#this is turning into a full novella

[caffeinewitchcraft]

Cinderella Doesn’t Believe in Fairytales (pt 7)

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3). (Part 4) (part 5) (part 6)

This, Cinderella thinks, is a fairytale.

The nobles are bowing to the Prince, to her, and the air smells like the desserts on the table to her left. The music is still going, a sweet flute that serves a placeholder until the greetings to the prince are done. Over the bowed heads of the dancers nearest them, Cinderella can see her stepfamily curtsying to the arrival of the Prince.

Curtsying to her.

“I am glad that my tardiness did not hold up the festivities,” the Prince says. He inclines his head to the dais where the Queen and King sit. “We should resume.”

The Queen and King.

The Queen is as beautiful as the rumors say. Her long, black hair, streaked with grey, falls around her shoulders like vines, pinned into curled shapes against her violet gown with pins that sparkle like the night sky. She wears a simple gold circlet that glitters in the candlelight. Is it encrusted in jewels?

The King wears a heavier crown in burnished copper. His eyes remind her of the Prince’s, hawkish and knowing when he looks at them. He’s dressed completely in black except for the sash that crosses his chest. That is the same violet as his wife’s cape and his son’s jacket.

Cinderella is prevented from curtsying by the way the Prince presses her hand against his arm. She bows her head as best she’s able, heart thundering in her chest. Somehow looking at the Queen and King reminds her of the rainbows in the meadow. They swim in her vision as if obscured by power.

“Hold your head high,” the Prince whispers to her. His breath is hot against the shell of her ear and when she glances at him out of her peripherals, his eyes are warm. “You’re with me.”

Cinderella has never been with someone. She’s always been trailing behind, packages in hand, or at their knee with a hairbrush and sewing kit in hand. Even as a little girl she was never with her parents. She always felt like she was a step behind them, watching as the distance between them grew into an ocean.

She doesn’t feel like that now. The Prince’s arm is warm under her fingers and the gaze of so many people makes her face hot even if she knows the Prince’s magic protects her from being recognized. Cinderella has never felt so keenly in her own skin as she does in this moment.

Cinderella pulls her shoulders back and looks right over every noble to the blooming mosaic on the other side of the hall.

Well done, the voice in the back of her head purrs. There’s satisfaction curling in Cinderella’s stomach that feels foreign and heavy. She likes standing tall. She likes feeling bold and confident. Very well done.

“I know I promised you champagne,” the Prince says. He waves his hand and the music begins to play again. The nobles don’t resume their dance right away, their eyes fixed on the Prince’s every move. Expectant? Hopeful? Envious? The Prince only has eyes for her. “But I am jealous your first dance wasn’t with me.”

“Perhaps if someone had been on time it would have been,” Cinderella says. The Prince snorts and Cinderella’s smile widens. “Your highness.”

The Prince leads her onto the dance floor. The band is gently coming together again, string instruments rising underneath the lonely flute, the pianist adjusting on their bench in preparation. The nobles part for them like water, sliding back into their places without a word.

The Prince comes to a halt in the center of the dancefloor. If he notices the way the nobles stare, it doesn’t seem to bother him. He slides his arm out from under Cinderella’s hand, but doesn’t relinquish it. He kiss the back of her hand and asks, “May I have this dance?”

Cinderella must be beet red. She breathes in through her nose and smiles on the exhale. “Yes.” Then, because he is her friend, “You’ll be the first to have a dance from me, if that makes you feel better. The rest only shared one with me.”

Does the Prince’s gaze soften? Candlelight catches in his eyes, setting them ablaze. “Having or sharing, it doesn’t matter,” he says. “As long as it’s with you.”

Cinderella is speechless. The Prince takes the opportunity to sweep them into their first dance together, one hand on her hip, the other still holding her hand aloft. She’s not ready or at all prepared for it and has to rely on his grip for support when she stumbles.

“Where on earth did you learn to talk like that?” Cinderella hisses. She kicks at his shin and scoffs when he evades it easily. “Ugh.”

“I’m fairly certain that’s not how this dance goes,” the Prince says, tone mild. He’s smiling when she turns her glare on him. He whispers, “You’ll need to be faster if you want to kick me.”

Laughter bubbles in her chest. Cinderella fights it down. “You’d better show me how this dance works before I give into the temptation.”

“My pleasure.”

Dancing with the Prince is better than any of the other dances, though she doesn’t think she can bear to tell him that when he’s grinning like he knows it. He doesn’t guide her like Cy, her first masked partner, pulling and navigating her through the steps like a teacher might. He doesn’t make it a competition like Iz did, doesn’t change the rhythm whenever she manages to catch up to his pace. He isn’t considerate like Morrigan, waiting for her to catch her breath after a particularly tricky step.

Dancing with the Prince is like…it’s like being in the meadow. It’s like laying underneath the oak tree and watching the sun through the leaves, his gentle voice in her ear and the feeling of his magic chasing the chill away. It’s the feeling of being together where anything she says or does will be welcome or celebrated.

She doesn’t know when the other dancers join them, but she notices when the Prince nearly runs into a pair. She neatly takes the lead, spinning them to avoid a collision. The Prince startles and then scowls.

“I would have noticed,” he says. His gaze is dark on the dancing couple as if he’d like to curse them for the near accident.

“But you didn’t have to,” Cinderella says. Somehow she knows he isn’t that irritated. She thinks about spinning him but decides against it. She’s never tried spinning her partner before and is afraid of throwing him into the swirls of skirts and tailcoats that now surround them. She follows him away from the couple who nearly collided with them, surrendering the lead easily. “I did.”

“You did,” the Prince says, an inscrutable look on his face. It only lasts for a moment before he’s quirking an eyebrow at her. “Another song?”

Cinderella doesn’t feel tired at all. “Yes.”

They dance.

-----.

The night is a dream.

Cinderella holds onto it even after the Prince escorts her back to the Emerald Castle, after Helga pulls the pins from her hair, after she gulps down water and fruit before climbing into bed. They never did manage to have a glass of champagne. Cinderella can’t bring herself to regret the missed opportunity.

I’ll just have to try it tomorrow, Cinderella thinks with a thrill. Tomorrow. She’s going to the ball tomorrow.

She danced with the Prince all night. He delighted in each song with her, always keeping up with her mood and inviting her into faster steps or higher leaps. They talked and they laughed and, looking back, they must have seemed like children to everyone else. Cinderella felt like a child, free and excited in a way that she hasn’t been allowed to be in a long time.

She closes her eyes and can’t wait for the Prince to come pick her up for the ball tomorrow.

-----.

The carriage lurches and jumps as it transitions from the smooth Royal Road to the rougher cobblestones of the royal town. The silent occupants seem to wake up from their stupors all at once, the jostling as good as cold water on a dreamer.

“Mother,” Drizella whines. She doesn’t understand what went wrong. She did everything her mother said to do! She curled her hair and wore her lilac dress and didn’t dance with anyone other than the Prince. Except— “He only danced with her all night!”

“I have never been so embarrassed,” Anastasia says. She bites her thumb. Visions of the woman in green spin across the back of her eyelids every time she blinks. “We wore the same color! How dare she?!”

Baroness Ramsey doesn’t answer her daughters. She promised herself when she married the Baron that she would never allow anyone to guess at her non-noble past through her conduct. So she lets her face remain impassive and thinks carefully before she speaks.

Inside she is seething.

“That woman was in the wrong,” the Baroness says at last. She lays her hands daintily over her lap. “A ball like this – well. It’s for all noble ladies, isn’t it? The Prince was meant to dance with others. I’m sure the King and Queen will talk with him tonight. Tomorrow…”

She trails off. Her girls misunderstand as she meant them to. They perk up at the mention of tomorrow and the idea that the Prince will be different then. Anastasia begins debating what jewelry she will wear to compliment her gown tomorrow, going over the pros and cons of each one (“That woman wore gold tonight and won’t tomorrow, so the gold necklace might be the safest choice. But the prince wore silver tonight and might again and if I wear silver we could match.”) while Drizella pulls at her curls, lost in the daydream of what tomorrow could bring.

Inside the baroness is not so sure.

“A second invitation will be sent to those the Prince has taken an interest in. Expect news by dawn.”

They are not high nobility. It is only through the baroness’ hard work and clever deals that they’re nobility at all. Perhaps it would be different if her husband were better at networking like her, but he’s not (if he’s still alive at all) so they have no advantage through title alone. Their only advantage lies in her daughters’ beauty being recognized and – thanks to that woman – that didn’t happen.

Maybe I was hasty to leave Cinderella at home, the Baroness muses. Cinderella would have caught the Prince’s eye. There’s always been something…unsettlingly compelling about that girl. To be honest, the Baroness has always been a little afraid of Cinderella. Even as a child she always seemed to look through the Baroness rather than at her. With her golden hair and odd, light eyes, Cinderella would have been enough to compete with the woman who had captured the Prince’s attention. Then, when the second invitation arrived, the baroness could have kept Cinderella away to leave the real work to her girls.

She eyes her daughters. No. She could not have chosen any differently. It’s been hard work ensuring her daughters never grew afraid of their strange stepsister. Imagine if they were forced to watch the prince be bewitched by her? The baroness was right to leave Cinderella at home, dressed plainly, rather than allow her daughters to see through the soot and rough clothing to the strange, menacing woman beneath.

“We will stay up all night until the invitation arrives,” the Baroness announces. She won’t be able to sleep anyway. “I want each of you to go over every detail of tonight. Who did you notice? What could you have improved on? We will need to be even better tomorrow.”

Anastasia and Drizella complain, but the Baroness tunes them out. She knows what’s best for her daughters. If she says that they need to go over noble greeting they say, every pin, every broach, every conversation, they will.

It will come, she tells herself. The Prince may not have noticed her daughters, but the Queen was certainly interested in them. She seemed particularly interested in Drizella. Perhaps she will be the one to choose the prince’s bride. Yes, that must be it. She was too attentive to my daughters for that not to be the case.

The second invitation will come. The carriage squeaks to a halt outside of their inn and the baroness waits impatiently for the coachman to open the door. Yes, her earlier concerns were born from anxiety. Obviously the Prince won’t choose his own bride. Clearly! He’s a prince and princes must marry based on their parents’ wills. She, a baroness, wouldn’t allow her daughters to choose their husbands. Certainly the Queen, a fellow noble mother, feels much the same.

Cheered, the Baroness doesn’t yell for the coachman to hurry up helping her daughters down from the carriage. Anastasia does it instead and her Capital accent is even beginning to sound convincing! Drizella nearly falls when the coachman supports her step down too weakly, but her recovery is much quicker than it would have been two years ago.

Yes, the baroness must not lose herself to anxiety. She’s raised her daughters well and that will all pay off when she sees one of them married to the prince. Perhaps she should talk to the Queen herself tomorrow? Mother to mother?

Yes, that’s the best plan. She’ll leave her girls to the business of catching the eye of the prince. If they prove successful, wonderful. If not?

The Baroness hides her smile. There’s a reason she came to the ball despite the invitation not including mothers of the potential brides.

-----------.

Three important invitations are delivered at dawn.

One is snatched by the Baroness who breathes a sigh of relief that she must hide from her daughters.

The second is handed to Helga who rolls her eyes at the redundancy and promises to deliver it to her charge once she wakes.

The third is delivered via raven to a lone man on the road on horseback. He holds his arm above his head as soon as he recognized the purple ribbon tied around the bird’s neck, barely flinching when its talons cut through his thin, traveling shirt.

“A summons?” the man asks. The bird does not answer. It takes off as soon as he unties the message from its leg. He flips the letter over to examine the seal. His stomach lurches. “From the Queen?”

He can’t ignore a letter from the Queen. With a sigh, the man turns his horse gently before even breaking the seal. The Queen only accepts replies in person. A bitterness coats his tongue.

Another letter has brought him back to his ancestral home. A very important letter from someone he’s been forced to leave alone too long. And now, barely four days’ ride from the sender, he’s forced to ignore her once again.

I’m coming, Cinderella. Just a little longer.

Baron David Ramsey has been away from home for too long.

If you’d like to read more parts of Cinderella a week earlier, please consider checking out my Patreon (X)! On top of posting all my stories a week earlier there, I also post Patreon Exclusives.

[livvyofthelake]

this is what i was referring to the other day btw.... she literally said well you people were annoying last time so fuck off i'm not doing it anymore.... and i stand with her <3

[megalony]

Can't You Be Mine- Part 2

I had an idea and a lovely request that I thought would go well for a follow up to this Evan Buckley imagine that everyone reacted so lovely to.

So I hope you will all like this next part, please let me know what you think. I have something in mind for a third part too.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyjen @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @stefansalvatoresgf @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra8484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @shelbygeek @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana

@shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @ml572 @jessie-lynn28 @lolalolsstuff

@jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @itshamleth @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii

Evan Buckley Masterlist

Part 1

Part 3

Summary: Now that Minnie has started referring to Evan as her dad, he has officially adopted her. And he turns up to protect them both when a situation happens in a store.

Enjoy.

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

With her head tilted back against the cushion and one arm behind her head, (Y/n) looked across at Evan and smiled as she followed his movements.

She watched him closely as he rounded the coffee table and moved towards the sofa she was laid on.

Her initial thought was that he would do what he always did when he sat with her like this. She thought he would lift her legs and sit next to her and let her legs rest over his thighs, something he did often when they sat together. But instead, Evan grinned from ear to ear and crawled on top of her.

He pinned his elbows either side of her chest and wriggled until he was comfortably nestled between her legs.

Most of his weight was balanced between his hips and his elbows, making sure he wasn't letting his full weight rest on (Y/n). He could easily crush her beneath his body weight if he relaxed on her.

His hands held her sides and his chin perched on her left shoulder, staring up at her intently with those darkened eyes that looked like they had captured droplets of the ocean within them.

"Hi," (Y/n) spoke softly while she lifted an arm to card her fingers through Evan's curls that seemed to be getting longer and longer each day. She felt the way he shivered over her when her nails scratched against his scalp and it made her smile widen into a smirk.

Her other arm looped around the back of Evan's shoulders and she began smoothing her fingertips up and down his back in a slow rhythm that had him shivering on top of her. She liked the feeling of his cheek resting on her shoulder and she tilted her head at an angle so she could kiss his temple.

"Hey. You okay, how's bubba?"

When Evan shifted his left hand down to press his palm against the side of her stomach, (Y/n) pecked his temple again.

A shiver rocked down her spine at the feeling of his unnaturally cold hand slithering beneath her shirt to tickle across her stomach. His fingertips feathered along her skin and sent goosebumps in his wake over her flushed skin that felt like fire compared to his iced hands.

"We're good."

A hum vibrated against the back of Evan's throat as he continued to dance his fingers along her bump that was moulded up against his abdomen. He liked feeling her bump pressing up against him, as if the baby was trying to make sure they didn't forget about them. Evan could just see it, in a year or two when their boy or girl was here, they would be doing the exact same as Minnie always did whenever she saw them having an intimate moment together.

The five year old always got herself in the way, attaching herself to Evan's legs or holding her arms out to him, demanding he kiss her instead of her mum. And Evan knew their baby was going to be the exact same, he could sense it.

Minnie somehow knew that Evan was a sucker for her little smile. It was as if she sensed that Evan strived to make sure she didn't have to fight for attention the way he did when he was young.

He wanted to make sure that his kids never had to bed to be seen or heard or noticed. They wouldn't have to fight for the love that was supposed to be unconditional; not like Evan had.

He wouldn't allow them to have the same experiences he did growing up.

And now that Evan had adopted Minnie as his own, he was more desperate than ever to show her he loved her and he wasn't going to let her feel left out, not for anything in the world.

"Hi bubba," His voice tickled the side of (Y/n)'s stomach when he tilted his head down to kiss her bump.

Although he didn't know how well everything was going to go if he and (Y/n) ended up having a baby girl. They were keeping the gender a secret, but the longer they left it, the more uneasy Minnie was becoming. She was fully evolved in telling every person she met that Evan was her dad. They had all moved into a big house together, Evan took her to school and tucked her in bed and read her stories. He kissed her cuts and bruises if she fell and they had movie nights together.

She was the happiest she had ever been now she could call Evan her dad and hear him say she was his daughter. And when he told her he loved her, she always seemed to melt into a puddle.

If (Y/n) and Evan ended up having a baby girl, they had a horrid feeling that Minnie wouldn't be happy.

She had been very eager to be a big sister once they told her the news, but she had it in her head that the baby would be a boy because 'she was daddy's only girl'. Or his princess as she had started to say. Having a sister might make Minnie jealous or think she would have to fight for Evan's attention. And Evan prayed if it was a girl that Minnie wouldn't think he was going to replace her. That would never be the case.

(Y/n) stopped carding her fingers through Evan's hair and draped her arm around the back of his neck instead when he lifted his head. She could feel the end of his nose drag across her skin and up the side of her neck. He lifted his head until his chin feathered across her collar bone and had her shivering beneath him once again.

Each time she swallowed or took a sharp breath, Evan felt the movement in her throat and he grinned against her neck. His teeth scratched along her skin and he bit down just enough to make a sharp scratch burn over (Y/n)'s neck which made her breaths become shallow.

(Y/n) tilted her head back, arching her neck out into Evan's touches and tensing delightfully when he bit down on her skin. Not hard enough to leave a mark or a bruise, but enough to create a sharp sting. His teeth finally released her neck only to be replaced with his tongue which glided across the tender spot, soothing the stinging sensation he left in his wake.

His wet lips formed into a pout and he pressed open-mouthed kisses up and down her neck. He continued his administrations, kissing up and down her jugular until (Y/n)'s arm left his back and she moved her hand down to hold his wrist instead.

"Someone's awake," (Y/n) whispered against the top of his head while she shifted Evan's hand down to where the baby was kicking.

Her fingers stayed curled around Evan's wrist while his palm stayed perfectly still against her stomach, waiting to feel any movement that he could. Sometimes it was as if Evan didn't truly believe this was happening and he needed to feel the baby kicking or moving or see the sonogram before his eyes again to reassure himself that this was real.

When Evan lifted his head from her shoulder and grinned down at her with those ruby red lips and such a feverish look in his eyes, (Y/n)'s heart could of exploded on the spot.

She tilted her head up and captured his lips in a kiss. He dragged his tongue across her lips so he could bare his teeth down on her lower lip, sharp enough to make a scratch and draw a droplet of blood which his tongue lapped up.

The touch was craving and hungry and deep. All until Evan's phone started to buzz in his back pocket.

(Y/n) shifted her hands around to cup his neck as he hovered above her. She brushed her thumbs across his cheeks and smiled so sweetly Evan couldn't believe she was smiling like that at him. For him.

He tried to capture another kiss from her lips, but (Y/n) tilted her head back and pecked the tip of his nose instead.

"Don't you need to answer that?" (Y/n) panted, her voice barely more than a distant sound carried away on the wind.

"It's not important, they can call back."

(Y/n) grinned and rolled her eyes before Evan was dipping his head back down, nudging his nose against hers to take ownership of her lips. The feeling was overpowering and when his tongue darted across her lips and stole the air from her lungs, (Y/n) almost forgot what she'd asked him.

The sudden buzzing noise managed to filter through her ears a few seconds later while she parted her lips against Evan's, desperately trying to take in a breath before he devoured her lips again.

While he concentrated on bruising her lips, (Y/n) slid her hand down towards his trousers. Her hand swatted against his bum to wind him up before she dipped her fingers into his pocket and pulled out his phone. It could be something important. It could be Eddie needing something or Chris wanting to talk to him. It could be anyone from the station or it could be Maddie, she knew if she had to go to work (Y/n) and Evan were more than happy to take Jee-Yun for them and look after their niece.

She held the phone beside her head until Evan opened his eyes, his lips still barely touching (Y/n)'s while he panted into her mouth and looked at the caller ID.

It was Bobby.

"Answer it," She mused against his lips, scraping her teeth against his lip while Evan kept his left hand on her stomach and his right hand begrudgingly took the phone.

Evan flopped his head down into the crook of (Y/n)'s neck, attaching his lips to her shoulder while he closed his eyes and gained his breath back.

"Hey Bobby, everything okay?"

"Hi Buck… I'm sorry to call but Connor has gone home sick and now Chimney's called in. I'm down two for the afternoon shift and you're on call. Can you come in?"

Evan tilted his head forward into the crook of (Y/n)'s neck, smothering a groan when Bobby's words sunk in. It was sweet of Bobby to actually ask if Evan could come in rather than just say he was on call and didn't have a choice in this. Giving Evan the preconception of having a choice would make him feel a little better at the prospect of having to go back to work on his day off.

But it was what he got paid for. Being on call meant getting an extra lump sum payment for the week for being on standby. No drinking alcohol, no planning to go to parties or social events and being in town and ready in case something came up and he was needed on shift. And it was extra pay any shift he had to pick up while on call too.

"Yeah, yeah I'll come in. Give me half an hour and I'll be there."

"Thank you, see you soon."

When Evan lifted his head and muttered a quiet "I gotta go," against (Y/n)'s lips, she grinned softly and pecked his lips.

"I heard." She let her hands fall down to Evan's shoulders, watching intently as he made no move to get off her and go get ready. He seemed to become stuck in place between her thighs while both his hands moved down to grip her hips tightly.

"Shit, we were gonna go shopping. Can we postpone for tomorrow?"

"Me and Minnie can go do it today, it's okay."

(Y/n) pressed her hands down to the sofa when Evan finally pushed up off her and sank back on his heels, kneeling between her thighs on the sofa. The way he tilted his head to the side and his eyes creased asked a silent question. He would happily take her shopping tomorrow. The look in his eyes told her she didn't have to go today if she didn't want to.

It was usual for them to go shopping together on their days off, more specifically when Evan had days off as his schedule was rather complicated and hectic.

(Y/n) didn't like going out alone. After an abusive relationship with her ex, (Y/n) felt safer if she went out with someone, whether that was to go shopping or to get herself out of the house or to appointments. Being alone made her self conscious and uneasy.

It had been hard enough before she met Evan to take Minnie to nursery or to appointments on her own. She often ended up asking her mum or a friend to accompany her and Minnie, being out with someone else felt safer than being alone.

And (Y/n) had been more than relieved when she got with Evan that he didn't mind. He didn't think she was clingy or being stupid and he didn't tell her to toughen up or stop being so frightened. If she wanted to wait for him to join her, he would go with her. He took her to any and all appointments, they went shopping together and Evan made it his personal mission to pick up Minnie from school because the pair of them loved it so much.

They had their own home now, the three of them all together, with a new addition on the way.

"Baby, I'll go, I'll be fine." She pushed up so she was sitting in front of him and her fingers danced along his jaw, creating pins and needles in her wake. Leaning forward, she attached her lips to the side of Evan's jaw, earning a groan that caused him to tilt his head back towards the ceiling.

(Y/n) wasn't doing too much on her own at the moment, she was still panicked and uneasy now she was pregnant. But she could handle doing the shopping, they didn't need a lot anyway. If it was a full blown food shop and cleaning shop for the house, (Y/n) would have waited. But she would rather go out now and get what they needed so tomorrow, she could spend the whole day with Evan and he could take it easy after what she reckoned would be a long cover shift.

"You go to work, me, Minnie and bubba will go shopping. Go write me a list of what you want before you go."

It was no secret that Evan was taking after Bobby in the kitchen. He was starting to enjoy cooking almost as much as Bobby did and therefore, Evan had become a chef on his days off. (Y/n) knew he had short shifts next week and if there was anything he wanted or needed for cooking, she would go get it today for him.

Shopping wasn't so bad. (Y/n) had a list and she would be in and out of the shops within an hour if she was lucky.

She could do this on her own. It would do her some good.

Her stomach fluttered with adrenaline at the smile which lit up Evan's face. He leaned forward, stealing a lazy kiss from her lips and pressing one to the top of her bump before he clambered off the sofa and headed into the hall.

"Mouse, you coming down? I gotta go to work baby." He leaned over the bannister to call upstairs since he knew Minnie was up there, doing whatever it was that held her interest this morning. It would either be the dolls house she was playing with or the new toy ambulance she was fascinated with this week.

Evan waltzed into the kitchen and started to write a few things down on the notepad for what they needed from shopping. And his lips curved up into a grin when he heard Minnie bounding down the stairs like a boulder.

He twisted his head to the left, letting a smile win out across his face when Minnie bounded over to him with her arms out.

"I thought we were shopping?" She made grabbing hands up at him until Evan leaned down and scooped her up in his arms, as always.

"I'm needed at work today, but you and mum are gonna go shopping." He bounced Minnie on his hip while he arched forward and wrote down the last few things they needed on the list.

"And baby?"

The corners of Evan's eyes creased as he let out a chuckle and nodded. "Yep, baby too. You gonna be good for me while I'm gone?"

Minnie nodded eagerly, grinning to herself when Evan mumbled "That's my girl," before she cupped his face in her small hands, a silent implication that she was waiting for a kiss.

"When's he gonna be here, daddy? The baby?"

"Not for another three or four months, little mouse. We have to wait a while." Evan was starting to feel as eager as Minnie for the baby to arrive, and they were only twenty weeks along.

He pressed a tender kiss to her temple before he eased her down to her feet and handed her the shopping list, knowing she would keep it safe like it was a prized piece of gold paper. He didn't dare correct her and admit that the baby might be a girl. The last time Evan tried to have that conversation with her, Minnie got very upset and Evan saw no need to have that talk today.

***

(Y/n) peered down at the shopping list, concentration written across her face as she tried to decipher the words Evan had scribbled down in haste before he left earlier.

Usually he had lovely handwriting, neat and cursive. But when he was jotting down notes or writing in a hurry, his words slanted to the right and his loops became bigger and the words squashed and scribbled too close together.

With a sigh, (Y/n) put the list back in her bag and leaned forward, folding her arms over the trolley to arch her lower back out. Leaning over like this felt better, it felt like the baby was more at ease since (Y/n) constantly felt like she was being weighed forward. It relieved the tension in her spine if she stooped over every now and then.

She was ready to go home. The store was crowded and (Y/n) had become suddenly tired and sluggish before she even got in the shop. Without Evan here with her (Y/n) could feel her panic rising and her determination dwindling.

She didn't like being out on her own.

A soft smile pulled at her lips when she felt Minnie gently patting her shoulder like she was trying to comfort her. Lifting her head, (Y/n) pressed a kiss to her daughter's arm and pushed up to stand straight again. They had almost got everything on the list, it felt about time to cut this trip short and head back home.

Minnie wouldn't care. The five year old had found a children's magazine that was all about animals. It had pictures to colour in, photos, games and lots of stickers. She was holding it close to her chest, marvelling at the front cover every now and then. But she was determined not to do any of the activities yet, not without Evan.

She knew he was very big into documentaries, especially ones about animals and as soon as she saw the magazine, she wanted it so she and Evan could do it together.

"Let's get daddy some popcorn, then we can go."

Minnie nodded and darted her head around the shop as they moved into the next aisle. They both knew what she was going to do. She would grab the brand of popcorn she preferred because then Evan wouldn't have a choice but to share it with her. It was a good job he didn't care what brand or flavour he had.

(Y/n) began tapping the list against the trolley handle and hummed as she made her way down the aisle, seemingly in a world of her own. But she came to an abrupt stop when her eyes glanced up ahead near the crisps.

Oh no.

A subtle tremble set in her bones and her fingers tightened around the handle bar as she felt her lungs seizing up.

Mark.

Her ex. The mad man she had successfully avoided since she left him five and a half years ago. (Y/n) had laid her eyes on him only a small handful of times, and none of those times had been close enough for Mark to see or approach her.

She had never been stuck in the same shop as him before, in such close proximity.

When (Y/n) found out she was pregnant, she packed up her things and went to stay with her sister until she could get her own place. She left before Mark found out about Minnie. She couldn't have him knowing they had a child together, it would be a tie connecting her to him forever. He would never let (Y/n) go if he knew and he would ruin Minnie's life. She didn't deserve that. It was why (Y/n) hadn't put a name down under father's name on the birth certificate, that way Mark had no rights and no way to crawl back into her life.

Evan had adopted her. He was her dad now, it was binding, it was legal and he loved the bones of her.

Why had he gone into work today? Why couldn't Evan have been here with her? (Y/n) could have told him who Mark was and they could have made a quick exit. Evan was tall and bulky enough to hide (Y/n) behind him like a shield.

"Daddy likes that one."

Minnie's voice broke (Y/n) out of her rambling thoughts and she looked down to see Minnie stretching across for a large bag of salted popcorn in the signature blue packet that Minnie loved so much.

"Let's go." She tried to find her footing enough to spin the trolley around, she couldn't walk ahead and bypass Mark, it was too risky. Too dangerous.

"(Y/n)?"

That voice had (Y/n)'s throat tightening and made the baby shift and weigh her down towards the floor. Her feet felt like they were stuck in tar, becoming glued to the floor and each step was harder to take than the last. Her fight or flight had always been broken, (Y/n) was never good at fighting and her flight response was wanting to sit on the floor and hide.

Flight was impossible when her body always became sluggish and the overwhelming panic slowed her down too much to escape.

But she tried. She tried to move, for Minnie, for the baby. She had to keep them both safe, they were her priority.

Her hands trembled and the plastic handle started to become slick with sweat that was drenching her palms and lathering over every inch of her skin. She could feel tears welling in her eyes and when Minnie patted her arm, it took all of (Y/n)'s strength not to whimper.

"Mummy okay?" The five year old tried to lean to look around her mum, wondering who was calling out to them when she could hear pounding footsteps trying to catch them up.

But Minnie looked back up at her mum when (Y/n) leaned in close with an expression she had never seen before.

"Don't look, Minnie don't try and speak to him, that's a bad man. We stay away from bad people, don't we?"

The little girl visibly shivered and shrank back in her seat at the front of the trolley, but she nodded. It was drilled into her mind about strangers. She didn't talk or approach strangers if her parents weren't with her. She didn't let strangers try and talk to her or go places with her under any circumstance. And if she was told someone was a bad person, she had to stay away and stick with whatever adult she was around.

"(Y/n). Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you." The way he rose his voice made (Y/n) shiver and she couldn't find the ability to breathe when she felt him rushing up behind her.

She wasn't going to get very far with the trolley.

Acting on reflex, (Y/n) spun the trolley round so sharply the wheels screeched against the polished floor and created a black skid against the white and beige tiles. She pushed the end of the trolley harshly, almost ramming it into Mark's legs to keep him at bay, to keep something between them for safety.

And she leaned over and hoisted Minnie up out of the trolley, sitting her high up on her waist so her legs hooked over her bump. She knew Evan wouldn't be pleased if he saw her sitting Minnie on her bump like this, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had to keep their daughter in her arms in case she had to run and she couldn't risk Minnie getting separated from her.

She felt Minnie's chin digging roughly into her shoulder and her arms bound tight around her neck as she began to whimper. She didn't understand what was going on.

Her hand ran up and down Minnie's back to try and keep her calm but she found herself backing up towards the middle of the aisle to keep away from him. To keep them all safe.

"I thought it was you-"

"Back off and leave me alone." She wasn't doing this. (Y/n) wasn't having an enlightened conversation and she wasn't going to talk about old times or let Mark sway the conversation. She didn't want to talk, she wanted to leave. He was the reason (Y/n) didn't feel safe going out on her own anymore. He had taken so much from her.

The one and only thing he ever did right was give her Minnie; and that was the one thing Mark could never know he'd done.

"Who's the kid?" He tilted his chin up in indication of Minnie and his upper lip curled like he was a rabid dog about to snarl and bark. The look was one (Y/n) had seen too many times before and it sent her blood draining down to her toes.

"Fuck off." She felt Minnie shudder against her when she spoke. Bad words meant bad situations and Minnie didn't hear her mum swear often. She hadn't heard Evan swear once in her presence yet either.

Grabbing the trolley, she gave it a rough shove but Mark acted quicker and thrust his hands out against it, forcing it right back to her. (Y/n) stumbled back into the shelves behind her, wincing and biting down a groan when the trolley rammed into her knee and sent her leg jerking.

She sidestepped to the left, cradling the back of Minnie's head as she tried to move away. She couldn't take her eyes off Mark. Not when turning away from him meant Minnie would have to look at him. He was nasty and his expressions could be vulgar, she didn't want him pulling faces or trying to whisper at Minnie. And turning her back to him posed the threat of him grabbing her by her hair, (Y/n) had made that mistake before.

"Oi!"

A shiver rolled down (Y/n)'s spine and despite how deeply she sank her teeth into her lower lip, it didn't stop tears from rolling down her face or her throat from tightening up.

I want Evan! He said he'd protect us!

Her body shuddered and she came to an abrupt stop when Mark launched a jar her way. It missed her. He wasn't aiming to hit her, he was aiming to frighten her. And it worked. A large glass jar hit the floor just a foot or so in front of (Y/n) and shattered into pieces. Splinters of glass went flying in every direction and she clung to Minnie tighter when her daughter screamed into her neck.

"Who's is she?" Mark's voice dropped to something dark and guttural and it had flashes of red crossing (Y/n)'s vision.

She could see fists flying in front of her eyes. Vases being thrown. Yelling in her ears. She could feel the bruises littering her skin and the pain tingling through her nerves. She could hear the neighbours calling the police and the sirens when Mark wouldn't let them into the house. Any and every memory of him danced before her eyes as she clung to Minnie tighter, trying to ground herself.

"My fella's." She sneered with as much venom in her eyes as there was in Mark's voice. And her free hand moved down to hold her stomach as she glared daggers into him. This was her family. These were Evan's kids, Mark had nothing to do with them. "She's four, do the math."

She clutched Minnie tighter just to make sure she wouldn't speak up and correct (Y/n) by saying she had just turned five. They didn't need Mark trying to do math and possibly coming up with the real answer. Four years ago (Y/n) wasn't with Mark, she had left him by then and she didn't care if he thought she was sleezy for moving on with someone else so quick. It was better than him knowing the truth.

Minnie didn't speak. She knew better, thank God, and she was too frightened to process what her mum was saying or realise that she wasn't four anymore. She just wanted to go home. She wanted her dad.

"What a whore."

(Y/n) was glad Minnie didn't understand that word or know what it meant. She backed up but when Mark threw another jar, this time aimed at her, (Y/n) spun round. She couldn't run backwards and she needed to move.

Tears soaked into her neck and she could feel Minnie starting to sob loudly into her skin.

"I- I want daddy," She mewled between deep, rumbling cries and (Y/n) pressed a shaky kiss to her cheek as she reached the end of the aisle and made a sharp left turn. They needed customers. They needed witnesses to see what Mark was doing and prevent him from getting close to them.

"I know-" (Y/n) broke off into a scream when the trolley forcefully rammed into her hip and sent her barrelling into the shelves of tinned food on her left.

She couldn't help but fall to her knees and her ankle spasmed and twisted, crushed against the wheel of the trolley which had caused shockwaves to rattle all up and down her right leg. Her arms deadlocked around Minnie and she tried to push her against her stomach to shield her. She could feel broken glass on the floor and it was cutting into her knees, she didn't want Minnie to get hurt too.

An ungodly amount of terror swam through her veins when she looked up and noticed Mark approaching them.

Why were there no people in this aisle? Why was no one hearing the commotion and coming to help? Were people turning away in favour of less confrontation?

(Y/n) shuffled forward a little and shakily stood Minnie up on her feet so she could manoeuvre herself in front of her daughter. She kept Minnie tucked behind her back, pinned between her and the shelves to keep her protected and hidden. Her chin lifted up defiantly and her lips curled into a snarl when Mark kneeled down beside her.

(Y/n) acted as fast as she could. Her fingers curled around one of the tins from the floor and she clutched it tight as she swung her arm with as much effort as she could muster. Smashing the tin into the side of Mark's head, level with his left eye.

The action caused him to howl and fall back on his behind, cradling his face which gave (Y/n) a few seconds.

Her hands shook so much she could barely scramble to get her bag off her shoulder. When she found her phone, she tapped her thumb repeatedly against the button until it unlocked.

"Call daddy. T-tell him it's an emergency!"

Minnie was gasping and screaming, alerting enough attention that people in other aisles were finally peering round to try and find out what was happening. One of which happened to be a middle aged woman with a child clinging to her hand and a young toddler in her trolley.

Women with children were usually safe, safer than people on their own at least. They couldn't run off with Minnie if they had other children to try and hurry out with.

Minnie tried scrolling through the phone to find Evan's contact, but she could barely see through her tears. Her vision blurred and it took her a while to lock onto Evan's dazzling smile in the icon picture. She barely clicked on his contact before (Y/n) was pushing her down the next aisle.

"L-lady, go to t-the lady." She pointed frantically at the woman with the children and tried to crawl away from the pile of tins and the trolley pinning her into the corner. She would follow Minnie, but she needed her daughter to move first and be as far away from Mark as possible.

Desperate, howling cries rolled off of Minnie's lips as she trotted over to the woman. She didn't want to be standing with her, but she had to do as she was told. She kept a foot of distance between herself and the lady who pushed her young child next to the trolley so she could rest a hand on Minnie's shoulder.

She had heard the commotion. She could see (Y/n) and Minnie were in some form of distress and she would stay with Minnie until things calmed down.

Relief splintered through (Y/n)'s blood when she heard someone yell "Call security!" That meant she was going to be safe soon. Shops had security, they had people who could cuff Mark and pin him down and call for the police to arrest him. They would have cameras to show that he had tried to attack her and Minnie, unprovoked.

Her hands trembled as she tried to latch onto the shelves to pull herself up, she could hardly crawl across the floor to get away.

Her legs wanted to give way once she was up. Pins and needles rushed through her blood and her knees felt heavy and unable to lock in place to keep her stood up. The baby was kicking and twisting in panic and (Y/n) could feel adrenaline sparking in her stomach and dwindling around in her chest. Everything was on fire. She wanted to go home. She wanted Evan.

Apparently she wasn't very good at trying to get away. Three steps was all (Y/n) could manage before her eyes snapped closed and she started to choke when Mark roughly grappled with the back of her shirt. He yanked it so fast the collar rose and dug into her throat, cutting off her breathing.

She flung her elbow into his abdomen and pushed her weight backwards to try and catch him off guard and distort his balance.

Her watering eyes could see people heading their way. A man left his partner to run towards them. A young woman gave her husband a shove with a dirty look that silently told him to intervene and help. Security could be heard in the distance, rushing their way. Help was coming.

"Daddy!"

"Mouse? Baby, what's the matter?" The alert tone in Evan's voice made him sound sharp and panicked but it calmed down one of the thousands of nerves igniting in Minnie's system.

Her dad was on the phone. He had answered. He would know what to do, he would come and help them.

"Bad man. T-the bad man hurt mummy, daddy y…you come get me. Mummy said i-it's emergency."

"What? Baby where are you? What bad man, what did he do?"

Minnie let out another wail. Why wasn't he coming? Why wasn't he saying that he was going to come and get them? Why wasn't Evan telling her that everything was going to be okay and he would help her mum and come and get them both?

She tilted her head back and looked up at the lady behind her. Minnie didn't know where they were. She had no idea what shop they were in or what to tell her dad. She didn't know what was happening, she didn't know the bad man or why he was shouting and throwing things and trying to hurt her mum. Minnie didn't understand anything that was happening.

"Baby girl I need to know where you are." Evan's sharp voice cut through the speaker and Minnie looked up at the woman, lifting the phone to try and get some help.

The lady looked around, clearly trying to find her bearings and remember the name of the shop they were in. She crouched down and leaned over Minnie's shoulder to speak into the phone. She repeated the name of the shop and the street which stopped Minnie from screaming. Her dad knew where they were, surely he would be coming to get them now.

"No!" (Y/n) bashed her elbow into Mark's stomach again and wrenched her collar down from her throat so she could keep breathing. But when she saw Mark gearing back up with a clenched fist and his eyes on her stomach, (Y/n) shook her head.

She stumbled forward, flinging her fists at him to keep him off her. She had already fallen into the shelves and almost been mowed down by a trolley. Anymore shock might do some damage to the baby and she couldn't have Mark hitting her in the stomach, she had to protect the baby.

Both hands moved to her stomach as she stumbled back a few paces, shuddering and gasping through her tears when a man took a lunge and tackled Mark to the floor.

Her feet fumbled over one another as she moved towards Minnie who was still screaming and gasping, both her hands trembling as they held the phone close.

A pair of hands settled on (Y/n)'s arms but she jerked forward, choking on a moan. She didn't want anyone touching her; not unless it was Evan.

She let herself slump down to her knees, flopping her head against a trolley while her trembling arm reached out so Minnie could scuttle under her arm and tuck into her side.

Minnie lifted the phone up and mumbled a shaky "Daddy," to let (Y/n) know that she had done as she was told and called him. That he was on the phone and he was going to come and get them. The news made (Y/n)'s stomach swarm with relief. She swallowed harshly and tilted her head down to kiss the top of Minnie's head.

She could hear Evan's voice, frantic and paranoid as he called out her name, desperate to know if she was alright and what was going on. But (Y/n) couldn't muster a lot of words.

"Evan, p-please, come get us."

***

"Minnie no-"

(Y/n) sighed to herself and let out a grumble when Minnie bolted to her feet and ran down the aisle. There was no stopping her now that Evan was within her line of sight.

He was storming down the aisle like a force of nature, hands clenched into fists at his sides. Sweat soaking through his dark navy blue uniform. Hair askew in all directions from the amount of times he had raked his fingers through the curls on the journey down here. The darkest look was plastered across his face, one that (Y/n) had never seen before and it sent her stomach reeling.

But his expression started to thaw just a little when he saw Minnie bolting his way. Arms stretched out in front of her and a feeble 'daddy' falling from her lips along with the tears drenching her face.

Evan had left the rest of the team scrambling out of the truck so he could bustle ahead and try and find his family. It didn't take long. Security were on the doors, they weren't letting any customers into the store and people were being questioned before they were allowed to leave. But they allowed Evan and the team inside and he headed straight for the voices and the commotion he could hear near the back of the store.

He paused in his stride and bent down just enough to scoop Minnie up when she pelted towards him like a speeding car.

Her arms bolted around his neck and her shaking went straight through Evan's chest and to his core. His lips curled in anger when he felt how badly his little girl was shaking and he could feel her sniffling and mewling into his neck.

"It's okay, little mouse. I got you." He pressed his lips longingly to the side of her head while his hand smoothed up and down her back.

He continued in his long strides towards the scene in front of him. There she was, there was (Y/n). Sat on the floor, leaning up against the shelves. She had a bottle of water at her side and a bowl Evan presumed they were using in case (Y/n) felt like she was going to be sick.

She looked drained. Her body was trembling, one hand was knotted in her hair and the other was pressed down into the floor to try and stabilise herself. There was a security officer stood nearby, at least two store workers sat down with (Y/n), someone Evan guessed might be the manager was talking on the phone. And a lady with two young children was hovering nearby, possibly a witness to what had happened.

Evan sighed into Minnie's hair and jostled her a bit higher on his chest and a fire ignited in his heart when he heard one of the workers whisper "Is that your husband?" To which (Y/n) nodded.

One of the workers moved out the way to let Evan get close and he wasted no time crashing down to his knees beside (Y/n). He kept Minnie sat on his left hip, holding her tight with one arm while his other hand reached out to cup the side of (Y/n)'s face.

His eyes dragged over her frame, taking in whatever he could. Her shirt was dishevelled, the collar scrunched and crinkled. Her hair was out of place. Every inch of her was trembling and she had been sick.

"What happened?" He traced his thumb along the edge of (Y/n)'s jaw while she tilted her head back to look up at him. She had finally stopped crying, but just looking at Evan and the manic fear written across his face was enough to have her tearing up again.

She reached her hand up to clutch at his wrist, leaning into his touch as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"Mark saw me, he g-got angry."

"What'd he do?"

Evan didn't like the way (Y/n) wouldn't meet his eyes, he could barely take in a proper breath when he didn't get an answer. His lips pressed together firmly and he swallowed down a growl when (Y/n) tilted her head forward so she wouldn't have to look up at him. Her forehead pressed into his shoulder and she leaned close, securing hands into his shirt to give herself something to focus on.

A quiet 'okay' passed Evan's lips as he gently twisted Minnie around and sat her down between his knees rather than keeping her juggled on his hip. He let her curl up between his legs like she was taking cover and her face buried into his thigh with her hands latched around his trouser leg.

He wanted to get Hen or Chimney to check Minnie over and make sure she was okay. He wanted them to sit with her so he could talk in private to (Y/n), but he knew Minnie wasn't going to be moved one foot away from either parent when she was this distressed. Not even to talk to uncle Chimney or uncle Eddie.

"Tell me." His lips hovered over (Y/n)'s ear and she didn't have to look at him to know he had a stern expression and an even darker tone of voice.

"He broke a few things, tried to push me around… He- he pushed me into some shelves. He didn't get near Minnie, and I'm okay-"

"You don't look okay. I'm gonna need Hen to check you over before we think about leaving." By the looks of her, Evan wouldn't say she was okay. She was in shock and he knew she was wincing when she tried to move every now and then. Evan needed her to get examined and he needed to know if they had to make a trip down to the hospital or not.

(Y/n) mustered up some strength to perch her chin on Evan's shoulder, allowing her to look up at him. She sank her teeth down into her lip at the pained expression on his face.

"You promise me you're not in pain or hurt bad?"

She nodded. She felt too shook up and flooded with adrenaline to know if she had any bad bruises or strains, but she was okay. She had come off worse when she'd had fights with Mark in the past. A few sore spots was nothing compared to what she had felt in the past and she had kept Minnie and the baby safe. That was the main thing.

"Is that him?"

The dark tone to Evan's voice was almost unrecognisable and for a moment, (Y/n) wasn't sure if it was him who had spoken. But when she realised he was looking down the end of the aisle, she turned to look around.

Security were finally moving Mark now that he was in handcuffs since the police had arrived. And his eyes were locked on them.

A shiver crawled down (Y/n)'s spine and adrenaline intermingled with fright when Evan tried to move. His warmth and touch retracted from her and he jolted to the side, about to get up and storm over towards Mark. He was going to go and teach him a lesson. Evan would make him pay for petrifying his girls like this.

"Evan please-"

"Daddy don't leave me!"

Minnie's petrified voice was enough to stop Evan. His head twisted back to look down at her and he could feel his lips twitching as tears welled up in his eyes. Her little nails scratched through his trousers and her head lifted up when Evan tried to get up.

She deadlocked her hands around his arm and yanked forcefully, desperate to keep him with her. She wouldn't be safe if he walked away. He wouldn't be safe if he went near the bad man. Minnie just wanted everyone to be safe and go home.

He let (Y/n) wind her arms around his torso and burrow her face into his chest. And when Minnie started to tremble and looked up at him with those big watering eyes, Evan all but crumbled.

He swooped his arm around her waist and pulled her up to snuggle her into his chest.

"I'm not leaving you, baby girl. The bad man can't hurt you, I promise."

[emrynbird]

She yearned for freedom and solace from her familial home. He wished for companionship after a life of isolation. After a chance encounter at a masquerade ball, a deal is struck between the two to provide what the other desires. But as the horror behind unspoken truths becomes known, this marriage of convenience takes a dark and emotional turn that thrills her...and frightens him...

In the Jaws of an Oak is an illustrated erotic monster romance that is one part Regency fairytale and one part "Bloodborne-esque" horror, following an aromantic woman who is a survivor of abuse and a noble, cursed beast. For fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings where the beast only becomes more monstrous instead of turning human.  

This novella is 34k words with 18 illustrations, includes aromantic, pan, and sapphic representation, and will available August 14th, 2024 on Amazon and itch.io in epub, PDF, and paperback formats.

For full content warnings, see below...

This story explores themes of abuse and grief through the framing of the FMC’s newly found kinks surrounding fear and the MMC testing the limits of his most monstrous qualities. While not seen on page, it is heavily implied the FMC is a survivor of sexual violence and incest. Birth control via herbal remedies is taken on page and there is a brief mention of pregnancy and childbirth. While a majority of this work is queernormative, there is a brief instance of homophobia (past). 

There is one violent death that is described on page that involves dismemberment and being eaten, while all others are briefly mentioned along with attempted filicide.

The FMC and MMC have a significant size difference, that is made even greater via the MMC transforming, and engage in sexual acts akin to BDSM, which include: teeth play, biting, choking, pinning/restraining, deep penetration, knotting, anal, fellatio, tongue fucking (oral, vaginal), and vore-adjacent death ideation.

[novella-november]

Here's a WIP list of my ideas for a full year of monthly writing events!

If you have any suggestions *please* feel free to send them in :D

Not everyone has free time to do a full 30k in November in particular, and the key of learning to write consistently...... is consistency!

Writing in earnest for just one month out of the year doesn't give you much practice, does it?

But 30k every single month can be exhausting an daunting!

So, here's my WIP proposal....

------

January [15k total / 500 each day]-- Public Domain-Day Dash -- On January 1st, pick a brand-new Public Domain work, read/study it for a week while brain storming, then spend the next three weeks writing 5k words to make by the end of the month a 15k word short story, adapting that PD Work into another genre / time period / etc. February [20k total / ~714 Each day ] -- Freedom February -- Black History Month. Each week, write 5,000 words each week celebrating freedom from tyranny in all its forms. March [9,300 total / 300 each day] -- Spring Equinox -- Each day, write 300 words based on the concepts of warmth, renewal, rebirth, changing of the guard, etc. April [8k total / ~285 per day] -- April Fools -- Each week, write 2k words of a comedy short story, to end the month with 8k words of comedy. May [6,200k total / 200 each day] -- International Workers Celebration -- Each day, write 200 words about a character in your line of work (or a nonfiction diary/article) and what you enjoy about it and how it keeps the world turning, or saving the world in some emergency, then take some time to relax, you've earned it! June [15k total / 500 each day] -- Pride Month -- write 500 words each day, either fictional or nonfictional, about queer history, pride, solidarity, or intersectionality. July [15.5k words total / 500 each day] -- Disability Pride Month -- Each day, write 500 words about your favorite genre, from the perspective of a disabled character (or a character with your own disabilities), and what kind of accommodations they use in their daily lives, without magically erasing their disability. August [15.5k words total / 500 each day]-- Alien August -- Aliens have invaded! Pick your favorite genre, and each day, write 500 words of that genre, with a plot that gets interrupted by an alien visitation! September [60-100 Pages / 2-3 each day] -- Scripting September -- Each day, write 2-3 script pages for an audio-drama, stage-play, or movie/tv show, to end the month with a 60 to 100 page script. October [20k total / 714 each day] -- Ominous October -- A choice of themes will be decided on before October, two options for each week, and everyone will write a 5k word short horror/spooky story each week, that all get posted on October 31st / Halloween

November -- Novella November [30k total / 1k each day]-- Write 1k words a day to reach 30k words by the end of the month. You can write a 30k word novella, use it as the start of a larger novel, write a series of short stories (such as writing a 7.5k word short story per week), etc. [30k total / 1k each day] December -- Don't Touch It December [6,200k total / 200 each day] -- this is your month of relaxation! Write just 200 words per day about anything you enjoyed / are proud of from the past year, and what you are looking forward to in the future! [6,200k total / 200 each day]

If you prefer to focus on just the longer challenges and spend the other months editing, we can also have mirror events each month for different ways of editing with community support!

Things like Beta reader swaps, doing cover mockups, localization help for those not writing in their first language, etc!

[chaliceofthescales-if]

Sector 7, or Schai, depending on who you are. An otherwise barren dry desert on which nothing grows with a busy bustling tourist city as its main focus. A city of indulgence, excess, and sin, the shiny glittering lights hide the dark truth behind the City of Wonders. Many will do anything to get out of the gutter and different groups often take advantage of that. So when two strange people approach you, offering a lifetime's worth of payment for protecting someone and going to find a special cup that may or may not actually exist, who are you to say no?

Chalice of the Scales is the first book in the Turnwheel of the Twelve Saga. It will be a shorter smaller game with the total amount of words read during each play through being about 40k, which is about the size of a novella or 80 pages front and back in a real book. It's inspired by different sources including Dungeons and Dragons and JRPGs/RPGs. The focus will be mostly on storytelling and adventure, but romance will also play a rather big part. While it leans more towards storytelling, there will be a decent amount of stat-based gameplay/mechanics as well.

You play as a Sector 7 Bodyguard for Hire. That means you're poor as dirt. You're approached by two mysterious hooded figures who offer to pay you a lifetime's worth of money in exchange for you to protect your Charge and find the Chalice of the Scales. You, obviously, accept thinking it's an easy job. Turns out, it's anything but. Now you have to create a group to set out and the Scales' Relic, which hasn't been seen in over 1000 years, while also trying to make sure no one dies.

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic

Rating: 18+

Tracked Tag: #chalice of the scales

Status: In Development (Writing)

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Create and customize your bodyguard for hire. Choose their gender, pronouns, appearance, and personality and more.

Protect your Charge and make sure he isn't killed or kidnapped by the assassins after him while trying to find the lost Relic.

Explore Sector 7 of Astelle, also called Schai. Traverse dry barren deserts, smog filled cities, and the Great Divide on your quest.

Do research and follow leads to find out where the Chalice is located. Fight back against Relic Hunters and other groups to safely deliver the Chalice to its Warden.

Romance any of your 6 companions: Merlion - Your Charge, Astor - The Guardian, Elise - The Cleric, Bran - The Relic Hunter, Korone - The Navigator, or Starling - The Assassin.

Build your relationships with others in the group and find out their stories. A good relationship with someone may unlock different choices during gameplay.

One final question... Where is the Warden?

Merlion Corwell (he/him) - Your Charge. Two mysterious hooded people paid you quite well in advance to protect him and find the Relic. A fairly easy job, in hindsight. Now if only he would stop wandering off and getting into trouble.

Astor Wryth (he/him) - The Guardian. A real-life Guardian, like from the legends. Structured and well-put together, he's very adept with his abilities as a Guardian, but is very out of touch with his Warden.

Elise Fairthing (she/her) - The Cleric. A sweet and energetic Cleric who decided to join you on your quest after you crash her trip. She possesses a decent amount of knowledge and history about the Twelve.

Bran Noire (they/them) - The Relic Hunter. A shoddy Relic Hunter who let themself get captured by you. Rather irksome and arrogant, they're bold, loud, brash, and are, unfortunately, a fantastic shot.

Korone Noire (they/them) - The Navigator. A stoic and Machiavellian Navigator who knows the land of Schai like the back of their hand. Despite being quiet and thoughtful, they are somehow related to Bran.

Starling Rhise (she/her) - The Assassin. A woman once your enemy, now your (reluctant) ally. Calm and intelligent, she possesses an adventurous spirit and a grudge that won't go away anytime soon.

[marchsfreakshow]

Reading This And That {Kyle Spencer x Reader}

Drabble :3

You're reading a small novella before bed, and Kyle cuddles up to you, wanting to use the book as a tool for reading.

General Frankenkyle being adorable nonsense since he deserves some respect in this household<3

Your Perspective.

⊹˚.⋆ ₊꒷ᘏᘏ︶ଓ︶꒷꒦⊹˚ᗢ₊꒷︶ଓ︶꒷

The dreary night loomed through the windows as my book was lit by a small, warm white light by my side. A simple little book I could read in an evening or so. It was a Christmas themed one I'll admit, but I was still happy reading it. The Christmas part of it was barely mentioned, so it didn't feel totally wrong reading it a few months before December 25th. I was distracted by it, so I didn't hear Kyle come in until he laid ontop of me. "Hi angel, what's wrong?"

"Arg.. Argument. Madison."

"Who did she argue with..?"

"Nan." You looked annoyed at the open door, and closed it quickly, so neither Nan or Madison came in. Kyle turned around, and moved under the duvet before running his finger over a paragraph, trying to read it. "Clara... clearly, clearly can't tell..." He stopped himself, unable to continue. As I held the book, I clapped and kisses his cheek.

"Well done Kyle. Wanna try and continue? I can read the rest if you don't want to." I asked, patting his head a bit.

Quickly, Kyle nodded, putting his finger back on where he stopped. "She's, she's making Charlie...un.. uncomfort.."

"Uncomfortable." I whispered slowly, taking it one syllable at a time.

"un.. comfort..able."

"that's it."

Kyle grinned and carried on reading the paragraph to his liking. It just melted me, but I felt proud of him. He was still learning to speak full sentences, and small books worked like that. "Want to read this book in its whole?"

"Can ask.. Cordelia.."

"To get a whole book for you? Okay...Well remember this book okay?" I closed the book, putting the bookmark on the page we just read. "This Winter."

"pictures." Kyle mentioned, opening it up again, and flipping through to find he different illustrations. He stared at every single one, admiring how the author drew them. Every picture of the family, sharing a Christmas that wasn't perfect. Almost like ours. Kyle didn't mind though, I let him look at the pictures as I slowly started to fall asleep. "Love...love you. Sleep."

⊹˚.⋆ ₊꒷ᘏᘏ︶ଓ︶꒷꒦⊹˚ᗢ₊꒷︶ଓ︶꒷

[juliana-jones]

My co-author @writtenriley and I are thrilled to present our self-published novella “Over the Dragon’s Gate,” a dark paranormal romance/urban fantasy. You’ve heard of manic pixie dream girl, now get ready for sad pond-monster dream boy!

Summary: Treya has everything he needs in his pond: food, shelter, and other fish to swim with. It’s painful to wonder if he had another life once, so he ignores the fragments of disturbing dreams that plague him.

But when a boy falls into his pond, Treya discovers he’s more than a fish. He can also become a boy, and now he has a friend: the irrepressible Eli. During secret meetings in the garden surrounding the pond, Treya and Eli forge a bond that even dark magic can’t break. But when Eli starts asking questions about who and what Treya is, the two of them discover that questions are dangerous, answers have a cost, and their fates depend on unraveling the mystery of Treya’s past.

Comps: It has "That Story Isn't the Story" vibes mixed with "Room."

Word count: 44k

Smashwords

Kindle

Kobo

Goodreads

Soundtrack

Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, gaslighting, memory loss, amnesia, mind manipulation, mind control, implied noncon (in the background, due to the mind control), crying (a lot of crying), vomit, underage drinking, implied/referenced drug use, car accidents, child neglect, child abuse, murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, magical imprisonment, trauma, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt (planned but not carried out), death threats, fantasy racism

“…[A] delightful read, full of magic and touching moments of humanity in the face of darkness.”

~Arista A. Holmes, author of the Fey Touched Trilogy

“This is a rollercoaster… There are thrilling twists and turns, enough mystery to keep you going, and a satisfying payoff at the end.”

~E, Goodreads review

“It’s got… a lush fairytale manner about it but hides dark secrets.”

~Oliver Ferrie, author of Sugar People

[drchucktingle]

Question for you, Mr. Drchucktingle sir, and I apologize for being lazy and not searching for the answer myself, but do you have an anthology of your stories that can be bought or should I just go out and start piecing what I can find together to form my own collection? I am interested in getting more familiar with your work before I get my copy of Camp Damascus in the summer and would love a good starting place.

yes bud there are a LOT of anthologies you can get but i will say FIRST THINGS FIRST if you would like to get to know the tingleverse before reading camp damascus you should read STRAIGHT which is chucks first horror novella (camp damascus is full novel)

When a strange tear in the cosmos appears within Earth’s annual path, the consequences are disastrous. For one night a year, the vast majority of humans now undergo a frightening mental change, transforming into hateful, rage-fueled zombies who will stop at nothing to satiate their desire for brutality.

While not much is understood about this horrific mass hysteria, the demographic it effects is very specific: cisgender straight people.

A few years after the first of these tragic events, four friends from across the queer spectrum look for safety in solitude, hunkering down in a remote desert cabin for what is now known as Saturation Day. With a vaccine available for straight people to curb their violent episodes, some predict the worst is over. Others aren’t so sure.

As night falls, it becomes clear that survival isn’t guaranteed this Saturation Day.

GET STRAIGHT AS A PAPERBACK HERE

the tingleverse is a stack of realities surrounded by THE VOID and this stack is infinite, but close realities share certain properties and ideas. so chucks erotica takes place in the ROMANCE TINGLEVERSE and the horror takes place in the HORROR TINGLEVERSE these are just reality clusters along the larger stack. so really you would not need to read the erotica or romance to understand the horror stack however if you look very very closely you could find some little easter eggs.

anyway if you still want to read chucks EROTICA TINGLEVERSE i will put some collections below

POUNDED BY THE CLASSICS COLLECTIONS

POUNDED BY THE CLASSICS

THE LESBIAN CLASSICS GET ME OFF

SENTIENT FOOD COLLECTIONS

HANDSOME SENTIENT FOOD POUNDS MY BUTT AND TURNS ME GAY

SENTIENT LESBIAN FOOD GETS ME OFF

NOT POUNDED BY ANYTHING COLLECTIONS

SERIES PAGE HERE

LADYBUCK ON LADYBUCK COLLECTIONS

SERIES PAGE HERE

BISEXUAL COLLECTIONS

SERIES PAGE HERE

TRANS BUCKAROO COLLECTION

ORDER HERE

there are more collections than this but i think it is a good starting place. LOVE IS REAL BUCKAROO

[bonefall]

The new arc’s first blurb came, and seems to be about Tawnypelt, Leafstar, and some random apprentice molly named Moonpaw btw. Can’t wait to see how awful that turns out.

I'm going to go in with low expectations this time around. Admittedly, I'm not fond of the idea of following cats who I feel have massively overstayed their welcome. Leafstar should have been dead a long time ago, and Tawnypelt has been active for 20 years of arcs plus a novella.

When I say "I'd like characters from previous arcs to continue their stories" I don't mean that I want popular old cats to get forced into the spotlight constantly. I mean that I want interesting background characters like Icewing, Fringewhisker, or Breezepelt to get expanded upon with full POVs. It's a bummer that the Erins seem so bad at building up new characters that they're still relying on cats from Arc 1.

But, hey, maybe this will surprise me.

Moonpaw though... Moonpaw I've got my eye on. I'm listening. I'm paying attention. TBC and ASC had a "formula" for the three POV characters; Boy/Girl/The Horrors. It's not lost on me that Changing Skies seems to have dropped the Boy and the Girl, but kept The Horrors. I hope this signals that they listened to the positive feedback on Shadowsight and Frostpaw.

Other assorted thoughts;

I'm not even going to pretend to be kind to this; ANOTHER construction plot is just bad.

They're boring. I do not want another whingefest about how it's wrong and bad and mean to hurt humans for some reason.

Bone "Speckletail's Bulldozer" Fall: these darn cats better attack a bulldozer or I'm out

And goddddd why are we having ANOTHER "StarClan's really gonna be gone this time!" Plot. This is the third in a row.

I was already on board with it the first time. Burn the heavens down or shut up at this point.

Plus... it seems like a lot of this arc is going to be based around Tawnypelt trying to argue with people to get the plot to happen, Moonpaw warning everyone the plot is going to happen while they don't listen to her, and Leafstar acting in whatever way will be most annoying for the plot to not happen.

I cannot stress enough how much I dread this. I am so sick of buying books to hear about characters doing everything in their power to accomplish as little as possible. I can call my congressman for FREE.

Moonpaw though. I love her name. I hope that she has a strong personality to help her stand out from Frost and Shadow.

I'm hoping that she's more on the rough side than the sensitive side, tbh. Something I enjoy about Nightheart is that he CAUSES shit to happen because he's impulsive.

My ideal scenario for this arc is Leafstar trying to keep Tawnypelt and Moonpaw on two leashes and absolutely failing. PLEASE let my girls break stuff.

I hope that Leafstar dies in this arc. I'll be kinda sad if she's the first leader voted out, but she NEEDS to stop leading. So I hope it's a good death.

And God please I hope they keep the stupidity pills away from her. She has been at her worst in ASC.

IN A NUTSHELL; On paper, this seems like a middling idea for an arc at best. My expectations are low, but I'm hoping they surprise me.

[livefromcastledracula]

Carmilla Adaptations, Summary

So to summarise what I think I want from Carmilla adaptation: ~ She's young and pursues exclusively other young women. ~ She's disinterested and indifferent toward men rather than flirtatious or hostile. ~ She's poetic, romantic and melodramatic. Her poetry trends 'dead moths and withered roses' flavor of goth. ~ When she decides she likes a girl she goes full Tsundere-with-a-Crush. ~ Be ready, girls, because her interest is INTENSE. ~ Very long dark hair a plus. ~ Sexy voice a plus plus. ~ In the novella she is explicitly not pale or cold, and isn't hurt by sunlight, though she's lazy and floppy in the day. She appears to be a very human human with slightly sharp teeth and fairly average college student sleeping habits. ~ Still super strength though and she can do creepy spectral-vampire-sleep-paralysis-demon-by-way-of-Sadako shit by night. ~ Must turn into cat. Because she can turn into a huge black cat and why would you not have her turn into a huge black cat, adaptations, why the fuck would you not. Don't give me the 'budget' excuse, the web series managed it, there are ways. ~ "Stray cat in the rain" energy. ~ Dark, snarky sense of humour. ~ May drop dead things in your lap to show her affection. ~ Novella continually describes her as 'languid', so I want her draped on every available chaise lounge at every available opportunity. ~ Will murder you with her bare hands if you get between her and her girl crush.

... Yeah, the web series basically delivers all of those in spades, lol.

[physalian]

A Guide to Productive Filler

I was going to write this post about the wonders of fanfic and how it does not do the “forced miscommunication for cheap drama” trope, and it did not stay that post for long.

I’m sure it’s out there, but it’s not saturated in the most popular fics and I think I know why: Fanfic exists in contrast to the established canon, and the canon has forced miscommunication, thus fanfic looks at the perpetual failure of those plotlines and ignores it.

Nobody likes this trope, yet it keeps happening. In TV, at least in the old days when we had full seasons with appropriate and satisfying filler episodes and actual good stories and such (you know, before Disney +) TV shows were contracted to fill a minimum number of episodes and didn’t always have enough content to fill it, especially CW shows.

Enter filler episodes, which, when productive, still entertained the audience with off-beat side quests or gave more screen time to beloved side characters or explored more of the world and the lore. Filler plots meant that you could casually check in on your favorite show once a week, or miss an episode, and not feel completely lost because the plot wasn’t super tight and lean. Some of my favorite episodes of all my favorite TV shows are filler plots and just because they’re “filler,” as in, not a plot-heavy element to advance the narrative, doesn’t mean they were lacking in story.

That was good writing.

Bad filler elements were sh*t like forced miscommunication for cheap drama and it still exists even in the “mini series” that are really just long movies extended to keep people from canceling their subscriptions. TV shows may have one or two head writers, but they’re still written by committee and producers and production companies trying to milk as much from a profitable product as possible, which means they couldn’t write an efficient, epic romance that ended too quickly. They had to faff about for a few seasons before delivering to keep butts on couches tuning in to generate sweet, sweet ad revenue.

Forced miscommunication in TV shows have always made sense in that light. Yeah it’s a product of bad writing, but I can’t point at the head writer or even the staff writer alone and criticize their writing ability because it likely wasn’t their decision.

Forced miscommunication in books, however—that I have no excuse for. Books aren’t written by committee. In this case, I really can just blame the author for their bad choices, which, in turn, maybe came from their favorite TV shows and how they executed similar plot lines.

Fanfic does not do this, usually. It’s not written by committee and has no quota to fulfill to beef up the narrative with extra chapters.

—

So. You want your story to be longer, fanfic or otherwise, but you’re struggling because your plot is too thin and you don’t know where to go from here.

First, a disclaimer: Novellas exist and can be as short as they need to be.

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter,” means that  just because it’s long doesn’t mean every word serves a purpose. With enough time, the writer can trim down their thoughts for conciseness and clarity, and say the same thing with better impact with less beating around the bush.

So just because it’s short doesn’t make it bad, just because it’s long doesn’t make it good. It’s about what you do with the words you’ve written.

However, if it really is a thin story lacking substance and oomph, here’s some suggestions that are not sh*t like “forced miscommunication”. These are not meant for generalized application and should be considered heavily before implementing, because any one of them can change your book for the worse by adding in unnecessary detail that distracts from the main story.

1. Consider multiple narrators

Now. I just read a rather bad book that could have lost about ⅔ of its story for a variety of reasons and told the same story in a fraction of the page count. One of those issues was giving the villain several POVs that ruined the suspense and the tension because the reader became privy to their grand plan long before the protagonist and instead of having all our questions dying to be answered with the protagonist, we were waiting around for them to stop fooling around and figure it out already.

With that said, if you have a character of second importance to the protagonist whose perspective would benefit and enrich the story, consider giving them POVs to explore either when the protagonist couldn’t be present, or in contrast to the main narrator’s thoughts on the story and conflict.

I’ve never written anything without multiple POVs and still get carried away sometimes just trying to fill in all the missing time that didn’t add enough to the story to make it worth it. I have deleted POVs from ENNS that were better left up to audience interpretation then all laid out on the table.

This technique very much necessitates restraint, but giving your foil character, your deuteragonist, even your villain some narration “screen time” might help you beef up your word count and tell more than just one biased side of the same story. Fanfic tends to be very efficient with this because, again, one writer working for free tends to want to be efficient and not give pages upon pages of useless prose.

2. Side-quests and character studies

My all time favorite filler episode of any TV show is LOST’s “The Constant”. It focuses entirely on the side character Desmond. He’s an unwilling time-traveler and throughout season 4, struggles to control his temporal displacement and risks dying if he can’t find a “constant” to anchor him to the correct timeline.

This episode is often praised as one of, if not the show’s finest hour. Desmond spends most of the runtime flipping erratically between the past and the present as his romantic relationship spirals for other plot reasons. He ends up making his “constant” his fraught relationship and is able to revert to the past with knowledge of the future to get his then-ex girlfriend’s new phone number so he can call her at an exact date in the future to prove he won’t have given up on them. When Des finally makes that call 8 years later, it’s so emotional, so full of catharsis, so exciting to see him finally reach her after struggling since we met him.

And it has absolutely nothing to do with the plot at large, only Desmond’s arc. It explores some of the world’s lore but doesn’t answer any of the main plot questions or progress any other major character, and Des is the only time traveler so all the risk surrounding time travel is only for him. Critically, it still adheres to the themes of the show and fulfills much of the promises of this character’s role in it.

The show’s worst episode, “Stranger in a Strange Land,” is also filler about protagonist Jack’s tattoos. He makes a relationship with a woman nobody cares about and spends the entirety of the episode’s flashbacks, which is most of the episode’s runtime, dicking around in Thailand. With this quasi-wise woman’s tattoo techniques. Nobody cares what they mean, they didn’t connect with the themes of the show, didn’t tell us anything substantial about Jack or the world, lore, or story, and just felt like a massive waste of time.

If you’re going to write side quests, be more like “The Constant” and less like “Stranger in a Strange Land”. 

3. “Slice of Life” moments

A repeat of referencing this scene and this movie but I don’t care: “Doc Racing” from Cars is just one example. Adding in scenes like these won’t give you tens of thousands of words, but maybe you only need a couple hundred to feel satisfied.

Slice of life moments slow the pacing down, so place them wisely, and just let your characters be people in their world. Small things, human things. In Cars, it’s an old man letting himself enjoy life again when he thinks nobody’s watching. I have a scene in my sci-fi WIP series where two brothers, plagued by their family’s social status, take a drive and pick up greasy drive-thru food to park on a mountain overlook and just watch the city while licking salt off their fingers. I think Across the Spiderverse is about 20 minutes too long, but that scene of Miles and Gwen upside down on the roof before the plot ramps up is another quiet, human moment.

It could be a character who needs a break from the breakneck speed of the plot and the stress to listen to music, walk away from the project and enjoy the sun, anything. Do try to not get overly pretentious trying to make it super metaphorical and poetic, let the audience do it for you. These quiet scenes could end up being the audience’s favorite.

—

If you’re trying to make your book longer, don’t be like Bilbo Baggins, okay? Don’t let your characters be spread thin, like butter scraped over too much bread. Add, don’t stretch. If the romance is on track to come together sooner, let it, or figure out a more meaningful way to delay it than throwing in a dumb argument that won’t mean anything in 20 pages anyway.

This wasn’t an exhaustive list, just what I think could be the most effective with the widest applications across genres.

[megalony]

I Trust You

This is my newest Dark! Buck imagine, I hope you will all like this one and thank you @missdreamofendless for going through ideas with me for this one.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22

Evan Buckley Masterlist

Summary: After meeting (Y/n) and her baby out on a call, Evan quickly finds himself falling for her and attaching himself to her. She's all he can think about. And she will be his.

Enjoy.

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

A deep sigh rumbled past Evan's lips when he hopped down from the truck. This looked like it was going to take a while.

He squinted up at the building in front of them, trying to think and get a layout of the hospital in his mind to figure out which part of the building was on fire.

Evan had never been to a hospital fire before. He had never known a hospital in this area have a fire or have one that was catastrophic enough to cause a full evacuation like this. The 118 hadn't been here at the beginning of the fire, they seemed to have turned up right in the middle of things like they were the last ones to arrive to a party.

This meant full gear. Evan set about zipping up his overall jacket and found his helmet in one of the compartments. He stuck it on his head, fished around for his gloves and strapped them tight around his wrists. Once on, he found his mask in its dusty orange bag and strapped it around his waist. They didn't know how much smoke they would run into up there and when Bobby gave them all a look, they all nodded.

Evan could feel his shoulders slumping as he helped Hen hand out the oxygen tanks to their team.

Smoke and fire meant all the oxygen would be sucked in to feed the flames. They had to be able to breathe in order to evacuate the patients. The tank weighed heavy on Evan's back right between his shoulders, but it was a weight he was used to and not nearly as heavy as the ones he trained with down at the gym. He just knew that the extra weight and effort was going to make him sweat more profusely in that sauna of a hospital.

Fully suited, Evan clicked his neck into place and stood in line with the rest of the team, waiting patiently for Bobby to confer with the 106 who had gotten here first. They needed to know where they were needed and what they were going to be doing.

"Alright, Chim they need an extra set of hands assessing the ICU patients and getting them transported. Hen, you and me will go up to the third floor, there are a few patients they're struggling to transport with all the equipment."

Both of them nodded and Chimney jogged over to the tent set up outside where they were trying to sort out who was most in need of transportation. Nearby hospitals were taking in anyone they would who needed special monitoring or dialysis or life support.

"Eddie, Buck, there's still people on the second floor in the maternity wing who aren't evacuated so go there and make sure that ward is clear please."

"Copy."

Evan took the lead. He knew where he was going, he had been in the hospital enough times to know where the wards were located and he knew the maternity ward was near the front. He steered towards the left and over to the 106 truck that was conveniently moving their ladder towards the front windows to help get their teams in and patients out.

"Can you get us up to the second floor?" Evan pointed at the ladder and when the guy whose helmet read Taron nodded, he and Eddie climbed up on the top of the truck.

There was no time and no need to clip a harness onto the ladder when they could just run up and get in. The ladder was safe enough and they didn't have time to mess around here.

Evan was glad when he got to the top of the ladder that he didn't have to break the window. It was open on a latch, so all he had to do was wiggle his fingers, undo the latch and shimmy the window up as high as it would go. He briefly took off his helmet so he could shimmy through the window before he plonked it back on his head and looked around.

"Where'd you wanna start?"

"Fire's towards the left part of the building, there should be an exit across at the back. Start left and loop around?" Evan pointed to the door on his left that would lead them into the corridor.

It seemed safest to head nearest the fire and make sure no one was in peril, then they could loop around, clear the floor and get out.

"Sure," Eddie tapped his helmet to make sure it was in place but when they headed out the room, his eyes narrowed and he looked up at his best friend. "You holdin' out on me or something?"

How did Evan know his way around the hospital so well, especially the maternity ward?

"Nothing so exciting. I've got a good memory, from visiting Mads and Jee."

He steered to the left and headed down a long corridor, both of them peering into each room they passed. They had to get everyone out, smoke was already starting to clog up the halls and seep through the vents. They didn't want to be in here long.

When Eddie peered down a corridor on the right, he placed his hand down on Evan's shoulder and pulled him back in that direction.

There were two women and two nurses heading their way, hurrying as fast as they could down the corridor.

"All of you, this way and down the back exit there will be people outside to take you somewhere safe." Eddie waved his hands and guided them towards him, showing them the back stairs which weren't yet consumed by the flames or drastic smoke following them like a shadow.

They found another three mothers, all with their own newborns in their arms, and Eddie turned and guided them back down to the stairs while Evan carried on. They only had a few more rooms to clear and then they could check the neonatal rooms and get out of here.

Just as Evan went to open one of the doors on his right, he took a step back when it was yanked open like a force of nature. He stumbled on his back foot, eyes wide and lips parted.

The girl stood in front of him displayed the same shock that was written across his face. They hadn't expect the other to be there.

She was stunning.

Evan wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline coursing through his system, the smoke he had started to inhale or just the rush of emotions in this situation. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

The way the loose tendrils of hair fell down her face made her look positively angelic. Her doe eyes were wide and round and her pupils took over almost the whole expanse of her eyes. Those plump, parted lips were heart shaped and made Evan want to lean closer and taste them.

Her hands were gripping the door, clinging to it like she was trying to prop herself up and the way she was slightly stooped forward made Evan trail his eyes up and down her frame.

She had already had her baby. A lot of the rooms in this ward were mixed, some women had given birth, others were under observation and some were in labour. He guessed all those in labour had been escorted out first, they would have been priority to be taken to the nearest hospital.

And by the way she was leaning forwards, Evan wondered if she had gone through a C-section.

He noted that she was wearing pyjamas. A thin, light blue top with thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders and matching, baggy pyjama bottoms.

"Come with me, we're evacuating all the wards in this wing. I'll take you outside." He reached his hand out for her elbow and gently tried to coax her forward, but her eyes were rapidly scanning the corridor. "Miss-"

"I- my baby, I have to get her." Both her hands clutched Evan's arm so tightly she had him shaking along with her.

She tried to turn him around and drag him in the opposite direction towards the neonatal unit.

(Y/n) couldn't go and just leave her baby. She was two days old. She had to go and make sure someone had taken her and if not, she had to get her baby and get out. There was no way she could leave the hospital and go outside to safety if she didn't know whether her baby would be there or not. She couldn't leave Rory here in peril.

When she desperately pulled on his arm, Evan moved. He looped his right arm around her back and let her keep hold of his left hand. He tilted his head down, taking note of the nametag strapped around her wrist and he tried to rub his gloved hand up and down her back.

Something about the way she slotted into place in his arms almost made Evan smile. He felt like he'd seen her before, there was something about her that captivated him completely and Evan wanted nothing more than to keep her in his arms and escort her downstairs himself.

"(Y/n)," Her name felt like sugar on his lips and her eyes held his full attention when she stopped struggling and looked up at him. "I need you to go out to safety. You go with my partner, and I'll go make sure no baby isn't still here. Chances are she's already outside waiting for you."

When Evan caught sight of Eddie coming back from the stairwell, he slowly turned (Y/n) around so they were facing the right way.

He had to make sure the ward was clear anyway, and he couldn't allow her to come searching with him when she was a patient and needed to be looked after. If the fire got worse, Evan had a gas mask and an oxygen tank and protective clothing, (Y/n) didn't.

The tight grip she had on his hand made him step closer to her and the desperation in his eyes drew her in. He didn't want to let go of her. He didn't want to hand her over to Eddie, as if she was a friend Evan didn't want to share or part with.

Her voice sounded like a song, serenading him and her words struck his heart and rattled down to his core.

"Please- she- she's all I've got-"

"Hey, I'm going to get her and bring her right back to you, okay? Don't worry, you go wait outside."

When Evan nodded at Eddie, he begrudgingly unravelled his arms from her and let Eddie take her arm instead.

He made sure to note the last name written on her wristband before he disappeared down the corridor to the last place he hadn't evacuated yet. He burst through the doors of the first room, the neonatal room compact with incubators and equipment and heaters and oxygen masks and all the smaller instruments specifically for premature babies.

All had been evacuated. That was good. The most fragile patients had been escorted out of here.

Evan could feel the heat following him like he was a thief in the night and the heat was licking the back of his neck and smothering his jacket. He pushed ahead towards the last room in this ward where the healthy newborns were looked after.

To his surprise, there was one nurse left, one babe in each arm and her head instantly ticked to the cradle behind the door Evan had burst through. "These are the last ones, everyone should be out by now." The nurse sounded relieved but her expression was panicked.

There were no more babies to be evacuated and now that Evan and Eddie had evacuated all the other patients, they were all in the clear.

He nodded and spun around, suddenly glad that the hospital put wristbands on each child as soon as possible. He couldn't imagine not knowing which child was which or leaving with two and getting them mixed up. What a horror that would cause.

When he looked down at the cradle, something surged through his heart. He didn't need to read the wristband on the child's arm that was waving back and forth as they wailed, clearly petrified. He could see the name written on the chart on the side of the cradle.

The last name stuck out first. This was (Y/n)'s baby. This was the little one she had been trying to get to, the one Evan promised to find. And when he looked at her first name, his lips quirked.

Aurora.

Fitting. Such a lovely name for a little girl that reminded Evan of a princess.

His gloved hands shook as he carefully reached down for her and slowly eased her into his chest. He knew his jacket wouldn't be the comfiest, it would be itchy against her soft, tender skin but they didn't have much of a choice right now.

The moment she was in the crook of his elbow, her cries ceased almost immediately. She switched to whimpers and wriggling around and when Evan cooed and rocked her as he turned around, it was like magic.

He tucked her blanket a bit higher so it was draped over her neck and very loosely over her mouth. Just in case the smoke followed them in here.

He whispered a soft "It's okay, I've got you." and held her higher to his chest as he moved towards the window. He knew the layout of this place, this room was facing the chaos outside. He could get the truck to move the ladder over to them and get them out quicker. He didn't want to risk going back down the stairs when the fire was still spreading.

It didn't take long to open the window, wave his hand and wait for the truck to tilt the ladder a few degrees to the left to reach them.

"Here's our ride." He held his free hand out to the nurse and took one of the newborns so she could climb over the legs and carefully stand on the ladder. Once she had both back in her arms, she started her descent and Evan cast his eyes down to Aurora in his arms.

He couldn't look away from her as he swung his legs over the window frame and climbed onto the ladder.

His gloved hand cradled hers, his thumb stroked over the back of her hand and he rocked her up and down while he steadily walked down the ladder. He was more careful than he usually would have been when he climbed down from the truck and got back onto solid ground.

He wouldn't let anything happen to the girl in his arms.

"You're okay, you're okay." He cooed as he lifted her higher against his chest and looked around the scene.

He didn't want to let her go.

What would happen if he held her for just a while longer? Would anyone stop him? Would someone take her from him? What if he couldn't find (Y/n) again? Possibilities ran through his head until his eyes lifted and he looked ahead to where one of the tents was set up in the middle of the foyer.

There she was.

He wasn't too sure where Eddie was, maybe he had been roped into getting the last part of the fire under control. Maybe he was getting patients to an ambulance for transporting, Evan wasn't sure, and suddenly he didn't care. All he cared about was watching that captivating girl hurry towards him as fast as she could in her state.

She had one arm tightly bound around her abdomen, making Evan sure that she was recovering from a C-section. Her eyes were looking at him as if she had tunnel vision, as if Evan was the only thing she could see. The only person worth looking at.

He could see the desperation in her eyes and the panic written across her face and when he glanced down, he realised she wasn't even wearing socks. She was barefoot, aiming for him to see if he had her baby.

"Is- Is it Rory?"

He was about to say no until it clicked a second later that Rory was short for Aurora. He liked that. He really liked that name.

"I've got her, she's fine."

It made something twinge in his chest like a muscle had snapped when he lowered the newborn down into her mother's arms. It was fascinating that (Y/n) didn't have to check the nametag on the newborn's wrist to know that this was her baby. Instinct must have taken over, unless she simply took Evan's word as gospel that this was indeed her child.

He could see the relief pooling in her eyes and she looked so thankful that she could have fainted and collapsed there on the spot. She held Rory close to her chest, dragging her thumb over the back of her soft head that she started to kiss. But her eyes looked up to stare at the fireman who had helped them.

She read the name on his helmet.

Buckley. 118.

She wasn't going to forget that in a hurry. (Y/n) would bear that name in mind, she was going to have to thank him for this.

"Can I take you to a medic, to make sure you're both okay?" Evan dared to rest his hand on her lower back and took a step closer until their sides were touching and he had to look down to see her face properly.

She nodded and he was spurred on when she didn't pull away or create some space between them. He motioned his other hand out in front of them and slowly started to guide them towards a paramedic he could see in the distance. They both needed to be checked out before they were taken somewhere to wait for transport to a different hospital for the remainder of their stay.

His eyes found their way back to (Y/n) when she lifted her head up and he saw a smile forming on her lips.

Her smile was beautiful. He wanted to keep that smile in his memory. He wanted to gaze on that smile and be the reason she smiled. He wanted to keep that smile for himself and be the one and only reason she sparkled as brightly as that.

"You're a real hero, you know that?" She sounded breathless and he could see she was subtly shaking, but her words were enough to spark a fire igniting throughout Evan's system.

He liked the sound of that.

He had never been a hero to anyone before. He had failed in trying to save Daniel, and that meant he would never be good enough in his parent's eyes. He had never done anything to warrant being a hero to Maddie. He had been there after she got away from Doug, but he never did anything to actually save her, not like he wanted to.

He hadn't been a hero to any of his past girlfriends and that had been okay, he didn't have anything to prove to them or a desire to be heroic for them.

But hearing (Y/n) say that, seeing her look at him like that, it sparked something to life in his chest and made his heart swell and his head rattle with ideas and thoughts and images of a future that he wanted. He liked the thought of being a hero to her. He liked the thought of being there when she needed him, of being the one to help her.

Curiosity dwelled in his eyes along with a spark that started to form. Maybe she needed a hero. Maybe (Y/n) was someone who needed saving.

Evan could do that. He could save her. He could be there and help her, he could definitely see himself trying to help her and the beautiful little bundle in her arms.

And as he stared down at the pair of them, he couldn't get that thought to leave his mind.

***

Something sparked in Evan's eyes when he looked dead ahead of him. He could feel all the blood rushing to his stomach, fluttering along with adrenaline and a sense of hope that was growing wings and trying to take flight.

She was here.

The girl. The one he had been thinking, imagining and dreaming about for the last week. The girl he had saved from the hospital, she was walking right through those station doors.

He knew it!

He knew, Evan just knew if he bided his time, he would run into her sooner or later. But oh, had it been hard. He found it so hard to stay focused at work, to go home each night and try to find a way to get her off his mind. Nothing worked. Going to the gym didn't help when she still plagued his thoughts and he couldn't push through the barrier she created. He couldn't find the attention span to watch movies after work.

He didn't want to go out for drinks with any of the team, and when some of the women on calls tried to flirt with him, Evan felt angered. They weren't her; they weren't (Y/n).

But now she was here. It just proved that Evan knew deep down it would work out. He knew he would bump into her again at some point, and it had only taken a week for her to walk into his station.

Evan didn't have to resort to hanging around where she lived- the address which he had found on her file that he checked back at the hospital fire when patients were being transported to different hospitals. He didn't have to wait around where she lived and try to catch another glimpse of her and create a casual meet.

He didn't have to go looking for her to stop her from haunting his every waking moment, because here she was, walking into his station like this was where she belonged all along.

Evan tossed down the cloth in his hand, rolled his eleeves up to his elbows and jogged ahead between the fire trucks. He wanted to make sure no one else got to her first. He wanted- no, he needed to be the one to talk to her, to find out why she was here. To find out if she was here to see him.

She looked lovely. Hair swept back out of her face, teeth sunk down into her bottom lip that looked like an anxious habit to Evan. She was wearing jeans and a pale turquoise shirt that cut a bit low down the front and had ruffles around the shoulders.

His eyes cast down to the pram she was pushing. She had brought Aurora down to the station.

"(Y/n), hi."

She paused when Evan approached and his heart ignited when he saw the way her lips curved into a beautiful grin that flashed her teeth and creased her eyes.

"Buckley… so I am at the right place." Her voice was so soothing, no hint of panic or torment like the first time they spoke. No panic written across her face and no anguish building up in her heart.

He saw the way she cast her eyes up and down his frame as he stepped closer and tucked his hands into his pockets. He couldn't help but look down into the pram, and his smile widened when he looked at the newborn tucked up beneath a blanket. She was sleeping, she looked very settled and calm and he loved that the beige hat she wore had a Mickey Mouse silhouette sewn into the centre.

"Call me Evan. What can we do for you? Are you both okay?" When Evan moved one hand from his pocket and motioned to the pram, he waited until (Y/n) nodded to reach down. He brushed his finger along Aurora's cheek, loving the way she seemed to lean into his touch like she knew exactly who he was and that he was someone she wanted to be around.

"We're fine, thanks to you. I came to say thank you, properly, for helping us last week."

Reaching down beneath the pram, (Y/n) found the tuppaware box and gingerly held it out to Evan. She tried not to blush or let heat rise to her skin when she saw the way he grinned as he took the box from her. It wasn't much, but she knew baked goods were always welcomed and she wasn't quite sure how else to say thank you. Other than to come down in person to show her gratitude and hand over some cookies.

"Thank you." Evan was already opening the box and diving in to try a cookie and he hummed when he bit into one. "You didn't have to, you know. It's all part of the job."

"It's not everyday a hospital has a fire, or that someone goes back in to get your baby for you. Thanks is the least I could do."

This may be an everyday thing for him, but not for (Y/n). She hadn't gone into the hospital expecting a mass fire to break out. She didn't expect to be evacuated or to have someone rush back inside to make sure her daughter wasn't still in there and get her out safe. She didn't dare think what would of happened if he hadn't of been there at that exact moment, to help her.

"So, she's doing okay?" His eyes cast down to the pram when he finished the cookie and tucked the box under one arm so he didn't drop it.

Part of him wanted to reach in and pick her up. She had seemed very settled when he held her last week at the hospital. He wanted to see if she would still settle with him. He wanted to cuddle her and see how she might attach herself to him, to see if she would remember who he was.

"Yeah, she's doing great. Keeping me awake at night, but that's what I signed up for."

"Just you two?" Evan spoke before he could stop himself and despite how quiet his voice came out, he knew (Y/n) heard him. He diverted his eyes down to the pram, brushing Aurora's cheek once again as she started to wriggle. But the quiet hum (Y/n) gave out handed him his answer.

Just her and her girl. They had each other, and that was all they needed.

"Hey, what're you doing here?"

Evan snapped his head up to look over at Bobby when the Captain trotted down the stairs from the kitchen and made a beeline their way. The sight of him walking forward had Evan's brows furrowing and he tilted his head to one side in uncertainty.

"Just stopped by to say thanks to your team, for being so lovely during the hospital evacuation last week."

The smile that flooded (Y/n)'s face when she looked up at Bobby had a slither of jealousy creeping up the back of Evan's spine and surging through his chest. How did she know Bobby? Why was she smiling like that at him? Hadn't she come here to see Evan, not the Captain?

He watched Bobby loop an arm around (Y/n)'s waist and reel her in for a hug, and he did his best to hide his grimace as he watched them. And he swallowed down a grumble when Bobby kissed the top of (Y/n)'s head and gave her a squeeze.

"Oh really? Stick around for a coffee, see the rest of the team." Bobby spoke into the top of (Y/n)'s hair and when he finally parted from her, he patted Evan's shoulder and leaned around him to look into the pram at Aurora. He had a few things to take care of, but he would make time for a coffee if (Y/n) stuck around for a while.

Bobby seemed to smile wider when he saw the newborn nuzzling into Evan's hand that was still stretched down towards her.

When he walked past them both and moved towards the back of the station, Evan turned his attention to (Y/n). He tried to keep his composure, stay standing tall and plastered the smile back on his face as he stepped closer to her. He liked the way she had to tilt her head at an angle to look up at him. He liked that doe look in her eyes and the way she smiled at him was as if he was the only person in the world worth talking to.

"You uh, you know Bobby?"

"He's my uncle, I used to stay with him a lot when I moved out here after school. He's Rory's godfather."

(Y/n) would say that she was closer to her uncle than she was to her own parents. He had practically taken her in when she moved out to LA not long after Bobby left Minnesota to come out here. She had always heard him talking about his team, but she had never come down to the station or formally met any of them. They were like Bobby's second family and sometimes it was easier to keep both his worlds separate.

But from what (Y/n) had briefly seen of the team, she knew she would like them, especially Evan.

"Oh, wow." Evan nodded and began walking, motioning his arm in the right direction as (Y/n) followed along at his side with the pram. She would stick around for a coffee and a chat before she took Rory back home.

As Evan dragged his hand up and down his jaw and listened to the sound of (Y/n)'s shoes clicking against the polished floor, he found himself smiling. He had no idea Bobby had a niece, or that his niece would turn out to be someone so lovely who Evan was finding himself thinking of at every waking moment.

He liked the idea of (Y/n) being related to Bobby. Evan had come to think of Bobby as the dad he'd never had growing up. Bobby looked after him, taught him life lessons, was there when he needed him and loved and supported him and told him when he was wrong and how to right his problems.

If (Y/n) was related to Bobby, that just meant that instead of feeling like Bobby was his foster dad, he would now have a connection to him. If Evan got close to (Y/n) and found himself in a relationship with her, he would therefore be more like a true relation to Bobby. This was the beginning of a family.

They would all be drawn closer together, and Evan wanted to be as close to (Y/n) as he could get.

***

Evan almost jumped out of his skin when a hand gripped his shoulder and he felt a tall presence leaning over his right shoulder. He could feel his heart hammering away so fast in his chest he thought his ribs were going to splinter.

He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes locked with Bobby. The Captain had a knowing grin on his face that put Evan at ease, he wasn't about to be reprimanded for anything and he wasn't going to have a stern conversation. He seemed to have taken some delight in making Evan nervous, something Bobby didn't do very often.

"So, my niece, huh?"

It took Evan by surprise and he had to take a few seconds to work out what Bobby was talking about. Until Bobby cast his eyes down to look at Evan's phone that was clasped in his hands, and they both looked at his lockscreen.

(Y/n).

A blush started to creep up the side of Evan's neck and dusted across his cheeks when he nodded. He wasn't sure how to respond to that because it didn't really sound like a question, it was more of a statement or a rhetorical question.

But Bobby didn't seem upset or annoyed or like Evan was overstepping any mark here. He looked happy, if Evan wasn't mistaken.

"I uh, I really like her, Bobby, and Rory. I'd never mess them around-"

"Kid, I trust you. You've come a long way, and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt either of them. If you're both happy, then so am I."

He had Bobby's approval, and he didn't have to try or ask or say anything at all. Bobby was happy for them. He was happy that Evan was infatuated with his niece and would do anything for her. This was better than Evan had hoped for.

Something soft dwelled in (Y/n)'s eyes when she glanced towards the living room.

Evan was sweet.

He was stood behind the sofa, looking like he had been pacing up and down for a little while now. He had Rory in his arms who he had been holding for the last twenty minutes or so. He barely put her down, and she barely cried in his arms.

She couldn't quite believe how sweet and endearing Evan was being towards both her and Rory.

(Y/n) had been a little nervous and mostly unsure when Evan came round last week, and then again, and then popped by today. She wasn't sure why he wanted to befriend her so badly. She was a single mother with a newborn, she wasn't going to be much fun or good company, but Evan seemed intent on getting to know her. And he was more than eager to fuss Rory and settle her if she woke up, to give (Y/n) a break.

She folded her arms over the kitchen counter and tilted her head to one side, watching Evan with a growing smile that spread across her lips. He looked like he was a natural with kids, Bobby had said so himself. He said all the kids they had on calls or the school groups that stopped by the station all levitated to Evan like he was some kind of beacon.

He understood them, he was a friendly, understanding face and a fun person to be around. And he just seemed to have a natural talent with kids. When he came round to have a coffee with (Y/n), to see how she was and ask if she wanted to go for a walk or just spend some time together, he was always more than eager to have Rory around.

Not many men would be like that. Not many men at all would try and befriend (Y/n) or pursue her when she had a baby to look after. And not many men would be so taken with her newborn and try to offer help and be a friend to be around when needed.

She couldn't hear whatever Evan was saying to Rory, but the grin on his face made her wonder if he was relaying a story, possibly a work scenario.

Her eyes finally tore away from the pair of them to look down at her phone when it buzzed on the countertop.

*Me and Athena are having a BBQ at the weekend, do you want to come over? You can bring Buck XX

(Y/n) could feel herself lighting up at the thought of a party, but when she re-read her uncle's words again, her chest started to ignite with adrenaline and her face fell into a frown.

She could bring Evan? Why would he ask her that? Wouldn't he just invite Evan along anyway? Most of her uncle's parties or meals and events included his work team nine times out of ten. Evan would surely be on the list to be invited, he would likely be the first person they invited. Why was there any need for (Y/n) to bring him along?

For a brief moment, she glanced back over at Evan in the living room, watching as he moved to sit down on the sofa, still cooing and quietly chattering away to her daughter.

*Bring Buck? XX

*Don't worry, he told me. I'm happy for you both, he's a good kid and the team is eager to meet you XX

What on Earth did that mean?

What had Evan told her uncle? Did Bobby think they were in a relationship? Did anyone else think she and Evan were in a relationship?

She and Evan were friends, he had been kind to her and he was becoming a good friend. But they weren't in a relationship. He hadn't asked her and (Y/n) wasn't sure she was ready for that. Her last relationship had gone bust the moment she found out she was pregnant and (Y/n) made the decision to do this on her own. She wanted to have her baby and she was happy to be a single mother to Rory.

(Y/n) couldn't be thinking about a relationship right now, not after she'd just had Rory and her world was turned upside down, in the best possible way. She wasn't in the right moment to be thinking about getting into a new relationship.

Stuffing her phone into her back pocket, (Y/n) sighed and pushed off the counter. She was going to have to talk to him about this. Either Bobby had gotten the wrong end of the stick somewhere along the line, or Evan had said something he shouldn't. Or maybe Evan had gotten the wrong end of things, but how?

(Y/n) hadn't said anything or done anything to give Evan the wrong idea. They were friends.

She moved away from the counter, but paused when another buzz ticked through the air. That wasn't her phone. She dared to lean over, just to catch a glimpse of Evan's phone; it might be Bobby messaging him.

She wished she hadn't looked.

Why did Evan have a photo of (Y/n) as his lockscreen?

When had he even taken a picture of (Y/n)? She didn't recall Evan ever holding his phone up and taking a photo of her, she would of remembered something like that happening with someone she didn't know very well. Why was it made his lock screen? Why had he taken a photo of her?

A shiver crawled down her spine as she walked out of the kitchen and slowly headed into the living room. She tried to smile when she watched Evan gently ease Rory down in the rocker near the armchair. The newborn was fast asleep.

(Y/n) folded her arms over her stomach and leant one hip against the back of the armchair, trying not to look too panicked or too casual or uneasy.

"Evan, have you said something to Bobby, about us?" She forced herself to control her breathing and keep her tone light. She didn't want to argue with him or start something here, she just wanted to clear this all up.

The last thing they needed was to go to this barbeque at the weekend and have people asking if they were an item and one saying yes and the other saying no. They couldn't get things muddled up or let the lines blurr.

She watched his head tilt to one side and a lopsided smile formed on his lips as he squinted up at her.

"Well, yeah, I talk about you sometimes, so… he knows. He's fine with it, though, so don't worry."

"He knows?" Her head shook and the placid smile on her face showed her clear confusion.

She could feel panic dwelling up in her chest when Evan brushed his hands up and down his thighs and pushed up to his feet. She couldn't help but take a step back when Evan twisted and walked over to her. He walked slowly, as if he was a predator stalking towards her, assessing her movements. And (Y/n) held steady, not wanting to give the wrong impression or seem like she was angry when she was simply confused.

Her breath caught in her lungs and she could feel her throat tightening when he stepped so close, their chests were touching. She could feel each breath Evan took, pressing down against her and she couldn't help the shiver that rolled down her spine when Evan's fingers pressed beneath her chin and tilted her head up in his direction.

The way he smiled down at her made something twinge in (Y/n)'s stomach. She couldn't quite figure it out, but there was just something in his eyes that made her uneasy. That glimmer, that added, darkened look that made his pupils dilate and caused his mouth to curve into a splintered smile that set her on edge.

"Yeah, that you're my girls."

His words were followed by his lips pressing to her forehead that had started to spin in circles.

She didn't realise Evan's hands had moved to her hips or that he was nudging her back until the sofa pressed into her knees and she found herself sitting down. Her heart jumped into her throat once again and she could feel herself trembling when Evan sat down beside her.

He was close enough that their knees were touching and he curled one hand around her thigh while the other hand cupped the side of her neck. She could feel his thumb brushing softly across her jaw and when he leaned in, the only place for (Y/n) to go was to tilt backwards.

He was leaning over her. He was crowding her, surrounding her, blocking her exit and her senses and numbing her thoughts.

She didn't know what to do when he kissed her.

His lips were soft, but there was something behind his touch, something he was holding back. She could feel it in his touch, in the way his hand was so tense against her neck it was like he was about to start shaking. There was something in his hand gripping her thigh, like he was tempted to squeeze even tighter and pin her in place.

The feeling of his chest pressing down onto hers made (Y/n) sink further back into the sofa she was becoming compressed on when Evan was practically lying on top of her.

She stole as much air as she could manage in the second that their lips parted and she could feel Evan smiling into her mouth before he kissed her again.

This was moving too fast. They hadn't even gone out on a date or made any inclination towards dating. They were friends- (Y/n) thought they were friends.

Evan had come round to see her a few times, they had exchanged numbers. There was no reason for her picture to be on his phone or as his lockscreen. He shouldn't be kissing her now when they hadn't agreed to start dating and they didn't know each other well.

Evan had instagated this all on his own, he had attached himself to her and he didn't look like he was going to part from her. He had told his team that they were dating, he was already making it a well-known fact when the person he should have been talking to about this was (Y/n); the only person left in the dark about all of this.

What was she going to do?

[emrynbird]

IN THE JAWS OF AN OAK is OUT!!!

One part Regency fairytale, one part "Bloodborne-esque" horror, this novella follows a marriage of convenience between a survivor of abuse and a cursed beast 🐺🫀🌿

Get it through itch (EPUB & PDF) & Amazon (kindle & paperback)

✨ linktr.ee/emrynbird ✨

Full summary and content warnings below....

She yearned for freedom and solace from her familial home. He wished for companionship after a life of isolation. After a chance encounter at a masquerade ball, a deal is struck between the two to provide what the other desires. But as the horror behind unspoken truths becomes known, this marriage of convenience takes a dark and emotional turn that thrills her...and frightens him...

In the Jaws of an Oak is an illustrated erotic monster romance for fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings where the beast only becomes more monstrous instead of turning human.  This novella is 34k words with 18 illustrations, includes aromantic, pan, and sapphic representation.

The story explores themes of abuse and grief through the framing of the FMC’s newly found kinks surrounding fear and the MMC testing the limits of his most monstrous qualities. While not seen on page, it is heavily implied the FMC is a survivor of sexual violence and incest. Birth control via herbal remedies is taken on page and there is a brief mention of pregnancy and childbirth. While a majority of this work is queernormative, there is a brief instance of homophobia (past). 

There is one violent death that is described on page that involves dismemberment and being eaten, while all others are briefly mentioned along with attempted filicide.

The FMC and MMC have a significant size difference—that is made even greater via the MMC transforming—and engage in sexual acts akin to BDSM, which include: teeth play, biting, pinning/restraining, knotting, anal, fellatio, cunnilingus, deep penetration (oral, vaginal), choking, and vore-adjacent death ideation.

[27dragons]

A week or so ago, before my unplanned trip to the hospital, tisfan's spouse asked if I'd help him sort through her various writing folders, because her publisher wants to do a "box set" with the novels from a (non-fandom) series that she'd written, and they were hoping there might be an unpublished but mostly-finished story that could be included with the set as a bonus feature.

As it turned out, there were two completed-but-unpublished drafts in that series in her folders, a novella and a full-length novel. I had known she'd started both but not that she'd ever actually finished them. I have no idea why she never got them to the publication stage; they were both dated like 2016 so it's not like it's something that got cut short by her stroke.

The publisher decided they were both too long to include with the box set but wants to publish them separately instead.

So I've spent a significant chunk of my Valentine's Day reading and editing a tisfan work that I've never read before in its entirety (though I'd seen snippets). That's something I thought I'd never get to do again.

[acourtofthought]

Do you really think sjm will give every single FMC in every single one of her books the same HEA with a mate?

In almost every case, yes.

If SJM is writing a full length novel in the ACOTAR world that features a fae FMC / MMC (I'm not sure I see her writing a full length MM or FF novel, maybe a novella where the characters may or may not have a bond) than I do think they'll receive a HEA together as mates because we have been told there is no bond greater than a mating bond. That no matter how special marriage is, a mating bond trumps it. That the mating bond is a bridge between souls which means any other love is not.

In the old days of gymnastics the best score you could receive was a perfect 10. Though a gymnast could be extremely happy with a 9.8, you still can't turn around and tell them that 9.8 is just as good as a perfect 10. It's a great score of course but it's still not the best score.

That's a mating bond in this world, the perfect 10 and there's no going back once we know what the peak is. Elain loved Graysen, maybe she could have learned to love Az, but she'll only ever be mates with Lucien. Lucien will only ever be the one with a bridge to her soul. People can rant and rage all they want, they can downplay it to their hearts content but it doesn't change the fact that Sarah J Maas (as well as many other authors) have decreed this as their truth. I have never known a fated mates author to write a true rejected mates story, one where they don't have a HEA by the end, regardless of how many fated mates book they've written. Ella Fields has multiple Fated Mates books at this point. J.R. Ward has at least over 20 (an author Sarah loves). If Fated Mates are presented as an option within a world then nothing else is going to be as good especially when it involves two important side turned main characters. Many in the fandom love Elain and many LOVE Lucien. He's just as much a favorite in this world as she is and Sarah has not written him to be anything but respectful to Elain, hot, and set up to become a future HL. This is not a throw away character where his feelings don't matter, his longing for Elain matters just as much as her current avoidance of the bond. The arguments of feminism are so ridiculous because in books you are allowed to root for all characters equally, I don't have to put Elain's "wants" (though we don't truly know whether what she currently claims is what she actually wants) over his simply because I'm a woman. I am allowed to be just as invested in his HEA as hers because the author wrote it that way, because she has set him up to be the good guy in Elain's story - the one who has never hurt her and only wants the best for her.

An author can throw all the angst, tension, hatred, etc. that they want at the two characters but it has never changed where they end up (which is together).

The only scenario where a rejected Fated Mates story would make sense to me is a setup like we might be getting with Mor / Eris. While Sarah is now writing Eris to be sort of a good guy, many readers were not quite as invested in him until SF. Yes, I realize there are some who have always loved Eris (I like him too) and after reading that Beron tortured him we hope for a better outcome for him but I think it's safe to say that if he and Mor turn out to be mates, nobody would be all that heartbroken for him to not end up with her. We know her romantic preference but we don't know his. We saw that he caused her trauma that has lingered over the years and we've never seen him longing for her. Sarah has written them to share in a connection of sorts, where they're always aware of the other but not in a way where anyone really wants them together. Eris letting go of Mor and his bond with her so she might find happiness with a women makes him heroic without the reader feeling heartbroken that he doesn't get to be with her because we don't get the vibes he has any interest in being with her. This is a scenario where it might make sense for mates to not end up together because we know Mor will never want a male in that way and we're not invested in Eris ending up with anyone (outside of Az for some).

In contrast, Elain does like males and Lucien finds Elain to be the most beautiful female he's ever seen, even more than the one female who had control over his heart for centuries. We know he's already struggling with the effects of the bond therefore we know the disappointment he feels at her indifference would continue to hurt him. They are set up as a romantic possibility despite Elain's behavior around him right now because authors don't write that sort of setup for it to go nowhere.

Could SJM write a non mates story without ever introducing a mating bond (even a rejected one)? Sure! Vassa and Jurian come to mind. But I don't think it's happening within the current cast of fae characters most likely to get a spin off.

She might also decide to write an entirely new series where mates aren't a thing but in the current worlds, unless the character is human, it's kind of difficult not to want that perfect 10.