls you in, pressing his lips to yours.

You lean in closer to him, his arms wrap around your waist as your hands slide up his chest to his neck. You slowly grind down on him, earning a deep groan from his lips, "Mm."

"Should we move to the room?" You whisper against his lips and he nods, "we better." You keep your lips on his as you move off of his lap.

Sam's hands are still on your waist as he leans forward. He stands up, wrapping an arm around your waist as you make your way to his room.

He kicks the door closed as you slip your shirt up over your head, tossing it to the floor as he lunges towards you. He lifts you up and lays you on the bed, lips automatically connecting back onto yours.

He moves to kiss down your neck, earning a gasp from you as he gently nips your skin. He leans up, taking off his shirt and throwing it blindly across the room before leaning down and kissing down your chest.

He kisses back up, your hands tangling in his hair as he moves to your lips again, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."

You nod, "Me too, Sam."

He leans up, smirking as he unties the string of your sweatpants. His eyes scan up your body, locking onto yours as he slips his fingers into the waistband, “Lift your hips for me.”

You rise up, watching as he exposes your legs. He moves off of your legs, pulling your sweats from your body.

He slides a hand up your leg as he lays next to you, kissing your shoulder as he slides his hand over your waist, slipping his fingers into the thin band of your panties.

Your jaw falls slack as his fingers slide down to your clit, circling gently, “I already know you’re going to feel so good.”

You whimper as he adds pressure, “S-shit.”

He kisses up your neck as he slides his fingers down, dipping them inside of you. You arch your back, reaching over to lay a hand on his chest.

He slowly thrusts his fingers in and out, resting his forehead against the side of your head, “Can’t wait to be inside of you.”

You slide your hand down, fumbling around to get the button of his jeans open, “Please.” You whimper out, “I need you.”

He groans lowly as he pulls his fingers out, moving them to his own pants to get rid of them. You slip off your panties, sitting up as you wait for him to undress before you climb onto his lap.

He reaches down, holding his cock steady as you gently glide down onto it.

Your moans mixing as his hands fly to your waist, squeezing your hips as your nails dig into his chest.

You tilt your head back, clenching around him. You tilt your head down to look at him, lips parted as you start to raise up and down, “F-fuck.”

Sam’s eyes lock into your face, watching as it twitches and twists with pleasure, “You look so beautiful.” He moves one hand up to cup your cheek, slipping his thumb into your mouth.

You wrap your lips around it, watching as his jaw goes slack, in awe of what’s before him, “Fuck.” He breathes out, “just like that.”

You keep your slow pace, rolling your hips as you tilt your head back, popping his thumb from your lips. He drops his hand, pressing his thumb to your clit as you rise up and down, moaning loudly as you lean back to place one hand on his shin.

You bite your lip, eyes rolling back as you feel yourself coming into your orgasm, “F-fuck.” You throw yourself forward, burying your face into his neck as you moan.

You slide down all the way, clenching around him as he drags his nails up your back, “That’s it.” He whispers in a raspy tone, “That’s my girl.”

You push yourself up, holding your weight on your arm that’s above his head. You flip your hair off your shoulder, leaning down to kiss him.

He swallows your moans as his hands slide down to your ass, gripping tightly. He rolls over, picking up the thrusts.

He groans into your neck, thrusting as deep as he can go, earning louder moans to come from you.

You drag your nails up his back, whining loudly as he bites down, sucking a spot into your skin. Your fingers tangle in his hair, pulling as you arch your back.

“M’so close.” He mumbles, groaning lowly as he rests his forehead against yours, “Fuck you feel so good.” He slides a hand down, his fingers digging into your skin as his thrusts grow sloppy.

He groans as he pulls out, spilling his cum onto your lower stomach.

He rolls off of you, letting out a sigh, “Fuck.” He looks over at you and you turn your head to look at him, “I know.” You laugh slightly, “I’m glad we just got it over with.”

Sam gets up, “I honestly wasn’t as nervous as I thought I was going to be.” He goes and grabs you a towel, coming back in, “I mean..” he chuckles as he wipes off your stomach, “I guess we have that edit to thank.”

He winks and laughs as he tosses the towel to the floor.

You nod, “I one hundred percent thank that edit.”

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

The next morning, you and Sam are deciding on a movie and you get an idea, "Let me see your hand."

He slides his hand over, clicking through the movie options as you reach down and grab his hand. You snap a picture, leaning back to type the words, Soft Launch with a wink emoji.

You giggle slightly before hitting add to story. Sam picks up his phone, glancing over at you with a smirk, "What did you do?"

You smile and shrug, "Find out." You laugh as you turn to lean back against him, looking at his phone while he goes to see what you posted.

He smiles and shakes his head, "You're a trouble maker."

Your phone dings and Sam chuckles, "Betcha that's Colby." You roll your eyes, laughing once you see Colby's name on your screen, "You were right."

"What did he say?" Sam leans over and you turn your phone towards him so he can read Colby's text, I know Sam's hand when I see it.

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

Thank you for reading! As always, let me know how you liked it!

Love you all!

Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

[slasherscream]

Hi, sorry to bug but I have to yap to someone about this, and I love your ideas. Do you think Nathan Prescott would take his partner’s last name if he ever got married? Would any of the Crazy Ass Boy Gang?

❥ who would take your last name ❥

Nathan Prescott - He would take your last name so quickly it would make your head spin. You’re the first person who’s given meaning to the world family. His sister tried, but when you’re on a sinking ship, there’s only so much you can do. Try too desperately to save the person drowning next to you and you risk going under yourself. So Nathan drowned alone. Until you, that is. Marrying you, becoming part of your family, is absolution for him. He’s not Sean Prescott’s son. He’s Nathan Y/L/N, your husband. 

Jason Dean/JD - It might seem a little strange for JD to be so willing to change his name. His nickname is just his first and last name together, afterall. This was his mother’s last name. But it’s also his father’s. One night he’ll gently wake you , and in the quietest voice you’ve ever heard him use he'll ask you if you’d like him to take your last name. There are so many questions he’s asking, in that one sentence: Do you want me to be yours, unequivocally? Will you bear the weight of that ownership? Am I abandoning my Mother, if I leave her all alone as a Dean, with only him as her company? Will you ask me to take it? Please ask. Please take the weight of the asking away. I can’t abandon her. But I can’t stay, either. Put your arms around him and tell him he’ll make one hell of a Y/L/N.

❥ who would want you to take theirs ❥

Sebastian Valmont - He has genuinely doodled your names together in his journals like a middle schooler. Without a hint of irony: Mr. and Mx. Valmont. Y/N Valmont. Since the moment he fell in love he was planning to marry you and give you his last name. The Valmont name carries weight. It’s legacy. It’s old money. He throws his name around and people fall over themselves to get things done for him. He wants you to throw around his name too. He wants you to embrace every luxury he can give you. One of those luxuries is the power of his family name. Use it.

Billy Loomis - His parent’s marriage failed miserably. He doesn’t even know if his Mother kept the name Loomis. At this point, what does it matter? He fights tooth and nail not to live in the past when he has a future with you to look forward to. So he wants to look forward. He wants to do better than his parents did. He wants to wake up in ten years, twenty, thirty and reach for your hand and know you two succeeded. His family name isn’t doomed to failed promises, runaway spouses, and unfaithfulness. You guys are a better Loomis pair than his parents ever were.

David Mccall - Don’t piss him off. If you even try to hint at wanting to keep your original family name, it will be one of the few times you see David’s mask slip. “What? My name not good enough for you, sweetheart? Marriage is for starting over. It’s for building our lives together, not for hanging onto the past. Thought you loved me.” Every dirty trick he has in his arsenal will be used. Whatever it takes until you give in. Sex. Guilt. Moping. Anger. Don’t push back too hard, or go back and forth on the issue for too long. On your wedding day you’re gonna be Y/N Mccall, come hell or high water. There’s no need for anything drastic to take place just for that to happen, right baby? 

Josh Washington - Josh could never be anything but a Washington. It’s the name he shared with his sisters. It’s the only thing he still shares with his sisters. He used to be able to see them in his face, at least. But now… he’s so different, even that bit of the twins has died. It isn’t right that there are so few Washington's left. Most days Josh isn’t even sure if he’s a Washington anymore. If he’s still Human anymore. But you are. You’re gentle, kind, and so painfully human. Just like the twins were. He might have failed them, hell, he probably failed himself. But he won’t fail you. He has a second chance at a family, and this time you’ll always be safe. 

Sparrow!Ben Hargreeves - Would be so offended if this was even up for debate. Why wouldn’t you be taking his name? Why is it even a discussion? Why does he even have to ask? Will probably say something incredibly mean and unnecessary when you first talk about it. There’s a pit of insecurity in him that no amount of love you can give him will fill. It’s shaped like the love he should have gotten from his father. From his siblings. But the first love he’s ever felt has been yours. But that’s not true for you. You’ve loved people before him. Other people have loved you before he was able to. He needs you to be his. Just his. You’re the only thing in the world that matters that belongs only to him. But there are little pieces of you that will never be just his and it makes him sick. This can fix all that, though! He knows that the security of introducing you as his spouse will be a balm on his soul. He wants tabloids, newspapers, TV, and the radio to all be parroting the words: Y/N Hargreeves. He hopes- no, he knows it will make that hole inside him ache a little less. 

❥ who wants to hyphenate ❥

Jordan Li - Jordan doesn’t want you to give up your identity, who you are, just because you’re marrying them. They also don’t want to change their name, really. Something about not being a Li, despite everything, makes their stomach turn. But marriage is still about coming together. Making two lives so harmonious, so copacetic, that sometimes, if you’re lucky, it becomes one life, shared. Jordan didn’t propose for a long time, afraid of it all going wrong. Of ruining what you have. You helped them believe you two were strong enough to change and grow together. They want your names to reflect that. So, you hyphenate, and you blend, and grow, together. 

Stu Macher - Assumed you would take his last name, but when you pushed back, not sure if you wanted to shirk your family name entirely, Stu had the most relaxed reaction you’ve ever gotten from him about anything. “Okay, why don’t we both change 'em’? We’ll hyphenate! Like Brad Pitt and Angelina, or whatever.” You were expecting a tantrum. Not the easy acceptance that he actually meant for once. The fact is you’re wearing his ring on your finger, and you’re gonna stand in front of all your friends and family and say how much you love him. He’s already won. Why sweat the small stuff? 

Kevin Khatchadourian - Was quite angry when you began to hint at not wanting to change your name. It was the icy, calculated anger that made him dangerous, too. But if you’re marrying him you know how to communicate with him. Reason with him. You don’t want to take his last name because you don’t want to emulate his family. You want to make something of your own with him. You’re not sure how well the words worked until he sets the paperwork down in front of you. Kevin Y/L/N-Khatchadourian. In those small lines of ink, you’ll realize how deep the love Kevin is capable of runs for you. If you squint your eyes those words start to look like: I want us to be different from my parents. He watches you sign the paperwork to change your name, and Kevin has never been more content to give in to one of your demands. Just this once, of course.

A/N: i LOVE a character study question that’s still x reader. you are my favorite person in the world for this one. if you enjoyed these headcanons consider reblogging, leaving a reply, or an anon! a writer's fuel is engagement. xoxoxo

[rose-petal123]

love love LOVE the shells and tides au and all the designs you have been putting out for ittt waahh… definitely it is on my list of things to draw at some point …. :>

in your king post though you mention the au being no time loops. for my own curiosity, IS there a plot you have in mind? or general story? 👀 or anything ur willing to share?? vv interested…

Hello yes! I do kind of have a storyline of sorts! Mostly basic background info on what the au is about etc.

Mirabelle quite literally found Siffrin hiding under a rock! They are extremely unfamiliar with waters outside of where they come from. They don't know surface customs etc, So Mirabelle teaches them the primary language! Though being merfolk they also can communicate with little whistles and clicks etc. Mirabelle teaches Siffrin a lot about what places are safe etc. The two are basically inseparable until Mira is comfortable with Siffrin swimming off on their own and not getting themself into trouble!

Mirabelle and Siffrin live in a sunken ship together! They both like to collect any trinkets and shells they find! Nille and Bonnie are friends of theirs! (They live in a nearby underwater cave)

When Siffrin is in the middle of becoming fluent in vaugardian, they notice a boat above! Mirabelle explains the concept of humans to them and such. Siffrin, being a curious little fella swims up there and discovers Odile, who's a pirate captain, and Isabeau! Along with the rest of their crew. Siffrin, who likes giving gifts like shells to his friends, starts leaving shells for the crew in attempt to make friends with them. Isabeau starts collecting the shells because Ooo pretty!!

One day Isabeau catches Siffrin putting shells on the deck. They make awkward eye contact with each other and then Sif swims off. Isabeau tells Odile about what he saw, and against Odile's warnings about Sirens, Isabeau decides he's going to try to befriend Siffrin! (Which is very successful)

Isabeau definitely helped in Siffrin's ability to speak fluently. They tend to exchange gifts with each other!

I don't want to make this post ridiculously long so that's what I'll give you for now along with these last couple points of info,

Siffrin introduces Mira to Isa, they become friends

Odile finds out about Isa befriending merfolk and hesitantly over time warms up to them as well.

Odile tells Mirabelle and Siffrin lots of stories! She'll read books to Mirabelle

Siffrin lost their eye protecting Bonnie from a smaller sea monster. Nille killed said sea monster

Mirabelle was given a starfish from Siffrin as a sign of their friendship! Sif has one too! Siffrin also made the bracelet Isabeau has ❤️

Nille found Loop, known as Sandy, while gathering sea urchins with Sif and Bonnie! (I plan to make a mini comic page with this.)

Yes that's right. I made Loop a sassy albino sea urchin named Sandy that can talk. They sit on a crate in the sunken ship and make fun of and or give advice to Mira and Sif.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

why are people so against oliver and ryan talking about buddie, don't we want this, don't we want buddie to be canon? i'm sorry are we rooting for buck to end up with tommy or something, like I don't understand why so many people are saying stop asking them about buddie?

If we want Buddie then shouldn't we be asking buddie questions? I mean I'm so sorry but I'm just very confused, shouldn't we be happy that buddie is getting this much press and love? Why are we against it?

Okay, this is going to be a long one.

There are a few reasons why people are concerned about publications teasing Buddie happening and using the ship name and asking Oliver and Ryan about the ship. I'll try to be as concise as possible.

I would like to note, I'm not going to answer a bunch of questions about this. Other people have answered similar questions plenty of times, if you take a bit to look around 911blr. I'm sure @catdadeddie has gone into this a few times.

However, I understand that we are getting a lot of new fans this season, and so I want to try and explain comprehensively for those who haven't been around. I hope this covers everything.

Whenever a ship is between two people of the same gender as opposed to two people of the opposite gender (I know, I know, but we can't get into the gender spectrum right now just play along with me), everyone involved has to be very, very careful when it comes to talking about that ship ahead of said ship going canon.

It is very easy to slip into something called "queerbaiting." I'm assuming that you and most people online and in fandom by now have heard of this term but just in case: queerbaiting is when a show acts like a queer ship might happen in marketing and promotion in order to draw in a queer audience.

Historically, this was done by having a main character played by a woman have a romantic thing with another woman (flirting, even kissing!) who was a guest star, hinting at the main character's bisexuality/queerness, only for that guest star to never come back and for the show to act like it had never happened. This was done during something called, IIRC, "sweeps week" which was basically an important week for TV viewer ratings in the 90s. It was a way to boost your numbers by drawing in queer viewers with the promise of actual queer rep that then wasn't realized. It's a marketing tactic.

Nowadays the nature of queerbaiting has changed a bit. It's an overused term that frankly people love to (mis)use whenever a ship of theirs doesn't go canon and a show dares to do things like having two people (like say Ryan and Oliver) who play the two halves of the ship do an interview together (whether you ship Buddie or not, they are close friends, and it makes sense that they'd do a few interviews together - that is not queerbaiting). A good example of real queerbaiting is Rizzoli & Isles which, among other things, took out billboards and magazine spreads showing the characters (two women) in suggestively sexual and romantic positions and with slogans hinting that the two had more than just friendship together, then never, ever delivered on it and in fact laughed at the idea of the characters being gay for each other.

(I WAS THERE, GANDALF!!!)

Because of this unfortunate treatment of queer audiences and the (historic) dearth of actual queer characters and queer ships going canon (it's getting better but still), networks, showrunners, and so on have to be very careful when, say, they want to make a queer ship canon.

Look at how ABC handled Chenford, a popular ship in their show The Rookie. Chenford was not a planned ship - the fans adored the chemistry between the two characters (Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford), the writers liked the idea and decided to lean into it, ABC gave the go-ahead, and the ship officially got together and went canon last season. ABC heavily promoted Chenford and the ship and made a lot of jokes about it in the last couple of seasons leading into the ship going canon, using the ship heavily in their marketing.

ABC cannot necessarily do that with Buddie, because even if Buddie is going canon, until that happens, they could get accused of queerbaiting. There's a much bigger minefield to navigate because of this historic misuse of queer audiences and queer characters.

So whenever journalists and publications use a popular non-canonical queer ship name for clicks and fandom interest, if that ship doesn't immediately go canon or if the network/showrunner/etc doesn't say "yeah they're totally gonna kiss! with tongue!" people accuse the show of queerbaiting. This is unfair to the show for two reasons: one, the network is not going to bother sending "shut the fuck up" letters to every single damn publication out there for using a ship name in their headline and talking about a ship - they'll be accused of homophobia and it draws even MORE attention to the issue re: the Barbra Streisand effect (look it up); and two, the people involved in the show are NOT going to spoil the anticipation and surprise by admitting ANY ship is going to go canon before it does.

This is simple marketing - the movie trailer doesn't (or shouldn't, anyway) show you the ending of the movie or everything that happens in it. TV shows want you to tune in every week and speculate and guess. They're not gonna spoil a ship ahead of time.

This means that when journalists and articles pull this shit, they're putting the showrunner, the writers, the actors doing interviews, and the network in a bad situation that they can't really do anything about. Not without causing more mess.

So that's reason number one why a lot of us are annoyed: by yelling about Buddie, these articles and journalists are setting the cast and crew we love up to get yelled at for queerbaiting if Buddie doesn't immediately happen, and there's nothing the cast and crew can do about it, and it's all so the journalists and articles can use us, the fandom, for clicks. So we're also kinda getting used here, and it doesn't feel great.

The second reason we're annoyed about Buddie questions is that it's being asked of the actors who, nine times out of ten, have ZERO CONTROL OVER THE STORYLINES.

Now, there are exceptions. Jennifer Love Hewitt, who plays Maddie, has pushed back on a couple storylines that were given to her and has therefore had a strong hand in shaping Maddie's character. One infamous (in a positive way) example is that Maddie and Eddie were supposed to be an endgame couple. JLH, however, immediately loved the character of Chimney and clicked with Chim's actor Kenneth Choi, so she asked if Maddie could get with Chim instead, feeling he'd be a better fit for her character. And lo, both the beautiful ship Madney and the insanity that is Buddie shipping was born because Buck ended up stepping into that co-parenting-Chris role that Maddie obviously would've originally filled.

However, it should be noted that JLH was an established star before coming onto 9-1-1, and her husband is friends with Tim the showrunner. I would argue that the only other two actors who have any power on their storylines are Peter and Angela, the latter because she can do whatever she wants forever, and the former because (like Angela) he is an executive producer on the show.

It's not that actors never ever get to have a say ever, but the writers, showrunner, and network have much more power. They create the storylines, they make the decisions. Not actors. So when the actors are repeatedly asked about a ship, they're put in an awkward position where they might not even know the full storyline for their character that season and now they need to answer in a way that doesn't reveal any information they do know, but also doesn't insult shippers or dash their hopes. This is a double minefield for queer ships because, again: historic insults to queer fans and characters, nobody wants to be offensive.

The third reason is that this fandom has, historically, treated Tim, Oliver, and others like absolute dogshit over Buddie not going canon. Oliver's left Twitter and taken big social media breaks because of how he was yelled at online. It's not cool, guys. Vent all you want but directing it at the cast and crew isn't okay and maybe if it was just you talking sternly that would be fine (maybe) but when it's dozens of people? It's bullying. Full stop.

Every single time Buddie has not gone canon instantly, the actors and others have gotten verbally abused on social media. Every time the actors have been asked about Buddie and not said "ohmygod yes I want it to happen so bad" (they are not allowed to say this because it might create false hope because again: historical queerbaiting) they've gotten yelled at. We are tired of the actors getting yelled at over something over which they have no control.

The fourth reason is that Oliver, especially, has gotten asked about Buddie a LOT. A lot. The poor man is very tired. He's been cornered about Buddie and asked about it aggressively by certain journalists (one journalist, Max Gao, actually tried to corner Gavin who plays Chris over Buddie - this was a few years ago so Gavin was even younger than he is now and I personally think that is an incredibly unfairly loaded question to give to a child).

If I may dive into speculation for a moment, given how the actors have been SO gleeful about the move to ABC, the fact that they've admitted ABC is letting them do storylines and little moments that FOX wouldn't, and a few other things I won't get into here because this damn thing is long enough already... I suspect FOX would not let Buddie happen. If this is the case, then actors being asked about Buddie is even more loaded because they are being asked questions about it and they can't say "yeah we want to but the network won't let us." THEY WILL GET FIRED FOR THIS.

But, whether or not my speculation is true, the fact remains that when you are repeatedly, over and over, aggressively asked if this fan ship is going to happen or not, you get tired. There's only so many times that someone can give a diplomatic answer before you just want to snap "stop fucking asking me!" Journalists love to take advantage of fandom and social media chatter to get attention for their articles so asking over and over again about Buddie isn't because they genuinely care or think it'll happen, it's to get shippers reading their article, and so bombarding the actors and writers with this question when they've already kinda said their peace a lot about it is frustrating. Just! Leave them alone!

And AGAIN: if this was a M/F ship there could maybe be room for teasing the will-they-won't-they but because of historically bad treatment of queer characters and fans, THEY CANNOT DO THAT. So the only option open to them is to KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT. And keeping one's mouth shut and threading that diplomatic needle for years is EXHAUSTING.

We do want Buddie to be canon, nonny, and in my opinion we are going to get it. All this recent PR supports that, (again: in my opinion).

However, we have seen Oliver get bombarded with what he thinks about Buddie until the cows come home, and he deserves a break. There's nothing new he can say, there's nothing new he's allowed to say. We have seen other parts of the fandom scream that we're being queerbaited because Buddie didn't instantly go canon, without any consideration for the fact that a) queerbaiting is a marketing tactic and b) there might be other factors at play preventing it going canon. We have seen journalists take advantage of us, the shippers, in order to get attention, and we have seen them create an awkward and embarrassing atmosphere in interviews by repeatedly asking about the ship. We have seen shippers make us look bad by hounding the cast and crew on social media about Buddie, treating every woman actress who plays a Buck/Eddie love interest like shit (yes, I know about Edy, but she could be a saint and parts of the fandom would still go onto Instagram to call her names), and generally being absolute pills that would tempt any showrunner, actor, or writer to say "y'know what fuck 'em let's not make Buddie canon I'm not rewarding this shitty behavior."

"If we want Buddie then shouldn't we be asking Buddie questions?" No. Not like journalists and fans have been. It's something to bring up - in my opinion - sparingly and with an awareness of how queer storylines and ships and fandom have been mocked, ignored, baited, and so on over the years. They don't ask about Buddie because they give a shit. They ask because they want our clicks for their ad revenue and they want our retweets and likes and comments. And it's certainly not something to bombard the actors with on social media and bitch at them if it doesn't happen. It just makes the rest of fandom look bad and makes us look like children.

Additionally: These are not new questions! They're not only asking these questions now that it looks like Buddie will go canon, with serious hope and consideration based on the marketing and storylines. They've been asking this since season fucking two, when Buddie was clearly not planned, just to get fangirl (gn) clicks. They wanted to get attention and teehee over how Oliver/Ryan/whoever reacted to people thinking Buck and Eddie should touch dicks. 'Kay?

We know the pattern. So when every piece of media is screaming BUDDIE!!! we are not seeing it as "OMG could we go canon?" We see it as another round of being taken advantage of for article attention, another round of parts of the fandom being bullies and yelling about being baited, and another round of the actors being backed into uncomfortable corners.

That's why we're concerned, worried, and annoyed.

*collapses* I hope this covered everything and explained it all.

[homunculus-argument]

Random fantasy story where the protagonist has some Super Rare Cool Special Ability because of course they always do, and their whole story starts with discovering this awesome ability, and it's made very clear from the start that this sort of thing is a Huge Fucking Deal. Like this random peasant kid from a family without a name has got this astonishing inherent ability, the most revered Feared Local Wizard is summoned to come see this, and this guy goes "holy shit my mentor in the big legendary ivory tower will want to see this, that's amazing."

And the protagonist starts getting shipped to the other end of the continent on a journey that's clearly A Huge Fucking Deal, local nobility want to see this kid, they had only heard of this kind of thing in legends and had not ever imagined they would get to see this kind of astonishing gift in real life, with their own eyes.

And somewhere along the way the protagonist and their big shiny entourage that's gotten embarrassingly big end up staying over in some bigger town. The protagonist is left to their own devides and some scrappy kid around the same age starts being rude, and being teenagers, the two start beefing. And by this point being A Big Fucking Deal has gotten into the protagonist's head, and they start going like "do you have any idea who you are dealing with, I've got Cool Awesome Powers" and start showing off.

And the other kid goes "bitch me too you ain't special" and fucking slams the protagonist right back with the same kind of power. One perhaps even more powerful than theirs. And everyone who just saw that is baffled and astonished. The protagonist is shocked. The readers are shocked. The Wizard Mentor who was just about to intervene is shocked. Hold on how the fuck.

So now this new kid is surrounded with curious questions. How the hell did they do that with no training? Wait the fuck do they mean they've always been able to do that? How did nobody know about this? Wait, your parents knew? What the fuck do you mean they knew and didn't tell anyone? Why did they keep you a secret? Hold on how do you not know what this gift you have is?

And the kid is just like "yeah they just told me it's weird and gross and told me to stop doing that." Like this kid's parents saw their child doing something that no other human being is capable of, and simply never bothered to look up what it is or what it means.

[celestiarambles]

Hi this may divert from my usual content, but as someone with a platform like this I need to speak up about this.

The Philippines-China maritime dispute has been going on for years now, but lately the tensions had been getting more and more worse to the point it’s super concerning now.

Here’s a bit of a history lesson: China claims that the West Philippine Sea is theirs because of the nine-dash line, but the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in 2016 that that had no basis under international law. Other than that, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) said that China’s historic rights on the territory no longer exists. So basically, the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines.

However, China rejects that decision. They have harassed, intimidated, and even used armed conflict on our vessels. China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels had even used a water cannon against our ships TWICE, in which one incident resulted to getting seven Navy personnel wounded.

Worse, there are also allegations of a spy being planted here. Alice Guo, one of the mayors in Tarlac (a city in the Philippines) had mysteriously risen to power despite having no prior experience or connections whatsoever. Literally no one even knew her in her town. She just claims to live in a simple farm. However, she owns a luxury sports car and a helicopter. And somehow, everything regarding her past is inconsistent; she doesn’t know what her mother’s name was, who she grew up with, no school documents, hell she didn’t even have a birth certificate up until she was 17 years old. This was all brought up because she was involved in the criminal activities (like human trafficking, scams, etc.) of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) which also has the Chinese involved.

The US has also been taking advantage of the situation by deploying 9 EDCA sites (military bases) for a supposed military pact, but former US Marine Intelligence Officer Scott Ritter has admitted to using the Philippines as a tool to gain leverage over the Chinese.

What has our government done regarding this dispute? They’re too busy infighting to focus on the bigger picture and on how to settle on an agreement with China.

I just want to take the time to speak up and make people more aware about the ongoing dispute. I know that this has been going on for several years now, but my memory and knowledge about the topic may be a bit wonky so I apologize in advance if I had said anything wrong. You can add more information regarding this or correct the information that I've given if I phrased things wrong.

Regardless, I do know one thing: the West Philippine Sea is ours.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-china-sea-why-are-china-philippines-tensions-heating-up-2024-04-11/

https://www.youtube.com/live/aOrmFJXyAVI?si=P9rPJkJM6BF0NIbW (check 1:57:00)

[jpitha]

The Oxygen Breathers: Careful what you wish for.

It’s another story in this world.

Despite my best efforts, the cycles continue.

The solar years pass, and I age.

My name was drawn, and in the twilight of my life, in my final instar, I find myself speaking for the Coalition. I don’t rule, not really. The Coalition is lead by a panel of ten people. Not all races are represented, but those who aren’t trust us to have their best interests in mind.

When the humans were ejected from Coalition space, their final words were not of anger, or jealousy or resentment. All they told us was, “Beware the Felimen. They are planning something.” We laughed off their warning, thinking they were just sore losers. Thinking that they had finally felt the sting of a Coalition sapient and went back to their corner, nursing a bruise.

I wish we had listened then.

Ten solar years after the humans left, the Felimen made their move. Sweeping in to colony worlds bordering their space, they struck quickly and decisively. It wasn’t a mistake, or a miscommunication or an accident, it was war.

And we were losing.

One by one our worlds fell to them. One by one the sapients of the Coalition surrendered to the Felimen. If they surrendered before an attack began then the Felimen were magnanimous. They would send down some of their number as a garrison and replace the administrators with those loyal to them. Life would continue on their world much as it had done so before. If they chose to fight back, then their destruction was complete.

We needed help, and we only knew one place to go.

Honestly? I was surprised that the Humans would even take our calls. We sent envoys and gave them our ansible and they called back almost immediately. “Come and meet with us.” they said “We will discuss things.” Because of the dangers presented by traveling, I was chosen to speak for the Coalition and packed into a ship with a very small retinue and we took a long, circuitous route to our border with Human space. I remember thinking it was odd. They shared a border with the Felimen as well, yet I heard no reports of violence on their borders.

We met on a large human ship right on the border. This time it was my turn to suit up. Their oxygen based breathing gas is utterly toxic to me. My race is fortunate that we can be in the presence of their gas mix - for a short time - without taking damage, but it was still not recommended. Our ship eased up to theirs and a docking umbilical slid out and connected to our ship. “Administrator!” A bridge officer turned towards me. “Their breathing gas is… different than what we have on file.”

I turned sharply and unconsciously gestured surprise. “How is it different?”

They turned back to their screen, peering carefully at the display. “It seems… to be a mix of their atmosphere and ours. Half ours, half theirs. It’s odd, neither party can breathe that.”

There was a tone from the comm set. The ansible officer raised their arm. “They are hailing us, audio only.”

“Greetings Coalition vessel. This is the human ambassadorial ship Speak Softly. In the name of cooperation, we have adjusted our breathing mix to be a combination of yours and ours. The temperature, pressure, and gravity have been adjusted to be more comfortable to you as well. We will all require masks for breathing, but full pressure suits are not necessary. We will of course not be upset if you wear one anyway, but we will not be suited. Additionally, the Empress of the Human Empire herself has graced us with her presence. She will be speaking on our behalf. We await your presence.”

Empress? The humans have an empire? A single sapient that rules over the entirety of their space? How odd. While I was ruminating the commander of the ship got my attention. “Administrator Kre’kk, you’re not actually going to go over to their ship without a suit are you? That is madness.”

I raised an arm in a gesture of calm. “I will, commander. The rest of my retinue however shall be suited. If the humans wish to compromise, then we shall compromise.”

In hardly any time at all, we were ready. I was wearing my mask, and my retinue was suited up. We had dithered over taking weapons, but decided against it. This was not a show of force. We were coming to them, arm parts open, asking for their help. We were the ones who did not have the strong argument.

As we stepped through the umbilical, their airlock opened. Three humans - not suited - stood there, in their breathing masks as they had said. “Welcome Administrator. Please accompany us.”

I had to force myself to not make a gesture of fear. They were small and dense and looked like they could lift all of us at once. I had only seen images of unsuited humans in reports and had only ever seen their faces when they came to my station so long ago and got into a disagreement with the Felimen. I had ejected them from the station then, and their leader, a human named Margaret had warned me then. I wonder if Margaret would be pleased to know that she was right all along.

We were lead through their halls towards a meeting room. The human ship was bright and utilitarian. Not one bit was wasted space. It was surprising. Their ship was so large! Why were they this efficient with their use of space? Me and my retinue were taller than the humans and their ship felt like a warren. Small, winding with low ceilings. Fortunately, I didn’t have to duck, except when we passed through a pressure door; they’re not using force curtains?

After a short walk, we reached a meeting room. The guards accompanying us did not enter, but instead formed up on either side of the door. “Please, enter.” At that, their eyes flicked away from us, and took up station looking straight ahead. We entered the room and…

And I gasped sharply and made a gesture of surprise. The person sitting in the center of the long table was Margaret Kellerman! She was not in her polished vermillion suit, but instead wore a long, flowing outfit in the same vermillion color. She sat slightly elevated above everyone else and looked down at me imperiously. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she smiled broadly with her mouth closed. “Why, Administrator Kre’kk. As I live and breathe. I had not expected to ever see you again.”

Her voice! It wasn’t the translator speaking for her after all. She was speaking the trade language perfectly, without machine translation. Her voice was clear and beautiful. Following the protocol, I bent my body towards the centerpoint. A bow. “Empress Kellerman. I admit I was not expecting to see you either. When we had first met, I did not know you were royal.”

Her smile settled into something that my translator’s body language module described as a smirk. “That was by design, Administrator. One cannot advertise they are a member of the royal family and also go galavanting across the galaxy leading a small group of mercenaries. Still, it is good to see you again. I recall that you were a being of reason. Did you ever reach out to your family on the colony worlds bordering the Felimen?”

She remembered that? Impressive. “I did, Empress. My crèche mate transferred to an inner world shortly after you left and I messaged them. They are with us still.”

“Most excellent. I knew I was right in warning you.” She looked down at the people on either side of them. They looked up and she nodded. “Now then, Administrator. What can humanity do to help?”

“Just like that? You’re willing to help? We ejected you from Coalition space solar years ago.”

She put up a hand and gestured. “True, true. But perhaps we were a little too… rowdy when we first met. It’s just how we are. Work hard, play hard you know? We also were coming off our first war with the Felimen and were a little touchy. We’re willing to extend our hand to assist.” Her smile slid just a small amount. “Our assistance will not be free, however.”

Here it comes. “We anticipated this Empress. My ship is loaded down with trade goods, currency, and I have authority to offer you any price for your help.”

She chuckled. “Oh no, no, Kre’kk, we don’t want money. We want a seat on the Administration Council. We wish to join the Coalition as equals.”

I tried to hide my surprise. That’s it? There would be arguments when I returned, but here and now? It seemed almost too cheap. “I-it is done, Empress. Humanity will have a seat on the council.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. I have been given authority to speak for the Coalition. Right now I am the Coalition.”

She clapped her hands together once. “Excellent! Thank you for being so reasonable once again, Kre’kk.” She smirked again. “Not even trying to negotiate. You must be desperate.”

“We are, Empress. The Felimen seem unstoppable. They are on a war of conquest. We can only count ourselves fortunate that it is not a war of extermination.”

The small hairs over one of her eyes raised slightly. My body language module indicated that what I said interested her. “Do you wish it was? Speak carefully, Administrator.”

My chromatophores tried to cycle, to match the color and texture of the floor. I forced myself to stop trying to hide. What did she mean? “I… can’t say that I do, Empress. I dislike the war, but I… harbor no desire to see the Felimen exterminated.”

She bent down and spoke very softly to the human on one side of her. I was not able to hear what she said and I knew better than to turn up my audio amplification. “As you wish.” She raised both her hands and addressed the room. “The Felimen shall be defeated but not obliterated. We shall push them back to their original borders and set up a DMZ to keep them contained. So I order.”

“So it is done.” The rest of the humans in the room responded to her words. My retinue started. It was the first thing that anyone other than the Empress had said.

“There. Now that is out of the way, would you care for a tour? Big Stick is behind us, in nullspace. Would you like to see it? It’s pretty impressive if I do say so myself. I don’t think any Coalition races have ever been on a human dreadnought before.”

“Empress, I thank you for the invitation, but I must report back to the Coalition when they are to expect your assistance. Do you have an idea how long before we’ll see ships?”

“Oh, it’s done already.”

“I do not understand.”

“We have defeated the Felimen. All of their ships inside Coalition space have been destroyed, and all of the colony worlds that they controlled have been re-taken. Please, check your ansible.”

I turned and faced my retinue. One of them took out a pad and connected back to our ship. The ansible officer was shaken. There were reports of gigantic ships materializing out of nowhere and immediately destroying any Felimen ship they saw. Still others executed pinpoint strikes on colony worlds, seemingly only destroying Felimen administration. Already, word was coming that the Felimen were on the run, and abandoning their war wholesale.

I turned and looked at the Empress. “How?”

This time she smiled wide, with her teeth exposed. “Oh Kre’kk, we can’t give away all our secrets. However I will tell you this: None of you, not this Coalition, not the Felimen not anyone, ever presented us with a real threat. We were being nice and neighborly. We got a little rowdy and you asked us to leave. Fine. Like a good neighbor we obliged. Now you come asking for help and again, like a good neighbor, we helped. It is not our fault that you never decided to learn more about us. We were always only ‘Oxygen Breathers’ to you.” She stood. “Now then. Would you like a tour? You can’t see the whole thing, but we’ll take out enough to impress.”

Her smile was terrifying.

[descendantsramblings]

Hi! I was just wondering if I could request a fic for hook where he like sees like a crocodile and has like a panic attack and reader comforts him?

Of course baby, I’m going with a gender neutral reader since you didn’t specify, I hope that’s okay

I also did my absolute best not to romanticize panic attacks but if it comes off that way please let me know. I have another request for one and I want to improve on being as respectful as possible with things like this. As a writer and a human person.

Eyes on Me

James Hook x Animal-Talent Fairy! Reader

Pronouns used: they/them/theirs

Summary: The day had started so cozy, how were they to know that he’d react to one of their interests like that?

Warnings: panic attack, mentions of animal attacks, they're in swimsuits (Hook is shirtless, mentions the reader’s skin being exposed on their waist), Reader isn't fully thinking with their head pre-panic attack and that's okay because Hook likes it, use of pet names (it’s me writing so you expect that though)

Word count: 2.4K

        It was extremely rare for the Jolly Roger to be away from its dock without a full crew. Mainly due to the fact that it was dangerous, a ship needed a crew the same way it needed deep waters. Captain Hook was no fool, he would never put his ship or himself in direct danger like that. Which is what made the day so special. It was so rare in fact, that it had never happened before. Not before the Captain became extremely smitten with a Neverland fairy anyway.  And perhaps, the way they looked at him made it seem less like he was putting his ship in danger. After all, he was staying close to home, they’d be back by nightfall, how bad could it get? Standing there watching the fae across the deck sunbathe in a swimsuit leaving little to his imagination as they cut him small, adoring looks, he knew he’d made the right choice. He might, despite his better judgment, make this choice again if it means getting to be in this position. 

    “You enjoying yourself, Love?” He chuckles, feeling the way that his partner’s eyes were drinking him in. With the way they stared, you’d think Hook was the one who should have been more cautious when they met. Like he was in danger, a hunk of meat being eaten by hungry eyes. Of course, that was his intent and purpose when he’d offered up going swimming, knowing a great little island just off the coast of Neverland that would let them be on a beach all alone. He fed off the attention, off of being genuinely wanted. Of course, he knew he was attractive, he gained most things he wanted by using that to his advantage. But for the hungry look to come from a dove instead of a vulture? He hadn’t been quite used to that before, he still wasn’t. It was a welcome feeling though, something safe pooling in the risk of it all. 

    They give him a soft hum, eyes raking over his exposed chest before locking on his amused smirk. Sliding their sunglasses to rest on the top of their head so he would be left with no question as to where they were looking. “Oh yeah, the best time.” He recognizes the tone and his lip finds its way between his teeth as a gentle heat rises to his cheeks. Shaking his head as he tears his eyes from the fairy on his ship to the sea before them. “Are you blushing, Captain?” A scoff, one which comes out much faker than he’d intended, leaves his lips, “It’s just the sun. Getting a touch burned.” Delicate hands dip into a beach bag beside them before (Y/n) idles up beside their lover, a bottle of sunscreen in their grasp. “Well that simply won’t do. Mind if I help you?” James shakes his head with a chuckle, “Go ahead, Love.” 

    (Y/n)’s fingers work in gentle, smooth circles as they put a new coat of sunscreen on James’ face. Moving down to reapply the cream to his shoulders and back. Using soft and ghost like touches, you’d barely know they were even applying something to him. Humming a song he couldn’t quite recognize as they work him over with the lotion. And he was eating it up. Was affection always supposed to feel this good? Was he meant to be loved gentle? He hoped so, if it meant this would never end then he hoped so. “Can you get your own chest, James?” He hums, tossing them a smirk over his shoulder, “I could, surely. But where’s the fun in that?” It catches him a weak and playful smack to the back before he hears the bottle hit the ground. Hands wrapping around him with their body painfully close to his, he could feel as their chest moved with the air that entered their lungs. Rubbing sunscreen on the front of his torso in an innocent way that still had his breath catching in his throat. “Your touch is magic.” 

   It earns him a playful giggle, the sound was almost a soft jingle, more like bells than vocal chords. “Most things about me are magic, Captain.” He lets go of the wheel for a moment, turning around to face them. A smirk plays on his lips as his hands plant themselves on the exposed skin of their waist. “Ah yes, my little fae,” he leans into them, lips brushing the shell of their ear as he whispers in it, “Though you seem to be more entertained by acting as a siren today. Very hard to concentrate when you act like that.”  (Y/n) pulls back, placing a quick kiss to their lover’s lips  with a giggle. “You ought to get better at concentrating then, Captain. Imagine how dangerous it would be for you out here if a real siren came along.” His eyes roll, waving them off as he turns back to his steering wheel. “You need to go somewhere.” “I am, you’re taking me somewhere, remember?” The teasing tone makes not turning back to his partner a fight, the boy’s eyes narrowing as he forces them to stay focused on the sea. “(Y/n), I beg of you, go entertain yourself so I can get us where we’re trying to go. You’re making me understand why pirates never go out without their crews.” 

    It doesn’t take a genius to know that he’s playing with them. James Hook was one of the clingiest men to ever exist- if he wasn’t already the clingiest one to exist. He didn’t genuinely take issue with their watchful eyes and needy touches, he was however, extremely flustered. Something that was written across the face that he was weakly attempting to hold a smug look on. If you asked (Y/n), this was the most attractive the boy had ever looked, with his flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes. Still, out of the kindness of their heart, they decide to give him his touch of space, heading over to the side of the boat so they could examine the water. It wasn’t something they’d taken the time to do since joining him on the ship, and they loved the water; more so the creatures that lived in it. They never got the chance to go out this far to see what it had to offer, not until James had made it possible.

    In all their time in Neverland, (Y/n) had never had the chance to see a saltwater crocodile. It was a personal goal of theirs, and of course they had heard the stories of the noisy one by the docks. Everyone had heard the stories of the noisy animal the island had affectionately nicknamed “Tick Tock”, but it hid when they came around. Much to their dismay, they lived for the rush of seeing more dangerous animals, chased the high of adrenaline that came with it. To see an animal that would purposely prey on humans if hungry was the biggest high the animal-talent could think of. They’d never gotten to deal with an animal that genuinely saw them as prey and the idea of it was exhilarating. Once Hook had joked that’s what his appeal had been to them, something they playfully refused to confirm or deny. Now, with their closeness to the shore of the island he was dragging them to, they shouldn’t have been shocked to see the creature. Still it didn’t stop the excited squeal that escaped their lips as they called for James. Has he ever seen one? It could be an experience for the both of them! This day just kept getting better for the fairy. 

     For Hook though, as his eyes circled in on the scales and sharp calculated eyes he felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. How big was that thing? Twenty three feet? They had mentioned that’s how big the animal could get while gushing about it once. Of course, he probably just thought that because the thing was huge. He could only hope that it was as big as it could get. God, what if it was just a baby? His arm suddenly felt numb, pins and needles filling where his hand used to be while his good hand was trembling. Was another bigger one waiting behind this thing? It was all he could see, this thing was going to kill him. Kill them. No way he got out easily this time. He lucked up to only lose a hand the last time it came near him. This was the end. No way this wasn’t the end. His breath was caught in his throat, good hand grasping at his neck as if it could help him draw air in. Hook timidly took a few steps back, his mouth fell open to speak but it closed right back. No words could get through if air barely could. But he wanted his lover away from that thing. He wanted them safe, that thing was in no ways safe. 

    “James?” They look at him with soft, scared eyes, a frown written tightly across their lips. “James, what is it?” He shakes his head so fast it makes him dizzy, (Y/n) rushing forward to help stabilize him and bring him to sit down on the deck of the ship before he could fall to it. Wild, worried eyes work the boy over, falling onto his hook. They trace his arm back up to his eyes, watching the way his eyes jump between the golden metal and the edge of the ship. They suddenly felt like an idiot. Of course James has seen one before, he was attacked by one before. How could they ever forget something that important? Their heart fell into their stomach as they stood up, softly whispering to him that they would be right back before they make it back to the side of the boat. 

   A soft wave of their left hand brings a golden glow to surround their fingers. “You sir, need to leave,” their hand points out to the creature in the water below them. “You are greatly upsetting the Captain,” they turn their hand and the animal goes with it, “Don’t you want to go sunbathe? It’s so warm today.” They watch as the creature slinks off, slow and steady movements dragging it up onto the sand of the beach. Leaving an indented path in the sand it left behind. With him gone, they’re right back to their boyfriend. Falling to their bare knees with a loud knocking sound as they softly grab his face. “Hey, let’s get those eyes on me, yeah? He’s gone, I got rid of him, I promise. You’re safe, Honey. You’re so so safe.” Thumbs rub his cheeks as his wild and terrified eyes jump back and forth between looking into each of his lover’s gentle ones. “It’s gone, Honey. Nothing is going to hurt you. I’ve got you, I won’t let any animal hurt you again. It’s okay. Get those eyes on me.” 

    His hand is still clawing his neck as his eyes settle on theirs and the fairy reaches down to grab it. “That’s enough of that. You’re hurting yourself. You can breathe, I know you can. You wanna try with me?” He gives them a weak, measly nod, eyes finally locking in on the ones he’d learned to call home. “Okay good. Breath in. One, two, three, four.” He follows the command, though the way his chest expands with it is nearly a searing pain, muscles rigid and tight with fear. “Out now. One, two, three, four.” James isn’t positive about how many times they repeat the two commands. (Y/n) talking him through every slow and steady breath he takes until his shoulders relax and he feels like the air is entering his lungs all on its own. Not letting up on him until his breathing is clear and his eyes are less watery. “Hey,” they smile, letting go of his hand to wipe the few tears that made their escape from his eyes. “There you are, there’s my boy.”

     He slumps forward onto their shoulder, nearly exhausted from the ordeal and they hold him. One hand wrapping around his shoulders as the other softly cards through his hair. “Hey,” they coo, pressing a few kisses to his bare shoulder as they tug him ever so slightly closer. “I’m,” he finally finds his voice, letting out a sigh as he nuzzles against them, “I’m sorry you had to see me like that. I know seeing one of those was a big deal to you. I didn’t mean to ruin it.” (Y/n) all but scoffs, pulling him up to look at their face. “James Hook, you have nothing to apologize to me for.” “But I-” “Nothing.” They set to peppering his cheeks with soft kisses, playing with his hair as they do. “I should have kept it to myself. I wasn’t thinking about you when I saw it, I just got excited. I never should have called you over there to look at that thing. I’m sorry.” They shake their head, kissing his nose, “I’m so sorry.” James hums, pulling himself up to his feet before helping them to theirs. “It’s okay. It’s okay, I’m okay.” He hopes it’s convincing, but the way his eyes flicker around deceives him. The boy was clearly terrified, and it made them feel awful. 

    “I sent it to the beach, so maybe we should turn around, head back home.” He frowns, wrapping his arms back around their waist and leaning into the warmth of their shoulder. “But, I promised you we’d go swimming, you were so excited. We just got here, that will ruin the whole day for you.” Gentle and loving arms wrap around him, pulling him as close as they can get him. “If we go swimming I’m not going to be able to fly in my fairy form for days from all the water. I was excited about the idea of swimming, but not for the water.” He pulls away to look at them, brows furrowed. What else could they have been excited for if not the water? What else was there to get excited about when it came to swimming? Eyes ghost back over his exposed torso and it clicks, the boy laughing as he tilts their head to look at him. “You are a siren, I hope you know that.” And they laugh, pecking his lips while their hands rest on his chest, “Maybe, but you love it. Plus you’re going to be all gold skinned from the sun for a week after this and it just makes you look so pretty.” His cheeks flush and this time the boy doesn’t try to hide it. “You need to go home and cool down, don’t you? Wanna come learn to steer?” Their eyes light up as they stare at him, “You mean it?”

[poppitron360]

Just read Leo’s death scene in BOO and I’m hopping on the angst train before I keep reading and he comes back-

I wrote this short fic just now, about Frank and the Hephaestus cabin dealing with the aftermath of Leo’s sacrifice.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Frank took a deep breath, and approached the Hephaestus table, nervously. He recognised a few of his Camp Jupiter friends sitting with Leo’s siblings. Out of all the cabins, theirs seemed most affected by the battle. They ate their food with a sense of solemn melancholy, talking in low voices. Most of them, particularly the older ones, barely touched their food. Even the Romans, who had barely known Leo, seemed to share in their siblings’ grief. Frank could tell that Leo’s death had hit them all hard.

“Jake Mason, right?” He asked, addressing the guy sitting at the head of the table, slowly turning his spaghetti over with his fork, but not eating it.

“Yeah?”

Frank heaved the large wooden box he was carrying onto the table, trying to avoid people’s plates.

“Leo… he- he didn’t exactly leave a last will and testament…” Frank said, trying to keep his voice from choking up, “But he told me to give you guys this.”

He opened the box, and the campers peered inside.

“The lost scrolls of Archimedes,” He explained, “We found them underneath Rome. Leo’s been studying them. He wanted you to have them.”

“Woah…” One of the campers gasped. The others stared in awe at the scrolls in the box.

“There’s more,” Frank told them. With shaking hands, he reached into the box and pulled out from underneath the scrolls a collection of small, leather-bound notebooks, rectangular in shape, a different gold inscription stamped on the front in Ancient Greek.

“The Valdez Texts…” Frank announced, “Leo knew he was probably not gonna make it out of the battle. He wanted to make sure people could carry on his legacy. He copied all of his blueprints and schematics of the Argo II, all his inventions, all his findings and teachings, his notes, his unfinished projects, everything he learned and discovered- all into these notebooks for you guys to study, make improvements, learn from them, carry on his work.” He looked around at the table, “He told me it was very important that it was shared between children of both Hephaestus and Vulcan. No more fighting. No more stealing. He was a brother to you all, and…” He turned to the visitors from Camp Jupiter, “He told me to tell you he’s really sorry for launching a missile attack on your city… he hopes this helps you rebuild it.”

They all stared, speechless, at the texts.

One of the older-looking girls- Frank remembered her name was Nyssa- reached out and took one of the books in trembling fingers. She flipped through the pages, staring in awe. “Valdez made all this?”

“Well, me and Hazel helped him copy it all down,” Frank admitted, “His handwriting is atrocious.”

He suddenly felt a sharp pang of sadness. Was, he thought, his handwriting was atrocious.

Nyssa chuckled, sadly.

“And Hazel helped illustrate the drawings and diagrams. It was the least we could do to help you guys. And Leo wanted to make sure it was just as much a Roman thing as it was Greek.”

Nyssa handed her copy to one of her newfound siblings from Camp Jupiter, and picked up another, “And they’re ours? To share? The scrolls too?”

Frank nodded, “Leo thought it was only right that you all should have them. All his rough work was destroyed when the Argo II broke apart, but he made sure these made it out.”

It had been Buford’s last act of service to his master. As soon as they’d arrived at Camp Half-Blood, that wonderful little table had taken the crate of valuables and flown away to safety before the ship could explode. Once the battle was over, he had flown back to Frank, and with one last forlorn “Put some clothes on” from the Coach Hedge hologram, the table had deactivated. Frank didn’t want to just throw Buford away, so he’d kept it as a writing desk. He’d study, map, plan, and create on it, just like how Leo would’ve wanted. He planned to take him back with him to Camp Jupiter- a little piece of him to stay with Frank forever.

He looked at the pile of books. He thought it was strange- Leo’s life’s work condensed into just a few notebooks. His entire legacy on the table in front of them. But Leo was a smart guy. He knew these books would be passed down for generations, much like Archimedes’ texts. Every Greek and Roman scholar that people talk about still to this day- Hippocrates, Pythagoras, Galen- was remembered because they wrote stuff down. And Leo knew the importance of that. He wasn’t just giving his siblings some dusty notebooks, he was giving them knowledge. He was giving them power. Frank’s mouth twisted into a sad smile. It was exactly the kind of genius thing Leo would do. He just couldn’t believe he was gone.

He picked up another notebook, and turned to a random page and began to read in his head:

Valdez Philosophy No. 730- One question a good mechanic must always ask themselves is: Is it worth it? Is it a problem that’s worth solving? Is it a machine worth inventing? Don’t get me wrong, I love a Hydraulic Chicken Launcher as much as the next mad scientist- but sometimes the cost of time and materials outweigh the necessity for it.

But if the machine can help out a friend, and maybe even save a life?

That’s never not worth your time.

Frank’s eyes welled with tears. Underneath the words was a sketch of something Frank recognised. It was the pouch that Leo had made for him to keep his firewood safe.

That’s never not worth your time.

After everything they’d been through together, after the way Frank had treated Leo when they’d first met, after all the death-glares and the snide remarks and the passive-aggressive comments that weren’t entirely meant in kindness- Leo still cared for Frank. He still took the time to make sure he could keep him safe. He still felt like Frank was worth it. This kid always put other people first, to the point where he had died to do so. He was brave, and heroic. He was the reason Frank no longer feared fire. He’d changed his life. Frank owed him everything. Now, he’d never get to repay that debt.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Anyway, I’m gonna go cry now. Platonic Valzhang is everything to me.

[smittenwithsmoker]

she’s got oceans tucked away in her hair, poems swim under her skin -Sanober Khan

Sanji x fem mermaid!reader

The chef had many dreams. He would become the greatest chef in the world. He would find the All Blue and finally cook with ingredients from all four seas to create the most delicious dishes the world had ever known. He would travel around the Grand Line with his friends in pursuit of his dreams and theirs. But perhaps the dream he’d held even longer, a dream which graced him every night for as long as he could remember, was to meet a mermaid. In his sleep, an ethereal voice called out to him with a siren song, whispered his name in his ear so clearly that he awoke thinking she’d be right beside him. He could envision her silvery tail, the eyes as blue as the ocean she lived in, the long flowing hair that floated around her in the water entirely weightless. Despite having never met the woman in his dreams, Sanji was so entirely sure she was real and that she was calling out for him.

He met her in a storm. The Thousand Sunny was conquering waves that seemed impossibly large and navigating through the swells with ease. Sanji stood at the helm, following Nami’s directions until he saw a flash of silver in the water. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light, lightning reflecting oddly off the sea surface. However, Sanji knew at the second glance exactly what it was. So without a second thought, the chef yelled to his crew mates to take the helm and he dove off the side of the ship.

Sanji found her quickly, the silvery tail shimmering even in the murky, tumultuous waters. As he got closer, he heard his name being echoed through his head in a soft lilt, song like in its cadence. Her tail was caught in a net that had likely come undone from a fishing vessel in the storm and she was thrashing, trying to free herself but only becoming more tangled. She saw him approaching and he swore that when her eyes met his, that he knew her already. Her hands reached out to his and he clasped his larger ones around hers and held on as a current pushed against his body. Pulling himself closer to her, he reached for the small knife in his pocket and began to cut the net.

Once freed, her hands found his again. She looked at him, a soft smile on her face as one hand moved to caress his cheek. In his surprise, Sanji released the air from his chest and his lungs began to burn. A frown overtook her features and began to swim with him. A mermaid was the fastest creature in the ocean and within seconds, they were at the surface and approaching the Thousand Sunny.

Sanji gulped in breaths of air but did not let go of her hand as he made sure the woman of his dreams did not escape him. Her hand rested on his neck as she leaned in, first kissing both of his cheeks and then pressing her lips to his. As her lips moved with his, he could hear her voice in his head.

“You found me my love. My Sanji. My pirate. Thank you for saving me as I once saved you. I have to return to the sea but I shall find you again some day. Until then, we will meet in your dreams. I love you.”

Sanji stared at her as their lips parted and a wave crashed over the two of them. She held on so tight to him and his hands hurt from the biting cold of the water and how tightly he was grasping hers. Luffy reached down to him to pluck him from the water and his hands finally slipped from hers. She smiled up at him and blew him a final kiss before disappearing under the surface of the ocean, a swish of her silver tail the last thing he saw.

The crew thought he was hallucinating. They had seen no mermaid, only saw Sanji fall overboard and then surface before Luffy rescued him. It must’ve been a dream they told him. He almost believed them until he went to bed that evening. In his sleep, he heard the empyreal sound of her voice ringing through his head as she said his name before she appeared before him, silvery tail splashing as she made her way to where he sat on the beach.

“Who are you?” he asked the shimmering goddess before him. She smiled and reached out to clasp his hand.

“I am yours, Sanji Vinsmoke,” she retorted with a delicate smile. “I have been since I saved you when we were both children.” He remembered nearly drowning as a child and the months starving on that island with Zeff, but he doesn’t remember getting to that island. Had she saved him then? “Yes, that was me.” His eyes widened when she answered his thoughts and her hand moved to his cheek. “I know your every thought my love. I always will.” She pulled herself closer to him, resting her forehead against his. “Mermaids have only one mate in their lives and know them instantly. You are mine as I am yours.”

Sanji’s eyes widened again. Mates? He thought that was a myth but here was the woman of his dreams telling him it was true. She looked away from him and frowned as the horizon started to glow with the impending sunrise. Turning back to him, she pressed her lips to Sanji’s again and he melted against her, pulling her closer onto his lap. The apples of her cheeks flushed as she pulled away and tucked her face into Sanji’s neck. She nibbled there and he hissed as she bit into the flesh.

“I have to go,” she whispered and a sudden sadness had entered her tone. “I will always be near to you Sanji and if you need me, call out to me. In five years, I’ll be able to walk on land and I will never leave your side again. Wait for me my love.”

Sanji awoke with a start, breathing heavily and sweating in his bed. It was a dream. One that blurred the lines of fiction and reality and he had a difficult time understanding. Wandering to the bathroom to get ready to cook breakfast, Sanji gasped when he looked in the mirror. A small red mark in the shape of a mermaid’s tail had appeared on his neck in the same spot she had bit in his dream. A heavenly voice in his head whispering out, “Mine”, as Sanji realized his dreams might just all come true.

[juniperskye]

Why are you in my head? Pt. 5

Sneak Peek: Eddie and you are soulmates. The legend of soulmates is that you start to hear one another’s thoughts around age 16 – not all the time, but when you’re feeling a strong emotion. It simply flows out of you and into the other, the legend also states that the closer you are, the more you can hear them. **The events of season 4 did NOT happen** I did also use some of the dialogue

Bold are Eddie’s thoughts; Italics are reader’s thoughts. (mind you, they are essentially hearing both sets of thoughts)

Eddie Munson x Fem Sunshine! Reader (Soulmate AU)

Fluff - Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4**

Word count: 1893

REQUESTS ARE OPEN - not edited - please be kind. Feedback is welcome if it's constructive!

Warnings: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! My blog is 18+, minors DNI, explicit language, mention of hospitals, mention and brief description of childbirth, mention of birth defects (CHD), mention of surgery/aftermath, no use of y/n, fem reader, let me know if I missed any!

That being said I do not own the characters portrayed in this story.

“Ughhh, why isn’t he answering?” You shouted into the living room.

Now is not the time for you to be this busy Eddie!!!

You thought about it a little while longer, debating calling Eddie again or calling someone else. That was when you decided to call Wayne.

“Hello?” Wayne answered gruffly.

“Hey Wayne, are you uh, are you busy right now?” You asked.

“Hey darlin’ is everything okay?” He questioned.

“Yeah, well not actually, Eddie isn’t answering his phone and I ugh…I need to go to the hospital.” You rambled.

“Okay, you hang tight, I will be there soon! Keep calling Eddie okay?”

With that, Wayne hung up the phone and made his way to the truck, ignoring most traffic laws in hopes to get to you as soon as he, legally, can.

Eddie Munson if you do not pick up your phone I SWEAR TO ALL THINGS HOLY!!!

Shit, shit, shit!!! Is it time? I’m on my way!!!

The last seven years had been a whirlwind. Eddie had proposed to you six months after you heard him tell Wayne he was going to, that was 1986.

It was now 1993, and things were completely different than when you met Eddie. Since then, your parents had retired and started going on cruises, which is where they happened to be now. Wayne still worked at the factory but had cut back on his hours to help you and Eddie out.

Eddie got a job at a local body shop, he had stopped dealing drugs because it wasn’t safe anymore, given the expansion of your family. You had gone to school and were now working as a nurse, taking after your mom.

Your parents had surprised you and Eddie after you got married by buying you a house, they had sold theirs and bought a trailer, close to Wayne’s seeing as they were travelling so much. The house they bought you was modest, a one story, three-bedroom, two bathroom. It had a nice grassy yard that allowed you to host your friends should you choose. It also had a basement which was perfect for Eddie to transform into the ultimate DND room.

You had been pregnant at the wedding, not that either of you had been aware of that fact. You had found out about a month later and in the fall of 1987 your first child was born.

Eddie and you had two beautiful children, a son, Ronnie 6, and a daughter, Vivian 3. Both are named after members of Dio. You were hesitant at first, but after Eddie really got you into metal music (especially Dio) you caved.

Which leads you to now, spring 1993, you were currently in labor with your twins. Naturally Eddie wasn’t answering his phone, he hadn’t even wanted to get a mobile phone, but you had convinced him when you found out the potential risks of a multiples pregnancy. With your parents on a ship somewhere in the Mexican Riviera, you had no other choice but to call Wayne.

A knock on the door shook you out of your thoughts. You waddled your way over to the door, just as Wayne let himself in.

“Thank you for coming Wayne!” You huffed.

Eddie you had better be at the hospital for this birth!

“Of course, kiddo. Where are the rugrats?” Wayne asked.

“They’re with Steve and Nancy today.” You explained as you gathered your things.

I’m on my way! Please be okay!

“You got everything you need?” Wayne asked.

“Uh yeah…” looking around one last time, “I think that’s everything.” You nodded.

Wayne reached for your bag and led you out to his truck. He opened your door for you and helped you up into the truck, refusing to leave your side until you were settled and buckled in. He finally made his way around to the driver’s side and started your journey to the hospital.

“Any word from the boy yet?” Wayne questioned.

“Not via phone if that’s what you’re asking” you took a sharp breath in “I can hear him internally panicking though.” You huffed out a laugh, trying to control your breathing.

As Wayne wheeled you into the hospital, a horde of your coworkers made their way to you. They were congratulating you, helping you get checked in, ensuring you were okay and honestly it was becoming a bit overwhelming. All you wanted was for Eddie to be by your side and for these babies to exit your womb.

Where are you?

I’m here, I’m here. Please don’t have the babies without me!

An OB nurse and Wayne walked with you to your room, Wayne began setting your things up around the room while the nurse got your vitals and those of the babies. While she did this, you could hear shoes scuffing along the linoleum floors.

“I’m here!” Eddie hollered, out of breath.

“Glad you could make it.” You bit. “Sorry, it’s the contractions talking.”

“It’s okay baby!” Eddie leaned over and kissed your forehead.

He walked over to assist Wayne in setting up the rest of your things. The two of you had made a list and were sure to pack all the things you wished you had during the last two births.

“I um, I got everything I need here. I’m just going to go get your doctor and I will be right back.” The nurse expressed wearily before making her exit.

She clearly didn’t read the chart and is concerned about Toni’s CHD.

Eddie let out a slight chuckle which caused Wayne to shoot him a questioning glance. Wayne let Eddie know he was going to go get a coffee and that he’d be in the waiting room. He also informed you guys that he would call your parents and your friends to inform them you were in labor.

“Hey you two! You ready to have these babies?” Your doctor asked as she entered your room.

“Hey Dr. Evans, and yes I am so ready for these two to be out of me!” You sighed.

“Well good, because by the looks of it, you shouldn’t have to wait too much longer.” Dr. Evans explained. “Also, I am sorry about the nurse earlier, she’s new, she doesn’t know you work here, or that you guys are more than aware of Toni’s congenital heart disease.”

“It’s okay!” You released a shaky breath as another contraction rolled through you.

“Can you explain it all to me again? I know we’ve gone over it, I just, I want to hear it again.” Eddie pleaded.

“Of course, so Toni has a tiny hole in her heart wall, so once she is out, our pediatric surgeon will take her to the operating room and repair it! Once it is all fixed up, she will be in the NICU for a little while, just while she heals and then she will be all set to go home and grow up! She will have to have regular checkups, but she’ll lead a relatively normal life.” Dr. Evans explained.

A hole in her heart, Jesus. She’s not even born and already her life is hard.

“Eds, honey she’s going to be okay. This is sadly more common than you’d think.”

Eddie placed his hand on your shoulder, appreciating your support. You looked up at him as another contraction ripped through you. You took a few more deep breaths, glancing over to Dr. Evans. She checked you once more and informed you that it was time.

Everything happened seemingly all at once. First out was Ozzy, he was taken over to be cleaned up and measured, next was Toni who was almost immediately taken to her surgery. Dr. Evans stitched you up (birthing twins was no joke…neither was the tearing that occurred) and congratulated you both. She also let you know that someone would be by to keep you updated on Toni’s status.

Eddie was sitting in the recliner holding Ozzy while you rested. Steve and Nancy were on their way with your kids, excited to meet the new additions to your family. Robin and Dustin called to let you know they’d be by soon and they were bringing you some real food.

A nurse stopped in to let you know that Toni was still in surgery, but it was going well, when you heard tiny feet slapping against the floor, growing in volume.

“Mommy!” Ronnie yelled, running to your bedside.

“Hey bug.” You reached your hand down to brush his curls back out of his face.

“Sorry! He’s so fast!” Steve apologized.

Steve lifted Ronnie and placed him at the foot of your bed, all the while Nancy was walking in with Vivian, who was fast asleep in her arms. She smiled at you and wished you congratulations and when her gaze landed on Eddie, she couldn’t help but coo at the sleeping baby resting on his chest.

Robin and Dustin entered moments later with a pizza, some soda, and a few gift bags in hand.

“Hey! Any word on Toni yet?” Robin asked as she wrapped you in a hug then made her way to poke at Ronnie, who burst into a fit of giggles.

“Uh not yet, the nurse just let us know that her surgery was going well.” Eddie explained.

The night seemed to drag, the food and good company was a nice distraction from the fact that your daughter’s tiny heart was being worked on. You were thankful for your friends, especially that they’d all been so willing to hang around until you heard more.

“Hey there” Dr, Evans popped her head in your room “I just wanted to let you know that Toni is out of surgery, she did great and is on her way to the NICU now! I can take you both over there if you’d like to see her?”

You glanced at your friends who all nodded in unison, their way of silently telling you to go and that they could watch Ronnie and Vivian. You smiled at them and allowed Eddie to help you into a wheelchair. Dustin gently handed Ozzy back to you and then Dr. Evans escorted you to the NICU.

“So don’t be alarmed, she’s hooked up to a few machines, but it is just to monitor her heart function and her vitals.” Dr. Evans stated, more so for Eddie than you.

Eddie pushed your chair over to the incubator that currently housed your daughter. You looked in at her, she was so tiny, there was a small bandage placed on her chest. Looking over at Dr. Evans, she nodded signaling it was okay for you to open the side panel and hold your baby.

You reached your left hand in while cradling Ozzy in your right. Eddie made his way around to the other side and reached in to hold Toni’s other hand.

She’s so beautiful, they both are.

You’re so beautiful. Thank you for making me a dad, again.

A tear slipped down your cheek. You were so incredibly happy to have Eddie by your side and four beautiful children. You couldn’t wait to be by their sides as they found love the same way you had with Eddie.

This life was such a gift, and you were so grateful for all of it.

Thank you for bringing light into my life. Thank you for loving me.

Fin

Tag List: @sashaphantomhive @silky-luxe

[cellythefloshie]

;; meant for loving Dedicating this one to @hockeyboysimagines

Summary: Desperate to relax on the final long weekend before he has to return to St Louis, Vince and his best friend, Miles head out to the cabin for the weekend. Waiting in their tranquility, is Miles' baby sister, Samantha who keeps Vince on the verge of chaos as he has desperations of her own: to love her virginity before she goes off to university. Kinks & TW: male pov, original character, age-gap (5 years), situation ship, brother's best friend, virginity trope, teasing/banter, breast play (mild), missionary, protected sex, (i probably missed something here so please be sure to yell at me if I did) ABOUT THE OC: Face Claim: Sydney Sweeny Name: Samantha aka “Sam” aka “Sammy” aka "Princess". Is the little sister of Vince's friend Miles. Sam is 18 and is set to go off to college come fall while Vince is set to report to training camp. Word Count: 14k+

Listen to their playlist while you read.

Taglist: @starshine-hockey-girl @mp0625 @misunderstoodwerewolf @callsign-denmark @puckmaidens @xciciix @cixrosie

There were two things people knew Vince Dunn for and they were hockey and his love to party in the off-season. What they didn’t know, however, was that Vince loved to escape the chaos. He always had, ever since he was a kid, growing up back in Lindsay. There was a certain peace in it all. From the way the tall, green coniferous trees towered high into the gray and stormy skies, to the way the rain hit the windshield with its soft hollow drum, it all drew him away from the city. The cabin was one of his favorite places to escape before the hockey season, especially with the right company. 

Vince could have invited anyone to go with him, a teammate or the girl he was casually fucking ‌and they would have come. But he only invited one person, his best friend, Miles. The pair had grown up playing hockey together - sharing toothless grins back when you gifted them to the tooth fairy instead of going to the dentist and hoping they could splint it back into place. And while their careers had taken them down separate paths, they had always made the summer theirs. Together, at the cabin their families used to vacation at when they were kids, Vince knew he could relax and rejuvenate - and maybe pick up a hot chick at the beach - before the season began. 

But there would be no trips to the beach today. Not with how the rain was pouring down, leaving the cold wet rubber of his tires to slide over the winding Canadian highways that would narrow into roads of gravel and dirt. The slippery conditions left Vince gripping his steering wheel tight, but he wasn’t tense. He welcomed the calm that came with the rain, even if it wasn’t too kind to the car. 

He could always buy another one. 

The drive to the cabin was long, and he spent the entire time in silence. Vince listened to the rain as it fell, growing harder, then softer and harder again. Only for it to be drowned out by the rocks as his tire kicked them up and left them to scrape the paint on his car as he rolled to a stop in the driveway. The windshield wipers made their awful screech against the wet glass as he undid his seatbelt and leaned across his center console to look at the car parked beside him. The water against the glass distorted its body, but he could tell it was some kind of sedan in a color he didn’t like. And he knew it didn’t belong to Miles. He didn’t know whose it was, but he was going to find out real quick. 

Reaching into the backseat, he fisted the handles of his duffle bag. He lifted it with ease - he only packed enough for the weekend - and lifted it up over his head to keep his hair from the rain. But it didn’t stop the icy rain from soaking into his t-shirt and sending chills down the length of his spine. It left him dancing through the front door with zero consideration for knocking. This was like a second home to him. He didn’t need anyone’s permission, and he was curious. 

Miles didn’t mention that anyone else was coming when they had made the plans. And the last time Vince checked, Miles wasn’t seeing anyone. 

Tossing his duffel bag on the floor, he looked over the living room. No sign of life. 

“Mom?” He called out, knowing he wouldn’t hear his own mother calling back to him. Miles’ mother had been just as much a mother to him as his own, so it all slipped off his tongue with ease. 

“Dad?” He called out again as he kicked off one wet sneaker and then the other - still nothing. 

There was nothing in the kitchen either, as he walked on through. Vince even opened the fridge. Nothing. Whoever was there didn’t plan to stay long. 

His every footstep was quiet as he moved through the main floor and up to the spiral staircase that led up to the second story. There, he looked up and down the hall and didn’t notice a thing out of place. That was until he took a single step down and his bright eyes caught the familiar glint of the tarnished metal door handle in the sunlight. Peering up over the top step, he noticed every single door on the second floor was open, except for one. 

Samantha’s door. 

Little Sammy Fraser. Though she probably wasn’t so little anymore. He hadn’t seen her since St. Louis drafted him, and that was five years in the past now. She had been only thirteen then. And through Miles, she was the baby sister Vince had never wanted but would torment all the same. And after so long, it was due time he caused a little trouble again. 

Vince’s lips pulled back in a too-perfect troublemaker’s grin as he cracked his knuckles and took the quick steps onto the second-floor landing. It only took a single stride from the top of the stairs to reach for her door, his large hand gripping the cold handle and pushing it open without a single thought in his brain about why he shouldn’t. And then he saw the very reason he should have knocked. 

Samantha sat on the bed, once propped up against the pillows, she sat completely upright now. Her expression, mortified. Vince had caught her in nothing but a tight pair of denim shorts and a bright pink lace bra. The color alone would have been enough to make him stare. Her heavy cleavage - that he didn’t quite remember her having before - was the fixation of his stare. Even as she tried to cover herself with her arms, Vince’s gaze didn’t break. That was until he realized she wasn’t alone in the room. 

Beside the bed, half dressed though, Vince was sure that wasn’t always the case, was some lanky teenager. The guy couldn’t have been older than nineteen, his hair a mess, and his shirt lost somewhere in the room. It only took a second for Vince to conclude what was happening there, especially when he watched the panic on the kid’s face melt into relief when he realized that they had not been interrupted by her parents or Miles. 

“Who’s this?” the young man, if Vince would even call him that, questioned as he looked up from where he fastened his belt around his middle. 

It was a valid question. Vince wasn’t her brother, and he sure as hell wasn’t her parents catching them alone in her room. If it had been, the kid would have been as good as dead. Though, with Vince,  he still might be. 

“I could be asking you the same thing, dipshit,” Vince shouted back as he stepped into the room with no hesitation or regard for the fact that Samantha still sat nearly petrified on her bed. He didn’t dare look at her, not wanting to remind himself just what state of undress she was in. That was until he heard her broken words pierce the air. It drew his gaze up to her as he stepped towards the bed and fisted the young man’s t-shirt in his hand. Then, he threw it at him. 

“Vince don’t-” Samantha had said. 

Vince was quick to answer. “I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

But his firm words felt soft against his tongue. It felt swollen in his mouth at the sight of her sitting there on the bed, her blonde hair a mess that framed her features and hung over her bare shoulders. Vince held his breath, his eyes burning in their socket as he desperately fought to keep his eyes fixated on her face. On how her wide eyes were glassy with the threat of crying, and how her full bottom lips seemed to quiver. But he was but a man. A man with eyes that could clearly see all that tempted him. 

Samantha knelt on the bed, her shirt still lost. She was still bare from the waist up, except for the bright pink bra that he could only see glimpses of from behind her arms as she crossed them over her chest. It was her attempt at modesty, but it only emphasized her already eye-catching cleavage. The mere weight of her breast alone left the fabric looking flimsy as Vince’s bright eyes flickered over each swell. 

Vince had to choke out his next words. “Put a goddamn shirt on.”

In the time that Vince was staring, Sam’s guest had pulled on his shirt, but he had yet to make any attempt to leave. Vince’s skin went hot, his jaw going slack as his head leaned back on his shoulders. His shoulder rose and fell in a heavy sigh, and then as Sam groaned out his name in protest, Vince lurched at him. His hand fisted around the guy's shirt collar, his knuckles white as he tugged on the fabric and‌ pulled the lanky trespasser towards the bedroom door. 

Leaving Sam and her harsh words behind him, Vince moved back down the path he had come. Down the winding staircase, and through the kitchen before he came to the front door. The young man stumbled behind him. He tripped on the stairs and then his own feet, but Vince didn’t slow down. Vince would have dragged him all the way to the front door if he had to, and he only stopped when he came to the door. It was a brief pause, just long enough time to step into his sneakers before his free hand reached for the door handle and he stepped outside. 

The rain filled the gravel driveway with murky puddles that soaked into white socks as Vince shoved the uninvited guest out towards his car. He hadn’t given him the time to put on his own shoes, and for a moment Vince considered making him leave without shoes. It would have been a cruel thing, but only a small punishment for trying and failing to get into Samantha’s pants. But then, he would have to make up an explanation for the random, too-small pair of shoes to Miles. And he wasn’t going to rat on Sam. The embarrassment of him catching her would be punishment enough for her. 

Reaching back inside, Vince hooked his fingers around the shoes and tossed them out the door and into the driveway. It was a shame really, he had good taste, but it was satisfying all the same as he shouted, “If I see you around her again, I’ll kick your ass, kid.”

He scrambled for his shoes, but the rain had already soaked through his socks, and for a moment Vince met his eyes. They stood in the rain. Vince’s confident stare met the teenager’s terrified as they were both soaked by the downpour and then the man ran. He took off through a puddle with complete disregard for how wet he became and moved straight for the sedan, which Vince only saw now was some kind of Subaru. As he expected, the kid took off down the driveway like some kind of idiot and disappeared down the road before Samantha could reach the doorway behind him. 

“What the fuck? Vince!” was how she greeted him. 

Turning in place, Vince smiled, even if he knew he shouldn’t have. If she hadn’t been upset already, his smile was sure to do it as Vince turned in place to face her. 

Sam stood in the doorway, fully dressed now, which brought on a sigh of relief - even as she stepped out into the rain with him and placed both hands on his chest. She shoved him firmly, her soft features twisted into a scowl as the cold rain hit her. But she didn’t seem to care. She stood there, away from the cover of the awning, and let the rain soak her. Her straight blond hair began to kink and curl as it dampened, and her white linen blouse became damn near see-through as the rain sent it to cling to her curves. 

Again, Vince struggled not to stare. 

“I’m doing you a favour.”

“A favour? You just stranded me here!”

One of her arms reached out wide, gesturing to the now empty spot in the driveway, but Vince’s eyes fixated between her lips and her collarbone and glanced so subtly down to her breasts. 

“He was your ride, huh?”

“Ah yeah!” Her attitude only left him grinning further, and any guilt he might have gotten hearing he had gotten her stranded at the cabin with him and Miles for the weekend was gone. 

Vince took a step forward, his body nearly colliding with hers as he towered over her. He looked down, smirking as his dark, wet curls hung down into his eyes. “I’m your ride now.”

He watched as her hardened expression wavered. Sam was trying too hard to be tough. It was almost laughable. “You can’t just walk in here and-”

“And what?” He interjected, challenging Sam. It sent her face flushed with colour, but the rosiness of her cheeks paled with his next words. “You’re lucky it wasn’t your brother that found you.”

“Fuck,” her bright blue eyes shot open wide, “he’s on his way?”

“Should be here soon,” Vince spoke, his words kept their cockiness as one hand reached up to push back his wet curls, “he would have kicked that guy's ass, and you know it, Sammy.”

She could only nod as they stood there, so wet that the rain no longer phased them. Sam was stubborn and always had been. She was not ready to concede to him. And Vince? He liked to stir up trouble, even with his best friend’s sister.

“What were you thinking coming here with a guy like that?”

“Guy like that?” Sam scoffed in return, offended. 

The pout that took her features brought Vince to laughter. She couldn’t be serious, right? It was clear just by the car he drove and the shoes he wore, what kind of guy he was. Someone who was superficial, materialistic even, and put the thrill of his ride before the safety of his passenger. Vince didn’t like it, and Sam, well, she didn’t like what Vince was implying. That was clear in how her arms came up to cross over her chest. He knew it was something she did to show him just how unimpressed she was with him, but all Vince could focus on was her breasts. He could see them through her shirt. From the bright pink lace to each swell and the cleavage in between. 

“Believe me, I know the type,” Vince told her, his voice firm as he looked down at her. 

Her cheeks had flushed a brilliant shade of pink as embarrassment consumed her, and silence hung between them. Vince didn’t need her to say it to know that he was right, and she didn’t want to tell him. His smile only grew as they stood there, getting drenched by the rain. 

“That’s why you had him drive you all the way out here, didn’t you?” Vince had a bit of a laugh in his words. “So the guy could get in your pants without your parents getting in the way. I’d say I’m sorry, princess, but as I said, I did you a favour. The guy couldn’t find the clit if you drew him a map.”

Those should have been the words that ended the conversation. That brought Samantha to the silence of her shame and embarrassment and left Vince with a cocky smile as he took his stride towards the front door. Towards dryness and warmth. 

But Samantha was quick to stop him in his tracks with a soft scoff. “As if you could do any better.”

It’s a weak, unexpected jab that left Vince laughing in the door frame. “Damn right, I could.” 

Vince would never admit it, not to Sam and not to anyone, but he had taken more women to bed than he would ever want his mother to find out about. He couldn’t define what a serious relationship was because any attempt at a relationship he had didn’t last more than a series of late-night fucks. But that left him well-practiced and confident in his abilities in the bedroom. 

He had no doubt in his mind that he could leave Samantha satisfied, but the thought alone should have been enough to leave him choking. He had never thought about her like that before - well, before now. 

There would be no ridding his mind of the vision of her back in her bed with her body so freely accessible to his gaze. And now, as they took in the rain so completely soaked that her clothes clung to every curve of her body. 

It should have left him feeling dirty. Samantha was Miles’ baby sister. His best friend’s baby sister. But she wanted so desperately to be fucked. Vince could hear it in her strained words as she challenged him, and in her stare as she held his, her wide blue eyes glassy and hopeless. She was practically asking her to fuck him with so few words, and he was so close to caving. 

Vince cussed under his breath as he reached out to her, a single hand finding her back and pressing against it firmly. “Get in the house,” he told her and let the gentle guidance of his touch usher her back inside the cabin and out of the rain. 

Together they stood in the narrow entryway, so close he could feel her warmth cut through the cold air as he reached into his back pocket for his phone. While he dialled, he held her gaze, silently telling her that their conversation wasn’t over. Then he brought his phone up to his ear, and her face fell. “Hey buddy, I just arrived. How far out are you?”

He was talking to her brother.

Sam inched closer to him, her expression soft as she tried to make out what her brother was saying, but Vince only let her hear what he wanted her to hear. 

“You haven’t left yet?” His brow raised up as he looked at Samantha, her panic only growing as he spoke. “Nah, it’s all good. You’ll never guess who’s here…” 

Vince has to look away as he trails off. It’s the only way to keep himself from smiling. His eyes fixated on the window, watching as the raindrops fell over the cold glass as he answered, “Yeah, your sister.”

The mere mention of her left Sam lurching for his arm. Both of her hands found one of his forearms, clutching to him with her desperation and drawing his gaze from the rain and back to her face. She didn’t have to say a single word. Her eyes did all the pleading for her. Still wide, still glassy, but begging. Begging him not to tell Miles what he had caught her doing up in her room. And he wouldn’t, Vince liked the leverage. 

“One of her friends dropped her off,” he paused, listening to Miles as he listed off some of her friends' names as if it mattered who left her there, “yeah, that’s the one. She’ll keep me out of trouble until you get here.”

Or they would get into some trouble of their own. That fate still was yet to be determined. 

His thumb stroked over the screen of his phone, ending the call and sending it to darkness before he placed it face down on a nearby console table. Vince thought the simple action would get him off the hook, that Sam would back off and let her guard down, relieved that he didn’t let her little secret slip, but she remained, her hands on his forearm as they stood in the entryway. 

“He’s going to be a few hours,” Vince told her. 

And her brow raised up with her sweet and simple, “So?”

“So,” he hesitated for a moment, his tongue dragging over his lower lip. His body rocked with a careful sigh, unsure if he should entertain the dangerous temptations in his mind, but he did it anyway. “So, you want to lose your virginity as desperately as I think you do?”

Her hands fell from him, her jaw slacked, “I’m not-”

“Don’t fucking lie to me,” Vince interrupted her firmly, his cold eyes hardening, “Couldn’t get it done on prom night, so you sneak out here the summer before college just to get it out of the way? I got that little fantasy, right?”

Samantha’s face faded free of any expression, shock consuming her. And Vince can only smile. Fuck, he loved being right.

But Sam didn’t answer him, so he pressured her further. “So you don’t go in all prudish and innocent?”

“Vince,” she spoke his name so slowly, so meekly, it gave him goosebumps. 

“Did you even bring condoms?”

She paled. 

And he laughed. 

Of course, she hadn’t come prepared. 

With a careful tug, Vince was out of her grasp and moving towards his bag that he had discarded on the floor. He had only packed enough for the long weekend, but what he searched for, he kept buried at the bottom. It was half empty, crushed by the weight of his belongings, a box of condoms. Vince always carried some with him, let it be in his car, in his bag or in his pocket. He was always prepared. Unlike Sam, who watched him from her place in the entryway as she chewed at her bottom lip. 

At the sight of them, her eyes lit up like he had some sort of prize in his hands. Any worry she had seemed to fade with her offering, a thank you on the tip of her tongue as she reached out for the box, only for Vince to tug it just out of her reach with a smile of his own.

“I’ll give them to you, on one condition,” he told her, only for her brow to raise in a silent question. He answered, “I’m the one who fucks you this weekend. Not that idiot kid, not some lifeguard, me.”

Vince didn’t know what to expect when he had made the proposition, but he hadn’t been expecting for her to take a step towards him, a cocky little smile on her own lips. He was struggling to accept that she may not be the timid teenager he remembered. Samantha was very much all grown up now, and she knew exactly what he wanted from her now. 

“And what makes you think I’d want it to be you?” Sam’s question was slow as her large blue eyes looked up at him through thick lashes. 

And Vince laughed. 

It was a low rumbling as he smirked and cocked his head to the side slowly. “You wanted it to be him?” His arm raised lazily, gesturing to the door that he had forced her little friend through.

They both fell into silence, their smiles small and their stares unbroken until she backed off and moved for the spiral staircase to begin her ascent. 

“I’ll take that as a no?” His words are a question, not a statement that had her freezing halfway up the staircase to look back at him as he remained in the entryway. 

Her smile remained small, a cocky troublemaker’s grin that told Vince that he just might have gotten himself in over his head with her and her words only confirmed that for him. “It’s an; I’m thinking about it.”

It rained all day, and into the night, trapping Vince inside the cabin, awaiting an answer to the proposition that hung too heavily in the air. The longer he had to wait, the more conflicted he felt - the more stupid he felt. He should have never put Sam in this position. He should have never, so bluntly, asked to fuck her. Yet, she was considering it. Considering him. She was interested, maybe only a little or greatly, and it was a weight that hung over him as he lounged in the living room and waited for the rain to pass. For an answer. For Miles to arrive. 

Miles arrived before the rain could stop, and before he could receive an answer from Sam. She had remained up in her room, hidden away until her brother arrived. Vince almost wished she had stayed there. Seeing her in her little shorts that were made more for sleeping than covering anything up and her sweatshirt left him near choking on the fact that their window to do anything had closed. 

Vince wasn’t all that mad about that fact. It would save him the headache of having to deal with the consequences later. But that didn’t mean the idea of it all didn’t linger. Samantha’s exposed body was all he could think about when she was in the room, even if she had covered herself up. The worst part was what she did with the knowledge of him wanting to fuck her. When she could have told her brother about the pass he had made on her, she withheld it from him. Much like Vince, it gave her leverage. 

If he told Miles about the guy he had caught her with, she would tell him that Vince was all too willing to take on the responsibility of taking her virginity himself. So they both remained tight-lipped and casual, but Sam teased him. 

Every playful glance she gave him, every moment her hands had been so casually placed on him, stewed in the back of his mind and his needs were desperately close to boiling over. The thoughts left him tossing and turning in bed at night. The rain was gone, and the hollow sound of the drops hitting the window couldn’t drive each forbidden thought from him. They couldn’t drown away the thought of what it might feel like to touch the smooth skin of her waist, or what she might sound like when he made her cum. They were thoughts that ran rampant, leaving his body shimmering with sweat and his cock raging so hard it ached. 

Vince needed a distraction, and he found it out on the back porch where the silver moonlight glistened off the lake water in the distance and the cold autumn air that threatened the last few days of summer left him shivering. Any other night, he would have retreated inside, but he needed the chill. It raised goosebumps over the flesh of his arms and his chest as he stood, leaning against the porch railing, in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. And while it was cold and uncomfortable, it calmed him. 

The crest of the water against the shore freed his mind, and the ache slowly faded. It all lulled Vince into thinking that he just might get to go back up to his room. That he might just be able to get some sleep. 

That was until he heard the open and shut of the flimsy screen door behind him. A heavy sigh shook his shoulders, and for a moment he thought he might just see his breath in the air as he let it go. Then he let himself look back, hoping to find Miles, but the sight of Samantha was what greeted him. He almost cursed and knew he should have gone back inside at that moment and left her alone. But his eyes fixated on the hem of her oversized sweater and how it crept up the skin of her thigh with each stride. It left him convinced she was wearing nothing else and forced him to look back out over the lawn and down to the lake water that he suddenly felt like he was drowning in. 

“Sneaking out?” Vince asked, his brow raised up even though he wasn’t looking up at Sam for her to see it. 

“I just wanted to get some air,” Sam answered him simply, and while he didn’t look at her as she spoke, he felt her warmth as she leaned up against the railing beside him, “can’t sleep.”

“Yeah, me either,” Vince sighed and reached a hand up to knot in his curls. 

“Got a lot on your mind?” Her sweet question left a smile on Vince’s lips. 

She didn’t even know the half of it, and he knew better than to indulge her. It would only get them both into trouble. 

“Something like that,” Vince sighed, his head turning to give her a quick glance. 

He regretted it in an instant. Samantha was petite, standing there at his side. He towered over her by seven inches still - maybe more. And while her hooded sweatshirt consumed much of her, there was no stopping his eyes from dragging down the angles of her legs and back up again The simple movement of resting her chin on her arms raised the sweater up inches on her body, the hem resting on the curve of her ass and confirmed that she was wearing nothing else but a pretty pair of panties. 

Vince cleared his throat. 

“You really should put some clothes on if you’re going to be prancing around here.”

“Prancing?” Sam asked him, her words sweet as she cocked her head to the side. She seemed so innocent, so naïve, but she knew exactly what she was doing. 

Toying with Vince. 

Tempting him. 

“I’ve seen that little hop in your step since our little conversation earlier-”

“Oh, have you?” Sam cut in, “Maybe I’ve always had that little hop in my step. You’ve just never cared enough to notice.”

“Of course, I care,” Vince’s eyes rolled as he stepped in closer to her, sighing under the feeling of her warmth as he was so close to touching her body as he had wanted to all night, “that’s why I never let myself notice.”

“So what changed?” Sam asked him slowly, leaning in and looking up. 

She looked so pretty there in the moonlight. The pale silver light illuminated all of her features, and for a moment Vince found himself distracted, staring. Samantha’s skin had been kissed by summer, giving her this warmth that Vince wanted to lean into. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, so bright beneath stray blond locks that the breeze tossed into her face. And her lips, so pink, pouted and kissable, he was one mere temptation away from taking her face in both hands and drawing her in for a self-indulgent kiss that would answer so many of the questions that plagued her. 

But his silence didn’t lure her in. It left her fumbling with the sleeves of her sweater as she sought any semblance of clarification. “I mean, I know why you wouldn’t have before, but I’m still my brother’s baby sister…”

That would never change. 

Samantha would always be Miles’ baby sister. 5 years younger than both of them. The kid they were stuck babysitting for years - but she wasn’t a kid anymore. And he couldn’t offer her a more complicated answer, even though he wished he could. This wasn’t some love story of a lifetime in the making. This wasn’t some kind of connection he had felt for years, just waiting for the right moment to act on it. 

No, this was primal. Selfish. 

When Vince had found her in her bedroom, so vulnerable and leaving so little to the imagination, she showed him almost all of what she could offer him. That enough was enough to catch his attention, to plant that nagging thought of wanting to take her to bed. Then he learned she was still untouched. A virgin. And it only made her more desirable. 

All he could think about was her tits, and now her ass as it peeked out from what little coverage her cotton panties and her sweatshirt concealed from him. It leaves his mouth dry, his tongue licking over his lips to moisten them. 

Then, he doesn’t answer his question and instead asks one of his own. 

“Aren’t you cold?”

Samantha narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re dodging my question.”

He nodded. She wasn’t wrong. But his mind was clouded, focused on her body, not her words, and he didn’t think he could string together an answer she deserved, never mind an answer she would want to hear. 

“I respect your brother, but-”

“But?” Sam interjected, and she inched so close to him he had to shut his eyes to keep himself from temptation. 

A low groan vibrated through him, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose, knowing all too well he might regret what he was about to say. “Your first time should be something special.” 

Her scoff was just short of a laugh and left Dunn’s stomach heavy. He was right. He regretted saying that. 

“Your ego is, wow-” He could hear the smile in her voice as he let his eyes open to take in the darkness. Vince watched her as she stepped away from him and the railing and spun around as if her laughter was sweet music. When her feet stilled, Samantha leaned up against the screen door. It was then she spoke again, a smile in her words, “What makes you so special, Vince?”

“I know what I’m doing-”

She barely let him answer before she laughed again. Mocking him. 

“Do you? On whose word, your own?”

Vince’s jaw set as he turned to face her fully, his eyes dragging over her features that were alight with amusement. She was playing a little game with him, and he was letting her. 

“You want testimonials?”

“I don’t need to hear shit from the bunnies you fuck.”

There was a bit of harshness in her words, and Vince couldn’t tell if it was judgment or jealousy because she wasn’t wrong. Vince couldn’t even count the women he fucked since being drafted in 2015. Hell, even before that, he had developed a reputation for sleeping around. From the OHL to the AHL and the 3 seasons in the NHL that included a Stanley Cup Win - Vince had many options when it came to which women he took to bed. He had one in every city he played in and knew that the moment he sent that all too typical “you up?” text, they would be catching a cab to his hotel room. Because he was just that good in bed. 

“Sounds like you’re jealous.” His words were a baseless accusation, but they challenged her in a way that left her confidence wavering for a moment before she found her words again. 

“Jealous? No,” she hummed, her chin tilted up so she could meet his eyes. Samantha didn’t shy away from him, and Vince both loved and hated that. Part of him wanted her to be meek, to both accept the imminent collapse that would be her in his bed or go to the opposite extreme and reject him so harshly that he never contemplated the thought of being between her thighs again. Yet, she continued to toy with him just as he toyed with her. 

“But I know you. I’ve known you for a long time. You’re hot, don’t get me wrong. But you’re also filthy rich. An athlete. I’d fake it too if that meant I might get a piece of that life. Fuck, some might just do it for the bragging right alone,” there was a humour in her voice, one that dropped into a low hum as her lips curled with her next words, “but I’d bet you couldn’t find the clit if I drew you a map.”

It was Vince who laughed as he took his lazy strides away from the porch railing. Bare feet stepped over wet wood, the chill coursing up the length of his now heated body. He felt on the verge of sweating as he came to stand toe to toe with Samantha, towering over her and trapping her with her back against the door. As if he could risk getting any closer to her, he took in a steady inhale as he braced himself against the screen door, giving her nowhere to run. 

He stared down at her, and her up at him as they stood in silence. The only sound around them was the water of the lake in the distance crashing against the rocks on the shore and the trickle of water down the eavestrough as the remnants of the rain slowly faded into the night. Then, so faintly, yet so loudly in his ears, he heard Samantha take a quivering breath. 

He was so close to her, and her to him, that he could feel the night’s chill on her body, and he was sure that she could feel every breath he took on her cheeks as he stared down at her. 

“Let me warm you up a bit?”

Full pink lips parted to speak, but she found no words. His mere proximity had rendered her to silence, and he hadn’t even touched her yet. Samantha could only nod as she looked up at him, her hands fisting the too-long sleeves of her sweatshirt. 

If he had wanted to be cruel, he would have pulled back and went up to bed. To leave her standing there until she realized just how close he was to kissing her, to touching her. He would have loved to tease her, leaving her craving his kiss on her lips when she was just a breath away from having it. But not even Vince could deny himself of just a simple pleasure when he had gone through the entirety of his day at the cabin thinking about it. 

Vince leaned in nice and slow, almost waiting for Samantha to speak a single word. To tell him to stop before he could even taste her, but that moment never came. Instead, he watched as her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted in a subtle breath as she welcomed the caution of his kiss. Her lips were smooth against his own, so soft and plush that Vince’s hand which had lain flat against the door gripped into a fist. Samantha returned his kiss, easing his cautions, and what little restraint he had was quickly dwindling. 

His tongue ventured out through parted lips, coaxing her lips into parting and giving himself a taste of her. Vince’s tongue stroked against her own, and he heard the softest of moans as she let it slip into his mouth. She tasted sweet, like strawberries, and was only beginning to ease the hunger that consumed him. 

It was a hunger that had him throwing all caution away now that he had gotten a taste of her. His body pressed firm into her while one hand remained up above her against the door. His other hand explored. It found the curve of her waist, craving so desperately to travel upwards to grope at her breast, but Vince’s touch travelled down. Down along the curve of her waist and over the swell of her lip before stroking over the skin of her exposed thigh and settling between her legs. 

Samantha quivered as her breath hitched. Vince’s fingers had stroked over the thin cotton of her panties and dipped down just low enough to rest just over her clit. Then his hand stilled, and his kiss halted. Vince just stood there, his fingers a ghost of his touch over her clit without giving her the satisfaction of pressing into it. 

Vince just wanted her to know that he knew exactly where it was. 

Drawing back slowly, Vince smirked down at Samantha, who looked to be on the verge of collapsing if it wasn’t for the support of the screen door against her back. 

“You should go back up to bed before we do something stupid,” Vince tells her slowly, and she still can only nod. 

She took a moment to find her composure there against the door before she fixed her sweater and pushed off of it. She didn’t have to go far, taking only a mere step before she turned around and pulled it open to let herself inside. But he wasn’t following her, and it left her lingering in the doorway as she spoke. “You’re not coming?”

“I’m going to need a minute,” Vince admitted, stepping back to lean against the porch. The moonlight caught him just right and cast the shadow of his own erection against his thigh. He didn’t hide it. He wanted her to look. To see the effect she had on him, and what he can offer her in return. 

And she noticed. It was clear in how red her cheeks became, and how quick she was to look away when he caught her admiring the outline of his cock. Samantha’s hair fell down into her face in a golden curtain that hid her bashful smile as she retreated through the door with nothing more than a simple, “goodnight”. 

It shut hollowly behind her, leaving Vince to stand on his own. He welcomed the breeze, and he welcomed the quiet, but calm did not come as easily. Vince has to fight off every corrupt thought, the feeling of her skin that lingered on his fingertips and the taste of her on his tongue. The mere essence of her remained with him even after the night’s cold shocked Vince back into a calm, and as he returned inside. Samantha was a lingering thought as he moved through the main level, up the spiral staircase, and when he stopped just outside her door. 

His eyes dragged up and down the door frame, fixating on the tarnished handle as he stepped a little closer, his hand outstretched, only for it to ball into a fist before he could take it in his hold. He shouldn’t. He couldn’t. And he sighed as he took a step back and retreated into his room for a restless night of sleep.

Come morning, Vince did what he should have done since he caught Samantha in her room. He kept his distance. After a restless night, he woke up with the sun. It was barely cresting over the horizon when he had pulled on his sneakers and went for a run through the familiar trails that wound through the trees that surrounded the cabin. When he returned, Sam and Miles were both making breakfast. And while his stomach growled with hunger, he made his excuses and disappeared into the bathroom for a quick, cold shower. It was only when the kitchen was clear; that he stood at the counter and ate breakfast alone. Strawberries, eggs, and toast. The strawberries were all that remained on his plate when he was done, knowing he could not last a day where the taste of them lingered on his tongue. 

Then Vince spent his day away from the cabin, out on the water. Unlike the day before when the rain left it feeling more like autumn than the last long weekend of summer, the sun was out in full force before noon. He enjoyed every moment of its warm embrace as he whipped around the lake on the back of a jet ski. 

Out on the lake, it was just him and Miles. The perfect distraction from the temptations that waited for him back at the cabin. But it didn’t keep his mind from wandering, wondering. When the warmth of the sun met the chill of the water and didn’t shock him, Vince thought about Samantha. About what happened the night before, and what she might be doing. He hadn’t seen her since he had given her the cold shoulder at breakfast, but it didn’t stop him from hoping that she was staying out of trouble. 

Vince got his answer when he pulled up at the dock behind Miles just after noon. Samantha was down by the edge of the water, her body glistening with water as she climbed out from a swim. Even from a distance, he could see how it glimmered like glitter as it travelled down her curves as she made no effort to dry off. She had pulled her hair up in a claw lip, giving him a better view of her body than she had unintentionally given him the day before. And her blue and white gingham bikini was too tiny, leaving very little to the imagination. She might as well have been standing in front of him naked. 

Vince had to bite his tongue as he threw his life jacket down on the dock. He wanted to desperately to tell her to go inside, to put some clothes on, but he couldn’t give any suggestion that his view of her had changed. Vince needed to be unbothered, even if the mere sight of her made his skin crawl in the best of ways. Especially as Miles led the way back up to the cabin. 

With his eyes fixated on the ground, Vince followed Miles’ path with no guidance beyond watching his ankles. It was the only way he could keep himself from staring at Samantha as they walked up the dock - but the moment Miles called out to his sister, Vince’s eyes strayed from his hollow steps on the dock and found their way back to Samantha. 

She had settled back in a lounge chair at the edge of the water, her petite body sprawled out in a way that almost looked staged. Like she was waiting for someone to take her picture. Sam wanted him to look at her. And in her hands, she held a book. Not that Vince cared to notice it as his eyes dragged up the length of her legs. It was her brother who made him aware of it in the cradle of her hold. 

“Good book?” Miles’ words were simple as he approached his sister, Vince following in his shadow. 

“Very. I’m almost done,” Samantha held up her book with one hand, and let the other fall on her sunglasses to push them back up into her hair, “just started today.”

“You’ve been out there that long?” Miles asked, and Vince almost groaned. He just wanted to get back in the house, but he wasn’t about to push past Miles to do it. 

It would beg too many questions if he didn’t loiter. If he didn’t wait for the two siblings to finish whatever mundane conversation they were having. 

“Yeah,” her answer was slow as she looked past her book, and to her brother and for a moment Vince was sure her eyes flickered to him. Just to make sure he was looking. And he was. So shamefully, he was. 

“Did you put on sunscreen?” Miles' question left both Vince and Samantha groaning, and he could only hope that Miles didn’t notice. 

“Of course,” Sam sat up, almost offended by the accusation, and her breast seemed to bounce at the motion. Testing the flimsy hold of her bikini and catching the stare of his eyes as they settled. 

“Recently?”

“You sound just like mom,” Sam tossed back at Miles and set her book down on the chair beside her and she reached for her sunscreen. 

It was the end of her conversation with her brother, sending him up the path back up to the house. And Vince moved after him, but Samantha wasn’t done with him yet. 

“Vince, hey,” she called out to him, stilling his steps and drawing his gaze back to her as she sat in her chair, “can you help me get my back?”

Sam wore a devilish smile on her lips as she held out the sunscreen to him, wiggling it silently as if her body alone wasn’t enough to entice him. 

“Sammy,” Vince sighed, his jaw slack as his eyes rolled. 

She shouldn’t be asking him to do these things, but she knew that. 

And he should have said no and gone back up to the house with Miles, but he couldn’t. She knew that too. 

“Please,” she pouted her bottom lip out at him, and it had him backtracking. 

The smile Sam gave him was one of triumph as he took the sunscreen from her hand and sat down on the chair next to her. He kept his eyes fixated on the bottle and the lotion as he squeezed it out into the palm of his hand. It was all he could do to keep himself from staring, but he regretted it the moment he looked up. 

While he had been distracting himself, Samantha had reached back with both hands and unknotted the back of her strapless bikini. Vince had looked up just in time to watch as the wet bathing suit fell away and he panicked. 

With one hand full of sunscreen, he dropped the bottle that he held in the other and reached out to her. It was a reflex that fried his every thought process. One moment, he was telling himself he needed to stop the fabric from falling away from her body. He needed to stop Samantha from exposing her breasts. And the next, he froze, mere inches from her body at the realization that if he stopped that fabric from falling, he would have a hand full of her breast. 

His hand flexed as he flinched back, his eyes narrowing as the fabric fell, but her arms came up to cradle her breast in her hold. He wanted to curse at her, to shout for being so reckless, but he didn’t want to draw in any unnecessary attention. 

Vince could only sigh. 

“Jesus, Sammy. What are you doing?”

Her smile was unwavering as she sat there facing him so confidently with her smile. Not even the risk of her own breast spilling over the hold of her arms had her shying away from him as she innocently answered, “What? I don’t want to get tan lines!”

And he almost believed her. Almost. 

If it weren’t for the testing twinkle in her eyes, he would have thought it was an innocent thing. But paired with her little smirk, Vince knew she was teasing him. 

He watched as she turned in place so that her back was to him. A heavy breath caught in his chest when he thought she might have to reach a hand up to hold her hair away from her back before his eyes flicked up to the clip that held her hair in place. The clip alone helped put him a little at ease, even if his body was rigid as he reached out to spread the lotion over the flesh of her back. His hand moved in gentle strokes as his eyes looked up at the cabin to ensure her brother had gone inside before he let his eyes return to her. 

Before he could see it, Vince could feel Sam’s reaction to his touch. She was melting beneath his fingers, her shoulders falling forward and her head lulling back on her shoulders. Vince watched as the tension of her muscles disappeared and he smirked as she leaned back into the caress of his hands. 

“I think you’re just making up excuses for me to touch you,” his words were a low growl as he leaned in to mutter them in her ear. There was a long moment of silence that fell between them, and he waited for her to deny it, but she didn’t. “You like how my hands feel on your body?”

His words hit her in a breath, and she refused to answer him with words. But her body was all he needed to know about the effect he was having on her. He noticed how her toes flex in anticipation, and how her hips angled her pelvis down. Vince couldn’t see what exactly Sam had angled herself into, but he was sure she was one touch away from grinding against the lounge chair. 

“My offer still stands,” Vince told her as his hands settled on the curve of her waist and gripped her flesh carefully. It’s a touch that leaves her glancing over her shoulder at him, her face-framing strands falling into her eyes as she bites at her lower lip. 

There was no more wonder. No more contemplation. She wanted him and Vince could only wish that he could take her right then and there, but it was too risky. Too stupid. 

“Tonight?” she offered in a quiet yelp as Vince guided her hips in a careful roll that sent her cunt grinding against the lounge chair. 

“No, we can’t do it here, not with your brother around,” Vince sighed, leaning forward to place a careful, reassuring kiss on her shoulder, “I have an idea, but you’re going to have to follow my lead. Okay?”

“Yeah,” Sam nodded, “okay.”

With her answer, Vince left her there, out on the lawn in the embrace of the sun, and didn’t see her again until dinner. 

The three of them sat around the small dining table, the sound of forks scraping against glassware filling the silence between mouthfuls and casual conversation. It was with them, all together, that Vince could put his attempt of a plan into motion. 

“Hey, man,” Vince nodded to Miles across the table casually, “can I take your truck into town in the morning? Early. I just want to grab a few things, and I don’t think my car will handle the back roads.”

His eyes glanced over at Sam as he spoke. This is it, princess, he thought as she watched her straighten up in her seat, her fingers toying with the drawstring on her sweatshirt hood. 

“Yeah, go for it,” was the answer Vince expected, and the one that Miles gave to him. 

“Thanks man, I-”

“Vince,” Sam cut in, and Vince had to try not to smile. “Do you mind if I tag along? I, ah, I need a few things.” The way she emphasized the word, things didn’t leave room for Vince or Miles to question it. 

All Vince needed to do was accept, and he did it with a look of annoyance to hide the satisfaction that had him melting back into his seat. “Yeah, that’s fine. Just be up on time or I’m leaving without you-”

On the cold morning, the truck’s windows were fogged, and the cab left chilled even as the motor ran. Vince’s stiff, tired fingers toyed with the dials of the air conditioning that was left on. He was quick to turn it off, replacing the cool air with a gust of warmth that left him leaning back in the driver’s seat. Beside him, resting on the bench seat, was a pile of heavy blankets and on top of them was the box of condoms. He couldn’t hide the crooked smile that consumed him at the sight of the tattered cardboard as his head leaned back against the headrest. He had waited all weekend to get to use them. His original intention was to pick up some random, desperate woman from the beach, but his plans quickly changed because of Samantha. And while it left a heavy feeling in his gut, his cock was already half-hard just waiting for her. 

Watching through a patch in the window that he had wiped clear of the fog with his fist, Vince waited. For how long, he didn’t really know, but it was long enough that doubt crept in. His hot breath mixed with the cold air, and would fog up the window once and then again as he watched the front door. There was no sign of life. No light. No movement. No Samantha. 

Eyes dropped to the bright, blue-green glow of the digital clock. It was still early. Earlier than he told her, but even he got nervous when the stakes were high. The minutes ticked by and Vince began making excuses as to why he didn’t make it into town after all for when Samantha didn’t join him - but then the front door opened and a wave of relief hit him. 

Samantha left the house as if her brother didn’t know that the two of them had plans to run into town. Her every moment was slow, deliberate and careful, and she had the hood of her zip-up sweatshirt pulled up over her head as if she needed to conceal who she was. It left Vince chuckling as she climbed into the seat next to him, her blonde hair framing her face and the bright blue of her eyes as she looked at him. 

“What?” she asked him slowly, a weakness in her voice that sounded more like insecurity than sleepiness. 

“It’s nothing,” Vince assured her slowly, his hand reaching up to throw the truck into reverse before Sam could put her seatbelt on, “you’re just a dork. Sneaking out like that. Your brother knows we’re going out.”

“Yeah,” she breathed out, her hands reaching up to push her hood back, “right.”

Together, they sat in the truck cab in silence as they drove down the road. The fog beaded into drops of moisture, streaking down the windows as the heat cleared it away. On the horizon the sun was only just rising, flooding the dark skies with the many shades of sunrise. It was a beautiful sight, even with heavy tired eyes, even if they wouldn’t be able to see it for long as he turned down a back road that was smothered by the overgrowth of towering trees. 

Thin branches reached out over the narrow road, their baring branches hitting and scratching at the truck as it passed. The tires kicked up the dirt, and even while he slowed, it left a dust cloud in their wake. It wasn’t an unfamiliar road. Miles’ dad had taken them all fishing when they were kids, just beyond the dead end. Where the road met thick brush, and beyond it the water. But the paths once taken had long since grown over, and there were no other vehicles parked along the edge of the road. There would be no one to interrupt them for now, but Vince knew they would have to be vigilant. 

“Alright, get in the back,” Vince broke the silence, his hand reaching out for the pile of blankets. 

He tucked them under his arm, and in his hand, he carried the box of condoms in his firm grip as he slid out of the driver’s seat and rounded back to climb into the truck bed. The truck bed was cold and it wouldn’t be the most comfortable of things for her, but Vince was going to do his best. Tossing the condoms down, he unfolded one blanket and laid it out, then another. The third he would use to keep them warm. 

Samantha stood at the end of the bed, watching him with curious eyes before letting herself climb up into the bed with him. He watched her as she crawled up the length of it. Her black leggings hugged her body with each movement, right down to her chunky white sneakers on her feet. She looked like she was going for a run more than she looked to be going to a dick appointment. But she was comfortable as she sat down at his side - a little nervous, but comfortable all the same and it left Vince smiling. 

“Come ‘here,” he coaxed her as he reached across the little space between them for her hand. 

He held it carefully in his hold, giving it a careful tug to draw her in close, only to drop it when she was near enough to place his hands on her hips. His hold on her was gentle, his thumbs stroking over the swell of her hipbone as he guided her down to straddle his hips. Vince could feel her warmth on every side of him, bleeding through the thick fabric of his black hooded sweatshirt and his grey sweatpants as they warmed between her thighs. With her there, he took a moment to admire her, his bright eyes flickering over her softened features. She was doing a good job of hiding her nerves, but he could still see it there in her eyes, as she couldn’t quite meet his own. 

When he spoke, his hand moving up and down over her thighs in a soft stroke as he did so, he only made it worse. “Alright, Sammy, tell me what I’m working with.”

Her gaze shifted from where they seemed to stare at his lips to the trees beyond as she chewed at her bottom lip, “I, um.”

She was hesitating. Unsure of what exactly he was asking, or too nervous to tell him the dirty little details he didn’t know, he encouraged her all the same. “How far have you gone before?”

Sam blushed, her eyes coming to find his face again, and only for a moment did he meet his eyes. “Over the clothes.”

“And what do you do when you’re by yourself?”

“Vince!” His name was soft on her tongue, her eyes wide as her mouth full agape. She hadn’t been expecting him to ask her that. 

“Hey,” he met her, his own voice dropping to her softness as he reached his hand up to caress her cheek, “You don’t have to worry with me, okay? I’m not here to judge you,” she relaxed into his touch, a heavy sigh rocking her body, “and if I’m going to fuck you, Princess, I want to know what you like and what you’re going to be able to handle-”

Her insecurity broke, her lips spaying into a confident smile as she leaned in to challenge him. “I can handle anything you give me.”

There she was. The Samantha that was so eager to toy with him. 

“Humour me then?” His head cocked as his hand left her cheek and traced the outline of her curves. It ghosted over the swell of her breasts, and his hand hesitated there for a moment. Vince craved to grope a handful, but his touch travelled over her waist and settled on her hips once more. He gripped them tight and guided them into their first gentle roll over his cock.

Sam’s eyes fluttered shut at the friction. Her lips parted in a silent gasp before she could bite down on her lower lip.  

“How often?” Vince asked. 

“Often,” was her simple, feeble response. 

A smile grew over Vince’s lips as she crumbled for him. He sat up from where he leaned against the back window of the truck and leaned in. She had found her rhythm, her lips rolling over his slowly, but not enough to tease him. She, much like him, was too eager to wait. Vince’s eyes shut as he fought off a groan of his own, his face finding the warmth of her neck just below her ear. It was there he kissed her, his hot breath warming her skin as he muttered, “Fingers or toys?”

“Fingers.”

His lips dragged over the smooth angle of her jaw in a slow kiss before he spoke again, “Clit or-”

“Vince-”

He kissed down her neck, his teeth grazing over her flesh as he tried to coax an answer from her. “Sam.”

She hesitated, and it had Vince leaning back to look up at her. No answer. No sex. 

Pouting in his lap, Sam let out an embarrassed huff. “You know the answer.”

“How many fingers?”

Her face was bright red, her skin so hot that Vince forgot that he had been cold. And while she hesitated, she answered him, “Two.” 

Vince’s hands left her hips and took hold of one of hers.  He drew it up so she could see it in front of her. There, his palm met hers and they compared how much bigger his hands and fingers were to hers. He let her stare, her eyes wide as her tongue stroked over her bottom lip. He knew exactly what she was thinking about at that moment without her needing to say a word. Vince had planted the very thought of wondering what his fingers would feel like as they plunged into her core. And he felt her shudder. 

“I’ll be gentle,” he promised, “but you have to promise me that if it becomes too much, or it hurts, you tell me to stop. Got that?”

Samantha nodded slowly, her teeth biting her lip before she let it fall with her words. “I promise.”

“Good girl,” he praised her, and she shuddered again. 

She liked praise. And he noted it. 

“So,” she hummed slowly, “where do we start?” Vince could only hush her as his hand reached up to stroke through her thick blond hair. His fingers toyed with her soft strands as he pushed them away from her face before they came to rest at the nape of her neck. With that hold, he guided her in and met her lips in a kiss. 

There was no caution between them. No hesitation as their lips fell into that same hunger that they had fought back on the porch during the night he had let his desire to fuck her swelter cloud every bit of her better judgement. Her tongue was in his mouth, her hands were in her hair. Tangled in each tendril as he held her head in his hands. Thumbs coaxed her carefully, guiding her mouth open further. The kiss became sloppy, saliva-coated chins and teeth clashed in the desperation of it all. And then his hands dropped. 

Samantha had maintained the careful roll of her hips over his raging cock, so she didn’t need his help there. Now, he got to explore. 

There was no stopping how his smile splayed over his lips as his hands found the swells of her breast and brushed over them in a feather-light touch. Vince had wanted to indulge himself in them from the very moment he had spotted her there in her bed, and now he was finally going to get the chance. A single hand found the zipper of her sweatshirt, and he pinched it between his thumb and forefinger before dragging it down. It took all of his willpower not to break the kiss and not to look down to see what she wore beneath her sweater. His hands got to do all the exploring as he pushed the sweater open, but not off of her. And he let out his first audible groan when he felt what was beneath. 

Samantha wore nothing but what felt like a lacey bralette beneath her sweater as the delicate fabric that dropped off to her smooth flesh greeted Vince’s fingertips. His hands moved blindly, stoking over soft skin and fingers hooked on the flimsy fabric that concealed her breasts and pulled it down. There was no holding back now, not as he could feel the heavy weight of them spill over the excuse of a hold that was the bralette. He needed to see them. 

Strong arms embraced Sam around her middle, coiling around her as Vince broke the kiss in a desperate gasp. So selfishly, he housed her up to sit just a little high on her hips so that the very swells of her cleavage were in his sight. His lips came together in a satisfied hum, his hands gripping at the bralette in both hands to fully rid her chest of it before taking a breast in each hand. Large hands kneaded at her flesh, groaning when Samantha’s breasts seemed to overflow from his hold. 

They weren’t better than he had imagined. So full, so soft, and so tempting to his mouth as Vince leaned in to place sloppy open-mouthed kisses over the swells of her breasts. Then his lips travelled down, his tongue lapping over a single pert nipple before he was taking it fully in his mouth. 

He wasn’t sure if it was the warmth of his mouth, or the stroke of his tongue that coaxed it out of her, but with his mouth consuming her breast, Samantha’s lips parted in a soft sweet gasp. It had Vince smiling against her flesh. But what he liked more was how her hands stoked up the back of his neck and found his curls. He could feel the gentle scratch of her manicured nails over his scalp as her fingers knitted and tugged carefully at his locks. It sent a hum of pleasure buzzing through him, one that had his hands drop to her hips to get a good grip on her. And then he flipped her, her breast falling from his mouth as her back hit the truck bed, and quaking with the impact. 

A heavy breath left him as his eyes fixated on her breast again, watching them bouse as they settled and a groan ripped up the back of his throat. Selfishly, he wanted to fuck them. To press them together with his hands and thrust his cock between them until he came. And he would unload all over them and watch it drip down over each swell. 

The thought alone made his cock throb. 

But that’s not why they were there - and he was done holding back. 

“You’ve got such a great body,” he complimented her in a rush of words that sounded more like one as his hands traced the curve of her waist and settled at the top of her tight black leggings.  

He gripped the fabric in his fists and tugged them down the length of her legs, only to hit her sneakers. Two kicks of her feet and they were gone, leaving her in her panties and her unzipped sweatshirt beneath him. Then, he reached up, pulling off his own sweatshirt, baring his chest to her, and shivering in the breeze. Vince’s mouth opened to apologize for the cold, but his words were unspoken as Samantha leaned forward, her lips kissing over the toned muscles of his abdomen. 

And he just smiled. 

That was the beauty of sex. It didn’t need to be learned or taught. It was all instinct. Once he had gotten her caught up in the moment, in the rush of the feeling, Samantha knew exactly what to do. Biting his lip, Vince’s head lulled back. He relished in the feeling of her sweet pink lips against his skin, and every breath that washed over him. But there was a risk in taking his take with her. At any moment, another truck could roll up, and he intended to get back to the house long before Miles woke up. 

Reaching out with one hand, he took hold of the third and final blanket while the other stroked back Samantha’s hair from her face. “Lay back, Princess.” 

She didn’t hesitate, and Vince positioned himself fully between her thighs. His hands made quick work of the blanket, draping it over his back and leaning in close so that it fell over them both to give them some semblance of warmth. Then his hands were on her body once more. He stroked down over her thighs before dipping down into the heat between them. The skin of Samantha’s inner thigh was so delicately soft that Vince was almost worried that the hardworking callouses on his palms might hurt her. But any thought of worry was gone the moment a single finger stroked over the damp fabric at the crotch of her panties. 

“You’re so nice and wet for me,” his words were a growl as his fingers settled on her clit. This time, he didn’t just tease her with the very knowing of where it was. Vince pressed into the sensitive nerves, stroking her slowly and coaxing her into a heavy breath and the careful buck of her hips. 

“Would you like me to take these pretty little panties off?” 

Nothing more than Samantha’s desperate nods met his question, and Vince didn’t make her wait. The careful rise of her hips helped him as his finger hooked along the thin fabric and dragged it down. She was already such a mess for him, and he’d barely touched her. Vince could see it in how her face softened for him and felt it against his fingers as he slipped her panties from her ankles and took them in his fist. He gripped them tight for a moment before he shoved them into the pocket of his sweatpants. 

As to not to lose them - or maybe to keep them as a souvenir. 

He smiled at the thought of getting to keep them. Of getting to bring them back to St Louis and keeping them in his own drawer. And it had fully consumed him as he leaned in close and let his hand settle between her legs again. Bare for him, he could feel everything. From her clit to the slickness of her core, he stroked her with a single finger. Gathering that sweet arousal around his index finger before he eased it into the tightness of her cunt. 

His thrust was slow, careful as he eased into her inch by inch until he was knuckle deep. 

“That’s it, princess,” he encouraged her in a hit whisper that washed over her face as she let out a silent moan, “doing so good for me, you want another?”

He met her eyes that seemed to flutter with every careful pump of his fingers, earning a sweet, “Yes, yes, Vince, please,” from her lips. 

“Ready?” he asked her, his words as slow and agonizing as his last thrust with his single finger. And before she could answer, his middle finger had joined in on the plunge, stealing her words and sending a moan into the air. 

Birds in the trees above flew in a flock from the treetops, startled by the noise. “Easy there, Princess, it might not just be me and you out here,” Vince cautions her, his eyes meeting hers and he feels her core flex around his fingers. “Oh?” his head cocked. “You like that? The idea of being caught? That someone could walk out of the trees or drive in from the main road and catch us here. My fingers knuckle deep in your pretty little pussy.”

Each word coaxed out a heavy breath, and her walls squeezed around his fingers in a warm embrace that left Vince salivating. He was so close to making her come already. And it was a good thing too. The tension between them over the last two days had left him on edge. Once he had her, he knew he wouldn’t last as long as he would like to with her. 

“You ready for my cock, princess?”

Samantha let out a weak hum and reached out her hands to tug at his sweatpants that already hung low on his hips. The tips of her fingers grazed over his flesh, tracing over the angles of his toned body as she brought them down just enough that his cock sprang free. Vince had half hoped to see a shocked expression take her features, but he wasn’t naïve enough to think his cock wasn’t the first she’d seen. He had been one or more unsolicited dick-pic away from that honor, but he was going to be the first of what really mattered. 

Vince reached out for the almost forgotten box of condoms, crushing the already battered cardboard in his hold as he fished for the foil package with two fingers. Securing it, he tossed the box aside again, spilling the contents in the truck bed, before ripping open the package and working the thin latex onto his cock. Choking back a groan at the stroke of his own hand, Vince asked, “You watch porn?”

She didn’t shy away from answering him now that her mind was dizzy with lust. “Yeah,”

“Forget everything you’ve ever watched for a second, and just enjoy the moment, the feeling.”

Vince had pressed the top of his cock to the narrow entrance of her core before he could finish speaking. The very pressure of the tip punctuated his words as it eased his way into the embrace of her walls. She was warm, warmer even as Vince leaned in to press his body flush against hers. All the morning cold seemed to disappear around him, the warmth of her body all so consuming as she entwined herself with his by body and limb. He could feel all of her, from how her feet dragged down the length of his lengths before hooking behind his knees to how one hand knitted in the curls of his hair while the other scratched and gripped at his back. But her hold on him, and the slow, steady and deep thrusts, were not enough to keep them anchored in place in the back of her brother’s truck. 

Reaching his hand out, Vince pressed it firmly against the cold glass window. The temperate sent a shock right through him. It was such an intense contrast to her warmth, to the pulse of her core around his cock with every one of his thrusts. He fucked her good and slow, kissing her slowly just to feel her sweet moans against his own lips as if he could taste them. And then her climax hit her, so hard he could feel every wave as it consumed her. Vince could feel her legs weaken and tremble, and her grasp on him only grew tighter, as she didn’t quite know yet how to handle the intensity of the pleasure he had brought her.

The pulling on his hair, the coaxing of her core and the squeeze of her legs around his tights brought his own soft groans as he fell into the chase of his own high. His every movement that followed was primal. The sound that left his lips uncontrollable as his thrusts hastened, and his cock twitched against her core’s insistent grasp. Pleasure strangled his final moan as his hips crashed into hers and Vince kept himself buried deep inside her cunt as he unloaded. It left him panting,  sweating, groaning, relieved as he had finally gotten what he had been craving the entire long weekend. 

Yet, he felt a sense of disappointment. He wished he could have been able to take his time with her. To really enjoy her and teach her a few things outside of being a pretty little pillow princess. 

“Fuck, I could have so much fun with you,” Vince told her in a low muttering that he was sure would become lost in the wind. And it was the truth. She had the perfect body, and Sam was still so impressionable in the bedroom. Vince wanted to be the one who walked her through all of it. To be the one who ruined every single other man for her. But she would be off to university in a few days, and he had to report to training camp. Even if he wanted her, there would be too great a distance between to satiate and desire that took him. 

Drawing out of her, Vince eased the condom from his cock and pulled his sweatpants up quickly. Fingers knotted up the end, and with little regret, he tossed it into the grass beside the road before he hunted down his clothes. The two of them moved around the truck bed, gathering their things and shrugging into their clothes in silence. That fact left worry hanging heavily in Vince’s stomach. By now, women would have complimented him on anything, everything, desperate to get inside his head after a hookup. But Sam had barely met his eyes as he stared at her breasts one last time before Sam zipped up her sweater.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she breathed out, coming to stand in front of him, but she didn’t offer another word to him. Instead, she leaned in and pressed up onto her toes to place a simple kiss on his cheek, “but you might have to help me down.”

“I can do that,” Vince grinned and made that his priority. 

He jumped down from the truck bed and reached his arms out to her. Hands settled on the curve of her waist and lifted her down with ease. But he didn’t stop there. Vince wrapped one arm around her and watched her with soft eyes and an amused smile as she walked to the passenger side on weak legs. Her strides had been slow and careful, and he had been the one who did that to her. 

“Get in. I’ll take care of the rest.” Vince helped her into the passenger’s seat before closing the door firmly behind her. 

Then, he made quick work of the mess they made in the truck bed. Vince folded the blankets in on one another, hiding the stray condom that had fallen out of the box, and any traces of sex they may have left behind. They ended up in more a ball than nicely folded, and he tossed into the backseat before Vince found his seat and started up the engine just as another truck pulled into the end of the road. 

The driver, an old man, his face thick with wrinkles and his smile friendly, so Vince rolled down the window and offered a friendly wave. 

“Any luck out there this morning?”

His mind was cloudy, stuck in a bit of a daze of his own, and left confused by the stranger’s question before he watched him reach into the back of his truck for an old fishing rod. 

“No, nothing for us, though we weren���t out long,” Vince upheld the friendly conversation as he reached his arm up to stretch over the back of the seat of the truck. He patted the soft leather of the bench seat, coaxing Samantha over to lean into his side casually. His hand stroked over her arm as he spoke to the man, the conversation falling on the nice weather the day was supposed to have for fishing, but it wasn’t long before he was wishing the man luck and Vince was putting the car in reverse. 

With Sam pulled close to his side, he drove into town on the back roads in silence. Not that they really needed anything from the store, but Vince knew if they didn’t return with anything, Miles would get suspicious. 

When they arrived, Vince left Samantha in the truck and went into the store alone. He grabbed odds and ends of things. Items that he could have easily forgotten to pack for the weekend, and he even bought Samantha a box of tampons just to cover all the bases before he returned to the truck. She had turned the music on and eased back into her place by his side on the bench seat, but they continued to ride in silence. 

Vince could hear her every tired breath and the music that was just loud enough to hear but not loud enough to make out the lyrics. And when she rested her head on his shoulder, he almost groaned. The silence was getting to him, his own curiosities now eating away at him. Vince wanted to know what she was thinking, what she felt. But he was only a quick glance in the mirror from seeing that her eyes were softly closing, sleep threatening to take her as they travelled down the final stretch of road before they were back of the cabin. 

He let her flirt with the idea of sleep, but the moment he pulled into the driveway his touch had found her face. He pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head just enough to look up at him. Her eyes fluttered, and her smile pulled at her lips as just how close they were. And he smiled too as he whispered, “You still upset with me for scaring away your little friend?”

Her head shook slowly as she tried to look away to hide the smile that played on her lips, but his hold on her kept her in place. Days ago, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had screamed at him for what he did. Shouted, hell, he wouldn’t have put it past her if Sam had told him she hated him for what he did, but it was all very different now. 

She had no frustration in her eyes. No anger. 

“And how do you feel right now?”

Glancing back at him, Samantha could only shrug as her cheeks were the faintest shade of pink. There was a dreamy look on her face, one that Vince had seen so many times before. One of peace, one of calm and adoration. 

Lust. 

Longing. 

 Love. 

“That’s the endorphins.” His words were soft, a long hum as his hands cupped her face in his hands. “You see, this is the shit they don’t teach you about sex in school. When I fucked you, made you feel so good, it fucked with your brain chemistry. Releases Oxytocin or some shit during orgasm.” His thumb trailed down her cheek oh so slowly, drawing her into a heavy breath that left her bottom lip quivering. Vince stroked it slowly. “Fucking dangerous thing it is. It’s why every time a man touches you from here on out, and he doesn’t get you there, you’re going to think of me. When you touch yourself, you’re going to think of me. And when you do, fucking call because I want to see the mess I’ve fucking turned you into.”

Samantha’s features softened, her eyes wide and her mouth agape in awe at his words. There was nothing she could say to change the effect he would have on her for the rest of her days. A little piece of her would always belong to him. It went beyond the physicality of it all, and Vince fucking loved that. 

His thumb stroked over his lower lip one last time, knowing that just touching like that in the driveway was too great a risk, but he wanted more. Vince leaned in and kissed her hard. He wanted to taste her tongue later in the day when he wanted to fuck her, but could only reminisce about the feeling. His fingers nearly knotted in her hair. So close to drawing her in and fucking her in the truck cab, but the possibility of being caught by Miles there left an uncomfortable knot in his gut. Yet, he didn’t pull back until he knew her lips would swell from the kiss. But it might have been too late. 

The front door was the first thing he looked at when Vince pulled back from Samantha, his hands still cradling her face. And his body flooded with panic when he saw the door wide open, and Miles making his way out the door, his eyes fixated on the gravel beneath his feet. The truck cab filled with a series of rushed curses as they rushed to put as much distance between themselves as possible. Samantha went as far as to press her back against the passenger side door. There the both of them stayed, panting, watching as her brother looked up towards the truck and he smiled. 

Miles hadn’t seen a thing. 

[thewellwithnobottom]

I Think He Knows

Author’s Note: Remember when Sam got locked in his coffin on set? This fic asks- what if it was both of them? 😉

Enjoy!

A one-shot for now, unless people really like it. Then I may have a few more chapters up my sleeve…

⚜️ The lid closes on the vampires’ cuddle session and someone yells, “Cut! That was great. Everyone take five and we’ll go again.” Sam and Jacob just smile at each other in the dimly lit coffin. They make no effort to move. They’re used to this by now and usually just chat during these small breaks, until the scene is reset. This time, they giggle about how Jacob’s sleeve got caught on the latch as he was closing the lid and almost messed up the take.

“It’s not my fault, this fabric snags on everything!” Sam is delighted, as he often is, listening to Jacob talk. There is something so different about him. He just exudes an energy that Sam finds electrifying. And Jacob, in turn, is often equally captivated by Sam. Those blue eyes of his contain depths that Jacob could drown in.

Theirs was a whirlwind friendship, you could say. They first connected over Zoom for the chemistry reads and clicked instantly. And once they met in person, well..

They were like two magnetic pieces of a puzzle, interlocking perfectly. They formed a fast and tight bond. An unlikely pairing, to be sure, given how different their backgrounds were. But despite that, the two shared so many common interests and similar ways of thinking, that they couldn’t help but bond quickly.

They bonded so well, in fact, that it wasn’t long before the rumors started to swirl within the fandom. People were picking up on a certain.. energy in their interviews and photoshoots. Truly, the two could not keep their eyes off each other. Could not seem to keep from smiling or laughing whenever they were together. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were completely enamored with one another. Even their co-stars and others who worked with them would openly comment on it! They didn’t seem to mind, though. They took it all in stride, even coining their own real life ship name- Jam Reiderson.

“It’s been a bit long, hasn’t it?” Sam remarks after about 15 minutes have gone by. They had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they hadn’t even noticed that the set had gone quiet. “Hey, guys? We almost ready?” Jacob called out, to no response.

“Damn. Do you think they went to lunch and forgot about us?”

Sam just shrugs a little. “Let’s find out.” He reaches for the latch to open the lid, but it won’t release. He tries it again. It won’t budge.

“Hmm. It appears to be stuck.”

“What?” There is a slight panic to Jacob’s voice. He is admittedly the tiniest bit claustrophobic, but it affects him more when he’s alone in his coffin than it does when he’s in one with Sam. He tries not to look too closely at that.

“It’s just jammed, I’m sure. Let me try.” Jacob squirms around as best he can in the limited space available to him, now facing away from Sam, to try to jiggle the handle free. It’s no use. He doesn’t have any more luck than Sam did.

“HEY!” He bangs on the lid of the coffin with his fist. “Can someone give us a hand? We’re stuck in here!”

After a few more attempts at banging and shouting to get their attention, Sam gently squeezes his shoulder. “I think we’ll just have to wait, mon cher.” Sometimes Sam slips into Lestat mode without even realizing it. Jacob never minds. He takes a deep breath and rolls back over to face his co-star. “Guess you’re right. Sorry. You know how I can get in tight spaces sometimes..”

Sam just nods, a peaceful smile in place, but Jacob could swear he sports a smirk for just a half-second. A trick of the light, perhaps.

Neither of them say anything more for a few moments. It’s a bit awkward now. Even though the two are very close and not at all uncomfortable with one another, this situation is.. different. Usually when they hang out in the coffin, they know it will only be for a few minutes, at most. But now..? Well, it will be at least an hour for lunch. Maybe longer. Jacob’s breath hitches unevenly. Of course Sam notices. “Are you alright, Jacob? Do you need me to distract you?”

Jacob bites his lip nervously, nodding a bit. Sam smiles and takes Jacob’s hand, lacing their fingers together and stroking his thumb over the darker skin. “You know I love it in here, in the quiet dark. Sometimes I nap in my coffin during breaks.” He chuckles softly. Jacob scoots in just a little closer. “Would it help if I held you?” Sam asks. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Sam gathers Jacob into his arms, bringing his head to rest on Sam’s broad chest. Jacob can hear the steady thump of Sam’s heart and it does calm him. But he can’t deny that the proximity, the darkness, Sam’s slow breathing, the intimacy of just the two of them together in here, all of it.. has Jacob’s pulse starting to race. In the day to day, they can pretend this part, this.. extra layer to their relationship, isn’t there. That they really are just friends and nothing more..

But it has become much harder to deny in this moment. Especially when Sam’s heart starts to beat faster as well.

For a long while, neither of them move. Or speak. As if afraid any action will irrevocably change the course of their entire relationship. Hell, their entire world.

But then.. slowly.. Sam lifts a hand to Jacob’s head, and begins to comb his fingers through Jacob’s short curls. A small shiver runs through Jacob’s body. Then his hand is on the back of his neck, Sam’s acrylic nails lightly scratching the skin there.

And it feels fucking incredible. ‘I should stop this’, Jacob thinks to himself. Instead, he whimpers softly. His cheeks immediately flame in embarrassment and yet.. he still can’t bring himself to do anything that would course-correct this situation. Instead, he just makes it worse by lifting his own hand to comb his fingers through those glorious blonde locks. A deep rumbling can be heard in Sam’s chest at that. Jacob lifts his head to meet Sam’s eyes, finally feeling a little brave. “What are we doing?” he whispers.

“I don’t know..” comes Sam’s breathy reply. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment, then Jacob shifts a little more, up onto Sam’s chest. Slowly.. ever so slowly.. he leans in. Giving Sam every opportunity to say something. To stop this.

He doesn’t.

The moment Jacob’s lips meet his own, Sam is utterly lost. This is exactly why he had tried to avoid this for so long. Because he just knew that if they ever crossed this line, Sam would fall headlong into the well with no bottom and happily drown there. His heart nearly explodes in his chest as he kisses him back, slipping his arms around his best friend and holding him tight. The invisible string that had held them together was now rapidly turning into a very thick, very strong cord that would be damn near impossible to sever.

The kiss just keeps going and going, neither one of them willing to stop now that they’re finally in the moment they’ve both dreamt about since they laid eyes on one another. Mingled moans fill the coffin as their tongues dance together and their hearts start beating in sync. Hands wander as best they can in the cramped space, Jacob managing to get one under Sam’s shirt to feel those abs he’s lusted over for so long. He wishes he could lick them. He wishes he could do a lot of things that are just not possible at the moment, given space and time constraints.

Speaking of constraints, both of them are bursting at the seams (of their pants). They begin to groan and rut against each other. Jacob pulling roughly on Sam’s hair. Sam sucking hungrily on Jacob’s neck, giving him his first non-work hickey. When their mouths meet again, the kiss is so aggressive that their teeth knock together at first. Jacob sucks on Sam’s tongue and he moans with desire, slipping his hands into the back of Jacob’s pajama pants, digging his pointed nails into the other man’s ass. And just when they are about to explode from all this pent-up energy..

BAM BAM BAM!

A loud knock on the coffin startles the fuck out of both of them and has them scrambling apart from one another as best they can.

“Oh my god, you guys, we are SO sorry!!” One of the assistants is speaking to them through the wood. “Are you okay in there? We’ll have you out in no time, okay? Just hang tight!”

Apparently, she had already tried to open the coffin when she heard noises coming from inside. The two had been so wrapped up in each other, they hadn’t even heard her attempt. As they hear the click of her heels walking away, they stare at each other for a long moment, then dissolve into giggles. “Oh my god, that could have been SO bad.” Sam nods in agreement. “I know..”

There was so much more to be said. So much they needed to talk about. But for now, the sound of the lock being jimmied and the coffin lid creaking open put a pause on all of that. They squint their eyes against the sudden intrusion of the bright stage lights, but between them, hidden away from the sight of others, their hands remain clasped together.

“You two need a break? Want to get out and stretch your legs? Or are you ready to go again?”

The two men looked at each other and smiled, squeezing each other’s hand. “We’re ready,” they said in unison.

Ever the consummate professionals. ⚜️