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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life - Charity Bonus Route Part 1

It’s been a hot minute since I posted some writing based off of Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch, hasn’t it? If you remember the two snippets of my fan novelization that focus on the Charity moment, you might recall that I took things in a spicier direction than in the game. I had so much fun with adding spice to that moment that I decided to play with a full blown “what if” scenario where Jamie and Cove didn’t stop at an M for Mature rating and took things all the way into Explicit.

Needless to say, this writing is for Adults Only. I don’t want anyone under 18 clicking past the cut. Just play the game and be patient - the NSFW smut will wait for you right here until you’re old enough.

Thank you to everyone who leaves me such lovely comments to my writing. You’re the ones who encourage me to keep posting, particularly my discord pals who were really keen to see more of this smutty little what if/AU I whipped up. I appreciate the gentle nudge you gave me to share this bit of spice with everyone. ;3

We’ll be rewinding a bit from where the second snippet ended to where things take a different turn. Think of it like different options being selected that take Cove and Jamie from the Charity moment to the Bonus moment.

I hope you enjoy this extra large slice of spicy vanilla goodness. Please let me know what you think!

...

It felt so good. Cove never wanted it to end. He loved it when Jamie touched him like this, how she somehow managed to find places not even he realized were sensitive. At times her fingers brushed across his chest, feather light, sending shivery sensations through him. Then she would surprise him with a firm, but still gentle squeeze to his pecs that sent a much more intense jolt of pleasure to those sensitive places.

Despite the distraction, Cove noticed how Jamie leaned in against him, giving him the perfect opportunity to kiss her ear, which he was only too eager to do. He was well aware of how sensitive her ears were, not just in terms of hearing, but every time he traced the shell of her ear with his mouth, she would tremble with pleasure against him. It also made the noises she let slip that much more delightful.

Jamie tilted her head to give Cove easier access, which he was only too eager to accept. The heat of his mouth spread to her ear, his ragged breaths sending shivers through her body. It was almost too much, making it difficult for her to continue pleasuring him when combined with the attention he paid to her thighs, but, oh, she didn’t want him to stop, not yet, not yet.

Cove marked a trail of kisses from Jamie’s ear to her jawline. She sighed at the sensation and murmured his name as she angled her chin attentively where he moved his mouth. He worked his way along the edge of her jaw until he reached the other side. There he lavished attention on her neglected ear, heating it up as well and drawing out more pleasing moans from his girlfriend.

A squeak escaped Jamie that ended in another moan as she felt Cove nibble her ear delicately before kissing where his teeth had been, almost apologetic for his boldness. His breath in her ear, hot and rough just made the things he did to her with his mouth feel so much better.

Jamie couldn’t stop her thoughts from straying to dangerous places. Although Cove delightfully distracted her with the attention he paid to her body, and she tried to keep her gaze above the waist, she couldn’t help but notice how his pants looked quite uncomfortably tight on him.

It was thrilling to see such proof of how much she aroused him. Normally when things got to this point, Cove would get overwhelmed by his own body’s reaction and that would be the end of things. However, this time he gave no indication that he wanted to stop just yet.

This fact encouraged Jamie to drag her hand lower along his chest, feeling each familiar hill and valley until she started to venture to territory less traveled. She felt his stomach tremble underneath her palm once she skirted across his abdominal muscles before tensing.

The temptation was there to cross the border marked by his belt and offer Cove even more pleasure, but that tension made Jamie hesitate. She focused instead on rubbing his abdomen, gently coaxing him into relaxing, though with only minimal success. She noticed the way his movements slowed with distraction. He stopped paying attention to her ear, but rather his focus was now on her hand. His eyes widened a little as he watched her trace the edge along his belt and his breath caught in his throat.

Jamie realized that if she wanted to do this, really wanted to take the next step, she needed to actually voice her intentions clearly and give Cove the chance to decide if he was ready for it. She took a moment to breathe deep and steady her nerves as she tried to figure out how to approach the topic. When she was sure of what she wanted to say, she looked up into his eyes. “Cove…,” she said softly before pausing to wet her lips. “I want t-to go further with you.” She lightly tapped on his belt for emphasis. “Do you want… I-is that okay?”

For a moment, Cove couldn’t breathe as he stared at Jamie with wide, disbelieving eyes. Did he really just hear that right?

Did Jamie really just offer to… get sexual with him?

Cove couldn’t deny he ached for Jamie to go even lower to where he felt so unbearably confined. He lost count of how many guilty fantasies he had of his girlfriend touching him where she made him so achingly aroused. He wanted it so badly, that relief and release, and he wanted her to be the one to give it to him instead of himself.

This wasn’t a fantasy. This was really happening. First Jamie told Cove that she loved him and now she asked for his permission to touch him sexually.

Jamie started to worry that maybe she went too far when Cove finally started breathing again, gasping for air for a moment before he could even his breathing out into something close to normal.

“A-are you sure?” Cove barely squeaked out, his voice shaking with nerves. As much as he wanted this, he couldn’t help but fear that Jamie might not really be ready to take that next step.

Jamie nodded without hesitation and brushed her palm along his stomach, feeling Cove tremble under her touch. She was nervous, her heart hammering hard enough that she was almost sure he could hear it too, but she refused to let that stop her. She straightened up, her face set in determination as she gazed deeply into his beautiful ocean blue eyes. “I want to… I want you, Cove. I love you so much, and I want to m-make love to you.”

A gasp escaped Cove at hearing Jamie state her desires so explicitly. Those words, plus the reminder that she loved him made his heart clench with emotion even as it pounded hard and fast in his chest.

“But only if you want to,” Jamie said, her voice softening. “It’s okay if you’re not ready, or if you don’t want to do it at all.”

Cove couldn’t help the short staccato of laughter that escaped him. “That’s not… I mean how could I not…?” He faltered for a moment before trying again. “I… I mean… I-I want t-to.” He squeezed his eyes closed as he forced the words he wanted to say out before his nerve failed him. “I want you, too! I want to ma-make lo-love t-to you, Jamie.” His voice grew weak and he had to take a moment to swallow to alleviate the dryness in his throat. When he opened his eyes again, he gazed deeply into those night blue eyes of hers that always enchanted him. “You’re… you’re the only one who makes me feel this way.”

Relief washed over Jamie and her smile lit up like sunshine even as her heart continued to pound hard. “I feel the same way about you,” she said softly before closing the distance between them in a tender kiss.

The admission left Cove feeling lightheaded, and he was only too eager to return the kiss. He pulled Jamie even closer, as close as their bodies could allow, reveling in her softness and heat against his burning body.

This was really happening. It was terrifying, thrilling, and left Cove feeling like he was floating on air.

When they finally came apart to breathe, Cove sucked in a deep breath, gathering his nerve before he dove in for another kiss. This time, he indulged in the temptation that he had retreated from before and tentatively ran his tongue across her lower lip.

Jamie gasped, inadvertently breaking the kiss due to surprise. Although they both just consented to getting sexual, she was caught off guard by such a bold action from her shy boyfriend.

Cove had a hard time looking Jamie in the eye as he nervously cleared his throat. “Um… was that alright?”

Jamie smiled, thrilled by his eagerness while at the same time finding his bashfulness adorable. “Definitely,” she said breathlessly.

Relief washed over Cove, and he took another deep bracing breath before he edged closer to Jamie. She met him halfway and briefly flicked her tongue across his lips, sending a jolt through him, much like he did to her. That little bit of coaxing was enough to encourage him to grow bolder, and he gently guided her lips apart with his own so that he could finally taste her sweetness on his tongue.

This type of kiss was a new experience for the pair, both of them tentative but eager to explore each other in a whole new way. Jamie let Cove take the lead, shivering delightfully as she felt his tongue slip into her mouth, delicately touching hers only to jolt again when she responded in kind. The feeling of his tongue sliding along hers was such a different sensation than she was used to, hot and wet and exciting, and the way that part of him moved against her, inside her sent a thrill through her body that was positively electric.

They broke apart briefly when the need for air took precedence over the desire to continue kissing. After they both gulped down a couple breaths, Cove didn’t hesitate to kiss her again, hungry for more of Jamie. He tried a slightly different angle this time, searching for the best fit for their open mouths that allowed him to taste more of her, to explore further and drink even deeper of her sweet flavor that he quickly found himself addicted to. The way her tongue tenderly slid across his, eagerly welcoming him inside sent shivers down his spine and emboldened him, his hands unthinkingly kneading her thighs once again. His tender ministrations coaxed a moan from her that he felt more than heard, and the vibrations brought with it new sensations that encouraged him to keep touching her.

Another moan elicited from Jamie ended the kiss again so that she could come up for air. This new form of kissing made it difficult to breathe, but that didn’t deter either of them from diving back in as soon as they both caught their breath. It was only after a few more of those deep kisses that she remembered her original goal before Cove delightfully distracted her.

As they took a moment to catch their breath, Jamie slid her hand across his stomach and watched as Cove gasped, eyes flying open wide as she trailed her hand down past his belt, but just short of the tight tent in his pants. She paused there, rubbing small circles against his skin through his clothes as she gazed deeply into his eyes, watching as her intentions settled in.

Cove swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. This was really happening. Jamie was going to… touch him. His senses buzzed with nervous excitement and all he could focus on was her dark blue eyes and her hand rubbing him so maddeningly close to where he burned hottest. It was terrifying and thrilling in equal measure.

More than that, it was driving Cove crazy to continue hovering so close to finally crossing that line. That touch of hers, knowing that Jamie was eager and wanting but waiting for him to signal that he was ready to continue left him with a helpless feeling of want that was so intense that it was almost painful. He had to swallow again to alleviate the dryness in his throat so that he could force two small words past his trembling lips. “Jamie… p-please…”

Jamie needed no further prompting. Finally, she dared to touch the hard heat between his legs, tracing the outline of his captive manhood with her whole hand.

Cove practically felt like weeping with relief as a jolt of pure pleasure left him arching up into Jamie. He cried out, but cut it off by biting his lower lip as the intense sensations washed over him. He could barely believe this was happening, but even with his clothes separating them, it felt too good, too real to be even his most intense wet dream.

Jamie felt Cove twitch against her palm, but the unexpected movement didn’t deter her from exploring the contours of his length. It was exciting beyond words for her to finally touch the man she loved so intimately, to watch the blissful expressions he made and listen to the little pleasured noises that he struggled to contain. She took care to be gentle with her caress, not wanting to be too rough or overwhelm him.

Cove buried his face in her shoulder as he lost himself to this new intense level of intimacy. He had to grab onto her hips to steady himself as the pleasure left his legs weak, relying more on Jamie and the wall to remain standing as she continued to pleasure him.

Jamie was touching him there. It was her fingers making him feel this way, not his, and no matter how light the touch was, no matter that there were still barriers of cloth between her hand and his hard manhood, it felt so much better than anything he had ever done to himself.

At the same time, it wasn’t enough.

Jamie was being so careful with Cove, too careful. Her touch was so delicate as she took her time to trace every inch of his arousal with her fingertips and make sweeping passes with her palm. The pleasure he felt from her initial touch was so intense, but he could see now that it was just a small taste of what he really needed, and it made him hunger for more.

Cove couldn’t stop his hips from grinding into her hand in a desperate plea for more friction, more heat, more of Jamie. Small noises escaped him, senseless vocalizations of his need that he couldn’t hope to put into words.

Fortunately for Cove, Jamie caught onto what he wanted and applied a little more pressure to his arousal. He jerked into her hand as he let out a stuttering cry that ended almost like a whimper. The sound squeezed her heart, and she tried to take a proper hold of him in the way he was wordlessly begging for, but his stiff dress pants were making that difficult.

The clothes needed to go.

“I’m going to take your pants off now, okay?” Jamie said softly, her warm breath caressing her boyfriend’s ear and causing him to shiver against her.

Cove nodded before the question truly sank in, and buried his face into her neck once it did. As nervous as the prospect made him, at this point he would probably agree to anything as long as Jamie didn’t stop.

It was tricky for Jamie to undo his belt and find the fastenings and zipper to his pants when Cove was curled up against her as he was. She couldn’t see what she was doing. The way he squirmed with her every touch only made it even more challenging, and she kicked herself for not suggesting that they strip before she worked her poor shy boyfriend up to this extent.

This wasn’t working. Jamie needed to change tactics. She looped her arms around his waist and urged Cove towards her as she stepped back. He moved at her guidance, his legs shaky. He finally lifted his head to look at her face, his breathing rough and hot. “The bed,” she said in answer to his silent question.

Although Cove felt his pulse quicken at the proposition, and all the implications with it, he nodded. “R-right.”

Jamie couldn’t help but shiver a little at the throaty way Cove spoke, so rich with desire. It was a further incentive to hurry her along. The moment she guided him close enough to the bed, she turned so that his back was to it and tugged at the back of his shirt, tipping him off balance so he fell down onto the soft mattress.

Cove had little chance to do more than gasp, startled by the unexpected fall, before Jamie went to work. He could only stare in wide-eyed fascination as his girlfriend loomed over him, stripping him of his already mostly undone belt. However, instead of going for his pants next, she targeted his shirt instead, undoing each button before spreading it open, exposing his chest.

Cove had to swallow to alleviate the dryness in his throat as Jamie took a moment just to appreciate the sight of him underneath her chest exposed. Even in the dim light of the moon she watched his already deep flush spread from his cheeks and ears to his neck. The look she gave him made him feel like she was getting ready to devour him.

A part of him couldn’t wait until she did.

Jamie didn’t bother to fully remove the shirt as she returned to her task. She admired how his nervous excitement showed in his face as she undid the zipper to his pants, the sound loud in a room where the only other noise was their heavy breathing and her heartbeat echoing hard and fast in her ears.

Oh, so Cove wore boxers. Jamie always felt a thrill run through her when she learned something new about him that she had never known before, but this particular discovery made her heart beat harder. She also noticed that the blue striped cloth was stretchy, a fact made no more obvious than where it strained to contain his sizable manhood as it stood proud and erect.

Jamie knew better than to stare for too long and risk making Cove more nervous than he already was. She focused instead on pulling his pants down, trying not to think of how her own hands shook just a little in the process of stripping her beloved.

Cove barely had the sense to raise his hips on cue, then kicked his shoes off when they prevented her from getting the pants off him completely. He took the initiative to toss his shirt and jewelry off the bed as well, not wanting anything in the way of this moment.

When Cove was left with only his underwear, Jamie gently coaxed him further up onto the bed, making sure he laid back comfortably against the pillows before taking a seat on the bed beside his legs. He let her take the lead, his heart hammering hard in his chest and his senses buzzing with nervous excitement.

Jamie touched the waistband of his boxers before hesitating. As badly as she wanted to see the treasure hidden underneath, she was more concerned about how Cove felt about being totally exposed. She slipped a finger inside the elastic band and gave it a small tug as she looked him in the eye.

Cove flinched at the action, but didn’t give himself a chance to overthink. He shakily nodded in answer to her silent question as his fingers dug into the bedsheet to grip it tightly.

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Jamie carefully tugged the underwear downwards, only to go still the moment she saw his arousal spring free from its fabric prison.

Oh, oh boy.

No, that was the wrong turn of phrase. This was definitely not a boy before her. This was a man. Quite a man indeed.

Although Jamie tried not to stare, she couldn’t help it. The male anatomy was a mystery to her, one she only dared learn about in drawn illustrations in regards to sex education. There was only ever one male’s anatomy that she ever wanted to look at for real, and now that she was, it was more than a little overwhelming. The shape of it, the color, the size… she had to take a moment just to drink it all in.

Then there was the bigger picture. Cove was absolutely spellbinding. For the first time, he was totally laid bare before her, and Jamie couldn’t help but appreciate his sculpted body, his tan skin, his pale green hair… which she now could see was not just on his head.

It took effort to force herself to continue. Jamie kept admiring his gorgeous body as she removed his boxers completely, tossing them off the bed without a care. She couldn’t look away from Cove.

The sight of Cove, lying naked and aroused in front of her, hit Jamie with such an intense feeling of heat that made her core throb with need and left her clothes feeling almost unbearably stifling. Still, she ignored that ache as best she could so that she could savor this moment.

However, what drew her attention more than anything else were those ocean blue eyes staring at her with growing worry. Jamie realized that she spent too long silently staring at Cove without saying anything, and it was making him anxious.

“Beautiful,” Jamie breathed, giving voice to the word that kept popping into her mind the most. “You’re so beautiful, Cove.”

Her words pierced Cove right through the heart, sending it beating wildly out of control, and he sputtered, his hands flying up to cover his red face. He couldn’t look at Jamie anymore, not after she saw him laid bare like this and called him beautiful. He could barely squeak out a reply. “Th-thank you.”

Jamie felt her heart squeeze with adoration as she saw just how deeply her praise affected Cove. “You’re so hot,” she said, intentionally lowering her voice an octave. “Absolutely breathtaking.”

Another squeak escaped Cove, as words were just too much for him in this situation. Although he kept his face hidden, it wasn’t well enough that Jamie couldn’t see the smile gracing his lips, or how it grew with every syllable.

It made her want to compliment him even more.

“You’re really sexy,” Jamie said, intentionally adding a husky timbre to her voice. “So sexy I can hardly stand it.”

Jamie moved closer, shifting her position so that her knees sunk into the soft mattress on either side of his legs. If she sat down she would be outright straddling him, but she avoided that… for now.

The feeling of the mattress shifting startled Cove enough to peek through his fingers at Jamie, his eyes flying open wide as he saw her hovering above him. The smile she wore, so loving and so seductive, had his heart thundering hard against his ribcage.

“You’re perfect,” Jamie said, her voice softening as she leaned in even closer until her nose almost brushed his hand. There was no other way to describe Cove that could possibly do him justice. “Just absolutely perfect.” She then pressed a delicate kiss on the back of his hand.

“Jamie…,” Cove murmured. It was all he could manage, overwhelmed by his feelings for Jamie, yet instead of making him want to run it just made him ache for her even more. He stopped hiding to wrap his arms around her neck and arched up to meet her lips with his.

Jamie was the one to initiate deepening the kiss this time, gently flicking her tongue across his lips until Cove welcomed her inside, greeting her tongue with his own. She could feel the way he shivered as she explored his mouth like he did with hers earlier, his fingers stroking encouragingly along the nape of her neck, and a quiet moan escaped her as his eagerness only fueled her excitement.

Adjusting her weight to one hand allowed Jamie to free the other so that she could caress her boyfriend’s chest. This time, there was nothing stopping her from feeling his skin directly, hot and soft and shuddering slightly where she touched him.

Cove had to break the kiss in order to pull in a ragged breath, only to yelp when he felt her fingers delicately trace the same sensitive spot that Jamie had startled him earlier. He saw from the look in her eyes and bent to her smile that this time it was entirely intentional, and a shiver of excitement ran up his spine.

Jamie watched Cove’s expression closely as she slowly teased one of his nipples, drawing slow circles around it with her finger. He was embarrassed - that was to be expected - and her touch had him squirming against her. When she gently pinched the sensitive nub, she elicited a loud squeak from her beloved.

“Oh… Oh my God,” Cove couldn’t help but gasp as a jolt of pleasure shot through him. He knew it felt good when Jamie touched his chest, but he had no idea that he was capable of feeling something this powerful from there.

That reaction encouraged Jamie, and she marked a trail of kisses that started from his neck and worked her way down to his chest. The heat of his skin against her lips was exciting. She could feel his ragged breaths, the way his chest vibrated with the noises he struggled to contain even as she continued her delicate manipulations with her fingers, and his heartbeat thundering loud and fast. Finally, she reached her goal, and placed a tender kiss on the nipple she neglected before taking it between her lips, delicately sucking as she gave the other another gentle squeeze.

The reaction was immediate and intense, leaving Cove arching up into her as a shudder of pleasure shot through his body and made his hips buck instinctively against her. This caused his erection to brush against her stomach, and the feeling of her soft heat rubbing against his most sensitive place sent him only intensified the pleasure. “Jamie… oh fuck!”

As much as Jamie enjoyed how strongly she got Cove to react, she couldn’t help her own reaction to his outburst. “What?!” she practically yelped as she raised her head to stare at her boyfriend, stunned. “You cuss?!”

Her surprise startled Cove out of the moment, his eyes flying open. “Oh!” He fumbled to gather his wits, as the dizzying sensations made his mind hazy. “Sometimes, I guess,” he muttered before looking sheepish. “But I don’t have to.”

When Jamie got over her surprise, she felt a bit silly for reacting so strongly and spoiling the mood. Just because Cove used to act so scandalized whenever someone swore when they were younger didn’t mean that he would always feel that way. If anything, the fact that the first time she ever heard a swear from him was because of how turned on he was thrilled her - it showed her just how well she was doing at making him lose control like that.

Jamie offered Cove a gentle smile before moving in close to press her forehead lightly against his. “It’s really cute you only do it in times like this.” She placed a brief but sweet kiss on his lips before letting out a giggle. “It’s really flattering. Don’t stop.”

A shaky breath escaped Cove before he let out an awkward giggle of his own. He was relieved that he hadn’t somehow ruined the moment with his outburst, and a little flustered by the fact that Jamie enjoyed it. “Okay,” he said in a tiny voice. “I’ll try.”

The way Cove squeaked out his words was just too adorable, and Jamie couldn’t help but kiss him again, which he shyly returned before slowly relaxing into it. It was wonderful knowing that getting closer physically was helping the two of them to open up and grow closer in other ways as well.

It was also very encouraging. Without breaking the sweet kiss, Jamie slipped her hand down to continue touching his chest. Cove cried out against her mouth, startled by the unexpected jolt of pleasure as her fingers returned to playing with his nipples, and broke the kiss to gasp for air. He barely had a moment to catch his breath before she was back to using her mouth on him as well, rolling one nipple between her fingers while she attempted to mimic the action with her tongue on the other.

“God, oh God, Jamie!” Cove cried out as he squirmed helplessly from the pleasure beneath Jamie, blindly groping at her back. His hands took fistfuls of her pajama shirt and twisted, tugging it upwards unintentionally. “Oh fuck!”

The reactions were so encouraging, so arousing. Jamie could feel the fire in her core blazing hot as she felt Cove writhe beneath her. She gasped softly against his chest as she felt his erection brush against her stomach again as he arched his hips instinctively up into her. It had been thrilling before, but because he pulled her shirt up she felt keenly how hot and hard his manhood truly was as he rubbed against her skin to skin.

The feeling was intense, and not just for her, as such contact only heightened Cove’s pleasure. However, once he got a moment to breathe and recover from it, he realized what he had done and a jolt of panic shot through him. He let go of her instantly, his eyes flying open wide. “Sorry!”

“Don’t apologize,” Jamie said a little breathlessly. “I liked it.”

Cove stared at her for a moment before his head fell back onto the bed as he let out a relieved exhale. “Jamie…,” he murmured before offering her a shy smile, still flustered by what he had just done. “I’m glad.”

Jamie looked deeply into eyes, smiling tenderly at Cove as she gave him a moment to calm from his panic. When the tension in his face eased, she lowered her voice into a throaty hush. “Besides… I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”

Those words delivered in such a seductive tone sent Cove’s heart beating hard in his chest. A shiver ran through him as Jamie ran her hand lower, almost ticklishly across his stomach.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #My Writing

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yukidragon · 1 year

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Our Life Mini Moment - Birthday Present

It’s Cove Holden’s birthday! I would be remiss if I did nothing to celebrate it considering how much I love Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch. I hope you all enjoy this little slice of Jamie celebrating Cove’s 19th birthday with lots of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

And by spice I mean this might be a little more suggestive than the game, so be aware of that.

...

Cove sighed softly once the door was closed after the final guest left his apartment. His dad had lingered the longest of all the guests, offering to help clean up, but he gently turned down the offer. The party had run late into the night and he was far too tired to even think about doing any cleaning. He’d just handle it tomorrow.

It was still his birthday for at least another hour after all.

Besides, Cove wasn’t ready to get rid of the evidence of the fantastic birthday party Jamie set up for him just yet. He took a moment to just admire it all, basking in the warmth of the day he just had with so many people who cared so much about him. Jamie had gone all out for him, decorating the living room with streamers, seashell decorations, and a large banner drawn in what he suspected was crayon wishing him a happy birthday. He wondered if there was room to keep the banner, if not, he at least wanted to keep the part of it that had the cute caricature of him that she drew.

The thoughtful presents Cove received from friends and family rested on the coffee table, surrounded in the tattered remains of the wrapping paper that housed them. The floor was covered in the confetti everyone threw when he entered the room, some of which he was sure was still stuck in his hair. Dirty dishes stacked high in the kitchen sink, soaking away the remnants of the delicious dinner and dessert served at the party.

The only things that had been put away was the food, but Cove felt a bit tempted to get another slice of his birthday cake. The fruity ice cream cake Jamie made just for him was just too delicious to resist another serving. He practically ate half of the cake by itself, and he knew the guests had taken a good chunk out of it as well, but he was pretty sure there was at least a slice or two left.

Thoughts of his fiancée brought Cove to a pause halfway to the kitchen. He scanned the space around him again, realizing that Jamie disappeared at some point while he was seeing his dad out. He noticed the door to their bedroom was closed and guessed that was where she went. The siren call of cake was no match for his desire to spend some alone time with his partner, and he immediately made an about face.

Cove lightly rapped on the door, slow with long pauses in between. “Jamie?”

The muffled sound of Jamie’s laughter came from within, though it was quickly stifled. “You don’t have to knock, Cove. You can just come in, you know.”

Cove blushed, once more reminded of the dynamic he and Jamie shared now. Their living situation was still new, so it was easy for him to slip back into familiar old habits - if Jamie was in her bedroom with the door closed then it was only polite to knock. However, this wasn’t her childhood home, this was their home and their bedroom. He shook off his embarrassment, took a deep breath, and boldly entered their room.

Cove froze as soon as he saw Jamie seated on their bed, and it took a moment for him to process the sight in front of him. In the brief time they had been apart, she changed her clothes for bed, but it certainly wasn’t meant to be slept in. Translucent aquamarine lace adorned in ribbon and patterned with intricate flowers barely covered her body, offering tantalizing hints of her more delicate areas.

Jamie flashed Cove a smile as she saw his jaw drop, and she stretched out her leg to display the matching lacy anklets she now wore. “Surprise,” she practically purred, her voice heavy with promises. “I have one last present for you to unwrap.”

For a moment, Cove could only work his mouth until finally something finally fell out. “I… you…”

Jamie’s smile grew even wider and she took a moment to savor Cove’s reaction before she finally giggled softly. “You can enjoy it while it’s still wrapped too.” She bent forward towards him, giving her fiance a good look at how much cleavage her new negligee displayed. “You can do wh - at - ev - er you want~”

Finally, Cove managed to get his brain working again despite how much blood had traveled to his cheeks and the lower half of his body. His heart pounded hard with excitement that chased away all of his fatigue as his mouth quivered in a wobbly smile and a breathy, nervous chuckle escaped him. “You really do spoil me.”

“You’re worth it,” Jamie said, her voice soft with sincerity, before the smolder returned to her gaze. “Now come here and get your present.”

Cove didn’t need any further prompting.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #My Writing

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life - Mermaid AU - Scrapped Drafts

Recently I got to talking about the dark fantasy mermaid AU I wrote up a while back for Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch. After posting the Family “chapter” of it, I posted a couple of teasers of the next part, but I wasn’t quite satisfied with how it turned out. After taking a prolonged break and looking back to examine it, I think I have a better idea of where I want to take the story, which will do a drastic change up to the direction I was going.

Rather than just leaving the previous version go unseen, I decided I’m just going to share it here in this post, because why not? Just as a warning, this writing is going to be pretty rough and potentially have continuity hiccups as I was making small tweaks to the previous parts due to events that happened in the Step 3 DLC (which means spoilers for said DLC.) It'll also be jumping around a bit, as I'll be showing off a few different scene ideas I tried and scrapped.

Eventually, I’ll hopefully post a full and complete story of this AU on AO3.

As a warning: this is mature writing, with some heavy topics involving trauma and implications of some bad things, so I’m going to slap on an Adults Only warning onto this snippet. This story is more mature than the gameplay for the subject matter.

Since I’m going to be going with the adults only label, I’ll throw in a bonus just for fun smutty extra scene I wrote as well at the end. Hopefully some Cove/Jamie spice can offset the trauma and dark implications that appear in this snippet. I hope you all enjoy it.

...

[Scrapped Chapter 3]

...

Jamie was a mermaid.

Such an idea had shocked Cove when it was nothing more than a fantasy. It was something he had been surprised to have never imagined before Jamie playfully suggested it to him not that long ago.

As a child, his desire to meet a real mermaid had been his greatest dream. Combining it with the woman he loved, the special person who he once childishly believed existed only to find him when he was lost, was so fitting it was almost overwhelming. The playful thought thrilled him and made him feel like a kid again to imagine it.

Now that it was a reality, Cove had no idea how to handle it.

It was impossible to tell how long Cove stared at Jamie, struggling to process everything, before he was forced back to reality when her strength finally gave out. Her grip went slack, and she started to fall despite his hold on her. He cried out in a panic as he lunged for her, quickly scooping her up into his arms.

A piggyback ride was out of the question when Jamie no longer had legs for Cove to hold onto, so he had to make do with a princess carry. The familiar weight of her body in his arms grounded him. It didn’t matter how strange it felt to touch fine scales where there should have been skin. No matter how shocking, her transformation was a secondary priority right now.

Jamie was back. She was warm and alive and real.

And she needed his help.

Jamie could barely keep her eyes open. Her breath came ragged and heavy. She had been worn to the bone, drained of nearly every drop of energy during her desperate effort to return home.

“It’ll… it’ll be okay,” Cove said when he found his voice again. “I’ll take you home to your moms, and then…”

The thought ended there. Cove couldn’t imagine how Jamie’s moms would react to her transformation when he was still struggling with it himself.

A shudder rippled through Jamie, and she rallied herself enough to shake her head, energy returning to her eyes as they went wide with fear and pinned Cove to the spot. “No!” she shouted. Her voice cracked before it weakened, as even what little energy adrenaline afforded her started to bleed away. “No, I can’t go… they’re watching my moms…”

The rest of Jamie’s warning was lost as her voice finally failed her, coming out as incoherent mumbling that grew fainter with each word. What little more Cove managed to catch didn’t make sense, but he understood at least that he couldn’t bring Jamie back to the Leimomi house.

Of course, bringing Jamie across the street from her childhood home instead might have not been the best idea either, but, in his defense, Cove hadn’t been in a state to think straight after she slipped unconscious. All he could think about was bringing somewhere safe right away, and if her house wasn’t then the next place was his childhood home. He at least made sure to slip in from the back, away from the street between their houses.

It was fortunate that Cliff was asleep and didn’t mind his son visiting at odd hours of the night. Cove was still struggling with the sudden shift in his reality without having to try and explain things to his dad.

Not that he knew much of anything to explain.

As a child, Cove often had fantasies of sneaking a mermaid - or mercreature - home. He would hide them in the bathroom attached to his bedroom, knowing that his dad would never look in there if he just said to stay out. The mercreature would hang out in his bathtub and tell him all the wonders of the underwater kingdom while he shared what it was like living on land. Then they would sneak off to the ocean together and have amazing adventures.

After meeting Jamie and becoming so close to her, his childish mind added introducing her to his merfolk friend in those fantasies. Then it would be the three of them going off on magical adventures under the sea.

Eventually the fantasy lost its sparkle, and Cove found himself preferring to imagine spending time with Jamie in the mundane world. Although the idea of mermaids would always hold a special place in his heart, he had grown content with letting them remain nothing more than fantasy.

It was these thoughts that came to Cove’s mind as he gently laid Jamie down into the bathtub. There had been a short war in his mind between letting her rest in his bed or taking her to the bath, but in the end he worried what might happen if she remained out of the water for too long. At the very least, he could make her comfortable by washing the sand and salt off of her body.

More importantly, he needed to clean her wounds.

It had been easy for Cove to overlook all the bruising and scratches on Jamie’s skin earlier when the lighting was dim and there were more shocking things for him to focus on. Now in his well lit bathroom, her injuries jumped out at him and became his priority.

Not long ago, the idea of stripping Jamie would have been a problem for Cove. Fortunately, the two of them had overcome that obstacle together in the most wonderful way, in this very house in fact. It didn’t take long for him to grow intimately familiar with his partner’s body after that, each curve and plane forever etched in his mind.

Which made seeing half of Jamie’s body so radically transformed feel all the more wrong.

The clothing Jamie wore was strange as well. Though it had clearly seen better days, despite the frayed edges and tears, it was a beautifully colored tunic with ornate stitching. The material felt unusual, reminding him a bit of silk in how smooth and cool it was, but thicker. Somehow it barely seemed wet as well, but Cove didn’t care to examine it more than at a cursory glance while he carefully stripped the garment from Jamie’s body.

Removing the tunic revealed Jamie had a necklace tucked underneath it. At the end of the dark cord was a dazzling multicolored crystal of an unusual shape, framed by intricate metalwork. It was beautiful, but what caught his eye more was the much more humble keychain attached next to it.

Cove could never forget the dolphin keychain that he had gifted to Jamie over ten years ago - she always made sure to display it in a place of honor in her room until eventually attaching it to her phone. She had somehow kept it in pristine condition despite how well loved it was. Now, however, the precious keychain was in as rough of shape as its owner, battered from water damage and who knew what else, the once vibrant blue fabric dull and tattered.

Cove had to take a moment to fight back the tears stinging his eyes, his throat choked with emotion. He didn’t have the heart to remove the necklace and separate Jamie from the keychain when she had clearly gone to great lengths to keep it close in spite of whatever ordeal she suffered through. He made sure to work around it instead when cleaning her wounds.

The injuries, though alarmingly numerous, appeared mercifully mild. Cove could only hope there wasn’t something more serious he didn’t see, like a broken bone. The idea of bringing Jamie to a hospital and what people might do to her was too much for his frazzled mind to think about right now.

There were too many horrifying ‘what if’ scenarios popping up in Cove’s head for him to handle. It was all he could do to focus on taking care of Jamie.

There was no issue in having enough waterproof bandages in the medicine cabinet’s first-aid kit. Years of spending most days splashing around in the ocean made it a priority to keep such medical supplies on hand that could handle repeated contact with water. Even after moving out, his old room and bathroom were still stocked and ready for whenever Cove visited. He made a mental note to thank his father for that later.

The worst injury Jamie sported was the red and raw skin of her left wrist underneath the shackle binding it. For a moment, Cove could only stare at the restraint in silent horror at the implications.

What exactly happened to Jamie during those weeks that she was missing?

It was torture waiting for answers, but Cove had no choice. He worried too that whatever happened might have left Jamie too traumatized for her to speak of it, even to him. He had to prepare himself to accept that as a definite possibility.

No matter how much Cove wanted answers, Jamie’s mental and physical well being always came first before anything else.

Cove glared balefully at the shackle. If nothing else, he was going to get rid of that damned thing before Jamie woke up.

The shackle was strangely ornate, made from a dark red metal with etchings of strange symbols decorating it. If not for the four large links of chain still stubbornly attached, it could have been mistaken for an excessively large and thick bracelet. Strangely enough, there was no sign of hinges or a lock, but Cove wasn’t about to question how the culprit attached it to Jamie when they also somehow managed to transform her into a mythical creature.

The answer was magic, as simple and insane as that.

Cove gently placed Jamie’s hand down on the lip of the tub, wincing at the way the metal clanked harshly against the porcelain despite the care he took. He noticed Jamie flinch at the sound, and immediately he focused on her grimacing face.

To his alarm, Jamie thrashed away from him, colliding her newly bandaged shoulder into the tiled wall as her arms flew up in a defensive cross in front of her face, her tail twisting and tucking in close to her body. In her half-conscious daze, she yelped something that Cove couldn’t understand, but he couldn’t mistake the panic in her voice.

“It’s okay,” Cove said softly, trying his best to sound soothing. “Jamie, it’s okay. I’m here. It’s me, Cove. It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re safe, I promise.”

Cove continued to murmur reassurances until Jamie began to relax, her arms lowering slowly. She blinked her dark blue eyes repeatedly to rid the haze of sleep from them as she finally focused on his face.

“Cove…?” she murmured, still in a daze.

Relieved, Cove offered Jamie a weak smile. “Yeah. It’s me. I’m here. You’re sa-”

Cove didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before Jamie suddenly latched onto him in a desperate hug.

“Cove!” Jamie cried before she buried her face in the space between his shoulder and neck. She babbled his name almost in a mantra, the words muffled against his skin as tears spilled forth freely from her eyes. The relief she felt was so strong it left her trembling as she clung desperately to her fiancé.

She was back home. She escaped.

Cove returned the hug just as desperately, drawing in as much comfort from Jamie as she did from him. He could no longer hold back his own tears, and he let them fall free as he pressed his cheek into her damp blue hair.

For a long time, the two simply remained like that, holding each other while crying out all of the pain and suffering they endured during the weeks they were apart.

Eventually their desperate grip on each other softened to tender touches. Jamie slid her fingers through his seafoam green hair, reveling in the familiar softness. Cove shivered delightfully at the feeling and gently cupped her cheek, shifting them both so that their foreheads touched. He closed his eyes for a moment as he simply breathed in the relief of having the woman he loved back in his arms. When he opened his eyes again, he gazed deeply into night blue eyes, which he had started to fear he would never see again.

“Are you okay?” Cove asked softly when he finally found his voice again. The question was woefully inadequate given the circumstances, but it needed to be asked.

Although Jamie looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes, she still managed to smile sincerely. “I am now.” She leaned in with purpose, and Cove was only too eager to meet her lips with his own.

For a little while, questions were forgotten. The only thing important was simply drinking each other in. One kiss led to another and then another with neither of them wanting to stop when their bodies began to burn as relief slowly gave way to desire.

A loud clatter of metal striking porcelain shocked the pair apart. Jamie had forgotten about the shackle binding her when adjusting her hold on Cove and accidentally bumped it against the lip of the tub. The mood was broken, the sound a sobering reminder that everything was not alright yet.

Cove glared at the shackle before reluctantly pulling away from Jamie. “Wait here. I’m gonna get some bolt cutters and take care of that thing.”

Jamie snatched a fistful of Cove’s shirt, preventing him from leaving. His attention snapped back to her instantly, and she shook her head, her expression tired. “Bolt cutters aren’t gonna cut it.” She offered him a bent smile at the unintended pun. “You wouldn’t believe what I had to go through just to cut the chain.”

Cove regarded Jamie for a moment before he pointedly trailed his gaze to the lower half of her body. “I’m pretty sure I’d believe just about anything at this point.”

Jamie looked down at the tail that had replaced her legs and let out a breath that failed to be a laugh. “Yeah…”

Cove took a hold of Jamie’s bound hand delicately, the chains clinking from the movement. “What happened, Jamie?”

Jamie peered deep into Cove’s beautiful aquamarine eyes that gazed at her with worry and affection in equal measure. She sighed before lacing their fingers together to ground herself. “There’s… a lot. Way too much.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I guess the short version is… mercreatures are real, and they’re assholes.” She gave him a lopsided smile. “Sorry to have to break it to you.”

Cove tried to return the smile unsuccessfully, though he did appreciate that Jamie was in good enough spirits to make an attempt at humor.

The smile slipped from Jamie’s face, and she sighed as she leaned into Cove. “And that especially includes my birth parents. Who are actually alive. And merfolk.”

Cove’s eyes widened as his mouth dropped open in shock. Despite Jamie’s radical transformation, he never imagined that it had anything to do with her family.

“So… this is my ‘real’ form,” Jamie said bitterly while throwing a gesture to her tail with her free hand. She shifted the large appendage, waving the fin at Cove a little. Though the gesture was almost playful, there was no hiding the unhappiness from her expression. “My aunt turned me into a human with magic when I was a baby. There’s a spell that should turn me human again, and I’m pretty sure I know how to cast it, but I haven’t actually tried it since I’ve been underwater all this time.”

Though Cove tried to remain quiet to give Jamie the freedom to explain at her own pace, he couldn’t help a startled outburst. “You can use magic?”

Jamie offered Cove a bent smile. “Yeah, one of the few perks about this whole mess.” She sighed, tilting her head back as her eyes drifted towards the ceiling. “They said I’m a special kind of mermaid called a siren. Sirens are super rare because they’re supposedly closely connected to the source of magic, some god whose name hurts my ears.” A shudder rippled through her at the memory, and it took her a moment to continue. “Other mercreatures can use sirens to get stronger. So that’s why they kidnapped me… to use me.”

Cove sucked in a hiss of air, his expression going tight. It took all his willpower to keep quiet so that Jamie could continue her explanation.

Jamie took some solace in the outrage in Cove’s eyes and snuggled against his body, soaking in his comforting presence. He responded by wrapping her up in his arms, holding her close.

“Yeah,” Jamie muttered as she closed her eyes. “Apparently my birth mother’s sister felt the same way we do about that, so she hid me in our world and faked my death using a sea monster attack.” She tried to smile, but it failed to be much more than a grimace as a shudder rippled through her. “Sorry to say, those are real too.”

Cove shivered a little himself, not just at the news that monsters were actually real, but because the haunted look at Jamie’s eyes told him that she had seen at least one for herself. The stuff people dreamed up for movies and ghost stories were bad enough, but the idea that monsters actually existed - worse, Jamie had been forced to encounter one… “I’m sorry.”

Jamie squeezed Cove’s hand, and he was quick to return the gesture. “If it helps, they’re in the other ocean, not ours.”

“‘The other ocean’?” Cove repeated, blinking.

“That’s what I call it anyway,” Jamie said wryly. “It’s like our ocean, but there’s so much stuff in it that’s like nothing we’ve got here. Mercreatures aren’t from our world, but I guess another dimension or something, and they can get here using these really powerful magic crystals.”

At the mention of a crystal, Jamie’s gaze dropped to the necklace, drawing Cove’s attention to the unusual jewelry she wore. She straightened up and used her free hand to pick the crystal up, offering him a better look at it. “I managed to steal one when I escaped.” A small but viciously proud smile tugged at her lips. “And I made sure to destroy the others they had too.”

Her smile faded away as though it had never existed in the first place. She set the crystal down before delicately stroking the dolphin keychain hanging beside it. Although she didn’t comment about it, the action told Cove just how much having the keychain with her during her ordeal meant to her.

Jamie paused upon realizing she had gotten distracted and why, then turned back to Cove, her smile soft but filled with affection for him.

Cove couldn’t find the words for how he was feeling, caught up in too many emotions both good and bad, particularly the latter. The horrors Jamie had gone through and the consequences she was suffering from even now were immense and world shaking. Instead of trying to force it, he took the time to show her how glad he was to have her back home with him.

Gently, Cove squeezed the hand he held in his, as his free hand lightly caressed her cheek. He was rewarded by a slight pink flush beneath his fingertips, and Jamie closed her eyes with a shaky sigh as she took a moment to just savor the way he lovingly traced the contours of her face. His thumb stroked her jawline then brushed against her lower lip.

Playfully, Jamie kissed his thumb before flicking her tongue across the tip. She opened her eyes in time to see Cove turn red and suck in a breath of air, startled but certainly not displeased by the suggestive action.

“Cove…,” Jamie breathed before nuzzling into her lover’s hand. “I missed you so much,”

“I missed you, too,” Cove murmured before closing the distance between them.

For a little while, the only thing they could think about was breathing each other in, their kisses lingering and filled with love. The questions and trauma still lurked at the back of their minds, but for the moment they simply focused on comforting one another, and reminding each other that they were finally together again.

The moment, unfortunately, didn’t last as long as either would have liked. Jamie was the one who eventually drew back, her thoughts heavy and her eyes pained as she looked at Cove. “I… I can’t see my moms again,” she whispered, her voice fragile. She took a deep breath to collect herself before she went on to explain further. “They can spy on my moms whenever they want. If they see me, or, hell, if you tell them about me, they’ll know I’m here.”

Jamie rubbed her hand across her face, her anxiety growing as she plowed on ahead before Cove could fully process the news. “If they see you tell them I’m here, they’ll know to watch you too.” She let go of his hand to gesticulate wildly, the chains on her shackled hand jangling with every move of her left arm. “They let me see my moms all the time because they said if I didn’t do what they said, they’ll kidnap my moms too and hurt them.” Her body started to shake as her eyes grew wide and wild. “If they still have some crystals or make more, they can just come here and take my family and take you and they’ll…” She choked on her rapid breath, tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh fuck… If they tried to hurt you I can’t… I can’t…”

Cove pulled Jamie’s trembling body as close as he could with the bathtub separating them. He murmured soothing words in her ear as he stroked her hair. The picture she painted was terrifying, overwhelming. He didn’t know what to do except calm her before she blacked out from hyperventilating.

Jamie let out a keening noise as she buried her face in her fiancé’s neck once more.

Cove could feel the hot tears against his skin and his heart broke for Jamie all over again. He held her so close it was nearly painful and murmured against the top of her head. “It’s okay…,” he said on instinct, only to wince. “Well, no, it’s not okay, but we’ll figure this out.” His voice lowered, and he tried not to sound as worried as he felt, knowing he needed to be strong for her sake. “I won’t let them take you again, and I won’t let them hurt your family either.”

“Or you?” Jamie asked, her trembling voice muffled against Cove’s skin.

“Or me,” Cove said, nodding against the top of Jamie’s head. “I won’t let them hurt you again.”

Jamie let Cove’s reassuring voice rumble through her and tried with her whole heart to just believe in him as she always did. She knew he was just as uncertain and scared as she was, but he was being brave for her sake like he always did whenever she needed him. The memory of a little boy shaking in the wind even as he reached out for her hand brought a gentle smile to her face. It was this comfort, his very presence, that she ached for the most during this whole nightmarish ordeal.

It took a while, but Jamie was eventually able to calm down again. She shifted back a little, just enough so that she could look at Cove’s face. She managed a weak, but grateful smile before she did her best to focus on important matters.

“They can’t track me,” Jamie said. “Because of that god, they can’t use magic to spy on me directly.” She forced a short, bitter bark of laughter. “Apparently it’s like staring at the sun or something if they use magic to look at me, so they had to find out about me by interrogating my aunt, then tracked me down using the orphanage she put me in.”

Cove immediately drew a connection to the last texts Jamie managed to send him. “Was the person who tracked you the woman who said she was your mom?”

Jamie nodded, her expression growing uncomfortable. “Yeah… One of them anyway. She showed up when I took a walk on the beach to clear my head after my moms told me about her wanting to contact me.” A shudder rippled through her. “She’s…” She faltered, words failing her before she shook her head, her voice coming out weak and shaky. “She’s terrifying.”

Cove gave Jamie’s shoulder a squeeze before rubbing small circles there with his thumb. The sympathetic gaze he gave her told her that she didn’t need to go into more detail than that, and she was grateful for it.

Jamie slid a hand through her bangs, brushing them back as she let out a weary sigh. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again after a moment of silence. Her gaze wandered between Cove, her tail, and some point off in the mid distance.

Cove lightly ran a hand up and down along Jamie’s arm and gave her the time she needed to get her thoughts in order.

After a few minutes, Jamie finally focused on Cove, her smile faint and apologetic. “Sorry. There’s so much… too much… I want to tell you everything, but I just… It’s all…” She used both hands to rub her face, bone weary and frazzled. “They… they shouldn’t know I got a crystal. I hope. God, I hope they don’t know…” She paused to take a deep, shaky breath. “As long as I stay away from Mom and Ma, they won’t know for sure I came back. They’ll look for me around the palace and the outside and then…”

That was as far as Jamie could speculate, and her voice tapered off on a helpless note.

Cove tried to give Jamie more time, but his anxiety grew to the point that he couldn’t help but voice his growing worries. “I didn’t go to your moms’ place, and I haven’t seen them in hours, but we’re at Dad’s house. Do you think they’ll figure out you’re here?” He started kicking himself for being so short-sighted. Jamie herself had warned him to stay away from her moms’ house, but he took her right across the street from it!

Jamie met his worried gaze with her own before looking down at her hands as she flexed them open and closed in front of her. It took her a long moment to mull the thought over before she managed to respond. “They don’t care about you, or your dad, or our friends… They didn’t even pay attention to Liz. They hate humans a lot. A lot a lot… They’re only watching my moms because they don’t think anyone else is important to me. I didn’t tell them anything about me, and all they cared about me w-was…”

A shudder rippled through Jamie as she felt her skin crawl. She curled up into herself instinctively before burying her face in Cove’s neck again, gripping his shirt tight and pressing as close to him as she could despite the bath separating them.

Cove could feel the goosebumps rise along her back as he rubbed her there. Whatever she remembered had her tense to the point of trembling. “I’m here, Jamie,” he murmured into the top of her head. “I’m right here.”

It took a little time for Jamie to start to relax again, though she remained where she was, her fingers still hooked onto his shirt. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m trying, I’m really trying to deal with all this and tell you everything. We should be safe here, they shouldn’t know, and I know I need to focus and come up with a plan, but I don’t know. I don’t know! And I’m so tired and I just… I just want to be happy I’m finally home with you… at least for a little while…”

Jamie’s already fragile words broke apart completely, and Cove felt his heart break with them. He shifted their positions and gently cupped her chin, tilting her head upwards so that he could see her dark blue eyes shimmer wetly. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then her temple, followed by her cheek. When her eyes closed, he made sure to place a delicate kiss on each eyelid. The kisses were brief as he focused on every inch of her face, eventually finishing with her lips.

Jamie couldn’t help but melt under such tenderness. It didn’t erase the fear, but it was a gentle reminder of just how much Cove cared for her. There was nothing else she wanted more in this world or any other than to be with him, and for the moment she was able to focus on nothing else but how much she loved him and how much he loved her in return.

“It’s okay,” Cove said gently, lightly stroking Jamie’s cheek with his thumb. “We don’t have to talk about it right now.” He lightly pressed his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into his fiancée’s eyes as they fluttered open again. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” Jamie murmured as she managed a small but sincere smile.

After a moment, however, she shifted with some discomfort due to the confines of the bathtub and her smile turned lopsided. “Though… maybe here could be a bed instead? I’ve had enough water for a while.”

Although Cove wanted to give in to the request, worry caused him to hesitate. “Will you be okay?” His gaze trailed significantly to her tail. “You won’t, ah… dry out?”

Jamie let out a weak chuckle. “Merfolk are surprisingly durable. Maybe it’s because they’re built for land and sea, but there were plenty of places that had dry land in their underwater kingdom.”

Cove blinked, surprised for a moment before a thought clicked in his mind. “Because they know that spell that can turn them human, right?”

Jamie nodded. “That, and some mercreatures don’t need it. It seems if you have tentacles instead of a tail, you can walk on land just fine.” She looked down at her tail, shifting it uncomfortably. “Not that I’m wild about either option.”

Cove gave Jamie a sympathetic look. “You said you think you can cast that spell that’ll turn you back into a human, right? Do you need to do anything special for it?”

Jamie sighed and stretched out her tail. “Just some rest and practice until I get it right, pretty much.”

The answer hung between them for a moment before Cove nodded. It was clear to him that Jamie was too mentally and physically exhausted to attempt it now, and he wasn’t about to push her on the subject. He focused instead on fulfilling her earlier request and making her more comfortable.

Despite the change in Jamie’s body, Cove had more than enough practice carrying her to lift her up out of the bath with ease. He didn’t care how wet he got in the process as he held her close. His clothes were still damp from his earlier swim in the ocean anyway.

Cove’s childhood bedroom hadn’t changed too much since he moved out. Certainly, he had taken most of his personal belongings when he moved out, including his pet fish, but his dad had taken great pains to keep the place familiar and welcoming to him for whenever he wanted to visit. This meant that the bed was made and ready to be used.

Cove didn’t care that the bedsheets got wet when he laid Jamie down on top of them. It was far from the first time that he had climbed into bed still dripping salt water. He only left her briefly to lock his bedroom door to prevent his dad from potentially giving them an unwanted wake up call during their secret sleepover.

Having it happen just once was more than enough for a lifetime.

Jamie reached out for Cove upon his return, only to draw her left arm back when the jangling of the chains drew their attention back to the shackle on her wrist.

Cove frowned at the shackle, realizing in the excitement of reuniting, he forgot to finish treating her wrist. “We need to take care of that,” he said. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

Without another word, Cove rushed off to the bathroom and retrieved the first-aid kit, not wanting to be away from Jamie for even a second longer than he had to. Once he was by her side again, he sat down on the edge of the bed and set to work.

It was difficult to properly clean and bandage Jamie’s wrist with the shackle in the way, but Cove managed to carefully slip in some gause between the metal and her raw, red skin. It wasn’t the best solution, but it would at least help keep the wound clean and offered some cushioning between her skin and the metal.

With the injury treated, Cove then used a couple elastic bandage wraps to cover up the shackle and chain to keep the latter from swinging around. It didn’t erase the fact that the shackle was there, but at least with it covered, Jamie could be a little more comfortable.

Jamie looked over the large wrap on her arm and a wry smile graced her lips. “It’s not as cool as a cast, but it’ll do.”

Cove managed a bent smile in return. “Sorry. The only thing I know about casts is wearing them, not making them.”

That got a weak, but genuine chuckle out of Jamie, which Cove took as a victory. It felt good that, in spite of everything that had happened to her, he was able to lift her spirits just a little bit.

When the first-aid kit was set aside, Jamie wrapped her arms around Cove’s neck and pulled him close. He returned the embrace easily, only to be startled with a sudden kiss. His surprise was brief, however, and he was only too eager to lose himself in the kiss and in her.

Despite countless heavy thoughts weighing on her mind, for now Jamie was able to push them aside and just focus on Cove. The sweet taste of his lips, the warmth of his body pressed so close against her, and his comfortingly familiar scent of citrus and the sea wrapped around her like a cozy blanket that she just wanted to bury herself in forever.

The kiss ended reluctantly as the pair came up for air, their hot breaths intermingling between them. Jamie couldn’t sit still even as she caught her breath, slipping her hand up the back of Cove’s neck to card her fingers in his soft green hair. His hair was still soft and a pleasure to run her fingers through despite how damp it was from his earlier swim in the sea.

Cove smiled softly as he enjoyed the feeling and reached up to gently stroke her cheek before slipping his hand back into her hair to return the favor. He threaded his fingers lightly in the dark blue strands, combing down the entire length and admiring how it shimmered like flowing water before returning his hand to the back of her head to repeat the process.

Jamie sighed and leaned into the touch as her eyes drifted closed, her own hands slowing as she lost herself in the soothing sensation.

...

[Explaining the chain]

...

Jamie eagerly reached out for Cove upon his return, only to stop short of touching him as the jangling of the chains on her shackle drew both their attention. She grimaced and drew her left arm back, taking a hold of the end of the chain in her right.

Cove frowned at the shackle, growing frustrated by his own powerlessness to remove it. He sat down on the bed and gently placed a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Is there any way we can get that off of you?” he asked.

Jamie chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment as she mulled over what she knew. “I don’t know how they got it on me,” she said at last. “And they never took it off the entire time I was down there. They said there’s no way I could use magic to get it off myself, but I guess that could be a lie since they also knew I didn’t know anything about magic before they kidnapped me…”

“How did you break it before?” Cove asked hesitantly. Jamie had avoided answering the question earlier; he hoped asking again wouldn’t be a mistake.

Jamie took a hold of the final broken link of the chain, too mangled to unhook from the other links. “It’s a pretty crazy story,” she said before shaking her head a bit. “I still barely believe it actually happened, and I lived through it.” She took a deep breath then pressed on before Cove could respond. “The really short version is… I got a sea monster to eat the other end and blew it up.”

Cove stared in shock at Jamie. He admittedly hadn’t known what to expect, but that wasn’t anywhere close to what he had been guessing. “Really?”

Jamie nodded, her smile bending just a little with pride. “See, this chain was how they would take magic from me.” She held up the broken end of the chain. “This was a lot longer and was sort of like a magic pair of handcuffs, only the other end was easy to put on and off. One of them would wear it, and I’d basically be a living battery charging them up with magic.”

“It was like sending electricity through a wire,” Jamie continued.

...

[Surprised awakening]

...

When Cove woke up the next morning, everything that had happened the night before felt like a dream, one born of a desperate wish. He expected to find himself back in his apartment, alone. That was why it took him a few moments to realize that he wasn’t still dreaming and Jamie really was right there wrapped securely in his arms.

Emotions overtook Cove, and he pulled Jamie close, almost afraid that he would really wake up or that she might disappear again at any moment. He buried his face in her hair, quietly crying her name as tears came to his eyes.

It wasn’t the first time Cove woke Jamie up with a hug. It was the first time she woke up screaming.

Instantly, Cove jerked back in a panic, afraid he had somehow hurt her. Jamie lurched back as well, only to fall out of the bed entirely, pulling the blanket down with her.

...

[It’s hard for Jamie to sleep now]

...

Jamie hadn’t always been a light sleeper, but due to her sensitivity to sound, it didn’t take much noise to rouse her awake. Now, however, it was all too easy for her to slip out of sleep even when everything was quiet and still. That was why she was already awake when the first rays of dawn peeked in through the window.

Despite waking up in the comforting embrace of Cove’s arms, Jamie woke up tense, her body coiled like a compacted spring, ready to be set off at the slightest trigger. It took her a while to force her muscles to unclench and accept that she was really there with him, that this wasn’t all just some desperate dream she clung to while being trapped in the deep dark depths of another world’s ocean.

This is real, Jamie repeated to herself until she could finally believe it.

Once a little less tense, Jamie focused on Cove’s sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, just as he always did when they slept in each other’s arms. Delicately, she ran her fingers through his pale green hair, reveling in the softness. The gentle smile that slowly grew on his face as he sighed at her touch was familiar and wonderful. He looked so absolutely precious that she couldn’t help but lean in closer to press her lips against his forehead.

The kiss had been enough to rouse Cove from his slumber. Jamie watched as he blinked away the last traces of whatever dream he had been having and focused his beautiful aqua eyes on her. An array of emotions played across his face. First, there was that familiar relaxed recognition as he saw her. Next was shock, as her return after going missing for so long struck him almost as hard as when they found each other in the ocean last night. Then, as memories caught up to him, there was a more complex array of emotions that she couldn’t quite place, but no doubt they were caused by remembering the more otherworldly and unsettling aspects of her return.

“Good morning,” Jamie murmured. She smiled gently at Cove as she waited for him to fully wake up. After a moment, he returned the smile a bit more delicately.

“Good morning,” Cove said, his voice soft. “How are you feeling?”

Jamie made a quiet rumble at the back of her throat as she seriously considered her answer. “Better than I have in weeks,” she finally said with a slight bend to her smile.

Cove supposed that would be the best they could hope for given the circumstances. He couldn’t help but notice the dark circles that still lingered under her eyes. “Did you sleep okay?”

Jamie considered giving Cove the same answer as before, but thought better of it. “Not really,” she sighed and closed her eyes as she pressed their foreheads together lightly. “It’s hard to stay asleep now. I couldn’t really rest in… that place. They wouldn’t leave me alone, and sometimes…”

The way Jamie stopped talking made Cove’s stomach drop. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, struggling to decide if he should let her leave things there or if it would be better to coax more out of her. Ultimately, he decided to encourage her very gently to continue, if only to unburden herself of the ordeal she had to face in that other world.

“Sometimes…?” Cove said slowly, hoping he wasn’t pushing her too far.

Jamie looked off at some point in the distance. She pressed closer to Cove on instinct, breathing his familiar ocean-y, citrus-y scent that was distinctly him, with an undercurrent of something more musky and primal underneath. Neither of them had bothered to get dressed after making love last night, and she could still feel the faint but pleasant thrum of her body that always lingered a while afterwards. All of it was a reminder that she was home, Cove was right there with her, and she was finally safe.

Still, that didn’t make it easy for Jamie to figure out exactly how to tell Cove about the nightmare she experienced in the other world.

Eventually, Jamie returned her focus to Cove once she was ready. “You remember how I told you merfolk use sirens, right?”

Cove frowned, but nodded. The idea that people wanted to use Jamie for anything sickened him.

Jamie took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm her nerves. “A big part of how they use sirens involves…” She faltered, really not wanting to put it bluntly, but struggling how to be delicate. “...Stockholm syndrome.”

“Stockholm syndrome?” Cove repeated slowly, his brow furrowing a bit. The term sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite figure out where he had heard it before or what it meant.

Jamie bit back the urge to sigh. She couldn’t blame Cove for not getting her meaning when she was being so indirect. “It’s when captors make their kidnapped victims get emotionally attached to them… even…” She felt sick forcing the next words out. “...even love them.”

Cove froze, his eyes flying open wide.

Jamie grimaced, but forced herself to push on with the explanation before Cove started to panic. “Apparently, the more I care about someone, the more of my magic they can take from me, and if I love someone, they can gain this special power from the god of magic. I didn’t exactly find out many details about that part considering I only know that much by managing to overhear a couple merfolk talking about how much they wanted that power.”

It was hard for Jamie to watch the shock and horror play across Cove’s face, so she focused on her hand as she drew small circles on his shoulder with her finger. “So… I couldn’t really sleep, because some of those bastards thought I’d like them more if they snuck into my cage and…” Her hand stilled and her voice dropped to a fragile whisper. “...Tried to seduce me.”

“Oh my God,” Cove gasped, utterly horrified at the implications. Instantly he sat up, his back going ramrod straight as he began to panic. He didn’t even notice he knocked the blanket halfway off the bed, his eyes focused only on Jamie. “Did they… did… are you okay?!”

Jamie forced out a mirthless chuckle as she reached up to stroke Cove’s cheek, trying to be as soothing as she could given the circumstances. “Yeah. Ironically… my birth mother kept them from doing anything worse than pinning me down or using bad lines on me.” She met his worried gaze and offered a fragile smile. “She’s… she’s messed up.” Her gaze went distant, seeing something haunting in her memories. “She was convinced I loved her… and that she loved me, but that kind of ‘love’…”

A shiver ran through Jamie, and instantly Cove pulled her so close she almost let out a startled squeak. She recovered quickly from her surprise and snuggled into him as they laid back down together on the bed. There was no more reassuring feeling in the world, any world, than being in his arms.

“So… yeah…,” Jamie eventually muttered after she had calmed down a bit. “A lot of times when I tried to sleep, I’d wake up because I’d hear the cell door open, and either it’d be her, or some merman and sometimes when she was getting rid of them…” Her face twisted with nausea. “There’d be blood in the water… and I’d try not to breathe it in.”

Cove couldn’t bring himself to feel bad for the mermen getting bloodied when they intended to force themselves on Jamie. He couldn’t even really feel grateful that her birth mother had fended them off given how much the woman clearly traumatized her.

The only person Cove felt any sympathy for was Jamie. Unfortunately, he found himself at a loss. For a long while, all he could do was hold her close and rub her back, trying desperately to soothe away the small tremors that ran through her and goosebumps on her skin.

Cell, cage, chains, shackles… It was almost inconceivable for Cove to imagine, but Jamie had been chained up in an actual prison. She was still chained. Though she kept her left arm tucked under the pillow almost the entire time they were in bed, even while they made love, he couldn’t forget the shackle binding her wrist for a second.

And he doubted Jamie could either.

Then there was the violence, monsters, unwanted advances, emotional manipulation, and the unwilling transformation of her body… not to mention the kidnapping itself. All these horrible things were subjected on her for a power that no one, especially not Jamie, had any idea she possessed. It sickened Cove to think that he ever idolized the cruel creatures that made the woman he loved suffer so much.

A stab of guilt pricked Cove at the thought when he realized that sweeping generalization now applied to Jamie too. As much as she hated the changes to her body, it was hard to avoid the fact that she was a mermaid. He could feel her tail pressed up against his legs at that very moment.

Cove shook off the thought to focus on what was most important right now - Jamie was not okay. She might have been safely back home, but her body had been warped into a shape that repulsed her, and her experiences had left her with a level of trauma beyond anything he knew how to deal with. He couldn’t even suggest she get professional treatment for either, which meant they had to deal with it themselves regardless of how they felt about it.

A low rumbling noise snapped Cove out of his thoughts, and he realized it was the sound of an empty stomach demanding food. A second later he realized that wasn’t his stomach that made the noise.

Jamie blushed lightly as she placed her unbound hand on her stomach. “I didn’t really eat much there either,” she admitted in a quiet voice.

Cove smiled gently before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Hunger, at least, was something he knew how to deal with. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Dad won’t mind making you all the food you can eat.”

A beat later, Cove realized that meant they would have to tell Cliff about everything that happened. He grimaced in spite of himself, not looking forward to the conversation.

Jamie let out a small chuckle at his expression. “Can I borrow a shirt first? I think we’ll need to show your dad some proof if he’s gonna believe something as crazy as mermaids being real.”

Cove appreciated Jamie’s attempt at levity, giving her a bent smile. “Yeah. He’s already gonna be shocked that you’re back even without that part.” He paused for a moment, his smile fading away. “Or the rest of it…”

Jamie nodded, her expression going somber. She saw the growing concern on Cove’s face and guessed where his train of thought was headed. “It’s… okay. To tell him everything I’ve told you, I mean. Even the… really unpleasant stuff.” She scrunched in on herself as she looked down. “I’ll be okay as long as you’re with me.”

Cove pulled Jamie a little closer before rubbing her shoulder soothingly. “I’m not going anywhere without you, but are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Jamie closed her eyes and sighed, her conviction wavering. “Maybe? I don’t even know… I mean… there’s still so much to tell you about what happened, and I want to tell you, but I also just want to forget it happened at all… but they’re still watching my moms, and I can’t even tell them I’m back and safe without putting them and everyone else in danger and risking them coming back for me and…”

Her rambling dissolved into wordless sniffles as Jamie could no longer hold back her tears. When Cove pulled her close, she buried her face into his shoulder and cried. For a while, that was all she could do.

No, Jamie wasn’t okay at all.

...

[Making love to a mermaid]

...

Cove couldn’t help but marvel at the way Jamie opened up underneath his fingers. It was strange how seamless the tail appeared to be up until he started rubbing in just the right spot. Fine scales parted on his gentle touch to reveal a slit of pink that he had grown intimately familiar with.

Jamie moaned as she felt Cove’s fingers delicately slide across the folds of her womanhood once it was uncovered. Despite the loss of her legs, his touch in her most intimate place still sent familiar waves of pleasure throughout her body. When his wandering fingers discovered that even as a mermaid she still had a clit, he wasted no time in lavishing his attention on the sensitive nub. The jolt of pleasure was so sudden and strong after going so long without his touch that she had to cover her mouth to stifle a cry as her hips bucked uselessly against his hand.

Cove didn’t want Jamie to stifle her voice. He wanted to hear her cry out in pleasure and babble his name senselessly while he drove her to the brink as she always did, but he knew if they were too noisy they would wake his dad up. The last thing in the world he wanted was for anything to stop them from making love after they had been separated for so long.

Instead of regretting that they had to hold back, Cove focused on pleasuring Jamie. He bent down, using his mouth on her as well as his fingers. Despite the transformation, the taste of her core was the same mixture of sex and sweetness that he could never get enough of. Her sweet spots were still the same as well, and he delighted in how he made her shudder and mewl when he teased those places with his fingers or tongue.

Jamie couldn’t stop moaning Cove’s name around her hand, practically biting it in her desperate attempts to keep quiet. After weeks without such intimacy and how much she had longed for him in all that time, her body responded more strongly than she was prepared for.

She was wound tight, too tight, and it was all too soon that the tension snapped, her back arching like a drawn bow as the world went white and she screamed into her hand.

Cove enjoyed watching Jamie writhe in the throes of her orgasm beneath him. He never tired of the sight of her absolutely overwhelmed with pleasure, knowing he was the one responsible for making her feel so good.

When Jamie finally fell slack onto the bed, boneless and panting for air, Cove withdrew his fingers from her. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before wiping his hands on his pants as he sat up, turning his focus back to his fiancée’s flushed face. “How are you feeling?”

Jamie blinked blurrily at Cove, still deliciously dazed. She noticed the smug bent to his smile, which told her he already knew the answer, and he was quite pleased with himself for it. That look was so damn sexy. “Wonderful,” she sighed as she gave him a tired smile of her own.

When Jamie reached for him, Cove was only all too eager to embrace her, lying down beside her on the bed. Though their chests pressed close, he tried to keep his hips at a slight distance so that she wouldn’t notice his arousal. He didn’t want to make her feel obligated to focus on his needs while she was still basking in the afterglow. He lightly stroked her back and just relished the fact that he was finally holding the woman he loved in his arms once again.

“I love you,” Jamie murmured before nuzzling into Cove’s neck. She heard his heartbeat pick up as it always did when she said those words, and her own pulse quickened when she heard him murmur in her ear in return.

“I love you, too,” Cove said, his voice growing thick with emotion. “I love you so much.”

They drew closer, their mouths meeting in soft, leisurely kisses. It didn’t take long for those kisses to grow hotter, deepening as their hunger for each other was far from saited.

Jamie slid her hand down along her fiancé’s chest before tugging upward on his shirt. Cove was quick to comply with her silent request, breaking their latest kiss only long enough to strip the offending garment and toss it aside before seizing her mouth with his once again.

Once again, Jamie trailed her hands down Cove’s chest, but she didn’t linger there long, quickly crossing the plane of his stomach to blindly seek out the buckle of his belt. That, too, Cove was quick to remove. He didn’t bother waiting for her to go after the next garment and just stripped off the rest of his clothes, leaving nothing left to separate them.

Cove failed to stifle a moan when Jamie gently took a hold of his hard manhood. She used only one hand, the one not restrained by the shackle, but she knew exactly how to touch him to make him shudder deliciously against her palm.

To his surprise, Jamie was already trying to guide him to her, silently urging him to enter her already. Usually, they took their time, but she was unexpectedly impatient tonight.

Cove took a hold of her shoulders gently, breaking apart from their current kiss to gaze deep into her heavy-lidded blue eyes. “J-Jamie?” his voice shook, husky with desire. He tried to think of how to phrase his concern, but words failed him.

Fortunately, Jamie caught the implication anyway from his hesitation. “Cove, please…,” she said, her voice soft and almost heartbreakingly needy. “Make love to me. I need you.”

There was no way Cove could turn down such a request. Although he was still concerned, he carefully adjusted their positions so that the tip of his manhood hovered just inches away from her entrance. She seemed wet enough from his earlier ministrations, but he touched her again with his fingers to be sure.

Jamie buried her face against Cove’s shoulder to muffle her moans as his fingers gently pumped in and out of her. First it was two fingers, but soon it was three stretching her out inside to prepare her for more. She felt so full, so hot, and so touched by how careful he was not to hurt her.

Despite how wonderful Cove made her feel with fingers alone, Jamie wanted more. Shakily, she touched his hard heat once again, trailing her fingers upward along the length until she could run her thumb across the tip, feeling his own wetness already leaking out.

Cove had to quickly bury his face in Jamie’s shoulder to stifle a cry against her skin. Her touch was electric, sending jolts of pleasure through his entire body. His hips instinctively rocked into her hand as she gently slid it down and then back up again, quickly settling into a familiar rhythm.

Jamie couldn’t help but smile at how strongly Cove was reacting to her touch. She wasn’t the only one who was especially sensitive right now, it seemed.

It took Cove a moment to compose himself, and he leaned in to murmur directly into her ear, his voice low and ragged. “J-Jamie… if you keep doing that… I… I’m not g-gonna last.”

Jamie felt a delicious shiver run through her at the way Cove sounded, so breathless and aroused, and how his breath caressed her ear. After a moment, she nodded as she reluctantly let go of his manhood and placed her hand on his hip instead. As much as she wanted to pleasure him, her body ached to feel him inside her far more.

Cove sighed in a mixture of relief and disappointment when Jamie stopped. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have complained if she continued. Sometimes during their lovemaking sessions, they were so focused on making each other feel good that they would exhaust themselves before they could indulge in penetrative sex. Still, he understood - after everything they had been through this past month, he couldn’t deny that he was dying to be inside her just as badly as she wanted him there.

It took a little time to adjust to the changes in their usual positions that Jamie’s transformed body necessitated. The angle Cove needed to take was different, and she had no legs to wrap around him, leaving him to do the straddling instead. The feeling of her scales, however fine, against his thighs was also strange, but she still felt warm, soft, and smooth and above all else this was Jamie.

No matter what Jamie looked like, no matter how her body changed and how they had to adjust to those changes, Cove could never lose sight of the fact that the woman lying underneath him right now was the most important person in his world.

Despite the way her body burned, Jamie couldn’t help but notice the awkwardness in the way Cove moved, all because of her body. It made her unpleasantly aware of the wrongness of this new form, of a body that she was supposedly born to have that was just not her. The tail was so stiff, so constricting compared to her legs. She hated it so much.

“Jamie?” Cove asked, noticing the frown that had formed on his fiancée’s face as her gaze grew distant. He paused to cup her cheek, drawing her attention back to him. “Are you okay?”

Jamie blinked then felt a pang of guilt for the unpleasant direction her mind had wandered when they were about to make love. “Sorry,” she mumbled as she reached up to place her hand over his. “I want to continue, really. I… I really need you right now. I really do. It’s just…” She pointedly directed her gaze down to the lower half of her body. “I just hate this… thing.”

Cove felt his heart go out to Jamie. He bent down to kiss her, soft and chaste despite the heat of arousal that throbbed between them. “I get it,” he said softly as their eyes met again. “We’ll find a way to fix this, I promise.”

Jamie lost herself in another kiss, this one longer but just as tender as the last. “Cove…,” she murmured against his lips.

Words failed Jamie. All she could do was try to silently convey all of the intense feelings swelling inside her heart with her eyes alone as she stroked the back of Cove’s hand with her thumb. She lost herself in his mesmerizing eyes of aquamarine that she had feared too many times that she might never see again.

Fortunately, Cove understood that Jamie wanted him to continue. After giving her just one more tender kiss, he returned his focus to their positioning. Carefully, so very carefully, he eased himself inside of her, making sure to move as slow as his body would allow. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, and although he hadn’t noticed any real difference inside her when exploring her with his mouth and fingers earlier, he didn’t want to risk misjudging just how much she could handle right now.

The pressure was heavenly. Jamie had to bite her lower lip to keep quiet as Cove slowly, deliciously filled her up inside. Despite the changes and all the things that were different and wrong, the feeling of his hard heat filling her to the hilt was exactly as wonderful as it was supposed to be. She struggled to keep her voice low as she moaned his name and wrapped her unbound arm behind his neck, pulling him closer.

Cove answered with a throaty groan of his own shaped around Jamie’s name. The exquisitely familiar tight heat wrapped around where he was most sensitive was almost too much. He wasn’t sure he could last long enough to make sure she came before he did.

A plan of action quickly took shape. Cove took care to balance his weight on one arm, freeing his other hand to reach between them, seeking out that little sensitive nub he knew drove Jamie crazy. He watched her blue eyes fly open wide as he touched her there while he slowly moved his hips.

The delicious friction both from within and without was almost too much for Jamie. She pulled Cove as close as she could so that she could bury her face in his shoulder to muffle the pleasured cries that fought to escape her. His thrusts were slow, delicate, but his fingers worked her in a faster rhythm, creating a contrast that made her squirm helplessly underneath him.

Cove struggled to keep his voice low as he murmured words of affection in Jamie’s ear, punctuated by ragged breaths and husky moans of her name. It felt so wonderful being inside her, the delicious heat of her body wrapped so tightly around him already so intense, but there was also the way she writhed against him, grinding their chests together. Although the noises she made were muffled, he could feel the vibration of her voice against his skin, each especially loud stifled cry letting him know exactly how good he made her feel.

What had changed didn’t matter - the only things that mattered were the pleasure and love they shared with one another. In that moment, they were able to forget everything else and lost themselves in each other.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #Mermaid AU #My Writing

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Mermaid Jamie POV Awakening

You know, it’s been a while since I posted any writing related to Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch Even longer since I posted anything to do with the Mermaid Jamie AU. Thanks to the encouragement of the lovely @Mesaku18 on twitter, I’ve started thinking about this AU again.

Also, let me point out this lovely piece of art she made of the scene of Jamie and Cove reuniting on the beach? I can’t stop gushing over it. It’s so pretty and she did a perfect job of capturing Step 3 Jamie’s look even without me making a finished drawing of her yet! I just love it so much!💖💖💖💖

Anyway, I stalled on continuing this series since it seemed to be growing to something bigger than I intended, but I’ve got a few ideas how I might tighten it to an overall shorter tale that satisfies me. It’ll probably wind up even spicier as a result, but hopefully that won’t be a ding against it. ;)

There’s quite a bit I wrote that I hadn’t posted because I was dissatisfied with it as a whole. After thinking about it though, I’ve come to the conclusion that if people can enjoy my rough drafts before they are tweaked, why not post some of the experimental stuff that falls to the cutting room floor?

This little bit of writing is my attempt at writing in second-person, similar to the game’s narrative. I used a small clip of this in the mock screenshots I posted a while back, but I figured you might find the full scene interesting to read. Second-person isn’t something I have much experience in, but it was interesting to give it a shot anyway.

...

You dreamt of swimming through an endless ocean. There was no surface and no indication of which way was up. Everything was an empty dark blue, and you could only swim.

But you knew it wasn’t really empty. Something, or rather many somethings, were in the dark water around you, hunting for you. You didn’t know how you knew they were, but you knew you had to get away.

You swam until you could no longer feel your legs, but you couldn’t stop. They were closing in on you, and when they caught you, a fate worse than anything would befall you. You knew this like you knew they were getting closer.

Something seized you by the wrist, and you screamed.

When you woke up it was with the scream still on your lips, coming out like a dying thing around thick air.

Wait, not air. Water.

Adrenaline allowed you to transition from the haze of sleep to an alert wakeful state almost instantly, and you were horrified to realize that part of your dream had come true.

You panicked.

Holding your breath, you made a blind swim upwards, your movements frantic and uncoordinated.

Your legs weren’t cooperating. They didn’t feel right or move as you wished them. They seemed stuck together somehow. You had to get them free of whatever restrained them.

That was when you discovered that you no longer had legs.

The thing attached to your hips was a tail - a fish’s tail. Pale skin transitioned below your waist into scales of various shades of blue that shimmered in the strange light of the place.

The way the tail thrashed about was almost a mockery of how you tried to move your legs.

The shock made you forget to keep holding your breath and precious air slipped from your lungs.

You covered your mouth in an instinctive but futile attempt to keep it inside. It was no use, your lungs demanded air and you breathed in salt water.

You knew what to expect from accidentally inhaling salt water from a lifetime of swimming in the ocean - the painful sting, the coughing fit, and the desperate need for air.

None of those things happened this time. If anything, your lungs were as relieved as if you had just taken a gulp of fresh air.

But you weren’t breathing in air. You were breathing in water. One breath, two, and then more proved it.

You focused on the tail that had replaced your legs.

It was insane, but there was only one conclusion your panic-addled mind could come to.

You had been transformed into a mermaid.

You were dreaming. You had to be. Even though you woke up and your heart was pounding too hard for this to still be asleep, there was no way this was real.

That was when you noticed the chain shackled to your left wrist.

The band was red, not as though it was painted or rusty, but the metal itself was a dark vibrant shade of red. It had strange glyphs etched into it and detailed metalwork. It might have been easy to mistake it for an eccentric bracelet if not for the chain attached.

There was no sign of a lock or a seam. There was nothing to indicate how the thing had been attached to your wrist, but you didn’t care how it happened. You just wanted it off.

That was when you felt the pressure of water brush against your back and the feeling of eyes on your skin that told you that you were no longer alone in this place.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #My Writing #My Art #Mermaid Jamie

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yukidragon · 2 years

Photo

Sometimes self-care is a super fast super rough self-indulgent sketch of your OTP.

You best believe I plan on working on this more when I’ve got the spoons for it.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Cove Holden #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #My Art

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yukidragon · 2 years

Photo

Remember the sleepover drawing I did of Cove and Jamie a while back? I had an idea for a funny follow up so I sketched it out.

I don’t think Cove was prepared to get his first kiss from Jamie during Step 1, even if it was on the cheek.

@gb-patch

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Cove Holden #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #My Art

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life Snippet - Closer

You know, I’m overdue for posting some more of my fan novelization for Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch. What say we continue the Step 2 moment Road Trip snippet I posted here? Jamie and Cove are still awkwardly trying to get closer to that line between friendship and something more. It’s so hard when you have a crush on your best friend isn’t it? It’s especially hard as a young teen.

As always, thank you to everyone who enjoys my writing and sends me such kind words, reblogs, and likes, particularly the lovely @gb-patch, as well as this game that inspires me so much. You are all so kind and encouraging to me whenever I post another teaser clip of this first draft.

...

“What do you like for another person, Jamie?” Cove asked, the words coming out so delicately it had been a wonder that he managed them.

It took Jamie a moment to register the question, and all she could think of was every detail about Cove - from his eyes to his hair to his face and physique and just… “Everything about you.”

The words slipped out of Jamie almost of their own accord, but she did nothing to take them back.

Cove gasped at the admission, his eyes widening in shock as his mouth fell open. There was no hint of tease to her tone, no trace of exaggeration. Her voice was as delicate and earnest as he had ever heard it. He went utterly still, unable to do anything but stare at Jamie as his face burned even hotter, his blush practically reaching all the way to his toes.

It was a lot to hear. Jamie knew that. She lost count of the amount of times she had called Cove cute, but this time felt different. It was as if she had come just one step short of an outright confession. She had overwhelmed him, but she couldn’t find it in herself to regret telling him the truth; she adored him.

Now they were both flirting with each other. More than that, now they both knew that they were flirting.

It was all too much for Cove. Once he could move again, tore his gaze away from Jamie and stared down at his lap where he wrung his hands together.

This was what he wanted. This response from her was exactly what he wanted.

Well, maybe not exactly, since mutual flirting didn’t necessarily mean that his feelings were being returned, and Cove certainly hadn’t actually said he had a crush on her, let alone just how deep his feelings for her were.

Still, despite getting a reaction from Jamie that was well beyond his expectations, Cove couldn’t calm down. He couldn’t speak either. He had never expected to get this far, and he had no idea where to go from here. He was utterly at a loss.

Jamie fared little better than Cove. She could only listen to the sound of her own rapid heartbeat echoing in her ears as she stared down at the floor, grinding the heel of her boot into the floor of the RV until it slipped halfway off her foot.

This was big. What had just happened between them was bigger than anything they had ever felt before. The silence that lingered between them wasn’t one of their comfortable moments of mutual companionship, but something tense like a wire that had been stretched nearly to its breaking point. Neither teen knew what to say to the other now, and the topic was dropped like a stone in the water, leaving behind ripples that affected both of them.

It wasn’t long before the parents returned to the RV. Cove and Jamie separated upon hearing their arrival and pretended to have been involved in anything but flirting with each other. Mercifully for them, the adults were preoccupied by their own conversation about the park and were too eager to rest their feet to notice anything amiss.

Elizabeth came out of the back room upon hearing the clamor of the parents’ return, and soon the tense atmosphere was replaced with one of pleasant chatter and games. Cove and Jamie were all too eager for the distraction. Things calmed between them, and they were able to return to their usual candor and engage in conversation with their families, but their gazes lingered on one another a little longer than usual.

Within the blink of an eye, it was already time for bed on their final night of the big combined family trip. Cliff was going to start the drive early in the morning, like he did on the first day, but everyone else would be free to keep sleeping.

This meant that everyone had to make their final rounds of checks to make sure that nothing would get left behind. Pamela had taken charge in making sure that everyone was confident that all their things were stored safely inside the RV before everyone went to their designated places to sleep.

Jamie made sure to go over her checklist twice and that every single zipper on her bag was closed securely. Only when she was sure that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the timeline incident did she feel confident enough to climb into the loft and hunker in for bed.

From such a lofty position, Jamie had a good view of the rest of the RV. She exchanged goodnights with her moms and sister as she watched them depart for the back room. The lights went out after Cove and his parents were situated on the floor and sofa, and another round of goodnights were passed around before things quieted down.

Jamie tucked away her glasses in its hard case and stuffed it safely in the far corner of the loft before she focused on making herself comfortable. Despite Elizabeth’s protests, the loft was actually pretty cozy; it wasn’t that much firmer than the mattress in the back room. She couldn’t help but chuckle a little, knowing that her sister was certainly going to have a few choice words about spending a night there sandwiched between their moms after complaining so much about not getting both nights in the back room.

Although Jamie knew she needed rest after such a long and tiring day, she found it hard to sleep. A million thoughts raced around in her head with no signs of slowing down any time soon.

This mini vacation had been a memorable adventure despite its brevity. So many things had happened, and now it was practically over. By this time tomorrow, she would be back home in her own bed.

Jamie both looked forward to returning home and felt regret that they were leaving so soon. It had been a nice break from the everyday, and there were so many more things the park had to offer that they couldn’t experience on this brief vacation. Maybe they could all come back again next year and try things that they had to pass over. That was probably being a bit too optimistic, but the idea put a smile on her face.

Still, as memorable as the park was, none of it compared to the talk Jamie and Cove had when they were alone in the RV. Just remembering it made her cheeks flush with heat.

Soft snores drifted over the silence, snapping Jamie out of her thoughts. She recognized them as belonging to Cliff and Kyra, telling her that both were fast asleep.

Jamie wondered if Cove was still awake. As much as thoughts of the trip with their families served as a distraction, it was the thoughts of him that kept her from sleeping.

Unable to help her curiosity, Jamie poked her head out from the edge of the loft, peering out into the dark. Things were a little fuzzy along the edges at a distance without her glasses, but her vision wasn’t so bad without them that she couldn’t see his seafoam green hair spread out over his sleeping bag in the hall. Somehow his eyes always stood out to her even in dim light, and she saw him staring up at the ceiling, wide awake.

Maybe Cove was still awake for the same reason she was.

The feeling of being watched drew Cove out of his head. Shaking off the millions of thoughts and emotions he had been sorting through, he turned to see Jamie peering out of the loft. Even in the dark without his glasses or contact lenses to aid him, he could somehow see her eyes looking at him clearly. It was strange how eyes that were such a dark shade of blue could sparkle so bright at night. It was one of the first things he ever noticed about her on the night they met and it never failed to mystify him.

Despite the poor lighting, Jamie noticed the crooked smile that Cove sent her way. She returned it with a bright grin of her own as she gave him a wave. He waved back, his smile growing a little.

An idea struck Jamie, and she was quick to turn her wave into a gesture for Cove to come over.

The unexpected beckoning caught Cove off guard. Still, he wasn’t about to ignore it, especially not when Jamie was smiling so excitedly at him. He took care to move slowly as he sat up, trying to minimize the rustling of his sleeping bag as he slipped out of it. Every time the bag crinkled or he breathed a little too loud, he froze like a deer hit with high beams. He watched his parents closely for any sign of movement as he gingerly made his way to his feet.

Making sure not to step on his dad was the hardest part. Cove had gotten his impressive height from Cliff, which meant that his father was blocking a good portion of the hallway. He had to lean against the wall and balance on the balls of his feet at times, but he managed to get past his dad. All of that practice balancing on his surfboard and the side of the Leimomi house had fortunately taught him to be nimble on his feet.

Once Cove reached the loft, he climbed up onto the bottom rung in order to be nearly eye to eye with Jamie. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again when he noticed the very familiar pink pajama shirt with brown seashell pattern that she was wearing. His eyebrows shot up and, for a moment, he could only stare at her in disbelief. “Is that my shirt?” he whispered, his tone incredulous.

Jamie grinned, feeling a thrill run through her at his reaction. She knew bringing this top was the right decision. “Of course. I always use the gifts you give me, you know,” she teased, careful to keep her voice in a whisper. “It’s my favorite pajamas. I wear it all the time.”

Heat bloomed in Cove’s cheeks. He knew that Jamie had kept his shirt, and he still vividly remembered the night when they went around town while she wore it, but he didn’t expect her to get so much use out of it. The idea that she enjoyed wearing his clothes - or rather what used to belong to him - left his heart fluttering. “Well, uh, okay. Thanks.”

Jamie feigned ignorance, trying also to ignore how her own cheeks warmed from seeing the effect wearing the shirt had on him. “For what?”

Cove had to look away, a goofy smile playing across his face. “I don’t know. Liking it, I guess…”

The teasing bent melted away from Jamie’s lips as her expression turned fond. Cove was just so sweet and adorable. She was glad she brought the shirt. She was definitely going to wear it again the next time they had a sleepover.

Cove closed his eyes, shaking his head a bit to clear it and refocus. When he was sure he had the butterflies in his stomach under control, he gave Jamie a curious look. “So… why did you call me?”

Jamie propped herself up on her forearms as she returned her focus to the original topic as well. “Do you want to come up?”

Cove’s eyes widened at the unexpected invitation, his pulse speeding up instantly. Quickly, he glanced back down the hall towards his parents to verify that they were still asleep. He waited a moment more just to be sure they hadn’t woken up before he turned back to Jamie. His heart pounded just a little bit faster as he looked into her night blue eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile shyly. “Okay.”

Jamie beamed at Cove and was quick to scooch back as far as she could to make room for him to join her. There hadn’t exactly been an excess of room up in the loft due to her size, and halving it with someone just as tall as her made for an even tighter fit. Still, they managed to squeeze in together, leaving barely any room to move.

The pair did their best to get comfortable in spite of the limited space the loft offered them. They each laid down on their sides facing each other, only a few scant inches separating them.

Out of habit, Cove got underneath the blanket with Jamie. Fortunately, there was an extra bunched up blanket for him to use as a pillow. He nestled an arm on top of the folded blanket for comfort, but the other one had nowhere to go, leaving him to rest it alongside his chest.

Jamie’s positioning was not that much different than Cove’s, though she had one arm tucked underneath her pillow instead of on top. She left her hair in a loose braid to keep it out of the way, and it now hung over her shoulder, the end of the braid coming to rest across the arm she had lying on the floor of the loft.

For a moment, the two teens just settled into the snug bed. However, it wasn’t long before their focus shifted from getting comfortable to each other.

Cove was the first to speak, his voice soft. “Um, what am I doing here?”

Jamie smiled in a mixture of impish glee and satisfaction. “You can sleep here instead of the floor.”

Cove’s eyes widened a bit, his eyebrows raising. Admittedly, he hadn’t given too much thought to Jamie’s invitation, as it had become a pretty regular thing for him to sneak into her bedroom, even at night. He hadn’t expected her to bring up the topic of their sleeping arrangements again. Heck, he never expected her to bring it up in the first place back at the start of the trip.

Surprise soon turned to fondness, and Cove couldn’t help but smile at Jamie. It was just like her to be so mindful of his comfort. It reminded him of their first sleepover, when he couldn’t sleep because of the strangeness of spending the night in an unfamiliar bedroom. It still touched him how she had chosen to sleep on a blanket on the floor instead of her cozy bed just to make him comfortable. Then, on their second sleepover, she already had a second sleeping bag ready and waiting for her to use alongside his.

Eventually, Cove managed to reassure Jamie that she could sleep in her own bed during their sleepovers at her house. Still, she wasn’t shy about letting him know that she was always open to sharing the floor with him.

“You’re still thinking about that?” Cove whispered, his voice and expression full of affection. “You don’t… have to worry that much, Jamie.” His gaze softened a little more. “But thanks.”

The smile Cove gave Jamie sent her heart racing. She would’ve happily slept outside in the middle of the woods in only her bathing suit for that smile. “It’s okay,” she said softly as she gave him a smile of her own in return.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #ourlifeba #Our Life #Cove Holden #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #My Writing

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life Mini Moment - Strawberries and Sugar

Since I’m finally off hiatus, I wanted to get back to posting some writings for Our Life: Beginnings & Always, because, yes, I am still obsessed with this fantastic game by @gb-patch (and I am still plugging to pester any of my followers who still haven’t played it to give it a shot because it’s so good and it’s base game is free!)

Ahem, pardon my gushing.

As I was saying... I didn’t really get much progress done on my fan novelization for the game during the hiatus, so no snippet of it posted today. Instead I wanted to share the little writing exercise I did to try and flex the ole writing muscles. I call it a mini moment, as it’s a little stand alone thing way too short to be an actual moment like in the game, and it doesn’t really fit into any of the steps. It’s also a rough first draft piece like the snippets, though this is probably not going to get polished later.

This little mini moment is set immediately after step 2. The prompt I gave myself is is flavored lip gloss.

...

Jamie took a seat beside Cove on the sofa, sending his heartbeat racing. Ever since they confessed to liking each other, he became so much more aware of his best friend than before. It wasn’t something he would have thought possible, but more and more little details jumped out at him about her. He fixated on her shoulder brushing against his as she slid in closer, how an errant strand of her deep blue hair hung over her night blue eyes. He got the urge to brush that hair aside, but held himself back, his fingers nervously tapping across his knees.

More details jumped out to him. Normally Jamie smelled of the ocean and flowers, but today Cove caught the scent of sweet strawberries on top of that. He also became very aware of the smile curving her lips that had been painted pink in either lipstick or lip balm.

The previous times they kissed, Jamie wasn’t wearing any makeup, and suddenly Cove found himself wondering what it would feel like if they kissed now.

At realizing the direction his thoughts were going and where he had been staring, Cove creakily wrenched his head away, staring down at his feet as he clutched his knees tightly. He could hear his heartbeat pounding hard in his ears, and he swallowed hard to alleviate the sudden dryness of his throat as he tried to muster up his courage despite his shaky nerves.

It wasn’t the first time Cove had to work up the nerve to ask if Jamie wanted to kiss - after all, it was what led to their memorable first one - but their change in relationship was still so new and intimidating to him. He lost count of how many times he had the urge to kiss Jamie that he fretfully chased away with a wave of guilt.

Now they were… well, technically not official, unfortunately. Even though their families knew what was going on between them - much to Cove’s mortification - Jamie’s parents wanted them to wait at least two more years until they could be an official couple. Even still, it certainly felt like their relationship was different even if the label wasn’t, especially during moments like this when they were alone together.

“Hey, Cove,” Jamie said, startling Cove out of his thoughts. “Would you mind helping me out with something?”

Cove snapped his head up to look at Jamie, his cheeks warm. “Huh? Oh, sure,” he said, internally wincing at the way his voice cracked as he spoke.

“Close your eyes for a second, okay?” Jamie requested, her voice going soft at the end. Her cheeks had taken on a shade of pink not unlike the one Cove sported.

Cove blinked, but did as he was told without question.

For a moment there was quiet, then a soft warmth that Cove was rapidly growing familiar with brushed against his lips, tasting strongly of strawberries and sugar. The unexpected kiss jolted through his senses like lightning, but he froze in place, not even daring to breathe until it ended.

Jamie felt her insides somersault from the kiss, savoring the softness of Cove’s lips, so unlike the tension that usually came when he was expecting it. A thrill ran through her as she lost herself in the feelings, so exciting they were almost overwhelming, until she remembered they needed to breathe. Reluctantly, she straightened up to end the kiss, a quiet sigh escaping her once she caught her breath. Her eyes opened at the same time as her not-technically-official boyfriend’s, and she smiled in satisfaction seeing the dazed look in his wide ocean blue eyes. He stammered adorably, but it was nothing remotely coherent.

“Was…,” Cove eventually squeaked out. He cleared his throat and tried again, sounding a little more normal this time. “Was that what you needed my… ah, help with?” A jolt of panic shot through him that the question might be taken wrong, and his hands raised, nervously fluttering in front of him. “Not that I minded it or anything! The kiss I mean, or, well, helping you with anything. I don’t mind kissing, er, no, wait, I mean I don’t just don’t mind it, I want to k-kiss you whenever you want to too… a-and I… uh… ah…”

Finally, Cove managed to stop his embarrassed rambling, his voice trailing off into nothing on an awkward note. His face burned with mortification, knowing that he looked like an idiot right now, and in front of Jamie no less!

Jamie smiled tenderly, her heart swelling with affection. His reaction to her little surprise was absolutely precious. “Yeah.” A teasing bent came to her smile. “I wanted to know if you liked the flavor of my new lip gloss.”

Cove blinked once, twice, and then a third time. “O-oh. Well, I, uh…” He faltered for a moment as he suddenly grew more aware of the sugary strawberry flavor lingering on his lips. The taste of it reminded him vividly of the kiss they just shared, causing his blush to spread all the way to his ears.

Jamie didn’t expect a real answer right away. The question and even her choice of flavored lip gloss that day had just been an excuse to kiss Cove. Having the freedom to finally kiss her best friend and long-time crush was simply thrilling and wonderful.

“Can…,” Cove managed to say after a moment, his voice shaking with nerves. He paused to wet his lips, getting a fresh taste of strawberries and sugar. “Can I try it again?” He felt his pulse quicken as he watched Jamie’s eyes widen. “I don’t think I got a good enough… t-taste before.”

The last two words came out in a timid squeak and Cove marveled at the fact that he managed to speak them at all.

The sudden display of boldness from Cove caught Jamie off-guard, but when she recovered from her surprise, a smile graced her painted lips, though it came out a bit more shy than she intended. “Of course.”

The young teens shared a second kiss flavored with strawberries and sugar, this one lingering longer than the last. A third followed for ‘just one more taste,’ which then flowed into a fourth without any excuses to mask their mutual desire to enjoy this new and exciting development in their relationship.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #My Writing

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life Snippet - Found and Lost

I just realized it’s been a month since I posted a slice of first draft writing of my fan novelization for Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch. That simply cannot do, so let’s jump back into the Step 1 moment Shopping, but a bit earlier than the last scene I posted.

I’m mostly focusing on the Step 1 moments for the novelization at this time because, well, past events are going to affect future ones, especially when I add new moments into the mix. Not that I’m not gonna occasionally post bits of Step 2 or Step 3 for others to enjoy as I go. It’s hard to resist writing Jamie flirting with Cove after all. ;3

As always, thank you to everyone who enjoys my work and gives me such lovely feedback with likes, reblogs, and comments. You’re all so lovely and encouraging. An extra special thank you as well to @gb-patch for making this wonderful game that inspired me in the first place.

...

It was a nice day out, with few clouds lazily drifting by in the sky. Although the summer sun shined bright, the cool winds that blew in from the ocean kept it from being too hot.

When the two children traveled past the sidewalk and reached the beach, Cove strayed towards the gentle tide creeping up the sand. Now that they were here, his eyes couldn’t help but wander.

Jamie admired just how sparkling blue the ocean was today, and she took in a deep breath to savor the scent of the salty sea air. She turned to her side, intending to make a comment about it to Cove, when she noticed that he had started to lag behind her. She slowed to a near stop to wait for him, confused as to why he would suddenly start dragging his feet.

Cove didn’t seem upset about something; he appeared to be looking for something.

The reason why immediately struck Jamie. “Are you looking for shells?”

The question startled Cove, and he snapped his head up to look at Jamie before turning away. “Sort of…,” he mumbled.

The truth was that Cove hadn’t been searching for shells, or anything in particular really. He simply wouldn’t complain if he happened to find something interesting despite the fact that this beach wasn’t as nice as the beach near his real home.

Cove glanced back up at Jamie shyly. “If you see any, you can let me know.”

“Okay,” Jamie said brightly. Immediately, she turned her gaze down to the sand, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of shells or anything else interesting. She was the absolute best at finding hidden treasure, and she always found something cool every time she visited the beach. She was confident that she would spot something awesome for Cove to add to his collection.

Maybe, if Jamie was lucky, she could find him a conch like hers. It was probably still too soon for her to try giving her best shell to Cove again, but she was sure that he would be thrilled if she found him another one just like it while they were at the beach together.

The familiar comforting sound of waves filled the silence that settled between them. Jamie enjoyed how it paired with their footsteps pleasantly as they made their way along. Although she kept her attention focused on her task of shell hunting, she decided to play a little game with herself as she walked. She skirted as close to the waves as she could without getting wet.

Although Cove kept his eyes mostly focused on the ground, he couldn’t help but glance at Jamie periodically. She kept wandering close to the water, only to race back up the sand quickly whenever a wave rushed in towards her. If she wanted to avoid getting wet, she probably should’ve kept further away from the water like he was. However, when he noticed the way she was smiling excitedly every time she successfully avoided another wave coming at her, he quickly figured out what she was doing.

Jamie always seemed to have so much energy and enthusiasm, finding a way to make anything fun. Cove had never met a kid like her before.

After making another successful escape from the clutches of the waves, Jamie wandered her way back to Cove’s side. She smiled at him when their eyes met. “What do you usually do at the beach?”

Cove couldn’t help but smile back - somehow, it was just the natural thing to do when Jamie smiled at him. “Lots of things,” he said. “I like bodyboarding and volleyball and surfing and everything and stuff.”

Jamie stared at Cove with wide eyes. “Wow…,” she breathed in awe. The prospect of standing or even lying down on a big board while the waves propelled it to shore was mystifying to her. The fact that Cove had actually done it before was so cool that she was almost jealous. “I’m not allowed to surf.” A sigh escaped her as her shoulders slumped a little. Her moms insisted that she had to be ‘a little older’ before she could try it. “It looks hard.”

“Not once you get the hang of it,” Cove said. “I could show you, sometime.”

Jamie lit up at the offer, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Really? Thanks, Cove!”

As pleased as Cove was by Jamie’s enthusiasm, such pleasant feelings faded with the reminder of things he wanted to do, but he couldn’t. He let out a sigh as he glared down at his bright pink cast. “But I’m also not allowed to surf right now ‘cause I have this.” He raised the injured arm for emphasis.

“Yeah…,” Jamie said softly. She understood how frustrated he must’ve felt right now; she still remembered how many things she hadn’t been allowed to do when she wore a cast of her own.

Still, despite the lingering disappointment towards being barred from the ocean, Cove gave Jamie a smile to let her know he was okay. She smiled back, thinking that his nonchalant attitude towards the injury was pretty brave.

“I also like collecting stuff that’s on the shore,” Cove said. “Shells, sand dollars… I found a shark tooth once.”

Jamie’s eyes flew open wide. “You did?!”

Cove stretched out his forefinger and thumb to approximate the length. “It was this long.”

Jamie couldn’t help but imagine it; the image was somehow both scary and delightful. “No way!”

Cove’s smile widened. It felt good knowing that he impressed Jamie. “I mean it. I still have it under my bed.”

“You gotta show me sometime!” Jamie gushed.

“Okay,” Cove said, brightening at the prospect.

Jamie bounced on the balls of her feet again, excited by the promise. She wondered if Cove might show off the rest of his collection of treasures like she did for him.

“What about you?” Cove asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you do out here?”

“I like swimming,” Jamie answered without hesitation as she threw her arms out to her sides.

“Me too,” Cove said, a small smile curling on his lips.

Jamie scanned the waves with a fond look. It occurred to her then that she hadn’t been swimming in a while. She would have to remedy that soon; she had to make the most of summer vacation before school came back to suck up all the time that she could be spending having fun.

Just as she started to open her mouth to talk about what else she liked about the beach, she shut it again just as quickly. She froze, eyes narrowing as she stared intensely at the surf.

Before Cove could react, Jamie bolted towards the water. She waited for the wave to recede before following the tide out. At first, he wondered if she decided to abandon the conversation to return to her earlier game, when he saw her reach down into the water.

Jamie let out a triumphant cry as she raised her fist into the air, followed by a squeak as a wave came at her, forcing her to race back to higher ground. She didn’t escape entirely unscathed, as her legs got soaked up to her calves, but she flashed Cove a wide grin.

Cove tilted his head slightly, only able to make a small sound of confusion.

Jamie hurried back to Cove’s side and held out her hand, uncurling it to reveal a cockle shell. It was sandy and wet, but it was a lovely shade of green that glittered in the light. “What do you think about this shell? It looks pretty cool, right?”

For a moment, Cove could only stare at the offering. When the surprise melted away, he smiled shyly at Jamie, feeling weird in a way that he couldn’t put words to. Tentatively, he accepted the shell, since he did ask for her help in finding anything interesting like it earlier, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to get it himself without risking getting his cast wet. “Yeah, it does. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Jamie beamed as she puffed out her chest with pride.

The pleasant atmosphere between the two friends buoyed them along until they finally reached the shopping district. The noise level grew exponentially upon their arrival. It was no longer just waves and footsteps on sand, but also the chatter of people enjoying the lovely summer day, the call of birds as they swooped down for bits of food left behind, and salespeople trying to catch the attention of the countless shoppers milling about.

Jamie wasn’t much of a fan of how noisy it sometimes was in the shopping district, or how crowded it could get, but she loved the smells, the energy of the place, and all the things there were to do and see. As she walked alongside Cove down the street, there was a bounce to her step, and she breathed deep, catching the pleasant scents of tasty food like pretzels, pizza, and hot doughnuts.

There was just so much to do that Jamie didn’t know where to begin! She turned to Cove and smiled, hoping that he was just as excited as she was.

As Cove expected, the shopping area was different than it should have been. All the stores were open to the outside, and there were many carts filled with food or trinkets, their vendors vying for the attention of the tourists that wandered about. Many of the people walking up and down the streets didn’t even bother changing out of their bathing suits to go shopping.

It was nothing like back home.

Jamie tilted her head as she watched Cove scan one side of the street to the other as they walked along. She couldn’t quite work out the look on his face. “What did you want to go to the shops for?”

Cove snapped out of his gloomy thoughts and longing for home to return his attention to Jamie. “I need a new sand pail.”

“Yeah?” Jamie asked curiously. “What happened to your old one?”

Cove considered the question with narrowed eyes. “Well…,” he said after a long moment. “…It disappeared.”

Jamie blinked, surprised. “What? Really?”

Cove ducked his head down for a moment, lacing his fingers behind his back, before he turned his gaze to the shops.

Jamie waited until she was sure that Cove wasn’t going to continue without further prompting. Gently, she nudged his uncasted arm with her elbow to bring his attention back to her. “How did that happen?”

“Well…,” Cove said reluctantly. He hesitated, opening his mouth again before shutting it. A thoughtful hum escaped him as he considered exactly what he wanted to say. It was a long moment before he finally spoke again. “I took it to the beach one day…”

After another prolonged moment of silence, Jamie decided to gently prod the conversation along again. “Uh huh?”

“When I got home, it wasn’t anywhere,” Cove finally said.

Jamie stared at Cove, dumbfounded by the anticlimactic end to his story after so much build up. “You left it there?”

“Nope,” Cove said as he fought the urge to smile. “It wasn’t at the beach when I went back.”

Jamie let out a huff. “Then you lost it!”

Cove had to look away to hide the smile that tugged at his lips despite his efforts to suppress it. The way Jamie pouted at him with her cheeks puffed up like a hamster was so funny that it was hard not to laugh. “It disappeared.”

Jamie could only shake her head at that. Before she could consider whether to continue or drop the conversation, she noticed Cove staring further down the path with a curious look on his face.

“What’s that?” Cove asked as he pointed out what caught his attention. Further down the street, a large crowd of people had gathered. Near them were a few tables with large, colorful umbrellas blooming from their middles.

Jamie squinted, but she couldn’t see past the adults to whatever had captured their attention. Still, it was obvious that it had to be something interesting. Without another word, the pair hurried off to get to the bottom of the commotion.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #ourlifeba #Our Life #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #My Writing

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life Snippet - Playing Nice

I’m trying to start the new year off right by getting more written for my fan novelization of Our Life: Beginnings & Always by @gb-patch. This short segment of my first draft comes from the Step 1 moment - Grown Up.

One of the fun parts writing out scenes from the game in third person perspective is being able to dip more into the character’s thoughts and feelings, especially during more emotionally charged moments like a fight.

Poor Jamie. It must be rough being stuck in the middle between your sister and new friend when they get along like oil and water.

Thanks as always to everyone who reads, enjoys, and gives me such lovely feedback on my work. You really help keep me motivated!

...

It was a sweltering summer day, the type of day when the air conditioning barely seemed to be doing its job to keep things from getting too warm and kids were forbidden from playing outside by their parents. Jamie lay sprawled out on the living room rug, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling as she tried to come up with something they could do now that it was too hot to play pretend with her fuzzy stuffed animals. The heat didn’t help her come up with anything, and neither did the noisy birds that were chattering away outside the window, completely unaffected by the heat, unlike the children.

Cove sat by Jamie, leaning his head back against the cushions of the sofa. His dad had dropped him off earlier in the day, before it started getting too hot to think of what to do. Her parents had left them to play on their own, which unfortunately included Lizzie.

Although Cove had hit it off with Jamie almost instantly, it was a completely different story when it came to her older sister. It was so strange how different the two siblings were. While they were both energetic and loved to play, Jamie always checked to make sure that he was interested in whatever activity she came up with and was eager to hear about what he liked and wanted to do.

Lizzie, on the other hand, did not.

It seemed as though it didn’t matter if whatever Lizzie wanted to do sounded like an awful idea - she was going to do it anyway and anyone who didn’t join her would either get bossed around until they did or yelled at to go away, and that included her little sister.

It was annoying, and the more time Cove spent with Lizzie, the less he wanted to be around her. It was bad enough when adults bossed them around just because they were older without a kid only two years older trying to be even bossier than all of their parents combined.

Unfortunately, there was no avoiding Lizzie now. They couldn’t go to the park to play, or to the beach, and there was no Shiloh to draw her attention away. Not that Cove was eager to play with the other boy, but at least when Shiloh was there Lizzie had someone to boss around that wasn’t him or Jamie.

Cove still didn’t know what to make of Shiloh. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could enjoy being bossed around at all, let alone as much as Shiloh did.

Lizzie let out a frustrated noise from her seat on the sofa, feeling antsy from being cooped up inside all day and from the silence that had settled in as the three of them struggled to come up with an idea of what to play next. Her golf class that evening couldn’t come soon enough, as far as she was concerned - she was dying of boredom!

The thought of golfing set off a spark of inspiration that lit up Lizzie’s big brown eyes. She hopped off the sofa with a wide smile stretched across her face as a fresh wave of energy washed over her. She stood proud as she turned to Jamie and Cove, while the younger kids stared at her, confused by her sudden burst of activity.

“Since we’re stuck inside, we should be adults,” Lizzie announced grandly as she cocked her hands on her hips. “They don’t play outdoors anyways. They’re always inside and telling everybody they’re too busy to play.”

Jamie sat up, her brow furrowing as she considered the idea seriously. Cove just raised an eyebrow at Lizzie.

“Why?” he asked simply.

Lizzie gave Cove a deadpan expression. Of course he would question her brilliant idea. Why couldn’t her new neighbor be Shiloh? Her freckled friend was a whole lot more fun than this stick in the mud. “I said why. And it’ll be fun. Duh.” She made sure to add extra emphasis to the final word as she folded her arms in front of her to make sure Cove understood how completely he missed the obvious.

The answer wasn’t good enough for Cove, and Lizzie’s attitude rubbed him the wrong way. His brow pinched as his mouth twisted into a frown. “What do they do inside that we don’t? Besides use the phone a lot.”

Lizzie huffed in exasperation. Cove was so dense! How could he not get it even after she explained it to him? She decided to ignore his question and turned to Jamie instead, optimistic that at least her little sister would see the obvious brilliance of her idea. “Jamie, what do you think? Do you want to?”

Jamie let out a quiet hum to let her big sister know that she was still thinking about it as she idly twisted strands of her hair between her fingers. Cove had a good point - the stuff grownups did at home were pretty much the same thing they all did - work on chores, eat dinner, play board games, watch TV… The stuff that was only for adults were things that didn’t seem like fun, like cutting food with the really sharp knives, sitting or standing around in one place for a long time, or typing up a bazillion lines of code like Mom did all the time in her office.

Maybe they could pretend to be grownups who were secretly magicians in disguise or spies or…

Jamie cut off that train of thought when she noticed the signs of Lizzie growing impatient, and hurried to say something before her sister got mad at her. “I don’t know… Maybe we cou-”

“Pleaseeeee, Jamie?” Lizzie pleaded, cutting off whatever else the blue-haired girl was going to say. She clasped her hands together and gave Jamie her best puppy dog eyes, knowing that they never failed to win her little sister over. “When have I ever had a bad idea?”

Cove felt his irritation growing. Not only did Lizzie not answer his perfectly reasonable questions, but she was pushing Jamie around again. She didn’t even listen to everything Jamie wanted to say! “Whenever we play with you,” he retorted.

Lizzie scowled at Cove, and he had to look away from the full force of her glare. “I wasn’t asking you!”

Jamie climbed to her feet before holding her hands up in a placating gesture, hoping to prevent a fight from breaking out between the two. “I bet we could come up with something else,” she suggested. What was important was that they played a game that would make everyone happy, after all.

Lizzie stared at Jamie in shock, stunned that the puppy dog pout didn’t work. It must have gotten ruined by Cove butting in so rudely. She sulked, letting out a huff as she folded her arms over her chest. “But that’s what I’m going to do, and it’s not fun when I play pretend adults by myself.”

Cove looked at Lizzie funny as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you do that a lot?”

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at Cove. “What’s it to you?!”

Although Lizzie was being irritating about it, Cove thought he could understand where she was coming from. They were the only kids in all of Sunset Bird. If he and Jamie went off to play a different game by themselves, she would have no one to play with. The thought prickled him with guilt and left him feeling torn.

A sigh escaped Cove, his shoulders slumping as he accepted his fate to play a boring game with a bossy older kid, and he slowly stood up as well. “Fine, I’ll play,” he muttered. He then turned to Jamie, worried that she might decide to leave him alone with Lizzie. “Do you really not wanna play, Jamie?”

Jamie read the guilt and reluctance easily on Cove’s face, and she could relate, as she felt the same way he did. “Okay, okay, I’ll play.” She relaxed a little as she saw relief wash over Cove’s face while Lizzie lit up, ecstatic. “I hope this is as fun as you’re promising it’ll be.”

Lizzie took that as a challenge, and she looked intensely at her little sister, her expression deadly serious. “It’s the most exciting idea I’ve had all week.”

Jamie and Cove glanced at each other. Neither of them were so sure about that.

Lizzie didn’t even notice as she took a moment to consider her options, satisfied that neither of them were about to bail on her now.

It took just a few seconds for Lizzie to turn her already brilliant idea into a genius one. She clapped her hands together to get the younger kids’ attention and beamed at them. “Okay!” she announced grandly. “I’m gonna be a professional golfer. Jamie, you and Cove can be…”

She paused for a moment more before seizing on the first few thoughts that popped into her mind. “A beach volleyball player, a gymnast, or a tennis player!”

Cove let out a noise at the back of his throat as he raised an eyebrow at Lizzie. “Why can’t we pick anything we want?”

Lizzie wasn’t fazed by Cove’s questions this time and wagged a finger at him. “Because I have a fun idea, that’s why.”

Cove wasn’t satisfied by that answer. He also found it annoying that Lizzie would keep brushing off his questions like that. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that she would just get angry with him again if he said as much. “And we have to play sports as adults?”

Lizzie grinned. Now Cove was finally getting it. “Yep!”

Cove was still resistant to the idea, chafing at how limiting it was. “But there’s other kinds of sports, too.”

“It isn’t the same,” Lizzie said with a scowl, starting to get annoyed by Cove’s constant questions. She turned to her little sister, hopeful that Jamie at least would see reason. “What do you think, Jamie? Don’t those choices sound super cool? You wanna be that, huh?”

Jamie knew her sister well enough to tell that she and Cove weren’t going to get any other options to choose from. She bit back the urge to sigh and offered Lizzie a small smile and a nod instead. “Sure, those could be fun.”

Lizzie lit up, delighted by her little sister’s agreement. After what happened before with the puppy dog pout, she expected Jamie might refuse again because of how stubborn Cove was being, so this was a pleasant surprise, leaving her beaming. “Oh yeah!” she cheered, pumping her fist in the air. She then turned her focus back to Jamie. “Which one sounds the best to you?”

Jamie had barely begun to open her mouth before Lizzie cut her off.

“Out of my list, still,” the orange-haired girl added before her little sister could suggest any changes like before. She had a brilliant plan after all, and brilliant plans didn’t need any changes.

Cove folded his arms across his chest as he looked away. He was starting to regret agreeing to this game at all. Lizzie’s attitude was just so frustrating. Even when she was getting her way, she was still pushing them around. It was as if what they wanted didn’t matter to her at all.

Jamie noticed the way Cove sulked. It was obvious to her that he didn’t care for any of this, but he had given up on resisting for now. She felt bad that he wasn’t having fun, but hopefully that would change if this game Lizzie wanted to play was even half as good as her big sister promised.

With that thought in mind, Jamie considered her options - beach volleyball, gymnastics, or tennis. They were all fine, she supposed, though she couldn’t say that she ever felt interested in playing them as an adult, at least not as a professional like Lizzie wanted to do with golf. She was more interested in becoming a rockstar or a treasure hunter or something else cool like that.

Unfortunately, none of those were options. Jamie had to play by her sister’s rules. If she had to go with one of those three choices, then she was going to pick the one that had at least one part that appealed to her - the beach.

If Jamie couldn’t play at the beach for real, then she would at least pretend that she was there. Volleyball was pretty fun too. Mommy liked to play it with them sometimes when they would all go to the beach together. Maybe she could put on her swimsuit to make the game of pretend even more realistic.

Jamie immediately discarded that thought. There was no way Lizzie was going to let her run off to her room now that she had agreed to play the game, not even to get dressed up for the part.

“Okay,” Jamie said with a decisive nod. “I’m gonna be a volleyball player.”

“Alright!” Lizzie shouted as she pumped her arms up into the air. Finally they were getting somewhere.

With one victory under her belt, Lizzie turned to Cove expectantly. “What about you, Cove?”

Although Cove had been resistant to the choices Lizzie gave, being a beach volleyball player was the only sport that really interested him. He felt funny about Jamie choosing it before he could, but in a good way that sort of tickled him inside. The feeling got stronger when Jamie turned to look at him, and he had to look away from her, staring down at his feet instead. Maybe this game could be fun after all. “I’ll be a volleyball player with Jamie,” he said softly, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

Jamie lit up at the suggestion, and she smiled brightly at him. Her reaction only served to make Cove’s funny feeling stronger when he noticed, and he started to unthinkingly shift in place as he felt a little warmer.

Just like that, frustration swept away Lizzie’s fun, and Cove was to blame. She turned to him as she threw her arms into the air as she let out an annoyed huff. “You guys can’t be the same thing!” she shouted. “That’s not how this works!”

Seriously? Cove glared at Lizzie, his warm funny feelings fading under the chill of annoyance. He finally found something to like about her stupid game, and she was yelling at him for it? It was like she didn’t even want anyone to have fun playing it except herself. “You didn’t say that,” he snapped. “The rule was picking from the list. You can’t keep adding more.”

Lizzie grunted at the argument and turned to Jamie, but her little sister spoke up before she could list any of the many reasons why it was a dumb idea.

“Cove’s right, that’s not fair,” Jamie said, frowning. “I wanna be a volleyball player with Cove.”

Cove felt his annoyance fade a little, and he smiled just the tiniest bit at Jamie, happy that she felt the same way as him.

Lizzie looked between the two younger kids and their united front of resistance before she shook her head. She resigned herself to lose this battle, but not the war. “Fine,” she said, huffing out the word. “You’re both volleyball players, but you’re on the same team because there’s only one.”

With that, Lizzie rallied her earlier excitement for her grand idea. She stretched her arms wide with a flourish, her ponytail bobbing from her enthusiastic movements. “The Olympic team!”

Cove blinked at that. “What?”

“We’re Olympic athletes who just competed in the Olympics!” Lizzie announced with a beaming smile. Judging from the way the other two stared at her, her idea must have completely blown them away with its brilliance.

Jamie blinked then tilted her head slightly as she considered the idea. Okay, being Olympic athletes sounded a little more interesting than just playing sports. Maybe her sister had something cool in mind for them after all.

Cove, however, wasn’t impressed in the slightest. He readjusted his glasses, as they slid a little low on his nose, and scrunched his face at Lizzie. “That’s really specific…”

Lizzie folded her arms in front of her chest. “Uh, that’s what makes it fun,” she said, giving Cove a look that she was sure would tell him just how dumb he was being. “Anyway…”

She started to march back and forth in front of the younger kids as she allowed herself to get swept away by her grand idea. In her mind’s eye, she could see herself in the Olympic stadium, surrounded by countless fans all cheering her name. “I won all the gold medals and people are calling me the next Mickey Wright,” she announced proudly.

Cove blinked, quickly growing lost. “Who’s that?”

Lizzie stopped instantly as Cove’s rudeness, once again, put a halt to her grand plan. She whipped around to glare at him, her brown eyes sparking with impatience. “It doesn’t matter if you know who she is!” she huffed. “It’s a golf thing.”

With Cove properly chastised for being annoying, Lizzie went back to painting the scene so that they could all imagine what she was. “You guys won medals too,” she said, a smile slowly returning to her face. “Your team placed at silver. It’s more real if we’re not all first place.”

As much as Jamie wanted to avoid conflict, the remark caused her to bristle from the unfairness of that decision. “Hey!” she pouted as she stamped her foot on the floor. “We can do better than silver!”

Cove scowled, feeling just as slighted. “Jamie’s right.”

Despite the fact that the other two were once again united against her, Lizzie didn’t let their poor attitudes get her down this time. “Sorry,” she said with a smirk. “Lots of people lose at the Olympics. Them’s the breaks.”

Cove folded his arms in front of his chest as he let out a displeased huff of air. “Then you’re the one who did, not us.”

Lizzie’s jaw dropped as she stared at Cove with wide, round eyes. How could he say that? As if she could get anything less than gold for golf! “No way!” she shouted. “It wouldn’t make sense. I’m already practicing my golf game.”

With that, Lizzie went into a golfing stance, demonstrating her perfect starting position, just as her instructor praised her for. She could easily picture the driver in her hands as she swung it at an invisible ball that she imagined went sailing through the window all the way out into the ocean.

Lizzie stood proud before the little kids as they stared at her in silence, her smile wide. She sure showed them.

“So what kind of house do you want to live in?” Lizzie asked, deciding to move things along now that Cove and Jamie understood that she deserved the gold.

Cove didn’t look at Lizzie, scowling at the floor instead. He hadn’t changed his mind about winning, but he didn’t see any point arguing with someone who just never listened or cared what he thought.

How in the world were Lizzie and Jamie supposed to be sisters? Weren’t siblings supposed to be similar to each other? At least, that’s what he always thought. Obviously, he knew now that wasn’t true at all.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #Elizabeth Last #My Writing

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yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life Snippet - Surprise Concert

Time for another snippet of the first draft for my fan novelization of Our Life: Beginnings & Always! We’re back in Step 1 again, but this time it’s a continuation of the original moment I started working on here. I’m thinking of titling this moment Saturday.

To a couple ocean loving kids like Cove and Jamie, a trip to the aquarium would be the obvious fun activity to do on a Saturday. However, as we’ve seen in the previous part, nothing is ever straightforward when you’re a little kid, is it? Maybe they’ll have better luck with a concert instead.

Thanks as always to @gb-patch, my followers, and everyone else who encourages me to keep writing. It makes me happy that so many people enjoy me expanding on the story about this perfectly precious pairing.

...

Jamie had a good time at the guitar lesson as she always did. Mx. Morgan was as nice and friendly as ever, and their praise for how much her playing was improving made her so happy. Playing her guitar was always so much fun, and whenever she played, it felt like the world disappeared for a while.

It should have been a fantastic morning, but Jamie couldn’t stop thinking about Cove and the aquarium.

Jamie found it confusing that it was still bothering her. She was good at not letting missing out on fun things leave her feeling sad for long. Even if it was something big like not getting an invite to a classmate’s birthday party or not being allowed to play with the group, she could always forget about missing out if she tried hard enough. There was no end to other fun things she could do after all, like searching for treasure, making up new games, reading a story, or playing her guitar.

Maybe it was the errands Jamie had to run with Pamela afterwards that made it impossible for her to forget the aquarium trip with her new neighbors, even though they weren’t anything out of the ordinary. Going to the city was an out of the way trip, so she would always help her mom run errands before they went home for lunch. Normally she didn’t mind too much, since she was helping out, which was important, but today the errands felt like twice as much of a chore.

Although Jamie tried her best not to focus on feeling disappointed, it didn’t go unnoticed by Pamela. The blue-haired girl tried her best to be cheerful for her mom’s sake, but she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering elsewhere. She barely managed to engage in the usual conversation on the car ride home, giving only short answers to gentle prompting from her mom as she spent the entire time staring wistfully out the window at the ocean in the distance while twisting one of her pigtails in her hands.

As they returned to the neighborhood, Pamela spotted the Holdens’ car in their driveway. “Oh, hey, it looks like the Holdens are back from the aquarium,” she said as she glanced at Jamie in the rearview mirror. She chuckled as her daughter instantly perked up, swiveling her head in the direction of the Holden house. “Tell you what, how about we give them a call and find out for sure? Maybe see if Cove can come over for a playdate?”

“Yeah!” Jamie said cheerfully. Even if she didn’t get to go to the aquarium, that was fine as long as she got to play with Cove. She was looking forward to hearing all about what his trip was like.

The enthusiasm Jamie had earlier for her trip to the aquarium turned into a barely contained impatience to see Cove. She squirmed in her seat until the car was parked and she could get out. Her eyes kept straying across the street even as she tried hard not to rush her mom retrieving her guitar in its case from the trunk.

Pamela let out a wry chuckle as they made their way to the house. “You’re really that excited to hear all about the aquarium, huh?”

“Uh huh!” Jamie said with a vigorous nod as she hurried alongside her mom. Already she had thoughts of what she wanted to do when Cove came over; not only could they talk about his trip to the aquarium, but she could play her guitar for him. They could both show off what interesting things they did that day.

“Okay then,” Pamela said after opening the door. “How about you take your guitar back to your room while I make the call?”

“Okay, Mom!” Jamie said, eagerly accepting the guitar from Pamela. The case made it a bit larger and more unwieldy, but she was used to carrying its heft by this point. She practically ran towards the stairs until she heard her mom shout after her to slow down, which she did immediately despite her eagerness.

When upstairs, Jamie picked up the pace unthinkingly, wanting to get her task done as soon as possible. However, she wound up rounding the corner at the same time that Lizzie was heading towards her in the opposite direction. She jerked back at the last second to avert disaster with a startled yelp, which her big sister echoed.

“Hey!” Lizzie said as she backed up a step, frowning disapprovingly at her little sister. “Watch it.”

Jamie winced and pulled the guitar case closer to herself as she stepped gingerly around her older sibling. “Oops. Sorry, Lizzie.”

“What’s the hurry?” Lizzie asked, her irritation slowly shifting to curiosity. Whatever had her little sister breaking the rules by running in the house must have been something good.

The earlier eagerness returned to Jamie’s eyes at the reminder. “Mom’s gonna invite Cove to come over.”

“Oh,” Lizzie said, her mouth twisting into something close to a frown. She couldn’t see why that would be so exciting to her little sister. Cove wasn’t that interesting of a kid to play with. If anything, he could be pretty annoying with how much of a wet blanket he could be.

It wasn’t hard for Jamie to guess what her sister was thinking from that sort of lackluster reaction. Cove and Lizzie hadn’t really clicked yet. Hopefully they would soon.

“Cove and his dad went to the aquarium,” Jamie added, hoping that would spark some enthusiasm from her big sister as well. “I’m gonna ask him to tell me all about it, and I’m gonna show him what I can play on my guitar.”

The extra details only served to make Lizzie skew her expression further. “Is that it?”

Jamie blinked at the funny face. She couldn’t quite figure out what that reaction meant. “What is it?”

“Why would you wanna hear about something like that?” Lizzie asked. “It’s not like you can see all the fish Cove saw unless he and his dad took pictures.”

Jamie had to admit that Lizzie had a point about that. Still, that didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun. “Maybe they did take pictures, or maybe Cove has cool stories to tell about his trip there.”

“Or maybe nothing happened except they stared at a bunch of fish for a couple hours,” Lizzie said with a shrug. “Sounds pretty boring to me.”

Jamie shook her head a bit to dismiss the notion. It didn’t surprise her one bit that her big sister didn’t see what was so cool about the ocean and all the things that lived in it.

Lizzie liked the beach well enough, but her interests were more in playing on the sand or splashing in the water than anything that was going on under the waves. She would’ve been perfectly happy doing stuff like that in a waterpark or a pool inland.

In fact, Jamie was pretty sure Lizzie might like that better - her big sister always wanted to live in a big mansion, and those fantasies often involved having a heated indoor swimming pool.

“It’s not,” Jamie insisted, returning her thoughts to the current topic. “The aquarium is like an ocean, but inside!” She threw her arms out to her sides for emphasis. “That’s super cool!”

Lizzie shrugged off the insistence. “If you say so,” she said before continuing on her way. “Don’t expect me to stick around for it though. I’m going out to play.”

“Fine,” Jamie said, her face scrunching up a bit as she watched her sister go.

If Lizzie couldn’t see what was so amazing about an indoor ocean and all the wondrous creatures that it contained, then she wasn’t going to have fun listening to someone talk about it. It was better for her to go someplace else rather than sit around bored, or worse, try to insist that they do something else.

...

Jamie had to wait until after lunch was over before her playdate with Cove, but soon she and her friend were up in her room together with the whole afternoon ahead of them. “So how was the aquarium?” she asked excitedly.

“Dunno,” Cove said. “We didn’t go.”

Jamie blinked, surprised. “Huh? Why not?”

Cove found it awkward to mention that the idea of going to the aquarium was no longer appealing if Jamie wasn’t going to come along, so he could only offer a noncommittal shrug for an answer.

“Oh,” Jamie said, guessing Cove was too disappointed by the trip being canceled to want to talk about the reason why. “That’s too bad.” She did her best to smile to brighten up the mood. “Maybe we can both go to the aquarium another time.”

“Yeah,” Cove said, offering a shy smile to Jamie in return. “That’d be fun.”

Jamie beamed at the idea. Maybe she and Cove couldn’t visit the aquarium together today, but she was sure that they would someday. She could hardly wait for that day.

“How was your guitar lesson?” Cove asked.

“It was good,” Jamie said brightly. “Mx. Morgan taught me some new arpeggio shapes today.”

“Shapes?” Cove repeated, blinking in confusion. “I thought you were playing the guitar.”

“Oh, not like drawing shapes,” Jamie said, seeing the reason for the confusion right away. “In music, shapes are a pattern of musical notes you play. An arpeggio is a specific type of pattern.”

“Oh,” Cove said, though he still didn’t quite get it. His old school had music classes, but none of them mentioned anything like what Jamie was talking about.

Jamie knew that it would be difficult to explain in words, and she doubted that she could do it as well as Mx. Morgan. It had taken her quite a few lessons to understand it herself after all.

Well, if Jamie couldn’t explain it with words, then she would have to just demonstrate it with action instead. “Wanna hear me play?” she asked, eager to show off to her new friend. “I can show you what I mean.”

Cove nodded. “Sure.” Listening to music sounded a lot easier than trying to understand how to play it.

Delighted, Jamie rushed over to her guitar case, which rested beside her bed. Normally she was supposed to put it away in her closet whenever she wasn’t going to lessons or practicing, but she kept it out with the hope that Cove would be interested to listen to her play. Within moments, she had her guitar strapped on and ready to play.

As Jamie sat down on her bed with her guitar in her lap, Cove took a seat on the floor. He thought back to the music classes at his old school and how rowdy the other students could be about playing an instrument. The lessons with recorders were the worst, as the more obnoxious kids liked to blow hard and shrill just because they thought it was funny.

Cove doubted Jamie was the type of kid to play bad on purpose; she always seemed too nice to play pranks like that. Still, playing music was hard. It was easy to accidentally make awful noise with an instrument instead of anything close to music, as he found out from his own fumbling attempts with a recorder.

Still, even if Jamie wasn’t very good at playing, Cove found it nice to see how excited she was about it. He noticed as well that her guitar was covered in dozens of colorful stickers of all sorts of cheerful designs - it was very Jamie. “Your guitar looks cool.”

Jamie beamed at the praise. “Thanks! My moms got it for me when I started taking lessons.” She held out her guitar as far as the strap would allow so that he could get a better look at it. “I decorated it myself. Some of the stickers are from Mx. Morgan when I do a good job in class. I got this one today.” She eagerly pointed out a sticker of a smiling cartoon frog clapping while declaring, ‘Bravo!’

“Neat,” Cove said, noticing that there were quite a few of those cartoon frogs offering cheerful words of praise adorning her guitar.

Once Jamie was satisfied that Cove was done admiring her guitar, she placed it into her lap properly. All at once, her expression changed from cheerful and energetic to one of quiet focus as she arranged her fingers on the strings.

A bright and pleasant sound filled the room as Jamie strummed the strings. Although it sounded nice to Cove, he was surprised to see her suddenly frown.

“What is it?” he asked, wondering what was wrong.

Jamie let out a quiet displeased grunt. “Hang on a sec.”

Without explanation, she plucked at some of the strings before twisting the little knobs at the top of the guitar ever so slightly before plucking the strings again. This repeated on a loop until finally she gave a satisfied nod as she strummed all of the strings at once.

Cove could only stare at Jamie in silent confusion until she finally turned back to him and flashed him a smile.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” she said sheepishly. “Sometimes the drive messes up the strings so it doesn’t sound right.”

Cove blinked at that. “Really?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah. If the strings aren’t right, the songs sound all weird and wrong and aren’t as good.” She saw the confusion still plain as day on his face, and smiled to reassure him. “But it’s fine now, so I’m ready to play.”

“Okay,” Cove said, not sure what else he could say to that. The guitar sounded fine to him, but he supposed that was because he wasn’t taking lessons like she was.

With the guitar tuned properly and explanations out of the way, Jamie got back into position then started to play.

Cove fully expected to hear the usual kid songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Mary Had a Little Lamb, but what Jamie played was neither of those. It struck him as familiar, but it took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t a song they ever taught in any of his music classes, but something he had heard before on the radio. His suspicions were confirmed when Jamie began to sing the lyrics.

Cove was left stunned. Although he didn’t think Jamie would be bad at playing the guitar, he didn’t expect a kid his age to show this level of talent with not only an instrument but singing as well. He couldn’t do anything but watch her with wide eyes, completely enchanted by the song.

Jamie lost herself in the music, her eyes focused entirely on her hands as they moved fluidly across the strings. Her expression displayed a level of concentration that Cove had never seen from her before. She was typically so energetic it was almost untamed. Still, even with such methodical focus, he could see the joy she always radiated in her bright smile and the sparkle in her dark blue eyes.

It took Cove a moment to notice the silence when it settled over the room once the song ended. He blinked his eyes repeatedly as he snapped out of the spell Jamie had cast over him and came back down to Earth.

Jamie finally lifted her head as she came out of her focused state, practically bubbling over with eager energy as she looked at Cove. “So? What did you think?”

Words failed Cove, and all he could manage was to breathe out a single word, “Wow…”

That hushed reaction had a huge impact, and Jamie lit up, shining as bright as the sun. She had been praised before, but never had anyone reacted to her music with such awe. She squirmed in place as she hugged her guitar close and kicked her feet, unable to contain her joy. “Really? I’m so glad you liked it! I worked really, really hard to get better at playing.”

Slowly, Cove recovered from his amazement and nodded. He couldn’t help but smile back at Jamie, her happiness contagious. “Mm. I can tell.”

Jamie was smiling so hard that her warm cheeks started to hurt, but she was too thrilled that she impressed her new friend to care. “Do you wanna hear another song?”

Cove nodded again. “Sure!”

Music filled the air and the afternoon slipped away as Jamie played every song she knew, as well as a few of the trickier chords that she felt were impressive. Cove was an attentive audience, and his genuine enjoyment left her feeling as though she was floating on air.

The only sour note came when Jamie attempted to show off a trickier song that she hadn’t yet mastered. A twinge of the wrong string stopped her playing instantly, and she winced, as even Cove noticed her mistake.

“Sorry,” Jamie apologized, her cheeks tinting with mortification. “I’m still not good with the faster songs yet.”

Cove shook his head. “It sounded good until the end there. You’re really good with the guitar, Jamie. And singing too. Really good.” He was still having a hard time believing that a kid his age could play an instrument or sing so well even though he spent the past while hearing it for himself.

Although the embarrassment faded, Jamie felt the heat in her cheeks intensify from such sincere praise. However, before she could manage to find her voice, a sudden call from downstairs disrupted the moment.

“Kids, Cove’s dad is here!�� Pamela shouted. “It’s time for Cove to go home!”

The news that their playdate was coming to an end deflated the pleasant atmosphere. Jamie put her guitar carefully back into its case as Cove reluctantly got up from the floor and stretched out the kinks in his muscles. He couldn’t help but feel annoyed that his dad had come early.

However, Cove had no sooner finished that thought when he noticed the setting sun outside the window. Glancing at the clock, he was surprised to see that it was actually time for dinner already. When did that happen?

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #Elizabeth Last #Pamela Last #My Writing

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yukidragon · 3 years

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Our Life Snippet - Lazy Morning Intimacy

So, who’s ready for an extra long serving of shameless fluff from the first draft of my fan novelization of Our Life: Beginnings & Always? My philosophy in writing this is if I can add some more fluffy cuddly moments, I absolutely will, and the Step 3 moment Reflection offers one such opportunity right at the very start before, well, those of you who have played this moment know what happens later.

Spoilers for those who have not played the Step 3 DLC! If you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read any further! If you don’t mind spoilery stuff, well, don’t let me stop you, but I highly, highly encourage you to play through the game before reading any of this.

As always, thanks go to @gb-patch for their wonderful game and their lovely feedback for my work, as well as everyone who likes, reblogs, and comments on these clips I’m posting here. You are all awesome. 💖

...

It wasn’t often that Jamie had the chance to enjoy breakfast at the Holden house. Ever since their parents decreed that they were ‘too old’ for sleepovers, she and Cove didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy that particular meal together, which made today a rare treat. It wasn’t especially fancy fare, but it was lovely to be able to spend time with her boyfriend almost as soon as she woke up. She was glad she impulsively asked if he wanted to have breakfast with her when they exchanged their usual good morning texts.

After a pleasant meal filled with light conversation and tasty food, Cove invited Jamie to retreat to his room to relax and let the lazy morning linger before any big activities began. That was, if they didn’t just decide to take it easy for the rest of the day. Neither of them had any plans in particular, with no prior commitments with friends, family, or work to distract them from just spending the day together. It wasn’t officially a date day, per say, or at least neither of them called it that yet. So far, they just decided to do whatever came to mind while enjoying each other’s company.

Of course, the first thing that came to Jamie’s mind was to cuddle with her boyfriend. When Cove sat down onto the bed, she didn’t hesitate to take a seat beside him, leaning into him. He hummed happily in approval and looped an arm around her to pull her in even closer.

A mischievous smile tugged at her lips as a new thought came to mind, and Jamie leaned in even closer. Cove raised an eyebrow at expression, only to yelp when she unexpectedly pushed her weight into him and tipped him back onto the bed. She fell along with him, giggling as they tumbled onto the mattress

Cove let out a chuckle of his own once he recovered from his surprise. “When I said we could relax, I didn’t mean going back to bed,” he said with a wry smile. Even still, he allowed her to nudge him gently back to the headboard so that they could both lounge comfortably on the bed properly with their heads resting on the pillows side by side.

Jamie flashed Cove a satisfied grin before she snuggled up against his side, nuzzling her cheek against his as she basked in his gentle warmth. “You also said to make myself comfortable,” she teased, her eyes sparkling playfully as she rested her arm across his chest. “I’m very comfortable like this.”

Cove felt his heartbeat quicken, and he smiled back fondly at Jamie, nuzzling her cheek in return. “Me too,” he said softly.

Though maybe he was a little too comfortable.

Cove couldn’t help but be aware of the fact that they were both lying in his bed together. A prickling of nerves rose up that he quickly did his best to tamp down to not ruin the intimate moment they were sharing. It was fine, no big deal, he told himself. They were both fully dressed, on top of the sheets, and it was broad daylight. They cuddled plenty of times like this before on sofas and the ground. Heck, this was nothing compared to when they shared a bed when they were younger.

The flickering of nervousness didn’t escape Jamie’s notice. She softened her expression and reached up to gently run her fingers through her shy boyfriend’s hair. She had intended to steal a kiss or two and see where that would take them, but she decided that could wait until later. Just enjoying this moment with Cove was enough for her.

The touch was soothing, and Cove slowly started to relax as he leaned into Jamie. The anxious air that had threatened to pull him out of the moment gradually dissipated as her comforting warmth slowly settled in. Soon, he felt at ease enough to slip his arm back around her, which she happily used as her new pillow. He couldn’t help but smile at seeing the content expression on his partner’s face as she smiled softly back at him.

A comfortable silence washed over the pair as they simply enjoyed the quiet moment of intimacy. At some point, Jamie went from stroking Cove’s hair to toying with it. His ponytail limited her in how much she could card her fingers through his hair, but there were plenty of long locks to ripple between her fingers.

It wasn’t the first time Jamie got the impulse to play with her boyfriend’s hair. Even before he was officially - or even unofficially - her boyfriend, she couldn’t help but want to run her fingers through those pretty pale green strands. When they were younger, Cove would jokingly try to avoid her hands, but always ‘failed’ to escape in the end, allowing her to have her way. Sometimes she teased him back by pretending to give up, and he would always pout adorably, which she would immediately chase away with a satisfying ruffle of his hair.

Occasionally, Jamie would go beyond playing to actual styling. She was no professional, but it was fun to wind her boyfriend’s hair into a braid or two sometimes. Cove never minded, even if the braids rarely lasted that long after she was finished making them. It also didn’t escape her notice that he would sometimes shiver or let out an adorable pleasured little mumble when she raked her fingers along his scalp. It was an enjoyable experience for both of them, and sometimes she suspected that was one of the reasons why he let his hair grow as long as he did.

Jamie had no such grand designs now. Today she simply basked in the freedom to enjoy the feeling of his soft hair sliding between her fingers as she listened to the happy noises her partner occasionally let slip.

Although much more at ease, Cove couldn’t help the small traces of nervous energy that left him with the need to do something with his hands. He ran his thumb across her shoulder with the hand that was limited by Jamie resting on the upper part of his arm. With his freer hand, he decided to return the favor she paid to him and ran his fingers through her long deep blue hair, starting with stroking back her bangs before sliding his hand down along the entire length of her hair until he reached the ends at her hips. The feeling was soft and silky, and she sighed softly at the attention.

On impulse, Cove poked one of the small buns on top of his girlfriend’s head. Space buns were her preferred hairstyle of choice nowadays, and there was something satisfying about poking them that he couldn’t quite explain. Maybe it was the feel of them, or the way the bunched up hair bounced when poked that did it, but most likely it was because of the amused looks Jamie gave him whenever he did. She wore one such expression now, and he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit before giving her bun another playful poke.

Entertained, Jamie let Cove have her way with her buns, poking and prodding them as he pleased. The potential for innuendo wasn’t lost on her, but she let it go unsaid. As fun as it would be to make him flustered by suggesting that he might enjoy playing with a different set of buns she had even more, she didn’t want to interrupt the light, playful moment.

Jamie would just save that little bit of wordplay for later, preferably when the mood was good enough that Cove might take her up on the invitation.

Despite the steamy thoughts that skirted through her mind, Jamie did her best to focus on enjoying the lazy moment between them. It was lovely to just share such casual intimacy with Cove.

Jamie wasn’t alone in trying to ignore her more hormonal urges. As much as Cove enjoyed playing with her hair, focusing on touching her as he did made it impossible for him to stop thinking about the fact that they were both lying on his bed together. He was keenly aware of the gentle warmth of her body pressed against him, how soft and inviting her pink lips looked as she smiled at him.

Eventually, Cove realized he needed something else to occupy his hands if he didn’t want to risk disrupting the peaceful moment. Shifting about a bit, he fished his cell phone out of his pocket. Although Jamie raised an eyebrow at that and at being displaced from her cozy spot when he moved around, she held no objections as he turned his phone on and busied himself with it. Instead, she simply readjusted her position to get comfortable once he was settled again.

Sifting through missed texts and emails, Cove soon managed to distract himself from the urges that ruffled his nerves and relaxed back into the moment. He spotted a number of texts he missed from his dad, and for a moment he wondered if everything was okay until he realized Cliff just sent him a bunch of images last night.

A warm smile graced his face as Cove slowly scrolled his way through the photographs, nostalgia washing over him. Each photo brought him back to the moment it was taken, allowing him to lose himself in the priceless memories he shared with his friends, family, and especially the special person he held so comfortably close at that very moment.

Some photos brought back sweet memories, others a little more on the bitter side of sweet, and then there were the funnier ones. One such silly photo seized Cove’s attention, and he couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped him.

The sound immediately snapped Jamie out of her relaxed stupor and brought her back to the present. She raised an eyebrow at Cove, but he failed to notice her questioning look, too preoccupied by whatever was on his phone’s screen.

“What’s so funny?” Jamie asked as she propped herself up on her arm to get a better look at his face and catch a glimpse of the phone’s screen.

Cove finally turned to look at Jamie, his eyes crinkled with mirth and a smirk playing on his lips. “Dad scanned some old photos,” he chuckled. “You know…”

Now that Jamie was no longer using his arm as a pillow, Cove was free to use it to draw a rectangle in the air. “Printed out ones,” he explained, “back from when I was little.” He waved his phone a bit with his other hand. “He texted it all to me last night, I guess. I’ve been checking them out.”

Jamie sat up completely, her dark blue eyes flying open wide. “You were looking at your kiddie photos and didn’t tell me?!” she gasped, almost scandalized at missing out on something so priceless.

Cove barely resisted the urge to chuckle, offering Jamie a bent smile as his eyes narrowed playfully. “I was gonna show you.” His gaze then slid away to his phone as his expression turned a little more hesitant. “I just wanted to look at it first to make sure there was nothing super embarrassing. You never know with my dad.”

His mouth pulled into a grimace as Cove could easily imagine all sorts of horrors his dad might have captured on film to unintentionally humiliate him until the end of time. “I mean… what if there’s a photo of me getting potty trained or something?”

Although Jamie empathized with his worries, she couldn’t help but giggle at the fraught expression Cove wore. “Yeah, that sounds like something your dad would do.”

Cove could only respond by clearing his throat nervously, his eyes skirting away from Jamie as he sat up as well. While he hadn’t come across any particularly humiliating photo of himself, he couldn’t quite shake the fear of what his dad’s well-meaning actions might have left for him to deal with this time.

Jamie offered her boyfriend a sympathetic smile before adding a slight bent to it. “Hey, how about this - if you let me look at your embarrassing baby photos, I’ll show you just as many of mine. My moms have plenty of them.”

The offer was tempting. Cove couldn’t help but wonder what sort of photos Jamie had in mind, but the price was just too steep. He merely chuckled awkwardly and shook his head as he pointedly kept his phone tilted away from her. She huffed and puffed out her cheeks in a mock pout at him for holding out on her, which elicited a genuine bout of laughter from him.

Once Cove got his mirth under control, he smiled at Jamie. “Anyway, before we forget, I was laughing ‘cause I came across a Halloween one from when I was eight. The year I was a zombie, remember?”

Jamie dropped her faux pout and nodded, her eyes lighting up eagerly. Cove shook his head at her excitement, a wry grin gracing his face as he finally offered the phone to her.

As Cove watched Jamie eagerly turn to his phone, he couldn’t help but shake his head again, this time at his kid self. “I never even liked zombies!” he said, a little baffled that he ever was so enthusiastic for such a costume. “All I wanted was to show off my new scar. And I needed to be something scary. I couldn’t be a normal person who had a scar, according to my eight-year-old mind.”

The photo displayed on the screen showed Cove from ten years in the past, and a pleasant wave of nostalgia washed over Jamie as she saw him the way he looked when they first met, minus the pink cast and plus a fair amount of makeup and fake blood. Little Cove posed for the camera with his fingers hooked like claws, his mouth open as though letting out what was probably supposed to be a fierce roar. She could easily remember the noises he made that night as he pretended to be a zombie on the hunt for brains. His hair looked even more wild and disheveled than it did after the most energetic day of play, going well with the tattered and ‘blood’ stained button up shirt he wore. His face was painted in gray down to his neck, marred with an array of fake scars that couldn’t compare to the real one on his arm.

Cove looked from Jamie to the phone and chuckled softly at the face his younger self pulled for the camera. “I was a little dork.”

Jamie eyed Cove at such self-depreciation before poking him on the nose. “You were a little cutie,” she insisted. “And now you’re a big cutie.”

Cove blinked at the playful action before blushing at the compliment. He had no words to reply to it except for a quiet, flustered chuckle as he rubbed his nose.

Jamie grinned at that reaction before turning back to the photo. As much as she enjoyed how adorable Cove looked while pretending to be a fierce monster, it was impossible to ignore the scar displayed so predominantly on his arm at that time. Her smile softened at the edges at the sight of such a large, jagged line of fresh skin that was such a deep and angry shade of red. The scar was a pale memory in the present, but back then it looked so painful, and at the time she found it hard not to worry about him and his comfort after his cast came off.

Still, Jamie refused to let that put a damper on the story and focused instead on just how much fun little Cove was having posing for the camera and remembering the way they played around with their costumes that night. She could vividly recall how she pretended to run away from him when he playfully growled that he wanted to eat her brains, and the memory made her smile grow stronger.

“Dad really wanted to be useful, as usual,” Cove said, bringing Jamie’s attention back to him in the present. Though he noticed the flicker of sadness that crossed her face and realized the reason for it, he was glad to see her perk up again just as quickly. “He came up with the idea of being an undead person. It was pretty good, huh?”

Jamie chuckled softly and nodded. “You had the best Halloween costume that year, hands down,” she said playfully. “I remember you getting lots of extra candy when adults realized the scar was real.” Her smile widened as she remembered just how jealous Lizzie had been at how much candy Cove got that year, especially since he only offered to share some of that extra candy with Jamie. “It must have been your greatest Halloween haul ever.”

Cove couldn’t help but chuckle as well as he thought back to that legendary candy haul as well. It took him a month to finish it all even with Jamie’s help.

Still, the topic of his scar brought his gaze back to the picture. Cove couldn’t help but compare the way it looked in the photo to its current appearance on his left arm. “I can’t believe how much larger my scar used to be,” he said quietly.

Jamie watched as Cove turned his focus to his arm with a soft smile on his face. He traced his fingers along the jagged line of pale flesh that remained with him even ten years on. It was an action that she had seen him do countless times, but it felt more significant in that moment.

A soft sigh escaped Cove, but his eyes and tone were playful. “Look at how tiny it is now.” He gave Jamie a look with big, pathetic eyes. “How am I gonna pretend to be tough without a big scar?”

It was a struggle for Jamie not to laugh at the expression Cove wore. “You better not do anything stupid to get a new scar,” she joked with a faux disapproving frown as she wagged a finger at him. “No matter how much you like them!”

Cove grinned back at Jamie. “I won’t.”

“Good,” Jamie said with a satisfied nod. “You’ve already got the coolest scar, no matter how small it gets.”

Cove felt his cheeks grow warm and his smile turned bashful. “Thanks.” He ducked his head away from Jamie, pleased with their joking exchange. Once again, his eyes drifted down to his scar as he continued to trace it.

“I really do like having this,” he admitted in a soft, shy voice. “Even if it is kind of little these days.”

Jamie’s expression softened as well, feeling as though Cove was sharing a big secret with her. She couldn’t help but feel happy to hear that he liked his scar despite whatever pain it must have caused him to get it. It was always wonderful whenever he opened up to her like this.

Cove glanced up at Jamie, a gentle smile gracing his lips. “I like yours, too.”

The unexpected compliment caught Jamie off guard, and heat rose in her cheeks, turning them pink. She couldn’t help but smile as she felt her chest flutter with butterflies. He never failed to think of her as well, especially since he knew that she was self-conscious of her own scars.

Unthinkingly, Jamie brought her hand up to her upper arm and traced some of the countless jagged little white lines that marred her pale skin. There were matching scars in the same place on her other arm, as well as her thighs and her chest. Unlike Cove, these scars were not the result of an accident, but her skin not being able to keep up with her sudden growth during puberty.

Back during her early teenage years when the stretch marks were fresh and an angry purplish-red, Jamie always kept them hidden. Puberty had been rough on her, dealing a blow to her self-esteem as well as her body, and being covered in so many scars left her feeling ugly even though she never once thought of Cove’s scar like that.

It took time for Jamie to accept her scars, and she knew that Cove was a big part of why. Seeing the way he took such quiet pride in his scar always made her question how she thought of hers. More than that, he always made her feel beautiful, and he was always the first to remind her whenever she needed it. That was why she was no longer afraid to wear clothes that exposed her scars like she did now.

Jamie scooted in closer to Cove as she smiled adoringly at him, placing her hand on top of his. “Thank you, Cove.”

Cove turned back to face Jamie fully. He finally let go of his scar so that he could take her hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. He felt at peace with his scar and was happy to see the same reflected on her face as well. Their scars held such meaning to them despite coming from unhappy sources.

Jamie squeezed his hand back as she drifted even closer. “Could I touch your scar?”

Cove blinked, taken aback by the request. Usually, Jamie wasn’t shy about touching him without asking first, particularly someplace as innocent as his arm. Still, he quickly realized why she might hesitate to do that now and smiled gently at her as he nodded easily. “Yeah, that’s okay.”

Jamie gave Cove’s hand one more squeeze before letting go of it. Lightly, she pressed her fingertips against the edges of his scar. With great care, she slowly ran her thumb along the entire length of it, following the jagged angles the old wound took. The pale flesh was rough when compared to the rest of his skin, which was soft, but with goosebumps rising quickly along his arm as she stroked his scar.

The touch, so delicate and gentle, left Cove feeling a bit lightheaded. Jamie’s touch always felt wonderful and often left him feeling butterflies, but somehow the feel of her paying such careful attention to his scar was particularly powerful. A choked breath escaped him and a wobbly smile played across his face as he lost himself in the feeling.

The dizzied smile Cove wore along with the light pink of his cheeks drew Jamie in with the urge to do more. She locked eyes with him, staring deep into his aquamarine eyes as she took a hold of his arm and raised it up towards her.

A quiet gasp escaped Cove when she realized what Jamie had in mind. He couldn’t look away from her dark blue eyes as she stared so intently into him even as she placed a soft kiss on the old wound that marked him. The feeling of her lips, warm and soft, pressed so tenderly against that particular place sent shivers up his spine, and he let out a tiny squeak.

Jamie smiled against Cove’s skin as she appreciated his adorable reaction, as well as the way he looked at her with overwhelming adoration. She kissed him again and again, tracing the entire length of his scar with her lips like she did with her fingers before.

It was impossible for Cove to stay still when Jamie was showing him such affection. He reached up with his free hand to touch her arm. With his thumb, he brushed aside the edge of her open sleeve, giving him better access to the countless little white lines marking her pale skin. The texture was interesting, feeling so similar yet so different from his own scar. Because of their size and number, he found his fingers constantly alternating between soft skin and rougher tissue. It was difficult to trace any one scar from start to finish like she did for him, so instead he sought out to touch every single one.

The touch was electric, and Jamie could feel her heartbeat speed up as Cove caressed her so lovingly. “Cove…”

Cove shivered again as Jamie murmured his name against his skin, setting off sparks that made his body burn pleasantly. It urged him to lean forward, his eyes gleaming with the fire she set ablaze inside him.

Jamie raised her head and instinctively matched his movement, drawing nearer to Cove as her eyes drifted closed. She felt his lips gently meet hers, and she melted into the tender kiss. She held a little more firmly onto his arm as she fell deeper into him, feeling like she might drown in the depths of her feelings for him.

Cove all too quickly lost himself in the moment and in Jamie. It felt so wonderful, so right to be her like this, to touch and kiss her. He loved her so much that it was almost overwhelming, but knowing that she loved him as well kept him grounded.

Eventually they finally drifted apart, breathless and dazed from the kiss, their faces flushed with heat. When Jamie opened her eyes, she saw Cove gazing back at her with his mesmerizing ocean blue eyes. The look he gave her was spellbinding, filled with so much love and adoration that made her heart hammer hard against her ribcage. It told her without words that the feelings he had for her were just as immense as hers were for him.

Cove leaned in again, this time resting his forehead gently against Jamie’s. With heavy lidded eyes, he simply enjoyed gazing deeply into her blue eyes that always reminded him of the night sky. No matter how many times he saw them, they always captivated him. He could lose himself in those beautiful eyes of hers.

The feeling of his warm breath tickling her skin made Jamie shiver a little, especially the way it brushed against her lips like the ghost of a kiss. With their heads touching, his hand on her arm and hers on his, she felt entirely entwined with Cove. It felt so right.

Time ceased to have any meaning in that moment as they gazed deeply into their partner’s eyes and drank in the closeness and warmth they shared. Seconds or minutes might have passed, but neither of them cared as they lost themselves in each other.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Last #Jamie Leimomi #My Writing

156 notes · View notes

yukidragon · 2 years

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Our Life Snippet - Charity Spice

I got a request to I to post more of the first draft of my fan novelization for Our Life: Beginnings & Always - specifically the direct continuation to a previous part in Step 3 where Cove and Jamie get to enjoy some spicy vanilla make outs. It makes me so happy that y’all enjoy my writing about this sweet game.

Just as a heads up, this part is spicy, and rated M for mature. so kiddos should definitely not read. I’m not quite sure it goes so far that I’d label it NSFW, but be advised that it’s more suggestive than the game (aside from the patreon moment of course). Direct terminology for sexy bits and bobs aren’t used, but heavily implied.

As always, thank you for enjoying my work and all your wonderful feedback, and thanks to @gb-patch for making such a lovely game.

...

Jamie felt so soft against his rigid body, but Cove could feel her toned muscles underneath that softness as he gently squeezed her thighs. He watched as she bit her lower lip to stifle another moan, but he didn’t want that. He leaned in to kiss her, delicately freeing her lower lip with gentle suction.

Eagerly, Jamie returned the kiss, drinking in that sweetness and underlying spice that Cove offered her. He tasted so good, so addicting; she couldn’t get enough of him.

Another squeeze to her thighs coincided with Cove brushing his leg upward. The sudden increase of pleasurable sensation caught Jamie off-guard, and she couldn’t resist the instinctive urge to buck her hips into his thigh that time. The kiss broke as another moan escaped her, breathless and wanting. “Cove…!”

God, Cove loved that sound. He loved Jamie. He feared his heart might burst from containing all the love he held for her inside, but… he didn’t have to anymore. He didn’t have to hold back showing her just how much he loved her, how much he wanted her.

Jamie loved him. She desired him. Cove could see it in the way she looked at him now, adoring and yearning. That look, the noises she made, the way she called his name, her softness, her heat… all of it did things to him, creating a deep hunger inside that couldn’t be satiated.

Cove wanted more. He needed more. He had to have more and more of Jamie, or he was going to go crazy. His desire for her was so strong it was almost too much for him to take, but the thought of stopping now was almost painful.

It was getting harder for Jamie to focus with the way Cove gently stroked her thighs, practically coaxing her into grinding into his whenever his leg slid upward between hers. She fought to keep quiet, but then he would move or caress her in a way that she couldn’t stop from moaning his name. It was pure instinct, and she couldn’t resist it, not when he made her feel so good.

Jamie wrapped an arm around Cove’s shoulder to steady herself, her hand coming to rest on his nape. Her hips were practically moving of their own accord now, but she didn’t care to stop, not when he was so eager. That look he gave her was so adoring, but there was an undercurrent of hunger there that stirred something primal inside her, blazing that fire in her core almost as much as his loving ministrations.

Jamie wanted to coax that desire she saw in his eyes, to make Cove feel so good that he couldn’t think of anything else. Slowly, she slid her free hand downward along his chest, savoring the feeling of his hot, firm body through his formal dress shirt. The shirt wrinkled under such treatment, but neither of them cared.

It wasn’t the first time Jamie had caressed his chest, but Cove hadn’t expected how the different material of his clothes would affect the experience. His normal clothes were by no means rough, but the dress shirt was silky, which made the touch of her hand somehow more pronounced than usual. When her fingers skirted across a particularly sensitive point, the jolt of pleasure surprised him, and a gasp that was almost a yelp escaped him as he arched into her touch.

Jamie stilled as she peered up into Cove’s ocean blue eyes, which were delightfully hazy with desire. He offered a trembling smile, silently letting her know that he was merely startled, not overwhelmed. She smiled back at him before kissing those wobbly lips.

The kiss was brief, as both of them were breathing too heavy for it to last for long. It was alright though, as its brevity allowed Jamie to focus on touching Cove more. Delicately, she traced the small sensitive spot she found on his chest through the silky material, drawing out another gasp from her boyfriend. This time she didn’t stop as his breathing hitched and shuddered, enjoying the cute little noises he made as she touched him. She could feel the way his chest moved with his ragged breaths along with his rapidly thumping heart through her palm.

It was thrilling to see such proof of how much she excited him. Normally when things got to this point, Cove would get overwhelmed by his own body’s reaction and that would be the end of things. However, this time, he gave no indication that he wanted to stop just yet.

Jamie decided against going further down, at least for now. There were other ways to test the waters without diving right in.

The lower Jamie touched him, the more nervous Cove grew. For as much as he tried to hold back the more obscene desires she sparked in him, he couldn’t deny he ached for her to go even lower to where he felt so unbearably confined. He lost count of how many guilty fantasies he had of his girlfriend touching him where she made him so achingly aroused. He wanted it so badly, that relief and release, and he wanted Jamie to be the one to give it to him instead of himself.

With how daring Jamie was being, Cove knew that all it would take was just a little encouragement, just a few words to give her permission to pleasure him in ways that he barely dared dream about. She would if he let her know how much he wanted it, he was sure of it.

At least, Cove was pretty sure. Actually, he had been a lot more sure only a moment ago, but the more he thought about, the stronger his uncertainty grew.

Jamie was always the more bold and confident of the two of them when it came to physical intimacy, but this was different. This wasn’t just kissing or cuddling. If she touched him any lower they would be… that was definitely crossing the line from making out to sex, no question about it.

What if it was too much? What if Jamie wasn’t ready for it yet?

Cove found himself drawn out of that anxious line of thought, as Jamie slid her hand upward, the movement slow but obviously appreciative as she caressed his chest. His eyes immediately met hers as he feared she really did get overwhelmed, but he saw none of that in her expression. Her gaze was soft and loving, and there was a reassuring curve to her smile.

Jamie must have noticed his internal conflict; she was always so good at noticing when he was anxious. Despite the worries that threatened to chase him out of this wonderful moment, he found himself disappointed that she didn’t keep going.

Cove couldn’t help but feel frustrated with himself, particularly the skittish part of him that was relieved that she had shifted her attention away from where his body still very much ached for her touch the most. He wanted more so badly, but at the same time it was so intense that he felt like running away from that feeling.

Why did he always have to fight himself and his desires like this?

Soft kisses along his neck just above the collar of his shirt drew Cove out of his head and back to Jamie. Although she had redirected her touch away from where he ached for it most, she wasn’t done making him feel good just yet. Her hand slipped from his chest to his side and then reached around his back. The hand on his nape kneaded him there while her wandering hand explored lower.

Jamie savored the feeling of his firm muscles, noticing the way they tightened the lower she slid her hand. Despite this sign of tension, Cove purposefully dragged his knee upward along her thighs as he stroked her there to encourage her not to retreat this time. That drew out another low moan from her as her fingers kneaded into his skin a little more firmly.

This time, when Jamie reached his belt, she dared to cross the threshold, tracing his spine all the way to the end, just above her goal. There she paused before progressing further to give Cove time to voice his disagreement against any further action. She looked up into his eyes as she tapped him at the base of the spine to silently convey her intentions.

The unspoken question in Jamie’s eyes and touch sent a shiver down Cove’s spine. She still wanted to do more with him, but she was holding back until he gave her clear permission to continue. It helped ease his nervousness a little knowing that.

It took Cove a moment to find his voice, his words coming out in a timid murmur. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

Jamie shivered a little herself at the husky quality to her boyfriend’s voice that was almost a caress to her ear.

Cove offered her a lopsided if wobbly smile, but he had to close his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to manage to finish what he wanted to say when her dark blue eyes were gazing so intently into him. “I mean, it’s not just that,” he said, the tremors increasing in his voice the more he spoke. He swallowed to alleviate the sudden dryness in his throat. “I… want you… t-t…”

Try as he might, Cove couldn’t finish forcing the final word past his trembling lips. Why was this so hard?

Despite the unfinished sentence, Jamie felt validated. Slowly, she slid her hand lower, ever so lightly placing her hand over his butt. She watched as Cove shivered pleasantly as she stroked the taut muscle, his eyes flying open wide. She smiled at him as she delicately increased the pressure of her touch the longer her hand lingered on his backside.

Oh my God, Cove thought over and over as Jamie caressed him in such an intimate place. He couldn’t fight his embarrassment as his girlfriend touched him in a way that was so unquestionably sexual. Still, it felt so good. He felt so desired, and it made him so hot, so unbearably hot.

It was thrilling to touch Cove like this. Jamie adored the flustered but certainly not dissatisfied expression on his face, as well the little noises that escaped him. She had been tempted to touch her boyfriend’s butt many times, and now she was allowed to indulge in her guilty desires and enjoy the feeling of just how delightfully firm his sculpted backside was.

The smile Jamie gave Cove, so seductive and pleased, just made the feelings she set off in him that much stronger. There was a mischievous bent to her smile just before she gave his butt a firm but gentle squeeze. He took in a sharp breath both due to surprise and the sudden spike in sensation.

“Jamie…,” Cove moaned. He grew more bashful for his reaction, for how rough and needy he sounded, but he couldn’t help the smile that curved his trembling lips. It was embarrassing, but, God, he was so turned on right now.

Maybe too turned on.

Cove wanted more, so much more. His body ached for it so badly that the frustration was almost unbearable. He wanted to pull Jamie closer, to flip their positions around so that he was the one pinning her to the wall. He wanted to pull her in closer to his body and wrap her legs around him to coax her into grinding into not his thigh but where he ached most desperately for her touch. He wanted to get rid of the stifling clothes that separated his burning body from hers and feel just how soft she was all over. He wanted to see every inch of her, to find out how she tasted all over. He wanted to make her moan his name again and again, to make her writhe against him as he pleasured her, as he thrust inside her over and over until they both came together.

It was too much. Cove was mortified by just how quickly his thoughts devolved. These lustful desires racing through his mind were too much for him to handle but, more importantly, he feared that they were too much for Jamie. It was all too fast, too soon, too obscene. Too many things could go wrong, would go wrong, and his racing mind conjured awful outcomes to everything his burning body urged him to do. He knew nearly all of these hypothetical worst case scenarios popping into his mind didn’t make sense, but it didn’t matter - he was at his limit.

Slowly, Cove released his hold on Jamie’s thighs as he placed both feet firmly but shakily back on the floor. He rested his hands on her shoulders instead, carefully holding her at arm’s length and kept her there. He had to look away from her as he took deep breaths to calm his racing heart and mind.

Jamie took that as her cue to let go. She placed a hand over her pounding heart and used the other to brace herself against the wall, her legs feeling a bit weak now without the help of her boyfriend’s hands and thigh to keep her upright. It was hard to clear her mind. Everything was just so much. Her pulse, her breath, Cove… It took some deep breathing to regain her focus.

It was a shame that they had to stop when Jamie was still burning so hot, but still, a satisfied smile graced her lips. She and Cove had made some pretty significant milestones in their intimacy tonight - both physically and emotionally. Her body might have been frustrated that they stopped, but her heart was overflowing with joy.

Cove leaned his head back against the wall and covered his eyes with one hand as he tried to get himself back under control. His mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts and desires that weren’t helped by how much his body still cried out for more of Jamie. It was disappointing to stop, almost painful in fact, and he felt frustrated with himself that he had retreated once again even as he felt ashamed by where his mind went. He was flustered beyond words over just how sexual he had been, making it impossible for him to push himself to try and continue.

Yet, as Cove had the space to breathe and calm down a bit, he found that there was a part of him that felt just the tiniest bit proud. He might have stopped things before he felt truly satisfied, but the experience he just shared with Jamie had been amazing. Every second had been absolutely wonderful despite his worries. They also progressed further than they had ever gone and maybe next time they could try even more.

#Our Life Beginnings & Always #Our Life #ourlifeba #Cove Holden #Jamie Leimomi #Jamie Last #My Writing

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