#I think it started out as a dream about the next light novel story I need to read and then Sherliam took over
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I had a dream where William, Louis, John, and Sherlock took the Baker Street Irregulars on a field trip because Bond needed seats filled at a theater performance or something.
At one point Sherlock said “Liam do you want an update on the Lord of Crime? No one still had any idea who he is, isn’t that fantastic?” And he did a big delighted-Sherlock laugh.
And then when Sherlock was leaving he and William just kept saying goodbye to each other in different ways like Victorian “no you hang up”.
#they’re rotting my brain and I’m very okay with it#I think it started out as a dream about the next light novel story I need to read and then Sherliam took over#my posts#sherliam
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subject to change 1.0
wc: 6.4k
summary: in which Y/N is a fairly inexperienced romance author, and Harry is a bookstore owner who happens to be a big fan. What happens when he offers her one night to experience some of the things she’s written about?
part two
a/n: hi there! can you tell I'm ovulating? that is the only explanation I have for this one. big shouts to my mootite patootie @celestie0 for being a real girls girl and being my beta reader and personal hype woman! she read the whole thing and she doesn't even like Harry like that! Ellie is a real one. (check out her story kickoff rn!🔪)
cw: bdsm dynamics, impact play, breath play, spit play, cum play, anal, anal creampie, p in v, facefucking, mild shibari, bondage, use of sir, degradation, edging, spanking, choking, toy usage (vibrator, butt plug), overstimulation, there’s a lot okay reader be warned.
“Hey, Jenny!” Your voice echoed through the phone. Your publicist had a habit of calling when you were trying to get your daily rough drafting and editing done. Currently you’re staring at a manuscript of the follow up to your latest release, still unsure what to name it.
“Y/N, I’m glad I caught you! I had something come up for you to start the press tour for your newest release!” Jenny, your publicist excitedly squeals through the phone. Her tone makes you peel the phone away from your ear for a split second. You glance over to your right to look at the book in question. “Little Freak” was your latest release. Another smutty romance novel full of things you’d never actually experienced; only dreamed about. You were experienced enough, but always craved more. But your books were a hit and people were snatching them up left and right.
“A press tour? I’ve never done anything like that.” You respond, balancing the phone between your cheek and shoulder, tapping away at your computer
“I know, but it’s a signing! At this local shop downtown.” She explains, “The owner says they’d love to host in exchange for the publicity.”
“A signing?” you question. Never did you think a signing would be an event you’d have. ”People want to meet me?”
“Oh yeah, girl. Loads of people.” She chuckles. “Do you know how many people have sent you fan mail saying you gave them a sexual awakening with your books? So many people want to meet you.” Her response makes you physically laugh.
“Wow, I'm just writing about fantasies I have.” you chuckle, “But I’m so glad people are finding themselves.”
“But about this signing!” She continues. “It’s booked for next weekend, but I’ll be going this weekend to meet with the owner and talk about the setup. You can be there if you want or you can just leave that to me.” She continues rambling about anything and everything pertaining to the signing. Ending the call she gives you the address and you tell her you’d meet her there on saturday.
You loathed taking public transportation, and requesting a car for a short trip seemed pointless to you. So hoofing it, it was. Weaving your way through the city sidewalk, you’d located the shop rather easily. You were shocked you’d never heard of this place before. You’d been through here many times.
“Y/N, over here!” You hear Jenny yell from the corner of the store. It was really nice. Big floor to ceiling windows. Full mahogany bookshelves lining the walls and aisles. A giant seating area with plush chairs, couches and bean bags. A coffee and tea bar near the windows. String lights hang from the exposed rafters. The aroma of the store wafting scents of natural wood, patchouli and vanilla. There’s plants everywhere. The cash register tucked in the corner with a “Owners Picks” section right in front. Harry’s House in big yellow bubble letters on the wall.
Your eyes just scan everywhere before they fall on Jenny, standing next to a man. A man with emerald eyes, dark chestnut curls, glasses pushed atop his head, and a smile plastered on his face.
“I can’t believe this place has been hiding here,” you state, walking towards her and the man. “Hi, I’m Y/N,” you’re holding your hand out to him. He eyes you before slipping his hand in yours and giving you a delicate shake. Your skin heats up at his touch.
“M’ Harry. S’nice to meet you,” he claims, “I haven’t opened yet. Your signing will be my grand opening.” He states, letting your hand go. What was that?
“That explains why I’ve never seen it before. It’s beautiful in here,” you gesture all around. “It’s so cozy.” Why do you want him to touch you again?
“That was the vision when I was planning everything. When I heard your team was looking for a place to host a signing, I knew it would be perfect for a grand opening as well.” Keep talking.
“You’ve heard of me?” you ask in disbelief with your eyebrow raised. He’s looking at you as if he’s ready to eat you alive. Please do.
“I’m quite a big fan, actually.” he chuckles, “I’ve read all of your releases so far. But, we can discuss that after. Jenny, do show us what your plan is.” He says, leading you both over to the seating area.
After your sit down meeting with Harry and Jenny, Jenny says she’s heading back to the office to send out the email to your team with the plan. Harry asked you if you’d stay to continue your conversation from earlier and go over more specifics, to which you happily obliged although you felt a tinge of nervousness once you were left alone with him.
You eye him as he prepares some tea for the both of you, getting a really good look this time. Glancing at the furrow in his eyebrows as he focuses on the task at hand. The fabric of his white dress shirt pulled taught across his shoulders as he moves around the space; the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The skin you can see is littered with black ink. The way the veins in his arms start to give you unholy thoughts about how they’d feel wrapped around your neck–
“You’ll have to forgive my shortness earlier, I’m not used to men telling me they’re a fan of my work,” you chuckle, trying to steer your thoughts in a different direction.
“Ah, not to worry. It takes more than that to offend me,” he says, walking back to the couch you’re settled on; tea cups in hand. “But, indeed I am a huge fan,” he hands you one of the cups as he takes a seat on the other end of the couch. “I believe the first book of yours I read was Lingering Smoke,” he ponders for a moment, “Or no, it actually was Whipped & Chained,” his recall of your titles make you squirm.
“T-those are my two most popular titles,” you start to speak, praying he didn’t notice the way he made you stutter. He did. You clear your throat before continuing, “but my latest release is wiping the floor with both of those at this rate,” you say, regaining your composure. He offers you a smile. A salacious smile.
“I’m not surprised,” he says, eyeing the pink tinge on your cheeks, “I have read them all though,” he says, shifting his seating position on the couch to now fully face you, “they often give me,” his gaze boring into yours, “ideas,” he’s lifting his tea cup to his lips. You swear you feel a chill down your spine.
“Ideas?” you question, your eyes searching his. Are they darker?
“Ideas.” He affirms. “You should know though. You write about them.” He chuckles.
“I mean, I guess,” you shrug your shoulders, “I’m just writing fantasies I have,” you laugh, but he doesn’t.
“Fantasies? You mean you’ve never done those things? Felt those things?” He asks in disbelief.
You shake your head with a light laugh. “I seriously find that so hard to believe.”
“Please, my college boyfriend could never,” you chuckle, setting your tea cup on the coffee table. “I just drum up some ideas–as you so call them–and put it into a story. Nothing special.” He stares at you in disbelief again.
“I jus–wow. I honestly expected you to be super well versed in those aspects. Pardon my assumption,” he says, holding his hands up.
“I mean, I guess it’s a pretty fair assumption, so no offense taken. Apparently I’ve given people sexual awakenings according to Jenny,” you laugh making him laugh this time.
The awkward tension seems to dissipate with the shared laughter, but a different tension seems to linger. He seems so stone-like; like he only has one goal; and that goal is you. Truth be told, you’d happily oblige.
“Would you like to?” He asks, repositioning himself on the couch again, slightly closer to you.
“Like to?” you’re feigning ignorance. You know what he wants, but you're playing dumb.
“Experience those things.” He leans his arm over the back of the couch, taking in the obvious look of desire in your eyes.
“I mean, sure. Who wouldn’t?” You snort, looking over to him but he’s just staring at you. “Oh, you mean like, with you?” you ask slowly, still playing dumb.
He smiles that smile again, “Sure, why not?” He asks. “I’m game if you are.”
“Harry. Do you hear how crazy that sounds? We’ve known each other for half an hour.”
“So? We don’t have to see each other after. I don’t really do ‘feelings’ anyways.” he’s gesturing air quotes around feelings, his tone rather repulsed sounding. “This could be a one time thing. You get to experience some of the things you’ve written about, and I get my rocks off. A win/win situation if you ask me.” He says, gathering the tea cups and sauntering back over to the coffee station.
“You sound so romantic, Harry,” you chuckle. Maybe this wouldn’t be a terrible idea. The last hookup you had was less than thrilling. And here you have a very attractive man offering exactly what you’ve been looking for. Regardless if it’s for one night, you’re willing to try.
“Interested?” He asks, leaning against the counter behind him.
“Sure. Why not,” You respond, mimicking his words back to him.
You make a mutual agreement to meet up and converse every day over the next week to discuss specifics, what each other's limits are—Harry all but told you he had none—and to remind you that this was all about you and what you wanted to experience. He gave you homework of coming up with what exactly you wanted. Your mind races as you think about what you’d want to experience first. There are so many options!
He adored the look of mixed emotions on your face; the excitement, the apprehension. The enthusiasm in your voice but also the way you shied away when he asked you to list what you wanted, and how you wanted it. The way you sit on the couch in his bookstore with your legs crossed as you look down at the notebook in your lap. Ever the author; making a rough draft of these taboo acts you want this near stranger to do to you. Harry may not make it out of this alive if you keep looking at him with those eyes.
After your signing is when he’d bring your fantasies to life.
The spare key to his apartment was burning a hole in your hand as you made your way down the hall. You stood in front of the door a moment, contemplating one last time if this was what you wanted. He reminded you before you left the bookstore that there was no pressure. He would understand if he got home and you weren’t there. But you’re certain you want this. If nothing, you’ll get more fuel for your writing,
Once inside, you set his key on the counter before making your way to his bedroom so you could prepare for his arrival. Nerves are sneaking up on you but they’re overtaken by sheer excitement once you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror on the wall on the opposite side of his bed. You begin to undress, watching yourself in the mirror as you pull your dress down your shoulders, revealing the dark red lingerie set you wore for the occasion.
The sound of his front door opening causes your breath to catch in your throat. Finding your spot near the bed, your hands find the tops of your thighs as you kneel on the floor in anticipation of his arrival; eyes cast down like he directed. His footsteps draw closer, causing the butterflies to stir awake inside your gut. The bedroom door opens, but you keep your gaze down. The tops of his shoes come into your vision. “Eyes up.”
Your head snaps up in response, eyes meeting his dark gaze. That salacious grin being the star of the show. “Hmm,” he starts, sliding his thumb across your cheek as he takes hold of your chin, “Already so obedient,” he clicks his tongue, “I like that.” The mild praise makes you grin.
His free hand slides down to fumble with his belt buckle, the sound of the metal clinking together sending shockwaves straight between your legs. You feel the leather being slung around your neck and he sinches the sides together, tightening around your throat.
Your breath hitches.
“Open,” he says. Your tongue immediately lulled out as you open your mouth, aiming to please him. You groan as a warm stream of spit falls onto your tongue and two of his fingers press down to smear it around the surface. “So pretty like this.”
A whimper escapes you in response.
“Do you remember your safewords?” You nod. “And what are you supposed to do if you’re unable to speak?” Reaching up, you tap his thigh three times. “What about if your wrists are bound?” You snap your fingers before resting your hand against your thigh again. Gurgling sounds fall from your lips as his fingers run over the back of your tongue. “Good girl,” he pushes a little further, “That’s a good girl,” he says as his fingers make their way down your throat, brushing against your gag reflex, causing you to gag slightly. “Ooh, a little training is needed I see,” he mocks.
Your core is on fire and he’s barely touched you. A few dirty words and his fingers in your throat and you’re ready to roll over and bark like a dog, Nevermind the fact that his belt is around your neck like a leash.
Whimpers leave you at his chastisement, making him grin. Spit rolls down your chin; your hands reach up instinctively to grip the front of his thighs. “No touching,” he reminds you, making you timidly retract them. “Do I need to restrict your hands already?” You try to shake your head in his hold to say no, causing the belt to tighten.
That was one of the only rules he gave you. “No touching, no kissing, and you have to ask me permission to cum.”
Tears burn in the seams of your eyes as he continues his exploration of the inside of your mouth; fingers prodigy at your gag reflex again. You cough and gag but he presses on just a little further until he feels you instinctively pull your head back. Harry withdraws his fingers as he watches you cough and heave. “Don’t know how you’re gonna take my cock, sweets,” he mocks you again, “you’re already a crying mess from two fingers.”
His words make you audibly groan. You want more. You need more. “Need it, sir,” you smile up at him.
“I know, pup,” he’s cradling your face. He taps your cheek with those same two fingers, telling you to open again. “You’ll get it,” he spits on your tongue once more, “Now, remember to breathe through your nose this time,” he says before he slides his fingers back in your mouth.
Your ankles are secured to the posts of his headboard; wrists hooked to the leather belt around your waist, and your head hangs over the edge of his bed. Harry’s hands roam your upper body, groping your breasts and pinching your perked nipples. His cock sliding in and out of your throat at an agonizingly slow speed; savoring the feeling of your tongue gliding along the underside of his shaft. “Fuck, sweets,” he groans. A hand sliding up to lightly grip the sides of your neck, “haah, feel that?” he asks, squeezing the sides where your throat bulges, “feel me deep in your throat?”
Drool pours from the sides of your lips; the wet squelching sounds of his cock gliding in and out of your throat is like music to his ears. “This what you wanted?” he asks, pulling himself from your mouth, tapping his length on your lips. You writhe before him, trying to catch your breath. He rubs the tip of his cock over the apple of your cheek, smearing the drool and precum across the surface. “Asked you a question, pet,” he says, giving an open-palmed smack to your right breast, making you yelp.
“Y-yes, sir,” you breathe out, “T-this is what I w-wanted.” You wish you could clench your thighs together to feel some kind of friction. His condescending tone has a rush of arousal pooling between your legs.
“Yeah?” he mocks, “Wanted your throat fucked like some cheap whore?” He slides back in your mouth. A whimper escapes your lips as he reaches the back of your throat. Steadying your breathing through your nose, you focused on the task at hand; keeping your tongue flat and your cheeks hollow. You’re squeezing your fists together, creating crescent shaped indents on your palms. It’s like you can already feel him everywhere. You can’t wait to actually feel him everywhere. “Just wanted me to have my way with you?” he slides one hand down between your legs and swipes two of his fingers through your folds, “Such a dirty girl. So wet for me already,” your hips involuntarily buck at the contact with your neglected core, making him chuckle before shoving your hips back down onto the bed.
“Hold it,” he demands as he stills his hips with the tip of his cock nestled in the back of your throat. Five. Ten. The seconds tick by as he tests your breath holding ability. Fifteen. Twenty. You flex your hands before clasping them back shut; Harry keeping a close eye on them lest you need to perform a safeword act. Twenty five. Thirty. “Good,” he commends as he pulls out and you struggle to catch your breath. “Very good, Pup,” he taps your cheek with his fingertips.
Harry maneuvers himself around the bed, grabbing the spool of rope on the floor before moving to settle on his knees between your legs. He frees your left ankle before taking hold of your hips and pulling you towards him, letting your head rest on the mattress. “How’re you feeling up there?” he asks, smoothing his hands up your legs, over your hips and tummy, stopping and rubbing slow circles.
“G-good, s-sir” you stammer out, still breathing deeply; flexing your hands to get the feeling back in them. You feel his hands grip under your knee, lifting your leg into a bend; foot flat on the mattress.
“Yeah?” he smirks, “What’s your color?” He grabs the spool of rope to his right, beginning to wrap the rope around your bent leg in a frog tie; the back of your calf is flush with the back of your thigh, forcing your leg to remain bent and open.
“Green,” rushes out before you even think about what he asked, you just want more.
Harry smiles at your response, finishing up the last bit on the knots. He runs the tips of his fingers over the rope before lifting himself on his knees to lean over you. “Good,” he smirks. Leaning forward, he braces his weight on one hand near your head. “Well just look at you,” he mocks. Your mascara is running, the lipstick you wore is smeared, and half dried patches of spit and precum litter your skin.
His other hand reaches up to lightly grip the sides of your face, turning your head from side to side in his hold as he really studies his handiwork. “Seems I’ve turned you into a little throat slut, huh?” His degrading words send shockwaves to your cunt. “But, let's see what else your holes are capable of,” He says with a firm smack to your cheek, causing your head to jerk to the left and a masochistic smile to form on your lips. Harry slides off the bed before appearing above you again, a blindfold in hand.
Your vision has been taken from you as well as your mobility. He has you exactly where he wants you; pliant and ready for him.
Harry settles between your legs again; teasing touches linger up your legs towards where you want him most. You feel two fingers spread your lips apart. “Hmm, such a wet little pussy. Were you feeling neglected down here while I was fucking your face?” he teases. You whimper in response, making him grin. Ghosting his fingertips over your sensitive bundle of nerves, he slides two of his fingers between your folds before dipping them inside and curving them upwards. A strangled moan falls from your lips. “Let me hear you,” he’s scissoring his fingers in and out of you, “Let me hear how good I’m making you feel.”
“G-god, sir. S-so good,” you whimper. “N-need more, please,” your skin begins to heat up; a thin layer of sweat forming. Chills follow; goosebumps littering the surface
“Oh, I’ll give you more,” he chuckles at you, bringing his free hand down in a firm smack on your clit, making you jolt. Reaching to his left, he picks up a wand vibrator, sets it against your clit and turns it on the lowest setting; gradually turning it higher in tandem with his fingers. He’s working you up to the peak of the mountain, steadily keeping you on your toes.
“Please, please, please, can i cum, sir?”
“No,” he’s retracting his fingers and the wand as he watches you whine and writhe before him.
“Hnng, sir, please,” you beg him. “Put it back, please,” Tears begin brimming in your eyes at the loss of stimulation.
“Silence,” he slaps down on your clit again making you yelp. “You cum when I say you can,” his tone firm, “Do you not remember that part of our conversations?” his hand comes down on the bundle again. Warm tears start dampening the blindfold held against your face. You nod your head. Smack. Again. “Words,” he prompts.
“I-I r-remember, Sir,” your voice wobbly, “I’m s-sorry,”
“I’ll bet you are. Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure it sticks in your empty little head,” another smack follows.
He’s got you on your knees now, left leg still frog tied and the other reattached to the bedpost, your back in a full arch. Your hands are stretched above your head; wrists tied together with leftover rope. His hands are anchored to your hips as he drives his cock in and out of your cunt. “Sh-shit,” he grunts, “this pussy feels so good; sucking me in like there’s no tomorrow,” One of his hands glides down to tickle the bottom of your foot, causing you to jolt and squirm in his hold. He grins at your attempt to escape the sensations.
“Hnngh, sir,” you groan, turning your head against the sheets. “Feels. So. Fucking. Good,” each word sounding pointed with each thrust of his hips. Your body is addicted to the dopamine rush; still holding on to the feeling of every orgasm he ripped from you with the vibrator before he decided you were ready for his cock. But not before he nestled a dark red, heart shaped plug into your ass to prep for later. You feel so deliriously full with both holes being stretched.
Harry reaches up, gathering your hair in one of his hands before tugging you up to be flush with his front, keeping up the pace of his hips.
“Know it does, pet,” he switches his hold, gripping the front of your throat with one hand as he slides the other one down between your legs to rub fast circles on your clit. “Can feel you clenching down on me like a damn vice,” His grip tightens on your throat, his fingers speed up as you turn into a crying mess from his touch..
“G-gna cum,” you stammer, “P-please, let me cum, s-sir,”
“Cum,” he stills his hips against your ass, but continues his ministrations against your clit causing you to convulse against him’ your abdomen contracting with each wave of pleasure.
“S’too much, sir” you cry out, “Please! Too much!” you wiggle in his grasp. He squeezes the sides of your throat a little tighter as a warning.
“You know what to say to get me to stop,” he reminds you, continuing to massage the abused bundle.
You choke out a whine in response, your body trembling with red hot pleasure. He knew you didn’t want him to stop. You knew what words to use to get him to slow down.
“Dirty girl. You’ll take anything I give you, huh?” he chastises you, his words scratch an itch in your brain and send you into a second orgasm. He continues to pull delicious sounds from you; all the sounds he’s become obsessed with. Tossing you back down onto the bed, he braces himself on either side of your head as he begins to piston his hips into you, fucking you into the mattress and siphoning every ounce of your orgasm he can out of you. “Such a good little slut, creaming all over this cock.”
His hips begin to slow as you come down and he runs one of his hands down the expanse of your back, before pushing and pulling on the plug.
“Oh, f-fuck, sir. That feels s-so go–ood,” your voice muffled by the comforter. “W-want you in my ass, sir. Please,” you say, turning your face against the mattress so he could hear you.
“Yeah? Wanna feel me stretch that tiny ass open?” he starts to pull on the plug, your hips jerk in reaction.
“Mhm, need it.” you mewl. “Please, sir,”
“I’ll give it to you, pet, don’t worry,” he says as he slowly pulls himself out of you. Harry stands from the bed before pulling you towards him. Maneuvering you to lay on your side with your back and butt facing him as he stands behind you. He smooths one hand up your side, groping your breasts, sliding further along to grip your chin. “Open,” he commands, just like earlier. Opening your mouth, you invite two fingers inside. “Suck.” You happily oblige; wrapping your tongue around his appendages. His other hand reaches down between you to grasp the edges of the plug as he eases it out, toying with you in the process.
You whine at the empty feeling, but you’re too focused on his fingers in your mouth to really care. Feeling his free hand swipe between your cheeks, he pushes a finger inside, eliciting a gasp from your lips. He takes the opportunity to push his fingers further into your mouth and add a second finger into your ass; slowly pumping the two fingers in and out of the tight ring of muscles. Groans fall from you at the strange intrusion; but you’re craving more.
“M-more,” you moan, voice strained from his fingers pressing on your tongue.
“Didn’t anyone teach you not to speak with your mouth full?” He sneers at you, retracting his fingers from your mouth before colliding his fingertips with your cheek.
You smile.
“S-sorry, sir. Feels s–so good. N-need more,” you’re pushing your hips back against the thrust of his fingers.
“Are you a little anal whore now too?” He chastises, but adds a third finger anyways, stretching you as best he can.
“Mhm,” you whine. “Want your cock. Please, sir.”
“Yeah, know you do,” he says as he withdraws his fingers slowly. He spits in his hand and wraps his fingers around the head of his cock, smearing the spit over the tip. He aligns himself with your tighter hole before beginning the tight press inside. “Just breathe,”
“Ngh, fuck,” you groan as he slowly inches inside. “Sh–shit,” your body tenses at the intrusion. It hurts so good. The stretch. The fill. Your head is spinning. More. More. More!
“Mm, such a tight ass. Pulling me in so good,” he continues his shallow thrusts, easing his way inside until he’s fully sheathed. “T-there, we go.”
You’d never been comfortable enough to go beyond a plug in your ass with previous partners. Perhaps knowing you won’t see Harry after is what made you so feral for it this time around. You can’t describe the level of fullness you feel right now. His hands are gripped on your hip, thumbs digging into the supple flesh as he pulls you back to meet each thrust of his hips.
“S-sir,” you whisper out to him, your voice gone hoarse from screaming out in pleasure.
“What, pet?” he squeezes your hip, “you need something?”
“C-can you touch m-me, please?”
“This still isn’t enough for you? Such a greedy girl,” he brings his hand firmly down on your ass. Bringing his hand back, he lifts your leg from behind, tucking two fingers into your cunt; curling them to prod at that spot.
“Oh, f–uck y-es, right– right there, sir,” your sobs of pleasure are going straight to his cock. “Pl-please, please don’t stop.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says with a smug grin etched onto his lips. “You want more?”
“Y-yes, please! Please, sir, more!” You aren’t sure what more he could give you but you’ll take whatever it is. You feel his fingers leave your cunt and his hips come to a halt against your ass. The sound of the wand vibrator coming to life fills your ears. He presses it against your sensitive clit, then tucks the end of the wand under the rope around your leg; keeping it firmly in place. You cry at the sensation. His fingers enter your pussy again, eliciting an animalistic like moan from your throat. “Oh–hngh–oh my god, sir, holy fuck.”
“That’s it,” he smacks down on your hip with his free hand, “Such a dirty little whore, just wants all of her holes filled like the girls she writes about in her dirty books.”
Your whimpers fill the air along with the sounds of sticky, squelching flesh and Harry’s grunts. You’ve never felt so full and empty at the same time in your life. The only thing you’re able to focus on is how good he’s making you feel. He’s kept true to his word; this was all about you and what you wanted. Every fantasy you told him over the week you met up with him at his book store, he brought to life. All of your senses are on fire, but all you can think about is how badly you want to cum.
“Sir, g’na cum! Please let me cum!” you scream. His fingers continue their assault on your g-spot, as he reaches down with his free hand to switch the vibrator to its highest setting before taking a firm grip on your throat and squeezing; sending you over the peak.
“Cum for me,” he demands, pulling the most intense orgasm you’ve ever felt in your life from you. A wet feeling forms between your legs and you hear Harry groan behind you. “Ohh, there’s a good girl. C’mon and keep squirting all over me, sweets,” his praises go straight between your legs as more moans and pleas escape from your throat. His fingers work overtime in your pussy; pulling every ounce of your arousal from you. The incessant buzzing of the wand on your clit puts stars in your vision and the feeling of his cock pounding in and out of your ass is the cherry on top. A second wave rushes over your senses, your body convulsing against Harry’s. “There she is,” he coos, “such a good, dirty girl.”
Harry eases his fingers from your core, and switches the wand off before untangling it from the rope and tosses it to the side. He grips your hip again with both hands as he pistons himself in and out of you, finally chasing his own orgasm. “Sh–shit, pet. Gonna cum. Where do you want it?” he pants out, digging his thumbs into the plush of your ass cheek.
“Pl–please cum in my ass, sir. Want it so bad,” you whine out, “Need it, please sir!”
“Calm down, gonna give you what you want, sweets.” His hips begin to stutter, grunts and groans fall from his lips along with cries of your name. He pushes in as far as he can as he empties himself into you–”Fuck, just like that, pet. S-so good”–before retracting his hips and pressing in again; fucking his release back into you.
“So, was that everything you wanted?” Harry asked as he unties the knots that were keeping your leg bent. You’re lying flat on the mattress, a warm washcloth in your hand as you wipe your face.
“Mhm, and then some,” you smile at him.
“Yeah? Happy to be of service,” he chuckles, beginning to help stretch and massage the muscles in your leg. You wince at the feeling of his fingers kneading the more tender areas. His calloused hands rub and dig the knots left behind. “I’ll take that,” he says, holding his hand out for the washcloth. He rubs it over your sensitive areas, not pressing too hard; really taking his time cleaning up his mess. “I’m going to run you a bath, and make you something to eat,” he stands from the bed, tossing the washcloth into the hamper before disappearing into the bathroom.
Your thoughts begin to take you hostage as he fiddles around in the bathroom. You’d just let basically a total stranger do unspeakable acts to you, and now you’re about to take a bath in his tub. He’s being sweet to you now, making sure you’re comfortable. But that doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t want to see you after today.
Upon his return, he catches himself smiling at your naked form laying across his bed. Clearing his throat, he strides over to you and extends his hand. “Upsie daisy, sweets,” he chuckles at the pained look on your face after you take his hand and stand at full height. “How do those legs feel?” he teases.
“Shut up,” you stick your tongue out at him, “I just went through a lot,” you laugh with him.
“Indeed you did,” he smiles sweetly at you. A completely different kind of smile than he’d ever given you before. When he looked at you at the bookstore, it was like a hunter eyeing his prey. Now he’s looking at you as if you’re the reason the sun rises and sets every day. You’re trying really hard not to think too hard into it.
“He’s just being nice after figuratively beating the shit out of me,” you think to yourself.
“Are you going to get in with me?” you ask once you reach the edge of the tub. Your big doe eyes looking up at him so sweetly as the words leave your lips. He’d never done something like that before. He doesn’t do the sweet stuff. But with the way you’re looking at him now, how could he say no?
“D-do you want me to?” he asks quietly.
You nod softly in response, “If I only get one night with you, I’d like to make the most of it,” you turn to step into the tub.
Harry’s heart pangs in his chest. He nods slowly and swallows the lump in his throat. Leaning forward, you allow him enough room to slip in behind you before you lean back against his chest. His arms warily make their way around your body as he pulls you back as close to him as possible.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” leaves you before you can even think about it.
“You’re asking if I had a good time making you bend and break at my will? Yeah I think I did,” he says, making you laugh.
“Hey, I just wanted to make sure,” you say tilting your head to the side to look up at him. “I had a great time by the way.” you chuckle before turning back around.
“I’m glad. You did a great job,” He picks up the fresh washcloth he’s gotten for you, and dunks it in the water. “May I?” he asks, gesturing towards you.
“Sure,” you whisper, your cheeks turning a soft pink at the praise. He rubs the washcloth over the expanse of your chest and tummy; up your arms and down your legs, really taking his time helping you feel relaxed. “Thank you, Harry. For today.” you feel yourself lean into his hold.
“My pleasure, Y/N," he smiles against your temple.
“You sure you have everything?” Harry asks as he helps you put your jacket on, pulling your hair from underneath for you.
“I had everything the last three times you asked,” you giggle at him, the sound is like music to his ears. He’d do anything to hear it for just a little bit longer. He said he could do just one night. He swore he could. But why does the thought of you walking out his door make him feel like his chest is going to cave in?
“Just want to be sure,” He smiles that soft smile at you again, making your cheeks heat up.
How dare he.
“Please, stop looking at me like that,” you whisper, unable to hide your discomfort anymore.
“How am I looking at you?” his voice quiet and sad.
“L-Like you actually care about me.” tears collect in your waterline, “You said so yourself, this was a one time thing. So, please, just stop looking at me like that. It’s very confusing.” The words poured out of you before you could stop them. He just stares at you with sad eyes. “T-Thank you again, Harry. I really appreciate your help.” You say, your voice shaking as you avoid eye contact. He’s studying your face; The hurt etched across your features. The same hurt he felt in his chest, but refused to show. “Good luck with your store,” you say as you pull the door shut behind you, leaving him in the silence of his empty apartment.
c/n: oh my what a ride, right? this is not the last of our brooding pair. you'll see the ending of their story soon!
please like &/or reblog if you enjoyed!
#harry styles one shot#harry styles fic#harry styles fanfic#harry styles fanfiction#harry edward styles#harry styles smut#harry styles writing#harry styles x reader#harry styles imagine#harry styles fluff#harry styles angst#harry x you#harry x reader#harry styles x you
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The Parent Trap 👨👩👧👧 | Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw Imagine
Inspired by Disney’s ‘The Parent Trap’
Link to my TGM Masterlist
Characters & Pairings: Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x novelist female!reader (romantic), Lila L/n and Caroline Bradshaw!OCs (daughters), Marilyn Brooks!OC (Bradley’s love interest), Ollie Tomas (platonic, Y/n’s bff), Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (platonic) & Hannix (Phoenix x Hangman)
Content Warnings: fluff, light angst, profanity, pregnancy & childbirth, separated twins, second chance romance troupe, assault (reader punches a character) | female reader—afab!reader (she/her) | wc: 18k+ this is long folks.
Premise: It was quite literally love at first sight for aspiring aviator Bradley Bradshaw and writer Y/n L/n, but the relationship ended as fast as it started. It did result in the birth of their beautiful identical twin daughters, Lila and Caroline—but even they couldn’t keep them together. An agreement was made in the divorce, Caroline would grow up with Bradley, and Lila would be raised by Y/n so the former couple never had to see each other again. What neither anticipated, however, were the sisters coming face-to-face at summer camp the year they turned 14…..and forming the ultimate parent trap to reunite their parents for a second chance at love.
Note: I rewatched ‘The Parent Trap’ the other night and gosh I remembered how much I loved that movie as a kid. I immediately got to writing this because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Just to be clear I do NOT support the idea of separating children especially twins & not tell them. This is of course for fictional purposes & I do not own Disney, The Parent Trap or the TGM characters. Hope you enjoyed! (Also I envisioned Dan Levy as Ollie when I wrote this & Margot Robbie as Marilyn😂
Thank you guys so so much for 1k!!!! I’m over the moon and cannot believe that I hit 1k just as I’m celebrating 1 year of coming back to this writing account and actually keeping up with works ! 🥹🥹 I love you all and appreciate all the kind words left on my stories 🤍🤍 you guys are the best!! — Bee 🐝
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“I know you’re upset, honey,” Y/n brushed Lila’s dirty blonde hair behind her ear, “But it’s for the best. Just think before you know it’ll be the holidays and then next summer I’ll fly you out there.” All she got in response was a sad nod, the fourteen-year-old turning to look out the window. Sunny California soon turned into cloudy New York as the plane traveled from coast to coast. The entire journey the novelist thought back to the past two weeks, which did nothing to heal her aching heart. Not only did she mourn leaving behind her second daughter, but she mourned what could’ve been with the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with almost fourteen years ago.
The one who made her believe in love at first sight.
In 2006, aspiring writer Y/n L/n was on the verge of college graduation, planning to move to New York City in hope of accomplishing her dream of becoming a New York Times bestselling author.
For as long as she could imagine writing stories was her escapism from the hardships of reality. A hopeless romantic, most of her work was romance—dabbling in fantasy or historical fiction from time to time but keeping a romance troupe involved. She first started writing fanfiction on the internet when it was just starting out, focusing on some of her favorite characters which resulted in her profile becoming popular with readers. It soon progressed to her attempting to write an actual novel.
The story she envisioned to write one day was keeping her up at night, so she finally sat her ass down the summer going into her senior year and started writing. In between classes and working at the campus library at UVA, where she was studying literature and psychology, Y/n was nose deep in her Apple iBook she literally got because of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Pages upon pages, the words flew from her mind and onto the screen, forming dialogue and descriptions. She didn’t know what would come of the book, unsure if she would even send it to literary agents and publishers once completed, but for now it was purely for her entertainment.
After all, look at Stephenie Meyer. Home girl wrote a book based on a dream and it turned out to be one of the bestselling series of all time.
Graduation came in a blur. Her plan was to go to the ceremony, get her diploma, and then head back to her place to finish writing. She was only a few chapters from being done. The last thing she wrote was the big twist which could be the make or break for the main character to be with the love interest, all that was needed was the resolution.
What Y/n didn’t expect that night was going to a party, at the insistence of her friend, and meeting who she believed was the man of her dreams.
Bradley Bradshaw was everything a girl would fawn over. Handsome, funny, flirty, the life of a party, who had dreams and aspirations. While his friends clowned him for having the typical 80s porstache, they secretly envied how well he pulled it off. Which was obvious by the amount of women throwing themselves at him.
Y/n’s friend had her eyes on him that night….but little did they both know, he had eyes for Y/n.
The second she walked in he was drawn to her. “Who’s that?” He asked his buddy, Fabian, interrupting him from his flirting with a pretty redhead. Annoyed, Fabian looked in the direction of Bradley’s gaze, catching Y/n in his line of sights.
“You talkin’ about the girl in the white pantsuit? That’s I think Y/n if I remember—we had psych 101 together ages ago. She doubled majored with English and worked at the library….” he raised a brow at Bradley, who was already walking toward Y/n with a determined look on his face.
Her friend Tanya spotted him first, immediately smiling with hopeful eyes. Only it fell to a small frown when she realized he wasn’t looking at her, but Y/n.
“Hi,” the greeting has Y/n turn around, red solo cup in hand and becoming puzzled at the sight of a gorgeous man standing behind her.
“U-uh hello.”
Bradley extends a hand, “I’m Bradley.” Y/n shakes it, both flinching when a spark ignites at the contact.
“I’m Y/n. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Y/n,” he beams, now aware she wasn’t alone. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you’d like to dance?”
“Oh um,” she glances at Tanya, seeing her saddened look and becomes apologetic. “I-I don’t know…”
“Just one,” he insists, “and then I promise to leave you alone afterwards.”
Y/n still appeared hesitant, not wanting to upset Tanya further, but the woman gives her a soft smile, “go on,” she takes the cup from Y/n, “I’ll be right here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Totally. In fact,” Tanya bites her lip when she connects eyes with a guy she had a class with the previous semester. One she thought was cute and wouldn’t mind getting to know. When he gives her a wave and gestures for her to come over, Tanya blushes, “I’ll be over there talking to Grayson. Take all the time you need.” She was already on the move before Y/n could say anything else, leaving her with Bradley.
“Sooo…” he holds out a hand, nodding his head to the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the house the party was at.
Heart racing, Y/n gives a small smile and takes his hand, letting him lead her to the floor. It was the first time a guy had asked her to dance at a party. Though she didn’t date or go out much in college, the times she did Y/n often got left alone because Tanya or one of their roommates/friends were hit on and she didn’t. Plus with school, work, and writing her book, a social life was pretty much nonexistent.
One dance became two, then three, and four. Before she knew it three a.m rolled by and she and Bradley had danced and talked the whole night, ending with the two sitting in the back of his Bronco with sonic Route 44s and milkshakes. Never had Y/n laughed as hard as she did that night, almost to the point of tears. There was warmth all through her veins, even after the two parted ways, only sharing a sweet kiss when he dropped her off at her apartment.
It was the closest thing she felt to love at first sight.
Maybe it truly was.
Things went by fast. Literally. So fast it was starting to make Y/n worried. Not only were the feelings getting stronger, but the terms of the relationship in general. Within a weeks they were living together, Bradley going as far as to propose to Y/n with the news of his commission into the U.S Navy.
“Marry me, Y/n,” he told her after the ceremony, the shiny Ensign ranks on the color of his uniform. “I know it sounds crazy, but I wanna share my life with you—every part of it. Till the day I die.”
Part of her was conflicted but the overwhelming love for Bradley had Y/n say yes. That weekend they were at the courthouse, exiting as Mr. & Mrs. Bradshaw.
But unfortunately the love story ended before it could really begin.
A few short weeks after the wedding, Y/n found out she was pregnant while Bradley was at flight school. It terrified her as much as it excited her. They were only twenty-two, with Bradley’s Naval career just starting out and Y/n trying to get her food in the door on hers. Having double majored in literature and psychology there were many career paths she could go into. Many would involve her having to get a Masters, but the couple were already paying off student loans from undergrad that she didn’t want to have to take out anymore financial aid.
Personally Y/n wanted to write books. She had yet to finish the one from college, with plenty more ideas safely tucked in her mind. The news of her pregnancy would have to put any potential job on hold.
Bradley was beyond excited when she told him, lifting her in his arms with glee, “I’m gonna be a dad!” His excitement was what really made Y/n look forward to bringing their baby into the world. She still had worries no doubt but having Bradley, who was now known to his fellow aviators as Rooster, made it easier.
But the couple were in for a much bigger surprise.
“TWINS?!” They both shrieked in the hospital room, eyes bulging the monitor showcasing two sacs in Y/n’s womb. Rooster nearly went into cardiac arrest, the woman bursting into tears which had him hold her tightly in his arms. Lips pressed to her head as he mumbled, “We got this baby. This is exciting! Just think, they’ll be best friends forever.”
“And it looks like,” the technician moved the wand across Y/n’s stomach a bit more to get a better angle. “You are gonna be blessed with two girls, Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw.” That had Y/n cry even more, Rooster shedding his own at the excitement and love that filled him.
“Girls,” he breathed in awe, kissing all over his wife’s face making her cries turn into giggles. “We’re having little girls—I’m so happy, Y/n. I can’t thank you enough for giving me this gift.”
In April of 2007 Lila and Caroline Bradshaw arrived. Identical twins who literally could not be told apart unless they were dressed differently. So the couple bought matching necklaces with gold pendants on each with the letters ‘C’ and ‘L’ for each girl. That way they could always know who was who.
Named after his mother, Caroline was a daddy’s girl even as a newborn. The only time she ever really wanted Y/n was when she was hungry, other than that little Caroline wanted to be in Bradley’s arms. She’d fall asleep in them, whine if she were in someone else’s, and make grabby hands for him when he’d come home. Caroline’s personality resembled Rooster’s, literally the life of the party whenever people were over.
Lila on the other hand was her momma’s mini me. The name came from a character in Y/n’s book. Not the protagonist, but the best friend who Y/n enjoyed writing for more than the main character. It was a name she always loved, and the moment Y/n’s eyes landed on the baby girl the name was perfect for her. Opposite of her sister, Lila was quiet and reserved. She loved to be held by Y/n and would beg for her attention. Like Caroline was a daddy’s girl, Lila was momma’s angel.
Life seemed to be good. It was good.
But then when the twins turned six months, things started to sour. They were living in Virginia with Bradley assigned to the Golden Warriors and Y/n was at home taking care of the girls. She’d get a little bit of writing done within the week but had major writer's block. Almost twice a week she and Bradley were arguing over something whether it was money, work, or the girls. They’d go to bed with their backs facing each other, Bradley leaving in the morning with little to no goodbye and when he’d return home he’d be so exhausted the two would rarely talk like they used to.
It was apparent the honeymoon stage was over. Both realizing it just wasn’t working out and even with their daughters the relationship was becoming strained.
What really ended everything was the night of the officer’s ball. A disrespectful comment was made to Y/n about wanting to be a published romance author by one of Bradley’s superiors. And he didn’t stand up for her. In fact, the man had the audacity to laugh with the men.
Heartbroken and pissed off, Y/n threw her napkin onto the table and removed herself without permission to be excused. Everyone stared with wide eyes, Bradley’s superiors watching with disapproval and making snide comments to the licensed pilot. Now he was angry, feeling humiliated by the scene and raced after his wife with an apology to the guests.
When they got outside both were feeling the heat. Spitting off words that they knew were going to fuel the fire.
“What the fuck was that, Y/n?”
“What the fuck was that?” She repeated with malice, “How fucking dare you sit there and laugh while they insult me! I’m your fucking wife, Bradley—you’re supposed to stand up for me! Instead you humiliated me!”
The entire drive home they were silent. Rooster’s knuckles were practically white with how hard he was gripping them, Y/n breathing heavily to control the anger. Not even the radio was playing. Only silence filled the void of the impeding argument that was to continue when they got home.
The door of the Bronco slamming alerted the babysitter, the teenage daughter of their neighbors, who met them outside with a smile only to frown when Bradley stormed past her. “Is everything—,” she went to ask but Y/n stopped her.
“Everything’s fine.” It was far from fine but she didn’t need to know that. Y/n removed a small wad of cash from her clutch, handing it to the girl. “This is for you. Thanks for all your help, Molly.”
When Y/n got in she checked on her girls first and then met Bradley in the bedroom to get out of the god forsaken dress she started to feel claustrophobic in. It wasn’t even fifteen seconds later before the couple were at it again. They tried to keep quiet for the sake of their daughters asleep just down the hall but nothing could stop the shouts from escaping.
“What was I supposed to do?” Rooster throws his arms out, face red. “Tell him to shut the fuck up? I have to work with him, Y/n. I see him every goddamn day—you want me to make my life miserable? Cause he’ll make sure that happens.”
Y/n couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you fucking serious, Bradley? You’re so worried about having to do more pushups than people or get hazed than standing up for me? Your own wife?! Yeah, I wanted you to tell him to shut the fuck up—I would’ve done it if was my boss! Because you’re my husband and I wouldn’t let somebody insult you like he did me!”
He sarcastically laughs, bringing his hands up to rub his face, “You know, you’re acting like a fucking lunatic right now.”
The comment had Y/n still, eyes widening as the alarms went off in her head. She waited for him to take it back, but when he didn’t all she could do was make a pained sound, turning away from him before the tears could spill. Exiting their room, Y/n went to the closet where they stored luggage. When she returned she had her large suitcase and a baby bag.
“What are you doing?” She ignored him, starting to throw random clothes in the bag from her dresser. Rooster, came around the bed staring at her in disbelief. “Y/n, what the fuck are you doing?”
“What does it look like, Bradley,” she hissed, still not looking at him. “I’m fucking packing and getting the hell out this house. And I’m taking the girls with me.”
“The hell you are!” He shouts, going after her when she enters the bathroom. “You’re not taking my daughters. Especially when I don’t know where the hell you’re going.”
“I’ll figure it out,” she gathers her makeup, skincare, hair care and shower necessities. “Maybe I’ll finally go to New York like I planned before I met you.”
“And what are you gonna do there?” He challenged from the doorway. Y/n felt her hand tighten over the first item in her hand, which happened to be a hair dryer. She could feel the words on the tip of his tongue, praying to God he wouldn’t actually say what would really tear her heart in pieces.
“Don’t you fucking dare.” But Bradley was too far gone before he could stop himself.
“Finish that book? The one you’ve been writing for almost three years and have yet to finish? And then actually get it published?” He chuckled sarcastically, breaking her soul when he added, “Yeah, sure you are. How about you wake up and start thinking about reality—where you should work on getting an actual career that’s gonna support your daughters instead of living in a fairytale.”
The hairdryer left her hand with a literal battle cry, causing Bradley to jump out of the way with a curse, the object hitting the side of his arm. When it bounced on the ground before stopping just by the bed, the couple stared at each other as though they couldn’t believe what had happened. Both were breathing heavily, Y/n’s makeup smudged with tears rolling down her face.
“Fuck you,” she whispered, seeing the immediate regret in his eyes, though no words of the sort followed. Y/n brought a hand up, turning away from him when he said her name. “Fuck you, Bradley.” She heard him leave, the door closing behind him allowing her to succumb to her emotions. The rest of the time she packed her things Y/n fought back sobs. She wouldn’t let him see her like that. That he had hurt her beyond what she could’ve imagined.
The way he took her dream and basically slapped her in the face with it. He knew she was dealing with writer’s block and had trouble focusing on the ending with having to take care of their girls. And not to mention she gave up her pursuits to follow him.
No more.
Zipping up her suitcases, Y/n picked up the wedding photo of her and Bradley. There were not many photos of them printed out and none were hung on the walls just because they would have to move with his job, but the two photos they did have were of their little courthouse wedding and the day the twins were born.
Tears rolling down her cheek, Y/n removed the photo from the frame and tore it down the middle before doing the same with the one of them and the girls. The piece with Bradley looking down at her in the wedding and the one of him holding Lila were folded and placed in her purse, leaving the one of her in her wedding dress and the one holding Caroline. She secretly put them in the drawer of his nightstand, letting him decide what he plans to do with them once she’s gone.
She couldn’t believe what she was about to do, but it was for the best in order for them to not have to deal with a nasty custody dispute. Already she could feel a bit of her heart missing. The piece reserved for Caroline.
After quietly packing Lila’s things, Y/n rolled her suitcases down the hall and placed the baby bag on top. Rooster was in the kitchen drinking a beer, ignoring when she came into the living room to gather all the things she had there.
“I have an offer,” she approached when she was done, keeping her gaze on the ground. Y/n feared she wouldn’t be able to say it if she looked into his eyes.
“What,” his voice was monotone, evident he was tired and wanting to get whatever argument out of the way so they could move on.
“I can’t stay here,” she told him, noticing him stiffening in the corner of her eye. “I just can’t, Bradley. We both know this was a long time coming and tonight was just the nail in the coffin. We’re not a good fit—we both want different things. And I can’t even look at you without wanting to scream.” She took a deep breath to calm herself, “I never want to see you again after tonight…so I don’t wanna have to go through a custody battle with you.”
“And how do you suppose that’s going to work out?” She could hear the heartbreak in his tone, getting tight with each word like he would explode if she took both girls.
Y/n let out a tired sigh, squeezing her eyes shut, “we both know Caroline prefers you, and Lila prefers me.” She waited for him to say something, but when he didn’t she knew he silently agreed. The next words that left her set in stone the next decade in a half of her life, “So I’ll take Lila with me and you raise Caroline. That way they have one of us and we never have to see each other again.” Again Bradley doesn't respond so Y/n softly says, “I’ll call a lawyer in the morning. For now I’m sleeping in the girls room.”
‘Come after me,’ she silently thought, a part of her hoping he would and convince her she was wrong and they could work this out.
‘Go after her,’ his brain screamed at him, not wanting to let go of the woman of his dreams.
But he stayed where he stood.
Twelve hours later the couple sat in the office of a divorce lawyer with papers drawn up indicating Y/n would have custody of Lila, retaining her maiden name and legally changing the girl’s to L/n, and Bradley would have custody of Caroline. They removed their rings, Y/n wiping away a tear when she did, before the two returned to the home to gather Y/n’s things.
Once the car was packed Y/n cradled Caroline while Bradley held Lila, the two facing away from each other to not show the other their emotion.
“I love you so much, sweet girl,” she whispered against Caroline’s tiny head, careful to not let her tears drop on her. Kissing her crown, Y/n softly said, “Our paths will cross again one day. But until then, I hope you have the best life and be a good girl for your daddy. You’ll always be my Caroline, my sweet girl.”
A few yards away, Bradley was saying his own words of love to Lila. “Promise me you won't give your momma too much trouble, Lila darlin’. You two take care of each other,” he kisses her forehead, eyes glistening with unshed tears, “I’ll see you again one day. I love you darlin’. You’ll always have a piece of me.”
The former couple barely glanced at each other or spoke a word the entire time Bradley was securing Lila in her car seat and Y/n reluctantly handing Caroline over. Her heart skipped, clenching at the same time Bradley surprised her by giving a soft kiss to her forehead, muttering for her to have a safe trip. Y/n only nodded, moving to the driver's seat and backing out of the driveway before pulling onto the road. Y/n finally allowed the tears to fall when she exited the gate for the last time.
When she got to her parents house roughly five hours later Y/n wanted to just go to sleep but her mind wouldn’t let her.
No, in fact, it wanted her to write.
The final piece of the book that had been nagging her for years finally played in her head. Everything from the dialogue to the final scene.
While her parents spent time with Lila, both of whom voiced their unhappiness with her decision to leave behind Caroline, Y/n’s eyes were focused on the screen in front of her. The only time she took breaks was to have dinner, use the bathroom, have downtime with Lila before putting her to bed, and share a glass of wine with her mother. Other than that, Y/n was writing until the early hours of the morning—going as far as to make edits to earlier parts of the book and change things she felt were unnecessary.
By the time the clock hit 4 am, Y/n was in need of a melatonin and 8 hours of sleep. But she was done. Done with the book she had spent so much time trying to get done. It was as though leaving Bradley was the awakening she needed to get it finished.
How fucking sad when one thinks about it.
That mid-morning, after popping a melatonin and sleeping for a few hours before having to tend to Lila, Y/n’s parents were visibly shocked by the difference in her behavior from the previous day. Of course Y/n was still deeply saddened by everything and they could tell it was affecting her, but there was also a sense of hope in her eyes. When asked about it all Y/n responded was, “I finished the book.”
Between looking for small two bedroom apartments in New York and part-time jobs, Y/n edited her book. For about six months she lived with parents, celebrating Lila’s first birthday where Y/n cried herself to sleep at not being able to do the same to Caroline. But then again, she had no one to blame but herself.
The break of a lifetime came a week after Lila’s birthday when Y/n finally got a response from one of five literary agents she had sent her inquiry to. “Hello Ms. L/n, Thank you for sending your inquiry. I’ve read your submission and am intrigued about your book. Please send me a copy of your full manuscript either through my email or a printed version to the address I have listed below. I’m interested to see what you have written and hope you get back to me soon. Sincerely, Yolanda Richards.”
Over the moon, Y/n sent a printed copy to Yolanda the next day. Nerves filled her with what the agent would think and if she would have her as a client. After researching for weeks on literary agents, Yolanda Richards was one of the best in the romance genre, with multiple NYT bestsellers under her name plus success at getting movie deals for the books. If Y/n became one of her clients it would be a dream come true.
The email came the following Friday: “Y/n, I am very pleased with your work and thoroughly enjoyed your story. Everything about it was captivating from start to finish. I would love to have you as a partner by representing you in getting your book published and on the market. Please give me a call or email me so we can set up an in-person meeting as soon as possible. I hope you accept my offer and I look forward to possibly working with you. Sincerely, Yolanda Richards.”
Almost 13 years later……Summer of 2021
Caroline’s heart was racing. She’d never been so nervous in her entire life than when the plane approached the New York skyline, the first time her hazel eyes had ever witnessed it. Even when she and her father were living in Virginia he seemed to avoid the city like the plague. Always insisting they go somewhere else for a vacation whenever she begged.
Now here she was at JFK airport about to meet the woman she dreamed of knowing all her life.
The whole journey Caroline thought back to the eight weeks of summer camp she’d just experienced. It was like fate had decided to work its magic on the third day when she came face-to-face with a girl who looked exactly like her. Though it’s rumored everyone has at least seven doppelgängers in their lifetime scattered across the globe, something about Lila L/n was different than a typical look-a-like. They were too alike physically. Dirty blonde hair with hazel eyes and standing tall at 5’5, the two were a carbon copy of one another with the exception of Lila having longer hair and bangs. “Actual twins” their campmates would say, but were complete opposites in terms of personality.
For example, Caroline dressed like she was going to the beach no matter the weather and had a knack for old music whereas Lila had more sweaters than t-shirts in her suitcase. Then Lila had an expanded vocabulary like she always was reading a poem in a fancy New York accent yet Caroline could barely tell the difference between there, their, and they’re. Lastly, Caroline was laid back and the extroverted jokester of the camp compared to Lila’s reserved, introverted, goodie-two-shoes nature.
Their rivalry was bound from the start. The end of the first week had the two already pissing off the counselors with the pranks against each other and their friend groups. Halfway through the camp duration was when the counselors had enough and placed them in the isolation cabin to settle their differences.
It was in the isolation cabin where suspicions became realizations.
First it started when both admitted to having a peanut allergy and their favorite food was chicken Alfredo pasta. They both loved romantic comedies and playing piano, neither a fan of licorice or dill pickles.
Finally feeling a friendship starting, Caroline complimented Lila’s necklace, who said it was a gift to her on the day she was born and had her initial on the pendant. Voicing the same, Caroline showed her own necklace with the same pendant only with a ‘C’ on it instead of ‘L’. That’s when Lila asked what day Caroline was born, both confirming they had the same birthday of April 21st, 2007.
Heart pumping with an feeling she couldn’t explain, Caroline revealed she was raised by her dad, who was a Navy fighter pilot and they were currently living in San Diego. “It’s only ever been me and him. He said he and my mom split when I was six months old.”
“No way,” Lila sat up in her bed, feeling the same emotion as Caroline. “I was raised by my mom. We moved to New York when I was a year old and have been there ever since. She told me when I was ten she and my dad divorced when I was six months old and he was in the Navy.”
Pushing aside her bag of hot Cheetos, Caroline began asking a series of questions. “My dad never said much about my mom, but at least once a year would give me some details of what she was like when I begged him. He said one year she had dreams of becoming a writer. What does your mom do?”
Lila’s eyes widened, “She’s an author—she’s written over ten romance novels.”
“Did your mom ever tell you how she and your dad met?”
“They met in college—at a graduation party to be exact. He asked her to dance.”
By now Caroline was gripping her hair, “Did they go to sonic afterwards where they had milkshakes and—.”
“Route 44s,” Lila finished, covering her mouth slightly. The reaction had Caroline racing to her desk to rummage through the drawer. When she faced Lila again, she was holding something to her chest.
“When my parents divorced my mom left behind two ripped photographs. One is of her holding me as a baby, the other is of her wedding day with my dad. They make up halves to a photo—but I‘ve never seen the rest. My dad doesn’t even know I have them.”
Gasping, Lila goes to her own desk and takes out a folder. Flipping through pages she gathers the two images in her own hands before turning back to the teenager. “These are the only photos I have of my dad. Like you, one is of him holding me in the hospital, the other is him in his uniform from the day he married my mom. They were ripped down the middle from the original photo.”
As though they read each other’s mind, the two started walking toward each other, already tearing up at the possibility that what they suspected was true. “On the count of three,” Lila softly said, “we show each other. Okay?”
“Okay,” Caroline agreed with a nod. They started to count down.
“One,” Lila took a step forward.
“Two,” Caroline echoed, mirroring her movement.
“Three!” Gasps left both girls when they extended their arms, each holding a half of the photograph, and slowly put them together. One showed Y/n and Bradley on their wedding day, smiling at each other looking as though they were the happiest people on earth, the other of them holding their daughters. Caroline in Y/n’s arms, and Lila in Bradley’s.
“That’s my dad!” Caroline beamed, in disbelief at the sight before her. There her father was with the beautiful woman she dreamed of meeting. Her mother.
“That’s my mom,” Lila sniffed, the teen overcome with emotion. Once they gathered themself over the initial shock they both couldn’t help but shout, “We’re twin sisters!!” Embracing in a hug filled with glee and laughter.
The idea that came to their head moments later was crazy, but after talking and voicing how they want to meet the other’s parents, the decision was made. Caroline and Lila would switch places. And they were gonna get their parents back together.
Lila told Caroline how their mom was a hopeless romantic at heart despite not having a long term relationship since their dad. The same was for Bradley apparently, Caroline confessing he only had maybe three serious girlfriends but the relationships ended because they couldn’t handle the lifestyle he was in. Or the fact he was a single father.
For the next four weeks the twins learned all about the other’s life and what to expect. “Mom wrote her first book in college around the time she met dad, but she didn’t get it finished until after they divorced. Since then she’s written ten novels—including a trilogy about to be adapted into a movie series and is currently working on a sequel to her debut book that her supporters have been begging for her to write for years. Most of her inspiration comes from what she hopes to experience,” Lila pauses to make a face, “Now that I think about it actually, her second book almost resembles her love story with dad….it’s the only one without a happy ending.” That had the twins frown, feeling more determined with their mission of getting their parents back together.
“This is the Dagger Squad,” Caroline showed Lila the pictures on her phone when the counselors gave them back for the weekend. “My dad went on a special mission two years ago before the pandemic and became friends with the people he did it with. Phoenix,” she points to the pretty brunette pilot, “well Natasha, I’ve known her since I was a baby. She and her husband have been friends with dad since flight school. And this is Maverick,” she scrolls to the next picture of her with a middle aged man in a flight suit, “He’s basically like our surrogate grandpa since dad’s parents passed away a long time ago. They were estranged for some time but became friends again after the mission.”
Lila explained the layout of their mother’s Manhattan home where they along with Y/n’s parents lived. “We always sit down to eat in the dining room as a way to have family time since mom is usually in her office writing or in meetings,” Lila explained before naming off the people in the photographs she had laid out in front of Caroline. “This is Ollie, mom’s best friend and writes romantic thrillers—he was our roommate when we first moved to New York and is often at the house more than his own. Yolanda is her literary agent who is in charge of selling mom’s books when she’s completed them and most recently got a movie deal on mom’s best selling trilogy. I call our grandmother ‘Gran,’ and our grandfather, ‘grandpa’.”
Both girls were the subject of a slight makeover with Lila having to cut her hair shorter, and Caroline getting bangs. When that happened they really were identical twins with the campmates not knowing who was who. Caroline practiced mimicking Lila’s NY accent and taught her the words to ‘Great Balls of Fire.’
“This is ridiculous,” Caroline complained when she was unable to whistle like Lila. “Is this really necessary?”
“Every teenager in New York has had to hail a cab at some point. If Mom is on the phone then I have to be the one to catch the cab—and whistling is gonna get you one more than just waving like an idiot in the middle of the street.”
Last thing to do was exchange plane tickets. Lila to SAN and Caroline to JFK.
They hugged each other goodbye, wishing the other good luck and not to forget certain things. They mostly had everything written down so they were confident they could get everything memorized by heart before they landed at their respective destinations. Caroline felt odd having to wear a long sleeve in July, but the weather for New York was cloudy with cool temperatures so she felt safer wearing the outfit Lila had picked out. She wasn’t the only odd ball, Lila was having to get used to wearing the tank top and pink Hawaiian shirt with shorts—something she never thought she’d ever wear.
They even had to exchange phones considering Lila had the lilac iPhone 12 Pro Max and Caroline had her trusty red iPhone 7 Plus. “Hey it works fine,” she defended, “until I either crack it beyond repair or it just doesn’t turn on one day then I will keep this till the end of time. So be careful with it.”
Promising to text everyday and call at least twice a week, the girls went on their way. Caroline fidgeted in her first class seat, trying to go over her notes to pass the time since it would only be a few hours for her flight compared to Lila’s cross country trip. But when the New York skyline filled her vision, the teenager was in awe.
If she wasn’t so excited she would’ve vomited from the anxiety consuming her. With her backpack on her shoulders and duffle bag in her hands, Caroline did her best to navigate through JFK until she reached the baggage claim. There her stomach did flips at the sight of Ollie waving frantically at her.
“Lila bean! Over here!” Grinning wide, she raced over to the man and was lifted into his arms. “Finally you’re back! Ugh you have no idea how crazy it’s been without you,” he set her down, making movements with his hand, “I’ve had no one to discuss the latest season of Bachelor in Paradise with because your mom’s been so nose deep in her work the whole summer—I’ve been trying to get her thoughts on if my next book should be a sexy twist on the show where every contestant has a dirty secret and one of them is a literal serial killer but she won’t budge from that computer. It’s been the only thing to distract her from being sad with you not being there—and oh my goodness,” he suddenly gasped, making her flinch, “What did you do to your hair?”
“Oh u-uh,” she stuttered nervously, praying her accent was believable. “A girl from camp cut it. I wanted to try something new. Do you like it?”
“You look fabulous,” he complimented, letting his finger run across the ends of her hair. “It suits more than I thought—you’ve always preferred it long.”
“Well I thought with me entering high school next month I was due for a change.”
Ollie gave her a look once over with an approving nod, “I dig it. Now c’mon—let’s get your bag and head out before this place gets too chaotic for my liking. Plus your mom has been texting me every ten minutes wanting to know if you’ve landed and it’s becoming exhausting.”
Caroline had to hold back cheering in victory when she successfully whistled, catching the attention of a cab driver for the pair. The drive there she was bouncing her knee, taking in the city causing Ollie to look at her confused, “My goodness, eight weeks you’re gone and it’s like you’ve never seen the city before. I promise you it’s the same as you left it.”
The teenager couldn’t help but mentally laugh at the comment, ‘little do you know….’
Arriving in Manhattan Caroline turned giddy. Before Ollie could stop her she was out of the cab with her backpack and duffle, leaving him to get her luggage as she hauled up the stairs to the three story townhouse. The door was unlocked and so she took a deep breath before pushing it open only to gasp by the beautiful interior of the home with a spiral staircase leading to the higher levels.
Setting aside her things, Caroline began to explore the ground level in hopes to find her mother or grandparents. Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, the teen entering what appeared to be a study with various bookshelves and framed photographs on the walls. A man was standing up with his back toward her, appearing to look for something particular in his bookshelf.
Caroline’s heart skipped at the realization it was her grandfather. “Hi, grandpa,” she exhaled, causing the man to spin around. Immediately he was in delight.
“Lila! You’re back!” She met him in the middle as he came around the desk, the two embracing. “And you cut your hair, my gosh! You look so different—but great!”
Taking in his scent, the older man looked at her confused before she said, “Sorry, I just missed the smell of your peppermint aroma at camp.” He laughed lightly, rubbing her back with his hand.
“Oh honey we all missed you too.”
“What’s all the commotion?” A female voice entered the picture, Caroline grinning when her eyes met her grandmother’s. The older woman gasped before her own smile took over, “Oh Lila!”
“Gran!” She raced over to her, meeting her in a hug. “I missed you!” The two held each other for a moment, her gran voicing the same and complimenting her new look just as her grandfather did.
Then Caroline heard her. “Lila darling?”
Freezing against her gran, Caroline felt her heart race. Slowly removing herself she hesitantly went to the middle of the foyer. Just as she appeared in the photographs, Y/n was as beautiful as Caroline pictured her to be. Dressed in a cashmere sweater dress, she looked radiant as the light from the window hit her. Hazel eyes shining from unshed tears, Caroline whispered in awe, “Mom.”
“You’re back!”
Just like in a movie it all felt like slow motion as Caroline ran up the stairs while Y/n descended, meeting halfway in a tearful embrace. The hug lingered with Caroline never wanting to let go, a faint sob escaping from the back of her throat and the tears falling down her cheeks—no doubt ruining the mascara she wore. But the teen didn't care. Not when she was in the arms of her mother at last.
“I can’t believe it’s you,” she whimpered when they pulled away, Y/n moving to brush a finger off her cheeks.
“And I can’t believe it’s you,” the writer chuckled, letting her eyes run over her daughter she believed to be the one she raised. “Look at you, your hair is so short!”
“A girl cut it at camp for me—do you like it?”
“I love it!” Y/n assured with a smile, “You look amazing—I’m surprised that’s all. And..” Y/n tilted her head a bit, “are you wearing mascara?”
“Oh yeah,” Caroline sniffed, moving to swipe under her eyes. She forgot already that Lila wasn’t into makeup like her. “A friend I made at camp wanted to see how my eyelashes looked with it since they’re so long. I forgot I had it on.”
“Oh no worries, honey. I don’t mind you wearing it if that’s what you’d like.”
“N-no it’s okay. I don’t really think it’s my thing, m-mom,” Caroline felt another wave of emotion at saying the word ‘mom,’ making Y/n frown with concern.
“What’s wrong, my love?”
“Nothing,” Caroline’s voice cracked. “I’m just so happy. I missed you so much.” Y/n awed, pulling her daughter into another hug.
“Oh honey I missed you too. It almost feels like it’s been forever.”
Caroline squeezed her eyes shut as she nuzzled against Y/n’s shoulder, “you have no idea.”
Two weeks went by of the twins living their dream. Caroline explored New York City by accompanying Y/n to her meetings with Yolanda and watching Bachelor in Paradise to not have Ollie suspicious of her. Slight worry came with how her grandfather seemed to let his eyes linger on her whenever she said something unlike what Lila would say. Three thousand miles away Lila was having difficulty being so social with their father’s friend group—her introverted self needed to get away in order to recharge at times which had Phoenix and Hangman start to question her.
“Did the social butterfly in you burn out at camp, little chicken?” Jake teased one day, “I’ve never seen you this quiet in a single week.”
Lila put on her best face, hoping he wouldn’t see right through it, “You would not believe how exhausting it was dealing with so many people on a daily basis. There were times where I dreaded going to activities and preferred staying in my cabin. They were rambunctious I tell you.” Her choice of words had Natasha eye her, bidding a look to her husband, moving closer to whisper, “Did she just use the word rambunctious?”
It seemed like everyone but their parents were beginning to catch on. The first to figure out were Nat and Jake when Bradley confessed to his daughter, who he believed was Caroline, that he was planning on proposing to his current girlfriend Marilyn Brooks. Caroline had warned Lila that their father was seeing Marilyn, but believed it wouldn’t last till the end of summer. Upset and panicked on what to do, the teenager bursted outside of the Hard Deck and began ranting to herself, accent slipping out and unaware the couple were there the whole time.
“You got something to share with the class, Care Bear?” Nat approached, head tilted down at the teenager who’d gone pale. “Because you seem to be in distress.”
“Phee, Jake,” Lila placed a hand on her chest to calm her breathing, “You both gave me a fright.”
“We gave you a fright?” Jake repeated in confusion. Never had Caroline used expressions like that before, making them more confused.
“Y-you scared me. I-I didn’t know you two were out here.”
“Are you sure you’re alright, Caroline?” Natasha crossed her arms. “Because ever since you came home….you’ve been acting odd. Your appetite’s changed, you’re not as social, Charlie doesn’t want to come near you anymore” she listed off her fingers, Charlie referring to Nat and Jake’s dog who adores Caroline. “And you use these big words now.”
“And just now it sounded like you were straight from New York or something,” Jake added, “And not in the way when you impersonate it on Head’s Up, it was like it was natural for you.”
“Jake, Nat….” Lila thought rapidly to deflect. “I changed a lot over summer—my friend’s from there and helped me perfect it.”
“Alright,” Jake shrugged, “Man if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were—.” Nat slapped his arm, eyes wide with a knowing look causing him to shut up. Jake gave a tight smile to the teen, “Ignore me, I’m just being stupid.”
“Almost as if I were who?”
Natasha shook her head, “No one, Care Bear. Forget we said anything.” As the two went to go back inside, they were stunned by what the girl said next.
“Almost as if I were….Lila?”
Chills appeared on their arms, the couple slowly turning to face her again with eyes full of shock. Both were thinking the same thing: did Rooster finally tell her?
“Y-you know about Lila?” Nat whispered.
The confession rolled off her tongue, “I am Lila.”
Jake dropped his bottle of beer, the glass shattering against the wood while Nat’s hand flew to her mouth. Just as they were about to spit off the millions of questions in their head, Rooster appeared looking relieved to find the teen. “There you are, Care. Why’d you run off like that—I needed to talk to you.” Noticing the way his friends were looking as though they wanted to cry, Rooster then said, “Guys….why are you staring at her like that?”
Seeing Lila shake her head, begging them not to say anything, the two apologized and excused themselves. Later that night Lila asked to stay at their house after getting into an argument with her father about him getting engaged, where she then explained everything after a tearful reunion considering the couple hadn’t seen her since she was a baby.
“Caroline is in New York with our mom,” the confession had the two nearly faint. “We switched places at camp, which I cannot believe fate actually brought us together that way—and we’re hoping to get our parents back together because I know my mom still loves him despite all these years they’ve been separated. But now he’s engaged to that wretched woman who I know is gonna ruin his life. I-I have to call her and get them here now!”
Phoenix gently calmed the girl down, “Lila, it’s almost midnight over there. Call her tomorrow and then we’ll figure something out together.”
The call to Caroline is what got her found out by their grandfather. She was sitting at a picnic table just down the road after jumping from her seat at the dinner table. Unbeknownst to Caroline, her grandfather had followed her.
“I thought you said they would be broken up by the time I got back!” Lila shouted on the other end of the phone.
“Well that was the hope,” Caroline voiced back, “Usually he’s with them for a few months to a year—but Marilyn’s just…ugh I can’t even explain so it surprises me she’s lasted this long.”
“Well now she’s looking to become our stepmom! You have to get mom here to San Diego so we can stop them!”
“No way I’ve barely had time with her, Lila,” Caroline argued. For five minutes the twins go back and forth before ultimately hanging up. When Caroline rose from the bench she bumped into the gentleman behind her, “Oh I’m sorry, sir.” The man turned around, the familiar face staring back causing her stomach to drop. “Oh boy.”
“Oh boy,” he repeated, tsking. “How about we take a walk while the fresh air is nice?” Coming clean, Caroline told her grandfather everything from the day she arrived at camp to the day she left as Lila. Thankfully he wasn’t angry, in fact the man was overjoyed at the news.
Now it was time to come clean to the rest of the family.
The next morning Caroline was pacing in front of Y/n’s office before knocking on the door and waited for her to respond. “Come in.” Looking over the edge of her computer, the woman smiled at her daughter. “Hey darlin’, I’m almost done with this paragraph. What do you say about us going to that gyro place you like for lunch?”
“Mom,” Caroline fidgeted with her fingers. “I need to talk to you.” When Y/n continued to type, she said with an edge in her voice, “Right now. Please.”
Taken aback by the tone, Y/n saved the document and closed out before standing from her chair. “What is it, Lila?”
“That’s what I need to talk to you about,” seeing her confusion, Caroline’s eyes glistened. “Lila.”
“Yessss? That’s the name I gave you the day you were born.”
“N-no!” Caroline finally snapped. “That’s not the one you gave me, mom.” That had Y/n puzzled, looking at her daughter with wide eyes. Lip quivering, the teen finally came clean, unable to hold it any longer. “I’m not Lila.”
At first Y/n didn’t seem to react, until a soft gasp left her as the look of absolute shock took over her expression. Her eyes filled with water, hands beginning to shake, “You’re…You’re Caroline?”
“Yes,” she nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. “You and dad sent Lila and I to the same camp. We met there and….well I just really wanted to meet you a-and Lila really wanted to meet dad and please don’t be angry with us, I—.” The teenager was cut off by the sob Y/n let out as she took her in her arms.
“Oh my sweet girl,” Y/n cried, letting 13 years of pent up regret, sadness, and shame finally release. “Oh Caroline.” The teen’s arms wrapped around her waist, nuzzling her face into her chest as her own tears spilled. Finally it felt like a weight had been lifted off both their shoulders. Mother and daughter reunited. “I can’t believe It’s actually you—my sweet girl.”
A tearful reunion even had Ollie emotional, the author being consoled by Y/n’s father in the doorway along with her mother. “I-I’ve never been so happy in my life. O-oh my gosh this is the best day ever!” As he cried, Y/n’s father gave her a heartfelt look before gently closing the door to allow them some privacy.
“No offense, mom—well actually slight offense,” Caroline said after explaining the situation of why the twins switched places—keeping out the fact they were planning to reunite the adults in hopes of the two getting back together. “But this whole thing was not it. I mean, c’mon, were you ever gonna tell us?”
Y/n looked deeply ashamed, wiping away at her face constantly, “I know it was wrong of us. Believe me I’ve regretted it every second since the day I left. Keeping you two apart was the worst thing we did and I hope you girls can forgive us. I let my personal issues with your father get in the way—a-and I should've never left you behind. You have every right to be angry,” Y/n paused to grab a tissue. “I honestly hoped to tell you two one day—possibly when you two were sixteen, but then I just didn’t know how to approach that after keeping it hidden so long.”
Caroline took it all in, asking the next question. “So what now?”
Y/n sighed, “Well legally you’re supposed to be with your father, and Lila with me. So we’ve gotta get you back to him. Then we go from there,” she placed her hands on Caroline’s shoulder before pressing a soft kiss to her head, “But I promise you no more secrets. And I’m not letting you go again, honey. We’ll get everything under control.”
Packing for California had Y/n a damn mess. She didn’t know what to wear and went through several options before settling on a fashionable white dress that would do well with the California heat. The sight of her was quite entertaining for Ollie, but was doing his best to offer moral support because she was really starting to lose it.
“What the hell am I supposed to say when I see him?” Y/n waved her free hand. She had sunglasses on her face and curlers in her hair with a glass of wine in one hand as she threw random stuff into a suitcase. “It’s been nearly thirteen years, Ollie. And our last day married was anything but a good parting! I-I mean I know nothing about him except from what Caroline has told me.” A warm feeling flared in her chest. “She says he’s still got that damn 80s stache—gosh what that did to me when I was with him. Only he could make a girl weak in the knees sporting something most men look horrid in.”
“Sounds like he could still make you weak in the knees, babe,” the comment resulted in a glare. “Look, you’re thinking too much alright? Just take a breather and think about the girls. This is for them at the end of the day.”
“I know,” Y/n rubbed her face, downing the last bit of wine in her glass. “Ollie, darling, I can’t go about this on my own. Will you—.”
“Accompany you to sunny California to keep you sane as you embark on this journey of reuniting with your former sexy pilot lover?” At her nod he winks and pulls out his phone showcasing his boarding pass. “Already got it booked, babe. Maybe I’ll find my own Romeo on this trip. Lord knows I have a thing for surfers and skaters—but there's a difference between New York skaters and California ones. I should know…I’ve dated both.”
When asked if she had talked with her father, Caroline subtly lied, “Oh yeah I just got off with him. Says they have our rooms reserved at the Hilton Resort in Palm Springs. He’s excited to see you.”
“He is?” Y/n raises a brow, not finding it believable, and trying to contain the flutter in her stomach. “Well, we should be on the way then. Sweetie, could you check us into our flights while I help Ollie pack the Uber?”
The man trailed after Caroline with a cheeky look, whispering under his breath so only she could hear, “liar, liar, pants on fire.” Caroline spun around to see her mom was turned the other way, bringing a finger to her lips with a wink, “shuuuush!”
When Lila brought the idea up for her and Rooster to go to Palm Springs for the weekend, the plan did not include bringing Marilyn and her parents. Thankfully Phoenix, Hangman, and Charlie tagged along too. The couple was in on the plan and only ones to know besides Lila that Y/n was just a few short hours away from arriving. They timed it so when she and Caroline landed at the airport, they’d already be checked in and waiting at the resort.
“Be warned,” the text from Caroline appeared on the phone. “Mom is DRUNK. She had two cocktails on the plane and had us stop at a liquor store to get some mini airplane bottles.”
“Oh no,” Lila moaned, causing Nat and Jake to look at her in question while Rooster was busy meeting Marilyn’s parents for the first time. She showed them the text, both reacting the same, “This is gonna be interesting.”
Charlie started to whimper, picking up a familiar scent and pulling Lila across the lobby with the couple chasing after them. Meanwhile in the elevator, Y/n remembered she left her purse on the counter. “Crap, I forgot my bag,” she giggled, stopping the closing door and moving as fast as her heels and disoriented state could take her. While she was busy gathering her lost item, Lila came around the corner with Charlie, the dog barking at the sight of Caroline in the elevator.
“Charlie!” She squealed, the animal bolting from Lila’s grasp and into the elevator before it could close. The twins connected eyes just as the door shut, Lila mentally cursing though she couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement in her.
“Oh shit,” Jake mumbled with wide eyes, pulling Natasha to the side right when Y/n approached.
“Mom!”
“Oh, you didn’t have to wait for me, sweet girl, I can find the room by myself,” Lila literally had to step away from her Y/n, who had yet to realize it was Lila giving the twins decided on wearing similar outfits. She reeked of alcohol. Caroline wasn’t kidding when she warned her their mother was drunk off her ass. Besides the smell and her slight slurring words, Y/n was having trouble keeping her eyes open, “You go on up, okay? I’m gonna check out the bar real quick—have a glass of water while I’m at it.” As Y/n went to walk away she turned around with a tilt of her head, “I like that jacket by the way—were you wearing that on the plane?”
“Mom, watch out!” Lila shouted as Nat gasped with her when Y/n nearly collided with the bellboy.
“Oh goodness,” was all the author had to say, giving an embarrassed glance to her daughter before turning the corner away from their sights. Jake couldn't help but laugh, Nat holding back her own as she and Lila stared at each other in disbelief.
“The one time she should be sober and she’s completely wasted!” Lila exclaimed with a laugh at the end. “I’ve only ever seen her have one glass of wine at dinner—now she’s looking to run the bar dry.”
Phoenix shook her head with a smile, “Yeah well let her have her fun before all hell breaks loose.” Guiding Lila to the elevator, they all head to the floor where their rooms were.
Meanwhile Rooster and Marilyn had the same idea.
Attached to his arm, the woman was on a rant about what she thought was best for the lavish wedding she desired. Rooster just smiled and nodded, allowing the blonde to have creative control since he had no idea what to say. His first wedding was at a courthouse, nothing extravagant.
“Alone at last,” She hummed in relief, lips going to his neck as she giggled while his arms went around her waist. Bradley mirrored her expression, only it soon went to one of absolute shock when his gaze landed on the woman he never thought he’d see again.
Y/n was in front of him, looking like an angel in white as she stopped short in front of the elevator when they locked eyes. A hesitant smile appeared on her lips, hand coming up to wave as Bradley started to lean away from Marilyn as the doors shut, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him.
But no, his ex-wife was really there.
“Bradley?” Y/n heard the blonde’s voice just as the doors closed, the last thing she saw could best be described was her ex-husband looking at her like she was an actual ghost. Like he didn’t expect her to be there at all.
That put the pieces together.
“Caroline Bradshaw!” Y/n strutted down the hallway, halting when the doors of both rooms opened and the girls appeared before her. With the two sporting similar looks and the same haircut it was difficult to tell who was who. A headache was forming in Y/n’s head from the alcohol, the woman moaning, “Please don’t do this—I-I’m already seeing double.” The teen on her left smiled.
“It’s me, Mom. Lila.”
“Oh darlin’!” the author exclaimed, moving to hug her daughter and place a kiss on her head. “You look wonderful. My goodness this is the happiest day of my life,” she opened her arm to bring Caroline into the hug. “Both of my girls!” Then Y/n remembered what brought her to the floor, “Not to ruin the happy moment, but I’d really appreciate it if you explained why you blindsided me.”
All of a sudden Nat and Jake appeared from the suite Lila was in. “Hi,” Nat glanced down the hall before smiling at the author. “Sorry to break this up, but might I suggest we move this discussion inside.” Coming over to the doorway of Caroline’s room, the two extended an arm to the trio. The girls entered first, and as Y/n followed behind Nat added, “Hi, you probably don’t remember us--.”
“Natasha! Jake!” Both were given a friendly kiss to the cheek, Y/n pleased to see them again after so many years. They looked at each other with a smirk when she entered the suite, “I knew I always liked her.”
Once inside Y/n threw her bag onto the armchair, “Spill it!” She pointed to her daughters sitting on the ottoman, beginning to pace in front of the couch. “Though I’m not sure which one of you told me your father knew I was arriving today, I can assure you that the man I just saw in the lobby had no clue his ex-wife would be in the same state—let alone the same hotel.”
The twins looked at each other, Lila frowning, “You saw dad?”
“Yes I did,” the woman signed, dropping onto the couch. “And gosh if I didn’t know any better he lost his spray tan because of how pale he went at the sight of me. Like I was Casper the not-so-friendly ghost.” Wincing, the author requested a cold compress for her head, Lila jumping up to get one for her. “I’ve wondered for so many years what it would be like to see your father again, but him wrapped around another woman’s arms while I stood there waving like an idiot was not what I had in mind.”
At that moment Ollie struts in with sunglasses on his face and shirt opened to reveal his chest, whistling before stopping short at the sight of his ashen best friend. “You look horrendous.”
“Thanks, Ollie,” she muttered sarcastically.”
“Why the lone face, babe?” He bids a glance to the couple entering the picture, mentally thinking how hot they looked together after Y/n introduces them all.
“I’m currently investigating why my daughters felt the need to leave out the fact their father had no idea I was coming today.”
“Oh,” his eyes went wide, slowly starting to back away along with Nat and Jake, both wearing the same expression as him. “Well in that case imma just head to the pool.”
“We’ll join you—that sounds like a great idea,” Nat says in a rush, the three turning to run but were stopped short by Y/n’s, “Hold on a second!” They slowly turn back around, biting their lips.
“Are you all keeping something from me?” Y/n looks between the three before her attention is directed to Lila’s soft voice.
“Mom, dad’s engaged…...” The news has Y/n slowly fall back to the couch, her shoulders dropping while her heart clenches. She doesn’t know why she’s so disappointed.
Actually she does know why. It’s the reason she can’t bring herself to love another person no matter how much she opens up to them.
“And she’s horrible, mom. The wicked witch of the west!”
“I met her before camp and she was so rude to me when he wasn’t paying attention,” Caroline voiced. “I thought he’d have ended things already but for some God awful reason he’s still with her.”
“We can’t let him go through with it, mom,” Lila adds with determination, “He’ll regret it for the rest of his life. And well…the only way he won’t is if he sees you again.”
Y/n can’t help but make a sound of disbelief. “Wait a moment,” she nervously laughs, sitting up straighter, “are you trying to set me up with your father?”
“Yes,” they echo together.
“That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Caroline says followed by Lila shouting, “You two are perfect for each other!”
“Girls—stop right there!” Y/n exclaims when the three adults try to sneak out. “Did you all know about this?”
“Whaaaaat?” Ollie scoffs, trying to play it off but Y/n knows him better than that. Jake and Nat were also denying it but the author’s knowing look made all three come clean.
“Okay I had some knowledge.”
“We sorta had an idea—call it a hunch.”
“It was just so sweet and sounded like a good idea—.”
Y/n falls backward onto the cushions with a dramatic sigh, “Lord have mercy.” She found herself in the hotel bar twenty minutes later with an ice water and some concoction she requested for her hangover. To her side she noticed a pretty blonde lady take a seat and order a gin martini. “Here’s to….” She inspected the drink with a frown before saluting the blonde, “here’s to you. Hopefully your life is not as complicated as mine.”
The lady gave a tight smile, “Thank you.”
God the drink smelled horrible, tasting exactly like something no one would drink unless it was the only source of hydration. Groaning, Y/n downed the contents in three gulps just wanting to get it over with, covering her mouth with a hand when it felt like it would come back up. “Excuse me,” she mumbled when an unpleasant sound escaped, resulting in the blonde giving a look of distaste. “I would not wish this upon my worst enemy.”
“Here’s you bill, Ms. L/n,” the bartender placed the receipt on the table for her signature.
“Thank you,” she quickly scribbled her name and passed it back along with a few bills for a tip, the blonde getting a good glance at it causing her eyes to go wide.
“You’re Y/n L/n?”
Taken aback, the author nodded shyly. “Yes.” She received a squeal from the woman.
“Oh my gosh! I was just reading your latest novel on the drive here!” She moved to the seat right next to Y/n. “And my agent told me about auditions coming up for the adaptation of your ‘Bridesmaids Chronicles’ series. Ah it’s fate!” Extending a hand, the blonde introduces herself, “I’m Marilyn Brooks.”
Over by the poolside Rooster approaches another woman resembling his ex-wife, muttering an apology when he sees it’s not her and bumps into almost every person he passes, “Sorry.”
“There you are, Bradley!” Marilyn’s father comes up to him while her mother takes his arm.
“Bradley, this resort is just beautiful. Don’t you think it’s perfect for the wedding?”
“I do,” he adjusts his collar, voice turning soft when his eyes cut across the pool to the woman descending the stairs. A smile appeared on his face, “Absolutely.”
It was her.
Anything Marilyn’s mother said went in one ear and out the other, the navy pilot excusing himself with an apology as he began to make his way around the pool. “Excuse me—sorry,” he dodged a man carrying towels before doing the same to another guest. “S-sorry,” his eyes stayed on Y/n, who was walking and taking in the scenery.
Not paying attention, Rooster stumbled over a cooler, which happened to be Jake’s. The two were seated on the beach chairs with Lila and Charlie, Ollie just off to the side looking flabbergasted as he took in his best friend’s ex. Nat looked at him in concern behind her sunglasses, “Bradshaw, you okay?”
“Yeah,” he turns to her briefly, causing him to collide with a pool boy,
“Sir!”
“Dad, watch out!” Lila’s shout had Y/n turn, gasping when she witnessed her ex-husband fall straight into the pool. Nat, Lila, and Ollie all gasped with her while Jake just took his phone out to video the whole thing. Y/n had to turn away when Rooster began swimming to the side she was on, ignoring all the looks he was receiving by his little spectacle.
The poor pilot was completely drenched head to toe. Y/n fidgeted as he approached, both smiling at each other nervously.
“Hey, Y/n/n.”
“Hello, Roo.”
Wiping at the water dripping from his eyebrow, Rooster moved closer causing a warm feeling to erupt in Y/n’s chest. Gosh he had changed—of course it had been 13 years, but Lord did he have to get even more attractive? And that damn mustache had her weak in the knees but thankfully she remained composed. “It’s good to see you.”
Getting straight to it, Bradley gave her a look once over, “It’s good to see you too….but is there something I’m missing here? You don’t seem too shocked to see me as I am to see you.” Squeezing the water from his shirt, “I mean it’s been thirteen years and—.”
“Dad,” a soft voice interrupts him, Rooster stunned when he sees who believes is Caroline standing beside Y/n. “I can explain why she’s here.”
“Caroline,” he says with caution, briefly glancing at the woman to see her reaction, “you know who this is?”
“I do.” She allows her natural accent to flow, “And actually, dad, I’m not Caroline….”
Coming on Y/n’s other side, Caroline grins at her father. “Hey, pops.”
The best word to describe Bradley’s face was astonishment and pure happiness. “Both of them?” He looks at the girl he came to the resort with, eyes shining a bit with the emotion filling him, “Lila?” Then he looks at her twin, “Caroline?”
“I’m not sure if it’s fate or you both just picked the most random summer camp to send your daughters too….but we met there and it wasn’t too hard to piece it together. You know besides looking identical there was the same birthday detail and the fact we were raised by one parent.”
“They switched places on us, Bradley,” Y/n put her arm around Caroline, beaming down at her.
Rooster looked at her stunned, but smiling nonetheless. “W-what? You mean I had Lila this whole time?”
“Well I wanted to know what you were like, and Caroline wanted to know mom—are you angry?”
He answered her with a big hug, “Oh darlin’ of course not,” he kissed the side of her head, not wanting to let her go. “I’m so happy—I can’t believe it’s you!” Pulling away he ran a hand over her cheek, in complete awe of her. “It’s been so long—you were so small the last time I saw you.”
“Well I’m all grown up now….and quite without a father,” she pulls away from him to stand next to Caroline.
“And I’m about to head into high school, where I’ll be one of the few to not relate to other girls arguing with their mother on the daily,” Y/n shakes her head with a chuckle at Caroline’s words.
“Care, you’ve been in New York this whole time?” At her nod he opens his arms, “C’mere kiddo.” After their hug Y/n politely requests a moment with Bradley, the teenagers giving sly looks as they walk away.
“No problem…take your time.”
The two take a seat on one of the beach chairs, Y/n asking for a first aid kit when she notices a cut to his forehead. As she tends to him, Rooster goes, “Jesus, both of them together? Wow, I can’t believe it—this is unreal,” he then raises a brow, “How long have you known?”
“Since yesterday morning,” she explained softly, gently wiping away the blood before dabbing it with rubbing alcohol. She apologizes when he winces. “My father figured it out the other night. Honestly I’m ashamed I didn’t suspect anything—I just thought Lila had come out of her shell after camp when she was thrilled to come to my meetings where there’d be new people. And before you ask, Caroline told me you knew I was coming. Obviously, we were both deceived.”
“Talk about karma,” Rooster chuckles, not shy of calling them out on what they did wrong. “We kinda deserve it.”
“I do,” she corrects with a tight smile. “It was my idea after all.”
“Yeah,” he leaned closer, connecting their eyes, “but I didn’t stop it from happening, Y/n/n.” Seeing her hand falter at the name, Rooster tilts his head, “What is it?”
“N-nothing,” she nervously laughs, turning away to grab a bandaid. “Uh—I-I haven’t heard that name in awhile.”
“Do you not like it anymore?”
“No, no! I do like it. My dad still calls me it from time to time,” she says, putting the bandaid on his forehead. “I guess it just feels different.”
“I get it,” he nods, offering a small smile. When she wasn’t looking he unconsciously let his eyes take her in for the first time. “You look good, Y/n/n.” That was a lie, she looked incredible. Like an actual angel before him with her white dress and soft curls.
Before she could respond Marilyn appeared, causing the two to jump back when they realized how close they were. Rooster went a little red while Y/n scratched the back of her neck.
“Finally there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” The blonde said in relief, smile dropping slightly when she sees her fiancé with the renowned author, “Oh good you two met. Brad, this is the author of the series I was telling you about—the one I’m auditioning for….umm am I missing something?”
Glancing between the two, Y/n felt her heart sink at the realization the lady she met in the bar was the same woman she saw Bradley with in the elevator. His fiancé….who was in for the shock of her life when it was revealed not only were they married, but his daughter was a twin.
“Hey, Mare, great to see you again. I’m the Caroline you met at the beginning of summer. This is my twin, Lila. I was pretending to be her while she was pretending to be me,” she points to her sister before extending a hand to Y/n, voice full of pride. “And this is our mother, Y/n L/n.”
Everyone should have expected disaster to happen at some point in the weekend. The ex-wife, who Bradley may have had feelings for still, and the fiancé—who was keeping a secret of her own.
One that the girls discovered when they snatched her phone.
That night after the stunning reunion, the girls schemed their way into recreating the night their parents met. With the help of Jake, Nat, and Ollie, the group got Sonic milkshakes, Route 44s, and some food for the pair who they ordered to follow them to where they parked Rooster’s Bronco overlooking the beach.
“Clever girls,” Y/n chuckled, popping a tater tot in her mouth. “You see what they’re doing, right?”
“I do,” he laughed with her, “not a bad job if I must say. Though, we’re missing all the discarded baseball gear and beer cans.”
For about an hour the two talked in between bites of food. When the topic of their breakup came up, both tried to hide their regret as to not let the other see how it still affected them.
“It was your hairdryer,” Bradley said when Y/n asked if she had hurt him when she threw the object at him, unsure of what it was since the moment was a blur to her now. “Clipped me in the arm.”
Y/n looked away in embarrassment, though she did remind him of why she threw it, which then had the pilot frown in shame.
“But look at you now. New York Times Bestselling author, just like you wanted. It’s amazing, Y/n. I’m really happy for you.”
“Thank you,” she gave a small smile. “It’s still surreal. And as much as I hate to admit it, it feels like it wouldn’t have happened had I stayed—even though I regret it.”
“You do?” he turned in his seat, tone unreadable though his eyes showed a different story. She didn’t look at him when she replied.
“I always had some regret. But because my dream came true I thought it was meant to happen. Leaving was the only way I could get it done. Then after discovering it was Caroline with me it all hit me full blast….I hurt her more than anything—and Lila. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself. Now it feels like everything that happened after that day wasn’t worth it because I lost a piece of myself.” Y/n sighs, looking up at the stars, “I was just so angry with you and by what that officer said. It felt like no one believed in me and in turn why should I believe in myself. So I did the only thing I could think of….and I packed.”
Turning to face Rooster, a solemn gaze took over, “And you…didn’t come after me.”
Rooster didn’t know what to say other than, “I thought you didn’t want me too.” He was astonished by her confession, thinking how everything could’ve been different had he listened to his brain screaming at him.
“Oh well,” she sipped her drink, “It doesn’t matter now. The past is the past. Let’s just put on a happy face for the girls and I’ll be out of your hair again.”
The rest of the night Rooster couldn’t think straight. While Y/n made the arrangements for what they should do about the twins, he just nodded and agreed. All he could think about was how he let her go and regretted it everyday since. Even when they arrived back at the hotel to their separate rooms he went to bed with the image of Y/n as the last thing he saw before sleep overtook him.
Y/n was checking out of the hotel when Rooster approached the counter. “So I’ll book Caroline’s flights for December and April.”
“And I’ll do the same for Lila in the summer,” she nodded, placing her bill from the concierge in her bag. When the girls arrived moments later, both parents were speechless by their matching outfits. “Girls, what is this?”
“Well, mom, we sorta came to an agreement. And we don’t feel like parting ways just yet.”
“Excuse me?” Y/n tilted her head at the teen who spoke. She thought it was Lila, but then again the woman wasn’t sure. They were hiding their necklaces to not give away who was who. “Lila, we don’t have time for this. Our plane leaves in four hours and I have a meeting with my publishers tomorrow.”
“Cancel them,” the other told her, making Y/n’s mouth part while Rooster’s eyes went wide.
“Caroline.”
“Yes,” they both answered.
Now the adults were becoming frustrated. “Girls, this is not funny. You’re gonna make your mother miss her flight—now stop this charade and tell us who is who.”
“Mannnn that’s pretty sad, huh,” the twin on the left voiced, “Can’t even tell your own daughters apart.” She received stern looks from her parents.
Going up to them Rooster leans down, putting his hands on his hips as he tries to tell them apart. Pointing a finger at the twin on the right, he smirks, “this is Caroline. I know that smirk anywhere.”
“Are you sure, dad?” the other twin says, plastering an identical smug expression. “You wouldn’t want to send the wrong twin to New York now?”
“Here’s what we want,” the one directly in front of Rooster states, “We want to go to Penny’s end of summer bash at the Hard Deck tomorrow night—you know, the one that happens every year. We go as a family, and once we do then we will say who’s Lila and who’s Caroline.”
Both parents look at each other flabbergasted. Then Y/n threatens, “Or I take one of you with me back to New York, regardless of who you are and that’s the end of it. Sounds good?” Nothing came of it, however, when Y/n pouted as she sat in the passenger seat of the rental car Ollie was driving until they made it to San Diego. Phoning Yolanda, her meeting was rescheduled and her flight was booked for Monday morning. They got lodging at an airbnb and settled for the night with both girls staying with Y/n on the promise they will stay with Bradley after the party.
Marilyn was not happy with the news of them staying an extra day. Having to deal with one daughter was one thing, but both twins had her head spinning. There was already high tensions with the teenagers, now throwing the ex-wife into the mix made things difficult for Marilyn when she was battling for Bradley’s attention. Not to mention all of Rooster’s friends didn’t like her.
Nerves raked the author when they arrived at the Hard Deck. It was her first time at the establishment and the only people she knew coming in were Nat and Jake. Ollie tagged along thankfully but then he was distracted by the adorableness that was Lt. Robert Floyd. Both girls dragged Y/n to all of Rooster’s friends, introducing the author with pride that made her chest warm.
“Oh hey guys,” Caroline giggled when the squad’s eyes bulged out at the sight of the three. “It’s me Caroline—the actual Caroline. That over there,” she points to her twin wearing a similar outfit only it was a Rolling Stones t-shirt and not The Beatles, “is my twin Lila, who y’all have been hanging out with the last two weeks. And this is our mom, Y/n L/n. Can’t believe dad fumbled such a bag.”
“Caroline,” Y/n scolded with a shake of the head, smiling when each of the guys introduced themself. “It’s nice to meet you all, the girls have told me all about you.”
“Wish we could say the same, ma’am,” Fanboy laughs, “We only know you from when Rooster gets drunk off his ass. Loose lips you know.” Y/n felt flustered by the comment, realizing Rooster still thought of her even after everything that happened.
Penny treated the author with a warm welcome, as did Maverick who both were surprised to see each other. “Oh my gosh, you’re Pete! You guys…you two rekindled?”
“We did,” he blushes, “took some time but it worked out. I’ve heard all about you, Y/n,” he gives an awkward shake of the shoulders, “He…told me everything about a year ago when it was the girls’ birthday.”
Everything seemed to be going well until the twins overheard Marilyn speaking ill of their mother. “She’s being a snake and you know it, Bradley! Ever since she got here there’s been an ulterior motive—and I bet you those kids are in on it,” she pointed a finger with a hiss.
“You’re being ridiculous, Marilyn,” Rooster’s tone takes another edge. “She hasn’t even spoken to me the entire night except to greet us when we arrived.”
“She doesn’t have to talk! It’s all in the looks and smiles! She’s a fucking romance author—of course she knows what to do to get someone’s attention. That’s how sad and desperate she is.”
By now Caroline had enough, bringing everyone’s attention to the scene when she yells, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” In her peripheral vision she sees Y/n, Nat, and Penny stand from their seats, moving closer to where they were.
Rooster gives a warning look, “honey, this doesn’t concern you.”
“The hell it does!” She ignores his disapproving eyes. “How dare she talk about mom like that?! You’re gonna let her speak about her that way—about the woman who gave birth to us?”
Lila steps up, glaring at the blonde, “Instead of worrying about mom, she should be worrying about who’s blowing up her phone wanting to know when to meet at the motel tonight.” They watch as all the color drains from Marilyn’s face. Rooster turns to his fiancé, confused and demanding an answer.
“What is she talking about?”
“I-I—she’s. Bradley, there’s nothing—.”
Caroline cuts her off, “Who’s Colonel Mustard?” Again Marilyn goes pale, though there’s anger in her eyes. “What a code name, Mare. I guess I better refer to his actual name, you know. Does the name Admiral Patrick Cross ring a bell?” She mocks, “oh yeah, he’s dad’s married boss at Top Gun and she’s been sending naked pictures to him all weekend.”
Gasps sounded all around, Ollie, Nat and Penny slapping a hand to their mouth where the squad and Mav all went, “oh shit!” Y/n looked at her daughters stunned before glancing at Bradley to see his reaction. The man was in disbelief, staring at Marilyn with unreadable eyes.
The blonde saw red. “You little bitch!” Before she could stop herself her hand came up and slapped the teen across the face, leaving a nice print in its wake along with a scratch from when her fake nail dragged against the skin.
Now Y/n saw red. Literally Kill Bill alarms blaring.
Marilyn screamed when her jaw snapped to the side full force from the impact of Y/n’s fist. The author had pulled her by the hair to turn her around, nearly ripping out her extensions. Blood coated Marilyn’s mouth, and a tooth even fell out by how hard Y/n had punched her. Before another blow could be landed the woman was pulled back, fighting against the hold from Ollie and Nat, “Touch my daughter again and see what fucking happens bitch—I’ll cut your fucking eye out!” While she was being dragged to the back patio to prevent from committing a crime, Marilyn ran out the front door with Rooster chasing after her.
Tears in their eyes the twins raced to their mom. When they got outside they saw her shaking the first that was no doubt throbbing. Ollie was trying to talk her down, all while complimenting how badass she was. “Oh honey,” she saw Caroline, moving to hold her. Telling Penny to bring out two ice packs, the woman brushed her uninjured hand against the teen’s cheek. It flared her anger more, wishing she could go beat the shit out of that cunt. “My sweet girl, are you okay?
“I’m fine, mom,” Caroline whimpered, sniffing when Y/n wiped the tear that fell. Her face stung and there would likely be a mark but she didn’t care. All she could feel was warmth and happiness by how her mom stood up for her. Looking at her first, the teen frowned at the discoloration. “Are you okay?”
Penny came out with the ice packs, handing one to Y/n and Caroline. “I’m fine—at least right now because my adrenaline is pumping. Give me a few more minutes and I could be in debilitating pain but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Glancing over the deck, Y/n’s face fell slightly. “Where’s your father?”
“He went after the witch,” Lila said with distaste. Caroline mirrored her expression, both twins disappointed with Rooster. The reaction had Y/n take a deep breath, controlling the anger rising which nearly snapped when the man slid open the doors of the patio and walked toward them.
“Not now, Bradley.”
“Y/n, listen to me—.”
“You went after her, dad,” Caroline sniffed, glaring up at him. “What the hell?”
“Not in the way you think, honey,” he leaned down to cup her face, careful of the mark. It was taking everything in him to remain composed. Just moments before when he was ending things with his now ex-fiancé, Rooster had to remember she was a woman and not to lose it even though she had just laid her hands on his daughter. Had she been a man….well there would be an ambulance called. “I only went after her to tell her to get her crap out of the house and expect charges for assault to be on her doorstep.”
Now that had them speechless. “Really?”
“Yeah, kiddo. And I’m so sorry,” he kissed her forehead, moving to hug her and opening his arm for Lila to join. “Thank you both for what you did. I owe you two for saving me.” He feels them laugh against his chest, the pilot lifting his gaze to settle on Y/n. She has a smile on her face, blushing when they look eyes. At her wince he notices her hand was now black and blue. “You should get that looked at.”
“Oh It’s fine—,” she tried to deflect but he wouldn’t have it.
“That looks broken, Y/n,” he gently moves the girls to the side so he can inspect it. The woman makes a pained sound when his fingers try to turn it. “Yeah, we’re going to urgent care right now.”
“Bradley—.”
“No excuses. Girls, let’s go.” He almost wanted to laugh at the pout on Y/n’s face, hauling her to the Bronco before speeding off to the nearest urgent care. The entire way she tried saying she was fine, but the pained expression every time she moved her hand in the slightest gave away that she was in fact not fine. The girls couldn't help but giggle at the way the adults were bickering. Like they were still married.
With a diagnosed fracture and cast on her wrist, Y/n felt butterflies in her stomach when they returned to the beach house for the girls to get their things. They would spend the final night at Rooster’s before Y/n and Ollie would pick Lila up in the morning in time for their flight. While the girls were upstairs, Y/n and Bradley sat on the deck, neither not knowing what to say.
“What time do you take off?”
“A quarter till nine,” she replied, keeping her eyes on the waves in front of her. She felt him come to her side, so close she smelled his cologne that if she closed her eyes, it would put her back in 2006. “It’s a straight shot thankfully—no layovers.”
“That’s good,” he muttered, head spinning with a million things he wanted to say but couldn’t form the words. Part of him just wanted to confess he still loved her. That he never stopped. That they should try to kick things back off. But then he thought about how their lives went. Here he was a Top Gun instructor in San Diego, and she was a bestselling author in New York.
Rooster thought of her stories. He read every single one on the market the day they dropped, feeling the heartbreak in him every time he flipped through the pages of her second novel that he knew was loosely based on their story. He remembered crying at the end when he finished it the first time. It was the only one without a happy ending.
All the books were hidden in his closet, but at least once a year Rooster would pick up one and read the beautiful words Y/n wrote. He was so proud of her, but didn’t know how to say it.
“Roo—.”
“Y/n/n—.” Both chuckled nervously when they tried speaking at the same time.
“You go,” she insisted. Wiping a sweating hand on his pants, Rooster took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” he exhaled. “For what I said to you that night. And for not standing up for you like I should have,” his face was full of regret. “I was more worried about my job than you—a-and it was wrong of me to do so. I made you feel like your talent wasn’t worthy, that you’d never make it as an author and I’m so fucking sorry for saying that. You are an amazing writer and you deserve everything that has come from it. Your books are incredible, Y/n. Every one of them.”
Y/n feels her throat tighten, voice going small, “Y-you—you’ve read them?”
“Every single one,” he confesses, making her whimper slightly by the emotion erupting in her chest. “On their release day. And I read them in one sitting.”
Y/n’s heart was soaring. Never did she think he’d read her books, let alone buy them the day they came out. His confession was making it harder for her to let him go again. “Roo…” she whispers, eyes glistening as he moves closer to her.
They stared at each other for a moment. No words came out but in their looks was everything they needed to know. The love they thought had left years ago resurfaced in just a few days.
Right as it looked like Rooster was about to lean down, the sound of a car filled their ears, causing Y/n to drop her head. “That would be Ollie.” Rooster nods, disappointment filling him as he slowly backs away to enter the house, but not before giving her one last look to see her wiping her eyes. Y/n gives the twins a kiss on the head before waving goodbye when they leave. Now that he was home, Ollie wanted to know everything he missed—jaw dropping when Y/n admitted they nearly kissed.
“Why didn’t you!?’
“Because, Ollie!” She says dramatically, “four hours ago the man was engaged and may I remind you, we’ve been broken up for over a decade. Why the hell would I let him kiss me when there is no chance something would come out of it.”
“You don’t know that, Y/n,” Ollie comes around the kitchen island, wine glass in hand. “Look, you may not have seen it but my eyes know what I saw this whole weekend. And it was a man who wants to sweep you off your feet and take you to the nearest chapel.”
“Ollie—.”
“Did you not see his reaction when you clocked that bitch? My God it looked like he was about to pop a semi.” Y/n put her free hand to her face, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. The whole moment at the bar was a blur to her from the moment she saw that wrench put her hand on Caroline. It was all a haze until she was outside dealing with a throbbing hand. Barely did Y/n look at Rooster, she was focused on her daughter.
“Noooo, I did not see his reaction, Ollie. I was too busy dealing with the fact I was about to commit bloody murder.”
“Well I can assure, babe, that your sexy pilot of an ex was wanting to throw you over his shoulder and take you to bed. After of course making sure sweet Caroline was okay.” Setting down his wine glass, he gives her a stern look, “Tell me the truth, do you still love him?”
“It’s complicated—.”
“It’s a yes or no, Y/n.”
“What exactly do you want me to say,” she threw her hand out, “that yes I’m still hopelessly hung over him and wish I could go back and time to stop myself from leaving? That seeing him this weekend made me feel like a twenty-two year old girl again? That I have envisioned everyday since Caroline told me about the switch, that maybe we could pick things off where we left?” They were all rhetoric questions, Ollie allowing her to rant as tears threatened her eyes. “Of course I do—to all of the above. But this isn't one of my books, Ollie, this is real life—a-and his life is here while mine is in New York. I don’t want to leave that and how should I expect him to leave all of what he has built here for me?” Sniffing, Y/n looks away with a hand to her chin, whispering, “It’s why I left in the first place.”
The rest of the night the two packed the rental car so it was ready for the morning and watched cheesy rom-coms since neither could really sleep. They got maybe four hours on the couch, but soon their alarm woke them up to start the day. Y/n called Lila to make sure she was awake and ready before showering herself, putting on a simple outfit for the flight.
It was a heartfelt goodbye when they arrived at Roosters home. Caroline held onto Y/n for almost five minutes, the woman promising to call her everyday so she could hear how the teens' day. They spoke of excitement for the holidays with Y/n promising to take her and Lila skating around the big tree and to celebrate New Year’s in Time Square. Not too far from them Lila was held by Rooster, the teen lightly crying when they pulled away.
“I’ll see you soon, okay?” He tells her, brushing a thumb over her cheek. “Maybe sooner than you think, Lila darlin’.” She doesn’t think much of the comment, only nodding up at him before embracing Caroline when approaches. Together the girls walk to the car with the adults watching as Ollie gives a hug to Caroline.
“You take care of yourself, Y/n/n,” Rooster places a hand on her shoulder, “and hope you two have a safe flight.”
“Thank you,” she tells him, offering a tight smile. “And I will.” He surprises the author when his lips gently press against her forehead, squeezing her hand after it had fallen from her shoulder to hold it. They share one last look, Y/n nodding to him before walking up to the car. She and Caroline share one more embrace, Y/n kissing the teen’s head with Caroline shutting the door of the car behind her. Waving through the window, Y/n blows her a kiss as Ollie presses on the gas. Soon Rooster and Caroline grow smaller in the rear view mirror, the distance growing by the second until finally they disappear when they turn the corner onto the freeway.
On the plane Lila barely talks. She’s either nose deep in the book she bought at one of the airport shops, headphones in, or looking out the window with absolute silence. Y/n tries to have a conversation, but eventually gives up knowing her daughter needed some time. The only response she received when assuring Lila the holidays were around the corner was a sad nod. Within hours the sunny skies of California turn into gloomy clouds of New York. Rainfall greeted them as they stepped out of the airport, finding their Uber quickly to beat the afternoon rush. It took maybe an hour for them to get home from JFK, Y/n frowning when she saw Lila wipe a tear away.
Ollie was dropped off at his home first, waving to them with the promise of seeing them later for dinner. Dropping their stuff in the foyer, they call out to Y/n’s parents. “Mom? Dad?” “Gran? Grandpa?”
“I’ll check the study,” Y/n moves to the room her dad spent most of his day in. A smile appeared when she entered to see the morning’s newspaper in his hands.
Or so she thought was her dad’s hands.
Leaning against the door, Y/n spoke with a soft voice, “Hey, stranger, we’re back?”
The paper dropped to the desk, revealing a beaming Caroline in a flight suit sitting in the chair. Y/n’s jaw dropped, hand going to her chest. Caroline gave a cheeky look, “Hey, mom, did you know an F-18 can get you here in a quarter of the time compared to a commercial jet?”
All she could do was nod back slowly, feeling her heart pound against her chest. “Y-yes, I-I’ve heard. What—.” Upon her gasp when she saw Caroline, Lila raced into the study, matching the expression of her mother.
“Care! What are you doing here?”
The twin rose from the chair, “Hope you don’t mind us crashing in. But, it took us less than a minute after you guys left for us to realize we didn’t want to lose you both again.”
Y/n almost stumbled as she took a step into the study, “W-we?”
Caroline’s gaze drifted to the other entrance of the room, where Rooster appeared in his own flight suit, eyes locked on Y/n, “We.” He heard her make a sound, the hand on her chest going to her mouth. “My biggest regret was letting you walk away that day, Y/n. I’m not gonna make that mistake again. And I promise to never make you feel like you aren’t worthy of something—because you are worthy of everything you set your mind to. And I’m gonna make sure you know that everyday.”
Y/n started to feel the emotion bile in her throat, shaking her head slightly to stay strong. “A-and I suppose you just expect me to fall into your arms like I did all those years ago,” she saw a smile form on the corner of his lips, the man slowly moving closer to her with a knowing look. “And cry hysterically saying we can figure this whole thing out and have a long-distance relationship with our girls being raised here and there,” he continues to move closer, making Y/n’s heart pump faster. “—and we just pick up where we left off…with the promise of growing old together and…”
By now Rooster was directly in front of her, gaze full of love and adoration. She forgot what she was about to say, getting lost in his eyes, “oh come on, Roo. Is this supposed to be a happily ever after?”
“Yes,” he cupped her face in his hands, thumbs caressing her cheeks that were warm and damp. “To all of it, Y/n/n. You write happily ever afters for a living, now it’s time for you to have your own.” He smirks adding, “Except you don’t have to cry hysterically, baby.”
That nickname combined with the offer had the tears rolling down her cheeks, Y/n nodding weakly against his palms, “Oh yes I do.” The last word was met with his mouth pressed against hers, fireworks erupting all over her body. Letting her eyes flutter shut, Y/n’s hands moved to the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, feeling Rooster smile causing her to do the same.
Behind them their daughters were holding back their squeals, Lila falling dramatically onto the sofa while Caroline leaned against the bookshelf, “I can’t believe we actually did it!” They eventually moved out of the study to allow the pair some privacy, all the while they never broke the kiss until needing air but kept their mouths close.
“Wait a moment,” she ran her hands along his flight suit, “Did you steal an F-18 so you could get here before me to come confess your love—and had our daughter in the backseat?”
He gives a shrug, grinning wide, “Maybe.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” She looks at him like he grew two heads. “And how does Caroline—.”
“Well actually Mav helped me out,” his arms went around her waist, pulling her against him. “We got special permission—so don’t worry I won’t be arrested anytime soon. As for Care, Fanboy and Bob have been teaching her a thing or two about being a backseater. I think she’s getting the hang of it.”
“Oh my lord,” Y/n closes her eyes before laughing at the whole situation. Rooster laughs with her, nuzzling his head into her neck. “You are an impossible man, Bradley Bradshaw.”
“Only for you, Y/n L/n.
Six months later……
Y/n wiped the sweat from her forehead, pressing the enter button with a huff of victory. The glasses were removed from her face, leaning against the back of her chair to give her body the much needed stretch. When her arms extended out to relax the tense muscle, the diamond ring on her finger sparkled against the light. The sight made her smile, eyes going back to the words on the screen.
A knock on the door sounded seconds later, “Come in.” Gently opening, Rooster appeared with a mug of steaming coffee, his own wedding band reflecting as he shut the door. “Hey you.”
“Hey yourself,” he winks, coming to put the mug on her coaster before leaning down to kiss her lips. “Lila called, the two are staying after school for a club meeting.” Y/n thanks him for the coffee, nodding at his words with a knowing look.
“I take it pizza is the move then tonight?”
Rooster chuckles, “Unless you want me to whip up some pasta, but I gotta warn you it’s not gonna be anywhere near what you get in town. Although not to toot my own horn, my spaghetti is pretty damn good. At least that’s what Caroline tells me.”
“Oh goodness, well I can eat anything at this point,” she sighs dramatically, “Or maybe we can tell them to meet us at Milo’s. I think a celebration is in order.” Rooster tilts his head confused, but then smiles at the word doc on the screen.
“You finished?”
“Yes,” she beams. “Well I finished the draft. I plan to edit it myself first before sending it off….but it’s done.”
“That’s amazing, baby,” he kisses her cheek, gesturing for her to get up so he could sit and have her in his lap. “I’m so proud of you. You got that done in a record time. Didn’t you just start that—not even a month ago?” Y/n nods shyly.
“I had a lot of inspiration. The words just flew out honestly—Yolanda is gonna have a field day.”
Rooster gets a glimpse of the last paragraph causing a smile to appear on his lips. Respecting her writer's privacy he didn’t ask much about the novel when she started writing it, only when she discussed it on her own terms. He could see the excitement in her eyes, warmth in his veins by how happy she was and couldn’t wait to read it when she finished. “May I ask what inspired this book, Y/n/n? Although, I do have a funny feeling.” Y/n didn’t have to answer, her bashful smile was enough to tell him everything. “Have you thought of a title yet?”
Glancing to her screen, Y/n read over the final paragraph stopping at the words in bold THE END. Her readers were gonna freak out when it would be announced she’s coming out with a sequel to her second released book, the one responsible for her receiving fan mail with them begging for her to continue the story. To give the characters their happy ending.
She just needed her happy ending first.
The story was being written in real time.
“I was bouncing between a couple, but I think I have it,” she faces her husband, grinning as the name slips off her tongue. It was what Lila and Caroline had coined when Y/n came to them about the book.
“I think I’m gonna call it….The Parent Trap.”
……………….
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eight.
warning; 💅💅💅 0.8k words.
masterlist.
“is- is there something on my face?”
the man shakes his head, a smile on his face like it had been the whole time. perhaps you were seeing things but you swore you noticed him staring at you throughout the night, with his puppy like eyes.
you’re starting to understand why this man was so popular on campus.
just look at him!
“no i’m just happy seeing you here,” yeonjun says, followed by a chuckle that causes your heart to swoon. “glad we could hang out.”
i almost didn’t come, you wanted to say but he didn’t need to know that. he especially didn’t need to know the reason why either.
heeseung was persistent all afternoon about two things, staying in with him for the night and of course, staying away from choi yeonjun altogether. but as bad you felt, you chose to attend the party, having made a promise with your best friend after all.
and you’re somewhat glad you did, especially after running into yeonjun here.
“our burger date was fun but i was thinking maybe,” the man trails off, his head slightly tilting like he was trying to figure out his next words, “maybe i could take you out on a real date?”
his words leave you speechless, your mind unable to fathom the fact that the choi yeonjun was asking you out on a date. you!
a part of you wants to say yes, to go and potentially start something with someone like him. like a male lead ripped right out a romance novel. someone so sweet and caring right from the start, a man who still wanted to hang out with you even after getting ditched.
being this handsome was just the icing on the very top, duh.
but there’s someone else’s face in the back of your mind, an instant reminder of your scandalous relationship behind closed doors. with heeseung.
what started out as a dream like story, an impossible turned possible, became something so toxic, so quickly. you liked heeseung, evidently, but his behaviour lately had become too much, almost controlling. it felt like the man owned you, every bit of you, but you had no say over him. sometimes it seemed like you barely even knew him, the real lee heeseung outside the four walls of your apartment.
as naïve as you were, you were beginning to realise that you weren’t the problem. he was.
and this was something you needed to sort out, to see where this was really headed before you got someone else involved.
“i um... yeonjun-”
“don’t stress little one, we’re here to have fun. think about it later,” he laughs and knocks into your arm gently, obviously trying to lighten up the mood and you truly appreciated him for that.
what a charming man.
“i need to use the bathroom.”
yeonjun’s face immediately replicates the ‘are you sure’ emoji as you say so, making you giggle at the deja vu.
“i’m not running off i swear! i’ll be back,” you reassure the man and hand him your bottle to mind. leaving a laughing yeonjun be, you go searching around for the bathroom but fail to make it far with the mass of party goers. the lack of lighting wasn’t helping your situation much either.
but then something catches your gaze, a familiar face amongst the crowd. it’s like your eyes immediately spotted him and the girl that he’s currently trying to chat up in the corner of the room, barely two metres away from you.
your breath hitches when his eyes suddenly meets yours, even with so many others currently in the room. although you probably look like a lost deer caught in headlights, heeseung didn’t look phased at all. instead, the man only smirks at you before directing his entire attention back to his female friend.
like you didn’t even exist, like you didn’t matter.
and like how he should’ve been to you, right from the start.
you’re unsure what will happen between you and heeseung from now but one thing’s for sure, enough was enough.
you must’ve looked like a crazy person making your way back to the man waiting for you but you didn’t mind, not when you had something to do.
“yeonjun.”
the look on his face tells you that he’s surprised to see you back so quickly, just as surprised as you are for having the courage to even march up to the man like this.
“is everything... okay?”
“everything’s... fine,” you take a quick moment to calm yourself, not wanting to scare the poor 6ft man who is looking down at you entirely confused, “i was wondering if... your offer is still valid? the date?”
“oh- of course.”
“i’m free tomorrow?”
“well... it’s a date. tomorrow.”
the huge grin that appears on his face as he confirms it causes you to mirror him, your cheeks heating up to the thought of tomorrow’s date with choi yeonjun...
and not because of someone else’s eyes that were currently staring at you from the other side of the room.
end.
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Bus Stop Meet Cute
Pairing: Jin X Reader; Fluff
Summary: You're known for always having your head in the clouds, dreaming yourself a better life. One day you try to make your dreams a reality by doing something extremely out of character.
Author's Note: This is my personal favorites of all of my old writings, I also think this is the only one of the old ones that I wrote sober, so that checks out.
Warnings: I don't think any? Let me know if you think there should be. It's mainly just fluff?
Love Story by Suran plays in your headphones while you stare out the window. You watch all the people pass by as you smile. This was your favorite part of the day. You had just gotten off of work at the cafe you work at, and now you get to people watch on the bus ride home.
You often look at the people who are passing by and create little stories of their lives. Your mother always told you that it wasn’t healthy how much you daydream. Maybe she’s right, but it was your escape. You wanted to be a writer, but until you finish your novel, you need to continue to pay your bills. Working a full time job makes it hard to write, so you have to find time when you can.
You see a woman in a beautiful pale blue dress and you start writing a story in your head about how she is about to go on a date with the man of her dreams. You imagine how they met, what may have kept them apart, and how they finally got together. You smile at the nice ending that you gave the stranger, but soon frown, you feel a longing to have your own love story. These things don’t really happen in real life.
You search for your next stranger, when your eyes fall on him. A tall and handsome man sitting at the bus stop. He has headphones in and is reading a book. You note his great sense of fashion, he is wearing a deep greet turtleneck with a houndstooth coat and dark wash jeans. He has hair hangs in his face a little bit, but you can still see that he is extremely attractive.
You feel the bus coming to a stop and your window stops right in front of him. He looks up and makes eye contact with you. He gives a small smile and a nod and continues to stare at you. Your stomach fills with butterflies and your knees feel weak. You give him a wave with a slight smile. He gives a small laugh, goodness, you would pay to hear that laugh. But it doesn’t seem that he is necessarily getting on at this stop. You decide to do something a little risky.
You open your window.
He looks at you and you both take out one of your ear buds.
‘Is this your bus?” You ask him with a nervous smile.
“It can be.” He replies with a raised eyebrow and a grin. He then walks away from the pole he was leaning against and gets on the bus. As he walks towards your seat you begin to feel your heartbeat faster. You put your things away in your bag and make room on the seat next to you. He sits down next to you and you can smell his cologne. He turns to you and holds out his hand.
“Hi, I’m Kim Seokjin, but you can just call me Jin.” He states.
“Hello, I’m ____. Very nice to meet you.” You blush as you shake his hand. It’s very warm and it lights your soul. This isn’t some made up story in your head. This is real. This is happening.
“So where are we headed?” He asks with a small chuckle.
“We are going to a book store actually, then maybe dinner?” You say with a small question mark at the end.
Wow, where is this confidence is suddenly coming from? you ask yourself.
“Sounds great.” He says as he continues to look at you with a smile. You both continue to make conversation. You learn that he runs a publishing company, and he was actually just heading to a book store himself. It was almost like it was fate. You loved the way he laughed, while others may find it weird, you found it cute.
When you both reached the stop you continued on to the bookstore.
You show him your favorite novel, and he shows you a poetry book. You guys could’ve spent hours in that store, getting to know each other and talking about books and stories. He had so many cute little quirks, like when he got really passionate about something he talked quicker. Eventually you guys check out and he surprises you by paying for your books. You thank him and you let him pick the place to eat.
He picked a restaurant that served naengmyeon. You guys eat and talk. You can’t stop smiling. He really is a dream. You have to pinch yourself to tell your self this is real.
“Are you ok?” He asks afterwards.
“Yeah, of course. I just am convincing myself that all of this is real.” You say with a small laugh.
“Do you often find yourself imagining things?” He said poking fun at you. You laugh.
“Well no and yes. I don’t hallucinate or anything, but I do often enjoy creating scenarios in my head. My mom has always told me that my overactive imagination would be bad for me and one day I would begin to believe my stories are real. I guess all of this seems too good to be true… You seem too good to be true.” You say while fiddling with your hands. He rests his hands on yours and you look up at him.
“I can promise you I am as real as it gets.” He says with a comforting smile. You smile back to him and hold his hand. Hoping that this lasts forever.
~ time jump - 5 years later ~
You stand on the podium looking out to the sea of people staring back at you. You begin to read the pages from your book.
“Soft love songs play in her headphones while she lazily daydreams out of the window. She quietly envies the people that pass by. She longed for a life with interest. She longed to shed her tedious job at the cafe. She longed to have romance in her life.
As if she spoke it into the universe her eyes landed on the most handsome man she had ever seen. A man that radiated the confidence she had longed for. While the bus comes to a stop their eyes meet. They can feel the chemistry grow as they continue to stare at each other. Almost as if she had absorbed some of him through this limited contact, she opens the window.
‘Is this your bus?’ She asks with a nervous smile and a tight chest. He looks up at her with a smirk.
‘It can be.’ He replies before getting onto the bus.” You close the book while the crowd claps.
“I want to thank you all for supporting me. This is my third book, and I have been thankful everyday that you guys have enjoyed my stories. They have always been my comfort, my escape from a dull life. Although you may not know, that my most recent novel isn’t just a story. It’s something that happened to me. This novel was inspired by the meeting of my very own partner and publisher, Kim Seokjin.” You say while holding your arm out to the back corner of your room. You make eye contact with your husband, Jin. He smiles and gives small bows as people turn to look at him and clap.
“Of course there are differences, but I had to write a story about how we met. My life changed from dull to exciting the day our eyes connected on that bus. His company was small, and I was an unknown writer, but people were, thankfully, drawn to my novel. I wouldn’t have had the strength to finish that story without him. He has kept me going for so long, and I owe everything I have to him. I love you my darling.” You say with tears welling in your eyes.
He gives you a heartfelt nod and mouths an ‘I Love You’ back. You continue to talk about your book. You take some questions and sometimes making eye contact with Jin and feeling a burst of warmth shoot through your veins.
After the book reading, you were talking one on one with your fans. You feel a hand snake around your waist and look up to see your beautiful husband.
“Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation, but we have a very important meeting to get to.” Your husband says as you both take your leave.
You sit in the car as he drives. You stare at him as you hear a familiar song by Suran play. He rests a hand on your leg facing up, a request for you to hold his hand. You accept of course.
You guys pull up to the very same noodle place you had come to the night you had met. You enjoy a nice bowl of naengmyeon with your husband as you both talk about the current books you are reading. You will always thank fate for that day you had two met at the bus. You will always thank the universe for giving you the courage to open your window and talk to him. You will always thank Kim Seokjin for getting on that bus and never leaving your side since.
“Happy anniversary baby 💕”
#bts x reader#bts fic#bts#bts fanfic#kim seokjin#bts jin#jin#seokjin#bts seokjin#jin x reader#jin fluff#bts fluff#kim seokjin fanfic#kim seokjin x reader#bts jin x reader#bts jin fanfic#bts jin fluff
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I feel like I need to write faster so that I can one day be published. Like, I need to have already written x amount of books to improve my craft. Now I can work on a big project that I can hopefully query later. But I’m still at the practice stages and it feels like I’m being too slow to get to my dream. And I truly hate calling my “practice” projects practice projects because it feels like they aren’t valid when I do. But it has been recommended to me to start off practicing before I do my more complex story ideas. I’m trying not to rush my writing but it feels like that’s the only way to reach my goal. I truly feel like the slowest writer: spending months on outlining and over a year on first drafts. How can I be a professional one day if this is my process?
i answered a similar question about feeling the pressure to write a lot in this post, where i offer my own publishing timeline.
the thing is, there's no such thing as practice projects. the concept of practice implies an eventual performance. a performance is temporal. it can only happen in the moment, like a sport or a concert. it can be recorded for posterity, but the actual reality of it happens in a present that can't be recreated.
poetry, prose, and art are all eternal things. when words are printed to paper, they become a tangible object. there is no single moment you're working toward. and because of that, there's no practice. there's only drafting and revision. that's all writing is and can ever be. no one gets better at writing. you can only get more patient with your process, and find more familiarity in the agony of the unknown.
getting a book published isn't the birth of your story; it's the death of it. it's its final resting place. the life of a story happens while you're writing it. everyone who reads it thereafter is only experiencing what is to you a memory.
so publishing is wildly overrated. just last year i won a grant with a story that hasn't been, and will probably never be, published. two weeks ago i got accepted into a prestigious residency with an excerpt of a story that wasn't (at the time of applying) published. i got accepted into a PhD program on a writing sample that was published, but the publication folded and now no one can access that story anymore. i signed an agent with a short story collection that got a lot of interest but nobody wanted to pick it up.
i just finished a novel i'm pretty confident will sell sometime in the next decade, but that's not what i set out to do with it. i set out to experiment with something, not thinking i'd ever publish it and so the stakes were very low. all i did was follow a small idea around and ask it questions like an annoying kid whose curiosity can never be satisfied. and around the 75k mark i thought: oh, this is the thing.
but the 6ish novels before that will never see the light of day. those weren't practice novels. they're novels that either have no place in the current market for whatever reason, or they're novels that aren't yet doing the work i want them to do, and i don't know how to tackle a revision. i've had to write 3 million words to get to the 30k or so words i've formally published. those 3 million words weren't practice projects. they were the real deal. but sometimes the resting place of a story is a locked drawer.
that can be sad. devastating. but you're allowed to be sad about work that doesn't reach your initial ambitions. there are no practice projects, but you can practice coping with all the complicated and uncomfortable emotions of the creative process. you can practice facing your fear of failure, which over time will get smaller and smaller as you continue to set goals and fail to reach them. eventually you'll succeed, but that success probably won't look like what you think it does.
honor your interests, your process, the next page, next sentence, next word. pursue what's right in front of you and forget the rest.
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I know you and Amymel are both publishing your OG stuff now. How is that going for you both? And do you have any tips for someone who might want to do that sort of thing?
Thanks so much for the ask, Anon. I mentioned it to @amymel86 and, while we're keeping our pen names relatively private, we truly appreciate you checking in with us :)
How's it going? It's going great! We're both thrilled to making money off writing smutty romance 🤣. To quote Amy, 'Sex sells, girlies.' But I'll add that the swoony, romantic, buttery goodness is what keeps readers coming back for more.
Tips? You got it! I'm going to put them under the cut for those who are interested but I'll preface this with the following - we are writing romance novels (primarily as eBooks) that we're self-publishing on Amazon. If you want to be the next Hemingway or Virginia Woolf, that's awesome but our route might not be your route...
Tips for self-publishing romance on the Zon and making BANK:
First off, research. Read, read, read a genre that interests you. What's killing it in the rankings? What's not? What are readers looking for?
Drill it down to a specific niche and find the tropes that work best with it. Unlike with fanfic, you will not make a killing as a newbie writer switching widely between genres and niches. Your Sweet and Clean Christian Western Romance might be fantastic but your fans won't be delighted if you follow it up with an Erotic Dark Mafia Romance. There is so much out there! Sports Romance, Regency, Paranormal, Small-Town, Billionaire, Bikers, Mountain Man... go find yourself a new book boyfriend. Choose the heat level you're comfortable with. There are readers for all levels.
But, find something that appeals to you and stick with it for the time being, learn the ins and outs but make sure it's something you can see yourself writing. Don't choose Reverse Harem or Shifter Romance simply because they're popular if you can't stand reading them. You're setting yourself up for failure that way.
Second, do a little light craft book reading. For romance, I highly recommend Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes and 7 Figure Fiction by T. Taylor as a starting point.
Join an indie author's discord group for important tips and stuff that you might wind up paying to learn from others. It's free and you can choose what's worth retaining and what's not. The one Amy lured me to last year is AMAZING and I've picked up so much information/resources that I never would've known about stumbling around on my own.
Pick a pen name. Do not write under your actual name. You do not want your grandma reading your book. Or maybe you do but you might not want your boss or ex or neighbor reading it. Make sure it's not a claimed pen name. Google it, check Amazon, etc.
Next one is the hard part... write a book. Dream up your story, write down those 'moments' that come to mind (you won't remember them all otherwise) and outline that sucker. Then, WRITE IT. Which sounds impossible but it's not. Most full-length romance novels fall between 60 to 85k words. There are soooooo many fanfics that are longer than that. Take a deep breath. It's doable.
The must-dos for your first book:
Think it up, write down what tropes you're looking at using, outline (at least a little) and write it. I made that sound so easy, didn't I?
2. Edit, edit, edit. You don't have to pay an editor or copywriter - I have not so far - but, for the love of God, don't release something riddled with typos or full of purple prose. Streamline it, make it page-turning goodness readers have a hard time putting down. Throw it in grammarly and spellcheck the bejesus out of it.
3. Format it using a free site like Reedsy or Kindle Create from Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). All that lovely spacing we enjoy doing on Ao3? That will not fly here. It's going to look like an actual book... because it is!
4. Make a cover or get one made. Look at what sells in your niche and copy it. You want to be an outlier? Wait until you're bringing in 50k a month to set the trends. Otherwise, you'll just be passed up. How much work it is can be niche dependent. Fantasy or Sci-Fi Romance might require a lot of talent to get the right look. Contemporary? Easy by comparison. GIMP or Photo Shop work great but there's a learning curve. Also, I recommend Deposit Photos or similar sites for photos/model shots. Don't steal photos off the internet for something you're selling. That will get you in hot water. Remember your cover is the first thing readers see and it needs to sell what you're offering.
5. Write the blurb. Some writers do this first but I am not one of them. It's HARD. However, I cannot stress how important this is to get someone to give your book a look, second only to the cover. It's 100 to 200 words to tell people why they absolutely have to read it! Don't do a summary of the book either. Feed them tropes, give it a hooky intro, draw them in like flies with honey.
6. Get ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy reviews) through a site like Booksprout or SM like Author Facebook groups. It'll get your book in front of eyes and it's lovely having a bit of feedback and some shiny 4 and 5 star reviews queued and ready when you publish.
7. PUBLISH IT. Flip that pancake as we say in the discord group I'm in. Serve it up, see who's biting and keep that griddle hot to make the next one. It will be even better.
And remember, this book will probably not be THE BOOK. And your first pen name will probably not be the one you retire on. It's okay. Every book will teach you something new about who you are as a writer. You'll grow, you'll get better. I'd rather publish a dozen books that are okay if I'm improving than talk about the ONE I'm going to write someday. It's totally worth giving it a whirl.
For more direct tips, feel free to send specific asks. I'm happy to help anytime :)
#writing#romance writing#romance novels#writing asks#writer tips#self publishing#anon ask#vivi rambles
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COVER INTERVIEW:
Its been a long day for Simone Ashley. By the time we sit down to chat over Zoom, its 7:20 pm in London and Ashley has spent the last sixteen hours inside a dark cavernous studio filming night scenes for one of UK's most cherished TV shows.With her eyes still readjusting to the light and her face showing zero signs of dregs of a hard day's work,she sits at home emanating the exuberance of someone raring to do it all over again.
It wasn't easy to pin down Ashley for our interview. And its understandable really, knowing that she's soon to become one of the most talked about actresses on our screens. Only a few months ago, whispers of Ashley started rumbling across the internet. Her face quickly started appearing on Twitter and Instagram. Articles that told you "everything you need to know about Simone Ashley" became suggested reads for TV lovers.
Why ? Because in a landmark move for the 26 year old actor, the news broke that Ashley would be taking on her next role as Kate Sharma-the fiery headstrong and grounded new female lead of Bridgerton.
As Kate Sharma,Ashley joins as the love interest of Jonathan Bailey's character,Anthony.When the news of the role was released, Netflix tweeted "Kate Sharma is a smart headstrong headstrong young woman who suffers no fools- Anthony Bridgerton very much included" which is no doubt a nod to the juicy tumultuous events to come. Speaking with Ashley about the role and her character its increasingly hard to believe that despite her almost continuous smile,infectiously calm demeanour and astute gathered reflections on her life and career, she says that she is in fact very similar to the fiery character she plays.
"Naturally when we meet someone fiery who maybe has a temper or is incredibly emotional, its really natural for us to feel slightly intimidated by that person and not really understand where it comes from, to feel protective of ourselves if it comes from a place of animosity" Ashley says ruminating upon what makes Kate, Kate. "A lot of time, people who have those traits- quite fiery, raised voice and have a temper- are actually people who have the biggest hearts. There's work to be done on how you express yourself. I don't think its a necessarily bad thing"
And the pressure was certainly on Ashley, to bring the character of Kate Sharma to life as much as she could. Julia Quinn the author of the Bridgerton novel series, tweeted "I couldn't dream of a more perfect Kate" when the news of Ashley's arrival was announced.
So the actress took her time to really understand who Kate was really deep under the surface so that she could slip into her skin and stand tall around the Bridgerton sets,not only with support from a corset but with an arresting poise that speaks true of her character.
For most of us we were first introduced to Ashley during her appearance in the widely revered Netflix hit show- Sex Education. Our first glimpse of the future Bridgerton star was of Ashley portraying a 16 year old high school girl perching on a derelict toilet in an asbestos covered bathroom next to the show's protagonist, Asa Butterfield as she confides in him about her more turbulent sexual experiences. Sex Education set out to break down questions of sex and sexuality that most of us had growing up, exploring different stories and topics that hone in a range of topics and taboos. It soon became a treasure of a show for anyone wanting to find out about things no one is really talking about.
"I'm so grateful to be part of that show" Ashley says reminiscing about how close the cast of Sex Education cast became."It's a cast and crew of such incredibly intelligent wonderful people with really big hearts and all in all as well as being part of the series, that was a massive thing I took away from the job, I made some really amazing friends I think it was just a really fun job to be a part of . It's such a fun story that John Hughes kind of high school world it was just really special."
Prior to the role Ashley worked with Olivia Coleman and David Tennant in Broadchurch as well as more recently appearing in shows like ITV's The Sister. She had a blink-and-you'll-miss-me role in 2015's iconic cinematic story of hip hop group NWA's Straight Outta Compton. Even though Sex Education's seismic success could only mean good things were coming to the cast Ashley is still pinching herself over what seems to have fallen deservedly on to her lap.
It's no shock that Ashley finds herself likely taken aback by the recent developments in her career, the world will be watching as she steps foot ; her back help straight and hands locked together in traditional Regency-era gowns on to our screens. But not only has landing the role been a game change for her career but it's also thrown her into a world of complete unfamiliarity wrapped up in what seems to be the most rigorous work schedule around.
"With Bridgerton it's much more intense than Sex Education in the sense that if I'm not filming I'm horse riding, training or rehearsals. I'm an accent training or I'm in a fitting" Ashley explains "I've never really worn a corset before so that took some getting used to, my body definitely changed a little bit wearing it. And that kind of changed my posture a lot to suit the era. Horse riding, I've never really ridden before, I rode once years ago, but I did some intense training for that and it turns out I'm a natural at it so that's a great thing" she shares.
With unrivalled anticipation of the second season, based on the second instalment of Quinn's novel series The Viscount Who Loved Me- as well as the fan bases that spans across continents and even releasing its own "Nap Dresses" fashion collection, Bridgerton has become an empire stretching all over the globe and Simone Ashley has undoubtedly taken centre stage.
But none of this came easily for the actress. Ashley's dreams of acting have always been firm and unwavering in her mind.With no other option of what her future might look like Ashley took a dangerous leap into a world that chucks people out this despondent and dreamless as quickly as it can make you the next big thing. "I have incredibly supportive parents especially my mum" she says. "I was extremely stubborn in my choices and I left home quite early when I was about 15 years old and I was just very focused. So to be honest even if they were supportive or not I was going to do it anyway"
"I couched surfed quite a lot, and I worked various retail jobs. I did a year of acting on a musical theatre course at a drama school and then it didn't work out, I actually left after my first year then I went to LA where I did my first teenie tiny acting role. Then I came back to London and took it seriously and started knocking on a lot of doors, going to thousands of auditions like any other actor, and just went back to acting class. I was just really curious to see how deep I could get into craft."
Grafting with unchanged determination took Ashley,from job to job, London to LA, and retail job to retail job. But as her self-assurance and awareness of her potential became steadfast in her mind the jobs got bigger and her dreams got closer.
"If I am really honest, I got kicked out of the drama school that I went to" Ashley admits, opening up as our conversation draws to a close. "I failed in dance and I was told that I wasn't ever going to be in performing arts. There wasn't a part of me that ever believe anything there was saying.I always knew that I was really smart and maybe just have some growing up to do, but I always knew that this what I was meant to be doing" she said wrapping her head around being the new star of one of Netflix's biggest shows.And if there is any greater testament to proving that it can happen, that taking risks can one day be undeniably fruitful, its Bridgerton's newest heroine.
#interviews#simone ashley#dailywoc#userwoc#dailynetflix#dailybridgerton#dailykathony#southasiansource#ladiesblr#britishladiesdaily#bridgertonblr#bridgertonladies
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once upon a time...
lili | 21 | she/her | infp
hii, welcome to my blog! i'm lili, and it's so nice to meet you 🫶
i post gentle encouraging thoughts, writing stuff, and little moments from my life. and who knows what else! i love books and writing a lot, as well as a lot of fandoms and other things like pretty aesthetics. if we have any interests in common, feel free to hang out here for as long as you’d like! i’d love to be mutuals 💕
below you can find info about me, my fandoms and interests, and my blogs!
side blogs: @onceuponaneverafter (OUABH, active), @seeyouinthestars (the aurora cycle, inactive), @legendarydante (caraval rp, active)
...there was a girl...
𝓐𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐄
to put it shortly, i'm a hopeless romantic with a love for everything creative! you will most likely find me procrastinating on something, impulsively starting a new project, or falling in love with fictional characters and daydreaming. or all of them at the same time.
i'm a university student, working part time and trying to write a BA thesis - so if i disappear from time to time, i'm probably busy and stressed, and will be back soon!
out of fictional characters, evangeline fox and cress darnel are very relatable to me. if they are to you as well, i love that for us!! this is a safe space for shared fictional crushes, too - if we love the same character, we both have good taste 🫶
...who loved deeply...
𝓕𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐒 & 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒
my fandoms :: once upon a broken heart (OUABH), caraval, the aurora cycle, acotar (the fandom scares me but i've read the books), shatter me, divine rivals, the lunar chronicles, the rosewood chronicles (RWCH), star wars (+ the mandalorian), star trek (movies + next generation s1), shadow and bone, six of crows (first book), minecraft story mode (old fandom but i sometimes reblog stuff from it!), the selection, the hunger games, divergent, she-ra, gilmore girls & more, feel free to ask if i know a fandom!
other things i love :: my friends, giggling over fictional characters and fandoms, taylor swift's music, minecraft, aesthetics, tea, pretty skies and clouds, fairy lights, fangirling, roleplaying, houseplants, writing, reading, dancing, arts and crafts (including drawing, painting, knitting, sewing, graphic design...), singing, baking, the colors purple and pink, flowers, all things soft and cozy, sparkles, pretty dresses, girls (as in i’m bi,, i think, it’s an ongoing crisis but this much i know), interior design, and honorable mention goes to the rivals to lovers and sunshine character x villain tropes 💕
my writing :: i sometimes write fanfiction for fun, and make rather slow progress on bigger projects that i'd love to turn into full novels and publish someday! my favorite genres to write are fantasy, romance, and sci-fi - sometimes combined. i also roleplay many of my fandoms, please dm if you’re interested!
...and dreamed big
𝓜𝐘 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒
crenna - main blog :: this is where you'll most often see me hanging out! i post about books, writing, and my life, i reblog posts i like, and i've been trying my hand at graphics (such as dividers) so i might post those at some point too.
onceuponaneverafter - side blog :: this blog is dedicated to the OUABH series, and only has content related to it. a more detailed blog introduction is pinned there! i post theories, general thoughts and observations about the series, and fanfiction (working on it hehe).
seeyouinthestars - side blog :: dedicated to the aurora cycle series, currently inactive until i reread the books haha. only contains reblogs as of right now.
legendarydante - side blog :: roleplay blog for dante/legend from the caraval series.
𝓠 & 𝐀
do you rp your fandoms? // yes, i do! i'm currently not actively looking for new roleplays, but if we both love a fandom, feel free to dm me with your ideas.
can i tag you in tag games? // absolutely! don't be shy, i love them 🫶
why have you not responded to my message/tag even though you've been active? // even though i try to respond frequently, sometimes it takes me a while to get to individual notifications when i’m not in the right headspace. i might also have just forgotten. so sorry if that happens!
can we be friends? // yes!! i love chatting and meeting new people - especially if we're mutuals, feel free to interact/message me anytime, i promise i'm more scared to interact with you 🫶
— 24.2.2024. 🤍
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Long story short | Nishimura Riki
"Did I make you reconsider your choice to leave?"
Pairing. niki x reader
Synopsis. After years of contemplating, you finally decide to take a risk, leave your rural province and move to Tokyo. You thought you had everything sorted out until a certain raven-haired boy sitting next to you on a train to Tokyo changed your perspective.
Word count. 1.4k
Warnings. none
a/n. i did this as a little writing exercise but i still decided to post it so let it be my first short fic here haha hope its at least a bit enjoyable <3
Somewhere in rural Japan, 1980s
You tightly grabbed onto your suitcase, watching the train arrive at the station. The slight doubt and hesitation prevented you from immediately entering the train, but your feet moved before your mind. After all, this was what you'd been waiting for your whole life, an escape to the big city and the ever-lasting bright lights of Japan's capital.
Leaving your family behind was hard, but the rural province you spent all of your life in became nothing but a dark and suffocating site for someone youthful as you. You decided to continue your education in Tokyo, where your aunt lived. She always told you about Tokyo's beautiful sights and extraordinary nightlife and would often urge you to come and live with her. You took upon her offer since you desired to experience the true teenage dream you've seen on tv and read about in novels.
Your mother wasn't very pleased with your decision, but you insisted that the countryside life just isn't for you.
You sat at the back, noticing that the train was nearly fully packed. You were relieved that the window seat was free because taking in the view during the ride was something you looked forward to.
"Is this seat taken?" a boy approached, eyeing the bag next to you.
"Oh, of course not." you quickly moved the bag under your feet, smiling at the boy as he sat down.
It was a little bit awkward sitting next to a stranger on your first trip, even considering that the boy next to you looks around your age. You quickly shrugged the thought away, taking out the chocolate pocky your mom packed the night before. You turned towards the widow, feeling the familiar gaze track your favorite chocolate-flavored snack.
"Do you want some?" you offered, smiling at the confused boy.
He stared at you for a moment, contemplating if he was the one you were talking to, but took the pocky nevertheless, whispering a small thank you.
"So, what's your name?" you wanted to ease the tension since your trip to Tokyo was rather long.
"Uh, Riki," he answered, glancing as if he waited for you to reply with your own name.
"Well, my name is ______. I thought it would be nice to start a conversation instead of sitting in complete silence, don't you think?" You didn't even give him the time to respond before uttering another question.
"Are you going to Tokyo as well?" you asked, eyes gleaming with the mention of your final destination.
"Yeah, I'm visiting my sister." he quickly answered this time, "Only for a week, though."
You sighed, crossing out a potential new friend in a foreign city. You never had a problem making acquaintances. You were well-known for your outgoing and friendly nature back in your hometown. But from what you've heard, city folks are quite different.
"Oh, I see," you sighed, "It's actually my first time visiting Tokyo."
"Ah, yes, I've heard about young people's desire to study in more urban areas," Riki stated, stealing another pocky from your hand, "My sister thought the same. Unlike her, I prefer lower cost living."
He was right. Japan is currently at its economic peak. The prices are going through the roof in large cities, especially Tokyo.
"So you never dreamed about city life?" you asked, genuinely curious.
"Not necessarily. I enjoy the relaxed life of the countryside. Visiting Tokyo once in a while is enough city life for me."
"You and I are quite different," you laughed at his statement, "City life is all I've been thinking about."
"I understand where you're coming from. My sister wanted to pursue dance, but it was something our town couldn't provide. She decided to continue her schooling and study dance in Tokyo. And we all supported her, of course."
You thought about asking more about his sister, noticing how similar the two of you are. Since friends from your hometown never understood your goals and desires, you hoped to meet someone you could easily associate with.
"Leaving home is a big decision. I think what your sister did was very brave," you said, watching as the boy beamed at your statement.
"I agree. But you're doing the same. So I, too, applaud you for your bravery."
You smiled brightly, your head dropping in embarrassment as you looked at your feet.
"Do you have any plans for a tour or something? I can take you around Tokyo if you want. I know a few good restaurants." his question took you off guard.
"Oh, no, I don't need a tour guide or anything like that. I'm staying with my aunt. I thought she would give me some guidelines on what to visit." you responded, not wanting to trouble the boy with your situation.
Riki nodded his head decisively at your answer as you looked back at the view from the window. You couldn't see the typical countryside environment anymore, so you assumed that you must've been traveling for some time now. You were so engrossed in the extraordinary scenery you didn't even notice the gentle gaze of your seatmate.
"______," you glanced up at the mention of your name, "can I ask you something?"
"Mhm, sure," you mumbled.
"Won't you miss it?" you tilted your head at the question, "your hometown, won't you miss it?"
Of course, you'll miss it. You couldn't help but smile, remembering your everyday life. Bicycle rides to school and greeting the locals on the way were a part of your daily routine. Harvesting local produce and helping your parents with their restaurant or even fishing with your younger siblings. The smell of freshly cooked rice and roasted fish filled your nostrils as you envisioned yourself walking the street of the all-familiar neighborhood. You thought of the days you would fall asleep on a futon in your tatami-floored bedroom, dreaming about Tokyo and its contemporary spirit.
The truth is, you never realized how much you cherished the agricultural lifestyle of your hometown.
"Did I make you reconsider your choice to leave?" Riki chuckled, noticing how deep in thought you were.
You gazed at him, eyes filling with tears as you slightly nodded your head. "Hey, don't cry!"
"Don't worry, Tokyo will treat you well! And I'm sure your town will be patiently waiting for your return. Whenever that might be."
His kind words touched you so much you couldn't answer with anything but a small thank you, considering that saying another word would make you immediately burst into tears.
You and Riki talked for the rest of the ride. He initiated a different conversation topic, seeing how touching his last question was for you. You discussed your favorite movies, tv shows, books, songs, and everything two teenagers like you could find engaging. It made you realize that you weren't so different after all.
You were too busy laughing at a childhood story Riki recounted that you didn't even notice the train stop. The departure of fellow passengers made you recognize the noisy surroundings of the metropolis you so longed to visit. Both of you quickly grabbed your bags and exited the train.
You found yourself standing at the train station, staring at the raven-haired boy as the wind blew your hair. The loud traffic and the sound of suitcases being dragged across rough concrete pierced through the area. People would occasionally bump into you, not even uttering the smallest apologies. You continued to say in place, gazing at your new friend, not knowing what to say.
Goodbyes were extremely tough for you.
"I think I should be going there," you turned, pointing behind you.
"Hm, I'm going the opposite way," Riki faintly said.
You returned a small smile, "So this is it, I guess."
"I guess it is. Take care," Riki replied, waving his hand.
It seemed like the both of you were waiting for the other one to leave first, so you only laughed, waving back as you finally turned around.
You only walked a few steps before abruptly stopping. You firmly gripped your suitcase, turning around to call after the boy.
"Riki!" you rushed towards him, already running out of air.
"Already missed me?" he chuckled as you placed your hand on your chest, trying to calm your breathing.
"Does your offer for a tour guide still stand?"
He just smiled, taking your suitcase as the two of you set off to explore your country's extraordinary capital.
#enhypen#enhypen drabbles#enhypen oneshots#enhypen x reader#niki drabbles#niki oneshots#niki x reader#enhypen imagines#enhypen fanfiction#niki imagines#enhypen niki#niki fanfiction#enhypen fluff#niki fluff#nishimura niki
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BSD Untold Origins: Anime VS Novel (4)
OMG IT'S GOING TO BE THREE EPISODES 💀 ANYWAY I REALLY NEED TO SCREAM IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS (read: years) BECAUSE WE GOT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF RANPO'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ANIMATED-
First section of ep 2: stage play
Season 4 and light novel spoilers!
Episode 1
(Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3)
Episode 2
(Part 5)
The show started the moment Fukuzawa and Ranpo took their seats, front row center. The seats were too close to the stage, which made them far from fit for theatergoing. But Fukuzawa chose them because they were nearest to the stage in case he needed to rush over to protect a performer from an attack. Ranpo sat next to him. His legs were trembling while he idly stared off into space, as if he was still shaken up from earlier. [...] - Page 114-115
Fukuzawa though back to the script. If the play were summarized in one phrase, it would be: a story about an angel who murders. It was a story in which each of the twelve characters are killed by the angel one after another.
The characters killed in the story have no idea they are being massacred by an angel because there is nothing unique about the ways they are murdered: [...] . Furthermore, nobody ever sees any of the murders take place; they simply die one by one. Therefore, the characters have no idea if they are being supernaturally judged by an angel or murdered by a serial killer. -Page 115
The dialogues have changed in anime, more uhh stage-play like. All dialogues from light novels:
⎯ [...] "If it was an angel, they would use the divine blade in their hand. There would be no reason for them to wait until someone is alone to kill them in some physical manner."
⎯ [...] "If this was the work of man, then that would mean the killer was one of us. But that's impossible. There is no reason for us to kill one another. The angel would have a motive, though. We are sinners who disobeyed the angel, and it is an angel's job to purge those who have done evil. To look at it from another perspective, all twelve of us are the same. We have all sinned, and we are connected through our fear of the angel. What would killing a fellow runaway help?"
⎯ [...] "O Lord, we have sinned, You have clipped us of our wings and left us on this planer to punish us. Wasn't that enough to atone? Why must we suffer such cruelty?" -Page 115-116
In anime:
⎯ "It has begin. We angels - we wingless, fallen angels - are about to be killed off, one by one, by the true angels in heaven."
⎯ "How foolish. If the executor were an angel, they would have no trouble killing us. They'd need only play their trumpets. They would have no reason to resort to physical means. This is a serial murder meant to look like an angel's bidding, carried out by someone here."
⎯ "Is that not foolish in itself? We have no reason to kill one another. What good would it do us to kill our own kind?"
⎯ "What do you think, Leader?"
⎯ "Leader!"
⎯ "Leader!"
⎯ "Leader!"
⎯ "Is this the punishment given to us fallen angels for adoring humanity? Angels have been sent from the heavens to purge us. They are called 'Gifted.'"
⎯ "Gifted?"
⎯ "We are humans. We are of the earth, having rejected being angels and choosing to become human. We dream, we love, and seek fulfillment possible only because we are finite."
⎯ "And we do not regret that decision."
⎯ "To choose one's own way of being is the truest form of the soul."
⎯ "Indeed. And angels and humans are of entirely different dimensions."
⎯ "Angels cannot have the fulfillment, which is the realm of humanity, and humans are incapable of the supremacy of angels. Those who control humans from the outside and those who enjoy fulfillment on the inside are like an author and their characters: never shall they intertwine. And yet…"
⎯ "And yet?"
⎯ "There are those who, despite being human, have some fragment of angels' forbidden supremacy."
(inaudible from this point who's talking)
That is, oh, that is truly the cursed soul that we call Gifted.
None of us can possibly be as sinful as the Gifted.
The accursed Gifted snuff us out one by one like prey for the hunt.
We must find these Gifted.
No, perhaps we must first hire a detective?
"What's a skill user?" Ranpo suddenly asked.
[...] "You'll see" was the only thing he ended up saying.
What was unique about this play was that it mentioned the existence of skill users. Revealing their existence wasn't prohibited, but there was a darkness that surrounded it. Due to the war, the number of skill users legally working decreased, and most of them either disappeared from public eye or started working for an underground organization. In addition, there was a government agency managing domestic skill users, so broadcasting the existence of skill users could become a problem. Not many people knew of their existence outside of rumors and fairy tales; thus, a play that included one of them was an anomaly. [...]
One skill per person.
Some could freely use their skill, while others were uncontrollable and happened automatically.
While some people born with skills, others suddenly developed theirs.
Skills do not always make the possessor happy. -Page 117
Upon closer inspection, the man had a piercing gaze contrary to his gentlemanlike appearance, almost as if he were looking inside the actors. They were the eyes of a predator, like a hawk or leopard moments before pouncing on its prey. One thing was for sure; they were nor the eyes of someone enjoying the play. [...] -Page 119
The way Ranpo acts in anime is waaay calmer, but still heartbreaking. His confusion is expressed with anxiety rather than desperation. In light novel, he lashes out on the audience and actors (then on Fukuzawa), shouting in the middle of the play, causing commotion.
[...] "That's enough. Some thing you just need to keep to yourself," demanded Fukuzawa with a little force.
"Why? Why is everyone watching this show? It's so aggravating!" Ranpo's eyes were ablaze with fury. "Seriously, why? It makes no sense to me. I don't understand anyone! Why are adults like this? Why is everyone like this? Someone, just tell me why!" he shouted.
This outburst didn't just come out of nowhere. Doubt and stress had been swelling inside him for the longest time, waiting to explode.
"I don't understand what anyone's thinking! I'm scared! It feels like I'm surrounded by monsters! It doesn't matter what I say - nobody understands me! My parents were the only ones who did, and they're dead!"
This time, he was screaming - an anguished lamentation aimed at nowhere in particular. The protagonist onstage was begging the skill user, who was nowhere to be found, to save them. As the protagonist cried for help, so did Ranpo. [...]
"Enough!"
Fukuzawa grabbed on to Ranpo with both hands. Ranpo glared back at him with clear animosity in his eyes. [...]
A broadcast sounded throughout the entire theater. [...]
"Come with me."
Fukuzawa took Ranpo's hand, but Ranpo was in a foul mood and looked away without even budging.
"Now!"
After forcing Ranpo out of his seat, Fukuzawa dragged him out of the auditorium. -Page 121-123
#*SOBBING INTERNALLY*#RANPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO;;;;;;;#bsd#bsd spoilers#bsd season 4#bsd anime#bsd untold story#bsd untold origins#bungo stray dogs#bungou stray dogs#screenshots#spoiler#spoilers
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a-ok if neither of these are up your current alley, but I was wondering if you had either a) thoughts on some form of a hollow knight crossover or fusion with Naruto (how would you do it? what would you do?) or uhhhhh b) (as a result of your recent thing about Lore ('illegal underground New York fighting ring') and your slightly less recent thing about modern-au Deidara (underground cage match)), Akatsuki in Lore????? or c) akatsuki dealing with unpleasant noise?? below "immediate murder" level reactions I mean
?
HELLO
a) Hollow Knight/Naruto fusion concepts
Naruto ninjas as cute little bugs is very exciting! It's fun to think of how their attributes would transfer to the bugs. Gai would be a dung beetle like Ogrim! Or... Oh, Sasori would be a Stalking Devout, like, because of how they are hulking masked creatures in ragged cloaks and then their masks split down the middle when you come too close and they move SO FAST. Kakuzu is a void creature like the Collector, both because he has no organs in there and because their themes of preservation and avarice overlap a lot. Tobirama's got that fluffy mantle... my aesthetic sense says moss knight, but my heart says nailmaster.
The plot is that Hidan is a traitor mantis who has attained higher being status entirely by freak accident and who, having attained freedom of mind, is unconnected to his brethren and believes himself foresaken by his god of dreams and light. So he worships the Void now — not really a more welcoming god — and has set out to personally fight the Radiance. 'Are you taking feedback on this plan?' No. No he isn't.
Okay, okay, not all plots have to be about the Akatsuki... Probably. Let's see. Perhaps we can reimagine the Radiance as a mangekyo sharingan user who has trapped much of the world in an endless tsukoyomi dream? And the story centres on Tsunade wandering through the miserable decay of her home village, learning to wake the infected up and trying to discover what happened through the process.
b) Akatsuki in modern day New York is kind of inscrutable to me, as I've never been there. But I guess if it's like, Akatsuki takes on that general concept....
We could have them systematically hunting down each mortal-for-a-week god and stealing their powers with the death blow. In any city! Perhaps in the elemental nations, actress. Maybe that could be the new way they plan to enforce global peace?
I think I'd have more trouble matching each of the Akatsuki to one of the nine gods used in that novel (Artemis, Athena, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Ares, Apollo, Hermes or Hephaestus) than I would matching them to Hollow Knight bugs! But maybe that could be part of the fun. We'll say they can't decide either, so they draw lots, and Kisame gets Aphrodite instead of Poseidon. Take that, big guy.
c) Construction has been started next to their HQ in Rain on seven separate occasions, and every time the attempt is made the workers just mysteriously don't manage to do the job. Sometimes they wander off in a genjutsu haze and can't explain why. Sometimes they just quit and say absolutely nothing in their exit interviews. Sometimes they're simply never seen or heard from again. Obviously, the construction site must be haunted.
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ordinary days | Gentaro Yumeno
This story is unlocked through purchasing 'CARD STORIES' in the ARB shop.
CLICK READ MORE TO VIEW THE EVENT STORY
CHAPTER 1
SCENE: Cafe Hana Kasumi. Gentaro watches those around him
GENTARO
・・・
あちらを歩いているのは、男子大学生・・・。3限目に遅刻しそうなのか、やや足早だ
あの席に座っているのは会社勤めの女性もう2時間もコーヒーを飲んでいる。打ち合わせと称したサボりでしょうか
・・・ふぅ、中々案外が浮かびませんね
…
The person walking over there is a male college student, somewhat quick on his feet, as if he’s running late for 3rd period.
The woman sitting in that seat works in an office and has been drinking coffee for two hours. Might she be skipping a meeting?
GENTARO (THINKING)
（次の作品ジャンルは久々のミステリー。主人公の設定でこれほど躓いてしまうとは）
（主人公は物語の要。今回はどのような人物を描こうか・・・）
(The next genre to look at is a mystery that’s been a long time coming. I didn’t realise that I’d run into trouble when setting up the protagonist.)
(The protagonist is the key to the story. So what sort of character should I write this time…)
[ GENTARO’s phone goes off ]
GENTARO
編集からメール・・・
An email from the editor…
GENTARO (THINKING)
（ふむ、打ち合わせの日程調整か・・・。候補日がなかなか直近ですね）
（原稿の締切はまだ先ですが、打ち合わせまでにプロットは固めておきたいところ）
（・・・とはいえ、無理にアウトプットしようとして、出てくるものでもありませんえ。少し脳を緩めるとしますか）
(Hm. Scheduling a meeting… and the proposed date is quite soon.)
(The deadline for the manuscript is still quite far off, but I’d like to have a solid plot by the time of the meeting.)
(... But it won’t just flow out if I try to force things. Let’s try to relax my mind a little.)
[ GENTARO shuts his eyes ]
GENTARO (THINKING)
（・・・視覚情報も遮断してみましょう）
・・・・・
・・・すぅ
(...And block out visual stimuli as well.)
…
…Snzzz
[ GENTARO eventually falls asleep ]
CHAPTER 2
GENTARO
・・・ん
…Mm.
GENTARO (THINKING)
（・・・少し目を瞑るだけのつもりが眠ってしまったようですね・・・）
（ずいぶんと妙な夢を見たような・・・）
(... I thought that I was just going to meditate upon it for a while, but I must have fallen asleep…)
(And I had quite the strange dream…)
GENTARO
・・・何かの役に立つやも知れません。文字に起こしてみるとしましょう
…This may be of some use. Let’s try and put this to paper.
[ GENTARO puts on his glasses and starts to jot notes down ]
GENTARO
あれは新刊の打合せ終わり・・・急用だと電話で呼び出された小生は乱数の事務所を訪ねた
チャイムを鳴らす。ほどなくして中へ呼ばれると、そこには先客がー・・・そう、同じく乱数に呼び出された帝統の姿がった
遊ぼうと騒ぐ乱数、金の無心をするギャンカス男・・・よく見た光景にも関わらず、どこか違和感を覚える
モヤモヤとした想いを抱えながらも、小生は誘われるまま、缶蹴りをするために裏山へ向かう・・・
獣道を道み、シブヤの街を見下ろせるような山の頂に到着する。その一帯には雑草の1本も生えておらず、何もない
まずは小生が鬼を務めることとなり、乱数がが持参した空き缶を置いた。そして、しゃがみ込んで目を閉じる
１，２，３・・・１０と数えて目を開ける。そして缶を蹴られまいと片足を缶に乗せると、突如眩光が降り注いだ
身体が動かない・・・これは一体―？目だけを必死に動かしてみると、乱数と帝統が歩み寄ってくる
2人が空へと手を掲げると、ぐるりと天地がひっくり返った。重力の理に反して小生の体は宙に浮かび、光の発生源へと吸い込まれていく・・・
成も術もないまま地面を見下ろした小生はようやく違和感の招待に気がつく。乱数と帝統の頭頂部にはアンテナのようなものが生えていたのだ。
察するに2人の正体は乱数と帝統に擬態した宇宙人。正体に気づくと同時に、小生を見上げる2人の目が怪しく歪んだ―！
そして―小生は目を覚ましたのでした
・・・
It was the end of a meeting for the new novel… I was called for an urgent matter and visited Ramuda’s office.
I rang the doorbell. When I enter shortly after, there’s a guest with him… yes, it’s Dice who was also summoned by Ramuda.
Ramuda called the gambler over to play, who in turn begged for money. Despite how many times I’ve witnessed this scene, something feels off about it.
With a clouded mind, I jumped at the opportunity to head for the backwoods mountains when I was invited.
We follow the animal tracks and arrive at the peak of the mountain, overlooking the town of Shibuya. Not a single weed grows in the area. Nothing at all.
First, I was to play the demon, placing an empty can down that Ramuda had brought. Then I squat down and close my eyes.
I count down - 1, 2, 3… to 10, and open my eyes. Then as I prepare my guard foot to prevent it from being kicked, a dazzling light suddenly bears down upon us.
I can’t move my body… What in the world is this? I struggle desperately, only being able to move my eyes, as Ramuda and Dice walk up to me.
When the two lifted their hands to the sky, and the sky and earth were turned upside down.
Against the laws of gravity, my body was lifted into the air and beamed up into the source of the light…
I struggle, looking down helplessly at the ground, and realise why I had felt so discomforted.
Upon observation, there appears to be antenna stemming from atop Ramuda and Dice’s heads.
As I guessed, the two were aliens who had disguised themselves as Ramuda and Dice.
As soon as I realised who they were, the eyes of those two men looking up at me became distorted!
And then I woke up.
GENTARO (THINKING)
（荒唐無稽すぎますね。シブヤに裏山などありませんし）
（・・・ですが、王道のミステリーを描よりもＳＦ要素を含めたほうが楽しめるかもしれません）
(It’s too absurd, isn’t it? There’s no such thing as ‘backwoods mountains’ in Shibuya.)
(...But it might be more fun to add elements of science fiction than to portray just a mystery.)
GENTARO
ふむ・・・
Hm…
GENTARO (THINKING)
（世界観設定から考え直してみるとしましょう）
(Let’s rethink this from the worldview setting)
GENTARO
すみません、コーヒーをお願いします
Excuse me, one coffee please
WAITER
かしこまりました
Yes, sir.
GENTARO
どのような作品になるのか皆目見当もつかませんが・・・描楽しみがあるというのは作家冥利に尽きますね。
I’ve no idea what kind of work this will be but… it’s the writer’s delight to have the pleasure of actually writing.
[ STORY END ]
_ _ _ _ _
You can view all my translations for Tokyo Revengers: Puzzle Revengers & Hypnosis Mic: Alternative Rap Battle in my discord: HERE.
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Introducing ✨XMACX Monthly✨
public posts on ptrn that'll be monthly updates on my original projects!
i want non-ptrns to be part of the fun, so cover model polls are open to all! first one drops tmrw on twt/ig/tmblr!
you can read the update on ptrn or here, below the cut!
First month of the New Year and I've got a lot of fun ideas and plans for 2024! Let's dive right in!
XMACX MONTHLY UPDATES AND "COVERS"
First off, I'm introducing XMACX MONTHLY! It'll be a public post that -- ideally -- goes out on the first of every month. It'll include the schedule and plan for the coming month along with a cover image! I really miss drawing monthly character illustrations and I thought it'd be fun to also include non-patrons in polls so here's what I was thinking:
Everyone gets a chance to vote on the cover model for next month's issue, but patrons can vote on the outfit and/or theme for the cover!
For now, the characters I'd like to focus on drawing are my OCs, so the options for cover models will be limited to my OC roster. I have so many! I'd like to shine a light on them some time... And I was thinking, since magazines typically have "cover stories", OC Lore posts can be about the cover model! What are OC Lore posts? This leads me into my next topic...
TIER CHANGES
Here's what I'll be offering for each tier:
Pineapple Slices (3 USD)
Vote in monthly theme/character outfit polls
Digital downloads - wallpaper of the monthly cover model image and/or current visual novel build
Name in credits (must be patron during release month)
WIP/Sketch Dump at the end of each month before socials
Big Juicy Pineapple (5 USD)
All previous rewards PLUS:
OC Lore posts - the "cover story". It might include a character interview or some tidbit about the cover model
Art Process - a video, maybe some thoughts and commentary
NSFW/Spicier/Alternative version of cover model image - you got to vote for their outfit, BUT now you potentially also get to see them with their clothes off LMAO
PROJECT LINE UP
Last year was a pretty busy year for me due to a lot of family stuff, work, and travel. I didn't have as many opportunities as I would have liked to draw my OCs and work on my personal projects. This year, I'll be cutting back on commissions and taking on other projects so I can focus more on my dreams of creating and sharing original stories. Here's the order in which I'd like to work on projects and a lil blurb about each:
Froot Basket: Dark Chocolate Voiced Update
Currently, I'm still working on adding the voiced lines and new artwork to Froot Basket: Dark Chocolate. Tentative release date will be some time in March for the public, some time in February for patrons.
Froot Basket White
The third and last installment of the Furuta Basketball "Froot Basket" series. It will be from Jordan's perspective and will be a direct sequel to Froot Basket Valentine. I'd like this project to be released episodically -- one new route every month or two, 7 routes total. I'm considering making it fully voiced...
Fleeting
My BL scifi horror visual novel! It follows Cadet Masa Takeshiro. It's been a while since I've worked on this project and I'd like to update the demo with everything new I've learned in the last few years. A "face lift" if you will in almost all aspects including writing and UI.
"Kaimana Comic"
It is currently unnamed but in-universe time-wise, it picks up some time after Fleeting. I don't expect to publish the comic at all this year. I'd just like to start thumbnailing it.
Other Projects
I have some other smaller projects like that Dogsitter one I was working on. I'm saving those for when I get frustrated. Those will be my "cool off" projects.
ART GOALS FOR 2024
These are my big big goals this year! If nothing else, at least these please c''':
Release updated FBDC
Begin releasing FBW
Release new Fleeting Demo
Begin thumbnailing Kaimana Comic
JANUARY 2024 SCHEDULE
Okay! That was a lot. Now here's what I have planned for January! I typically like updating every Friday.
January 5 - Character (public) and Outfit (patron) polls drop
January 12 - OC Lore post drops (BJP)
January 19 - Art Process post drops (BJP)
January 26 - New FBDC Voiced Preview! + Current visual novel build update
January 31 - Sketch Dump
Since Kai is like the default model and he's already shirtless, the Cover Story this month will be "What if Kai were a PKMN trainer?" LMAO. Prompted ONLY because I can't unassociate the backwards cap from Ash and his PKMN battles.
Wow. That was a lot. If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading! I'm excited to implement and try all these new stuff out! I hope you'll have fun with it too!
Much Aloha,
Ari
#xmacx monthly#vndev#visual novel update#devupdate#original character art#original character#oc art#oc#xmacxart#xmacxoc#kaimana
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Something in Common
Mercury Black walked away from the campfire towards Blake Belladonna, hearing the crunching of the autumn leaves beneath his artificial feet. So far he had managed to get on good terms with most of Team RWBY and JNPR, as Cinder had requested.
A few minutes before, Blake had also walked away from the campfire where her teammates sat roasting marshmallows. Blake was intently reading a novel while resting against an old tree.
Mercury approached gently. “Hey Blake, mind if I chill here for a bit?”
Blake barely acknowledged his presence, but nodded.
Mercury gave a convincing sigh. “I need a quick break from the socializing. Your teammates are awesome don’t get me wrong, but they’re... a lot.”
Blake smirked and turned the page. “Yeah, they can be a bit much sometimes. Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to them.”
Mercury nodded and sat down on a large tree root. He tried to think of a way to keep the conversation going, so he could get some intel out of her and make this boring night worth his time.
“So uh, what are you reading?” Mercury asked.
Blake glanced over at him. “The Girl who fell through the World”
“Never read it, what’s it about?” Mercury asked while picking a leaf out of his silver hair.
Blake did shut the book at this statement. “How can you never have read it? It’s a classic book of children’s literature?”
Mercury threw his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know! I’m not much of a bookworm. Plus my dad was never the type to read bedtime stories to me growing up.”
Blake looked disappointed, but not surprised. “Well you should read more, books are a fantastic way to hone your mind and enrich your life.”
Mercury chuckled. “Cinder and Emerald would probably say my mind is a lost cause, but eh, maybe I’ll give it a try sometime.”
Blake only grunted in response and returned to reading. Mercury let the silence linger. It was starting to get real awkward just sitting her next to an emo girl reading her silly kid book. Wonderful, I know her current book of choice, I’m sure that will be loads of help for Cinder’s plans. Think of something else. Get her talking about herself you idiot. He had half a mind to just cut his losses and go back to eating marshmallows with the others.
Then, almost without noticing, he asked the question that he actually wanted to know the answer to. “Hey Blake, why do you hide your ears?”
Blake instantly let the book drop from her hands onto the dirt. Mercury felt a vice grip on his collar and a pair of cold yellow eyes staring daggers into his own.
“How?” was all Blake said. It wasn’t a question, it was a demand.
Mercury scoffed at her indignantly. “C’mon Blake, you wear that bow ALL the time. Plus, you’re out here reading late at night in the woods with no light source. I said I don’t read for fun, not that I’m stupid.” This was all technically true, but Mercury left out the part about having already been told that Blake was a faunus by Roman Torchwick.
Blake let go of his collar but still glared at him. “I hide my ears because I’m not ready to face the hate and intolerance that comes with it. I hide my ears because unlike you, I don’t get to just waltz into any group of people and assume they’ll all be fine with who I am. Why do you care in the first place?”
Mercury just looked at this angry, hurt girl in front of him. He wasn’t sure if he had really understood exactly how screwed up his situation was until this moment. These people were basically his age, and he figured they were all spoiled brats with stupid dreams of being heroic huntresses and huntsman. The girl in front of him looked a lot more like Mercury than he had assumed. It was almost enough to make him feel bad about helping plot their destruction. He decided in that moment to be just a little honest. Cinder could roast him later for all he cared.
Mercury slowly slid his hands down to the ends of his left pant leg and rolled it up. Blake’s expression gave nothing away at first, until the gleam of the distant moonlight shimmered off of his metal prosthetic. Mercury gestured to his exposed leg. “I have something to hide too. I’m sorry to have blindsided you like this, but I just...wanted to know your reasons.”
Blake looked at his leg like she was recalling a bad memory, or perhaps a lot of bad memories all at once. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I’m also sorry. I’m trying to be a more open person, and I can understand why you were curious. I guess we have something in common.”
Mercury gave a reluctant smile. “I think everyone has something in common with everybody else. You just have to find out what it is.” Mercury pulled his pantleg back down over his prosthetic and rose to his feet. “I’ll stop bothering you now Blake, enjoy the book.” Mercury again wandered through the trees, heading back to the crackling fire. He hadn’t learned anything useful for Cinder, but Mercury had the feeling this conversation would stick with him for a long time.
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Heads Up Seven Up (×2)
Thank you @sunset-a-story & @primroseprime2019 for the tags!
No pressure tagging: @gracebriarwoodwrites @brianamorganbooks @jadeglas @illyriashade56 @raiphend @enchanted-lightning-aes & my open tag!
From my romance novel, Four Kinds Of Falling. Putting under the cut for length and briefest mention of dubcon:
The lights start to dim, the ads shifting into previews for movies to come or, if they’re like most theaters, movies that are already playing but haven’t been replaced yet. In the dark, his arm against mine feels all the more prevalent.
And then his breath’s running across my ear. “You’re gonna think I’m insane.”
I also think I’m gonna cry.
I do remember the last time I came to the movies.
It was sophomore year of high school and my boyfriend tried to undo my pants in the crowded theatre and I stood up so fast my box of Nerds went everywhere-- too loud too loud-- and the girls in the row in front of us shrieked and then we were escorted from the room and when I climbed into Carlos’ car out in the parking lot, I could hardly make myself even buckle up. It all seemed so surreal. Like a dream.
But now Alex’s voice is in my ear and all I can see is that girl talking to her friend in the front row about nothing good.
I didn’t even know what candy he liked.
“Can I pretty please…” I hold my breath, dreading what his next words are going to be, what my next words are going to be. “Pour of one these boxes of M&Ms into the popcorn?”
#writeblr#writers of tumblr#writing tag game#heads up seven up#x2#4kof#four kinds of falling#oops#i accidentally gave my character trauma#my bad#my hand slipped i swear!#briefest mention of dubcon
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